What is that Ending?

 The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova 

I LOVE Dracula; it's one of my favorite books. So, when I heard about this book that mixes history (which I love and teach) and the lore of Dracula I had to get it. And it was SO boring. I put this book down and DNF'ed it for over a decade. Then, I decided to give it a second chance with the audiobook. The dual narrators definitely helped, but there were great big chunks of this book that I zoned out for; and I love history. It was over 26 hours long (thankfully I was listening at 1.5x to make it a little shorter). One thing I could not get over was how Paul and Helen would travel and meet strangers and then just FOLLOW THEM TO THEIR HOUSE! I cannot fathom that. This was part history, part horror, part adventure. At times it was giving Scooby Doo with the wild chase scenes and jump scares of the vampire librarian following them all over Europe. I was a little disappointed with the ending. We have the big confrontation in the true crypt; Helen shoots Dracula with a silver bullet. Master James dies from his injuries, which is what distracted Dracula enough that Helen was able to shoot him in the first place, and then he just disintegrates. But, then years later, she (I can't remember the daughter's name) is in a library doing some research, accidentally leaves her notebook and the helpful librarian returns in and another book, that she assumes is hers, to her. It's a book with only one item in it, a woodcutting of the dragon of Dracula, and the book that started all of this. So, did he die or not? Her mom left them for years to hunt him down because she was bitten and felt unclean. Her family was only reunited for 9 years before her mother died. Her father died from a roadside bomb while he was overseas participating in peace talks. We have no idea what happened to Barley. Nobody that went on this journey with her is left for her to discuss this discover with and the book just ends. This book was entirely too long for it to end like it did.

Second in the Duology

 The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black 

You know going into this series that it is political intrigue, but this wasn't as strong as the previous books. Where did this bad guy come from? Yes, we knew that Oak has been working to find and destroy plots against Jude and Carden, but I don't even remember this character ever being mentioned, ever, until this book. Now, that could just be me forgetting since it's been a while since I read the previous book in this duology and even longer since I read the previous series, but the random pompous advisor has been plotting to put Oak on the throne? And he hasn't been seen until now? I have always hated the Storm Hag, and I continue to hate her and I'm glad she was foiled. That Wren was able to FINALLY fully come into her powers after defeating her, and get to have a relationship with Bex, which she desperately wanted, and get to have Oak was good. But I'm still mad about the advisor being the brains behind the plot and him working with the Storm Hag. It was nice to get some closure on the truth of Oak's birth, even if that closure hurt because it was someone that he had considered a friend that was behind his mother's murder. And Madoc being back home with his children was good, even if he isn't always good; I do have a bit of a soft spot for him (rose colored glasses).  Despite this being the weakest of the five books, I do still really love this series.

Orchard Book - Nonfiction

 Fruit Trees for Every Garden by Orin Martin 

This was informative without being boring. I have made a lot of mistakes with my fruit trees. I have also learned a lot of lessons from said mistakes. This book has helped me realize some of the mistakes I didn't know I was making, and has helped me be better prepared to better tend to my trees throughout their lives. I will be carrying this with me into my orchard, particularly during pruning season to make sure I do it correctly! This is an invaluable resource!

Disaster, but Better

 Anarchy by Tate James 

This was so much better than the first book in this series. Hades is still making questionable choices, and I still don't understand how she is able to run not just her own gang, but all of the gangs in the tri-state area with some of the decisions she is making; but at least this book was better. So, Chase isn't dead; he was born with a hole in his skull so he has a titanium plate in his head and that is what she shot and the bullet ricocheted and took out his eye. He bought her insurance company and has been busy denying her claims on the buildings he's been destroying, like the club at the end of book 1 and then the cars and her apartment in this book. They find Lucas quickly and get him to the hospital and Zed lies and says he's his brother so he can fill out the forms and then take him home. Speaking of home, Hades and Lucas are both now living with Zed. And Cass basically gets to come and go as he pleases. Cass is still my man, my man, my man. Zed tells her that he loves her and she says he can't, that he had his chance. But he's not giving up. He tells her if he hears her with someone else under his roof again, he's going to join. Everyone is now calling Lucas gumdrop. Persephone is with Aunt Demi in Italy, Archer and co are there as well to keep everyone safe. Sef was pretty mad about the whole Hayden-Lucas thing, but now she's over it and when she found out that Cass and Zed are not out of the running she was actively cheering for her sister to have a reverse harem, and wanting one of her own. Demi found a new lawyer who has her eyes on Zed but he's not interested. We end with Cass in the ring, dominant, and Lucas overhearing a tip that something is going to go down at Club 22 so they move Cass's after party there to deal with clean up. They get everything cleaned up before the cops show up and the cops apologize because not even Hades can clean up a murder scene in 10 minutes. She says they are just having a staff meeting and then the cops leave and then she sends everyone else out before having a gang meeting. Chase crashes it and says that the Reapers, Cass, are the ones that have been helping him supply the drugs. She shoots Cass and he falls backwards into the wine barrels and that's where the book ends. YOU'RE GOING TO END ON A CLIFFHANGER LIKE THAT?!?! HOW?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Needless to say, I WILL be reading the next book.  I. NEED. ANSWERS.

