Traveling Light by Lynne Branard

Alissa (Al to her friends) decides on the spur of the moment to bid on a storage unit.  She saw a TV show where the lucky folks found antiques and the like in theirs.  She knows she won't be that lucky but she also thinks there might be something of interest in there.  There was...

Berkley and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on January 10th so you can grab a copy then.

What Al finds is someone's ashes.  She has his name, his previous location, and now a desire to take him home.  She doesn't know anything about him and really doesn't care.  She just thinks that a man from New Mexico would rather be set free there instead of where he ended up.  After all, her life is boring and it's the same thing day in and day out.  Why not go on an adventure?

Al ends up making friends along the way.  A waitress in one small town hitches a ride with her.  Then they run into her old boyfriend.  As Al's life gets more complicated, she finally feels like she's really living.  She helps as she can.  Blossom causes her a few problems by creating a Facebook page for her.  Al's crush from her younger years is divorced and would like to see her again.  She says OK, when she gets back.

The real theme here is to just live.  Follow your passion, do things because you want to and never give up.  Al's dad is marrying a woman younger than she is.  Her crush is still not a good boyfriend but she finds out soon enough to give him up.  She sells her inheritance, the newspaper, because she doesn't want to do that anymore than her father does.  And when someone comes to visit her where she's restoring a boat she bought, her life starts to look a lot brighter.  Al finally knows what she wants to do...

It's a Mystery, Pig Face! Wendy McLeod MacKnight

Tracy just got back from the worst vacation ever.  They went to the beach for a couple of weeks and her little brother was allergic to everything!  She got stuck trying to entertain him.  Thank goodness she's home now and can ditch him and hang out with Ralph, her best bud.  It doesn't quite turn out that way...

Sky Pony Press and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 7th.

Tracy and Ralph go sit on a bench by the track to discuss what they will do with the rest of the summer.  They're very glad to be back together.  Summer is more fun with a friend.  But this summer is different from the others.  Tracy goes to pick up Ralph's gum wrapper and finds a bag hidden under the bench.  When she looks in it, it has over $1500 in it!  Here's Tracy's first misstep:  She decides to hide the money, ask who lost it, and then give it back to them so she and Ralph can be heroes.  Bad choice...

Her brother has followed her so now she has to include him in future activities.  There's a new boy next door that she has a crush on and Ralph doesn't appreciate that.  Jasmine, a girl who likes to bully her anyway, is hanging out with the new boy and doesn't want her around either.  As she snoops around and asks questions, she finds out things she didn't want to know.

Before the end of the story, she's offended almost everyone in the story.  She's also saved her brother and written off the good looking boy next door.  And she finds that her neighbor next door that she never really liked isn't all that bad.

She almost lost everything this summer but she's grown up some.  She's also learned that all people are vulnerable in some way and that good friends are something you don't want to lose.  Best of all, I think she's not going to call her little brother, Lester, Pig Face anymore.

The Trapped Girl: The Tracy Crosswhite Series, Book 4 by Robert Dugoni

He sneaks down to the waterfront quietly.  He's poaching crabs and doesn't want to get caught.  When he brings up the pot from his honey spot, he realizes the one he has isn't his.  When he sees the hand in it, he knows he definitely doesn't want it...

Thomas & Mercer and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 24th.

When Tracy shows up, she notices blue fingernail polish on the hand and suspicions it's a woman.  The interesting part is that when they try to prove who she is the trail quickly goes south.  She's had medical work to change her face.  That gives them a lead because the implants they used are numbered.  They find her doctor and confirm her name.  The only problem is that when the name goes public, they find out she's already dead and has been for some time.  She disappeared on Mt. Rainier and the rangers there said she was most likely in a crevice and wouldn't be recovered.  But did she really die there?  If not, why would she be in a crab cage now?

This is a complex mystery with lots of investigation and lots of danger, too.  The killer is willing to do anything he has to get the trust fund of the supposedly dead woman.  When the police find out about the trust find, they also find it was moved the day after the crab pot discovery.  A dead woman can't transfer money.  Who's dead, who's alive and who is telling the truth?

There was an interesting twist in the story.  It was easy for me to believe her husband was the killer because he wanted to use her trust fund money.  But it was someone totally unknown and unrelated.  Someone very dangerous who intended to leave no witnesses.

It's a story that caught my interest because it happened in the Seattle area (I grew up in Western Washington) and the body was in a crab pot.  I wasn't sure if the woman was alive or dead.  But even if she was alive, the killer didn't intend to leave her that way.

You won't be bored.  I read this book in one day.  I'll also be watching for more in this series.  It's a good one.

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Liesel knows the story of the old ways and about the Goblin King.  She follows her grandmother around putting salt on the window and door frames to keep him out of the house.  At least she does until her brother is having a concert trying to become an apprentice to a master violinist.  Then she follows her mother's demands.  She also loses her sister...

