Books 1-9

 Seabreeze Inn by Jan Moran

Ivy Bay’s life implodes after discovering that her late husband had spent their life savings on a beach house. Strapped for cash as an art teacher and with nowhere to go, Ivy and her recently jilted sister head to Summer Beach to recreate their lives. If only renovating a historical home didn’t unveil a host of hidden secrets in the beachside community—and the mayor wasn’t her former high school crush.
Bennett Dylan led a campaign against Ivy’s late husband to block the rezoning of the beach house land for a high-rise resort. Although it’s been ten years since his wife’s death, Bennett is avoiding the pain of loving—and possibly losing—another woman. And then the FBI shows up… Ivy’s demands for a zoning variance for a bed-and-breakfast couldn’t come at a worse time for him.
Despite distractions, Ivy has one summer to sway the town to salvage her livelihood and the new life in Summer Beach she’s come to love.

I enjoyed this book.  A quick, light summer read, even though I read it in January, lol. Lots of it was very predictable but still enjoyable.  Apparently there are 2 more books in the series which I would also read if I come across them, free, in my ereader!

Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner

A recovering alcoholic with more regrets than belongings, Frankie Elkin has devoted her life to doing what no one else will-searching for the lost and forgotten.  When the police have moved on, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never paid attention, Frankie starts looking.

A new case brings her to Mattapan, a Boston neighbourhood with a rough reputation.  She is searching for Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who vanished from her high school months earlier.  Resistance from the Boston PD and the victim's wary family tells Frankie she's on her own-and she soon learns she's asking questions someone doesn't want answered.  But Frankie will stop at nothing to discover the truth, even if it means the next person to go missing could be her.

I did enjoy this book although some of the things that Frankie would do would definitely got her killed in real life.  I thought quite a few parts of the book were slow and dragged along with nothing happening.  Maybe 100+ pages less would have kept the story moving along a little better!!

The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter

Investigating the killing of a prisoner during a riot inside a state penitentiary, GBI investigator Will Trent is confronted with disturbing information. One of the inmates claims that he is innocent of a brutal attack for which he has always been the prime suspect. The man insists that he was framed by a corrupt law enforcement team led by Jeffrey Tolliver and that the real culprit is still out there—a serial killer who has systematically been preying on women across the state for years. If Will reopens the investigation and implicates the dead police officer with a hero’s reputation of wrongdoing, the opportunistic convict is willing to provide the information GBI needs about the riot murder.
Only days ago, another young woman was viciously murdered in a state park in northern Georgia. Is it a fluke, or could there be a serial killer on the loose?
As Will Trent digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the cold case in order to find the answer. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear, and lies to become truth. But Will can’t crack either mystery without the help of the one person he doesn’t want involved: his girlfriend and Jeffrey Tolliver’s widow, medical examiner Sara Linton.
When the past and present begin to collide, Will realizes that everything he values is at stake . .

Even after 230/610 pages I just couldn't get into this book. I've read other books by this author and thought they were good but not this one.  Decided why am I continuing to read this book that I am not enjoying when I have hundreds of other books to read, so it's gone into the charity store bag!! 

Movie Club Mysteries by Zara Keane

• 1.Dial P For Poison 
• 
  Maggie Doyle gives her cheating ex and crumbling career in the San Francisco PD the proverbial middle finger, and moves to the Wild West…of Ireland.
  Lured by her aunt’s promise of a restful Irish vacation, Maggie agrees to help out at the Movie Theater Café in exchange for bed and board. Things are looking up—until the most hated woman on Whisper Island is poisoned at the café. With her aunt as the prime suspect, Maggie and her rock-hard muffins are hurled into the murder investigation.
  With the help of her UFO-enthusiast friend, a nun, and a feral puppy, Maggie is determined to clear her aunt’s name. Can she catch the murderer before they strike again? Or will her terrible baking skills burn down the cafe first?                             
• 2.The Postman Always Dies Twice 
• 
  When former San Francisco cop Maggie Doyle extends her stay in Ireland, dealing with more murder and mayhem isn’t on her to-do list. Too bad because the instant Maggie and her UFO-enthusiast friend Lenny discover the dead body of Whisper Island’s postman, Maggie’s plans to chill for the next two months are put on ice.
  Then Police Sergeant Reynolds, Maggie’s handsome neighbor, arrests Lenny’s brother for the murder, and her friend begs her to find the real killer. Meanwhile, Maggie is hired to investigate ghostly goings on at the Whisper Island Hotel. Can she solve two crimes before St. Patrick’s Day? Or will the island’s annual celebrations end in a glittery flame of green, white, and orange?
  
