Difficult Ending

Transient Desires by Donna Leon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Commissario Brunetti is at it again. What seems to be a simple turns out to lead to a much more serious. It is fun to travel with Brunetti as he goes from interview to interview. Information that leads to a serious crime starts to unravel as he talks to person after person. Loved th story, hated the ending.

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Comissario Guido Brunetti

Trace Elements by Donna Leon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

They killed him. It was bad money. When a dying woman tell this to Comissario Guido Brunetti it starts him on a search for the truth. Who was killed. Why was the money bad. Again this Donna Leon has written a slow moving and hard to put down mystery. I love seeing Venice through her eyes and know I would be disappointed if I went today. Too many tourist changing the feeling of the city. The crimes Brunetti investigates are interesting and keep the story line fresh. A great series and easy to read while having to stay away from others.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 373 - Unto Us a Son Is Given by Donna Leon, Hot Texas Sunrise by Delores Fossen

Unto Us a Son Is Given by Donna Leon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was great being back in Guido Brunetti's world. Once again Donna Leon walks us through Venice letting us visit a place a world away from our everyday. She has such a great way with words and pacing holding our attention while painting a picture of everyday life for Guido, his co-workers, and family. Woven into that is a background for what is to come. Other background stories are woven into the plot adding to the feel of being with Brunetti as he works out the cause and result of one man's deception. This series has yet to get old. I love the flow and the pace of the books and look forward to more visits with Brunetti.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


Hot Texas Sunrise by Delores Fossen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What do you do when your best friend dies and wants you to raise her children. That is the dilemma driving the plot in Hot Texas Sunrise. The kids are interesting, the adults helpful, and the problems are many. I loved the way Cleo and Judd react and how they work together. It was also great to see how they worried about how events would affect the other. Great characters, interesting plot and some fun moments kept this a hard to put down story.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 136 - Earthly Remains by Donna Leon, Torn by Mary Brock Jones, On the Chase by Katie Ruggle

Earthly Remains by Donna Leon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Commissario Guido Brunetti is one of my favorite characters. I have learned to love Venice after seeing it through his eyes. This time Brunetti does something very foolish and as the book starts I found my self laughing as he has to follow through with what he started. It has some interesting consequences including a medical leave from work. There he meets new characters and Leon brings into focus some of the damage man has done to the area around Venice. There is a conclusion to the mystery in the story but no one is brought to justice. I found that to be an interesting take on what and how we treat this earth. I listened to this as an audio book and as always the reader develops just the right tone for the action in the story.


Torn by Mary Brock Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If I had felt more connection between Fee and Caleb this would have been a 5 star instead of 4. I loved the world building (a planet changed for human life, the plot (anything for money even if it destroys the planet), and the characters (well drawn and suited for where they lived on the planet). The story moved at a brisk pace with a lot of action, tension and danger. In the middle of all of that was the attraction and love story between Fee and Caleb. That attraction started of slow and built but it felt forced instead of a natural part of the story. This is book one of a new series and book 2 is on my wish list. I do want to see how the big issue of keeping the planet safe plays out in future books. Torn just puts everyone in place but does not have a solution to that big problem.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


On the Chase by Katie Ruggle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I felt that I was missing some key elements in the story as I had not read book one. The story here has two different events driving the plot. Kaylee has to run for her life taking a new identity. Hugh and his K-9 partner, Lexi, are on leave after Hugh has been shot in the leg. The two events drive the story. Both Hugh and Gracie (Kaylee's new name) are in danger. Finding a solution to Gracies' problem and finding the man trying to kill Hugh kept the tension level very high. I liked the setting, Colorado Mountains, the plot, danger, danger, danger, and the characters. Hugh was really fun and Gracie (Kaylee) was his match. Lexi with her cold nose added some fun moments to the story line. A interesting series. I plan to go back and read book one to get the backstory I missed.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

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Stacking The Shelves - January 21, 2017

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves. 

For Review:



Earthly Remains by Donna Leon

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews - Audio Book

Short and Sweet Book Review #26 – The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon, ‘Till Death do us part by Amanda Quick

The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon

Mystery

Once again Commissario Guido Brunetti is presented with a 

mystery that looks like it will be impossible to solve.  Fifteen years have passed since a teenage girl fell into a canal late at night.  She was pulled out and revived but has brain damage.  Her grandmother has always had questions about what really happened and now has asked Brunetti to see what he can find out.  At first he gets no where but keeps digging.  This is a wonder mix of current day affairs in Venice.  Many things come to life as the book progresses.  A very good addition to the series.

