Doomed to be a hero (CBR13 Review #3)

Things get pretty dark in the third October Daye novel by Seanan McGuire, An Artificial Night. October aka Toby is a fae changeling living in San Francisco. She moonlights as a detective but officially serves as a knight to the Duke of Shadowed Hills, the nearby fae kingdom. The book opens with her best friend's …

Mercenary librarians with hearts of gold (CBR 13 Review #2)

When I read the premise for Kit Rocha's Deal with the Devil, I immediately knew I would love it. Nina is an information broker with a mission--she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America. Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His …

Love, oranges, & family secrets (CBR 13 Review #1)

Orange Blossoms-Love Blooms by Dalia Dupris was the December sponsored book club selection for Mocha Girls Read. Based on the cover, I was expecting a sweet contemporary romance. What I found was a story about two Black-owned family businesses and three sets of unique siblings. Elaine Hart loves her family's orange groves, which were passed …

CBR12 Reviews #36-38 – Blood, Iron & Bone in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series

I started the Mercy Thompson series when Moon Called was selected for the VF book club in 2015. I enjoyed the first book but got caught up with other urban fantasy series from Ilona Andrews and Kim Harrison. Over the summer, I was reminded of the series during a virtual Mocha Girls Read meeting. I …

CBR12 Book Reviews #34/35 – I’m loving Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series

I returned to Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series after loving the first three books. In this shared universe, the Dark River leopard changelings (aka shifters) control the greater Sam Francisco area. They have pissed off the Psy council who basically run the world with their psychic powers. Some of the psychics have defected to the shifters …

CBR12 Book Reviews #32/33 – Fierce honey badger sisters in Shelly Laurenston’s The Honey Badger Chronicles series

Since I enjoyed Shelly Laurenston's Call of Crows series, I started her new trilogy focused on shifters rather than Viking warriors. We got a very small peek of the shifter world in the Crow books, so I was intrigued. The Honey Badger Chronicles follows the misadventures of three sisters who can't seem to stay out …

CBR12 Review #31: A cozy mystery for coffee geeks – On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle

I decided for a change of pace with On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle, the first Coffeehouse mystery. I like coffee, but I really like humorous pun book titles even more. I also LOVE me some cozy mysteries. I'm patiently waiting for the Christmas romances to disappear and the return of Hallmark mystery marathons. They …

CBR12 Book Review #30: Zora and Me, a middle-grade mystery inspired by Zora Neale Hurston

Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon took Zora Neale Hurston's life as literary inspiration for their joint debut novel, Zora and Me. Framed as a middle-grade mystery, we follow the adventures of a fictionalized Zora through the eyes of her best friend, Carrie. The two curious girls and their friend Teddy are given mostly free …

CBR12 Book Review #29: Love in the time of chaos in Lauren Dane’s Chaos Burning

Chaos Burning is the second Bound by Magick novel by Lauren Dane. I LOVED the first book, Hearts of Darkness, and hunted down the entire series. This go-round, we meet a new witch named Lark Jaansen. She has been kicking ass and taking names in Los Angeles. After the dangerous attack in the first book, …

CBR12 Review #28: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – Must-read for Farscape nerds

Our June Cannon Book Club theme was The Future is Queer. From the four reading options, I chose The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. This sci-fi novel has been on my list for a while especially after so many rave Cannonball Read reviews.  The book club discussion was a perfect …