My Monday Musings

I’m deep in the moving/packing cave now and haven’t been able to read at all so today I’ll leave you with two songs that I’ve had on repeat.

Both are strange (in different ways) and wonderful!

Billy Ellish – Bury a friend



Cosmo Sheldrake – Come Along




I'm really slow at commenting these days but I'm popping in a few days a week and will try to get a post up of all the books that pubs have been sending - a rare and wonderful occurrence - but had to be promptly packed up *cries*

And if you need a funny story for your Monday....

We need to get Figment used to a harness and riding in the car before our cross country relocation, so we've been taking him for short trips around the block in his crate. The first time we did this he peed all over me on the way to the car. So that was fun....

The second attempt went a little better. He's still stressed but hopefully he can handle it. I am seriously worried about him. He gets pancreatitis flare ups when he's stressed and we'll be on the road for almost a week or more.

We're using rescue remedies, Feliway but honestly, those have never worked on him very well. And drugging him for the whole trip is not an option because of liver issues. If anyone has any tips - let me know!

tell me something tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings and discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

Question: What are some big misconceptions you had about blogging when you started?

Answer: ALL THE MISCONCEPTIONS!

~ I thought no one would ever see my blog so I wasn’t too worried about content. It was more like a personal journal for me – about all kinds of things – not just books - and who would care what I have to say and how would they find me??

~ It’s easy! You just throw a post up when you have something to say.

NOPE!

The more my blog veered into book reviewing the more time and planning it took. It’s so much harder than it looks! Between the reading, writing a review, formatting (the worst part of blogging), answering emails, visiting other blogs… It’s a really time consuming hobby.

~That I could read ALL the books. When I started accepting review copies  I thought I would love everything and be able to read every book I took on. I can read fast but the more books I accepted for review – the more I hit reading slumps and became a mood reader.

I was never in it to make money, get page views or arc’s when I began because those were all things that didn’t even really exist when I started blogging 9 years ago.

I’m glad I didn’t have those expectations. I think that’s something that really gets new bloggers down these days when they’re just starting out and seeing all the book hauls and popular bloggers. We were all starting out at the same time and discovering this new thing together so there was very little competition.

As for the good!

~ I never in a million years thought I would talk to people from all around the globe, make so many friends, attend conferences, interact with authors and publishers, beta read, and find so many life long friends.

It is REALLY hard to maintain a blog – even part time - but it has been worth it to me.

Monday Minis: Not Dead Yet and Noble Hops

Not Dead Yet (Not Dead Yet #1) by Jenn Burke

Source: e-arc provided in exchange for an honest review

Dying isn’t what it used to be. 

Wes Cooper was dead. Then he wasn’t—though he’s not exactly alive, either. As an immortal not-ghost, he can transition between this world and the otherplane, which makes him the perfect thief for hire. For seventy years he’s made a “living” returning items to their rightful owners, seeing his fair share of the bizarre in the process. But he’s never witnessed murder. Until now.

His latest mission brings him more than he bargained for: a very-dead actor who is definitely going to stay that way. It’s just Wes’s luck that his ex-boyfriend, Detective Hudson Rojas, is assigned to the case. Hudson broke Wes’s heart years ago—and could again, given he’s rocking a hot silver-fox look that shouldn’t be legal.

As they work together to track down the murderer before anyone else gets hurt, it becomes clear Wes and Hudson have unfinished business. And when a secret Hudson’s been keeping threatens more than just their happiness, it might mean the end of their not-life together—permanently. ~ Goodreads

My thoughts: This was ridiculously fun!. Ghosts (with an interesting twist) vampires, witches and a
creeptastic mystery that had the MC's in near constant jeopardy kept me totally engrossed right until the end of this new PNR series by Burke.

Add in a second chance M/M romance and supporting characters that leap off the page and I just found myself a new favorite series. I can’t wait to read book #2 – Give Up the Ghost when it comes out later this year.


Noble Hops (Trouble Brewing #3) by Layla Reyne

Source: e-arc provided in exchange for an honest review

Everything Dominic Price has worked hard to uphold is about to come crashing down on everything he holds dear.

So much for the quiet life. Just as assistant US attorney and brewery owner Dominic Price is settling into a comfy new chapter with his partner, FBI agent Cameron Byrne, the sudden death of Nic’s father puts their happily-ever-after in jeopardy. Nic immediately suspects foul play, his prime suspect a notorious gangster his father was indebted to—only now the loan shark is out for blood.
Cam has been longing for Nic to finally let him in on this very personal case. But when Nic’s belief that he’s the sole Price heir is upended, the line between personal and professional starts to blur, leaving Cam unsure of where he stands.

Nic is depending on Cam’s kidnap and rescue expertise to save his recently discovered family member before it’s too late. But with a dangerous threat closing in, the ghosts from Nic’s past cast long shadows. Any relationship could crack under the pressure, but for Nic, finding his family might mean losing the love of his life. ~ Goodreads

My thoughts: I’m not a huge fan of mystery/suspense but I adored Reyne’s Agents Irish & Whiskey series. So I continued with the spin off Trouble Brewing series – same world but new couple.

While I enjoyed this series overall – and Dom & Cam as a couple – it never had the suspense or urgency that the prior series had. These two just moved along and a steady pace as a couple. The author throws out all the revelations and twists  – corrupt cops, a criminal hellbent on making Dom pay his fathers debts and a few life altering surprises - but it really doesn't have a big impact. because the guys are the best of the best in their professions with solid backup so you never really think there’s a chance of them losing, particularly in this final installment. Even so, it has a nice, solid ending that the guys truly deserve.

So this was a good series but it didn’t stand out as much as the Agents Irish & Whiskey – to me anyway.