Valentine’s Slay by Navessa Allen

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This book opens at a cemetery in Louisiana when Noah, a worker there, is putting dirt on Emma Miller’s grave. Her husband had her buried on Valentine’s Day. Noah hears yells and at first thinks that it’s teenagers making out, but it turns out to be Emma who is still alive.

Emma believes that her husband, who was dealing with financial difficulties, had been poisoning her over the last six months. She had just discovered this, along with his infidelities; she was looking to get a divorce. He pushed her down the stairs and likely gave her something that would put her into a coma. He had power of attorney and was also her doctor so it was easy to keep her in a coma up until she was buried, where she would wake up in a coffin and die. 

But, Noah stopped that from happening and he took Emma to his place out in the country because she doesn’t want anyone to know that she is alive, since her husband would come back to finish the job. Emma’s husband didn’t just cheat on her he also put her down so many times that she thought he was right. 

Noah doesn’t see things the way that her husband does. He sees a beautiful, smart, kind, woman who needs the touch of another human and the love a man who has adored her from afar since high school. The two discover a passion neither has known before. But will Emma’s husband kill them before they can have a happily ever after?

I really enjoyed this book that is the sixth of a series that explores second chances. A novella that clocks in at 95 pages it’s the perfect read for an afternoon. The series has a hot pepper scale to indicate how hot the book is and this one got the highest score of four peppers. This novella is only $0.99 as a kindle book on Amazon. It’s worth a lot more than that. A perfect read to get you in the mood for Valentine’s Day. 

Quotes 

“Why are you so wonderful?”

“I’m not. I’m decent, at best. The bar, as we’ve already established, is in hell.”

Navessa Allen (Valentine’s Slay p 48)

Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alechia Dow

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This fantasy romance for young adults is about the Guardians (who are made up of Celestials) that help mortals when they are at a crossroads to achieve their Ever After, be it a Miserable, Unhappily, Ordinary, or Happily. 

Darling is the first fairy to go to Guardian school. It is tough being the only fairy amongst celestials who are all logic and reason with no emotion. Yet she graduates at the top of her class and gets to have a chance to win a spot on the Moral Outcome Council. She hopes to change how fairies are seen and change how things are done.  She has a mental illness called vacillating disorder (fairy manic depression) that requires her to take medication or risk spiraling out of control. Because she decided to go to Guardian school her father has disowned her and told her she was no longer welcome in the land of her birth.

Calamity, Calam, is the most talented Misfortune in his class who doesn’t believe in love or happily ever afters. His mother left him and his father when Calam was young because she wanted to pursue a happily ever after for herself. His father has been pushing for this since he was a kid and won’t accept failure. He believes all the stereotypes about fairies not being reliable, being overly emotional, loves to overuse magic, and not being serious.

The task that both of them are sent to complete is to help a mortal named Lucy to find her Ever After. Lucy inherited a bookstore from her mother and once painted beautifully. She never leaves the store, which is not making much money. One of the patrons of the store is Andi, a princess who likes Lucy romantically and the feelings are returned but neither has told the other of their feelings. Calem wants to squash the romance before it gets started because love is not dependable and people leave.

The country that Lucy is from, Lumina, is going through a drought that has lasted ten years and taken all the hope from the land. Darling believes that if the country’s lands become fruitful again this will mean mean more business for Lucy’s store and help make Lucy happy. Darling goes out in the middle of the night to the fields and uses her magic, against Calem’s advise, and makes the lands fertile. She thought if she overdid the magic it would stay rather than disappear if she loses, as Calem is happy to remind her.

While Calem sleeps Darling gets up early and goes to various shops to work out trades with the bookstore to the benefit of both. Darling thinks that if everyone around Lucy is happy she will be happy too. 

The mayor’s wife is the only Miserably Ever After either Darling or Calem have ever met. She is pure evil and has plans for selling the land the bookstore is on. She is a main obstacle to Lucy’s Ever After.

I received this advanced copy of the book by the author. One of the comments by a reviewer was that this book was a combination of Good Omens and the Brandy version of Cinderella. I say that it is also a bit of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Calam seems both prideful and prejudiced against fairies. And he and Darling fight like Elizabeth and Darcy. Through all of their bickering and fighting they find themselves falling in love. But will Darling be able to silence the voices in her head that say she is worthless and will Calem come to think that love can exist for a Misfortune. I really loved this novel and would recommend reading it even if you aren’t a teen. 

Quotes 

It’s not a celebration if there isn’t a cake. That’s just a fact. No cake equals no joy, and no joy equals why are we even doing this.

Alechia Dow (Until the Clock Strikes Midnight p 1)

My outer appearance must always reflect my inner reality…or at least the reality I want to feel. No one looks too hard at what’s behind the smile when you cloak yourself in colors.

