"Salvation" by Sloane Kennedy

Book two in The Protectors Series features Seth Nichols, whose parents were murdered and he was tortured when he was 14.  Now 21, he's trying to run his father's shipping company and deal with his PTSD and self-doubt.  He once had an older brother, but he died while serving in the military.  Out of the blue, his brother's fiance, Ronan Grisham, appears and throws Seth's life into even more turmoil because he's had a crush on the man since he was a teen.  Now someone is after Seth, and Ronan will do everything he can to protect him even if it breaks both of their hearts.  Like the previous book in this series, there was a ton of angst, terrible traumas in both men's lives, guilt, and suspense.  I was annoyed at how often Seth and Ronan pushed each other away then changed their minds, but it was still an interesting story.  367 pages (Kindle edition.)

"Absolution" by Sloane Kennedy

This is book one in The Protectors Series and deals with three men who've all suffered some form of trauma.  Jonas was kicked out of his home at age 14 for being gay and spent several years as a teenage prostitute before having even more tragedy befall him.  Mace's son was kidnapped and murdered by a killer.  Cole faced the traumas of war before losing his sister, who was Jonah's best friend.  Now someone has hired Mace to kill Jonah for bogus reasons, and Cole gets involved.  This novel was full of angst and heavy and was not quite believable at times, but it was a compelling story.  356 pages (Kindle edition.)

Grape Expectations (Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery #14)

Grape Expectations (Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery # 14) by Tamar Myers My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Pages: 231 In the predominately, Mennonite and Amish community of Hernia, Pennsylvania alcohol is frowned upon. Imagine how upset the townspeople are when they learn an area Mennonite farmer has sold his land to outsiders who plan to start a vineyard and winery. They also plan to have a first class resort and spa. When the manager of the new vineyard is found dead in the cement footings, Magdalena finds herself a suspect as the owner of the only bed and breakfast with A list guests.

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep: A Novel by Joanna Cannon

In  a quiet, sleepy England neighborhood, during a brutal heat wave in the summer of 1976, Mrs. Creasy has gone missing. The avenue is awash in rumors and speculation about what might have happened to her.

Enter sleuths Gracie and Tilly, 10-year-old  best friends. After Mrs. Morton tells them God is everywhere, and the priest talks about God separating the goats and the sheep, they decide to go looking for God amongst their neighbors (the goats and sheep).

They never find God, but learn a lot of secrets about the folks in the neighborhood, and solve a long-buried mystery in the process.


368 pages

 Thou Shalt Not Grill (Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery # 12) by Tamar Myers.

My Review: 3 out of 5 stars

Pages: 227

Magdalena doesn't have her usual group of celebrity guests, instead she has guests arriving for the celebration of Hernia, Pennsylvania's bicentennial. She is kept running in circles taking care of her guests and showing up at the events as the current mayor of Hernia. Then one of her guests is murdered up on the hillside near the Hernia time capsule. Does his death relate to the legend of a hidden treasure or is it just coincidence?

Gilt by Association (Den of Antiquity #2)

Gilt by Association (Den of Antiquity #2) by Tamar Myers

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Pages: 248

Abby's antique store is finally starting to make a profit and her life is settling down after her divorce and her aunt's murder. Then she purchases a set of antique furniture from an estate sale and goes to inspect it the next morning, only to find a dead body inside the armoire. Abby is worried about how this will affect the reputation of her shop and the police are moving too slow, so she decides to help them out and find some clues on her own. 

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Her memoir makes it clear that Amy Poehler's heart is as big as her sense of humor. Poehler's humble confidence is engaging and contagious. The book is read by Poehler herself with excerpts read by Seth Meyers, Kathleen Turner, Poehler's parents and others.

329 pages, Audiobook

Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

This book will appeal to readers of historical fiction, art lovers, romance readers, feminists, and those intrigued by the Italian Renaissance.  It tells the story of Alessandra, daughter of a Florence cloth merchant and aspiring artist, as she encounters her first love and the constraints of growing up in 15th century Florence.  The story is set at the end of the reign of the Medici family, who loved art, luxury, and learning. They are replaced by a fundamentalist preaching monk Savonarola who begins a purge of what he views as the sinful excesses of Florence.  This puts Alessandra and her family at risk, as they have supported the Medicis and their luxuries. Alessandra's love story and its related plot twists are a bit over the top, but she is eventually able to express her artistic side.  A wonderful picture of life in Florence, Italy.  301 pages.

Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie

Summary: "Kate Svenson is attractive, successful, a brilliant businesswoman - and miserable. After three failed engagements, she realises it's time for a PLAN...and organised, detailed agenda with a clear goal: finding Mr. Right.

The Cabins resort is ripe with eligible bachelors, all rich, distinguished and ambitious - just her type. And they're dropping like flies around her...at least, that's how Jake Templeton views the situation. After he's stuck pulling her latest reject out of the swimming pool, Jake's convinced this femme fatale is trouble. Especially for him..."

Jennifer Crusie may just be one of my new favorite chick lit authors! Manhunting is the perfect beach/summer read (even though I read it in dreary November). It was funny, sweet and charming. It's not overly complicated or dramatic. Just a short and lively story of the adventure of falling in love! 

328 pages

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Summary: "Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this sequel to Grave Mercy."

Even though Sybella and Beast were excellent minor characters in Grave Mercy, I wasn't quite as enthralled with their story in Dark Triumph. I thoroughly missed Ismae and Duval, and they were not in this sequel nearly enough. Dark Triumph lacks the political intrigue and mystery of the first novel. I also found Sybella and Beast's relationship to be a little too close to "insta-love" for my tastes. The sub-par quality of Dark Triumph serves to reinforce how unique and special Grave Mercy really is.

I can't decide if I'll read the third and final installment, Mortal Heart. 


387 pages

"The Power of Sensitivity: Success Stories by Highly Sensitive People Thriving in a Non-sensitive World" by Ted Zeff, Ph.D.

This book is an accumulation of short essays written by highly sensitive people.  High sensitivity is an innate trait with the tendency to process information more deeply, be easily overstimulated, have increased emotional reactivity and empathy, and have an increased perception of subtleties.  Although research shows that about 20% of the population are highly sensitive people (HSPs), we are not very valued in our society.  We are usually told "you're too sensitive" or "just get over it" or "be more sociable" and are made to feel like there is something wrong with us.  This book shows HSPs having success in many aspects of life by using their high sensitivity to enhance the world around them.  Quite a few suggestions are given for improving the quality of life, including self-care, somatic healing, releasing guilt, risk-taking, and more.  It was inspiring to read how so many HSPs have come to accept and value their high sensitivity.  I highly recommend first reading the most authoritative book on HSPs, "The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You" by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D., before reading this one.  186 pages.

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

Summary: "Agreeing not to pursue a relationship after one date, unlikely lovers Min Dobbs and Cal Morrisey are thrown together again in the wake of such factors as a jealous ex-boyfriend, a determined psychologist, and a bizarrely intelligent cat."

Bet Me is the first book by Jennifer Crusie that I've read, and it was wonderful! Cal and Min are interesting and complex characters. Their conversations are fun and unique. Similarly, their chemistry is off the charts! I couldn't put it down.

337 pages

Sacked by Jen Frederick

Summary: "Knox Masters is a quarterback's worst nightmare. Warrior. Champion. Now, he's set his sight on two things: the national title... and Ellie Campbell. Sure, she's the sister of his fellow teammate, but that's not going to stop him. Especially not when he's convinced Ellie is the one. But Ellie isn't as sure. She's trying to start a new life. And it's not just her cardinal rule of never dating her brother's teammates that keeps her away-- Ellie has a dark secret that would jeopardize everything Knox is pursuing."

Well, it started off a little rough, but next thing I knew, I was half-way finished with the book! I enjoyed it, even though it became a little too unrealistic toward the end. Oh well! Knox was obnoxious at first, but he was actually a good guy throughout the book and had a refreshing mindset. 

385 pages

"Out of Nowhere" by Roan Parrish

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, called "In the Middle of Somewhere," and this story focused on Colin Mulligan, one of the brothers of Daniel (the hero in the first book).  In the first book, Colin was a mean, homophobic jerk to his brother.  This story is told from Colin's point of view and explains why he was that way.  We learned at the end of book one that Colin is deeply in the closet; this book shows how that happened.  While Colin isn't nearly as likable as Daniel, the author clearly shows his mental anguish at hiding such a large part of himself from his family and friends.  Although not as good as the first book, mostly because the main characters weren't as sweet as Daniel and his boyfriend, Rex, it was still a compelling story.  300 pages (Kindle edition).

Eat, Drink and be Wary by Tamar Myers

 Eat, Drink and be Wary by Tamar Myers

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Pages: 272

Magdalena Yoder reluctantly agrees to re-arrange the bookings for her Pennsylvania Dutch Inn to be able to host a cooking contest and house all of the contestants and judges. After all, Freni, her cook and cousin is a competitor and dear friend. Neither of them suspected the event would be dangerous. But the sponsor of the contest is murdered with a paring knife from the kitchen and Freni is the number one suspect. Magdalena has to solve the crime and save the reputation of her cook and her Inn.

