Little Hoodlum is book 2 in the Hood River Hoodlums series. This is the first book that I've read in a couple months. Typically I read daily so this hLittle Hoodlum is book 2 in the Hood River Hoodlums series. This is the first book that I've read in a couple months. Typically I read daily so this has been a long break. What a great book to get me reading again though. This was the perfect choice, because Wow!! This book has it all. There is some romance, some suspense, a bit of a taboo relationship, some violence, lots of love, loyalty, mystery and more. Overall, I'd say this is contemporary romance with some dark undertones. I was swooning at times and other times I was up and pacing my house all stressed out.
I suppose you could read this book on its own and still understand what is happening, but don't. It is book 2 for a reason. You should go in order and read book 1, Hood River Rat, first. Seriously, read that first. Not only is it also a great book but it sets up everything that happens in this book and gives the background.
This book resolves everything central to the storyline and doesn't have a cliffhanger. It does however set us up for book 3 which I cannot wait to get my hands on.
I highly recommend this book and the series thus far....more
Wow! Just wow. I had no idea where this story was going to go. It is full of twists and turns and gave me all the feels. We first met these charactersWow! Just wow. I had no idea where this story was going to go. It is full of twists and turns and gave me all the feels. We first met these characters in The Wild. I think you could probably read this book without reading The Wild first, but I think it is even better and more fulfilling to read all the words, including where we first met these characters. We also get a peek at our favorite characters from The Wild. That is all you will get from me for now. I may update to a more complete review once the book has been out for a while but until then my lips are sealed. You will get no spoilers from me. ...more
6 Stars! I loved how dark this was and I loved the lengths the main character went to for revenge. This book is standalone. No need to read anything b6 Stars! I loved how dark this was and I loved the lengths the main character went to for revenge. This book is standalone. No need to read anything before or after it.
Will review more when I have more time. Oh, if you have triggers, you may want to read something else instead. This is a dark book full of potential triggers. ...more
3 Stars. The Haunted Heist is book 3 in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries series. This is a cozy mystery told in 1st person POV for main character V3 Stars. The Haunted Heist is book 3 in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries series. This is a cozy mystery told in 1st person POV for main character Verity Long.
The series is about a woman named Verity who unknowingly cleans out a man named Frankie's ashes from an old vase looking jar into her rosebushes and it traps his ghost on her property allowing him to only leave when Verity takes his urn off the property. The ghost, Frankie, shows himself to her and so begins her ability to see ghosts.
In this book, Verity's best friend's Uncle is killed in the vault of the bank he owned. Verity was at the bank when it happened and saw his dead body. Verity, Frankie, and Ellis investigate the murder.
I think I might be starting to get a bit bored with this series. It's not as much fun when there aren't clues along the way and it is just a bunch of stuff happening up until the big reveal at the end. I think at this point I am just enjoying the bits and pieces of Verity and Ellis forming a relationship and holding on for those details that are sprinkled throughout. Oh, I do love the skunk Lucy and love that she has a full name when she is in trouble: Lucille Desiree Long. So cute.
I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed listening to it. The narrator really injects a lot of emotion into her reading and she really sells the suspense and fear. She did a really good job. Her voices were distinct and clear and her pronunciation was good. The audio editing was off in one place in chapter 13 where you could tell that it was pieced together and a word was partially cut off.
So far, I recommend this series but I don't think I will continue to binge it. I am going to try one more and take it from there. ...more
Southern Spirits is book 1 in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries series. This is a cozy mystery told in 1st person POV for main character Verity LongSouthern Spirits is book 1 in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries series. This is a cozy mystery told in 1st person POV for main character Verity Long.
The book is about a woman named Verity who after leaving her scummy fiance at the alter, has the town turn against her and gets sued by the ex's family and is now in danger of losing her family home. She has sold off all of her furniture and belongings to pay the family back and only has a couple things remaining. One of which is an old vase looking jar that her ex had given her and it is too hideous to sell. She starts messing with it and finds that it has a bunch of old dust and such in it so she washes it out over her rose bushes in the backyard. That is when the book really begins. It turns out the vase is an urn and by washing it out, she has trapped the ghost of the urn's occupant on her property. The ghost, Frankie, shows himself to her and so begins her ability to see ghosts.
