Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man by Emily J Edwards (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man

Author: Emily J Edwards 

Publication: 8 November 2022

Format: Kindle eARC via Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley 

Amazon Description

Life as a secretary in New York just got tougher when Viviana Valentine’s boss goes M.I.A in this debut historical mystery, perfect for fans of Susan Elia MacNeal and Frances Brody.

New York City, 1950. Viviana Valentine is Girl Friday to the city’s top private investigator, Tommy Fortuna. The clients can be frustrating, and none more maddening than fabulously wealthy Tallmadge Blackstone, who demands Tommy tail his daughter, Tallulah, and find out why she won’t marry his business partner, a man forty years her senior. Sounds like an open-and-shut case for a P.I. known for busting up organized crime—but the next day, Viviana opens the office to find Tommy missing and a lifeless body on the floor.
 
The cops swoop in and Detective Jake Lawson issues a warrant for Tommy’s arrest. Desperate to clear Tommy’s name, Viviana takes on the Blackstone case herself. When she goes out for a night on the town with the heiress, she begins to learn the secrets behind Tallulah’s headline-grabbing life. Meanwhile, Lawson is itching to solve his murder case, and continues harassing Viviana for answers—until she’s the victim of a series of violent attacks.
 
But Tommy’s still missing, and Viviana is scared. As she digs into the dirty history of the Blackstone empire, she suddenly realizes the true danger at hand. Now, it’s up to her to find her missing boss and make sure he doesn’t turn up D.O.A.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I love the old hard-boiled classic detective stories. Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler take up a good deal of "actual shelf" at my house and Erle Stanley Gardner has a large chunk of real estate on my cloud. I'm already planning on a big lovefest for December in lieu of anything from NetGalley for at least one of the three. "Dashiell December?" "Merry Marlowe?" It'll probably come down to a coin toss.  

That being said, I was not expecting much out of this. 

Well, I was, but it wasn't really anything good. 

I was expecting fluff. I thought I would get maybe a third of the way through before giving up and hitting the sad little "I will not be giving feedback" link on NetGalley. 

By the time I was a third of the way through I was hooked and had already requested the second Viviana Valentine book on NetGalley. The second -- Viviana Valentine Goes Up The River -- is set for a May 2023 release and there is a very slim chance that I will be able to wait that long. I may not even wait until 2023. Luckily, I just sent it to my Kindle from my beloved (and overflowing) NetGalley shelf so I don't even really have to wait at all .... though I'm trying to tell myself that I at least have to finish the last two books needed for my Alphabet Soup Challenges before I can revisit Viv and Tommy and the rest.

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

A Trace of Poison by Colleen Cambridge (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: A Trace of Poison

Author: Colleen Cambridge

Publication: 25 October 2022 

Format: Kindle eARC via Kensington & NetGalley

Amazon Description

In this captivating English murder mystery from an acclaimed author, Agatha Christie’s housekeeper must uncover the killer amongst a throng of crime writers.
In England’s stately manor houses, murder is not generally a topic for polite conversation. Mallowan Hall, home to Agatha Christie and her husband, Max, is the exception. And housekeeper Phyllida Bright delights in discussing gory plot details with her friend and employer . . .
The neighboring village of Listleigh has also become a hub of grisly goings-on, thanks to a Murder Fête organized to benefit a local orphanage. Members of The Detection Club—a group of celebrated authors such as G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha herself—will congregate for charitable events, including a writing contest for aspiring authors. The winner gets an international publishing contract, and entrants have gathered for a cocktail party—managed by the inimitable Phyllida—when murder strikes too close even for her comfort.
It seems the victim imbibed a poisoned cocktail intended for Alastair Whittlesby, president of the local writers’ club. The insufferable Whittlesby is thought to be a shoo-in for the prize, and ambition is certainly a worthy motive. But narrowing down these suspects could leave even Phyllida’s favorite fictional detective, M. Poirot, twirling his mustache in frustration.
It’s a mystery too intriguing for Phyllida to resist, but one fraught with duplicity and danger, for every guest is an expert in murder—and how to get away with it . . .

 Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

Back in July I read the first of Colleen Cambridge's Phyllida Bright books -- Murder at Mallowan Hall. I almost instantly fell in love with the story and the characters and was ridiculously excited that the second one was on NetGalley. I easily and eagerly gave Murder at Mallowan Hall five enthusiastic stars.

A Trace of Poison? 

Well ....

I'm still debating this one. Unenthusiastically.

It may end up getting three stars. Each of those stars will belong to Inspector Cork, Mr Dobble, and Bradford -- those characters least likely to let Phyllida walk all over them no matter how hard she tries. She really can be a horrific snob and there was more than one occasion when I audibly "whooped" when someone knocked her down a peg or two. Not that she really ever seemed to notice what was happening due to her ego getting in the way of reality.

I had such high hopes that this would be as good as -- if not better than -- the first book. Unfortunately, for me, it wasn't. I couldn't even find myself getting overly giddy about the inclusion of Chesterton and Sayers because Phyllida was getting on my nerves too much. I haven't seen a third Phyllida book announced yet and I honestly don't know if I will request it if and when it may appear. Right now I'm even a little angsty about reading the other Cambridge waiting on my shelf ...

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

I'll Sleep When I've Read... Xoe by Sara C Roethle

   

Title: Xoe

Author: Sara C Roethle 

Publication: 3 October 2009

Format: Kindle ebook

Goodreads Description

Xoe Meyers had a normal life. So she was stuck going to high school, and she only had a few friends to call her own. She liked her normal life. Things were about to change though, because there's a new guy in her small town, and he is anything but normal. Before Xoe can say, "Werewolf," her best friend's life is in peril, and Xoe's world is turned upside-down. Then, of course, there's Jason. Xoe doesn't trust him as far as she can throw him, and given that he's a vampire, she'd have to be able to catch him first.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I had an X title all picked out and ready to go for the Alphabet Soup Challenge and then stumbled upon this in the deep recesses of my Kindle Cloud .... having been originally purchased shortly after it's release in 2009.

Then I got it again as a three-pack in 2014 after the release of the third book in the series.

Whoops.

Better late than not at all, right? And, besides, now there are eight books in the series so I won't have to wait to continue or finish or whatever.

That was my plan all along.

Right.

This is very much a fun piece of YA fluff. Mostly fluff, anyway. There is a fair amount of teenage angst included ... and, of course, the supernatural angle ... which balances the fluff nicely.

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If you want to share whatever has kept you up past your bedtime because you just needed one more chapter ... or the entire book ... please comment! My TBR pile is already toppling, but I can always add more.

Ghost Talker by Byrd Nash (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Title: Ghost Talker

Author: Byrd Nash 

Publication: 24 October 2022

Format: Kindle eARC via Rook & Castle Press and NetGalley 

Amazon Description

Madame Elinor Chalamet battles a ghost in the Beyond.

Trained as a medium by the elite Morpheus Society, Elinor Chalamet uses her skills to aid the police while she hunts for her father’s killer in the coastal city of Alenbonne.

But a dead body found in the canal puts her in deep with royal matters. And she might even succeed in solving the mystery if Tristan Fontaine, duke de Archambeau, would stop getting in her way.

The first of a six part gaslamp fantasy ghost mystery series featuring a strong female character in a slow burn romance.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

This is my first Byrd Nash read but it certainly will not be my last. If nothing else, I will have to continue this particular series because I have absolutely fallen in love with Elinor and Tristan ... and Anne-Marie ... and Jacques ... and Marcus ... and Dr. LaRue ... and I could probably (easily) name even more because the characters are just that compelling and delightful. Well, except for the ones that aren't meant to be, of course.