Alechia Dow (Until the Clock Strikes Midnight p2)

If there’s a problem you can’t yet solve, the first solution is hot chocolate.

Alechia Dow (Until the Clock Strikes Midnight p32)

Happiness is subjective. Survival is fact.

Alechia Dow (Until the Clock Strikes Midnight p44)

No one needs romantic love to survive. They need food. Money to afford that food. Their home. Clothes to put on their cold backs and heat to warm their hearth.

Alechia Dow (Until the Clock Strikes Midnight p 112)

She broke my heart so throughly that I questioned its existence.

Alechia Dow (Until the Clock Strikes Midnight p 162)

Love is disruption. It’s a fork in the road that leads to an uncertain destination.

Alechia Dow (Until the Click Strikes Midnight p 187)

Link to Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Until-Clock-Strikes-Midnight-Alechia-ebook/dp/B0DZ1PR5HC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1TRBVSI0KNE6F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.J13CXDNhNJnWjIJRCaIXnQ.FzPNHMA3oybvQMhfwxTCy_wdxunO3ZZuYNYBEulA5TA&dib_tag=se&keywords=until+the+clock+strikes+midnight&qid=1770382605&s=digital-text&sprefix=until+the+cl%2Cdigital-text%2C307&sr=1-1#immersive-view_1770382620134

Death to Valentines Day by Catherine Cowles

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This is the fifth of a group of six novellas in an unconnected series called The Improbable Meets-Cute: Second Chances. It is only 100 pages and can be quickly read in an afternoon. 

This story is about Maia whose relationship with Jackson, that lasted ten years, ended a year ago on Valentine’s Day when she caught him in bed with her cousin. She hasn’t dated much this past year and has come to hate Valentine’s Day. 

But her friends Vi and Erik have convinced her to dress up slutty in a lacy top that she normally wears with pants but instead, is wearing with a deep red pair of f**k me stiletto heels. They plan on dragging her to an anti-Valentines Day masquerade, being held at a castle in the mountains of Denver owned by a major donor at the Animal Preserve that the three work at.

At the party Maia sees her ex with another woman and grabs the closest guy to her and kisses him. She doesn’t know who he is, but he knows who she is, since he has been holding a torch for her for over a decade. The kiss is the best kiss either of them have ever had. But when she discovers who he really is she knows she has no future with him, Becker, because he is her ex’s brother. Besides, he lives far away and travels a lot as a professional footballer. Never mind the heartache it would likely cause their parents. Then Maia sees a dead woman on the patio and freaks out. 

In my opinion the dead body should be removed from the story. This book is only a hundred pages long and there isn’t time to properly solve a murder. The solution is utterly ridiculous and the story focuses on the romance between Maia and Becker. The book is not bad if you take out the murder and the e-book only costs ninety-nine cents. If you read romances and have an afternoon to kill this is the book for you.

Quotes 

Hate sex can be the best sex.

Catherine Cowles (Death to Valentines Day p 21)

“I still don’t understand the ‘ineligible recover downfield’ penalty thing”

“No one does.”

Catherine Cowles (Death to Valentines Day p 77)

Link to Amazon https://www.amazon.com/s?k=death+to+valentine%27s+day+catherine&crid=2UYQVABS4CVUU&sprefix=%2Caps%2C288&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_2_0_recent

Immortal in Death by JD Robb

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In this third Dallas/Roarke mystery, Dallas said “yes” to Roarke’s marriage proposal at the end of the last book. Now she has agreed to help Roarke with planning the wedding. She insists on paying for her own gown that will be made by her best friend Mavis’s new boyfriend, Leonardo, who is having trouble with his first show. The main model, Pandora, will pull out of the show and bad mouth Leonardo if he doesn’t stop seeing Mavis and come back to her, even though she doesn’t care for him, she just wants to own him. Leonardo knows if he gives into her she will keep dragging him along forever. Mavis doesn’t want to ruin his career before it’s had a chance to get off the ground.

Dallas gets a call that one of her weasels has died a very violent death where he was tortured. Dallas requests that Officer Peabody, who was introduced in the last book, be attached to her for this case. Boomer, the weasel, had a new drug and its formula in his apartment. This means that Dallas will be primary, but have to share the case with Illegals and a handsome cop named Casto, who is also Boomer’s trainer. 

Then Pandora is found beaten to death in Leonardo’s shop and Mavis wakes up there and sees the mess and calls Dallas. Dallas is forced to grill Mavis in interview and soon when all the physical evidence points to Mavis, she has to arrest her. However, Roarke posts bail and hires a team of lawyers to defend her. 