As the book progresses, she accidentally finds herself in the middle of some dangerous hauntings and a murder investigation. There are twists and turns and a lot of suspense. It looks like there might even be a budding romance.
The book started a bit slow but once it got going, I was hooked.
I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed listening to it. The narrator really sold the excitement, fear, and suspense through her reading. The narration is a bit fast and I was not able to listen to a speed faster than 1.05 and that was after listening to it at 0.90-0.95 for a while to get used to her voice. That isn't a big deal though. I am fine listening at regular speed but I know a lot of people prefer to listen at 1.5-2 and that might be a bit difficult for this one. I think the narrator did a really good job. Her voices were distinct and clear and her pronunciation was good.
Southern Spirits is my first experience with this author. It will not be my last. ...more
2.5 Stars! I hated the beginning but loved the rest. This is probably my least favorite book even though some of my favorite things happened in this b2.5 Stars! I hated the beginning but loved the rest. This is probably my least favorite book even though some of my favorite things happened in this book. Cajun Fried Felony is book 15 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who up until book 12 was a CIA assassin in hiding, and old ladies Gertie and Ida Belle, who are lifelong Sinful residents and ex-spy war veterans, as they help solve a string of various crimes and murders.
This series is the first series of Cozy Mystery books that I have read. Cozy Mystery is a new-to-me genre and I am hooked. Once I listened to the first Miss Fortune Mystery series book, I couldn't stop. I have listened to all of the books back to back and now I am super sad that there aren't any more audiobooks yet and there is only one more written book released in the series that I am going to start reading now. I don't know what I will do with out my favorite Sinful characters that I have gotten to know over the past almost month.
I recommend reading/listening to these books in order since each book builds upon the prior book's story and it makes it much more entertaining and enjoyable to go in order. I'm sure you could still enjoy these books as standalone but it won't be the same.
Let me start by saying that I absolutely loathed the first couple chapters in this book. I don't care where you live or what your local traditions are, I will never feel okay about terrorizing animals for sport. I think that is cruel. The activities in the beginning of this book were written in a way that they were meant to be light and funny but I could not get past what those stupid games and contests do to the animals being chased and tackled and used for sport and entertainment prior to their being killed. It adds insult to injury.
Cajun Fried Felony is the Thanksgiving edition of this series. During the course of one of the aforementioned animal terrorizing games, Gertie gertied and had a mishap that uncovered a body that had been hidden. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie are all set to let Carter handle this one since they don't have any mutual interests that would warrant involvement, but when the signs start pointing to Swamp Bar owner, Whiskey, he hires Swamp Team 3 to investigate the murder so he doesn't go down for something he didn't do. There are lots of twists and turns in this book.
One of my favorite things in Cajun Fried Felony was watching Carter work together with Fortune and the ladies rather than the ladies going behind his back and lying to him. They make a fantastic team. I also really loved that Carter and Fortune are finally telling each other outright that they love one another. They are perfect together so I'm happy to see their relationship continue to develop.
Another side storyline in this book is that Walter asked Ida Belle to marry him...again.
If you like books with a big dose of humor, this is the series for you. I have found myself laughing out loud too many times to count.
The same narrator reads for the whole series. She did great for the first 11 books, then books 12 and 13 were a bit sloppy, almost like she was just rushing through, making errors such as incorrect words read and using the wrong character name. She seems back to usual again so I thought this was a good audiobook. I like that her voices are consistent from book to book. I look forward to more of this series being narrated and hopefully this narrator will be the one to read it. ...more
5 Stars! Fortune Furlough is book 14 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who up until b5 Stars! Fortune Furlough is book 14 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who up until book 12 was a CIA assassin in hiding, and old ladies Gertie and Ida Belle, who are lifelong Sinful residents and ex-spy war veterans, as they help solve a string of various crimes and murders. In this book, the ladies take a trip to Florida so we have a whole new setting for our investigation of who-dun-it.