While technically a "novella," this wasn't one that I flew through. Partially because I was sick for much of the time and even reading took more energy than I had to give at times, but even so it's one to savor -- like one of the divine desserts Elinor is so dearly fond of. There's humor and mystery and a hint of romance and, of course, the ever-important presence of ghosts. 

According to Amazon the next two installments will be released in December and February. I suppose I can wait that long ... or, at least, as long as it takes for them to hit NetGalley. 

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe by Jason Pargin (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe

Author: Jason Pargin

Publication: 18 October 2022 

Format: Kindle eARC via St Martin's Press & NetGalley

Amazon Description

If the broken neon signs, shuttered storefronts, and sub-standard housing didn’t tip you off, you’ve just wandered into the city of “Undisclosed”. You don’t want to be caught dead here, because odds are you just might find yourself rising from the grave. That hasn’t stopped tourists from visiting to check out the unusual phenomena that hangs around our town like radioactive fallout. Interdimensional parasites feeding on human hosts, paranormal cults worshipping demonic entities, vengeful teenage sorcerers, we’ve got it all.

Did I mention the possessed toy? It’s a plastic football-sized egg that’s supposed to hatch an adorable, colorful stuffed bird when a child “feeds” it through a synchronized smartphone app. What’s actually inside is an otherworldly monstrosity that’s enticing impressionable wayward youth into murdering folks and depositing their body parts inside the egg as if it’s a hungry piggy bank to trigger the end of the world.

That’s where Dave, John, and Amy come in. They face supernatural threats so the rest of us don’t have to―and sometimes even earn a couple of bucks to so do. But between the bloody ritual sacrifices and soul-crushing nightmares, our trio realizes this apocalypse is way above their pay grade.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

DISCLAIMER

I am not reading this book.

I was all sorts of stupid excited when I saw the fourth John Dies at the End book on NetGalley.

I squealed so loudly my kid thought he would have to call the EMTs when I got my approval for the advanced copy.

Then I started to panic.

I can't possibly read the ARC.

I have to have it "for real" in my grubby little hands.

Even worse? 

I have to have it matching the rest of my Pargin/Wong collection on my shelf ... 

which means paperback ... 

which means an even longer wait.

It will certainly be worth the wait, though. I already know that it will be one of the top reads for whatever year I end up finally reading it in. I'm hoping it's a fast turn-around for hardcover to paperback release so I'm thinking 2023. As soon as it's listed on Amazon I'm hitting that pre-order button faster than you can say "Soy Sauce."

So, my dear disappointed readers, that's that.

It is, however, Tuesday (and the release date to boot) so I can still leave you with the typical Tuesday Intros & Teasers.

The Intros because, being Pargin, there are multiple starts before the "actual" story begins.

The Teasers were a bit more difficult to come up with since, you know, I am not reading this book. I opted to send my kid a text message telling him to pick five numbers between 10 and 85 so I could then just go to the random corresponding percentage and pick a random blip without spoiling too much for myself ... or for you, of course. I'm not telling you the numbers that he gave me. Or even if the blips are in chronological order. You'll have to read the book to figure that out yourself.

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Title: City of Ghosts

Author: Victoria Schwab

Publication: 28 August 2018

Format: ebook

Amazon Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria (V.E.) Schwab (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue) comes a sweeping, spooky, evocative adventure, perfect for fans of Stranger Things. An instant bestseller!

Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown, but she doesn't like to think about it), she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead . . . and enter the world of spirits. Her best friend is even a ghost.

So things are already pretty strange. But they're about to get much stranger.

When Cass's parents start hosting a TV show about the world's most haunted places, the family heads off to Edinburgh, Scotland. Here, graveyards, castles, and secret passageways teem with restless phantoms. And when Cass meets a girl who shares her "gift," she realizes how much she still has to learn about the Veil -- and herself.

And she'll have to learn fast. The city of ghosts is more dangerous than she ever imagined.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

Victoria Schwab has been sitting on my digital cloud for years under both Victoria and VE. I finally read my first with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue at the beginning of last year and was both eager to read more and also a bit afraid since Addie broke me hard. The mini-challenge for the month for the Alphabet Soup group on Facebook is Ghosts or Witches. I have a lot of both in my possession but decided to use it as a good excuse to finally open up City of Ghosts. 

