Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima

Gathering Mist
by Margaret Mizushima

ISBN-13: 9781639108947
Hardcover
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Released: October 8, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Deputy Mattie Wray, formerly Mattie Cobb, is summoned to Washington’s Olympic peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity’s missing child. With only a week left before her wedding, Mattie is hesitant to leave Timber Creek, but her K-9 partner Robo’s tracking skills are needed. Dense forest, chilling rain, and unfriendly locals hamper their efforts, and soon Mattie suspects something more sinister than a lost child is at play. When one of the SAR dogs becomes ill, her fiancé Cole Walker suspects poison. Fearing for Mattie’s and Robo’s safety, Cole joins the search and rescue team as veterinary support. Secrets that have lain hidden within the rugged terrain come to light and when it is uncovered that the missing child was kidnapped, the search becomes a full-blown crime scene investigation, forcing Mattie, Robo, and Cole into a desperate search to find the missing child before it's too late.


My Review:
Gathering Mist is a K9-detective mystery. It's the 9th in a series. You can understand this book without reading the previous ones, and this book didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

The main characters were likable and complex, and they acted realistically to events. Mattie and Robo (her talented K9) and Cole (the veterinarian who loves her) worked with Robo's original trainer and his dogs and an unknown-to-them sheriff during a search and rescue in Washington’s Olympic peninsula. Mattie soon uncovered evidence pointing toward kidnapping, so she helped find evidence and interview suspects while also searching for the missing child. This was a clue-based mystery. It also had a lot of suspense due to the danger to the child the longer he was gone, the hard terrain to search through, and the fact that the bad person didn't want their crimes uncovered.

The crime scenes were not described in gory detail. There were no sex scenes. There were only a few of uses of bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting and exciting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Hope Like Wildflowers by Pepper Basham

Hope Like Wildflowers
by Pepper Basham

ISBN-13: 9781636099514
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
Released: October 1, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
1910s Appalachia. Kizzie McAdams spent her childhood longing to see beyond the mountains of home, but when her job as a servant in a landowner’s house results in an unplanned pregnancy, her world tips into uncertainty and heartbreak. Disowned by her father, she seeks comfort in the arms of the man who promises to take care of her, but his support is conditional and inconsistent. She finds acceptance in the home of a nearby family who not only offer Kizzie friendship but point her to a deeper understanding of God’s love.

Despite her change of heart, her status as a social outcast brings with it continued threats and alienation so she flees her past in hopes of starting over in a nearby town. But her new world carries many of the same prejudices as the old. It also brings the unexpected friendship of businessman Noah Lewis, a man who lives with the same desire as Kizzie for helping the marginalized.

Unfortunately, Kizzie and Noah’s attempts to help those in need pit them against Noah’s elder brother, a powerful mill owner who holds control of the family finances. Is Kizzie and Noah’s growing romance strong enough to battle family power, social expectations, and Kizzie’s past to capture their happy ending? And when Kizzie’s first love returns to claim her, which future will she choose?


My Review:
Hope Like Wildflowers is a romance set in 1917 in the Appalachia area. Kizzie was seduced by the son of the household where she worked as a maid. She honestly believed he'd marry her soon, but it slowly became clear to her that he intended her to be his mistress. She may have a nice house and scraps of attention from him, but she's scorned by many of the townsfolk and some get violent in an attempt to run her off. She struggled with how to deal with her situation, especially having a baby to support. With the help of a friendly family, she realized that God still cared about her. She chose Him and to change her ways, starting anew somewhere safe.

The Kizze that Noah meets is full of banter and is lighthearted. She quickly finds a job and a purpose, and she helps Noah understand what's going on with his overbearing brother and the mill. The main characters were likable, complex, and I cared about what happened to them. Noah and Kizzie supported each other and built each other up. But I didn't like that Noah and his mother just paid the price for Noah's brother's actions rather than forcing him to take responsibility.

There were some realism issues that kept me from getting fully immersed in the story. I find it doubtful that the brother could have gotten away with the things he did as there are safeguards against it. Also, the story started with Kizzie being chased by coyotes, which can kill small livestock but I've never heard of them being a danger to humans. Later, the snow storm was so bad that four inches of snow fell very quickly. The carriage horses struggled through the snow on icy roads. Then suddenly a horse galloped by with no problems. Also, it's unlikely the carriage could overturn on it's side in a ditch and the horses be left standing unaffected by the twisting and pull on their harness. And there were inconsistencies in places, like a wagon suddenly was a carriage, and the author didn't seem to quite know what the 'cotton mill' really did: sometimes the machines were knitting machines and others they were weaving machines. I read an Advanced Reader Copy, so some of this might be cleaned up in the final copy.

Kizzie learned to trust God with her future. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable, touching story of hope and second chances.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Two Spinsters and a Corpse by Eve Tarrington

Two Spinsters and a Corpse
by Eve Tarrington

ISBN-13: 9798227676665
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Tenacious Teacup Press
Released: September 1, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When Miss Judith St Clair's father accepts a lucrative new position as the rector of a parish in Derbyshire just before Christmas, she is dismayed that she and all her siblings must move to this cold and inhospitable country while still in mourning for their mother. What’s worse, her father’s patrons are the rich and imposing Haddingtons, a family recently settled at Wycliff Castle.

Miss Louisa-Margaretta Haddington is in love with a Jewish man. Her parents, who will not consent to the match, have removed her from harm by buying an enormous estate in Derbyshire. Louisa-Margaretta is determined to avoid everyone, but when she and the rector’s daughter both take refuge in the library during a ball, they are unwitting witnesses to a murder.

Though each young woman despises the other, they know they will need each other’s help if they are to find the killer. When one of them has a brush with death disguised as a hunting accident, they realise that they must be quick, or they shall risk running out of time.


My Review:
Two Spinsters and a Corpse is a mystery set in the Regency period in Britain. This isn't a puzzle mystery. The heroines didn't work together, just investigated on their own and then told the other why their guess was wrong. They initially simply chose the person they least liked from the possible suspects. In the last quarter of the book, they did find clues but the author refused to give the reader even a hint of what they were until the big reveal. Neither heroine was skilled at thinking on their feet or logically thinking things through.

The heroines weren't likable as both were very self-centered and determined to dislike everyone. They had to justify meeting together and so called each other 'friend' enough that both eventually decided that the other was maybe tolerable. Neither was really a spinster, either. Louisa-Margaretta intended to elope with a Jewish man that her parents refused to allow her to marry, but she hadn't had an opportunity to run away yet. Judith showed no marked interest in any of the potential suitors at the Christmas house party, yet at the end, we're told she's interested in one of the men.

The historical details were generally okay, though some things made little sense (though I can't explain without spoilers). There was no sex or modern bad language. As I prefer mysteries where I can guess whodunit and which have likable heroines, this series clearly isn't a good match for me.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Death by Misadventure by Tasha Alexander

Death by Misadventure
by Tasha Alexander

ISBN-13: 9781250872364
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Released: September 24, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In the winter of 1906, Lady Emily and husband Colin are invited to the opulent home of Baroness Ursula von Duchtel in the Bavarian alps. Outside is a mountainous winter wonderland with a view of Mad King Ludwig's fairy tale castle. Inside, the villa hosts a magnificent but eclectic art collection--as well as an equally eclectic collection of fellow guests, among them a musician, an art dealer, a coquette from the demi-monde, and Kaspar, the Baroness' boorish son-in-law, whom, it begins to appear, someone wants dead.

Almost forty years earlier, Niels, a young German lord, sings to himself in the forest surrounding those same alps, capturing the attention of a not-yet-mad King Ludwig. Niels and the king become fast friends, their relationship deepening into something more as their time together stretches on.

Decades later, Emily continues to investigate Kaspar's increasingly lethal "mishaps" when tragedy strikes, ensnaring the guests in a web of fear and suspicion. It's up to Emily to sift through old secrets and motivations, some stretching far into the past, to unmask the killer.


My Review:
Death by Misadventure is a mystery set in 1906 in the Bavarian alps. There's also a secondary story going on in 1868 that details a romance between the king and the husband of one of the characters in the 1906 timeline.

Emily and Colin asked good questions, followed up on clues, and considered possible scenarios until she figured out what was going on. Frankly, I guessed whodunit before the murder even happened then decided it was too obvious. By the end, I felt like this whodunit wasn't really convincing. Mostly, the murder need so much planning and preparation yet whodunit couldn't have known the opportunity would present itself until it did. I don't know. The mystery just didn't seem realistic or satisfying, and I didn't find the 1868 story interesting. It could have been completely cut without affecting the mystery.

There were no sex scenes, though sex was implied. There were only a few uses of bad language. This book is the 18th in a series. You can understand this book without reading the previous ones, and this story didn't spoil the mysteries or major events of the previous books.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Texas Revenge Target by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Texas Revenge Target
by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

ISBN-13: 9781335980168
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: September 24, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
After Texas Ranger Brianna Macguire catches up with the fugitive she’s hunting, she finds herself ensnared in the crosshairs of a revenge-driven cartel — and evading a sniper attack. Cameron Wolfe, a man in hiding and with a bounty on his head, offers Bree shelter…only for Cameron’s secrets and Bree’s attackers to catch up with them both. On the run in the Texas desert, danger stalks them at every turn. Can they outwit their relentless enemies before they both lose their lives?


