Wrap-Up of the 2024 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

When I saw the numbers for this challenge I was surprised at how many books I read from Luana Ehrlich.  All of them were read for the Clock Reading Challenge.  While they were OK reads, the plots were similar. I decided to switch to books written by Janet Evanovich but liked them less. My favorite books were new installments to series that I have been reading for years. The links to those are below.

The Blue Monsoon by Dimyanti Biswas 

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry 

A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra 

Peach Tea Smash - Laura Childs

Shadow of Doubt - Brad Thor

A Death in Cornwall - Daniel Silva

Capture or Kill - Vince Flynn

Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs

Luana Ehrlich

One Day Gone

Two Days in Caracas

Three Weeks in Washington

Four Steps Missed

Five Years in Yemen

Six Days Spent

Janet Evanovich

Seven Up

Hard Eight 

Robin Cook
Manner of Death
Bellevue

Joanne Fluke

Pink Lemonade Murder

Key Lime Pie Murder

Cinnamon Roll Murder

Favorite Book: The Blue Monsoon

Second Favorite Book:  Peach Tea Smash

Least Favorite Book:  Capture or Kill

Capture or Kill

Capture or Kill is the 23rd Mitch Rapp spy thriller. The series was begun by Vince Flynn who died approximately ten years ago. I haven't read any of the books published after his death until now. I selected this book for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge based on its publication month. Capture or Kill was just published a few days ago on September 3, 2024.

The publisher's summary:  

April 2011: On a remote mountaintop overlooking the remains of the Iranian nuclear weapons program, Azad Ashani witnesses a Quds Force demonstration of a capability meant to upend America’s war in the Middle East. Ashani, director of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security and Irene Kennedy’s former back channel to the Iranian government, recognizes the demonstration’s true significance, and the nation-ending conflict it will provoke. Alone, Ashani stands no chance of preventing this rush to madness. But with the help of one man, he just might.

In Washington, DC, CIA director Irene Kennedy briefs the president that the operational window to kill or capture Osama bin Laden at his recently discovered compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan is rapidly closing. But before he’ll authorize a commando raid on Pakistani soil, the president demands irrefutable proof of bin Laden’s presence. 

Proof he trusts just one man to provide. Preventing a looming war in the Middle East while delivering justice for the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11 would be a big ask for anyone.

The book had a slow beginning and I struggled to maintain interest. I found myself skipping pages of narrative just to get to some action. For example, after reading 10 pages of narrative Rapp contacted his boss Irene Kennedy. After the hellos we returned to another page or two of narrative before continuing the conversation. By this time I had forgotten who had called who and why. Another reason I found the story to hard to follow was the excessive number of acronyms. Within one of the early chapters we had SUNSPOT, HAVOK, TALON, ICE, PETTY, RTO, SIGINT, HENLEY, YUENGLING, and FAIRBANKS. It was too much for me all at once.

I broke one of my rules to stop reading if I do not become engaged after 50 pages. I made it to page 100 but only because Vince Flynn's name was on the book cover. Flynn was a phenomenal writer and I miss his stories. Since this was a DNF novel there is no rating. Please note that I haven't had a DNF in at least 5 years. 

Shadow of Doubt

Shadow of Doubt is the 23rd Scot Harvath spy thriller from Brad Thor. In this installment of the series the reader sees how the Russian government invests in penetrating other governments in order to gain knowledge and advantage. The book was published on August 6, 2024.

The publisher's summary: 

A mysterious cargo plane, flanked by a squadron of Russia’s most lethal fighters, has just taken off from a remote airbase. Closely monitored by the United States, no one inside the Pentagon has any idea where it’s going or what it’s carrying.

A high-level Russian defector, a walking vault of secrets that could shatter the West, seeks asylum in Norway. Across the continent, in the heart of Paris, a lone French agent stumbles upon a conspiracy so explosive it could ignite a global firestorm.

As alarm bells ring in Washington, the CIA’s most lethal weapon, Scot Harvath, is forced to choose between his conscience and his country.

The story opens with the Estonian Air Defense tracking Russian military planes moving south. Latvian Air Defense confirmed the launch. The Latvians then stated that the planes entered Belarus, which the Lithuanian Air Defense confirmed. Two days later the president of Belarus made a TV statement that he had received missiles and bombs from Russian that were three times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima. After a French intelligence officer is murdered with an axe, we see Harvath being escorted off a plane in Oslo by the Norwegian Police Service. A pulsating plot then begins to unfold.

