Kathy Martin's First 2017 Thread

1. The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom (384 p.) -- Excellent, gritty thriller about a young woman who needs to become a spy to rescue her father who has disappeared while in Europe. After her father disappears, Gwen is surprised to learn that he is CIA but the CIA thinks he defected. It is up to Gwen to find him and bring him home. She has to make difficult choices and commit crimes to find him.

2. A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong (390 p.) -- The second Casey Duncan thriller has her trying to locate a serial killer who kidnaps women and keeps them captive until he gets tired of them. It begins with finding Nicole in a hole in a cave. She's been missing for 15 months. While investigating Casey discovers two more bodies. Besides the very suspicious residents of Rockton - a town where people go to hide, there are the settlers and hostiles who also live in the Yukon Territory near Rockton. We find out more about Eric and Casey as they try to form a relationship which neither is good at doing.

3. Dragon Spawn by Eileen Wilks (336 p.) -- 13th book in series. Lily and Rule have to rescue Rule's son Toby from Dis when he is kidnapped as part of the Great Bitch's plan to conquer the Earth. They learn more about the mysterious dragons.

4. Rise of Fire by Sophie Jordan (304 p.) -- Nice ending to a fantasy duology. Luna and Fowler find themselves involuntary guests of the King of Laconia when Fowler is infected with Dweller toxin. The king recognizes Luna as the rightful queen of Relhok and is determined that she marry his son Chasan. He wants Fowler to marry his daughter Maris to whom he has been betrothed since childhood. Since Fowler and Luna love each other, they are determined to escape. Lots of action, romance, and danger in this one. I thought the happy ending was a little abrupt though.

5. The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro (336 p.) -- Jamie and Charlotte are spending Christmas Break at her parents' home when her uncle Leander goes missing. They set out to find him. They go to Berlin where he has been working undercover to break up an art forgery ring. There Charlotte meets August Moriarty again. He's the boy who broke her heart that she ruined in revenge. This had a very twisty plot and a very twisty relationship between Jamie and Charlotte.

6. Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas (432 p.) -- Entertaining fantasy wherein an awkward young woman far more interested in science and court life finds herself inheriting the throne after a mass poisoning kills the king and all the nobles at a banquet. She's left with few surviving advisers and a restless country. While she is busy investigating how the arsenic got into the food in hopes of finding the murderer, one of the advisers decides she's the poisoner and attempts to overthrow her. This was a very entertaining story which had a young woman coming to recognize her own strengths and there was a nice romance too.

Welcome back! 6 already - you may be leading the pack. :)

Happy reading in 2017, Kathy, I see you have made a great start!

I am part of the group.
I love being part of the group.
I love the friendships bestowed upon my by dint of my membership of this wonderful fellowship.
I love that race and creed and gender and age and sexuality and nationality make absolutely no difference to our being a valued member of the group.

Thank you for also being part of the group.

Being without internet from Friday afternoon until Tuesday afternoon gave me lots of extra reading time.

7. Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews (336 p.) -- Kate's planning her wedding, trying to find a way to keep a prophecy that will kill either Curran or her unborn son, and keep her father from invading Atlanta or winning the war when he does. She gathers together an unlikely assortment of allies including her dead aunt. This was action-packed but still had the funny bits. Kate has a quirky viewpoint, Great romance between Kate and Curran too.

8. Beauty and the Wiener by Casey Griffin (400 p.) -- Cute mystery about a "dog stylist" who wants to launch her own line of doggie fashion and a bartender who wants to save up a down payment to buy his own bar but who have to clear their names when show dogs in their care disappear. Addison is looking for Mr. Perfect among the elite dog owners and keeps looking right over Felix. He needs to convince her and she needs to convince herself that her idea of Mr. Perfect based on the Disney movies she watched as a child won't lead her to the man who is perfect for her. This had some humorous bits and lots of cute dogs including Addison's doxy Princess.

9. A Season of Daring Greatly by Ellen Emerson White (432 p.) -- Great sports story about Jill who is the the first woman drafted by a team in MLB. She's just graduated from high school and has a scholarship to Stanford in her pocket. Being drafted in the third round makes her decide to do baseball instead of college. She has to face being a role model, having people inside and outside baseball hate the idea of a woman going pro, she has to deal with teammates who play nasty pranks on her, rumors that she's a lesbian, and just the pressures of pitching under a constant media spotlight. She also has supporters. Her family and friends have her back. She also makes friends on her team especially her catcher. Jill is thoughtful and articulate and is a fascinating character.

10. I See You by Clare Mackintosh (372 p.) -- Creepy thriller told from the viewpoint of a victim, the police investigator, and the owner of the website which targets women for stalkers. Zoe Walker is surprised to see her photo in the classified above a website called FindTheOne.com. She is even more surprised to see another woman there who was the victim of a crime. She contacts the police who are investigating a murder which is also linked to the ads. Besides the family dynamics of both Zoe and Kelly, the police officer, there is so much tension as Zoe deals with growing fear that she is being stalked. I didn't see the identity of the criminal coming at all. Zoe's suspicions newer rested on them. And the ending is even more unexpected.

11. The Wish Granter by C. J. Redwine (432 p.) -- Ari needs to save her brother from the consequences of a deal he made with the Wish Granter. To keep his sister safe from the evil queen who wanted both of them dead, he makes the deal that makes him king but also gives the Wish Granter vast powers in his country. Ari enlists the help of her best friend Cleo and new weapons master Sebastian to find a way to defeat the powerful fae. She also falls in love with Sebastian. This was an exciting and engaging story of what happens after Rumpelstiltskin is betrayed by the princess he helps. Ari is determined and relentless in find a way to get all of them out from under the fae's power.