  
• 3.How to Murder a Millionaire 
• 
  Armed with her newly issued private investigator's license, Maggie Doyle is on the case…of a sheep that went missing twenty-two years ago. When she trips over a dead body on the first day of the investigation, Maggie realizes there’s more to this cold case than a fight over lamb chops.
  An invitation to spend the weekend with her grandmother’s oldest friend and her family, the super wealthy Huffingtons, gives Maggie the perfect excuse to sniff out the killer. After the family patriarch is electrocuted in the swimming pool, Maggie finds herself embroiled in yet another murder inquiry.
  With the body count rising, can Maggie catch the killer before they strike again?
• Well, that was the first 3 books in The Movie Club Mysteries.  They were a fun read, light, predictable and very easy reads.
• 
  

Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham

Summer 1755, Acadia

Young, beautiful Amelie Belliveau lives an idyllic life with her family among the Acadians and neighbouring Mi'kmaq of Grande Pre, Nova Scotia.  After years of peace, the settlers believe that they can remain on neutral political ground despite the rising tensions between Britain and France.  But peace can be fragile, and faith is not always enough.  When the British army lands in Grande Pre, the redcoats demand the Acadians' allegiance and threaten to exile them if they refuse.

Fortunately, Amelie has made a powerful ally in the handsome Corporal Connor MacDonnell, a reluctant participant in the British plan to expel the Acadians from their homeland.  His sympathy for Amelie gradually evolves into a profound love-a love worth taking risks for.  As the last warmth of summer fades and dilapidated ships arrive to ferry the Acadians away, Connor is compelled to make a difficult decision that will alter the future forever.

Interesting read about Nova Scotia when the British invaded and took over a large amount of Grande Pre and Mik'maq land.  How the people were treated and how they were banished from their homes.

Bodies, Baddies and a Crabby Tabby by Sherri Bryan

Thirty-nine-year-old Megan Fallon is in a pickle.
Not only is she suffering from empty-nest syndrome, but she's lost the job she loved, and her fiancé's run off with her hairdresser.
A complete life change is what's called for, so when the opportunity to make a new start presents itself following news of a family celebration, Megan is lured back to her childhood home.
With a party to organise, old friends to catch up with, an ex-husband and his jealous wife to avoid, a mischievous uncle on the lookout for adventure, a clumsy childhood acquaintance who has undergone a startling transformation, and a cantankerous tabby cat to contend with, Megan has her hands full.
However, what started off as a leisurely break soon takes a chilling turn when members of the community start getting bumped off at an alarming rate, and Megan finds herself at the heart of an investigation that has her suspecting everyone.
Could the murderer be the local finance advisor, whose misjudged investment recommendation cost his clients their life savings?
Or maybe the village celebrity; a footballer who appears to have at least one skeleton in a cupboard he'd prefer was kept firmly locked?
Or perhaps it's a member of a classical music trio who seem to have plenty of secrets they'd rather keep to themselves?
Or is the killer someone else entirely?
As Megan becomes involved in the hunt for a murderer, it's not long before she finds out that some of the villagers are harbouring other secrets too.

All the characters make this an interesting read and there are several that could be the murderer.  It was easy to read and enjoyable.

Sweet Revenge by Morgan Best

When a car accident leads to extensive plastic surgery and an inability to gain weight, Cocoa Narel finds herself transformed from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. 
No longer forced to temper her love for chocolate, Cocoa plans to open a candy store and begins to enjoy the sweet life along with her quirky rescue cat. But when her high school bullies start being murdered one by one, Cocoa becomes the prime suspect. 
Can she clear her name, or does the true culprit have a few Twix up their sleeve?

The premise of this 'ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan' was a bit ridiculous, especially how she behaved trying to solve the murders.  It was an easy read and didn't use common sense and logic it's a fun read. 

The Best Laid Plans

I can't believe it's March and I haven't even posted about Christmas.  I'll try and give the condensed version.

The plan was that Christmas Eve there would be 11 of us.  All within the rules of 10 as GS#1 is under the age of 18 so didn't count in the numbers.  We already knew that DS#2 wouldn't be coming from B.C. because of work. DS#3 and DIL. GD#1 and DH. GD#2 and GS#1 and my BFF were here. DS#1 and DIL were supposed to be here but that's when 'Best Laid Plans' come into play.