Shadow of Doubt has two plots. The second one cannot begin until the end of the first. What most readers would recognize as the premier plot concerns gaining control over Russian defector Leonid Grechko, a high ranking person in Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service.  Harvath's fiancé, a Norwegian named Solvi, is in charge of transferring Grechko to the CIA. As such, Solvi plays a huge role in the story. Harvath comes up with a round about way to obtain Grechko in custody by kidnapping his girlfriend from a Russian oligarch. If Grechko can convince his girlfriend to come with him, then Harvath can gain control of Grechko. The guy was seriously in love. 

In order to obtain information about the Russian missiles in Belarus, Harvath has to get to Grechko. We don't read much about these missiles, only that Grechko has agreed to tell all if he can just see his girlfriend one more time. The secondary plot is half of the book. Here, Harvath wants to kill a man who was part of the group that killed his wife. I cannot remember any secondary plot in the series that took up this much writing. 

It is unusual for a Harvath novel to begin with a threat to the West and then not expound on it. That was disappointing to me. However, the book was still suspenseful and had a lot of gun fighting. I expected to read more about those missiles, though.

I am rating the book 4 out of 5 stars. It was riveting but there are some plot issues.

Peach Tea Smash

Peach Tea Smash is another great cozy mystery from Laura Childs. It's the 28th installment of the Indigo Tea Shop Mystery Series and was published on August 6, 2024. Our heroine Theodosia Browning is catering the Mad Hatter Masquerade, a fundraiser hosted by the Friends of the Opera on the grounds of the old Pendleton Grist Mill in Charleston. During the event Harlan Sadler, husband of Cricket Sadler, the chairwoman, is killed. He’s been hit in the head with a croquet mallet, and his body hung on the chains and paddles of the grist mill. Nobody can figure out why anyone would want to kill him since Harlan was beloved by everyone. Ate first the murder seems to a result of the victim’s profession, banking, but there’s a possibility the murderer is someone in his family. Harlan's son Duke is a slum landlord and recently injured a woman in a boating accident. When one of the chief suspects is murdered both Theodora and Detective Tidwell, are clueless.  The tea shop continues to be the staging area for their sleuthing. 

One of the things I love about the Tea Shop Mystery series is that the murder always occurs in the first chapter so that the rest of the book can be about the investigation into the whodunnit.  I also love the specialty tea events that Theo holds in the Indigo Tea Shop. In this story we read about the Regency Tea, Chocolate Tea and Book Lovers Tea. When each tea party is being planned the reader learns about the decorations as well as the foods that were served. We also learn why they were chosen. Recipes are in the back of the book.

Theo's sleuthing was rather aggressive in the story. She broke into a suspect's house, accused another of possibly being a murderer during her "interview" with him and got up on a horse to stop yet another suspect from killing a fourth. When she tells Detective Tidwell about these activities, he isn't angry which is uncharacteristic of him. I liked the arguments between the two of them in earlier novels. Tidwell hasn't played much of a role in the past several books and it's time for him to return. Theo's forwardness is new and while this required a huge suspension of belief, it is good for the series. I was happy, though, that Theo's nightly jogs with her dog were not used to obtain clues. This has been overdone in the series. I applaud the author for changing up the method of obtaining clues as it keeps these stories fresh. 

So how do you make a peach tea smash? With white tea, half a peach and bourbon. 5 out of 5 stars.

A Death in Cornwall

A Death in Cornwall is the 27th installment of the Gabriel Allon spy thriller series but just the 5th to be set in Cornwall. Many years ago he spent time in the region following the murder of his first family. It was here that he met a boy named Timothy Peel. Peel, now grown, now works as a detective sergeant with the Devon and Cornwall Police Department.

The publisher's summary:

Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon has slipped quietly into London to attend a reception at the Courtauld Gallery celebrating the return of a stolen self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh. But when an old friend from the Devon and Cornwall Police seeks his help with a baffling murder investigation, he finds himself pursuing a powerful and dangerous new adversary.