12. The Dragon's Price by Bethany Wiggins (304 p.) -- Epic fantasy, first in a series. Princess Sorrowlynn has to choose between being married to a stranger from a country that she believes is brutal and violent or being eaten by a dragon. She chooses the dragon. But the youngest prince from the other country decides to go with her to the dragon. Golmarr is attracted to her. Together the two face lots of dangers as they try to get out of the dragon's cave uneaten and learn to know each other on their journey. Killing the dragon just begins the story because the dragon's treasure is not at all what they were expecting. Lots of action, lots of romance, and very interesting characters in this story.

13. Freedom's Slave by Heather Demetrios (608 p.) -- Massive and epic conclusion to the Dark Caravans trilogy begins with Raif, Nalia and their companions lost is the Eye of Iblis trying to get from Earth to Arjinni. A battle separates Nalia from the rest who go on to Arjinni but leave Raif heart-broken and no longer the revolutionary he was when he left. It also leaves Nalia wandering the Eye and experiencing all sort of visions. Meanwhile on Arjinni, Calar is getting more and more evil and more insane. Her lover Kesmir comes to believe that overthrowing her is best for Arjinni and for Calar but, without the rebels, it will be an impossible task. It might be impossible even with them because of the evil allies Calar has created. When Nalia makes it out of the Eye a year and a day behind the rest of her companions, she comes to a world where the gods are getting ready to do their long-overdue cleansing of the land leaving her and her companions to fight not only Calar but the gods too. Emotionally intense and action packed. Great conclusion to trilogy.

14. Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop (416 p.) -- Another amazing entry in an excellent series. After the events of the previous book, the Elders are trying to decide how much human to keep. They send secret observers to the Lakeside Courtyard to try to decide. This isn't a good time. Monty shiftless and grifter brother has just arrived and is upsetting everyone. Simon would be glad to expel him from the courtyard but the Elders want to observe him. Meanwhile, Simon and Meg are falling in love and wondering how a wolf and a human can ever be together. Meg is also trying to curb her addiction to cutting by using cards to tell the future. I love the cultural misunderstandings in this one because the Others are not humans in wolf suits. Powerful Others are baffled by Meg and her pack of female friends.

15. This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills (309 p.) -- Engaging and articulate story of family, friendship and romance. Sloane has moved with her family to Florida from New York. A natural outsider but with a strong sense of justice, she interferes in a fight and finds herself with a new circle of friends. All the friends are engaging, well-rounded characters and the dynamics between all of them are complex. Sloane engages in a quest to find a painting done by two of the character's mother just before her death. She also has a great relationship with her family, especially her dad who is a novelist with a monster case of writer's block. I loved the witty dialog and Sloane's say it like it is attitude.

16. The Swan Riders by Erin Bow (376 p.) -- Second Prisoners of Peace book has Greta turned to an AI and is trying to learn to live with all the new information without becoming insane. She is guided by Talis. She learns more about Swan Riders as they journey to find safety after Talis is stabbed.

17. Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany (320 p.) -- Gemma Doyle, transplanted Englishwoman, runs a bookstore specializing in Sherlock Holmes on Cape Cod. When a woman who left a priceless Holmes story is found dead by Gemma and her friend, Gemma begins investigating. The police investigating are her former boyfriend Ryan and Louise Estrada. Estrada seems to be sure Gemma is the murderer. Gemma has a unique mind. She's very observant and makes very perceptive deductions (much like the fictional Sherlock Holmes). She has a near photographic memory. At the same time, she is a little clueless. She was a fun character to read about.

18. Justice Calling by Annie Bellet (119 p.) -- Enjoyable start to new urban fantasy series. Jade Crow has been hiding in a shifter town from the sorcerer who wants to eat her heart to steal her power. When a new magician comes to town, she has to use her magic and maybe alert her pursuer to save her friends. She also has to deal with a shifter Justice who had a vision showing her to be a murderer. That shifter is also a hot guy.

19. Freya by Matthew Laurence (341 p.)-- The goddess Freya has been hiding out in a mental hospital for a number of years feeling that her time has passed. When a man comes to recruit her for his evil corporate bosses, Freya has to come out of retirement with a vengeance to put down their evil plans. This was a fun story filled with a combination of gods of various pantheons and scientific gadgets. I liked Freya as a character who has big plans but doesn't always figure out the details until the last moment. Start of a series.

20. Purr M for Murder by T. C. LoTempio (304 p.) -- Cozy mystery finds Sydney coming back to Deer Park, North Carolina to work with her sister at her animal shelter. Soon she's investigating the murder of a man her sister had a number of arguments with. Syd finds lots of other suspects in his wife, stepson, business partner, and other shop owners who hated that he was going to raise their rent. Syd also reconnects with HS crush Will Worthington who is back in Deer Park as a new homicide detective. Also starring is Toby a wandering cat who has decided to adopt Syd. Cute story.

21. Hunted by Meagan Spooner (352 p.) -- Beautiful retelling of Beauty and the Beast with lush, descriptive language and finely nuanced characters. Yeva, called Beauty at home, is never happy. She's always looking for the next thing. When her father loses his fortune and takes his daughters back to the hunting lodge he used when he was a famous huntsman, Yeva thinks this might be the place that she can finally call home. But while searching for her father in the woods, she is captured by the Beast who is looking for a hunter who can break the curse on him. I loved the way they got to know each other. I loved the sections from Beast's point of view.