Book six of the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery series. A fun series of cozy mysteries with recipes.

Fräulein M. by Caroline Woods

Woods transports the reader to Weimar Berlin's cabaret scene. Berni, Anita, and Grete are characters that are hard to forget.

285 pages.

The Most Famous Illegal Goose Creek Parade by Virginia Smith

If you are looking for a fun, feel-good read, this book is sweet and satisfying, just like the recipes for lemon cake and vanilla scones that are included within. Millie is determined to restore a Victorian home and run it as a B&B in her small Kentucky town despite her husband's objections.

224 pages

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The Sinner by Amanda Stevens

The Sinner by Amanda Stevens

The protagonist's career as a cemetery restorer will appeal to preservationists and history buffs, as will the South Carolina lowcountry setting. Reads similar to Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series.

378 pages

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The Kingdom of Gods by N.K.Jemison

This is the final volume in The Inheritance Trilogy, and the longest.  In this volume, the story is told from the viewpoint of Sieh, the trickster godling, son of Nahadoth.  The story begins as Sieh returns to the castle of the ruling Arameri family and encounters two six-year old children, Shahar, a girl, and Dekarta, a boy.  In this chilling encounter, Sieh tests the children by threatening to kill Dekarta, but Shahar wins by using her wits.  In return, Sieh grants them a wish, and to his surprise they wish to become his friends.  But as they swear the friendship oath, Sieh is very damaged and changed from a god to a mortal, We later find out that the two children are both themselves part godling, and therefore their blood is toxic to other godlings. The rest of the story follows Sieh as he attempts to regain his status as a godling, but also learns what it is to be a mortal.  The story culminates in a grand battle among the godlings for dominance and destruction of this universe - to determine the ultimate inheritance of this world.  Jemison explores many large themes in this trilogy, from what is it to be human to how do the spiritual and physical worlds coexist.  I found the plotting to be a bit confused at times, as characters that played major roles in the first two books were left behind for other viewpoints in the second and third volumes.  Still, this is an engaging fantasy trilogy if you don't analyze it too much and enjoy the author's excellent description, dialogue, and scene setting.   539 pages.

Reskilling America: Learning to Labor in the Twenty-First Century by Katerine Newman and Hella Winston

There's been a lot of promotion of the need for education beyond the high school degree, particularly promoting easier access to a four year college degree.  I don't believe that is the only, or even best path to success  for most Americans, and neither do these authors.  Newman and Winston take a close look at what kinds of job skills are needed in the current work force and how well our high schools, technical schools, community colleges and colleges are succeeding at helping young people learn those skills. They also examine some programs in other countries, particularly Germany, where there is a very close training and apprenticeship program available to most high school students that does a superior job of preparing students for today's high tech work environment.  It ain't your granddaddy's shop floor any more; now manufacturing jobs focus on fixing the robots that perform the actual work. That takes a good degree of applied math, and great problem solving and communication skills. Good food for thought, especially for those involved or interested in the education system.  246 pages.

Grimm's Tales for Young and Old by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm

Grimms' Tales for Young and Old by by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Ralph Manheim (Translator) 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Pages: 633

This 1983 translation by Ralph Manheim includes all of the original Grimm's works and were translated from original German editions. Manheim is a prize-winning translator and presents the stories unadorned and as true to the direct rhythm of oral storytelling that he could.

There were quite a few tales in here that I hadn't heard or read before, besides some variations on familiar tales. These stories are definitely more "Grimm" than any Disney version or the versions of the tales I heard as a child.

No Use Dying over Spilled Milk by Tamar Myers

No Use Dying over Spilled Milk (Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery Series) by Tamar Myers

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Pages: 260

Magdalena Yoder receives an upsetting phone call from Amish family in Ohio, her cousin has been found dead. Freni, her cook, is a closer relative to the deceased and is also Amish. Magdalena offers to drive her cousin to Ohio from Pennsylvania for the funeral. Once they arrive she discovers this was no ordinary farming accident, the deceased was found drowned in a tank of milk, completely naked. Magdalena realizes the local police and her Amish kin are willing to call it an accident but there seems to be more going on here and more lives may be in danger. Magdalena ends up in a land war between Amish farmers and a powerful cheese company.

This is book 3 in the Pennsylvania Dutch cozy mystery series. All the books in this series come with recipes.