The victim is Charlotte Blake, a celebrated professor of art history from Oxford who spends her weekends in the same seaside village where Gabriel once lived under an assumed identity. Her murder appears to be the work of a diabolical serial killer who has been terrorizing the Cornish countryside. But there are a number of telltale inconsistencies, including a missing mobile phone. And then there is the mysterious three-letter cypher she left behind on a notepad in her study.

Gabriel soon discovers that Professor Blake was searching for a looted Picasso worth more than a $100 million, and he takes up the chase for the painting as only he can—with six Impressionist canvases forged by his own hand and an unlikely team of operatives that includes a world-famous violinist, a beautiful master thief, and a lethal contract killer turned British spy. The result is a stylish and wildly entertaining mystery that moves at lightning speed from the cliffs of Cornwall to the enchanted island of Corsica and, finally, to a breathtaking climax on the very doorstep of 10 Downing Street.

The plot in A Death in Cornwall is a significant improvement over the 2023 installment of the series. The author, Dan Silva, has now successfully transferred Israeli spy Gabriel Allon's career to working as a full-time art restorer. As such, this plot concerns artistic provenance research (APR). One of the best in the business was Charlotte Blake who was murdered with an axe. The police believe that it was the work of a serial killer known as "the Chopper" but some of them aren't sure. As Gabriel searches for a lost painting that Blake was researching, he uses his spy craft skills to deter the international financial machinations through which the rich use shell companies to hide money. 

I love reading this series. The books are always a quick read with more than the usual twists and turns than you would find in other thrillers. The author certainly knows politics well and always gives the reader something new to think about. However, if you have never read one of these mysteries you probably do not want to start with A Death in Cornwall since it refers to past events. Many of the series characters in past novels are not involved in this novel. Allon's wife Chiara does not have much of a part in this book but that makes me happy. I never liked her character much.

A Death in Cornwall is a fantastic book. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Bellevue

I was thrilled when Net Galley announced that I would be receiving an advanced review copy of Robin Cook's newest medical thriller. Bellevue will be published on December 4, 2024 and while the plot is different from his other novels, I found it entertaining and had a few laughs over the ending.

The publisher's summary:

Twenty-four-year-old Michael “Mitt” Fuller starts his surgical residency with great anticipation at the nearly three-hundred-year-old, iconic Bellevue Hospital, following in the footsteps of four previous, celebrated Fuller generations. The pressure is on for this newly minted doctor, and to his advantage he’s always had a secret sixth sense, a sensitivity to the nonphysical, which gradually plays a progressive role, especially as one patient after another assigned to his care begin to die from mysterious causes. At first he thinks it is just the "luck of the draw," but as the numbers mount, he’s forced to think otherwise. As he struggles to find out why these people are dying while simultaneously having to deal with the unreasonable demands of being first-year resident, things rapidly spiral out of control.

Between fatigue, stress, and nerves, it’s no wonder that these first few days and nights of his surgical residency are tough ones. What is surprising, though, are the visions that begin to plague Mitt—visions of a little girl in a bloodstained dress, hearing bloodcurdling screams in the distance, and worse. As bodies mount and Mitt’s stress level rises, he finds himself drawn into the secrets of the abandoned Bellevue Psychopathic Hospital building, which to his astonishment still exists, defying demolition a few doors north of the modern Bellevue Hospital high-rise. Forcing an unauthorized entry into this storied but scary structure, Mitt discovers he’s more closely tied to the sins of the past than he ever thought possible.

 

I could tell fairly quickly that the plot was not going to be about the usual problems in the practice of medicine. Fuller's visions were bizarre. He both saw and smelled visions whenever he passed certain places in the Bellevue Hospital district.  I initially thought that Mitt was having psychiatric issues and that the book would be about that.  It wasn't. However, these visions were impeding his ability to perform the duties of his residency and he had one problem after another. All seven of the patients assigned to him died. Because the series has always been about issues in medicine, I thought that maybe there was a link to these deaths that led back to Mitt. There wasn't.  SPOILER ALERT!  Toward the end of the book Mitt meets a lady who is in charge of housekeeping.  She tells him that she has also seen the "ghosts" and offers to take him to the old Psychopathic Hospital where the ghosts reside and where there are medical records dating back 150 years in the Psychopathic Hospital's history that may give him the raison d'être for his visions. Yes, this is a ghost story!

