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.

Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King

Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King

My Rating: ★★★★

I absolutely loved reading this book. It's definitely not what it seems at first. Sarah appears to be having some kind of mental break that stemmed from growing up with an abusive father. As the book continues, it turns out that she's having an existential crisis stemming from a variety of things including her home life. Rather than just being her story, we get the occasional point of view of her mother, the wife of a physically and verbally abusive man. In the midst of it all, Sarah is trying to get to the bottom of what she doesn't remember, why she doesn't remember these things, and why she keeps seeing herself in the past and future.

A.S. King had me glued to the pages from beginning to end. I was captivated by the story, which is absolutely heartbreaking. King touches on a very tough subject, but chose to tell this story in a unique way that draws you in as you continue to read. I also think that it is interesting that King chose to have Sarah aware but also unaware of her home situation, so that all of the puzzle pieces fit together when she gets the full picture later on. I think that this is relatable, especially for anyone who has been through something that they knew was bad, but couldn't put their finger on why or what exactly was going on for various reasons.

Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1-3 by Barbara Venkataraman

Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1-3 by Barbara Venkataraman

My Rating: ★★★★

The Jamie Quinn mysteries follows a reluctant family lawyer who becomes latched to a series of murder mysteries in this box set. Jamie is a funny character who decides to just wing the first time she becomes involved with a murder mystery. The first time she becomes involved is because her dear nephew is accused of murder, and she dives face first into criminal law to make sure he doesn't go down for a crime he didn't commit.

I rather liked the three books in this collection. It took me a little bit to get into the first book, but I found myself engrossed after a couple of chapters. The characters are likable, and some of them are funny and nice to see returning story after story. I feel invested in Jamie's life because it's more than just murder mystery. As the collection goes on, we slowly become involved in her personal mysteries, such as watching her search for her father. It'll be interesting to see how the story will continue to progress because there is a bit of a mixture of personal and work related mysteries in varying degrees. So far, it's an entertaining series and I'm invested in the characters and their stories. I love the friendships that I've seen form and the pre-existing ones, and I'm looking forward to seeing where Venkataraman decides to take us on Jamie's journey.

Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher

My Rating: ★★★★

Elizabeth Cole is running away from her problems, mainly her on again off again fiance, and accepts a job on another planet. Ardagh 1 is a strange and formerly uninhabited world that's breathing life into a quickly deteriorating Earth. However, colonists quickly discovered a huge problem upon arriving: there is intelligent life there, and they take the form of the colonist's loved ones. These ghosts attach themselves to their respective human and must remain in relatively close proximity or suffer from extreme pain. Elizabeth is unsure about how to deal with having a ghostly follower when she gets the shock of a lifetime: she's a ghost. She died on route to Ardagh 1.

This is such an interesting book. Knowing that Elizabeth while knowing she was dead and seeing her go through a variety of emotions upon finding out that she is a ghost is such a fascinating way to start the book. It allowed me to follow the perspective of a "ghost," which is actually an alien incarnation of a random deceased person that any person arriving from Earth once knew. I was immediately engrossed by the plot and wondered why this planet is emulating the resources that Earth needs and why it's producing living, breathing people who remember everything from their former lives. In fact, as far as these "ghosts" know, they never died until they shock the living daylights out of whoever they are attached to.

As far as I could tell, there was no signs of any of the ghosts being there to harm anyone. They were the same person that they were in their former life, but alive and healed. I was glued to the pages as Elizabeth fought to be recognized by Murphy and figure out why she was connected to him and how to detach. Their relationship slowly grows as the story progresses, and we see how harshly the other ghosts are being treated thanks to the Ghost Protocol. I was routing for them to finally be recognized as real people and not alien beings there to destroy them. On the way, we learned interesting things about the planet and how it works. We meet a variety of fascinating characters as well as terrifying ones. Elizabeth's path to freedom also holds the answer to why and how she exists, as well as how their planet works. I wish that we got to know some of the supporting characters more than we did, but I'm okay with what we learned. I was so into the story that I almost wished that it continued on for a little longer. It's definitely one that I will be recommending a lot!

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

My Rating: ★★★

There's a curse on Black Spring. Anyone who settles in this town can never leave for long because they've become wrapped up in the curse. Black Spring is haunted by a 17th century witch named Katherine. With her eyes and mouth sewn shut, she appears wherever she wants. She's a forced to be reckoned with because messing with her means you're subject to her wrath, so people throw dish washing cloths and sheets to hide her when she appears in their home or workplace. A small group of teens decide they want to break the town's strict rules regarding her and go viral with her presence and what goes on in their town. Instead, their plan backfires and everyone begins to deteriorate under the power that Katherine holds over them.

There isn't a dull moment throughout this book. We've got a group of teenagers going to their secret blog and planning how to go public with Katherine and the town's curse, and we have various characters that we follow dealing with the curse. At first, Katherine is presented as a dark entity that is seemingly cursed to walk the living world for the sins she committed during her life. People are forbidden to talk or touch her because it could be a death sentence. However, as the story goes on, Katherine is at the bottom of the list of evil entities. She just does her thing and people fear her for it. They fear the day that she brings forth the end of times, so anyone unlucky enough to live in town is stuck planning their lives around the curse and hope they don't live to see her evil eye turn on them.

Katherine's a sad spirit lurking around town. We start to see how people blame her for their actions and the consequences they face. A few of the teens who want to go viral with their town's story become out of control. They begin to become violent, which results in the death of an animal and some people. Some view her as a goddess of sorts and leave her offerings, much to HEX's surprise. As the town starts to deteriorate and turn into an angry mob, we see history begin to repeat itself. The people of Black Spring believe she has turned her evil eye onto them when they begin to turn into the worst version of themselves. It's interesting to watch how Katherine is a solemn entity who doesn't want to cause harm. She is merely stuck in this world with the descendants of those who harmed her during her life.

It's an action packed story that doesn't have a dull moment. I know it kept me turning the pages to see what happened next. I am disappointed with the way it ended. It has an open ending, which left me with many questions about Katherine and the surviving people of the town. I think I really just want Katherine to be able to rest in peace rather than being forced to walk this world.