First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"Did you ever think this country, in 2024, would be here?"

~ A More Perfect Party by Juanita Tolliver

Irish Soda Bread Murder

"You have no idea how competitive these psychic bakers can be. Downright vicious." ~ pg. 33

Tis will be the season for the St. Patrick's Day treat known as warm Irish soda bread. The recipes call for murder in this new collection of three cozy mystery novellas. Great for existing fans and for readers new to these three authors. Maximize your reading experience by trying the recipes within!

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor

A convention for local psychics includes a bake sale to raise money for charity. Tara has very little time left before her wedding but agrees to help her Aunt Rose and Uncle Johnny for the day. But an old rival shows up and drops dead with Johnny's soda bread in his hands. It is up to Tara to find the deadly baker. A classic cozy mystery with a bit of humor. Almost too many suspects to keep track though. Irish Soda Bread Murder is a great introduction to O'Connor's engaging writing style.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart

Bettina's soda bread bake-off idea gets the green light. But a town councilman acting as judge dies after sampling an entry. Bettina enlists the help of her bestie to find the baker responsible for the murderous morsel. I was a bit more interested in the knitting group, Reubens and leprechauns than the actual mystery that was too easy to solve. 

"As if a murder, a disappearing caretaker, and a corrupt zoo administrator turned animal trafficker on the loose weren't bad enough, I woke up the next morning to even more disturbing news." ~ pg. 244

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland

April Claus visits Oregon to check on her flooded inn. Her biggest worry is to keep everyone from realizing the identity of her three companions—Jingles, Juniper and Butterbean. The elves take a backseat when a murder weapon turns up in a loaf of soda bread. April has to uncover the killer or else she will spend St. Patrick's Day in the county jail. This last novella is the best! It is cute, fun as can be for a cozy mystery, perfect for the holiday season and includes unconventional characters.

Happy Early Pub Day, Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland! Irish Soda Bread Murder will be available on Tuesday, December 24, 2024.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Irish Soda Bread Murder
Author: Carlene O'Connor; Peggy Ehrhart; Liz Ireland
Published: December 2024
Pages: 252
Edition: Galley
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

The Last One

"Aren't we all just trying to survive? Aren't we all just keeping our heads above water? Making a wave when we can?" ~ 6%

Imagine waking up in the woods with no idea who you are or how you got there. It is a land of sickness and beasts. All Kai knows is she must reach the Sea of Devour before this hellscape gets any worse. But first she has to retrieve her belongings from a local thief. When she sees the village blacksmith fight with an unspeakable skill, she decides to accept his help. Even though he can ignite her body like a flame as well as douse it with ice.

Rachel Howzell Hall...girl, welcome to the land of romantasy! It is a popular genre and what a treat for The Last One to feature a character of color. Finally a female main character that I rooted for. However, the middle chunk of the book seemed a tad dull and drawn out. It could have easily been 100 pages shorter. Also, the main character had an annoying habit of repeating herself, harping on the obvious. I had to keep reminding myself of her circumstances before I got too judgy. Otherwise, The Last One was a good read.

"Wouldn't a heart remember that kind of love?" ~ 35% 

I didn't love The Last One but keep in mind that I am still fairly new to this romance/fantasy genre so the creatures and realms still make me pause. However, Hall masterfully created and built a world that I could vividly imagine through her written words. Bookhearts that enjoy fantasy stories will want to add The Last One to your collections. The deluxe limited edition will feature spray-painted edges with a stenciled design and detailed endpapers. Pre-order it now, Bookhearts! 

Happy Early Pub Day, Rachel Howzell Hall! The Last One will be available Tuesday, December 3, 2024.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The Last One
Author: Rachel Howzell Hall
Published: December 2024
Pages: 496
Edition: Deluxe Limited Edition Galley
Genre: Romantasy Sci-Fi
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: The House of Cross

(Alex Cross #33) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

"Like we're working two sides of the same story." ~ 39%

My Series Sunday pick is The House of Cross, the 33rd book in the Alex Cross thriller series by James Patterson. A lot is going on! Someone is murdering Supreme Court justice candidates. The vigilante group Maestro may be involved but that seems too easy. Especially because its alleged mastermind leader "M" may be dead. Will the taunting and terror finally stop or will the House of Cross crumble?