The plot was intense and fast paced. I really thought that it was all about why those seven patients died but the truth was bizarre. The ending was both surprising and bizarre but I could not stop laughing for hours after finishing the book. It is definitely worth reading.  5 out of 5 stars.

Five Years in Yemen

This book is the fifth installment of the Titus Ray Thriller Series by Luana Ehrlich. In this novel Titus Ray is tasked with bringing back to the USA from Yemen a rogue CIA operative. Titus must determine whether he is a traitor or a patriot.

The publisher's summary:

After Titus accepts an assignment to bring rogue CIA contractor Jacob Levin back to the States, he learns the operation has been put on hold pending Presidential approval. That’s fine with him. He’s looking forward to spending time in Oklahoma with his fiancée, Nikki Saxon.

But then, his boss needs a favor.

After that, everything changes.

It begins in Springfield, Missouri . . .
Where he interviews a former CIA employee about the missing Jacob Levin.

It continues in Detroit, Michigan . . .
Where he and Nikki spend Thanksgiving with his relatives.

It leads to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia . . .
Where he encounters a killer.

It ends in Somahi, Yemen . . .
Where he finally discovers the truth.

Along the way, he’s forced to deal with issues about his personal life, confront questions about his past, and make decisions about his future. Can he trust God for the answers? Will Nikki agree with his decision? How will he handle the outcome?

Overall this was a great spy thriller. It's a little different from most as this series is a Christian fiction series. There is no foul language, gore, or sex. There is violence but it is not gruesome. I have always thought it odd that Titus tries to live a Christian life but his job requires him to kill people. His faith is put to the test on several occasions, though, and I was intrigued with his thought process. I have been reading the series in order for the Clock Reading Challenge and have just one more book in the series to read before I switch to a different series. There are 5 more books in this series but I need a break.

Our Titus has had a lot of character growth over the years and he is now engaged to be married. In this installment of the series we see him spending more time on his relationships than on his job as a CIA spy. I prefer the spy aspect of his life more but at least there was enough spy craft in the plot to satisfy me.

4 out of 5 stars.

Four Steps Missed

Here is another entry for me in the Clock Reading Challenge. In this 4th installment of the Titus Ray thriller series our CIA spy is sent to Israel in order to determine if the U. S. Deputy Director of Operations (DDO) made a deal with Israel to allow them to tell their assets in Iran that they were working for the CIA.  The Israelis made a number of Iranians believe that they were ultimately working for the CIA. The plan was made because MOSSAD had a hard time finding assets. The Israelis are known to use intelligence that they gather in order to carry out assassinations. However, it is illegal for the U. S. government to assassinate foreign leaders. The U. S. Inspector General had an active investigation into the DDO. Titus Ray and his cohort Ben Mitchell were given the assignment to find evidence against the DDO. Titus had another reason for traveling to Israel. He needs a grandmother to consent to his and his wife Nikki's adoption of their foster child who they have been raising since her CIA father died in an operation one year earlier.

The plot moved fairly quickly and I was able to read the book in one sitting. I was somewhat surprised that the title has more to do with the adoption than a CIA operation. The four steps missed concern steps that should have been made before Titus would be allowed to adopt. For instance, verification of the grandmother's mental health is one of the items that should have been made in writing. Grandma was in a mental health facility in Israel after the death of her daughter. If you have read any title in the series then you know that our spy Titus is a new Christian. Consequently, there is no foul language or sex inside the pages of these books. They are all clean thrillers. 

I loved the story and am rating the book 5 out of 5 stars.

The Museum of Lost Quilts

The Museum of Lost Quilts is a sequel to the author's popular Elm Creek Quilts cozy series.  Jennifer Chiaverini wrote the novel in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first book in the series. I was lucky to receive an advanced review copy from Net Galley. The book will be published at the end of the month on April 30, 2024.

The publisher's summary:  

Summer Sullivan, the youngest founding member of Elm Creek Quilts, has spent the last two years pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Chicago. Her unexpected return home to the celebrated quilter’s retreat is met with delight but also concern from her mother, Gwen; her best friend, Sarah; master quilter Sylvia; and her other colleagues—and rightly so. Stymied by writer’s block, Summer hasn’t finished her thesis, and she can’t graduate until she does.