Dallas connects both murders together and believes that the new drug called Immortality (because it increases your sex drive, strength, and a cell regeneration that is youth in a bottle) is the thing both murders have in common. Meanwhile, Roarke is the one planning the wedding as Dallas begins to get cold feet. 

This book is a great read for the Valentine season. The series keeps getting better and better as you try to figure out who is behind the murders and the selling of Immortality. But the matter of clearing Mavis is foremost in Dallas’s mind leaving not a lot of time to think about the wedding or help plan it. Will Dallas solve the case in time to say “I do”. Or “don’t”.

Quotes 

“Clear me, you mean. I thought it was innocent until proven guilty.” “ That’s one of the biggest lies we live by.”

JD Robb (Immortal in Death p 52)

Beauty is easy, Lieutenant. Some are born with it, others buy it. An attractive physical shell is moronically simple to come by today. It’s still desired. Pleasing looks never fade from fashion, but in order to make a living from these looks, a person needs to have power.

JD Robb (Immortal in Death p103)

Death was the ultimate calmer, after all.

JD Robb (Immortal in Death p265)

Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Immortal-in-Death-J-D-Robb-audiobook/dp/0593545664/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=31ZKLTT1Y8O2O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IEnYnnr33QUA7TmZmnLOC8VE09yWnt9_JVS9tszdXIV69akC1UBIYtasqxGiduWjtLLkgECJHIy8oAUgRt-dkrSnrGkqn79Q2WQPx5LVc5sKqAdPJFeByOoBD45V-3AQbOw93dXRo3nOYjEaojKVNmH94FbxkGYtvytm70DRr4IK4s8arrql_eEEB531GhQVXhX-6g6_EWUu0jxhET6CsA.qeCbeqOWLw00Wgpyv3xyPq7uyn5B9wmTdxQVZSP-rFM&dib_tag=se&keywords=immortal%2Bin%2Bdeath%2Bby%2Bjd%2Brobb&qid=1769991759&sprefix=immortal%2Bin%2Caps%2C245&sr=8-1&th=1&psc=1

Glory in Death by J D Robb

This mystery is the second book in the Lieutenant Eve Dallas, and her partner, the richest man in the world, Rourke who live in NYC in 2058. Both of them had horrible experiences as children that they used to get ahead in their fields. In the last book, Roarke let Eve know that he loves her, but she is having difficulty letting him through her defenses. They get into a huge fight and take a break from each other.

Eve becomes tangled up in a high profile case of the DA being murdered in a bad part of town. Eve thinks she was there on a personal matter and considering the fact that she had a nice portfolio worth a great deal of money. Some of this portfolio directs back to her ex-husband and the rest to her two children. Her son is very deep in debt due to gambling. He tried to get his mother to dig him out of debt but she refused. The daughter is getting married to a man who gambles with her brother and has a dark secret from his past.

When a rising star in the acting world is found murdered in public with her throat cut, just like the DA, Eve connects her murder to that of the DA. Eve tries to use herself as bait but it goes wrong and an innocent young woman is killed instead. The killer isn’t done and Eve is finding evidence that links the DAs son to all thee murders and sees him as a strong suspect.

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat and wondering who did it. It’s obvious that the killer is picking powerful women in order to get the glory he thinks he deserves that these women are preventing him from getting. I highly recommend this book and the series.

Link to Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Glory-Death-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0013380Z0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=D266NML518BM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hv1ve2wXzNwNz1f-mFjqnVbo6fFyDsqW3yBmPye0L8vsDf2UFBKPowzGHFGGY0B6hrg7eS8Ss_GIQnCVp5ITqb2LfeQJgsNYpb5jxPEskdE7UHiKkrMj6VQ34mTNhnbMaSqCUUGId6l2UGgb26KYDW89XB0TrV8OuvzmIDhyvttqGLJt2RbQvCikQB59LoHIxD9dcrrufkvCbUrlcf2lrg.FQFtIyxEUgIhEBa_6XTrsQXr5WZlnlV7ax0tHKgI_5Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=glory+in+death+by+jd+robb&qid=1769463171&sprefix=glory%2Caps%2C303&sr=8-1#immersive-view_1769463184157

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb

 

I first read this cop mystery about twenty-five years ago, and, interestingly, there were things I didn't notice at the time, but do now.  Written by well-known author Nora Roberts under the pen name J.D. Robb, this book is the first in a series that currently has 63 books.  It was published in 1994 and takes place in 2058.  

It's amazing the things she got right and the number of things she was off about.  For instance, smartphones are called links, and can have a visual screen and internet access.  They still have phone booths, which disappeared from New York City, where this book takes place, around 2014.  Roarke, one of the main characters, is said to be the richest man in the world, with 8 billion, 600 million. This year, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, will soon hit the trillion mark.  