'Till Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick

Historical Romantic Suspense

This is classic Amanda Quick.  Calista Langley is a very strong woman who is on the shelf but making a very good living in a time when women did not work.  Trent Hasting has been hurt in the past and tries to keep his attraction to Calista in check.  When someone targets Calista Trent comes to the rescue and all of that attraction kicks in.  Another fun romp set in Victorian England.  A quick read that you will not want to put down.

Stacking the Shelves - June 11, 2016

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves. 

I was gone for four months and have had trouble getting back into the routine of sharing books each week.  Maybe this will help get me back into the grove.

From the Library:

'Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick
The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon
The Red by Linda Nagata
The Trials by Linda Nagata
Night Shift by Charlaine Harris

Purchased:

Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas
Shadow and Flame by Gail Z. Martin
Admiral by Sean Danker

Teaser Tuesday - June 2, 2l015

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhyme.  
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:"
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book.   

The Teaser:

"This isn't over." In one sip he finished the grappa and then set down the empty glass."

Page 56

From Falling in Love by Donna Leon, a Commissario Guido Burnetti Mystery.

Stacking The Shelves - May 23, 2015

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves. 

For Review:

Heart of the Hawk by Justine Davis

A Murder of Mages by Marshall Ryan Maresca

From the Library:

This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Falling in Love by Donna Leon

What Else I Read or Listened to in August, 2014

Audio Books:

By its Cover by Donna Leon- A Commissario Guido Brunette

Mystery:  This is the latest Brunette mystery set in Venice.  Something is happening to rare books.  Some are missing. Some have pages cut out.  Brunette in called in to solve the mystery.  Leon has written another good mystery that again hits on the state of politics in Venice and Italy.  I loved that part but felt we in the US has better be careful or we could end up with some of the same.  My only disappointment in By its Cover - there was little about Brunette's family, especially his children.  All in all though it is a very good addition to the series.  I started the series in the middle and have had no trouble keeping up.  Each book does a good job as a stand alone.

Pennies On A Dead Woman's Eyes (A Sharon McCone Mystery)  by Marcia Muller - I listen the the Sharon McCone mysteries in the order my library get them so they are in no particular order.  This one was written in the late 1990. Hi is in this one and it is early in their relationship.  I was surprised by who did what in this story.  It held my attention from the first.

Books:

The Garden of Stones by Mark T. Barnes - The Garden of

Stones is a very complex story. Since this is book one there is a heavy dose of world building, back story and character development. I had to pay particular attention to all the detail or I would have lost out on much of the story. Barnes includes a cast of characters, a glossary of terms and list of cultures in the back of the book. I suggest reading that before you get to the end. Book one just sets the scene and introduces the world and characters. Some problems are solved but much is left hanging. There is a surprise at the end but I had a feeling that someone who was suppose to be dead would show up somewhere in the series. While I like the book I am not sure I will continue with the series. It is not an easy book to get through and did not leave me completely hooked. (I do own book 2 so that fact that I did not immediately pick it up says a lot about the book.)

Behind the Shattered Glass (A Lady Emily Mystery) by Tasha Alexander - I love a good mystery and Behind the Shattered Glass has one.  The Marquess of Montagu comes into Anglemore Park (Colin and Emily's country home) and drops dead at their feet.  He seems to be the perfect gentleman but much happens to show he is not.  Someone killed him and there are so many false trails the actual killer was a real surprise.  A great addition to the Lady Emily series.

Nexus by Nicolas Wilson - Nexus is fast paced.  It is action filled.  

The story is told mainly in dialog.  Saying all of that it should have more than three stars but it just did not make the grade for me.  The dialog just tried to be too cute.  I had trouble tell who was saying what.  The characters did not have names.  They were identified by their position on the ship.  There was little character development and a lot of character bashing.  All of that fast paced action is the set up for the series.  Everything that happened was leading up to a crisis near the end.  I was never really into the story until the last few pages.  I did like Nexus enough that I will try the next book when it is released.  It is fairly good Science Fiction just not great Science Fiction.

The Traitor by Grace Burrowes - Leave it to Burrowes to take the man who was the villain in The Captive and make him the hero in The Traitor.  Sebastian St. Clair is part English and part French.  He was in France when the war happened and he served in the French army.  Captured English soldiers were delivered to him and he used his skills as a interrogator to learn their secrets.  The war is ended and he is back in England where the men he held captive are trying to kill him.  I like the story but did not really warm to Sebastian as much as to Millicent Danforth, his love interest.  A nice story but not as heart warming as some of Burrowes other novels.