Elm Creek Manor offers respite while Summer struggles to meet her extended deadline. She finds welcome distraction in organizing an exhibit of antique quilts as a fundraiser to renovate Union Hall, the 1863 Greek Revival headquarters of the Waterford Historical Society. But Summer’s research uncovers startling facts about Waterford’s past, prompting unsettling questions about racism, economic injustice, and political corruption within their community, past and present.

As Summer’s work progresses, quilt lovers and history buffs praise the growing collection, but affronted local leaders demand that she remove all references to Waterford’s troubled history. As controversy threatens the exhibit’s success, Summer fears that her pursuit of the truth might cost the Waterford Historical Society their last chance to save Union Hall. Her only hope is to rally the quilting community to her cause.

The Museum of Lost Quilts is a warm and deeply moving story about the power of collective memory. With every fascinating quilt she studies, Summer finds her passion for history renewed—and discovers a promising new future for herself.

I loved this novel!!!  It was an enjoyable trip down memory lane. I have read every book in the series and loved them all.  The last book was published five years ago but the passage of time has not affect the quality of the writing or the plot.

In many ways this book is historical fiction. As Summer researches quilts loaned for display, she finds clues to her hometown's past. During the Civil War, the ladies of the area quilt guild made a victory quilt with the names of local soldiers stitched into each block. Summer uncovers that there was another local quilt guild that made a victory quilt for auction too. The reality that these guilds were segregated by race shocks her. The main historian for the town in the mid-1800s was a former slave who was a successful businessman. However, when the KKK found its way into Waterford, he packed up his family and moved to Colorado.  As news about the quilt display spreads, Summer hears about additional quilts that the owners have lost. Her daily readings of old newspapers and diaries shed light on other area quilts such as the Sugar Camp Quilt and an Authors Album Quilt where she is unable to locate the quilt owner. As she researches these quilts, Summer uncovers more and more secrets in the area's history.

In addition, she finds examples of signature quilts (contains signatures of well known people) as well as opportunity quilts, which were made for the sole purpose of raising money to fund a worthy cause. While Summer is a long time series character, it seemed to me that her research activities mirrored those of the author. Both did research on Civil War era quilts for this novel. 

Fans of the series will definitely want to read this one. If the series is new to you, I recommend starting with the first book in the series. I am rating this awesome book 5 out of 5 stars,

Three Weeks in Washington

In this third installment of Luana Ehrlick's Titus Ray Thriller series, American spy Titus Ray has uncovered a Hezbollah plot to attack the nation's capitol with chemical weapons. I have been reading the series for the Clock Reading Challenge which requires books to have a number in the title. Ehrlich has several series with numbers in the title and I am in the process of reading two of them.  Both are fantastic thriller series.

The publisher's summary:

Encountering a Shooter . . .

CIA intelligence operative, Titus Ray, arrives in Washington, D.C. on the day a terrorist enters the Washington Navy Yard and murders five people. Convinced the incident is connected to a Hezbollah plot to use chemical weapons on an American city, Titus jeopardizes his own career to interrogate the killer and learn the truth.

Exposing a General . . .

After the shooter reveals the identity of an Iranian deep-cover operative living in Washington, D.C., Titus embarks on an intelligence operation spanning two continents and exposing an Iranian general obsessed with destroying America. 

Engaging an Enemy . . .

As time runs out, Titus engages the enemy in a treacherous game of cat and mouse to save the lives of thousands and defeat the terrorists. Can his faith sustain him as he faces his greatest challenge yet? Is he willing to lose Nikki to save his country? 

What People Are Saying About Titus Ray Thrillers:

“The characters are very well-developed and believable. I enjoyed the way the author described Titus Ray's internal struggles and character flaws creating a very authentic main character. The story was action-packed and one is left wondering how the author could be so knowledgeable of the CIA and the work of their covert operatives.”

