Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRae (A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery #1)

Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRae

My Rating: ★★★★

It recently came to my attention that there's a haunted yarn shop cozy mystery series floating around. Cozy mystery? Check. Paranormal novel? Check. Yarn? Check, check, and check! I had to read it ASAP, and I was not disappointed. It has a variety of fun to quirky characters, funny moments, and a ghost sidekick. What's not to like?

The series starts out as Kath Rutledge is attempting not to drive like a bat out of hell to Blue Plum, Tennessee. She's distraught because her dear grandmother, Ivy, has passed away and she's late to the burial just to top things off. Upon arriving, she discovers there's some kind of mystery going on behind her grandmother's house, which was apparently sold to a man who was murdered shortly before her grandmother's passing. Plus, she's got a ghost on her hands, and she doesn't even believe in ghosts. We follow Kath around as she tries to sort out her grandmother's affairs while getting to the bottom of the mysteries that greets her like a Blue Plum welcome party.

The story is a mystery of mysteries. Poor Kath has a lot on her hands as the mysteries keep piling up. Who killed Em? Why did Ivy sell her house to him? Who is the ghost haunting her temporary home? The mysteries birth new mysteries. It's rather fun following Kath around trying to get to the bottom of them. I enjoy the story as well as her interactions with the members of the town, the memories she and others have of Ivy, and seeing the series set itself up. There isn't a dull moment, and it produces some well needed laughs. It's everything I didn't know I wanted from a paranormal yarn cozy. This is a series that I will be following until it eventually reaches its conclusion.

The Ex by Alafair Burke

The Ex by Alafair Burke

My Rating: ★★★★

Olivia is a defense lawyer who is called on to defend her ex fiancé when he is arrested as the main suspect for a triple homicide case. She tries to get Jack to let her pass his case onto someone else because of their past, but he begs her to stay on because she knows him… or does she? One of the victims is the father of the man who killed Jack's wife in a shooting spree, and Olivia begins to ask herself if she really knows Jack the way she thinks he does as the evidence stacks up.

Burk produces a page turner that falls somewhere between being a courtroom drama and personal drama. Olivia narrates the story, and she has a lot of energy on Jack because of their past. Her guilt about how their relationship ended casts a long shadow on how she views Jack as she collects evidence that goes in his favor as well as against him. We learn a lot about these two characters and how the two have been holding a torch of sorts for each other for all of these years. This is certainly not how they thought they'd be entering each other's lives again. In the midst of Olivia's reminiscing, we learn about Jack's living family, which consists of his teenage daughter and his best friend. These two are integral to his impending trial because they both want to be knee deep in helping a man they believe to be innocent.

I honestly thought I knew exactly where the plot was going and how it was going to end, but I was oh so wrong. Burke really pulled one on me! I was glued to the pages even when I was confident in thinking that I knew exactly where this was heading. I side eyeing Olivia at times because I thought she was blinded by the past. Even when things seem obvious, there's still a bit of a mystery going. If this was a movie, I would watch it again so I could see how view it after knowing what I know after it ended, so I will definitely have to reread because it's that good.

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath

My Rating: ★★★★★

This book is amazing from start to finish with many of the chapters devoted to women who have almost been erased from history many times over. I'm a history nerd, but I can tell you that you will most likely love it even if you normally swerve away from anything having to do with history. Porath's style is the furthest thing from dry, and his approach is fun. It's almost like he's holding a conversation with us readers. Plus, he starts every chapter with a picture he designed and ends each chapter with the inspiration behind it. Not only that, but he also has color coded trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter that lets you know what's ahead.

These stories are a combination of real women, legends, and oral tales. They're short and to the point while also sparking an interest in finding out more information about these ladies. At some points, we come across women who are well-known, but he talks about the things that usually get left out when we hear about them. It's more of a collection of very interesting biographies and tales that make you never want to reach the end. I already recommended this to some friends before I even reached the halfway point because it's definitely a must read.