I pretty much immediately fell for Cassidy and her best friend Jacob ... who happens to be a ghost ... who happened to save her life a year prior. Ever since, she has been able to see other ghosts. Just a cute little story about an awkward unpopular (well, more like socially invisible) girl who can see ghosts and her actually invisible to everyone but her bestie. It was published by Scholastic so how much could it possibly break me? I mean, really. It was "written for" those decades younger than myself. How much damage could a middle grade book do?

And then she laughed and laughed and got broken all over again.

Even before the end of the second chapter. And then again in the third when we do a little flashback deal to how she and Jacob met. And then again ... and ... 

And then she laughed and laughed for real ... and the cycle of laughing and breaking continued.

At least this time the breaking didn't come with ugly crying. On a more feeble day it likely could have, though, and I would have been okay with that just as I was with Addie LaRue.  

This is the first of a trilogy and I've already checked to make sure that at least one of my libraries has digital copies of the next two -- though I'm fairly certain I'll end up buying them "for real" so they can sit on my shelves with the other "keepers." I know I tend to be horrible about series, but it's only a trilogy and they're all out already ... and Jacob and Cassidy have at least thirty-three Rules of Friendship and so far I think I only know seven. I'll have to keep reading to find out what I'm missing.

(I tried to condense the 56 to a shorter blurb. It couldn't be done.)

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

Mystery in Provence by Vivian Conroy (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: Mystery in Provence

Author: Vivian Conroy

Publication: 7 October 2022 

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description

Figure out whodunnit in this exciting new 1930s crime series that whisks you away to the most gorgeous escapist destinations!

A beautiful French estate
A wedding
A murder
And a novice detective intent on solving her first case!

Fresh from teaching at her prestigious Swiss boarding school, Miss Atalanta Ashford suddenly finds herself the most eligible young lady in society when she inherits her grandfather’s substantial fortune. But with this fortune, and an elegant new Parisian home, comes a legacy passed down from grandfather to granddaughter…sleuthing discreetly for Europe’s elite.

This young lady isn’t one to back down from a challenge and Miss Ashford must depend on her sharp wit and charm to solve her first case, which takes her to the lush lavender fields of Provence and a wedding at the mansion of the Comte de Surmonne.

Now, as murder strikes twice, Atalanta will have to race to solve the case but will she be able to stop the blushing bride from facing a fatal ‘I do’?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

Once upon a time there was Lady Alkmene Callendar and Jake Dubois and a series cliffhanger that I still haven't entirely gotten over. Like, at all. Like, not even a little bit. There are some people in life that you just can't get over. Jake Dubois is one of those -- even if he is supposedly fictional.

I may be on my way to forgiving Vivian Conroy at least a teensy bit thanks to the beginning of her newest series -- Miss Ashford Investigates. I was immediately drawn to the premise of boarding school teacher Atalanta inheriting her estranged grandfather's fortune -- and investigative services. She is immediately thrown into the deep end when a young heiress wants her to investigate whether or not her fiancé's first wife was murdered -- and by whom. Atalanta really has no idea what she is doing outside from some guidance her grandfather left to her in letters and his butler, Renard. 

He's no Jake, but I would very much like to see a lot more of Renard in future installments. Maybe even moreso than Raoul, the one I'm pretty certain is being set up to be the new Jake ... or Oliver from Conroy's Cornish Castle series. As of yet I'm not convinced ... and the five stars got bumped to four-and-a-half because of it. It's not his fault. Jake is 💕💕💕 and Renard sort of gives off Pennyworth vibes for me. Raoul just kind of "is" in comparison right now.  

The story was excellent and kept my interest and kept me guessing thanks to the twists and turns and a whole rainbow of herrings. While I still mourn Jake, it is clear that Vivian Conroy has done it again and another great series has begun.