22. Signature Wounds by Kirk Russell (361p.) -- Intense thriller that hits all the hot topics - sleeper cells of terrorists, drug cartels, and drones used as weapons. FBI bomg expert Paul Grale is on his way to his sister's 4th of July celebration when a bomb goes off there killing her, his brother-in-law, his nephew and a number of other people involved in the military's drone program. It left his niece a grieving orphan hospitalized and in danger of paralysis. Paul immediately begins tracking down the bomber and trying to clear a friend who is held in suspicion by a number of agencies including his own. Fast-paced and action-packed. Grale is a complicated hero that is easy to root for.

23. The Hidden Memory of Objects by Danielle Mages Amato (336 p.) -- Mystery with more than a hint of the paranormal. Megan Brown is determined to find out what really happened to her brother Tyler when he was found dead in an abandoned building. The police say he died of a heroin overdose but that wasn't the brother Megan knew. When she starts having visions of past events when she touches some of Tyler's belongings she thinks she's losing her mind. Her friend Eric thinks she's becoming a superhero and new friend Nathan is just worried about her. As she pursues her investigation she learns lots about her brother that she never knew. She also learns a lot about herself and what she wants for her future. There are also lots of connections to Abraham Lincoln and his assassination by John Wilkes Booth. Great mystery. Great characters.

24. Echoes in Death by J. D. Robb (384 p.) -- Another excellent episode in the In Death series. This time Eve is hunting for a man who assaults husbands and beats and rapes their wives in front of them all while wearing theatrical costumes - Dracula, a ghoul, the Devil. This third time, it goes a little far and the husband is killed. Eve has to find him before he strikes again because next time he'll be killing again. The female victim of the case that starts the investigation for Eve brings back memories of Eve's own abusive childhood which adds an emotional complication to this case. Luckily, Mira and Roarke both recognize that and are there to give her all the support she can need.

25. The Gathering Edge by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (368 p.) -- This story is centered on Theo and Bechimo. She, Win Ton, Clarence, and Kara are with Bechimo in one of his safe places trying to figure out their next course of action. Korval has called them home to Surebleak but, besides Korval's enemies, they are also trying to avoid Bechimo's enemies which want to confiscate him as Old Tech. Their safe place is seeing an incursion of flotsom from the wreckage of the old world including Cantra yos'Phelium's old ship with a tree like Korval's tree in the pilot's seat and a cluster of wreckage that has two survivors - Yxtrang who are way out of their time and on a serious and secret mission.

26. A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman (302 p.) -- A twisty mystery where Brigid Quinn gets involved in trying to save a man on death row before his execution date arrives. Creighton was convicted of killing his wife and children though his children's bodies have never been found. Quinn is helping out a former colleague - Laura - who is convinced of Creighton's innocence. Brigid is also dealing with her parents. Her father in is the hospital and dangerously ill; her mother is still the passive aggressive that Brigid was glad to leave behind when she started her career. I like Brigid as a character despite her tendency to take justice into her own hands.

27. Miss Ellicott's School for the Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood (368 p.) -- Chantel and her dragon companion have to save the city of Lightning Pass when the magical spell on the wall is in danger of failing and letting in the Marauders. She learns that her teacher and the magistrates have different goals for the city and it is up to her to find the correct thing to do.

28. The Cutaway by Christina Kovac (320 p.) -- Setting: Washington, DC, in a television newsroom. News producer Virginia Knightly becomes fascinated with the photo of a missing woman and begins an investigation into her disappearance that takes her into the politics of a Washington Law Firm, the police the department, and various Federal agencies. She was a great character. The mystery had all sorts of twists and turns.

29. Break Me by Tiffany Snow (316 p.) -- Fast-paced and entertaining romantic suspense. China Mack, OCD computer genius, is juggling her new boyfriend billionaire computer tech owner Jackson Cooper and a threat by the Chinese to steal the beyond top secret computer program she is working on for the President. I love China's nerdiness and her difficulty understanding social cues. I love her romance with Jackson and her developing friendship with her partner Clark.

30. Shadow Run by AdriAnne Strickland and Michael Miller (400 p.) -- Ragtag crew of teens are involved in the dangerous business of mining Shadow. Generations of mining have changed Qole, the Captain, her brother Arjan, and their friend Telu. Now they've drawn the attention of the more powerful who want to understand and exploit their new abilities. Nev is sent to persuade (or kidnap) Qole to get her to come to his planet so that they can learn more about her abilities. When he learns that that plan to experiment on her, his loyalties to his family are tested to the breaking point. The story had lots of danger, action, adventure, and a touch of romance.

31. 100 Hours by Rachel Vincent (368 p.) -- Thriller about a group of kids from Miami taken hostage by terrorists/drug smugglers in Colombia. Told alternately from the viewpoints of Genesis, only child of a multimillionaire who has a shipping empire, and her cousin Maddie, who is a diabetic and the daughter of man killed while doing humanitarian work in Colombia. Both characters were fascinating as was the surrounding cast. The ending is not only a cliffhanger but has a surprising twist in this duology.

32. Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray (512 p.) -- Excellent science fiction. Noemi is a soldier for her planet who has volunteered for a suicide mission to close the gate that is letting Earth ships come through to her planet. Having destroyed the ecology of Earth, they are looking for a new planet to exploit. Abel is a mech - the first mech created by Burton Mansfield. He was abandoned on a ship orbiting the gate and has been alone for 30 years. During that time he has developed abilities far beyond what his creator intended. He knows a way to close the gate without need for a suicide mission. Together he and Noemi travel through the loop of planets linked by the gates to find what they need. Along the way, these two former enemies become friends, make friends, and see what life is like for those away from Noemi's planet. This was a romance but it was also an exploration of what makes someone human and what it means to live by the rules of your conscience.

