Charlotte MacLeod's The Luck Runs Out (and a bonus mini-review of Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda)

My Dear Reader,

If you have yet to read the first of Charlotte MacLeod's Peter Shandy series, Rest You Merry, go do so. While I have no doubt that this would still be enjoyable without that, it will be so much more so if you already know the folks you're about to spend time with.

If Charlotte MacLeod was still alive I would be taking to her social media praising and cursing her all in the same breath. She wrote books that make me miss sleep because I can't stop reading! When I went to take my pre-work nap tonight I looked and saw that I was about 69% through. By the time I allowed my eyes to close I was finished.

Once again, the tale takes place at Balaclava Agricultural College. Peter Shandy and his new wife, Helen, are enjoying life as newlyweds and Helen is enjoying getting to know her new community better by hosting regular dinner parties. Professor Ames is back from Rest You Merry and has a new housekeeper that no one enjoys the company of. She's even bossier and uppity than his late wife, Jemima! After one particularly dreadful dinner party Helen announces that she's invited her landlady from South Dakota to stay for an open-ended visit -- with her and Peter both thinking that she would be just what Professor Ames needs.

SO there's romance.
There's murder.
There's thievery.
There's pignapping.
There's the biggest agricultural competition coming up that has everyone already in a tizzy.
There's superstition.

There's Peter and his counting.

And his snark.

There's Helen and her knowledge of old books.

And her adorableness.

There's Thorkjeld Svenson.

And his Viking-esque Presidential awesomeness.

This time we even get to know his family better. I love his wife as much as I love him. Her youngest daughters were contemplating how she can stand him with his Viking madness at one point as he was about to go and rally the troops. In reply, he made some dramatic Valantino-esque moves on his wife with a quote ... and stated that he couldn't recall the rest of it.

Now I want a herring to put in my window for my Viking .... just in case.

Part of me wants so badly to just marathon the series like I would if it was Netflix. I can't bring myself to, though, because once they're done that's it. No more Shandy. I'm already having separation anxiety over the idea.

In the meantime, though, here's my next read (sneaking it in even though it's not on The Thing):

The Amazon Link:

(right now it's FREE for Kindle!)

And the GoodReads blurb:

It's a freaking Choose Your Own Adventure chick lit!!!!

AND only a few hours later my first chosen "adventure" is done!

I LOVED the Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was growing up so when I saw a grown-up chick-lit-ish offering? I jumped at it. (Didn't hurt that it was free on Amazon at the time.)

Okay, so I chose my path and read it through and didn't end up entirely surprised because I chose the path that I would have chosen back in my single days and it ended pretty much exactly how it ended. And now I want to wallow in a pint (or four) of ice cream. 

Exactly how I used to.

All that being said, I freaking love this book.

I'm half tempted to go back in immediately and try again .... but I'm going to give the book "me" a chance to breathe and I'll revisit it again after a couple of other books.

Well done, Tara Lee Reed.

You owe me a pint of ice cream, though.