A Rake's Vow by Stephanie Laurens

 A Rakes's Vow by Stephanie Laurens - 374 pages

He vowed he'd never marry: Vane Cynster always knew which way the wind was blowing, and it was headed in a marrying direction. The other Cynster men might not mind stepping up to the altar, but Vane never wanted to be shackled to any woman, no matter how comely. Bellamy Hall seemed like the perfect place to temporarily hide from London's husband hunters. But when he encountered irresistible Patience Debbington, Vane realized he'd met his match and soon he had more than seduction on his mind. She vowed no man would catch her: Patience wasn't about to succumb to Vane's sensuous propositions. Yes, his kisses left her dizzy but he was arrogant, presumptuous...and, despite his protests, bound to be unfaithful, just like every other man. Patience had promised herself that she'd never become vulnerable to a broken heart. But was this one vow that was meant to be broken?

Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie

 Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17) by Agatha Christie-351 pages

I have previously read Murder on the Orient Express and I found it fascinating. I decided to read this for the movie tie-in challenge, but (obviously) I did not finish it in time. I found this just as fascinating as Murder on the Orient Express. I am not an avid mystery reader, but I do like Agatha Christie. In this Poirot mystery, a rich young heiress who recently married her best friend's former fiancé, is murdered aboard a cruise ship on the Nile River in Egypt. Two more passengers are murdered soon after. Throughout the story, many plausible suspects are considered. Other, less sinister, crimes are unearthed (such as Linnet Doyle's pearls being stolen). The story takes many twists and turns, but the ending is very satisfying and makes sense. I would highly recommend this, especially since there is a movie releasing soon. 

Death by Diamonds by Annette Blair

Death by Diamonds by Annette Blair - 277 pages
A Vintage Magic Mystery #3

Maddie has another murder to solve.  Unfortunately, this time it is the death of her close friend and Broadway star Dominique DeLong.  She was killed and millions of dollars of diamonds were stolen.  Now Maddie must figure out her killed her friend and find the diamonds before someone comes after her.

Another great entry in the series.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee - 513 pages

Henry "Monty" Montague is heading out on his Grand Tour of Europe with his best friend Percy.  It's meant to be one last hurrah for Monty and Percy before he settles down to estate management with his father.  However, his father is using it to punish Monty for being a little too interested in boys.  So Monty sets out for Paris with Percy, his sister and their leader.  But Monty can't seem to keep out of trouble.  He gets caught naked at Versailles, steals a locked box, is chased by an angry baron, set on by highwaymen, poisoned, and attacked by pirates -- all while bringing everything he knew about life and love into question.

I started reading this book for the LGBTQIA challenge last month.  However, I didn't finish it on time.  It got really great reviews, but I found it difficult to get into the first half of the story.  Monty is an extremely unlikable character in the beginning - a narcissistic alcoholic.  If the book wasn't for the challenge, I wouldn't have kept reading it.  I'm glad I did stick with it as by the end of the book you really start to like the various characters.  The author also included several notes in the back of the book on the grand tour, epilepsy, politics, and queer culture in history.

The Third Circle by Amanda Quick

The Third Circle by Amanda Quick - 342 pages

Leona Hewitt meets Thaddeus Ware in the most unusual of circumstances.  She's disguised in men's clothing in an attempt to steal back her crystal when she finds Thaddeus standing over the body of a dead woman.  Only by working together will they be able to evade and eventually catch the killer and the thief of Leona's crystal.

This is one of the historical romance novels in the Arcane Society series by author Jayne Ann Krentz.  She writes contemporary novels under her name, historical romances under Amanda Quick, and futuristic romances under Jayne Castle.  Yet they all tie together into one over-arching series.  This book was fun to listen to.  The narration was well done distinguishing between the various characters.  I definitely plan to listen to more of the books in the series.

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick - 340 pages

Lucinda Bromley hires Caleb Jones to investigate the theft of her fern.  She needs to find the thief as the fern was used to concoct a poison to murder a prominent member of society.  Caleb immediately suspects the thief is Basil Hulsey, a scientist working on a formula to enhance psychic abilities.  The search for the fern and Hulsey will bring Lucinda and Caleb into the sights of a dangerous society that will stop at nothing to get that formula . . . including killing Lucinda and Caleb.

This is one of the books in the Arcane Society series by Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz).  I enjoyed listening to this book on audio.  The narration was good.  I look forward to listening to more of the series on audio.

Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle

Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle - 370 pages

Three months ago, Lyra Dore's heart was broken when her boyfriend turns out to be from Amber Inc and steals her amber mine.  Now Cruz Sweetwater is back wanting to rekindle the relationship.  But Lyra has her doubts.  Someone is trying to frame her for theft and murder and she believes Cruz might be using her as bait to draw out the real villain.

I really enjoyed this audiobook.  The narration was excellent as was the story.

Murder 101 by Faye Kellerman

Murder 101 by Faye Kellerman - 384 pages
Decker / Lazarus Novels Book 22

It's rare that this far into a series the author has been able to keep up the tone and intensity the drew me to it in the first place.  This latest installment takes Lazarus and Decker into a new life of retirement in upstate New York.  Decker is a little at loose ends as he adjusts to life as a detective in a small town police department compared to being with the LAPD.  A seemingly small crime involving theft from a mausoleum evolves into a whodunit murder mystery crossing across state lines and social boundaries.  The change of scenery helps add new depth to these well loved characters and I enjoyed the cameos from their extended family as well.  As always you learn about art, history and religion without even realizing it.  Highly recommended.    

Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak

Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak - 232 pages

Claire has just moved to Amherst, home of Emily Dickinson, after the worst year of her life.  She was with her mother when she died of a suicide attempt.  And she became a suspect when her best friend disappeared.  So now she is obsessed with death, poetry, and Emily Dickinsin.  When she accidently reveals her past to her English Literature student teacher it sets in motion a crazy adventure where they steal Emily Dickinsin's dress and try to solve her best friend's disappearance.

I'll be honest - I did not think I would enjoy this book.  This is one of those books that I purchased for the library simply because it was getting excellent reviews.  I thought the book sounded depressing and nobody would ever want to read it.  I picked it up yesterday as something to read during lunch - fully expecting that I would turn it back in and not finish it.  I'm shocked to say that I didn't want to put it down.  I started reading it again as soon as I got home and kept going until I finished.  It was a great story!  Yes the story and characters are pretty depressing, but they were also intriguing.  The author did a great job of infusing humor into such an emotional book.  I laughed out loud several times as well as cried several times.  This was a wonderful book!  I do think it will be a very hard sell to teens though.  I think it is something that ultimately would have been better being marketed as an adult book.