33. Gauntlet by Holly Jennings (368 p. ) -- Second book in the Arena series sees Kali Ling, first female team captain and youngest team owner, getting familiar with running a team. When the team is invited to be in a brand-new tournament using a new technology, she and team have to overcome lots of obstacles such as one team member's drug relapse, other gossip attacks on other team members, and sponsors who aren't happy no matter what Kali does. Lots of in-game action. I also like how Kali find her way after the initial distractions of team ownership. The relationships are strong in this one.

34. Mira's Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (87 p.) -- This novella continues the adventures of Penric, Nikys and Adelis as they try to get out of the country that blinded Adelis (before Penric healed him.) Penric has been unsuccessful in trying to convince Adelis to bring his military skill to Penric's country. Adelis prefers to sell his skills elsewhere. Nikys is torn between her growing love for Nikys and her life with her brother. My takeaway was about a woman's ability to choose the life she wants for herself in this fantasy world. Also, Penric lets another demon guide his actions as part of his escape and he attempts a magical healing of the breast cancer consuming the Madam who gives them shelter.

35. Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima (560 p.) -- 2nd book in 4 book series - epic fantasy. Lyss is a soldier and heir to the throne fighting a war that has gone on for 25 years and which they are not winning. Hal is a soldier on the currently winning side but doesn't support his king who is trying to have him die in battle. Breon is a musician with a magemark on his neck and no memory of his life before he was ten. They come together when he is hired to lure her into an ambush and in retaliation she decides to take the war to the enemy and captures Hal when her troops take the city he is guarding. Cameo appearance by Jenna and her dragon Flamecaster. Exciting story with interesting and well-rounded characters.

36. Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves (416 p.) -- Great historical fantasy about a society controlled by magic and a girl born into that society who doesn't have any. Anna can't cast spells but she can break them. When the power elite learns this, they want to study her. They fear she'll break the spell that keeps them in control. Sent to Hungary to escape their scrutiny, Anna begins to see what the spell has done to the rest of the world. She gets involved with revolutionaries and falls in love with a Romani boy. The Romani are persecuted for their use of magic. Anna has to decide if she should break the spell which would result in destroying the world she has always wanted to be part of.

37. The Sight by Chloe Neill (330 p.) -- Claire and Liam need to deal with a fanatic and his equally fanatical followers who want to reclaim New Orleans by killing all the paranormals and all those who deal with them. Meanwhile, Claire is learning how to control her magic and keep from turning from a Sensitive into a wraith while keeping her magic secret from those who would sequester her in the Devil's Isle internment camp with the paranormals and other sensitives. Clair and Liam are also getting closer but he fears that as a bounty hunter he is the one who would have to take Claire to Devil's Isle if her magic use gets out of control.

38. Pretty Fierce by Kieran Scott (320 p.) -- Fast-paced chase novel where Kaia, daughter of assassins for hire who disappeared on a mission, and her boyfriend Oliver go on the run from hit men who have located Kaia and want to kill kidnap her. Both learn more about what each has been hiding about their lives while they run. But each thing they learn makes their love for each other stronger.

39. Journey Across the Hidden Islands by Sarah Beth Durst (338 p.) -- Excellent middle grade fantasy. 12-year-old sisters - one trained to be heir and the other trained to be her warrior - must complete a journey to renew their country's pledges to the dragon who protects it. They are accompanied by a flying lion and a boy from outside their country - a sign that the magical barrier is breaking down. They have lots of adventures and grow up a lot on their journey.

40. The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick (334 p.) -- In upstate New York, Anna discovers her murdered boss and goes on the run. Her boss had given her a notebook in code and the instructions to trust no one. She finds herself working as a gossip reporter in Los Angeles investigating the mysterious death of her mentor. Her mentor had been investigating an up and coming actor Nick Treymane who might have a dirty past. When Irene - Anna's new name - follows the investigation to the Burning Cove Hotel, she stumbles on another murdered woman. Oliver Ward is a former stage magician who now owns the hotel. He wants to know who's murdering his guests. He is also intrigued by Irene. The two both have trust issues because of earlier betrayals but quickly come to trust each other. I loved the setting and time period. I also liked the relationship between Irene and Oliver. There were enough red herring that the identity of the murderer came as a surprise to me.

41. Duels & Deception by Cindy Anstey (335 p.) -- Regency Romance; Heiress Lydia is getting set to marry the man her father chose for her and calls on Robert to write up the contracts. He is an Earl's third son making his way as a lawyer. They fall in love but she has an almost fiance and he feels that he will be seen as a fortune hunter if he marries her. When she is kidnapped, he rescues her although she was doing a good job of getting herself out of trouble. Subplots include a friend of Robert's tricked into a duel and a friend of Lydia's tricked out of a romance. All plots are resolved with happily ever after endings all around.

42. Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen (352 p.) -- Creepy psychological thriller with a very unreliable narrator. Hannah falls about when her boyfriend Matt moves out and disappears from her life. She becomes obsessed with finding him to the detriment of her job, her life and her friendships. She has a really toxic best friend named Katie and a father who has a hair-trigger temper who abuses her mother who isn't willing to leave him. Hannah is terrified of her father and seldom sees either of her parents. The ending was both expected and unexpected and the consequences of her stalking of her ex-boyfriend were grave but, according to her, none of it was her fault.

43. Alice & the Assassin by R. J. Koreto (288 p.) -- Historical mystery starring Alice Roosevelt and her Secret Service bodyguard St. Clair. Alice begins investigating McKinley's assassin and quickly finds herself meeting anarchists, immigrant Chinese, immigrant Italians, and investigating the family of a childhood friend. All along the way St Clair is there to protect her. He began by indulging her curiosity and relieving his own boredom but quickly becomes just as intrigued. I liked the setting. I also enjoyed the relationship between Alice and St. Clair.

