Books 1-7

 Bloody River Blues by Jeffery Deaver

Well, that wasn't a good start to the year! I read 125 pages (which was more than a third of the book) and I just couldn't get into it. I found it to be so boring and taking a long time to get anywhere. Too many other good books to waste my time on one I'm not liking.

Not counting this book.

When Murder Comes Home by Shana Frost

Ten guests, two murders, one inn. Who is responsible?
Aileen Mackinnon ditched spreadsheets and a steady salary for the adventurous shores of Loch Fuar in the Scottish Highlands.
Now she's an amateur innkeeper to ten guests. But when one is murdered in his bed and an heirloom goes missing, can Aileen save the inn?
DI Callan Cameron won't have her nosing about, but with another body he has little choice in the matter.
Tension sizzles as Aileen and Callan step into a world of murders, fibs and heists. They might not always see eye to eye, but can they agree whodunnit?

I enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing to the end.  This is a first book in a series so there will be a lot more of the two main characters.

Come Get Me by Molly Black

When two dead bodies are found oddly staged on trains across the country, the FBI realizes a serial killer is at work. FBI BAU Special Agent Caitlin Dare wants to escape her dark past and never ride a train again. But when she is assigned to spearhead the case, Caitlin realizes she will have to play cat and mouse with this diabolical killer—even if it means facing her worst childhood fears.

Good book. Kept me reading, wanting to find out who did it and how he would get caught.

The Social Affair by Britney King

A timeless, perfect couple waltzes into the small coffee shop where Izzy Lewis works. Instantly enamored, she does what she always does in situations like these: she searches them out on social media.
Just like that—with the tap of a screen— she’s given a front row seat to the Dunns’ picturesque life. This time, she’s certain she’s found what she’s been searching for. This time, she'll go to whatever lengths it takes to ensure she gets it right—even if this means doing the unthinkable.

Well, this was a little weird, with quite the twist at the end!

Irish Hearts by Nora Roberts

--Irish Thoroughbred

There’s nothing left for Adelia Cunnane in Ireland. The aunt she cared for has passed, and the family farm has been sold for taxes. But her uncle Paddy has written her: Come to America…The Maryland horse farm where Paddy lives and works is more than Dee dared to dream about. She has always had a magical touch with animals, and here she finds employment in the stables—and a chance to fly, on the muscular back of Travis Grant’s chestnut thoroughbred. It’s easy to put aside a passing pang of homesickness when she can spend her first paycheck—which feels like a veritable fortune—on the feminine frivolities that were never a part of her life in the old country. But the most unfamiliar territory of all is her relationship with her boss, the man who has made all this possible. Spirited but innocent, Dee is disconcerted by the way he treats her—and the way she responds. America may be the land of opportunity, a place where even those from the humblest background can pursue what they want—and, perhaps, even find themselves one day attending the Kentucky Derby. But some divides may be too wide to cross, and Dee fears that demanding more could cost her all that she’s already gained

--Irish Rose

Burke Logan had traveled to a small Irish village to buy horses, and found a spirited filly he refused to leave without—a freckled, fiery-haired beauty by the name of Erin McKinnon... The rough and rugged stable owner offered her a job in America, and Erin bid goodbye to Skibbereen. She would keep his books in order, but how would she keep her heart from breaking?

These two books were the typical Nora Roberts light romances. Boy meets girl, they hate each other, they love each other, they live happily ever after.  

Don't Cry Alone by Josephine Cox

Beth is a woman of rare courage and fortitude, but there is danger and heartbreak to be endured before she can find peace and happiness...

Beth Ward and Tyler Blacklock share a love they know will last forever. But Beth's mother, Esther, is jealous of the girl and seizes an opportunity to be rid of her daughter. Banished in disgrace from the family home, Beth takes the northbound train and alights at Blackburn, friendless and alone.

On this day, Fortune smiles, for Beth is taken in by warm-hearted Maisie Armstrong, a widow with two children. Money is scarce, but love abounds in the cozy house on Larkhill, and Beth is content there to await the birth of her child. But she cannot forget Tyler, and is tormented by the belief that he has betrayed her.

I did enjoy this book but it really dragged on and on in parts.  I think the ending was very predictable as well.