They came here to Kelsey's from B.C.  They needed to leave their dog at her house as they were going to Jamaica for a week before Christmas.  They were fully vaccinated with booster. Had been tested before getting on the plane. Went to an all inclusive resort and were tested several times while there.  Had to be tested before they could come home, which was negative. When they arrived back here DS#1 was randomly selected to be tested at the airport. He was told he had to quarantine for 4 days or until he got the results from the test.  At the time he felt that his throat was feeling a little scratchy but thought it was from the dry air on the plane. They decided that rather than have to go to a hotel for 4 days they would go home to BC and we would do Christmas when they got the results and able to come back.  So, he got his results and he tested positive-makes you wonder about the testing in Jamaica, which they had to pay $120 each for. After a few days DIL said she felt like she had a bad cold and cough and she also tested positive. DS was much sicker, didn't get out of bed for many days and then that was only to the couch.  It really knocked him out for over 10 days.  They weren't able to come back here until the middle of January.

 As Christmas Day festivities were cancelled at Kelsey's house they decided they would just have Chinese food delivered and we stayed home and had Nachos!!

 It was really good, just not what I had imagined for Christmas Day dinner, lol.

Basically the same thing happened for New Years.  We were going to be by ourselves so we decided to use 'Skip the Dishes' and ordered Chinese food, which was delicious but not what we would normally have at New years.

Finally, DS#1 and DIL were better and got there negatives test result and came back January 15 when we could have the traditional Christmas dinner and exchange gifts.  That same day my BFF phoned to tell me she had tested positive for covid.  We hadn't seen her since Christmas Eve so she didn't have it then.  She said she just felt like she had a cold.  On January 18 Kelsey and Joel tested positive.  They think they got it from someone at Joel's workplace.  Joel just felt like he had a cold but Kelsey was very sick for over a week!  Terrible migraine type headaches, very congested cough and cold symptoms.  It's a worry with her because of her asthma and bronchial issues.

In other news DS#3 made a trip to Florida to work on the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Sea. 

 Apparently there was no one qualified down there that could measure up for an installation of an elevator on the ship.  He said it was amazing to be on there, with only a few workmen and be able to look around that massive ship.  Of course, it was beautiful weather down there and he got to go to a Super bowl party so he had a great all expenses paid weekend!!

Well, saving the best for last!  Kelsey is pregnant!  She is due in July.  She just had her 20 week ultrasound and 'It's a Boy'!!!!!

We are going to be Great Grandparents, wow.  Kelsey has decided the baby will call us Nana and Granddad as that is what she called my mum and dad. Of course the knitting has begun and I will do another post with pictures.  

So I think that's covered the main highlights.  Will have another book post to do soon.

Books 38-42

 The Institute by Steven King

 

In the middle of the night, intruders silently murder young Luke Ellis's parents and steal him away from his suburban Minneapolis home-an operation that takes less than two minutes.  Luke will wake up in a faraway room that looks just like his own, except there's no window.  And outside his door are several other doors, behind which are several other kids with very special abilities, who arrived at wherever here is in the me way Luke did.  They're all confined to the area known as Front Half, which is a good thing-no one ever  returns from Back Half.  Nevertheless, the incarcerated children are intended to serve, given that the staff is ruthlessly dedicated to extracting the force of their extranormal gifts.   Cooperation is rewarded and resistance is punished, brutally.  As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes increasingly desperate to somehow find a way out  and get help-even though no one has ever escaped from the living hell known as the Institute....

Being a Stephen King fan I wasn't disappointed in this book.  It is brutal and horrifying in the way that the children who are taken to the institute are treated.  the kids are all telepaths are telekinetic.  The people at the institute want to tap into these gifts, at any cost, but  find the tables turned on them

Daffodil by Alex Martin

Katy, a maidservant at Cheadle Manor, longs to escape her narrow life but events unfold slowly in her rural village. Jem Phipps has always loved Katy. His proposal of marriage rescues her from scandal but after tragedy strikes, Jem becomes a reluctant soldier on the battlefields of The First World War, leaving Katy behind, restless and alone. Lionel White, the local curate, has just returned from India bringing a dash of colour to the small village and offers Katy a window on the wider world. Only when Katy joins up as a WAAC girl does she finally break free from the stifling class-ridden hierarchies that bind her but the brutality of 20th-century global war brings home the price she has paid for her search. Through the horrors of WW1, she discovers only love brings freedom. In essence, Daffodils is a love story, whose tender heart is almost torn apart through this tumultuous time.