This series is the first series of Cozy Mystery books that I have read. Cozy Mystery is a new-to-me genre and I am hooked. Once I listened to the first Miss Fortune Mystery series book, I couldn't stop. I have listened to all of the books back to back and I'm not going to stop until there aren't any more.
I recommend reading/listening to these books in order since each book builds upon the prior book's story and it makes it much more entertaining and enjoyable to go in order. I'm sure you could still enjoy these books as standalone but it won't be the same.
In Fortune Furlough, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie take a girls trip to Florida. Although they are hoping for fun and relaxation, they end up in the middle of a murder investigation when Gertie goes on a date with a man who is found dead the next morning and the local deputy is terrible at his job. All he wants to do is quickly pin the murder on someone, an out of towner preferably, so he can win the Sheriff appointment. Of course, it is never just a simple and obvious answer and the list of possible suspects is a long one. How will the ladies handle investigating away from their home turf and away from the safety of having Carter to smooth things over and handle things with integrity. This book is full of excitement and lots of laughs along the way.
If you like books with a big dose of humor, this is the series for you. I have found myself laughing out loud too many times to count.
The same narrator reads for the whole series. She did great for the first 11 books, then books 12 and 13 were a bit sloppy, almost like she was just rushing through, making errors such as incorrect words read and using the wrong character name. This book was more like her usual style so it was an improvement from the past 2. I like that her voices are consistent from book to book....more
4 Stars! Swamp Spook is book 13 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who up until book 14 Stars! Swamp Spook is book 13 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who up until book 12 was a CIA assassin in hiding, and old ladies Gertie and Ida Belle, who are lifelong Sinful residents and ex-spy war veterans, as they help solve a string of various crimes and murders.
This series is the first series of Cozy Mystery books that I have read. Cozy Mystery is a new-to-me genre and I am hooked. Once I listened to the first Miss Fortune Mystery series book, I couldn't stop. So far, I have listened to all of the books back to back and I'm not going to stop until there aren't any more.
I recommend reading/listening to these books in order since each book builds upon the prior book's story and it makes it much more entertaining and enjoyable to go in order. I'm sure you could still enjoy these books as standalone but it won't be the same.
In Swamp Spook, Sinful is having their week-long Halloween celebrations and all of the townspeople help out where they can. Fortune plays a character in the scary maze and in her scene she beheads a (fake) person. During the 30 minute break, someone swaps the fake dead dude with a real one. Of course, Celia gets involved and it is makes for a hilarious scene of realizing the fake dead guy is a real one. I love to see horrible things happen back to her. Her character is a lesson in karma. I hope she really gets shut down once and for all in one of these books, although it would take away a lot of drama so I don't know... Anyway, this twist certainly looks bad for Fortune, especially since she let the town in on her true identity as a CIA agent in the last book and people think she might be dangerous. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie jump right into investigation mode to try to solve the murder and a few other crimes along the way.
If you like books with a big dose of humor, this is the series for you. I have found myself laughing out loud too many times to count.
The same narrator reads for the whole series. She did great for the first 11 books, but the past two have seemed sloppy, almost like she is just rushing through. She is making errors such as incorrect words read and using the wrong character name. That was disappointing. I do like that her voices are consistent from book to book....more
4 Stars! Reel of Fortune is book 12 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who up until bo4 Stars! Reel of Fortune is book 12 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who up until book 12 is a CIA assassin in hiding, and old ladies Gertie and Ida Belle, who are lifelong Sinful residents and ex-spy war veterans, as they help solve a string of various crimes and murders.
This series is the first series of Cozy Mystery books that I have read. This is a new-to-me genre and I am hooked. Once I listened to the first book, I couldn't stop. So far, I have been listening to all of the books back to back and I'm not quite ready to stop.
I recommend reading/listening to these books in order since each book builds upon the prior book's story and it makes it much more entertaining and enjoyable to go in order. I'm sure you could still enjoy these books as standalone but it won't be the same.