44. The Inconceivable Life of Quinn by Marianna Baer (384 p.) -- Fascinating story about a 16-year-old who finds herself pregnant with no memory of having sex. When rumors from a lab worker at her doctor's hit the internet claiming she is a pregnant virgin, social media explodes. Her father's run for Congress is derailed by rumors of incest or other sexual abuse; religious fanatics either want to embrace the idea of a new messiah or want her stoned to death. Her relationship with her boyfriend is strained since he knows he's not the father. Her relationship with her father is strained when she tries to convince him that something happened when she swam off the coast of Maine which bring back memories of his hated mother's suicide by drowning. The mystery is never solved. Was this some magical pregnancy caused the the sea? Did something happen that was too traumatic for Quinn to remember?

45. Woolvs in the Sitee by Margaret Wild (40 p.) -- Short graphic novel set in a post-apocalyptic world which has been taken over by woolvs. A young man tells about his fears and how he survives. His only friend is his upstairs neighbor who doesn't believe him about the woolvs until she runs afoul of them and disappears. The colors are dark and the spelling is creative in this story.

46. Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm (217 p.) -- raphic novel tells the story of Sunny who is ten and sent to spend the summer at her Grandfather's in a retirement community in Florida while her parents deal with her older brother Dale's drug addiction. She meets a new friend who is a big fan of comic books about superheroes. The two kids help find lost cats and have other adventures with the old people. Sunny is sad about keeping secrets and feels her brother's addiction is her fault. It doesn't help that her grandfather said he quit smoking but Sunny finds cigarettes all over the house. Finally she confronts him and is comforted by him about her guilt about her brother.

47. Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer (181 p.) -- Excellent novel in verse about a year in the life of 12-year-old Josie Wyatt. Josie has cerebral palsy, a mother who is seldom home between her job and her college classes, and an opinionated grandmother who is desperately trying to hold on to the shrinking family farm. Farm is down to five acres surrounded by new mansions. Story talks about Josie dealing with school, finding a friend, dealing with her grandmother's stroke, and finally standing up to her mother about all the therapies she is signed up for. The poems were great. Josie was a wonderful character.

48. Change Agent by Daniel Suarez (416 p.) -- Hard science fiction exploration of a near future world where biology and genetic engineering control society. Ken Durand is a Interpol cop whose role is to locate and shut down illegal labs that are designing custom babies. He's injected with a change agent and becomes genetically identical to the head of the most widespread criminal organization doing genetic edits and making slaves. Now, he's on the run from both Interpol who doesn't believe he's really Ken Durand and an agent from the criminal organization who wants him dead to take the heat off his boss. Ken wants his body back and he wants to shut down the organization that made him. Interesting but really science-dense. I liked the SE Asia setting.

49. Missing by Kelley Armstrong (384 p.) -- Spooky thriller. Winter is just marking time until she can escape her small town when a badly beaten boy stumbles into her hunting lodge. She learns that her best friend has disappeared and begins to investigate all the disappearances of kids who left town and haven't been heard from again - including her sister. When Lennon, the beaten boy disappears, she continues to investigate along with Jude who is looking for his brother Lennon. Together they discover a number of secrets and begin a romantic relationship. Lots of action and great characters.

50. Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton (288 p.) -- Cozy mystery. Chicago chef Carrie Ann has dreams of being a personal chef. When she is hired by the duke and duchess of Cambridge, she drops everything including her chef boyfriend of six years to take the job. Their paths are going different directions. Almost upon arrival, Carrie Ann stumbles upon the body of one of her assistants and quickly thereafter her second assistant is arrested for the crime. Carrie Ann finds herself learning her way around Kensington Palace and trying to solve the crime. She has another problem in that the head chef really resents her and throws all sorts of obstacles in her way. She also has run-ins with the head of the Cambridge's security and the head gardener though both could be potential new love interests in upcoming stories.

51. One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews (257 p.) -- Dina brings trouble to the inn when she accepts a Hiru as a guest. The Draziri are determined to exterminate the whole species and don't hesitate to break Earth laws to do it. Dina also has to rescue her sister and niece from a dangerous planet and calls on Arland to help. Dina and Sean are falling in love but Dina worries that the life of an innkeeper won't satisfy his werewolf wanderlust. Great characters, lots of action, some humor and some romance made this one a real page-turner.

52. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (326 p.) -- Historical mystery set in 1888 London. Audrey Rose Wadsworth is not interested in fashion and other things girls of her social class are supposed to enjoy. She apprentices herself to her uncle and is deep in dissections and other forensic medicine. She gets involved in the Jack the Ripper investigation. She and her rival Thomas Cresswell are busy investigating. The setting was very detailed and well-done - sometimes even creepy and gruesome.

53. Echo of Danger by Marta Perry (384 p.) -- Nice romantic suspense title about a widow and a lawyer who was hired by her father-in-law to get something on her so he could pressure her to move herself and her young son to his home or, possibly prove her unfit and get custody of his grandson. Jason, the lawyer, soon realizes that Deidre, the widow, is not at all as the judge portrayed her but the father-in-law controls Jason's job. Adding to the tension is the murder of a friend of Deidre's who was babysitting for her son and her son's head injury which has caused amnesia about whether or not he saw the killer. This had a nice amount of tension, a nice romance, and a great small town setting.

54. The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (368 p.) -- Emily and James are back in their second adventure. This time they are trying to solve the unbreakable code which is supposed to lead to a treasure buried during the gold rush. They are also trying to cheer up their mentor Mr. Griswold who has lost his enthusiasm since he was attacked. They have also become involved with an arsonist who is plotting revenge. I like the San Francisco setting and Emily and James who are readers and great puzzle solvers.