I enjoyed this book, only to find out at the end of the book that it was #1 in a series.  Hopefully I will come across more of the books as I did enjoy this one.

An Irish Country Family by Patrick Taylor

Before Dr. Barry Laverty joined Dr. Fingal O'Reilly's practice in the colourful Irish village of Ballybucklebo, he was an intern, working long hours, practicing new medical techniques, falling in love, and learning what is most important for a family physician-the bonds of family, friendships, and human kindness.

Years later, in this lovely village where neighbours look after neighbours, Barry practices everything he has learned.  And while his own efforts to start a family with his wife, Sue, have been frustrated, the community around him couldn't be stronger as they work together to show their solidarity.

Shifting effortlessly between the two periods, Patrick Taylor continues the story of these beloved characters while vividly bringing the daily joys and struggles of this delightful Irish village to life.

Another good, light, quick read of life in an Irish village.

Ravenstone: The Complete Saga by M.S.Verish

-Legend of Ravenstone

-Curse of the Ravenstone

-The Hawk's Shadow

When a mysterious and manipulative wizard, learns the deadly relic know as the Ravenstone has been uncovered by a self-proclaimed regent known as the Priagent, he hastily assembles a group of mismatched travelers to steal and deliver it to safety. The unlikely company sent to retrieve it consists of Arcturus, an exiled politician with a fondness for wine, Kariayla, a winged slave girl on a quest for redemption, Jinx, an unlucky thief and his imp counterpart, and Hawkwing, the wizard’s personal spy, at the helm.
Distrust, secrets, and inexperience threaten to compromise the mission as the group is forced to travel in the company of the enemy. Doubt turns to the wizard who employed them on this precarious quest, and as the Priagent marches toward his goal, a second Cataclysm is imminent. Yet even he is driven by another—a darker force that has yet to reveal itself.
The Ravenstone's ominous Shadow obscures the fate of Secramore, and unless the threat is vanquished, none will be spared the curse of its darkness.

Even though this is two books and a novella I'm just counting it as one book. Once you get all the characters and their names sorted out in your mind this is a really good fantasy story.  The ending wraps up some loose ends but there are still some unanswered questions so it is very evident that there are more books to come.

Sisters of War by Lana Kortchik

Kiev 1941: Watching the Red Army withdraw from Ukraine in the face of Hitler's relentless advance, sisters Natasha and Lisa Smirnova realise their lives are about to change forever.

As the German army occupies their beloved city, the sisters are tested in ways they never thought possible.  Lisa's fiancé Alexei is taken by the invading army, whilst Natasha falls in love with Mark-a Hungarian soldier, enlisted against all his principles on the side of the Nazis.

But as Natasha and Lisa fight to protect the friends they hold dear, they must face up to the dark horrors of war.  Will they be strong enough to overcome the forces which threaten to tear their family apart?

I did enjoy this book and it was a very quick, engrossing read. It is very sad for the most part with all the hardships the family have to go through. Ironically the ending was almost too happy if that makes sense.  I feel that in that era the outcomes wouldn’t be that great.

Well, that's the last of the books for 2021.  That's more books than I've read in one year since I've been keeping track.

For Rachelradiostar!

 BUTTER TARTS

I used ready made sweetened tart shells

Filling 

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1cup corn syrup or golden syrup

6 Tblsps. margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 cup raisins

3 tsp. vinegar 

pinch salt

Cream sugar, syrup and margarine well.  

Add eggs, vinegar and salt.

Mix well.  I use a hand mixer to get it really frothy.

Place about 8-10 raisins in each tart shell.

Pour mixture into shells, about 3/4 full.

Bake at 375F for 20 mins.

Depending on size of tart shells this will make 12-18.

3 days

Day 1

Shortbread cookies and cranberry chocolate shortbread cookies

Day 2

Matrimonial squares, cherry squares and brownies

Day 3

Butter tarts, fruit/chocolate tarts, cherry coconut tarts.

Also made 6 dozen chocolate covered macadamia nut  clusters but forgot to take a picture.

There was a time I would have made all that in one day but the hip and knee say that was then this is now, lol.