It's in His Kiss by Jill Shalvis - It's in His Kiss is the 10^th book in

the Lucky Harbor series and it is another winner.  This is the first of a new trilogy with three very hot guys.  First up is Sam Brody, a very self-contained, self-made guy who thinks he is happiest when he is alone.  That changes when Becca Thorpe arrives in his life and on his dock.  Both are strong characters who are working through things in their past. They are a wonderful couple.  Their journey to a HEA is full of fun, heartbreak, and romance.  While Sam is part one of this trilogy his two partners, Tanner and Cole look like both are ready for their own story.

Mercy (Beartooth Montana #5) by B.J. Daniels – I love B.J. Daniel's suspense novels and with Mercy I think she outdid herself. I got shivers reading it and even though I though I knew the guilty party Daniels has been know plant false clues and fool me. Rourke Kincaid is a new character in the series. He comes to Beartooth from Seattle looking for a serial killer and he thinks Callie Westfield is involved in some way. He is attracted to Callie making his job much harder. Look for high degrees of tension as the past comes back to influence the present. There are visits with characters from the previous Beartooth books. Look for new information about characters and events to be revealed sometimes answering question and sometimes pointing to more mystery and suspense.

From Maverick to Daddy (MontanaMavericks: 20Years in the Saddle #2) by Teresa Southwick - Once

again one of the commitment shy cowboys in Rust Creek Falls bites the dust.  This time it is Caleb Dalton who does not want anything to do with having a family of his own.  That is until he meets eight-year old Lily and her adoptive mom, Mallory Franklin.  Lily just knows that Caleb and Mallory belong together.  Of course she is right but not before there are problems and possible heartbreak.  I am loving all the books in the Montana Mavericks: 20 years in the Saddle series.  There are still plenty of single men up for grabs so I will be looking for the next bachelor to bite the dust.

I Want It That Way
by Ann Aguirre - I read As Long As You Love Me, book #2 in the

2B Trilogy first and loved it so I was excited to see I Want It That Way on Netgalley.  I briefly met Nadia and Ty in  book #2 so I already knew a little about both of them.  What I did not expect was my reaction to their story.  I was bored.  I just never really cared about either one of them.  It was not the writing.  Ann Aguirre turns out well-written stories.  It may have been the setting.  I am a long way from being a college student and I just did not identify with the lifestyle of today’s students.  It may also have been how much I loved Lauren and Rob’s story.  I finished the book but it took an effort not to just put it down.  If you like this type of book don’t let my disappointment keep you from giving the book a try.  It may be a story that you love.  And remember, while I did not like I Want It That Way I love As Long As you Love me and they are books in the same series.

Stacking the Shelves July 19, 2014

Books Stacked on My Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their 

shelves.

From the Library:

The Dark Between the Stars by Kevin J. Anderson

Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey

By Its Cover by Donna Leon

Pennies on a Dead Woman's Eyes by Marcia Muller

Won:

From Sourcebook a tote bag with a great saying.  Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History .  The bag came with five books by Grace Burrowes.  Four I had already read, The MacGregor's Lady, The Bridegroom Wore Plaid, Gareth, and The Captive.  One I had not read.  In fact The Traitor has not been released yet.  It is due out August 5th.   

The Jewels of Paradise by Donna Leon

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Mystery

Goodreads Summary:

Donna Leon has won heaps of critical praise and legions of fans for her best-selling mystery series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti. With The Jewels of Paradise, Leon takes readers beyond the world of the Venetian Questura in her first standalone novel.
Caterina Pellegrini is a native Venetian, and like so many of them, she’s had to leave home to pursue her career. With a doctorate in baroque opera from Vienna, she lands in Manchester, England. Manchester, however, is no Venice. When Caterina gets word of a position back home, she jumps at the opportunity.
The job is an unusual one. After nearly three centuries, two locked trunks, believed to contain the papers of a baroque composer have been discovered. Deeply-connected in religious and political circles, the composer died childless; now two Venetians, descendants of his cousins, each claim inheritance. Caterina’s job is to examine any enclosed papers to discover the testamentary disposition” of the composer. But when her research takes her in unexpected directions she begins to wonder just what secrets these trunks may hold. From a masterful writer, The Jewels of Paradise is a superb novel, a gripping tale of intrigue, music, history and greed.

I love the Commissario Brunetti books by Donna Leon so when I say The Jewels of Paradise audio CD on a recent trip to the library I immediately picked it up.  I was not disappointed.

The book is filled with wonderful characters.  Caterian is the main character but there are other scattered in the story that add to the richness of the tale.  I only met Caterian’s sister, a nun, through their emails but she comes across fully developed.  The Romanian, a scholar who is seldom sober, is a very nice touch.  The lawyer is one thing one time and another later.  The cousins are about what I expected.  Then there are the historical characters that are exposed as Caterian does her research.  Leon uses them to draw some insightful parallels between today and the past.

Then there is the story.  I am not that familiar with the world of baroque music but that did not keep me from enjoying the book.  The past and the present are woven together in a way that keeps the story moving.  There were plenty of surprises as I listened.  For me finding out what the Jewels of Paradise actually were was a biggest surprise.  I did love how that fact helped bring a very nice end to the story. 

I was left sadden that this is a stand-alone book.  I would love to meet the characters in a future novel.

AudioGo released the recording of The Jewels of Paradise by Donna Leon in 2012.

What Else I Read in August of 2012

 What Else I Read In is a monthly post featuring books I read during the month but did not write a full review on.  If you have a similar post leave a comment and a link and I will visit to see what else you read.   

Mystery/Audio Books:

My new favorite mystery series is the Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries by Donna Leon.  I checked out two from the library this month and  loved them both.  A Sea of Troubles and Willful Behavior are two that are back to back.  Both were great.  These do stand alone but I found that listening in order did explain some of the things.  None were essential to the story but I did like knowing why certain characters were worrying about others in the books.  I also listened to About Face on my way to Denver.  There are just two more Commissario Brunette audio books in the library and I have the checked out to listen to on this trip.



Romance:

The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires  by Molly Harper - Great book with great characters.  Both Iris and Cal are very snarky.  The dialog between the two is great and story is first rate.  I picked it up because of the title and am glad I did.

Starlight by Carrie Lofty - I loved the first book in the series but this one was kind of slow reading.  The characters just never came alive for me.  It really did not get good and exciting until the last quarter of the book.  

A Duchess to Remember  by Christina Brooke - This is the third book in the Ministry of Marriage series.  Like the previous books it tells a good story.  It was fun to see the characters from the first two books.

A Gentleman Says "I Do"  by Amelia Grey -  This is the second in a series about 3 brothers.  I haven't read the first one but it made no difference.  The characters are great and the story very entertaining.  

Paranormal:

Control Ops by Myke Cole is another audio book I listened to.  This one just proves that I will listen to an entire book I would never read.  This was just one big bloody scene after another and at the end nothing seemed to be solved.  It did say book one so I guess there will be others.  

Fatal Remedies a Commissario Guido Burnetti Mystery by Donna Leon

Mystery/Audio Book

Fatal Remedies is the 8^th book in the Commissario Guido Burnetti series but the first one I have seen.  Fatal Remedies does a very good job of standing alone.  Until I finished listening and looked Fatal Remedies up on Goodreads I had no idea there were so many previous books and when I went to the author’s web site I found that there are now 21 books in the series.  Now that I know I will be looking for some of the previous books and my poor TBR pile will continue to grow.

The characters in this series are great. Burnetti’s boss Vice-questore Patta is incompetent at best.  Sergente Vianello is a great sidekick.  For me one of the best characters in the books was Signorina Elettra, Patta’s secretary.  She is the glue that holds everything together.  A whiz at the computer she can find whatever information Burnetti needs.  She outmaneuvers Patta and does what ever she wants.  Paola, Burnetti's wife also play a significant part in the book.

The mystery arrives in several layers and kept my attention throughout the book.  It looked for awhile like the bad guy was going to get away with murder but that did not happen.  I loved the way Burnetti finally found a solution.

For me one of the best parts of the book was the way everything Venetian was included in the book.  I wanted to go visit after reading the book and saw on the author’s web site that there are walking tours of Burnetti’s Venice.

Donna Leon has lived in Venice for over 25 years and in Fatal Remedies she makes the city come alive.

Here is the Goodreads summary:

 In this eighth Donna Leon police procedural set in Venice, honest cop Brunetti finds himself, for once, bending the rules severely. His wife, Paola, has been arrested for vandalism and malicious damage. She has, of course, acted out of the highest of motives--the tourist agency whose windows she smashed specialises in trips for unaccompanied men to the Far East. But just how far is it legitimate to go when faced with something like sex tourism? And how can Brunetti pursue justice with his wife taking the law into her own hands?

This has all of Leon's regular cast of characters--Brunetti's indolent and corrupt superior Patta, only too pleased to use his zealous commissario as a scapegoat, and Paola's somewhat sinister father, Count Falier, one of the men who, for good and ill, run the city of Venice. As always, the plot switchbacks from crime to crime and issue to issue. Leon's endlessly superior capacity for leading her readers up a variety of garden paths has rarely been so clearly on display. Above all, it shows what has been one of the more attractive marriages in modern detective fiction under serious stress for the first time; these have always been detective stories that offered more rewards than those of crime and punishment and this one is no exception.

Sound Library produced the audio book of Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon in 2012.

David Colacci was the narrator of Fatal Remedies.