Happy Friday. I’m here to share what I read in September. It was a good month for reading, or I should say, listening to audiobooks.
Be sure to check out my gift guide for book lovers. If you have an avid reader in your life, they will be sure to love one of those gifts.
Let’s get right to the books.
Gone Missing (Kate Burkholder, #4) Linda Castillo 4 stars
I’ve been working my way through this series and I plan to read the entire series. Kate Burkholder is a great character. In this story, Kate and her romantic partner John Tomasetti investigate the disappearance of an Amish girl and other links to cold cases. There is always a little bit of romance and a lot of “on the edge of your seat” thriller action with these stories. I listened via Scribd.
Where Azaleas Bloom (The Sweet Magnolias, #10) Sherryl Woods 5 stars
At the beginning of this book I wasn’t sure if it would be as good as the others. A new family is introduced. Once they were linked to other characters I already know and love, I was hooked. Lynn Morrow has reached the end of her money. Her estranged husband, Ed, isn’t paying the bills as they should be. The bank is threatening foreclosure since he hasn’t paid the mortgage for months and she is down to $24.00 for groceries and the bills. She takes a job at Raylene’s boutique; but she would need more hours or more commissions to make a difference. She would just have to find another job.
Her second job comes from Mitch Franklin who is working on Raylene’s house. He needs someone to keep books and do payroll. Mitch is widowed but once had a crush on Lyn in school. Will he be able to reach past Lynn’s hurt and drama to kindle a flame and make her more than an employee? I listened via Scribd
Sweet Bliss by Jennifer Bardsley 4 stars
I read and listened on Kindle Unlimited/ Audible. Aaron Baxter moves to Harper Landing to raise his nephew as a single dad following to death of his sister and to be near the baby’s grandparents. Julia Harper is a long time resident who runs a yogurt shop. A chance meeting connects the two when Julia’s dog needs rescuing and then again when Aaron needs rescuing from a mess with baby Jack. This is a sweet entertaining love story.
Swann Point (The Sweet Magnolias #11) Sherryl Woods 4 stars
“Determined to build a new life for her family after her divorce, Adelia Hernandez has bought a home in the historic Swan Point neighborhood of Serenity. Promoted to manager of Main Street’s most fashionable boutique, she feels revitalized and ready for a fresh start as a single mom. But barely into this new independent phase, she crosses paths with the sexiest man to hit Serenity in years.
Gabe Franklin, back in town to make amends for past mistakes, has no intention of settling down, but Adelia’s proving irresistible. Cheered on by their friends “the Sweet Magnolias,” Gabe is bringing long-absent passion and laughter into Adelia’s life. To his surprise—and hers—sometimes a rolling stone is just what it takes to build the rock-solid foundation of a family.”
This was the last book in the series. I really wish this series had not ended. It could go on forever and the characters are all so adorable.
The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian 4 stars
I read the ebook version on Scribd.
“Ada promised herself she would never go back to the Trace, to her hard life on the swamp and her harsh father. But now, after running away to Baton Rouge and briefly knowing a different kind of life, she finds herself with nowhere to go but back home. And she knows there will be a price to pay with her father.
Matilda, daughter of a sharecropper, is from the other side of the Trace. Doing what she can to protect her family from the whims and demands of some particularly callous locals is an ongoing struggle. She forms a plan to go north, to pack up the secrets she’s holding about her life in the South and hang them on the line for all to see in Ohio.
As the two girls are drawn deeper into a dangerous world of bootleggers and moral corruption, they must come to terms with the complexities of their tenuous bond and a hidden past that links them in ways that could cost them their lives.”
This story was set in the 1920s. It has the same vibes as Where the Crawdads Sing. I felt like I was in the swamp and in the fields with Ada and Matilda, and on every buggy ride. I love it when a book can make me feel a part of the scene. I wish the book’s ending had been a little more developed but it’s still worth the read.
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover 4 stars
Colleen Hoover never disappoints. I read and listened on Scribd. This one did have a bit of a trashy vibe at times, but once Miles’ real issues are revealed, it goes back to the deep emotion Colleen Hoover does so well. “When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn’t think it’s love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her”
Her Last Breath (Kate Burkholder #5) Linda Castillo 4 stars
A vehicle plows into the buggy of an Amish man, killing him and all but one of his children. What could be seen as an accident becomes clear that it was a deliberate murder. But who and why? Kate Burkholder finds herself investigating and ministering to her childhood Amish best friend, the grieving widow and mother. But her friend has secrets Kate never knew.
Good Catch by Jennifer Bardsley 3 stars
This is number # of the Harper Landing series but only closely related. This story has its own characters, who just happen to know Aaron and Julia. Childhood enemies Ben and Marlo hook up after their parents challenge them to look for suitable mates with a different spin. Marlo’s Dad has challenged her to ignore looks. Ben’s mom thinks he could do better than he has in the past. He’s been drawn to quirky personalities over looks. This was a cute story and a fun way to pass the time.
What She Found (Tracy Crosswhite #9) Robert Dugoni 4 stars
This is another favorite series and character. It’s been a while since I’ve read any of this series. This is the newest release. Tracy Crosswhite is now working cold cases. She “has agreed to look into the disappearance of investigative reporter Lisa Childress. Solving the cold case is an obsession for Lisa’s daughter, Anita. So is clearing the name of her father, a prime suspect who became a pariah. After twenty-five years, all Anita wants is the truth―no matter where it leads.
For Tracy, that means reopening the potentially explosive investigations Lisa was following on the dark night she vanished: an exposé of likely mayoral graft; the shocking rumors of a reserved city councilman’s criminal sex life; a drug task force scandal compromising the Seattle PD; and an elusive serial killer who disappeared just as mysteriously as Lisa.
As all the pieces come together, it becomes clear that Tracy is in the midst of a case that will push her loyalties and her resilience to the limit. What she uncovers will come with a greater price than anyone feared.”
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