Before & After

 The three day project.  Not crazy about the putting up or the taking down but I love the in between!!

Books 33-37

 The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

When high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his wife, Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School.  In April 1999, while Caelum is away, Maureen finds herself in the library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed.   Miraculously, she survives, but at a cost: she is unable to recover from the trauma.  When Caelum and Maureen flee to an illusion of safety on the Quirk family's Connecticut farm, they discover that the effects of chaos are not easily put right, and further tragedy ensues.

I was so glad when I finished this book.  It was 700+ pages that would have been much better if it had been under 400 pages.  I felt my eyes glazing over in parts, willing myself to get this damn book finished.  

His First His Second by A.D. Davies

Meet Detective Sergeant Alicia Friend. She’s nice. Too nice to be a police officer, if she’s honest.
She is also one of the most respected criminal analysts in the country, and finds herself in a cold northern town assigned to Donald Murphy’s team, investigating the kidnap-murders of two young women—both strikingly similar in appearance. Now a third has been taken, and they have less than a week to chip away the secrets of a high-society family, and uncover the killer’s objective.
But Richard—the father of the latest victim—believes the police are not moving quickly enough, so launches a parallel investigation, utilising skills honed in a dark past that is about to catch up with him.
As Richard’s secret actions hinder the police, Alicia remains in contact with him, and even starts to fall for his charms, forcing her into choices that will impact the rest of her life. 

I definitely enjoyed this book, it kept me engrossed to the end. It's quite a complex detective story set in Leeds, Yorkshire.  Various plots going on at the same time with several interesting characters. Lots of twists and turns and quite surprising at the end.

The Seclude Village Murders by Shelly Frome

From a small secluded village in Connecticut to the English Countryside, readers are taken on a roller coaster of events and quirky characters as amateur sleuth Emily Ryder tries to solve a murder that everyone thinks was an accident.
For tour guide Emily Ryder, the turning point came on that fateful early morning when her beloved mentor met an untimely death. It's labeled as an accident and Trooper Dave Roberts is more interested in Emily than in any suspicions around Chris Cooper's death. For Emily, if Chris hadn't been the Village Planner and the only man standing in the way of the development of an apartment and entertainment complex in their quaint village of Lydfield, Connecticut, she might have believed it was an accident, but too many pieces didn't fit.
As Emily heads across the pond for a scheduled tour of Lydfield's sister village, Lydfield-in-the-Moor . . . she discovers that the murderer may be closer than she thought.

The above blurb pretty well says it all.  Lots of quirky characters and unbelievable happenings.  It was a quick read, which was good, but I don't think I'd read another book by this author.

One by One by Ruth Ware

Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn't sound like the worst problem in the world.  Especially when there is a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company.  Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers...each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide.

I sole this short review from Goodreads as it really says it all. I did enjoy the book, maybe because of the setting and how everyone was trapped.

The story seems to move along quickly in some ways but slowly in others. There is a lot of reflection on Erin's part, as she tries to understand the dynamics of the guests and how frumpy Liz even fits in with the rest of the company employees. There is some action but then there is sitting around, as people wonder if they are ever going to be rescued. At some point we know "who done it" and have to see if they are going to do it again. 

Pieces Of Her by Karin Slaughter

Andrea knows everything about her mother, Laura.  She knows Laura has spent nearly her whole life in the small beachside town of Belle Isle, Georgia; she knows Laura's never wanted anything more than to lead a quiet, normal life; she knows Laura's a kind, beloved speech pathologist; she knows Laura's never kept a secret.

But Andrea's life is upended when a visit to the mall is shattered by an act of horrifying violence that reveals a completely different side of Laura-a cool woman who calmly faces down a murderer.  It turns out that before Andrea's mother was Laura, she was someone completely different.  For nearly thirty years she's been hiding from the woman she once was, lying low in the hope that no one would ever find her.  But now she's been exposed, and nothing will ever be the same again.

To save her mother, Andrea embarks on a desperate journey following the breadcrumb trail of her mother's past.  Andrea knows that if she can't uncover the secrets hidden there, there may be no future for her mother-or her.

At the diner Andrea sees a side of her mother she's never seen before. So does the rest of the world as cell phone video goes viral.  Before she knows what is happening Andrea is on the run with only a list of instructions her mother gave her to follow. The story flips back and forth between 1986 and present day, 2018. The life that Laura led in 1986 was very different to 2018 but it may be catching up to her now.  A good read.