Thomas Dunne and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 7th.

Every time I hear the words Goblin King, I think of David Bowie in the movie Labyrinth.  He looked otherworldly and acted just like you would think a Goblin King would.  The whole time I read this book it was like he was with me again.  Yes, I had a crush on him.

Liesel had played in the woods with the Goblin King as a child and she promised to marry him then.  But as she grew older, she forgot him.  He didn't forget her.  When he came looking for a wife, he knew who he wanted.  

She knows he's magical.  She can see him when others can't.  When her sister Kathe falls under his spell and goes to the underground with the Goblin King, Liesel is determined to get her back.  Unfortunately, there's only one way.  She has to stay and be his wife.

This is a tale of fantasy that spoke to me.  Liesel has her music, a fondness for the Goblin King, and no one notices her at home.  Why not stay?  Soon she finds out she misses her family, her siblings especially.  It doesn't help that she has a mirror that shows her family.  She decides she made her choice and she'll live with it.  Or perhaps I should say die with it.  But the Goblin King falls in love with her...

I enjoyed this fantasy story and the romance although the ending is a bit sad.  Most tales of magic are not all sweetness and light and this one isn't either.  It is a good read, though.

Matylda, Bright & Tender by Holly McGhee

This book is about coping.  Sussy and Guy are best friends.  He's always been there for her and they even share a pet leopard gecko.  Life is good, they have fun goofing off and they have great parents.  But then the impossible happens.

Candlewick Press shared an ARC of this book with me for review (thank you).  It will be published March 14th.

On the way to the pet store to get some food for their gecko, an Airedale comes running after Sussy.  Guy comes to her rescue, shooing off the dog.  The problem was no one saw the car coming...

This story is about the grief process, nightmares, stealing, trying to find what's lost and then coming to terms with the fact that since you can't change it, you must accept it.  She tries to love the gecko enough to make up for losing Guy but even the gecko misses him.

This book isn't funny but it does have humorous moments in it.  It's about dealing with loss and trying to go on alone.  Sussy learns a lot in this book and we do, too. 

Pressed to Death: A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery #2 by Kirsten Weiss

When the woman cop comes through the door, she knows she is bringing trouble.  Ever since she was around when the cop's long blonde locks caught on fire, she's been the cop's enemy.  It wasn't her fault but she was present and that was enough.

Midnight Ink and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 8th.

Maddie runs a paranormal museum and has recently acquired a grape press.  She has all the appropriate paperwork and is planning to exhibit it during the harvest festival.  The cop says she bought stolen merchandise and she's taking it as evidence.  Showing her the paperwork does no good.  There goes her main exhibit...

It gets worse when she goes to the festival with her mother and finds the man who accused her of theft dead in with grapes for stomping.  You'd think she killed him.

This more mystery than paranormal but it was interesting tale.  You learn about wineries, family troubles and another victim shows up.  Maddie's boyfriend suddenly is incommunicado because his old girlfriend showed up and he has a son he didn't know about.  She's homeless and is living with him presently.  This doesn't make Maddie happy.  But the male cop and Maddie have noticed each other now.  Maybe there's a new romance in the future?

The only problem is that Maddie has baited the killer and he's not going to disappoint her, he comes after her.

Beauty and the Wiener: A Rescue Dog Romance by Casey Griffin

Addison has the opportunity of a lifetime in front of her:  She's been invited to show off her dog costumes and grooming talents before a dog show.  She's so excited and really anxious to do a good job and get her business off the ground and running successfully.  She does have enough time to get a drink and maybe dance one dance.  She even finds Mr. Perfect near the dance floor.  The night is off to a good start until she goes back to do the show and finds several dogs missing.  Seven to be exact.  How could that happen?  Where did they go?

St. Martin's Press and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 7th.

This is a bit like a cozy mystery.  Addison's reputation is shot, no one will even keep their pampering appointments for their dogs, and everybody thinks she's stolen the dogs.  The police don't give dog kidnappings high priority, so she'll have to solve it herself if she's going to save her business.

There's a lot of humor in this tale.  Addison is sure she's going to have a fairy tale romance.  She's even picked out her Prince Charming.  But Felix the bartender is pretty hot and he's interested in her, too.  Addison manages to misunderstand every relationship Felix has which is a hoot to read.  She finds out Mr. Perfect isn't all that charming.  And before the end of the story, everything has been turned upside down in her life.  Even her dog shows her a side she hasn't seen before.

With dogs everywhere, odd dog owners, and a thief, it's an interesting look at the dog world and people in general.  I think Addison is going to do well in life and she picked the right fella to do it with, too.

This is a funny well told tale that was a joy to read.