THE BOY IN THE SNOW by M. J. McGrath

August 11, 2014

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Edie Kiglatuk Mystery Series #2

When Edie agreed to be part of her ex-husband’s Iditarod team, she never expected to become embroiled in another murder mystery. And yet, when Edie stumbles across the body of a baby boy buried in the snow she can’t help but get involved.

Local investigators are convinced the person responsible is part of a nearby religious group called the Old Believers. The group has long garnered criticism and the fact that the body is found on land owned by the group doesn’t help. Neither does the fact that Edie witnessed two of the Old Believers passing by just moments before making her discovery.

To Edie’s eye, however, the infant had been in place and undisturbed for quite some time and the Old Believers seem to be too easy a scapegoat. Unfortunately for the Old Believers, the discovery of the body coincides with the current governor’s race and the local hopeful is set on having this case solved as quickly as possible.

This is the second installment in M. J. McGrath’s Edie Kiglatuk series – a mystery series with a half Inuit lead. This is something of a unique premise for a series and I thought McGrath handled it really well. Edie seems authentic in terms of heritage and viewpoints. There’s enough cultural reference to set the tone for her and the Alaskan setting quite nicely, too.

I should note that this was my introduction to Edie and her story and while there are plenty of mentions of the case that is the focus of the first book I never felt lost or confused. The Boy in the Snow is a fair jumping off point for anyone new to the series and a great introduction to Edie.

8/14 Becky Lejeune

THE BOY IN THE SNOW by M. J. McGrath. Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 29, 2013). ISBN 978-0143124146. 400p.

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MISS MOLLY ROBBINS DESIGNS A SEDUCTION by Jayne Fresina

August 10, 2014

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Sydney Dovedale (Book 4)

This is a rather unique historical romance. Molly Robbins is a poor ladies’ maid who leaves her bridegroom at the altar. She makes her way back to the Earl Carver Danforthe’s home, where she spent years taking care of his sister. In a drunken moment, the Earl had offered her money to start her own dressmaking business, and she decides to take him up on it.

The earl has always been intrigued by the woman he calls “Mouse” and knows that she has never approved of his rakish lifestyle. He agrees to the loan, and finds great amusement in the contract she proffers, which includes a clause that says no “tomfoolery.”

Her business takes off, and his interest in it and her continue to grow. When he returns her contract with the tomfoolery clause crossed out, she agrees to become his mistress but only for a set period of time, which works for him – until he realizes he’s in love with her. But can a titled earl find happiness with a ladies’ maid/dressmaker?

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Molly, a strong female character in Regency England, was most unusual, the earl had an interesting backstory, and almost all the characters were well developed. I also enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout. Looking forward to more from this author.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MISS MOLLY ROBBINS DESIGNS A SEDUCTION by Jayne Fresina . Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 4, 2014). ISBN 978-1402285011. 384p.

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THE GIRL FROM THE WELL by Rin Chupeco

August 9, 2014

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Tark has lived most of his life in a state of fear. When he was very young, his mother tried to kill him. She has since been institutionalized but there has never been any explanation for her actions. Nor has there ever been any explanation for the tattoos she adorned him with when he was a small boy.

Okiku is a spirit whose sole purpose has become avenging the deaths of children. And while Tark isn’t a victim yet, there’s something about him that fascinates the ghost. Something that draws the dark and malevolent to the boy. Something only Okiku can protect him from.

Rin Chupeco’s debut is a little hard to sum up in a nutshell. There’s a lot going on. The main character here is Okiku, of the legend “Okiku and the Nine Plates” – the same legend that inspired The Ring and many other horror films. She is a vengeful spirit who becomes drawn to Tark for reasons even she doesn’t quite understand and ends up vowing to protect him. Interestingly, the story is told from Okiku’s point of view, which is just the first thing that makes The Girl From the Well a pretty stand out read.

Tark is a very special boy indeed and his problems extend well beyond that of an ordinary teen. As his story unfolds, he and his family end up traveling to Japan where eventually the truth behind his mother’s madness is explained.

Chupeco’s use of Japanese folklore elevates this story beyond much of the usual horror fare. Okiku alone would have made The Girl From the Well reminiscent of The Ring, The Grudge, etc but she’s really just the tip of the iceberg. All in all I found Chupeco’s first outing to be frightening and enthralling.

8/14 Becky Lejeune

THE GIRL FROM THE WELL by Rin Chupeco. Sourcebooks Fire (August 5, 2014). ISBN 978-1402292187. 272p.

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THE SCANDALOUS ADVENTURES OF THE SISTER OF THE BRIDE by Victoria Alexander

August 8, 2014

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Millworth Manor #3

While this is the third book in the series, it’s my first look at this author. I have learned that while I generally prefer to read series in order, with romances, it’s not absolutely necessary since the main characters usually differ in each book, as is the case here.

