Review: The Case of the Secret Spirit-Half

The Case of the Secret Spirit-Half by Lucy Banks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss+, all opinions are my own.  This book releases October 11, 2022.

This is the fifth and final installment of the Dr. Ribero's Supernatural Agency Series.  I would highly recommend reading the previous books in the series, as this one picks up where book four left off and finally gives us some long awaited answers to many questions that we've had about our lovable cast of characters.  This particular installment mainly focuses on Kester and his mother as we learn about Gretchen's backstory and all of the secrets she kept.  The last book left us with a pretty big cliffhanger, and this book will give you the answers you are looking for in quite an unexpected way.  I really enjoyed the creative way that the author told us Gretchen's story and in turn we learn alot about Kester.

If you've been following the series from the beginning Kester has come such a long way from the terrified boy he was when we first met him.  He has finally accepted his abilities and sticks up for himself and what he feels is the right thing.  He's really grown as a character and he's learned alot.    He hurt alot of people with his decision in the previous book, but he knew it was the right thing. 

 He wouldn't have been able to do that in the first book.  His friends at the agency felt betrayed for good reason, but Kester felt that if they understood his reasoning they would forgive him or atleast understand why he did what he did.  This has a great underlying message about teamwork and working together when you have different approaches and ideas to solving a problem.  I also liked the message about giving people a chance when they are different (be that a spirit or a human).  

This keeps in like with the other books and still has the cozy feel with a paranormal aspect.  I did miss the rest of the characters as they weren't present for much of the book.  Their antics on their supernatural missions were so funny and I missed their banter, but this was the ending the series needed to wrap up all of the loose ends.  I loved this series and this was a great way to end it.  

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Review: Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. I thought the audiobook narrator did a great job with all of the various characters throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this sci-fi murder mystery. The story was unique and I didn't see the who-dun-it part coming until the reveal. That doesn't happen very often. This book was such a pleasant surprise. I was expecting more of a science fiction novel, which is how it starts out, but it quickly turns into the main character trying to solve the mystery of her patron's murder to clear her name.

This follows Lydia, a translator for the cultural attache for an alien race call the Logi. She is a bit aloof, and while she isn't the best translator her agency has to offer, she gets along well with Fitz (the attache), and he enjoys her company. The act of translating happens telepathically, and the act of translating makes the human feel drunk. If Lydia overdoes it, she often gets to the point of blacking out and is hungover the next day. With Fitz being invited to many social events in New York City, she is often working while attending official events. She feels herself buring out, but she wants to do a good job as she doesn't really know what else she would do with herself other than translate. After a particularly taxing evening of translating, Lydia wakes to finds Fitz murdered and all clues point to her being the culprit. In order to clear her name, she must launch her own investigation into his mysterious death or find herself in jail. As her investigation proceeds, she finds herself in the middle of a very strange and at time ridiculous plot.

I thought the world building was very well done. The book is set in a futuristic earth, after first contact with the Logi has been established. There are factions that accept there presence and those that do not. There is also a huge reliance on gadets and technology. People wear glasses and are plugged into everything much like people today are attached to their smartphones and have instant access to information. Much of their lives are recorded and streamed for entertainment and tracking purposes. I enjoyed the humor that the author weaved into the book.

This was a fun read, and I very much enjoyed it! If you are looking for something a little different I recommend it. This has light sci-fi elements and doesn't get very technical on the science or technology. The mystery was more on the cozy side with a little humor mixed in. This would be a great beach read or something to take to the pool.

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Blog Tour: Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid

Marriage and Murder, an-all new quirky and witty cozy mystery and the second book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!

My full review is posted here, spoiler I loved it!!!

The Devil is in the details . . .
Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he. To a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.

On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking event upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after?
And most importantly, who done it?

‘Marriage and Murder’ is the second book in the cozy mystery series Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries. It is best read after Winston Brothers #3, ‘Beard Science’ (which can be read as a standalone) and Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #1, ‘Engagement and Espionage.’

Download your copy today!
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Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/MarriageMurderPR
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2LqTiBk
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2T5lIVP
Nook: https://bit.ly/2WuiXzm
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Z0eZjD

Excerpt

“Here.” Cletus suddenly appeared, looking devilishly handsome in the dim light and seemingly all put back together—like we’d been in here holding hands instead of. . . ANYWAY.

He held out my underwear. His eyes were bright even in shadow, and I could see they were half-lidded as they lazily trailed over me. He looked at me like he was hungry, and I was dinner. Despite all the encore orgasms I’d just had, the effect hit me right between my legs. 

I wondered what he was thinking, watching as he licked his bottom lip and drew it into his mouth. Was he just as insatiable for me? And if so, was he okay with that?

Tearing my eyes away, I pulled on the lace and fixed my skirt, telling my body to settle down. We were getting married for hootenanny’s sake! 

Cletus cocked his head to the side while I smoothed my hands down the red fabric, working to get a hold of all this raging want always coursing through my veins whenever he was near. Maybe it was because he was my first, and I guess, my only. Was that why I felt so crazed for him all the time? 

“Miraculous,” he said.

I surmised he meant the dress. “Right? The wrinkles are hidden, if there are any. It’s ’cause they ruched the outer fabric at the seams, see?” I turned to the side to show him the seam, and he stepped forward as though he were going to investigate.

Instead, his hands cupped my face and tilted my chin back. He stared at me with a vibrant intensity I felt all the way to my fingertips. “No, Jenn. Not the dress. You.” Cletus gave me a soft kiss, ending it by gently nipping my bottom lip. “You are my miracle.”

I sighed. And I smiled. And I felt like I was walking on a cloud instead of in four-inch heels, which was also probably something of a miracle. “You say the sweetest things.”

“I think you mean, I say the truest things.”

 I laughed, and he kissed my forehead. He held me there, in the dark with his lips pressed to my forehead. “I love you so completely, with every cell in my body. I wonder sometimes if I’d cease to exist—just evaporate or disappear—if anything ever happened to you.”

“No.” I anchored my hands to his wrists and squeezed. “Don’t think like that. We’ve got our whole lives in front of us. There’s nothing anyone can—”

Three bangs in quick succession pierced the quiet moment, and not a second later Cletus had me on the ground beneath him, covering my back with his body.

“Gunshots,” he whispered in my ear. “From the parking lot. Don’t move.” 

Meet Penny Reid
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny
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