The Home Front Girls by Susanna Bavin

The war is raging in Europe. These girls will do everything they can on the home front – but is a happy ever after possible in such dark and uncertain times? Manchester, 1940: The minute war was declared, best friends Sally and Deborah volunteered for the home guard, willing to do anything to help their boys fighting overseas. An Auxiliary Fire Service girl by night, Sally ends up stationed at the salvage depot by day. Working amidst the scrap metal and waste paper, helping to make do and mend, isn’t quite the glamorous life in uniform she’d imagined! But she’s determined to do her best, and turn saucepans into Spitfires. When Sally meets Andrew, a quiet carpenter with a heart-breaking smile who understands how important her work is, she finally feels as though her efforts to keep calm and carry on are making a difference. As love blossoms, Sally feels herself opening up to Andrew in a way she’d never imagined possible. But then, just as Sally feels as hopeful as she can be in these times of war, a devastating air raid threatens everything she holds dear. As bombs rain down all over Manchester, deadly fires begin to destroy homes, and lives. With Andrew out rescuing families from the rubble, Sally rushes towards the plumes of smoke that fill the night sky. And is horrified to realize the very worst hit area has the salvage yard right at its heart. Desperate to help in any way she can, Sally, with her fellow salvage girls by her side, sets to work. But what will they find when the smoke clears? Will Sally and Andrew get the happy ending they so deserve? Or will her one chance at true love be lost forever as the morning dawns…?

This was quite an interesting story.  Learning about what happened in the departments of food and salvage. People really did work hard with their regular jobs and then the volunteer work to help the war effort.

Books 31-36

 Tango one by Stephen Leather

In different parts of London, three recruits prepare for their first day at the Metropolitan Police's training centre at Hendon. All three had succeeded in getting into the police in spite of weaknesses. But on their first day, the assistant commissioner announces that he wants them to join a team of undercover detectives. Their brief? To become criminals; to work their way up through whatever criminal organisations they can get access to, and to collate evidence against the criminals they come across. Their target? One of the world's biggest drug dealers. Den Donovan, alias 'Tango One' - number one on HM Customs and Excise List of most wanted criminals. Three years later all the recruits are getting close to their target. Too close, perhaps, to remember the rules...

This was a great book, this is a page-turner and even coming toward the end I had no idea how it would all end   It's fast moving and keeps you guessing right to the end as to what will happen.  The twist at the end was such a surprise.

Her Secret Crime by Tikiri Herath

Sometimes, it’s your own family who wants you dead….
It’s midnight.
FBI Special Agent Tanya Stone and her K9 dog, Max, arrive at a private island to investigate a suspicious death.
Tanya is undercover, on the pursuit of a vicious organized crime ring. What she doesn’t expect to find is the matriarch of the Kensington family had just shot herself in the head.
Her blood-soaked face lies immobile on her gold-rimmed plate, red splatters on the sterling silver and pristine tablecloth.
But a deadlier danger lurks in the shadows.
A new terror rips through the mansion as a killer targets the remaining family members.
One by one.
Tanya fights off disturbing memories of her own mother’s brutal death to hunt the mysterious murderer.
First, she’ll have to confront the liars, swindlers, and impostors, because everyone in this twisted house is hiding a dark secret.
But one truth is chillingly clear.
The killer will protect a horrific family past by any means necessary. And their next targets are Tanya and Max….

This was a good story and kept my interest but some of the things that happened were pretty far fetched and unrealistic!

After He Took by Rylie Dark

As a former corrections officer at a prison of ruthless inmates, Detective Sloane Riddle is persistently tormented by memories of the prison system. Now, she uses her insight into criminal psychology to solve murders and high-profile cases—but will success come at the risk of her own safety?
When several convicts vanish into the desert night during a prison break, Sloane faces off against suspects from her past life as a corrections officer. Haunted by chilling memories, she must untangle a snare of deadly clues before another body turns up.

This was pretty good, it did keep me guessing and interested.

