Religious Non-fiction

 The Two Popes by Anthony McCarten 

First, my dumb self didn't realize that this was about recent popes. I thought it was about popes from a long time ago. Second, I really enjoyed this book. I learned so many things about Benedict and I didn't know - that he was John Paul 2's enforcer. That he was drafted to fight for Germany during WW2, making him a literal Nazi even if it was against his will. Also, that he was more interested in learning than in ministering. It also reinforced my belief that I didn't like him. I also learned so many things about Francis that I didn't know - that he was at best unobservant and at worst complicit in the Dirty War with the capture of fellow priests. Also, that he came in second to Benedict in that conclave. I also learned that while he was not as susceptible to the trappings of finery, he was much more media savvy than Benedict. Despite my dislike of Benedict I do admire him for resigning when he felt like he was no longer up to the task of leading the church. I am not Catholic, but I went to a Jesuit university and I remember Benedict's conclave. I found this utterly fascinating.  

Cozy Mystery

 The Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan 

I LOVE a cozy mystery and this was no exception. The cast of characters was Charlies Angels meets the Golden Girls, plus a cat. Maddie is dating Arthur. Nobody likes Arthur. Arthur ends up dead at Maddies' house. Maddie is suspected of murder. Rose, Charlotte, and Liz are determined to prove her innocent, with the help of Mr. P and Sarah. Sarah is just trying to keep them out of trouble. Nick, Sarah's first kiss, is now working for the medical examiner as a death investigator. Michelle, Sarah's former best friend, is a police detective. Like Sarah, I definitely thought it was the son of one of the women that Arthur conned. It wasn't. It was his sister! She killed him because he was actually in love with Maddie and wanted to not only go straight, but return everything he stole during his cons. I was very surprised. We also have Josh, a lawyer and former childhood friend of Sarah's. I'm not sure if they are setting up a love triangle with Sarah-Nick-Josh. I can't wait to read more of this series!  

Greek Mythology Reimagining

 A Game of Fate by Scarlett St. Clair

Her suggested reading order says to read Persephone books 1 and 2 and then read Hades book 1. But, this is the same story as Persephone book 1, just told from Hades' perspective. I wish I had read this right after Persephone 1, but oh well. We get to see Hades yearn and plot. We also get to know more about what is going on in New Greece than we did in Persephone 1 because Hades is more involved in the godly side of things. I really liked the Hades Hecate friendship. I REALLY want more of Aphrodite and Hephaestus! Was this well written? No. Was it enjoyable? Yes; I devoured this. I can't wait for more!   

Cozy Fantasy

 A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne 

I don't think I was in the right headspace for this book because it took me forever to get into it. That's unfortunate because I really enjoyed book 1 and had high hopes for book 2. But, I was just struggling. Once I got out of that funk, it was great and I breezed right through. We join Kat and Rain as they are looking for the dragon eggs. They meet Bobbie, a constable, who is chasing Serina, a pirate.  But, it's complicated because Bobbie and Serina love each other and are mad at the same time. Bobbie gets fired and reluctantly becomes a pirate. Kat and Rain help them get back together. They meed the legendary Pirate Dreggs, he not only helps them break into a vault but also gives Kat and Rain a signed copy of his book! The break in is problematic because Rain gets hit with alchemical magic and by saving her Kat actually makes her worse. But, they find 2 of the missing dragon eggs and arrest the Dairn who was hiding them and stealing from his people. Kat meets with the dragons and they remove the binding from her since she managed to find 2 eggs and was able to tell them where the remaining egg was last seen. I normally love cozy fantasy and should have enjoyed this more. It had action and adventure but was not exceptionally high stakes. I will be continuing the series, and I hope I am more able to enjoy it.  

Fluff

 One in a Million by Lindsey Kelk 

This was a cute palate cleanser. She runs a social media company and makes a bet with someone else that works in the building; she can get an unknown up to 20,000 instagram followers in a month or else she has to run his social media for free. Well, the person they make the bet on is scruffy and unkempt not to mention lacking in social skills. He is renting space in the building so he can write his next book. He's also living there because his girlfriend kicked him out. They agree that she will make him a social media star, without using pictures of him, if she will help him get his girlfriend back. We start with a makeover and surprise, he's hot. Then, they start spending time together. His social media is mostly memes with historical facts. He's doing well, but not setting the internet on fire. They go to a dance class together and he's great. Then he takes her to the surprise party for her dad. Then they go on a day trip. She starts falling for him. Lastly, she helps him make dinner to get his girlfriend back, except she comes home with a new guy. Then he invites her to a birthday party for one of his friends and she goes only for him to show up with the ex. She is devastated and decided to ignore his wishes and posts him. He's hot and it gets them the followers. Then, she has an awards banquet where the company wins one award. She gets rejected for a job and gets a job offer all in the same night. He shows up right after she wins and his instagram account, with his pictures, is up. He gets mad and leaves. He apologizes. She apologizes. They get together. He keeps the instagram account; he's sold like thousands of copies of his first book because of it. This was cute.  