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Crime for the Books by Kate Young (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: Crime for the Books

Author: Kate Young

Publication: 11 October 2022

Format: Kindle eARC via Crooked Lane Books & NetGalley

Amazon Description

Lyla Moody and her book club, the Jane Does, are hosting a Halloween party at Magnolia Manor, tailored after Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced, but when the lights come on after the staged murder, a real victim lies dead with a gunshot wound in her chest. The victim was an estranged relative of Elaine Morgan, operator of the B&B, who’d earlier been seen arguing with her about the fate of the property. Suspicion immediately falls on Elaine, and she’s arrested.
 
The Jane Does believe Elaine is innocent, and when they get the chance to team up with police officer Rosa Landry—a member of the club—they jump on it. But then, the club discovers that two more murders have been brazenly predicted online and in the Sweet Mountain Gazette—and that one of the intended victims is Rosa.
 
Lyla thinks she knows who the killer is, but the only way to find out is by laying a trap using Rosa as bait. But, like an Agatha Christie mystery, the truth is never what it seems. Lyla and her trusty book club will have to sleuth out the killer before Rosa meets her final chapter.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

Yet again, Kate Young has made me go off my "read all of the Christies in order" plan and jump ahead from 1928's The Mystery of the Blue Train to 1950's A Murder is Announced. It's a re-read for me and also happens to be one of my favorite episodes of Agatha Christie's Marple with Geraldine McEwan playing Miss Marple. Sure, they made quite a few changes, but the cast is freaking phenomenal and I've rewatched it several times.

The long and the short of it: an announcement is placed in a local paper of a murder that is going to occur at a local residence and it is assumed by many to be an invitation to some sort of murder mystery party. Of course, it isn't, and an actual murder occurs and ....

Matthew Goode. Zoë Wanamaker. Keeley Hawes. Elaine Paige. Geraldine McEwan (my favorite Marple) .... and Catherine Tate as Mitzi. 

Read the book, of course. It's a good one. In spite of the changes, the episode is also a kick and appears to be readily available on all sorts of services. (There are, of course, multiple versions with multiple Marples .... the McEwan will always be my favorite off-the-page.)

Of course, we're not really here for the Agatha Christie ... though, really, one can never have too much.

This is the third installment of Kate Young's Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series and the book club is hosting an Agatha Christie themed murder mystery party at a local B&B. 

Sounds cozy, right? 

The ramble I did about the second in the series went into all the "why"s about this being a cozy series ...  but also the "why"s into how it is soooo not typical. [That one also included a bonus Christie read -- it really isn't any wonder why I love Kate Young so dang much.] I would probably call them more "cozy suspense thrillers" as every installment so far has kept me right at the edge of my seat and made my heart race in the way that most cozies don't -- but suspense thrillers do. 

There are some bits I probably would have cut from this. Like, there's a bit too much Brad ... but I'm also not finished with it so maybe that bit will resolve itself. Either way, this is a series I will continue to read and recommend as long as Kate continues to write them.

[FYI : The "Book Beginnings" this week isn't the first line or even the first paragraph ... but it is in the first chapter and needed to be done.]

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

Under A Veiled Moon by Karen Odden (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: Under A Veiled Moon

Author: Karen Odden

Publication: 11 October 2022 

Format: Kindle eARC via Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books

Amazon Description

In the tradition of C. S. Harris and Anne Perry, a fatal disaster on the Thames and a roiling political conflict set the stage for Karen Odden’s second Inspector Corravan historical mystery.