55. Grave Visions by Kalayna Price (340 p.) -- Great urban fantasy. Alex, with her newly discovered fae heritage, is starting to fade. She needs to swear allegiance to one of the fae courts or be granted independence. The courts all want her because she's a very rare planeweaver. She wants to be independent and makes a deal with the Winter Queen. Find the person who is destabilizing her court and selling a new drug to humans. Falin is assigned to help her but he's the Queen's Knight first and Alex can't really trust him. She is also having man problems aside from Falin. Her father has betrothed her to the heir to one of the courts, the Queen would like her to marry her nephew, and Death has been forbidden to be with her. This is an engaging series still in book 4.

56. Noteworthy by Riley Redgate (384 p.) -- Jordan Sun is a scholarship student at a prestigious Performing Arts boarding school. When she's turned down for a role in the fall musical, she decides to take her unusual voice and audition for a spot in an all-boys a capella group. She dresses in drag, gets the part, and has to keep her gender hidden. She makes friends in the group and finally feels at home at the school but she is keeping a really big secret. There is a lot about sex and dating and gender identity but nothing overt. I liked Jordan who was an engaging character. Her fellow group members were well-developed characters too.

57. Junie B Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park (69 p.) -- A cute story with a pitch-perfect kindergartners voice. I found myself chuckling a lot as I read this one about Junie B starting kindergarten, riding the bus, meeting new friends and enemies and hiding in the school to avoid riding the bus home.

58. The Last Thing You Said by Sara Biren (309 p.) -- Excellent contemporary set in Minnesota. Lula and Ben are dealing with the loss of Ben's sister Trixie who was Lulu's best friend. Ben's grief has also ruined the growing romance with Lulu. Each deals with their grief in different ways with Ben choosing anger and Lulu trying to move on and dealing with the additional heartbreak of her current relationship with Ben. Trixie comes alive through Lulu's stories told to Trixie's young cousin. I liked the way their grief changed and lightened as the one-year anniversary of her death came.

59. Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld (212 p.) -- Science fiction graphic novel. Addison makes trips into the spill zone to take and sell photographs of the strange things there to support her younger sister. The parents were in the zone when whatever happened happened and didn't make it out. Now someone has made on offer Addy can't refuse: to go in and get an object. Addy's sister Lexa was in the zone when it happened and hasn't spoken since (except, unknown to Addy, telepathically to her doll who answers back). We also have a couple of pages about the boy who survived the smaller spill in rural North Korea. This one ends abruptly. To be continued...

60. The Selection by Kiera Cass (327 p.) -- Romantic dystopia that has interesting worldbuilding - castes and a competition for the hand of the prince. America is from a caste of artists and musicians. She's in love with a boy of a lower caste who encourages her to compete for the prince which breaks her heart. She is surprised to be chosen one of the 35 and still has no desire to marry a prince. She finds that he is different than she thought and offers to be his friend. Meanwhile, she's pining for the low caste boy and the prince is falling for her. Through in rivals for his affection and rebels who attack the palace at intervals and you have an exciting story.

61. The Traitor's Kiss by Erin Beatty (347 p.) -- Nice start to an epic fantasy series. Sage is a young woman who feels unsuited to matrimony but finds herself apprentice to a matchmaker escorting a group of high class young women to the capitol for their arranged marriages. Alex Quinn is a Captain in the army whose troop is delegated to escort them there. However, both the Kimiran invaders and a duke who wants to overthrow the current king make the journey much more complicated than anticipated. I liked that Sage was smart, observant, and stubborn. I liked that she is the one who figured out the bigger plot and also came up with a possible solution. Once their hidden identities were cleared up, I liked the relationship between Alex and Sage.

62. A Gleam of Light by T.J. & M.L. Wolf (256 p.) -- Start of a science fiction series combining UFOs, Hopi mythology, and government coverups. Una Waters, Hopi, was on a flight that saw a UFO when she was 9. Now 28, she's called back to the reservation when the military is doing something on a nearby sacred mountain. Are they searching for evidence of aliens? She is joined by Jack who was also on the same flight as Una when she was nine. She learns that the general in charge of the military operation was also on that flight. Una finds a series of caves and artifacts in the mountain that support Hopi myths of aliens. The government is in a hurry to cover it up. Besides coming home this is a spiritual journey for Una as she reconnects with the Hopi beliefs of her childhood.

63. The Best Kind of Magic by Crystal Cestari (336 p.) -- Amber Sand comes from a long line of witches but the powerful magic has passed her by. She's a matchmaker. She can see someone's true love by looking in their eyes. As a high school student, this talent is a mixed blessing. She hasn't found a love of her own. When a friend of her mother's and the father of one of the hottest boys at her school comes to ask her mother to locate his missing fiance, Amber is set aside. But when the son - Charlie - comes to ask Amber's help she reluctantly agrees. She and Charlie investigate the hidden supernatural community of Chicago and fall in love - but Amber isn't the girl she sees when she looks in his eyes. It takes some convincing for Charlie to get her to give their relationship a try. This was fun. I liked the magic, the romance, and Amber's quirky viewpoint.

64. Death in the Abstract by Emily Barnes (336 p.) -- Nice cozy. Katherine rushes back to Edina from Taos when she learns that her best friend Nathan Walker is missing. As she retraces his steps, she runs into a bunch of quirky characters who are all suspicious. She also connects Nathan's disappearance to two murders that are consuming the time of the Edina police department. I liked the mystery, the growing relationship with Nathan, and the family bits as Katherine spends time with her grandchildren.