Bodyguard Series #6

 Mine to Hold by Shayla Black 

FINALLY, we have a plot! Tyler, the former cop turned strip club bodyguard is being hassled by the wives when Delaney shows up on his porch. With his son. Flashback two years ago. He was a cop and she was married to his best friend, also a cop. Except his friend, Eric, was shot in the back and temporarily paralyzed. Eric asks Tyler to sleep with Del so he can watch and it will give him something to work towards with his physical therapy. Everyone agrees. Except Tyler is better in bed than Eric is and he gets pissed. The condom breaks. Now she's pregnant. Eric gets pissed all over again and throws her out and divorces her. Meanwhile, she wants to do something other than fluff pieces for the newspaper she works for and she starts investigating the ADA. He's very corrupt. Her car gets blown up and she takes her son and runs to Tyler. He agrees to help her, but not by watching their son; he's going with her to investigate and get her flash drive out of Erics' house. When they get there the house has been trashed. Eric tries to rape her. And the flash drive is gone. They stay at Xanders' place and plan. Eric calls and says he found the flash drive and she has to come alone. She does not show up alone, but her backup is hiding. The ADA is there and she manipulates him into monologuing. He tries to have her killed but her backup saves her. She and Tyler decide to be together, which is good because she's pregnant again. I was not expecting Tyler's story, but it was a nice change of pace for this series.  

Dark YA #3

 Saving 6 by Chloe Walsh

And we are back to desperately wanting to call Child Protective Services. This book stressed me out as much if not more than book 1. This is the events of book 1 focused on Joey and Aoife. First, Joey is entirely too young to be engaging in the kinds of activities that he is. Second, the only good adult in this book is Tony. Third, why didn't his teachers do anything other than write him off as a troublemaker and fighter? He was very obviously high. At school. On hard drugs. While his dad is physically abusing him, his mom is worse because she tells him that he's just like his father. That's a perfect way to destroy the person you are relying on to protect you from your husband. We see the events of his home life causing him to slip farther away and he transitions from weed to pills to coke to heroin. Sean calling him dada was devastating. I know the older two boys were upset by it, but you can't blame the baby; that's the only father he has known. This is like a car crash. I don't want to keep reading it, but I have to. I have to know that Joey is going to be okay. (I realize these are fictional characters, but I need them to be safe).  

Crime Series #17

 The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell 

We FINALLY get some closure to a storyline that has been hanging for multiple (possibly a dozen) books. The reason this wasn't given a higher rating is because there was an entirely unnecessary storyline that did nothing to enhance the story and was left unfinished; unless it's going to be one we return to later it was superfluous. Kay, Benton, and Pete are still at odds with each other but it's more Benton and Pete than Kay. Lucy has completely moved on and is back to acting like herself again with Pete. They are in New York and Kay is working on a murdered woman who the evidence says one thing and the eye witness statements say another. This puts Kay and Jamie at odds because Jamie is basically ignoring the body. There is also a missing woman who is a high powered stock broker/investment banker. Kay is now doing spots on CNN and during one spot the interviewer is blatantly disregarding Kay's contract and trying to get her to talk about ongoing cases. A woman calls in and wants to talk to Kay, and mentions Benton. Said woman was one of Benton's patients and she sent him a talking Christmas card. Enter Hap Judd, a Hollywood superstar. He knows the missing broker and is being uncooperative until Lucy and Jamie present him with information from his time before stardom that could ruin his life. Kay gets her phone stolen while at CNN and Lucy tracks it to a hotel where the interviewer has a room, but she's not staying there - it's a FBI agent that has a grudge against Benton. This is where things unravel a bit. The whole thing with the interview, the interviewer turning on Kay, and the stealing her phone were completely unnecessary. They could have ended up at the hotel room without that after the FBI agent jumped to his death. And the interviewer seemingly didn't do anything with the phone. We eventually find out that Hap and the caller were working with The Werewolf as he was trying to rebuild his family empire. That the missing broker was dead and he killed both her and the woman that initiated the entire case. The Werewolf is now dead and that storyline is finally wrapped up. I enjoyed this a lot. The science was still fascinating and the star of the show.  

Not as Funny as the Title Implied

 Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

I picked up this book entirely because the title made me laugh. And, while I went into it blind, it wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting some Scooby-Doo style high jinks and that's not what this was. We follow three people in the 1950s who are trying to kill their boss for varying reasons. This chronicles their education, because it is a "college" and subsequent murder plots. Two of the three are successful and the one that wasn't got to live because she put herself in danger to save an unborn child. All three ended up back at the school to teach different subjects because of their skills and areas of expertise. I don't know that I will read anymore in this series, but I might. One thing that bothered me was how small the type was. This was already a good sized book and they had to add insult to injury by making the font practically microscopic.