I finished reading the book quickly because it was hard to put down.  The plot moves from one intense situation into another. I am learning alot about how the U. S. intelligence community functions from reading this series. I wonder, though, if working as a spook is as action packed as the author's novels indicate. The main character, Titus Ray, is a practicing Christian.  In these stories, he shares his faith in a realistic way but his faith does not have a prominent role in the novels. We read about it here and there. Concerning the chemical weapon threat, it felt like I was living through the anthrax poisonings of a few years ago. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Two Days in Caracas

The Clock Reading Challenge is a fairly new challenge for me. You need to find book titles with numbers 1 through 12 in them and then add a photo of the book cover to its corresponding clock number. I picked Two Days in Caracas for the challenge this month. I have read several other books by Luana Ehrlich and enjoyed them. Thus, I will be reading books for this challenge from several of Ehrlich's series.

The publisher's summary:

Titus faces a threat he never imagined.

Can he capture Ahmed Al-Amin before it's too late?

Confronting a new operative . . .

When veteran CIA operative Titus Ray arrives in San José, Costa Rica, and meets fresh-faced Ben Mitchell, a hot-tempered new operative with barely any experience in the field, he has a choice to make--ignore him or take him under his wing.

Facing an old demon . . .

In the middle of an active, ongoing operation, Titus is suddenly called back to the States where he must deal with the failures from his past and make decisions about his future with Detective Nikki Saxon.

Opposing a present danger . . .

In an effort to stop Hezbollah assassin, Ahmed Al-Amin, from murdering a high-profile government official, Titus travels to Caracas, Venezuela, where he learns the assassin is but one piece of a complicated international plot to deliver chemical weapons to some of America's most dangerous enemies.

Facing the truth . . .

Titus risks everything, including his future with Nikki, to capture Ahmed, but is it enough? Can his newfound faith sustain him when everything about his operation goes sideways?

While the book is a spy thriller, it is also Christian fiction. In prior reviews of Ehrlich's books I was critical for the Christian side not being mentioned in the plot until the ending. Christian fiction should include spirituality throughout the entire story. In Two Days in Caracas Ehrlich gets it right. We read about Titus Ray's faith struggles from beginning to end. It made perfect sense to include this part of Titus's personality in the story. Also, because this is Christian fiction there is no foul language, immoral conduct or details on how a character was tortured. I read alot of spy thrillers and didn't miss any of it.

I had some personal issues with whether Titus Ray should have a job as a spy given his faith. He regularly kills people for his country. Is this an appropriate job for a Christian? I have read in newspapers over the years that men who work for the CIA are a religious bunch. I can't believe that it's an OK job for them. I was quite uncomfortable when Titus prayed for success before an operation wherein he was going to snatch a terrorist that might involve killing him. I don't see God as taking sides so this felt unseemly.

The story was entertaining. It's unique plot and fast pacing made it  hard to put down. The only difference between this type of spy thriller versus the traditional genre is that this one does not have cliffhangers or any suspense between the chapters. Some folks will be turned off by this but I felt that it was charming.  We still have an interesting plot and characters that are well-developed.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Amish Quiltmaker's Unlikely Match

The Amish Quiltmaker's Unlikely Match was published last month on January 23, 2024. It is the 4th book in the author's Amish Quiltmaker series. I read the first book, The Amish Quiltmaker's Unexpected Baby, and loved it so I requested this new title from Net Galley and was lucky to receive a copy of the book.

The publisher's summary:

Though Mary Yoder longs to marry someday, she finds caring for her community’s injured and sick is much easier than courting. But when Englischer Clay Markham crashes his car nearby, Mary’s nursing shows her his hidden wounds are more painful than his injuries. Though she’s irresistibly drawn to his kind nature, can she risk letting him into her heart?

On the run from his troubled past, ex-pro baseball player Clay can’t believe the quiet sanctuary he’s found under Mary’s care. Her gentle faith and knowledge are somehow giving him hope he can change his life—and offer her the love she truly deserves. But when his secrets catch up with him, can he and Mary find the courage to face the truth, set things to rights . . . and make way for a future together?

I mainly read Amish fiction written by the two icons of the genre: Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis. These two ladies are so outstanding that it is difficult for me to trust that another author can write just as well and that I will enjoy their books. I have a theory that the plots from other authors are simple in comparison. I still think that this theory is correct but without reading additional authors I can never really know. I should be trying new, to me, authors. For Jennifer Beckstrand, author of this book, I believe that her plot was simpler. Unlikely Match is a straightforward Amish romance story without any of the modern subplots that you see with Brunstetter and Lewis. 