Reel of Fortune starts a whole new life for Fortune. She is finally out of the CIA and has returned to Sinful to begin her life. She lets the townspeople in on her real identity and of course receives mixed reactions. In this book she has to start figuring our what to do with her life now that she is a civilian. Of course, nothing stays quiet in Sinful for long. This time, there is a murder and Ally is at the top of the suspect list even though everyone knows sweet, innocent Ally could never murder anyone. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie jump right into investigation mode to try to solve the murder before it gets pinned on the wrong person.
If you like books with a big dose of humor, this is the series for you. I have found myself laughing out loud too many times to count.
The same narrator reads for the whole series. She typically does a good job but this time she made errors such as incorrect words read, using the wrong character name, and her pronunciation was a bit off. It surprised me. I do like that her voices are consistent from book to book....more
6 Stars! Change of Fortune is book 11 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who is a CIA 6 Stars! Change of Fortune is book 11 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune, who is a CIA assassin in hiding, and old ladies Gertie and Ida Belle, who are lifelong Sinful residents and ex-spy war veterans, as they help solve a string of various crimes and murders.
This series is the first series of Cozy Mystery books that I have read. This is a new-to-me genre and I am really loving it. Once I listened to the first book, I couldn't stop. So far, I have been listening to all of the books back to back and I'm not quite ready to stop.
I recommend reading/listening to these books in order since each book builds upon the prior book's story and it makes it much more entertaining and enjoyable to go in order. However, if you choose to start with this book, there is a very brief introduction at the beginning that explains the series. This is the first of the books to do that.
There is humor throughout, but the first chapter was so funny, that I had tears from laughing. Change of Fortune has a little bit of everything and so much is happening. Gertie's pet alligator, Godzilla, is terrorizing the town in search for baked goods. Things have finally come to a head with the Ahmad situation and Fortune decides to offer herself up as bait in an attempt to end Ahmad and his threats once and for all. Amongst all of that, the ladies are trying to solve the mystery of missing food from Fancine's diner. Once again, Fortune teams up with Big and Little Hebert and their head bodyguard, Manny. We learn a bit more about them in this book too. We get more of Fortune's partner, Harrison, in this book and get to watch them working together. Harrison to Carter: "The woman sitting next to you is one of the best we have and have had for well over a decade. She's an awesome human being and a she's also the deadliest person I have ever known. If anyone can handle Ahmad, it's Fortune." I really like Harrison. I wish we could have had more of him throughout the series.
If you like books with a big dose of humor, this is the series for you. I have found myself laughing out loud too many times to count.
The same narrator reads for the whole series. She does a good job and I really like the fact that the character voices are consistent from book to book. ...more
3.5 Stars! Swamp Santa is book 16 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune Redding, who up un3.5 Stars! Swamp Santa is book 16 in A Miss Fortune Mystery series. The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana, USA and follows Fortune Redding, who up until book 12 was a CIA assassin in hiding, and old ladies Gertie and Ida Belle, who are lifelong Sinful residents and ex-spy war veterans, as they help solve a string of various crimes and murders.
This is the first full series of Cozy Mystery books that I have read. Cozy Mystery was a new-to-me genre when I found Louisiana Longshot, the first Miss Fortune Mystery series book. Ever since I listened to that book, I couldn't stop. I listened to all of the books back to back up through the 15th book, Cajun Fried Felony, and then was bummed that Swamp Santa wasn't on audible yet. I tried to read it but I had too much going on with my life to really get into reading it so I just waited a few months for the audible to arrive and as soon as it did, I bought it. Now I am sad all over again because there aren't any more books in this series yet and the final sentence of the book was a doozy! It is a lead in to what will come next and I don't want to wait to see what will happen. I tried checking out the author's website but there is no mention of when the next book will be released. I don't know what I will do with out my favorite Sinful characters that I have gotten to know over the past 4 months.
I recommend reading/listening to these books in order since each book builds upon the prior book's story and it makes it much more entertaining and enjoyable to go in order. I'm sure you could still enjoy these books as standalone but it won't be the same.
