What Else I Read and Listened to in May

These are the books and audio books I read but did not review on my blog this month.

Audio Books:

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase - I read the book several

years ago and when I saw the audio book I picked it up.  I think it was even better as an audio book and it was great in paper.   The dialog between Jess and Dain is priceless.  They are two people made for each other but the road is difficult.  If you have never read or listened to Lord Of Scoundrels you are missing a treat.

Rafferty's Wife by Kay Hooper - This is a fairly short story that is more romance than anything else.  I enjoyed it and liked the characters.  There was some mystery in the story but I caught on to the twist quickly.  The book is part of the Hagen series.





Books and Novellas:

Broken Protocols by Dale Mayer - I could not pass this up. A talking cat. Mine talks to me all the time but I never understand. Scientist who study cats say they each make up their own language making it harder for us to understand but Charmin Marvin arrives in the future talking so Dani can understand him. He is a great character. Dani, Milo and Levi carry the story with Charmin and they do a great job. Broken Protocols is a quick fun read. It helps set the stage for future novella's in the series. It starts the world building but really just gives a glimpse. More of that will probably come in future stories. What it does best is build the characters. Milo, the perpetual 16 year old, Dani who comes from 200 years in the past and Levi the responsible one. And of course Charmin Marvin. The story ends with a solution to one problem but with many more on the horizon. I liked how this series starts and look forward to future book in the Charmin Marvin novella series.

Shopping for a Billionaire by Julia Kent - If you want a quick funny read this is the book for you.  Shannon Jacoby and Declan McCormick are both great characters.  Shannon is a mystery shopper who meet Declan when she is checking out the men's bathroom on a mystery shop.  The scene was so funny I had to stop reading because I was laughing so hare.  Part of the Sweet Life collection that is out as part of Brenda Novak's annual auction.  This was the first book by Kent and I will be looking for others.

In To Deep by RaeAnne Thayne - Great story with romance, danger and mystery.  Will Tanner is back home helping out as the temporary sheriff while he heals from a gun shot wound.  Andrea McPhee came to town five years ago to heal from a very bad marriage.  Will is a big grouch and Andrea is bright and full of life. Of course they get together but not without a rough journey.  Another book from the Sweet Life collection.  This is one that was released in 1997.

The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson - I enjoyed the history in The Devil in the Marshalsea but I found the story to be a little slow. Tom Hawkins, the hero, is flawed and the flaws make him interesting. The people he meet and interacts with help flesh out the story. Tom has to solve a mystery to get out of debtors prison. That leads him into a lot of danger. While I though the story line was well though out I found the writing to leave something to be desired. Several times I would really get into the story only to lose interest as the writing went in another direction and I lost interest. I also got tired of Tom saying he should have known. Read it for the history if nothing else.

In Want of a Wife by Jo Goodman - Goodman takes us back to Bitter Springs for another visit with some of her favorite characters while introducing some that are brand new.  Jane Middlebourne is the mail order bride and Morgan Longstreet is the groom.  Jane needs to escape and Morgan needs a wife.  They have some of the usual problems but the main one is Morgan's past.  You get to know and like both Jane and Morgan before the big problem develops.  Well written and entraining Goodman has penned another good story.

Maid to Fit (Man Maid #1) by Rebecca M. Avery - A cute story that starts a new series.  The Man Maids are four former military men.  One has inherited a maid service and offers jobs to the other three.  Ronnie Brown is featured in book one.  Kayla Clark hires Ronnie to bring her house into order and help with her teen-age daughter.  They have a very interesting journey before they get to the HEA.  Ronnie is a great character and has wonderful organizational, cooking and cleaning skills. Kayla is overworked and stressed with long hours at work, a teenage daughter and a mother in a nursing home.  Both find something they needed as the job progresses.  Of course there are problems but this is a romance and the journey is the interesting part.

A Deeper Dimension by Thea Harrison writing as Amanda Carpenter -  I picked this one up because I love Thea Harrison's Elder Races series and was curious about her early romance books. A Deeper Dimension is a contemporary romance but written in 1984 when people were still using typewriters.  (I remember that but a lot of you reading this do not.)  It was a nice story with great characters.  I loved Diana, a very strong woman who had never had a family and really did not understand love.  I wanted to hit Alex who just did not understand why Diana reacted as she did.  There was a really rough journey to their HEA but they finally did get together.