After saying all of the above, I must admit that I enjoyed Unlikely Match. I enjoyed it immensely. There was some mystery to the story. The reader doesn't know how long Clay and Mary can remain to be friends given that Clay was not Amish. I kept waiting to read that they stopped seeing each other. However, one thing after another happened to Clay that brought him and Mary together. As with all Amish fiction, there is a happy ending. The suspension of belief that you see with cozy mysteries is evident here. I believe that suspension of belief went a little too far to be believable but hey, at least it's a happy ending. This is why I read Amish fiction. When I buy one of them I am looking for a light read and a book that I will enjoy. To date, I have enjoyed every Amish fiction novel that I have read so I will keep reading.

4 out of 5 stars.

Letters of Wisdom

I was surprised when I opened up my Net Galley app a few days ago and found a new book by Wanda Brunstetter. I was even more surprised that it is part the Friendship Letters series which I thought was just a duology. Letters of Comfort and Letters of Trust were both published last year and I loved reading them.  The new book will be published on February 29, 2024.

The publisher's summary:

Friendship Letters Series — Doretta Schwartz has always enjoyed writing letters and feels her letters can be a bit of a ministry to her friends. In this series, exchanging letters that contain open and honest feelings and struggles helps Doretta and two of her best friends through the darkest challenges of their lives.

 

Letters and Prayers Between Friends Become a Balm for Healing

 

Irma Miller thought having a family of her own would bring her joy and a sense of accomplishment, but she struggles with memories of the abuse she suffered as a child at the hand of her stepfather. When she becomes physically and emotionally abusive to her own children, she reaches out to her friend Doretta for prayer and wisdom. But Irma may find herself at an even darker emotional place before she will admit she needs professional help to heal the past traumas. Will Doretta’s letters of wisdom help Irma and her family, or will too much be broken to ever be repaired?

 

Find out in the third book of The Friendship Letters series by New York Times Bestselling Author Wanda E. Brunstetter.

 

I love Wanda Brunstetter's books. When I obtained the book I deliberately read slowly because I knew that it would be done in a flash and I wanted to savor every word. I loved reading about all that baking that the female characters were doing and wish they were baking for me! The topic of the story is child abuse, both physical and emotional. The author stated at the end of the story that she was a victim of child abuse as was her husband. I did not see that coming. She seems so well adjusted because she pumps out multiple books each year.  

As for our main character Irma, she suffered severe physical and emotional abuse from her stepfather and she began behaving the same way toward her own children.  She was not aware that abuse can be handed down the generations if the victims don't receive counseling. As the story continued, Irma became more and more abusive to her kids. I could tell that this was where the story was going and that the author was going to be sympathetic to her. However, I felt that her kids were brats just as she accused them of being. They never did what they were told and even caused accidents among themselves. 

The letters between Irma and her friends Doretta and Eleanor are a source of healing for her. They address her current struggles and past traumas. The Scripture references given to her were spot on and I must admit that the ones concerning anger touched my own heart.

The advanced review copy (ARC) that I read had three mistakes. Doretta was referred to as Irma in these places. It was easy to figure this out though. As this is an ARC errors are to be expected.  I am sure that they will be corrected before publication.  

5 out of 5 stars.

The Blue Monsoon

The Blue Monsoon is the second book in the Mumbai Blue crime thriller series. In this installment of the series Senior Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput has to find a serial killer who leaves his victims spreadeagle and castrated at the entrance to Hindu temples with their faces cut beyond recognition. Drawn into their flesh are symbols of a tantra cult. He also must deal with friction within the caste system. His own associate will not investigate premises that are owned by lower castes. While the victims are from different castes so are the suspects and none of them want to be associated with each other. A video of the first murder is uploaded onto the account of a Bollywood social media influencer and millions of people had viewed it before her social media accounts were suspended. The desecration of this body at a Hindu place of worship puts the city on edge and divides Arnav’s priorities: stopping a fanatic from killing again and caring for his wife who’s struggling through a challenging pregnancy. If you’ve read the first book in the series, The Blue Bar, you will remember that Arnav Singh Rajput married his wife Tara, after she became paralyzed.