Paranormal Historical Romance

 This was terrible but I enjoyed every minute of it. Alfred was pretty lame as far as MMCs go; he was the strong silent type, but he never really had all that much growth. Felicity was a woman with a plan, despite the fact that her Uncle, and guardian, (who happened to be cartoon villain) was trying to thwart her at every turn. I giggled through most of this book. The best part of this book was her talking to Alfie, aka the Duke in his shifted form without realizing that it was him. She decided this big doggie had the same presence as the Duke and named him after him, and then the wolf thought of himself as Alfie and got upset if the Duke thought of himself as Alfie in human form. It was all very confusing. The pack was made up of a variety of shifters, not just wolves. And there was a curse because of his parents, who were not true mates but said they were. Basically, when it was discovered that they weren't true mates the entire pack was cursed to not have any more children until the next Alpha found his true mate. So, for the past 5 years Alfred has been searching for his mate, and turns out it was his neighbor. He literally sniffs her out at a ball. There was a lot of smelling and she calls him out on it. He kidnaps her at said ball and takes her to his house and then doesn't compromise her. He does the honorable thing and writes to her uncle, but he doesn't reply. Days go by and they eventually decide to get married anyway. She gets a letter from her (good) cousin saying that her horses, which she breeds, are in danger and he sends the pack to protect them but she doesn't know that so she runs off to protect them. The pack gets there first and one of her horses sends her (evil) cousin into a stream while the (good) other cousin tries to help the pack by telling them where she might have hidden things. All the while his second in command has been looking for her father's will. She finally accepts his proposal, and the pack, and decides to make a return to society since they are going to have to anyway. She goes to a ball and her Uncle tries to make a scene but Alfred makes one right back, talking about how he didn't respond to his proposal letter, and sharing the real contents of her fathers will: since her father had no sons and he was a favorite of the Kings' his title will live on through her; she is now a Baroness. She proclaims that her title will be inherited by her first born daughter. Then Alfred has her Uncle arrested. Then he proposes. In front of everyone at the ball! The book ends with them getting married. But that's not the most scandalous thing that happened. She. Wore. Trousers. In a historical romance. Trousers. Despite the fact that this destroyed the Romulus and Remus myth, I enjoyed it and I will read the next book in the series. 

Waste of Time

 The Position by Meg Wolitzer 

The synopsis of this book made it sound like it was going to be funny and awkward. It was not. Not only that, but it had not plot and only one likeable character. This is probably one of the worst books I have ever read, that I did not DNF. I kept waiting for it to live up to the description and it never did. Dash was the only character I liked and the one trope she decided to employ was kill your gays, so he got cancer. Then he got better, but only for a little while then he stopped responding to the chemo so the book ends with him knowing he's going to die. Super. The rest of the characters were unlikable at best. Claudia wasn't bad, she just wasn't as east to like as Dash. I will not be reading anything from this author ever again. 

This is a Disaster

 7th Circle by Tate James 

This was a train wreck and I was irritated with it for the majority of it; I couldn't stop listening. The audiobook narrators are AMAZING! I spent so much time yelling at Hades. How are you the head of a gang, that controls all of the other gangs in the area, and you're this dumb all of the time? HOW? I hated it and loved it. Cas is my man and I love him. I understand why she's obsessed with him. Zed is in love with her and she loves him and she's too dumb to see it. He tried multiple times to tell her and then chickened out, but twice they woke up platonically in each others arms. Okay. Sure. And then there's Lucas. I am not a fan of this relationship. At all. How is she going to explain this to her sister? That's gross. Absolutely not. But the actual story, her ex-fiance being alive? How is that possible? And now he's what, stalking her? First of all, we did this already with the Madison Kate books. Secondly, why did he wait five years? Finally, how long is he going to wait before he shows himself? I like that Steele made an appearance; he was always my favorite from her previous series (it was fine that Archer showed up too). This was a disaster and I cannot wait to read the next one!

Made for TV cont (again x16)

 The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs 

This was unexpected. Yes, we had kid victims (again) but it wasn't what I was expecting. This had Tempe flying all over the place and dealing with a cold case. We have two people in a bucket. They are wrapped exactly like a case that she and Ryan had in Canada years ago that they weren't able to solve. So she is called in to South Carolina to help with this, and then goes back to Canada to look for similarities. Plus, there have been scientific breakthroughs since the original case, so off to exhume the bodies. Turns out 3 of the 4 bodies are related. The short version is, the oldest woman is the mother of 2 of the bodies. She worked for this company that was supposed to do some gene splicing through vaccines but she refused so they killed her and one of her kids. Then, the other kid was orphaned and she, while looking for her mom found someone she used to work with and showed up with her friend, another orphan, and started asking questions. He killed both girls to keep them quiet. He then killed his gene splicing accomplice and tried to kill Tempe, but couldn't manage it. Also, we have a mystery of a death mask, which was irrelevant to the story but was interesting. This was more a story about corporate greed and the egos of mankind than it was about the child victims because their ages weren't what lead to their deaths. This was one of the more scientifically interesting stories she's had in a while.

Cute Title. Final Book.

 A Duke, the Spy, an Artist, and a Lie by Vanessa Riley 

This was the strongest of this series, but it did not live up to how cute the titles were and I am glad to be done with this series. We have been waiting for Viscount Gantry to find his lost wife and it turns out that she just to happens to be the middle sister of the star of book 1. While he was not abusive, he was neglectful and she left. Now he has been desperately looking for her, except the one place it was obvious she would go: her father-in-law's house. His father is a horrible person, but he did help her find her sister, save her nephew, and kill the man who sold her sister into slavery. Still, he also tried to manipulate Cecilia into falling in love with him and cheating on her husband, his own son! But, he finally finds her and actually listens to her and supports her while also bringing her back to his father so she can say goodbye because apparently he's dying. Turns out that was just a ruse, but it worked. It brought the scoundrel back home which set up the circumstances for his murder, which was made to look like a hunting accident, and it allowed him to reunite her with her younger sister, whom she thought dead. I'm glad Cecilia and Gantry got back together, but there was too much nonsense in the middle. I liked the audiobook narrator but that's about it. 

Fast Story

 His Risk to Take by Tessa Bailey 

This was a very fast paced book. We have a new couple as the focus and while we have mention of Derek, there is no mention of Ginger. Troy moves to a new area to run away from the ghost of his partner who died in the raid that happened in the previous book (off page). He meets Ruby hustling pool in a bar. They are instantly attracted to each other. He has no idea that she is connected to the case he's working until she comes over and sees the file on his table and accuses him of picking her up on purpose. They work that out and he tries to protect her. She puts herself in danger for him. They break up and he immediately goes back to her where he finds the guy he's been chasing holding her at gunpoint. But, he had already called for backup so he wins. They get back together. Not a lot of depth to this story or the characters but it was fun.

Paranormal Romance

 River Marked by Patricia Briggs 

This was a pretty quick read. I have pretty big gaps between when I read the books in this series but it's easy to jump back into this world and these characters. We start out with Mercy checking on Stefan, who is not doing well so she gives him some of her blood and a reality check then drags him to movie night. This helps him immensely. Then, we have a surprise wedding for Mercy and Adam. Her mom is going overboard so they decide to elope-ish. It's still at the church, with the priest, but only a few people. But when they get there, surprise; it's literally everyone they were going to invite to the actual wedding. Jesse helped plan the whole thing and it was very sweet. Then, they go on their honeymoon which ends up being a camping trip that they were "asked" to take. Turns out there is a river monster causing some trouble up at this camp ground and they are needed there. They find a man in a boat in pretty bad shape and rescue him. But, while doing so Mercy gets this caught on something, turns out it's the monster. She's the only person who has ever been able to resist the monster; it's the coyote aspect of her. So the friends and neighbors of the guy they rescue show up and they work together to share stories and information, and the short version is Mercy not only finds out information about her father but the original Coyote as well as his cohorts help to draw out the monster so Mercy can kill it. Then some fae otters attack but Adam kills them, so they are now extinct. And Mercy is is bad shape, but heals, but it takes a while and because she is not a good patient she accidentally kicks everyone out of the pack house and Stefan has to come over and tell her about herself. This had just enough new lore to keep the series interesting and enough character development to push the series forward.

Second in a Duology

 Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan 

This was not near as strong as the first book in this duology and I'm not sure if that's because I was so enthralled with book 1 that my expectations were too high for this one or if it really was just not as good. I'm not saying it was not good or not enjoyable, just that it wasn't as good as book 1. There were aspects of this story that I was not invested in and I found myself wandering away mentally; it was long winded in parts. What should have felt epic and sweeping was instead slogging. While I understood Xingyin and her animosity toward the Empress and how that colored her relationship with Liwei I was also irritated with her for not having that conversation with him to begin with. Then there's Wenzhi; he betrayed her and is trying to get back in her good graces and she wants to trust him but can't but does. And they all have to be allies but the men don't trust each other because of jealousy. And then her long dead father is not actually dead. And the Emperor is being usurped by a mortal made immortal who is crazy and he is building an unkillable army of soldiers who used to be soldiers but have been reanimated. They also have to go to the Phoenix Kingdom and ask the sole surviving sunbird for help. Wenzhi becomes king, then dies. Liwei takes over as emperor once they defeat the usurper because his father can't do it anymore. Then Wenzhi is reborn and she meets him but he doesn't remember her, but that's ok because they have the rest of his mortal life together, and he will get his memories back when he dies. So, it should have been good: it was full of action and adventure, but it just didn't live up to expectation. I still enjoyed it, but not as much as I wanted to.