65. Edited Out by E. J. Copperman (336 p.) -- This is the second mystery starring mystery author Rachel Goldman and her all-too-real character come to life Duffy Madison. Rachel is having trouble writing her new book. Duffy convinces her to investigate his past which leads them to Poughkeepsie where Duffy supposedly went to school. A man named Damien Mosley disappeared about the same time Duffy appeared. Duffy wants to prove he isn't Damien while Rachel hopes he is. They investigate which leads to solving two cold crimes but don't solve the mystery of Duffy. I like that the book is told in the first person by Rachel who keeps throwing in tidbits about being a writer.

66. The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich (373 p.) -- YA science fiction, mystery, romance, LGBT. Caden and Dylan are both Love Interests - trained to be exactly what their target is looking for. One of the other needs to be chosen by the target with the loser being killed. Unfortunately Caden didn't expect to fall in love with Dylan. My problem was the organization that created the Love Interests and then deployed them when they were teenagers. There seemed to be too many set at a too uncertain target. Interesting LGBT romance but the basic premise of the story seems faulty.

67. Big City Heat by David Burnsworth (294 p.) -- More emphasis on action than character development. Fast-paced thriller with larger than life main characters and lots and lots of violence.

68. The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (368 p.) -- Excellent story full of political intrigue, secrets, betrayals, and friendship. Tess Kendrick needs to find out who killed a student she hated to keep one of her friends from being blamed. Meanwhile her mother is dealing with terrorists with connections to the White House and an assassination attempt on the President. Tess and Ivy are working on their relationship which is hampered by Ivy's secrets. Tess is also building a relationship with her powerful grandfather.

69. Say You're Sorry by Melinda Leigh (336 p.) -- Excellent romantic suspense starring Morgan Dane - widow, mother of three little girls, lawyer - and Lance Kruger - former cop turned private investigator. Morgan decides not to take a job with the prosecutor's office and instead defend her young neighbor when he is accused of murdering his girlfriend who was also an occasional babysitter for Morgan. Lance agrees to help her investigate. They are falling for each other but both have a lot of baggage. The story is told from multiple viewpoints including the victim and the killer. The story was suspenseful and the killer came as a surprise to me.

70. Ensnared by Rita Stradling (380 p.) -- Excellent science fiction version of Beauty and the Beast. Alainn takes the place of a robot that her inventor father has sold to a reclusive businessman to keep her father from going to prison. She finds herself alone with him in a tower with no escape. Controlling the tower is an earlier version of Alainn's father's robot who knows Alainn is human but wants to use her to help Lorccan. Lorccan is extensively scarred and germophobic as a result of parental abuse. He buys the robot to help him get used to being around others since he has formed a relationship with another person online and wants to meet her. Alainn and Lorccan fall in love but an evil robot has other plans for the two of them.

71. The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis (247 p.) -- Aventurine is a young dragon who wants to prove herself to her elders and find her passion. She runs away from home, discovers chocolate, runs afoul of a food mage and is turned human. After some adventures she finds herself apprentice in a chocolate house that is a failing business because the Lord Mayor dislikes it. Besides having to overcome the Lord Mayor's prejudice, Aventurine has to save her adopted city when her family comes looking for her. I loved the magic, the chocolate, the friendships, and the growth Aventurine experiences.

72. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs (371 p.) -- Mercy is kidnapped, brought to Italy, and dumped into vampire plots. Coyote also has plans for her. Adam and a group of people including Stefan and Marsilia, a couple of goblins, Honey, and others head off to negotiate with the vampire who kidnapped her though Adam would much rather just kill him. Meanwhile, Mercy escapes and finds herself in Prague - friendless and alone - and deep in more plots.

73. Raging Sea by Michael Buckley (384 p.) -- Middle book in YA science fiction trilogy. Creatures have come out of the sea to conquer the land. Lyric Walker is a half-breed since her mother was an advance scout. The enemy exists in large number and have some have gloves that let them control the water. Lyric also has one of those gloves and managed to hold off the invaders briefly. Now a slimy corporation wants her to train other half-breed kids and then the corporation will sell them to the Army. Lyric is captured, tortured and abused but agrees to cooperate in order to save the lives of the people she loves. This one had cool gadgets, interesting characters coming out of the sea, a romance that isn't going well, and lots of action. It also has a cliffhanger ending since it is book 2 of a trilogy.

74. The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano (224 p.) -- Lovely, lyrical middle grade novel about love and loss with a science fiction twist. When 10-year-old Emmaline's mother dies unexpectedly her father becomes obsessed with creating a ghost machine to bring her back. He works for 2 years, neglecting Emmaline, and making her resent the machine. When she goes to destroy it, it works and her mother returns for a short time. But there is a cost: each return costs a memory of the person which is then lost forever. Emmaline and her two best friends, twins Oliver and Gully, debate about the value of the machine. When tragedy strikes, the temptation to use it again is strong. Lots to think about in this novel!

75. The Frog Princess Returns by E. D. Baker (196 p.) -- Cute middle grade fantasy that is deep in a series. Princess Emma is the Green Witch. She and her true love Eadric are planning their wedding when Prince Adara arrives and tries to steal Eadric away from Emma and the fairy queen disappears which causes chaos among the fairies. Emma, Eadric and Adara along with a few fairies go on a quest to locate the fairy queen and restore order among the fairies. This was fun.

Congrats on hitting 75!

Congratulations on reaching 75, Kathy!

76. Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost (340 p.) -- Conclusion to Vlad and Leila's story has them trying to break the spell the links Leila with Mircea so that if one is hurt the other feels the pain too. Mircea is being tortured by necromancers to force Vlad to do their bidding. They want him to kill Mencheres. Leila, Vlad, and a reluctant Ian go on the hunt for the necromancers. Along the way Leila learns more about the source of her magical abilities beyond being electrocuted as a child. Vlad and Leila confirm how they feel about each other and how important the relationship is to both of them.