Last Kiss by Luanne Rice

A face on a poster, a name in the news, an inexplicable tragedy. A promising young man goes out one warm summer evening and is found dead—murdered—less than twenty-four hours later. No motive. No clues. No answers. Most people reflect briefly on the disturbing headlines, perhaps say a silent prayer of safely removed sympathy, and go on with their lives. But what if the young man was your son? Or your true love?
Nearly a year after the death of eighteen-year-old Charlie, singer-songwriter Sheridan Rosslare still hasn’t played a note of the music that was once her life’s passion. Tucked away in the beach house where she raised her only child, she lives with her memories of him and a grief too big to share even with her beloved sisters or her dear friend Stevie Moore. Nor can Stevie comfort Charlie’s heartbroken girlfriend, Nell Kilvert, whom she regards as a daughter. Nell won’t rest until she finds out what really happened to the boy she loved. Out of the past she summons a man she believes cares enough, and is tough enough, to uncover the truth—Sheridan’s long-ago soul mate, Gavin Dawson.
Now Gavin’s boat, the Squire Toby, sits anchored in the harbor within sight of the window of the woman he once loved, still loves, and will always love. Sheridan, too, had once fervently believed in the miraculous power of love and healing, forgiveness, connection, and reconnection. But that faith died along with her son….

Several tear jerky moments. It was a good read but parts of it dragged on and on.

You'll Be Sorry by Ava Strong

Police officer and single mom Megan York is doing her best to raise her daughter in her small Midwestern town, hoping her past won’t come back to haunt her and that her violent ex won’t be released from prison. But when women turn up murdered on local sailboats, victims of a serial killer, Megan must enter the mind of a killer and tackle the toughest case of her career—while her ex comes up for parole. Can Megan stop a killer—and save her family?

This was good and scary and kept my interest . The police were always racing to beat the clock to try to get ahead of the killer.  

Soft Focus by Jayne Ann Krentz

Elizabeth Cabot is all business. She knows how to maximize her investments and cut her losses--in both her career and her personal life.
So when she discovers that Jack Fairfax has deceived her, she's determined to end their relationship. Putting a stop to their budding romance is easy. But breaking up their business deal will be more difficult. Despite all her efforts, she has no luck disentangling herself from Jack's client company, Excalibur. But the situation becomes even more strained when a new obstacle a lethal act of sabotage that could put both of them out of business for good.
Elizabeth is no fool. If she can help Jack save Excalibur, she'll recoup her substantial investment plus millions in profit. Putting her emotions aside, she insists on helping him search for the scientist who's disappeared with a valuable new crystal that could revolutionize the high-tech industry. She'll go in, solve the problem--and get out.
The trail leads Elizabeth and Jack to a fringe film festival, but their goal is as elusive as the shadowy black-and-white images from classic noir films. Life starts to imitate art, and double-dealing seems to be the name of the game. For these business adversaries turned reluctant partners, keeping an eye on each other--and the lid on a sizzling attraction--seems the only insurance against further treachery. But with millions at stake, trust can turn to betrayal in the blink of an eye.

The story line was okay but the main characters were a bit of a pain and a lot of their interactions were unrealistic.

Well finally I'm posting the last of my 2025 books read. I had such good intensions of keeping ahead of this posting but didn't seem to work out that way. I'm also kind of surprised that I only read 36 books last year!  Don't know why but it is what it is!. Hopefully I'll keep up with posting this year.

Books 25-30

 Let Her Go by Willow Rose

A missing five-year-old girl is the key to unlocking a detective’s terrifying past…
When Detective Billie Ann Wilde receives a desperate call that five-year-old Emma Wilson is missing, she rushes to the family home. But inside the picture-perfect house surrounded by Florida marshlands, she finds no children’s clothes or toys, no photos of the innocent child Emma’s mother Marissa describes. Billie suspects Marissa Wilson is hiding from someone.
It’s a race against the clock to find Emma. But Marissa refuses to tell Billie anything about her past, and before long, she also disappears…
And then Billie realizes who Marissa is.
She’s the ten-year old girl Billie failed to find in her first ever case fourteen years ago. The leads went cold because Billie made a fatal mistake.
As more bodies turn up in the same marshlands, Billie must revisit her past and face up to her demons to find Marissa and her child. But she is unknowingly putting herself in the path of a terrifying serial killer.

I liked this book although it was pretty easy to figure out who the killer was.  It got confusing at times with the going back and forth in time.

Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts

Sometimes, there is nowhere safe to hide.
It was a typical evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine. Three teenage friends waited for the movie to start. A boy flirted with the girl selling sunglasses. Mothers and children shopped together, and the manager at the video-game store tended to customers. Then the shooters arrived.
The chaos and carnage lasted only eight minutes before the killers were taken down. But for those who lived through it, the effects would last forever. In the years that followed, one would dedicate himself to a law enforcement career. Another would close herself off, trying to bury the memory of huddling in a ladies' room, hopelessly clutching her cell phone--until she finally found a way to pour her emotions into her art.
But one person wasn't satisfied with the shockingly high death toll at the DownEast Mall. And as the survivors slowly heal, find shelter, and rebuild, they will discover that another conspirator is lying in wait--and this time, there might be nowhere safe to hide.

