Audiobook Review: The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstron

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Narrator: Kate Handford
Title: The Poisoner's Ring

Series: A Rip Through Time #2

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery 
Format: Audiobook
Published: May 23, 2023
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.

Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

Review:

Mallory is still in the body of a housemaid in 1869 Scotland. However, employers know the truth and have allowed her to moonlight as Dr Gray's assistant and work on cases. This case is a little too close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs are pointing to Gray's eldest sister. 

Make sure to read book 1 first before going into this one. This review may have some spoilers if you haven't read book 1. 

Eeeee! I'm loving this series. I'm loving the fact that Mallory can be more of herself now that some people know the truth. 

I love Mallory. I love Gray. I love McCreadie. I love them all. 

This one had a lighter tone to it (at least in the beginning). Some jokes were tossed around, and some silly moments. I loved seeing Gray be...relaxed? 

Things do get more serious as we get deeper in the story, especially when it looks like Gray's older sister is a serious suspect for these poison murders. The ending was especially brutal. GOOD, but damn. 

The narrator was the same as book 1, and she does a great job. 

I can't wait to read the next one. It's short, and it sounds lovely. 

5 stars from me. 

 Challenge(s):

- Audiobook #61

- Library Love #32

Book Review: The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

Author: Laurie Gilmore

Title: The Christmas Tree Farm

Series: Dream Harbor #3

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit

Format: ebook

Pages: 369

Published: October 10, 2024

Where I got It: Kindle Unlimited

Summary: 

Every book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone.

Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good.

Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor trying to take a break from both his life and his constant desire to fix things.

But somehow fate finds Ben trapped by a blanket of snow at Kira’s farm, and, despite her Grinchiest first impressions, with the glow of the fairy lights twinkling in the trees, and the promise of a warming hot chocolate, maybe, just maybe, these two lost souls will have a Christmas they’ll remember forever…

The Christmas Tree Farm is a spicy romantic mystery with a HEA guaranteed, perfect to curl up with this winter!

Review:

Book 3.

Here we follow Kira, who has bought the Christmas Tree farm, but why? She hates Christmas and hates how cute this town is. Bennett is on vacation in Dream Harbor. He loves to fix things, and maybe he can help Kira fix the farm and fix her feelings on Christmas. Thanks to fate, Bennett and Kira are trapped by a blanket of snow on Kira's farm. 

You could read this as a standalone, but I feel like reading the other two will help get some backstory of the town and some of the people we come across. 

Kira is grumpy and just wants to succeed on her own. She has a lot of internal issues to deal with. She honestly needs a therapist before getting into ANY relationship.

Bennett is too sweet for his own good. He hates disappointing people. I liked him.

I did like watching these two interact. Their banter was funny. However, it got really, really old after a bit. Sure, they warm up and fall in love, but it was a long, long, LONG road. Was it...I dare say....boring at times? Sadly, yes. It took everything I had not to skip through. 

All-in-all, this was just okay. I enjoyed some of the banter, and it did feel very Christmas-y. However, there were some boring spots. I'm not sure I will continue with the series. Maybe if I have nothing else to read? I'll be nice since I do love the cover and this town. 3 stars. 

 Challenge(s):

- TBR #12 (Celebration/Holiday Story)

 

Blodeuedd's Tuesday Review: Midlife Christmas Vigliante by Eve Langlais

By: Eve Langlais

Narrated by: Anne Robert

Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins

Release date: 12-11-25 by Tantor Media

Paranormal romance

Christmas and short, yes thank you.

Our heroine is rather sad, lonely, but she loved her cat! And then some ahole tortured it! Yes she is angry, and the legal system did nothing. So she ends up rather almost dead after a confrontation. Luckily a handsome vampire walked by and thought she had some spirit in her.

And suddenly she is a vampire at 47 and does not believe it to be true. It does take some time for her to get her head around it and soon she is getting back into shape. As the book starts with her doing vigilante stuff 2 years later. Taking down bad guys the cops can´t take down themselves.

Oh and she does find some romance too, some hot romance.

A bloody xmas paranormal romance. They are vampires after all. I enjoyed it. It worked well in audio too. The narrator was good and it was fun listening to.

Just before Christmas my life underwent a major change. And I’m not talking about the fact I hit menopause hard—I mean, we're talking night sweats and hormones gone wild. Nope, it was worse than that. I almost died, and would have actually been six feet under if I'd not been transformed into a vampire.

You heard me right. At the ripe age of forty-seven, I became a blood-guzzling, sunlight-hating, fanged menace with an insatiable appetite. Thankfully, criminals taste delicious.

But the wicked aren't the only people I'm nibbling on this holiday season. When I'm not taking a literal bite out of crime, you will find me unwrapping the handsome vampire who gave me the best present of all.

Love.

Book Review: Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh

Author: Nalini Singh

Title: Secrets at Midnight

Series: Psy-Changeling #12.5

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 100

Published: November 25, 2014

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Bastien Smith is frustrated. A changeling male should be able to track his mate anywhere—through fire and hail, snow and rain. But he keeps finding and losing her scent in the city streets, ever since he first became aware of it two weeks earlier, when the elusive fragrance awakened the leopard within him...

Then Bastien is suddenly confronted with his prey. Kirby is an all-too-human woman who wants Bastien just as much as he wants her. But he can’t deny what his body and senses are telling him: there is a raging chaos inside of Kirby that he doesn’t understand, secrets that whisper awake at midnight and cause her terrible pain. If they’re to have any chance of forever, then he must solve the mystery that is Kirby...

Review:

I needed a nice short and sweet novella. Plus, I have been itching for a PNR. This fit the bill perfectly. 

Here we follow Bastien and Kirby. One day, Bastien came across a perplexing yet intriguing scent. It smells of mystery, and something about it makes him think it could be that of his mate. He can't quite keep track of it. After two weeks of searching, he finally finds her. Kirby has been alone all her life. She was an orphan, so her goal in life is to give love to the kids as a teacher. Since she has moved to this new town, something is wrong. She has been getting terrible pain, and there is chaos raging inside her. Maybe Bastien can help her figure out the mystery of her past. 

I adored this. I wish this had been a full-length novel because I really adored both of these characters. Bastien is a sweet bean, and Kirby is a gem. I loved watching them find each other and become more. I loved them working together to uncover the secret of her past. 

The last few chapters had me in tears. Awwwwwww! Happy tears, but tears nonetheless. So sweet. 

I'm curious if we'll see more of Kirby and Bas in the next few books. I want to see them be happy and in love. Maybe more will come out of their discovery. I won't spoil anything!

But yes, I needed this nice story. I've had a few meh books recently. 

5 stars. 

 Challenge(s):

- Library Love #32