Lady Delilah Hargate is a young widow who has traveled to America as chaperone to her sister. While there she indulges in an “adventure,” a one night stand with an American named Sam, who she believes is a low level employee of a friend of her sister’s affianced, and he believes the chaperone, “Mrs. Hargrove,” to be a distant relative of his friend.

Delilah has always been very proper so this was a shocking escapade for her. In the morning, she slips out, determined to never see him again. She returns to England to help her sister Camille prepare for her wedding and finds out that her fortune is in danger. Someone is claiming to be her late husband’s heir, and her funds will be tied up until it is resolved.

Several weeks ahead of the wedding, the groom’s best friend Sam shows up, along with a business proposition – he wants to invest in Mr. Benz’s new horseless carriage business. He is shocked to find out the woman who has preyed on his mind since their night together is the lady in residence, and she is horrified to find herself sitting across the table from the dalliance that has plagued her dreams.

I really enjoyed the humor here, the characters were warm and engaging, and the story had some depth to it. All in all, this was a Victorian romantic comedy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be looking for more from this author.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SCANDALOUS ADVENTURES OF THE SISTER OF THE BRIDE by Victoria Alexander. Zebra Books (Mass Market) (April 29, 2014). ISBN 978-1420132243. 400p.

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THE WOLF by Lorenzo Carcaterra

August 7, 2014

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Carcaterra comes up with a unique novel, quite out of the ordinary. It sets up a war between worldwide organized crime and terrorists.

Vincent Marelli, known as the Wolf, is the leader of a huge crime family who in spite of his best plans to protect his family sees his wife and two girls killed. Besides himself with the loss he decides to exact a terrible vengeance on the people he feels killed them.

Marelli places the blame on terrorists, and selects one active band to start his campaign on. His way is to convince other crime families around the world to help him, indicating that besides exacting his revenge, these people are in the business of murder for murder’s sake and infringing upon organized crime’s territories.

Vincent finds that his closest ally is run by a former love of his that has taken over her father’s gang in Italy. In the course of the action they move close together and except for the fact that neither really trusts the other, move towards their goal.

Leaders of both the terrorists and the members of the crime families are very well fleshed out and the reader comes to understand why they do what they do, and what motivates them besides the huge amounts of money they make. Vincent and Angela, his ex-love, move close to a reconciliation which may occur if another novel with them involved is written. The descriptions of the terrorists and the crime family draws a similarity to the Godfather and the sympathy the reader attains with them. Well done and very absorbing.

8/14 Paul Lane

THE WOLF by Lorenzo Carcaterra. Ballantine Books (July 29, 2014). ISBN 978-0345483942. 320p.

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WOLF by Mo Hayder

August 7, 2014

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This latest in Mo Hayder’s Jack Caffery series kicks off with a stray dog. A little girl’s frantic parents finally find her after she’s wandered off to follow a dog in the woods. The dog was wearing a note, one the girl couldn’t read on her own, but after the response to her straying she doesn’t raise the issue with her parents. She’d left the dog in the hands of a man who promised to find its owner and that was fine with her.

That is the man Jack knows as the Walking Man. The note reads “Help Us.” In exchange for Jack’s help in finding the people who own the dog, the Walking Man promises to finally share key information on the disappearance of Jack’s brother. For Jack, it could mean closure to something that has haunted him for so long. But the case with the dog turns out to be more complicated than he could ever imagine. As Jack searches for clues that will lead to the identity of the hand behind the message, one family is facing down a nightmare that could end in all of their deaths.

I have truly enjoyed every chilling new book from Mo Hayder. The Jack Caffery series is one of my all time favorites and one I highly recommend to anyone looking for intricate and tightly plotted thrillers and isn’t afraid of the darkest of dark details.

Wolf is no exception in any of those regards. I did mourn the absence of Flea in this outing but I have to admit that the final scene between Jack and the Walking Man – one that’s been coming for a few books now – makes Wolf truly outstanding. A warning to anyone who may not be current with the series, I don’t suggest reading Wolf until you’ve caught up. The ending here is definitely not going to be as effective if you haven’t read the books in order.

7/14 Becky Lejeune

WOLF by Mo Hayder. Atlantic Monthly Press; First Edition edition (May 6, 2014). ISBN 978-0802122506. 352p.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT LEO by Katie MacAlister

August 6, 2014

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I was not familiar with the author, but when this book appeared on the Library Reads August list, I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, this is the first book I’ve gotten from a Library Reads list that was disappointing.

Purportedly a Regency romance, this didn’t feel that way at all. I would describe it more as a screwball comedy that happens to be set in Regency England, but the humor and especially all the sexual innuendo felt much too modern to fit the time period.

Dagmar, an impoverished princess of Danish and English descent, is forced to flee her home in Copenhagen, when her cousin, the Prince Regent, threatens to send her to a French convent unless she leaves his house and country. Not having any other family to rely on, and no money for passage anywhere, the solution to her problems just falls into her lap – or rather, her garden.