We've still got a little over thirty years to get cars that fly and create an Auto Chef that instantly produces food and drink.  This world is nearly smoke-free, has new and more dangerous drugs, a ban on guns, legal prostitution, and the job of homemaker is a paid one.  There are satellite stations in space that are constantly developing new things in entertainment.   

Lieutenant Eve Dallas, the main character and a homicide detective, is investigating the murder of a Licensed Companion who is the granddaughter of a prominent Senator who is trying to get a morals law passed. Eve is named as primary for the case, the only help she has since it’s a level five case, meaning very few people will have access to the information from the case, is Feeney, her former boss and the head of the electronics division. The LC was found spread eagle and naked shot in the forehead, chest, and into her vagina with the antique gun laying between her legs. She was a high classed LC who had been doing this awhile and had a long client list and kept diaries on them.

Roarke is close friends with the young woman’s parents, who were devastated by the loss of their daughter who they couldn’t save. They had asked Roarke to see their daughter and try to convince her to come home.

According to Dallas, this makes him a possible suspect. But when Eve meets him, she finds herself attracted to him and he to her. Meanwhile, there is a serial killer out there murdering female LCs in this warped manner and Eve needs to stop him.

I loved this book the first time I read it and it was just as good time the second time around. There’s a reason there are so many books in the series. It’s an excellent book.

Quotes

Sex doesn't have to be a power trip. It sure as hell doesn't have to be a punishment. It's supposed to be fun. And now and again, if you're lucky, it gets to be special.

J.D. Robb (Naked in Death p 219)

“Hell of a lot to spend on clothes.”

“Darling, I'm going to have to corrupt you. It's only too much if they're inferior clothes.

J. D. Robb (Naked in Death p285)

Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Naked-Death-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000P2A47M/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.25N-LT7duUJawU8gqB_Nd3JFeRzE00od23Iu77HavNGjDrYYXIMImbweNhPFPuYkoEgyw_wqGFtS2W-6l3ZInyDV488wJ0gRhkqor-a1_dP3Z9RXYah4zUiIkeMFiLiQ726q_a5jXDeinDgDntin5SuYPJ3L0juw8waXvl1SiAT1Y51H36ZSRfyvO3fhcX-hTN8SWcG04wMj1rEEMCLVVn4162OqIz2KM_MnzTOmn64.T4fZuII-U23mwX5E0J64Qw-xpeYOjQJLDs9KQhWin64&qid=1769189884&sr=8-1

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader

 

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? includes the last issues of Batman #686, Detective Comics #853, three previous Batman-related comics from Secret Origins vol 2 #36 "Pavane", Secret Origins Special #1 "When Is a Door Not a Door?", and Batman Black and White #2.  This graphic novel came out in 2009 and won the SFX "Best Comic" award in 2010, as well as the 2009 British Fantasy Award and Goodreads pick for best comic.  

The first two comics in this collection are drawn in the style of the golden and silver-era Batman comics.  It opens with Batman's wake.  Everyone has shown up, including villains Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, Joker, and Clayface, as well as Jim and Barbara Gordon, Alfred, and Superman.  Each tells a different tale of how he died and how they were involved in his death.  Selina Kyle, Catwoman, steps up to tell the crowd about her and Batman's storied history together, where she tried being a thief, then she tried being a vigilante like Batman, and finally settled into a normal life as a cat shop owner.  One night, Batman shows up at her store, hoping she will help him after he was shot by a punk kid in a nearby alley.  Instead, Selina lets him bleed to death.  

In "Pavane", Poison Ivey is in prison and gets a visit from a prison official with whom she had a great time playing.  In "When Is a Door Not a Door?", a news station is searching for villains of Batman to interview for a special.  They don't have much luck finding the "big" names and settle for the Riddler.  Batman Black and White is fun as Batman and the Joker are going over lines before their performance as actors on a TV show.  This is an excellent graphic novel, not just because Neil Gaiman wrote it, but also because of the artwork that takes you back to the comics of years ago in various different styles.  I really enjoyed reading it and recommend this to all the Batman fans out there.

Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Whatever-Happened-Crusader-1940-2011-ebook/dp/B08PL5D4YB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5RA4M74DCS8D&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KgJjWPnuLdSa2uPuuq3OM1i8g5gNS3bjxNzMjd_SC7bs8A012HKxwK7zvcOA6WzbzCXZVq3LGP6hJptGDJsXfjm9JSfu6l8nX3Ws9itlpXw.kJ7f3FOPBLuoXoctceZI3tWh2AaUISWm5yQclTDbsAk&dib_tag=se&keywords=whatever+happened+to+the+caped+crusader&qid=1768244234&sprefix=what+ever+happened+to+the+caped+%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1