My Review:
Texas Revenge Target is a Christian romantic suspense. Cameron respected Bree's training and abilities. He was willing to risk himself to protect her, even if it meant giving up the safety he'd gained by taking on a new name and life. Cameron and Bree worked well together, and they came to admire and care for each other as they got to know each other. The suspense was high because they were constantly attacked and faced challenges from the terrain and weather. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romantic suspense.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Furever After by Sofie Kelly

Furever After
by Sofie Kelly

ISBN-13: 9780593548738
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: September 3, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Kathleen is busy running the library and planning her upcoming wedding to detective Marcus Gordon, when she suddenly stumbles across a body in the library. She is surprised to learn that the deceased was in the middle of an unlikely heist—it seems like he was trying to steal one of the paintings that had been in a box in the library’s workroom. Kathleen never knew any of the library’s artwork was valuable and can’t imagine what the dead man wanted with it.

But then an art history expert called in by the police identifies the almost-purloined painting as a piece that might have been part of a previous high profile art theft. Owen’s and Hercules’s whiskers are already twitching, and events soon make Kathleen realize that whoever killed the wannabe art thief has more than murder on their mind.


My Review:
Furever After is a cozy mystery. This is the 16th book in the series. There was more filler than normal, and the wedding-related ending was tied up with such a fantasy, happily-ever-after bow that it felt like the end of the series. It probably is simply because there's no realistic way to keep the cat's magical abilities secret anymore as unreliable children will be around the cats so much now.

It's a clue-based mystery, and Kathleen figured out both who originally stole the paintings and who killed the art thief. She didn't follow the obvious question--how did valuable paintings end up in her library--but tried to figure out how the thief was connected to the original theft. She researched online with the help of her cats. The explanation for why the thief died in the library made no sense, though: if badly wounded, a person doesn't think, "Gee, this is the perfect time to break into a building and steal a painting."

I had a problem with the ending suspense sequence, too. Riley's supposed to be smart, but she just kept putting everyone in danger. She knows someone's being held by the killer, but she called in Kathleen. Not the cops. Kathleen asked her to call the cops as they needed help, but Riley refused because she wanted to help Kathleen. And she's not a help while repeatedly putting everyone else in danger. Riley also should have known that it wasn't urgent to immediately retrieve her lost phone, but she rushed back into deadly danger. Unbelievably, she somehow found her phone (and she didn't know where she dropped it) in the pitch dark in water so deep she had to swim. I hope they remove this mad dash by Riley before the final version of the story as it wasn't necessary and was so unrealistic.

There was no sex. There were only a few uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this story to fans of the series.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Death of a Flying Nightingale by Laura Jensen Walker

Death of a Flying Nightingale
by Laura Jensen Walker

ISBN-13: 9781685125592
paperback: 284 pages
Released: Sept. 10, 2024


Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Three very different young women serve as air ambulance nurses bravely flying into WWII combat zones risking their lives to evacuate the wounded. Irish Maeve joined the RAF after her fiancé was killed; streetwise Etta fled London’s slums in search of a better life, and farm girl Betty enlisted to prevent the wounded from dying like her brother. Newspapers have given these women a romantic nickname: “The Flying Nightingales.” Not that there’s anything romantic about what they do. The horrific injuries they encounter on a daily basis take their toll.

When one of the Nightingales is found dead, they wonder: Was it an accident? Suicide? After another nursing orderly dies mysteriously, they think: Someone’s killing Nightingales. The friends grapple with their loss all while keeping a stiff upper lip and continuing to care for casualties as they’re being strafed by the Luftwaffe.


My Review:
Death of a Flying Nightingale is a romance set in 1944-1945 in England. There was no mystery, just people dying. A pregnant nursing orderly from a nearby base was murdered, but the main characters quickly forgot about her. Another nursing orderly was found dead, apparently suicide. But was it? They soon stopped questioning it but hid that it might have been a suicide to make it easier on her parents. Then another nursing orderly's found clearly murdered. They left the investigation to the military police. Later, someone spontaneously confessed. So, not a mystery.

Most of the story was about the growing romances between Maeve and a doctor, Etta and a nurse, and Betty with one of her patients. Betty's romance was mostly through letters, but many of the women in the story were having sexual relationships outside of marriage. It didn't seem very realistic that so few were shocked by or disapproved of the barely-hidden sexual encounters going on, including Etta ending up in a lesbian relationship and a reoccurring male character in a homosexual relationship.

There were scenes describing the types of situations that a nursing orderly dealt with. While interesting, I never felt immersed in the story nor was I left feeling like these people might have really existed. Which is a little ironic since some of these scenes were based off of a real person's experiences as a 'Flying Nightingale.' There were no sex scenes. There was a fair amount of bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.