The cases in The House of Cross are suspenseful enough to hold readers' attention for 300+ pages. As usual, the action jumps off from the first short chapter and continues to nearly the end. No surprises though, just repetition and predictable plot. I like how Bree and Sampson are working together on their own case while Alex Cross teams up with Ned Mahoney on official FBI business. It is a good balance between the two mysteries and potential for another crime crossover.

"I'm the only Black woman in the place. How did I think I was going to pull this off?" ~ 30%

It is rare for a series to remain strong for over thirty books. It is really rare for the main character, sub characters and plot to not be stale after so long. Alex Cross, his beloved Nana Mama, smart and beautiful wife Bree, wise beyond his years son Ali, athletic genius daughter Jannie and mature oldest son Damon, are all going strong. Even his partner John Sampson and young daughter Willow are characters that are still being developed and quite interesting to read about. 

It makes me wonder whether Patterson should stop this series now while ahead. Let the nemesis "M" go, once and for all. Let Cross ride into the retirement sunset, alive and well, spending quality time with family and friends. Then perhaps start a spinoff series featuring Bree and Sampson continuing to solve murders. Recent crossover cases are certainly making for a smooth transition to this route. Leave the sleuthing to Ali. Cross can remain a consultant but take a backseat. I rather watch him on the screen now. Just a thought...

"So that's the end of the story. M is dead. He got away with all of it." ~ 7%

Happy Early Pub Day, James Patterson! The House of Cross will be available tomorrow. And be sure to watch the new Cross series on Prime TV starring Aldis Hodge. Hey boo, hey! 👋🏾 It is worth clearing your calendar to binge the entire first season. Crime thriller at its finest!

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The House of Cross

Author: James Patterson

Published: November 2024

Pages: 339

Edition: Galley

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Challenge: Keeping Up with Patterson

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"I am writing from inside the tech bubble to let you know that we are coming for your jobs."

~ The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang

The Boyfriend

"This won't end well for either of us." ~ pg. 309

Like every other woman in overpopulated New York, Sydney has terrible luck with dating. Men who lie in their dating profile. Men who stick her with the dinner bill. Men who are mama's boys. But finally she meets the perfect man. Her new boyfriend is charming, attentive, handsome and successful. 

A string of deaths confound the police. Young women are found brutally murdered. The suspect is believed to date his victims before he kills them. Sydney can't shake her own suspicions. Is her boyfriend too perfect?

Freida...girl. You got me again at the very end. Where do you find the time to crank out new novels damn near every other month?! With different twists. Stale WHERE?! Predictable plot, I think not. 

Bookhearts, if you like psycho-thrillers, mystery and high suspense with twists then read The Boyfriend. Just read Freida McFadden in general. That's it; that's all.

Title: The Boyfriend

Author: Freida McFadden

Published: October 2024

Pages: 370

Edition: eBook

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Series Sunday: Crown of Midnight

(Throne of Glass #2) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

"I'll kill you before you know I'm in the room." ~ pg. 283

My Series Sunday pick is Crown of Midnight, the second book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. Celaena Sardothien is still in the castle now serving as the King's Champion. No surprise that she won the competition. After all, she is the best assassin in the land. But she is far from loyal to the crown. A condition of her freedom is to dispatch (kill) whoever the King names with no questions asked for the next four years. 

As a result, Celaena is harboring a huge secret. Her deadly charade becomes more difficult to hide when she realizes others are seeking justice too. One tragic night of violence changes Celaena's relationships with the few people closest to her: Crown Prince Dorian, Captain of the Guard Chaol and Princess Nehemia. Listen, Bookhearts. While the events in Crown of Midnight may be predictable, SJM spins it so twisted that I read with a bit more urgency. 

"There are worlds that exist beyond your knowledge, worlds that lie on top of each other and don't know it." ~ pg. 321

OH, MY GODS! Does this mean what I think it means? The connection between universes is starting to come together. Color me fascinated with Wyrdgates.

As with any series, my impressions of characters may change. I have a new favorite character: Mort. His dry humor cracks me up every time he appears in the story. Prince Dorian is still heart eyes emoji. Chaol is so misunderstood that I feel bad for him. And Princess Nehemia is a badass bestie. I'm interested in where the series takes these character arcs. 

Meanwhile, I am still holding on to the plethora of reviews that claim Throne of Glass (TOG) is better than A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series. My reading buddy is enjoying it more than I am. I see the potential though! Look at me being all selective while still new to this fantasy series shit. 😉 

Title: Crown of Midnight

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Published: August 2013

Pages: 453

Edition: eBook

Genre: Romantasy Mystery

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