Congratulations on your 75, Kathy.

Have a great weekend

77. A Merciful Truth by Kendra Elliot (322 p.) -- Second Mercy Kilpatrick. She's back home raising her teenage niece and building a relationship with Police Chief Truman Daly. But when arson escalates to murder both of them find themselves investigating a guy who seems to be building his own antigovernment empire. Lots of danger and a nicely building romance make this one entertaining.

78. The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson (464 p.) -- Science fiction/dystopia filled with adventure but not much character development. Eden was once privileged but when the Wolfpack took over, she was sent to an internment camp. She has lost everyone she ever loved. Her father was a engineer whose talents were coveted by the Wolfpack who took him and sent back a vial with blood and teeth. She's determined to escape to a sanctuary island that her father described in a fieldguide he left her. She escapes but things are not as they seem and she has lots of adventures to get to the end of the book.

79. Run to Ground by Katie Ruggle (416 p) -- Nice romantic suspense title. Jules kidnaps her younger brothers and sister from their abusive stepmother and runs to Monroe, Colorado, where a new identity has been arranged for all of them. The last person she should be attracted to is K9 cop Theo Bosco but she is. Theo is dealing with grief at his partner's suicide and also dealing with his partner's grieving dog. But he's immediately attracted to Jules too. However, a bomber and a person bent on revenge make the course of their relationship rocky. I loved the characters in this one.

80. Silver Silence by Nalini Singh (464 p.) --Silver and Valentin's romance. Silver Mercant is Psy and Silent. She is in charge of the organization the coordinates worldwide emergency response. When she is the victim of an attempted assassination, she goes to live with Valentin and the StoneWater bears for protection until the assassin can be unearthed. This gives Valentin a chance to court her but she is Silent for a reason. However, her shields are crumbling and she falls in love with Valentin. Her own brain and hidden assassins threaten their budding romance. I loved getting to meet the Changeling bears.

81. What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard (390 p.) -- Story of a girl in treatment for her anorexia told from her point of view. Lots of details about treatment. She makes friends with other patients. She deals with her family issues since her mother has an undiagnosed food issue too. She comes to terms with her boyfriend dumping her and makes friends with one of his friends.

82. The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May (336 p.) -- Conclusion to epic fantasy trilogy. Aileana Kameron has come back from the dead with fae powers that are quickly killing her. She and her companions have to defeat the Morrigan, find a lost spell book, and end a curse. Great world building; interesting characters, lots of action.

83. Bad Housekeeping by Maia Chance (336 p.) -- Cute cozy with quirky main characters. Agnes has just been dumped by her boyfriend and is left to help her great-aunt Effie restore her inheritance - a condemned inn. The first thing they do is discover the body of a woman they both argued with. They need to clear their names by finding the murderer in a town filled with secrets. Told from Agnes's self-deprecating point of view, this book has lots of humorous bits.

84. Want by Cindy Pon (336 p.) -- Science fiction set in near future Taipei. Pollution is so bad that people who can't afford expensive environmental suits die young. Meanwhile the rich live cushioned by their environmental suits. Jason Zhou and his friends are determined to destroy the factory that makes the suits so that the rich will have to do something about the pollution. Jason needs to infiltrate the rich to find a way to take down the Jin Corporation. He doesn't expect to fall for Jin's daughter Daiyu. I liked the setting and the characters.

85. Come and Find Me by Hallie Ephron (276 p.) -- Psychological suspense. A computer hacker turned computer security business owner is suffering from anxiety, paranoia, and agoraphobia after the death of her boyfriend. When a few business contracts end abruptly, she starts to investigate why but runs afoul of people who don't want her investigating. When her sister is kidnapped, Diana has to overcome her issues to find her. The story has lots of twists and turns. I really liked Diana.

86. We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan & Brian Conaghan (317 p.) -- Novel in verse set in lower class London and told alternately by Jess who wants to get away from the home where her mother's boyfriend beats her and forces Jess to take video and Nicu who is a recent immigrant from Romania who is with his parents who are trying to earn enough money to buy him a wife. They meet doing community service after each being caught shoplifting and form a friendship. I liked the story and thought the characters were well-developed.

87. The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka (336 p.) -- Roxane Weary is a private detective. She is reeling after the death of her cop father in a line of duty killing which she doesn't expect because they didn't get along. When her brother sends a case her way, she gets involved in more than she expects. She is hired by the sister of a man on death row convicted of killing his girlfriend's parents when he was a teenager. The girlfriend hasn't been seen since. Roxane uncovers all sorts of crimes in peaceful Belmont and is being harassed and rousted by the police force who don't want her rocking boats. Roxane is a complex character who has a drinking problem and a tangled love life. She is also a dedicated investigator who does manage to uncover more than anyone could have expected.

88. More of Me by Kathryn Evans (312 p.) -- Science fiction story about a girl who involuntarily clones herself every year. The current Teva is determined to find out why in this contemporary young adult story. She's dealing with the previous Teva - Fifteen - who is angry that she has stolen her life, her best friend and her boyfriend. She is also frightened that her life will end when the new clone arrives. Engaging story.

89. Indigo by Charlaine Harris et. al. (352 p.) -- Urban fantasy mystery starring Nora Hesper who is an investigative reporter with a secret life. At night, she uses her superpower of being able to melt into shadows to attack the Children of Phonos who are kidnapping and ritually murdering children. Through the story Nora learns more about her past, her powers and her future. This story is told by multiple authors who are known in the fields of mystery and urban fantasy. I couldn't tell where one author started or ended. The story felt seamless to me.