I did like this book, although it did drag in parts and I thought the ending was kind of lukewarm.

One for Sorrow by Sarah A. Denzil

I'm not going to put the blurb up for this book. Just to say I read about 100 pages and just couldn't get into it. The main character was doing so many things that she shouldn't that it was getting annoying, so I gave up on it. I also read some reviews that said it ended with a big cliffhanger so it's obviously part of a series. Not adding this to my book count.

The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs

On the surface Grace Bennett has it all --- three wonderful children, a devoted husband and a life of adventure and travel. But somewhere between her husband Steve's demanding career, raising a family, the constant uprooting and the Navy's routine, Grace has lost her sense of self. And when a nearly forgotten secret resurfaces, her discontent comes into sharp focus. Something needs to change. She needs to change.
Then duty calls. Now, separated by an ocean of regrets and longing, Grace and Steve are forced to take a hard look at their faltering marriage. But when the unthinkable happens, Grace is left to face a Navy wife's worst nightmare --- the cold truth that life's biggest chances can slip away while you're looking for guarantees.

This was a pretty good book. It was a lot of 'will she, won't she'. What will she do? It took something pretty drastic for them to figure out what was important!

After Strike by L.J.Sellers

What if, without warning, you had to run for your life and leave everything behind?
Remi Bartell faces that terrifying moment and takes only the dog who saved her.
But as she settles into a new place, lightning strikes! Remi loses her memory and struggles to figure out who she is, why her life is so secretive, and who she can trust. Then she makes a small mistake—that costs her everything. The crime-family patriarch she's hiding from kidnaps her and plunges her into a revenge nightmare. The trauma triggers buried memories from her old life that will either save her or destroy her.

There was a lot of back and forth in this book, before and after the strike.  It was pretty exciting, although some of the things Remi does, after the strike, makes you just shake your head.

Murder With Malice by Deirdre Oliver

Disgraced. Angry. Demoralised. Former rising star, Georgia West now grinds along in her new job at the bottom of the police ladder.

When the body of a young woman is found in Georgia's precinct, her boss, Senior Sergeant Graham Causton freaks out. He's never been in charge of investigating a murder. But his new Constable Georgia West has.

The crime scene screams serial killer and Georgia is well aware that solving a case like this could be her ticket out of the backwater dump. Evidence of a link between the killer and Georgia's own past changes everything. Now, it's personal.

Teaming up with pathologist Liam Carney, Georgia is determined to stop the murderer. Juggling her attraction to Liam and threats from the killer, she's soon pushed to her limit.

Parts of this book were pretty gory. I had my suspicions very early on in the book about 'who done it' but the getting to the conclusion was pretty interesting.

The Copper Beach by Maeve Binchy

In the Irish town of Schancarrig, the young people carve their initials--and those of their loves-into the copper beech tree in front of the schoolhouse. But not even Father Gunn, the parish priest, who knows most of what goes on behind Shancarrig's closed doors, or Dr. Jims, the village doctor, who knows all the rest, realizes that not everything in the placid village is what it seems.

Set in a small Irish country village, follows a group of school children, from childhood through to parenthood. All the characters in the story had their own story and then the stories all came together in the end. There were some surprises but most was quite predictable.

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Whether your in Southern Alberta Canada

this was just a few miles north of our city 6 days ago (apparently 80-100 vehicles) 

or you're lucky enough to be in the Southern Hemisphere somewhere!

Have a wonderful day!

Books 20-24

 Past Transgressions by Dave Sinclair

Retired spy. Trained killing machine. Pacifist.
Retired MI6 spy Mason Nash moved to a sleepy English town so he could leave his former violent life behind.
He soon learns that past transgressions have a way of catching up with you.
When hired killers invade his peaceful new existence Nash is forced to fall back on his old ways to find out who sent assassins after him and why.
What he uncovers sends him on a globetrotting quest involving old friends, a new clandestine spy agency and a world-wide conspiracy where no one is quite who they seem.
Nash finds out how hard it is to adhere to non-violent ways when everyone is trying to kill you.

This was a fast paced book. Lots of shooting and killing which goes against everything the main character is against in his retirement. I enjoyed it.

Sleep by M K Boers & Miranda Kate

A marriage made in heaven, a murder made in hell.
Why kill the man you love?
Lizzy was struggling, everyone knew that.
He shouldn't have done those things.
He shouldn't have pushed her so hard.
And now, her children, her marriage, her hope - gone.
It was all her fault, she knew that, but was there a chance of redemption?
Lizzy Dyson's on trial for her life. She knows she must pay for what she did, even if it wasn't planned, but will the jury believe her?

This is the worst result of someone who constantly forgives a husband that is always having affairs but thinks she can make it all go way.  It's pretty sad.

Final Justice by Jasmine Cresswell

As an operative with the covert government group Unit One, Melody Beecham has made her share of enemies. Her would-be assassin could be any number of criminals she's put behind bars. But when the evidence points to someone who has no knowledge of her connection to Unit One, the pool of suspects suddenly expands to include almost every person she's ever met.
Melody's partner, Nick Anwar, isn't about to let the woman he loves become the victim of a stone-cold killer. As a web of intrigue and danger follows Melody from Mexico to Washington and New York, Nick comes up with a daring plan to trap their elusive quarry. It will take chilling deception, ruthless determination and complete trust. Because although a killer is out for revenge, Nick and Melody are looking for final justice.

This was pretty action packed but it didn't take too long to figure out who was responsible for the assassination attempts.

A Child far from Home by Lizzie Page

England 1939: A heart-wrenching story of a mother and daughter separated by war, and finding hope in the darkest of times.
With the country on the brink of war, single mother Jean embraces her ten-year-old daughter, Valerie, before she puts her on a train to Somerset alongside hundreds of other evacuees. Jean’s heart breaks as she vows they’ll be together again soon, knowing it’s a promise she might not be able to keep.
Wrenched away from her mother and everything familiar, Valerie arrives in Somerset and nervously waits in the village hall to find a host family. When she is the only child left, she is sent to live with Mrs. Woods, a woman so horrible that Valerie is desperate for Jean to bring her home. But as the weeks turns into months, Valerie finally accepts her mother isn’t coming.
Meanwhile in London, Jean’s life has been torn apart by the war. Desperate and with nowhere to live, she turns to someone from her past, someone she has always kept a secret from her daughter. But when Valerie finally visits and discovers the truth, both their worlds come crashing down. Questioning if she can ever be the mother that Valerie deserves, Jean makes a heartbreaking decision that will have consequences long after the war has ended.

I did enjoy this book, although I found it really dragged in parts. I felt so sorry for Valerie as she found herself in a horrible situation when she was first evacuated. Her mother, Jean, was very frustrating at times. She always felt she was doing the right thing but never seemed to take into consideration Valerie's feelings.

 

The Girl from Seaforth Sands by Katie Flynn

Liverpool, 1902. Bill and Isobel Logan scratch a living by selling their shrimps around the streets, but Amy, their youngest daughter, hates the smell, about which their neighbour, Paddy Keagan, constantly taunts her. When Isobel dies, Bill marries Suzie Keagan, a good-looking widow but lazy and selfish. The Keagans move in and tension begins to mount ...Amy is desperate to get away. She takes a room-share in the city centre but Liverpool is in turmoil with strikes and riots, and life is hard for young girls. Furthermore, Amy's visits home are spoiled by the presence of the hated Paddy ...A warm and moving story of young people and their loves and jealousies, played out against the hardship and humour of their Liverpool background.

I did enjoy this book, even though the ending was so predictable.

Trick or Treat!

 This little panda came to visit this morning!

It was a great night for the trick or treaters. 8C and no wind so no need for snow suites underneath costumes. We had about 40 kids which is a lot for our street.

Time Flies!

 This is what was on our lawn yesterday morning when we got up!!

This was all arranged by our GD Kelsey and her mom, our DIL Rhonda. It was all set up by the company at 6:00am and would be removed at 6:00am the next morning. I knew about them arranging this but Garry was totally shocked, surprised and thrilled! There were so many people coming by and taking pictures, cars slowing down and all the walkers stopping. Lots of neighbours came over. It was the talk of the street!