September 1878. One night, as the pleasure boat the Princess Alice makes her daily trip up the Thames, she collides with the Bywell Castle, a huge iron-hulled collier. The Princess Alice shears apart, throwing all 600 passengers into the river; only 130 survive. It is the worst maritime disaster London has ever seen, and early clues point to sabotage by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, who believe violence is the path to restoring Irish Home Rule. 
For Scotland Yard Inspector Michael Corravan, born in Ireland and adopted by the Irish Doyle family, the case presents a challenge. Accused by the Home Office of willfully disregarding the obvious conclusion, and berated by his Irish friends for bowing to prejudice, Corravan doggedly pursues the truth, knowing that if the Princess Alice disaster is pinned on the IRB, hopes for Home Rule could be dashed forever.
Corrovan’s dilemma is compounded by Colin, the youngest Doyle, who has joined James McCabe’s Irish gang. As violence in Whitechapel rises, Corravan strikes a deal with McCabe to get Colin out of harm’s way. But unbeknownst to Corravan, Colin bears longstanding resentments against his adopted brother and scorns his help.
As the newspapers link the IRB to further accidents, London threatens to devolve into terror and chaos. With the help of his young colleague, the loyal Mr. Stiles, and his friend Belinda Gale, Corravan uncovers the harrowing truth—one that will shake his faith in his countrymen, the law, and himself.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I loved Karen Odden's first Inspector Corravan novel, Down a Dark River, with such extreme fervor that I was actually a bit afraid to read the second. I've been in such a funk about pretty much everything the past few weeks that I was afraid it would tarnish the story for me somehow. I even attempted to break the funk with an escape to Xanth and that only kind of worked. 

Note to Self: grab Odden's other books and hope that they have the same effect because holyomigoodness. I may actually have been more entranced with this book than I was the first (and that one goes onto the "big puffy heart" list for how much I loved it).  Now, I'm hoping that the funk stays away for a good long time (I would be okay with it never coming back), but at least now I know who to turn to if it doesn't.  

I said in August that "Corravan may easily become one of my favorite characters, and Odden one of my favorite historical authors, if the second book in the series (which is currently sitting on my NetGalley shelf calling to me like a Siren) is even half as excellent as this one." 

Mission most definitely accomplished.

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

I'll Sleep When I've Read... The Raven Song by Luanne G Smith

  

Title: The Raven Song

Author: Luanne G Smith

Publication: 11 October 2022

Format: Kindle eArc via 47North & NetGalley

Amazon Description

Fleeing Victorian London, a witch finds her newfound independence comes with all-new perils—both mortal and immortal.

Forever untangling the branches of her strange family tree, Edwina Blackwood is at a turning point. Her parents’ disappearances still strike her as unaccountably odd. Her sister’s questionable life and untimely death have left her shaken. Spellfire has transformed her home and livelihood to ash. And now a devious stalker is on her trail. With supernatural detective Ian Cameron by her side, Edwina can’t get out of London fast enough.

Gaining safe passage, she finds refuge with Sir Henry Elvanfoot, famed wizard of the north, and is promised protection from ill-aimed curses. But in this unfamiliar city of fair folk and witches, where the veil between Earth and the Otherworld is about to be lifted, something is amiss. How else to explain Edwina’s sudden prophetic visions? Or the fear that surviving whoever pursues her will require the powers of an ancient bloodline she’s only beginning to comprehend?

Whatever destiny awaits, it’s Edwina’s to finally control. Where will it lead? Only time, cunning, and magic—in this world or the Other—will tell.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I have been looking forward to The Raven Song since before I even finished the first in the series, The Raven Spell, back in March. There were so many questions left unanswered ... and so much more swooning to be done over Ian Cameron ... and now that I've finished The Raven Song I anxiously await announcement for a third installment. I just know that the new twists and turns (and Smith is great at twists and turns) will be niggling at the back of my brain for quite some time.

And, of course, there's Ian....

I know that some have said that you can read the second without having read the first. I suppose that you could, but you will be missing out on so much if you do. Besides, this isn't due to release for over a week so that gives you plenty of time to get the first ... especially if you stay up late and/or wake up early to finish reading.

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If you want to share whatever has kept you up past your bedtime because you just needed one more chapter ... or the entire book ... please comment! My TBR pile is already toppling, but I can always add more.