Swamp Santa is a Christmas edition of this series. In this book, someone killed the man who was playing Santa at one of Sinful's Christmas events. It turns out that this is a multi-city mystery across, New Orleans, Mudbug, and Sinful. Santa wasn't actually the same man who was supposed to be playing Santa. Instead he was a shady and dangerous PI who was searching for a woman and a baby. Fortune and her team, along with the Heberts and Manny, and Carter are all on the case. Of course, Carter in an official Law Enforcement capacity and the others all privately. There are lots of twists and turns in this book. I really appreciate that this author allows the reader to unravel the clues along with the characters and I love how the mystery gets pieced together so well where there are different paths we can follow, some correct and others not, when trying to figure out what really happened.
Even though the mysteries were well pieced together, there were very basic things that didn't make complete sense; such as certain character relationships and interactions. Also, why do these people all have the same last names? Are there only 4 or 5 to go around? Not a huge deal, just weird. The little things kept this book from being elevated to 5 stars for me.
I love the personal story-lines as well. I love Fortune and Carter together and would have loved to see even more of their relationship. I love that Ida Belle and and Walter are engaged and preparing for their wedding. I absolutely adore the friendship and working relationship that Fortune is forming with the Heberts and Manny. I'm so glad that they have become staples in these books. They are all a group of characters that I have grown to love.
If you like books with a big dose of humor, this is the series for you. I have found myself laughing out loud too many times to count.
The same narrator reads for the whole series. She did great for the first 11 books, then books 12 and 13 were a bit sloppy, almost like she was just rushing through, making errors such as incorrect words read and using the wrong character name. 14 and 15 got back on track, but this one was just mediocre. Her voices are usually consistent from book to book but this one was a tad off. The narration was perhaps a bit rushed this time making the enunciation not as clear as it should be in parts and I think there were a couple small word errors as well. Nonetheless, I look forward to more of this series being narrated and hopefully this narrator will be the one to read it....more
Fallen University: Year Three is the third and final book in the Fallen University series. This was my least favorite of the three books. Don't get meFallen University: Year Three is the third and final book in the Fallen University series. This was my least favorite of the three books. Don't get me wrong, I thought the "adult" scenes and group scenes were super hot, but it got to a point where they just felt like filler and the actual storyline was sacrificed for the hanky panky. Such a small part of this book felt like it was actually furthering the story and building up to the big finale. It was really disappointing because so much happened in the prior two books. I even started to wonder if the author just ran out of story ideas and added all the extra HOTT scenes just to make the total word count she was aiming for. I finally started skimming them. The final big battle scene was even short.
Mostly because I have grown to love the characters and had a vested interest in them and completing their story, I am rating this book as a generous 3 stars but it's actually somewhere around 2.5-2.75. I still recommend this series but mostly for the first two books. You might end up skimming the third book just to get the resolution but overall it is worth it. These books are currently in KU so if you are a KU reader, it works out just fine. I gave book one 4 stars and book two 5 stars. ...more
SIX STARS! This duet is at the top of my list for favorite reads in 2019. I was blown away.
Stolen Lies is part 2 in the Truth and Lies duet and is theSIX STARS! This duet is at the top of my list for favorite reads in 2019. I was blown away.
Stolen Lies is part 2 in the Truth and Lies duet and is the conclusion to the story. This book cannot be read as standalone and must follow book 1, Hidden Truths. My guess is that anyone who reads book 1 will be wanting to read this right away because the story is that incredible. I don't remember the last time I felt this emotionally involved in a book or the characters. I was quite literally on the edge of my seat. At times, I was up and pacing the room. My heart was beating quickly and I started sweating. These authors knocked this out of the park with their captivating writing.
I won't give any details or spoilers, but I suppose I can give some TW info: this book has some violence and torture.
Read these books if you like romantic suspense books. You will not be disappointed....more
SIX STARS! This book blew me away. I was on the edge of my seat and so emotionally invested that it stressed me out in a big way. This duet is at the SIX STARS! This book blew me away. I was on the edge of my seat and so emotionally invested that it stressed me out in a big way. This duet is at the top of my list for favorite reads in 2019. No spoilers or details from me. Go in blind. I suppose I can give some TW info: this book has some violence and torture, as well as an arranged marriage. Read this book if you like romantic suspense books. You will not be disappointed. ...more
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