Julia, her companion, tells her there is an unconscious man lying in the garden. The doctor says he won’t last the night, but Dagmar puts her nursing skills to the test. When he is finally able to mumble a bit, she ascertains that Leo is an English soldier and unmarried. She gets the Prince to send over the Bishop to marry them, thus securing passage to England with her soldier/husband.

Weeks later, when he finally shakes off his fever and regains complete consciousness, he finds himself married with no recollection of the woman or the wedding. Upon arrival in England, Dagmar explores her sexuality freely and they fall in love, but she  is feeling guilty about how she married him and is constantly offering to set him free.

Meanwhile, they are houseguests of the Daltons, whose relative was murdered years earlier in Copenhagen and they are hopeful that Dagmar can help them find the murderess. Leo’s friends, the Brittons, add a lot more crazy to the story and madcap hijinks ensue until the happy ending.

This was a quick, silly read and I doubt I’ll read anything else by this author. Not my cup of tea for sure.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE TRUTH ABOUT LEO by Katie MacAlister. Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 5, 2014). ISBN 978-1402294457. 384p.

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DEADOUT by Jon McGoran

August 5, 2014

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Detective Doyle Carrick and Nola Watkins (Book 2)

McGoran brings back Philadelphia detective Doyle Carrick and his girlfriend Nola in another intriguing eco-thriller that takes the GMO food angle first explored in Drift to a whole new level.

The bees on Martha’s Vineyard appear to be dying off at an accelerated rate, leaving the farmers to hand pollinate their crops or use GMO bees. A large agribusiness has offered to test out their lab created bees on the island, but not everyone wants them there.

A weekend trip to the Vineyard lands Nola a job on an organic farm and her new boss, Teddy Renfrew, is especially vociferous about keeping the GMO bees off the island, to the point where he may be endangering a deal his father has cooked up. The senior Renfrew hires Carrick to keep an eye on Teddy, who definitely doesn’t want the interference. But when someone takes pot shots at Carrick, he realizes there is something deadly going on.

The characters are never fully realized here, and the story gets bogged down with the technicalities of the dwindling bee problem, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Fans of Drift and other eco-thrillers will want to read this.

Copyright ©2014 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DEADOUT by Jon McGoran. Forge Books; First Edition edition (August 5, 2014). ISBN 978-0765334718. 400p.

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NATURAL BORN CHARMER by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

August 4, 2014

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Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of the queens of the romance world, one of the elite few that have crossed over from original paperback publication to hardcovers, along with the likes of Nora Roberts, Jennifer Crusie, and Jayne Anne Krentz, AKA Amanda Quick, AKA Jayne Castle and who knows who else. Phillips’ crossover has been hugely successful; her books are best sellers.

The main hunk in this book was apparently introduced in her previous book, Match Me if You Can. Dean Robillard is the “natural born charmer” of title fame. A star quarterback for the fictional Chicago Stars, he’s gorgeous, rich, and famous – a deadly combination for Blue Bailey.

Blue is our down-on-her-luck heroine, who Dean rescues after her boyfriend dumps her for a blonder model, and effectively strands her in the middle of nowhere. She allows Dean to rescue her, and they embark on a road trip to his vacation home in rural Tennessee, bantering all the way.

Of course, nothing is more attractive to a man like Dean than a woman he thinks is playing hard to get. Little does he know that Blue is determined to be impossible to get.

The small town setting in Tennessee adds to the appeal; there are no malls and no chain stores, and the dowager who inherited the town is determined to keep it that way. Lots of crisp, witty dialogue highlight this warm, fast-moving story that draws the reader in. The characters are sympathetic and believable, and we get to know them well.

There are multiple story lines that mesh well together, creating a heartwarming, romantic tale that is fast, sexy and fun yet still emotionally appealing. This terrific diversion is as light and sweet as a snow cone, perfect for a summer day.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NATURAL BORN CHARMER by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Avon (April 29, 2014). ISBN 978-0062118196. 384p.

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EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM A LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK by Diane E. Muldrow

August 3, 2014

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A Little Golden Book of inspiration, complete with illustrations from a litany of original Little Golden Books.

I stumbled across this book and had to pick it up and read it, which took all of five minutes. Each page has an original illustration that will undoubtedly bring back childhood memories to anyone who ever read (or had read to them) from Little Golden Books.

Interspersed with the illustrations is a bit of text on each page, with advice to dance, make something out of nothing, exercise, and basically enjoy life.

This book is the perfect gift book for either the person who has everything or when you need a gift for someone you don’t know very well. Or a cute gag type gift for a 50th (or more) birthday or even a child’s birthday. I know I would like a gift like this.

It is rare to find a book that truly is good for all ages, but this definitely fits the bill. It’s a very creative idea and I’m glad I found it.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM A LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK by Diane E. Muldrow. Golden Books (September 24, 2013). ISBN 978-0307977618. 96p.

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