Lark Writes...on books and life

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme: Genre Freebie.

I love THRILLERS! Especially when there are unexpected twists, a bit of edge and darkness, and some good psychological suspense. So I went through my past blog posts and chose 10 of My Favorite Thrillers:

1. The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton

2. The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi

3. Where Monsters Dwell by Jorgen Brekke

4. Girl 4 by Will Carver

5. A Dark Lure by Loreth Anne White

6. Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison

7. Five by Ursula Archer

8. Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner

9. Sister by Rosamund Lupton

10. The Man Burned by Winter by Pete Zacharias

Bonus: Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra

If you've never read a thriller and want to give one a try, I recommend any

and all of these! I also list more thrillers I've loved on my Memorable Reads page.

Happy Reading!

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Quick book recommendation...

Flamebringer by Elle Katharine White

This is the third book in White's Heartstone trilogy, and I almost didn't read it. Not because I didn't love the first two books, Heartstone and Dragonshadow, which I first read back in 2019, but because it had been so long since I'd read them I felt like I'd forgotten too many of the important plot points. Luckily, I decided to give this one a try anyway, and I'm so glad I did. It quickly drew me back into the story of Aliza and Alastair Daired and their dragon, Akarra, and all the dark intrigue and magical battles brewing across their land. I love these characters! And White's writing is so compelling and lyrical. And I love that the first book in this series is a loose retelling of Pride and Prejudice but with magic, swords and dragons. If you're looking for a captivating fantasy series, I absolutely recommend this one.

Happy Reading!

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry

Tess Harrow is a best-selling mystery author. She and her teenage daughter, Gertrude, recently moved to Winthrop, a small town in Eastern Washington. They're remodeling Tess's grandfather's old hardware store hoping to turn it into a bookstore when they unearth not one skeleton, but two. And once again Tess finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation, both helping and hindering the sheriff, Victor Boyd, all while finding needed inspiration for her next novel.

Tess comes up with some wild and crazy theories about the murders, some of which turn out to be true. I like her push and pull relationship with Victor. They two of them make a great team. And their kiss? Very swoony.

There's also a young and handsome undercover FBI agent, Jared Wilson, in town, working on a case while pretending to be Tess's contractor. Tess finds his interest in her flattering. He's also good at following suspects. The fact that he makes the sheriff jealous is an added bonus. Jared's ineptitude at lying made him a surprisingly appealing character.

Besides taking care of her mom, Gertie takes an interest in forensic science in this one and starts spending a lot of time at the morgue with the coroner, Sylvia Nerudo. She was my favorite part of this book. I love her teen-age attitude and eye-rolling, and all her humorous interactions with her mom and the sheriff.

All in all this is another enjoyable cozy from Tamara Berry. I like how Tess uses her research and skills as a mystery author to figure out certain aspects of the case. This book is almost as good as the first one, Buried in a Good Book, which I loved. I'd give On Spine of Death ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Happy Reading!

P.S. This counts as another read for Susan's Bookish Books Reading Challenge.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday...

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme? Favorite Heroines.

I narrowed my list down to 10 by going with favorite heroines who are smart, gutsy and fierce.

1. Mina Harker

(from Bram Stoker's Dracula)

2. Mercy Thompson

(from Patricia Briggs' series)

3. Lizbeth Rose

(from Charlaine Harris' Gunnie Rose series)

4. Casey Duncan

(from Kelley Armstrong's Rockton series)

5. Hero Jarvis

(from C.S. Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr series)

6. Nancy Drew!!

(Do I need to say more?)

7. Ellie Jordan

(from J.L. Bryan's Ghost Trapper series)

8. Ada von Hasenberg

(from Jessie Mihalik's Polaris Rising)

9. Alexia Tarabotti

(from Gail Carriger's Parason Protectorate series)

10. Dagny Taggert

(from Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged)

Happy Reading!

Saturday, February 18, 2023

Haiku Reviews....

Love and Kerosene by Winter Renshaw

His brother conned her,

left her with nothing. But Lachlan's

nothing like his brother.

Contemporary romance .... 235 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(Gotta love that cover! And Lachlan's such a great guy.)

The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron

Fusia and her young sister

risk their lives to hide thirteen Jews

during World War II.

Historical fiction .... 377 pages .... 5/5 stars.

(Based on Stefania Podgorska's real life, this novel captures her amazing faith and courage. I loved it!)

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca

Jobless, Lulu finds

help, friends, love and happiness

on the RenFaire circuit.

Contemporary romance .... 302 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

(Hopeful, humorous, captivating and swoony.

It's as good as the first one, Well Met.)

Happy Reading!

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

When She Was Good by Michael Robotham

Evie Cormac is a defiant, clever, stubborn, sometimes dangerous and fierce, but also fragile and vulnerable teen-ager. She doesn't trust others and can tell when someone is lying to her. Seven years ago she was found at the scene of a horrific murder. But she won't talk about her past; she won't even tell anyone her real name or age. And she's very afraid that the men from her past will find her someday.

Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven has been looking into Evie's past, hoping to find the truth about her family and who hurt her all those years ago. But he's digging into a hornet's nest of secrets that should not be disturbed, putting both him and Evie in danger. Then other people close to the investigation start to die.

My thoughts: I forgot how much I love Robotham's writing! His books are always so suspenseful and well-layered, his characters memorable and captivating. This is the second book about Evie and Cyrus and it's just as propulsive and compelling as Good Girl, Bad Girl (which you really need to read first). Evie's past is revealed in this one--a past that involves sex trafficking and abuse--and it made me angry and broke my heart at the same time. Evie's a true survivor. And Cyrus? He's the best. I could not put this book down. Another 5-star read!

Happy Reading!

Other Robotham books I've read and reviewed (and loved):

(These books are all part of his Joe O'Loughlin series which is awesome.)

Say You're Sorry

Lost

Shatter