The setting was the weather. The story takes place during the monsoon season and the rain is mentioned on almost every page. I never knew much about monsoons but have learned that they are rain showers where the flood waters can reach up to a person's knees. It is impossible to remain dry when you walk from a car to inside a building and the characters' clothes stayed damp all day with mud splattered all over them. Of course, this makes keeping a crime scene dry near impossible. However, Arnav and his fellow inspectors had no problems reading the crime scenes. The monsoon atmosphere takes the reader to Mumbai in July and I could almost feel my arthritis kicking in when I read about the characters always being damp from coming inside from the rain.

I love the main character Arnav. He seems to be a realistic guy. Arnav's relationship with his wife and daughter resemble families we all know. While he has a good relationship with both, he feels the usual aggravation from them that all couples must deal with. Arnav makes mistakes but doesn't become angry when they happen and he always admits making mistakes when he is called on the carpet. When he gets caught speaking white lies, he always admits doing so and you think that these admissions will result in a change in the plot. Instead, after the admission of guilt, Arnav takes the plot somewhere else.  I also love that he chose an outspoken woman as his wife. Tara continues to push all his buttons even though she is totally dependent on him for care and support.

Mystery lovers who have not read the series yet should begin with the first book, The Blue Bar.  I was just as good as this one and I highly recommend it.  5 out of 5 stars. 

2024 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

The Finishing the Series Reading Challenge is back for another year. This challenge is focused on finally finishing those series that you’ve started but not yet completed. It was previously hosted by Bea’s Book Nook, but the Celebrity Readers Blog been hosting it since 2018. This challenge is an easy one for me because I read quite a few series. As my favorite authors write and publish their annual novels, I link them to this challenge. There are some situations where I read several installments of a series in one year. Each of those books is also linked to the challenge.  I am signing up the challenge as an A Lister. This requires that I read 9 or more series in 2024.

The Challenge Rules 

1)   The challenge will run from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. Books must be read during this time frame to count. Sign up is open from now until December 1, 2024, so you may join even just for the last month of the year.

2)   Series can be already completed as well as still ongoing. For ongoing series, the goal is to catch up to the most recent book published by the end of 2024.

3)   It is OK if you have only 1 book or 10 books to read in order to finish your series, as long as you’ve started the series before 2024 (ie read at least one book in the series), it counts. Re-reads are not required.

4)   Any format and length of book counts – print, ebook, audio, ARC, etc.

5)   Series can be any length (even if it’s just a duology).

6)   Crossovers from other challenges are OK.

7)   Reviews are not required, but highly encouraged.

8)   To participate, declare your intentions somewhere on the internet!! You do not need to be a blogger to participate, there are many ways to declare. You could write a blog post, create a reading challenge page, create a Goodreads shelf containing series you hope to finish, post about it on Facebook, X, Mastodon, Instagram, etc. Some things you could include (but that aren’t required): A link to the challenge post so that others may find us and join the fun as well (feel free to download the button at the top to use in your posts).

9)   Make a list of series you hope to read for this challenge. 

10)   Select the challenge level you are aiming for.

11)   Sign up at the challenge post, and link directly to where you’ve declared your intentions (ie to the specific blog post, the goodreads shelf, the facebook post, etc).

12)   Only one link up will be posted for the whole year. This is where you can add links to your reviews or any wrap-up/overview posts you wish to share.

13)   Use the hashtag #FinishingTheSeries2024 on any social media to keep up with other participants!

14)    There are 3 different “Celebrity” levels of achievement for this reading challenge:

C-LIST SERIES FINISHER:  Complete 1-4 Series

B-LIST SERIES FINISHER: Complete 5-8 Series

A-LIST SERIES FINISHER:  Complete 9+ Series

Some of the series that I read are:

• Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mystery Series
• Laura Childs' Indigo Teashop Series
• Charles Finch's Charles Lenox Mystery Series
• Gary McAvoy's Vatican Secret Archives series
• Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry series 
• S. D. Sykes's Oswald de Lacy Somershill Manor
• Ellen Crosby's Wine Country series
• Nathan Dylan Goodwin's Forensic Genealogist Morton Farrier series
• Heather Atkinson's Alardyce House series 

A few series I have enjoyed over the years are no longer being written and I am sad about this.

• Alka Joshi's Jaipur trilogy
• Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series
• A. M. Stuart's Harriet Gordon Mysteries
• C. J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake series