17 books this month with only one 4.5 star read sitting at the top, which is a typical month for me; much more typical than the spectacularly good reading months I had in the first half of 2017.

Six 4 star reads rounded things about and the worse book I read was... really, there weren't any.  Nothing below 3 stars, so really a very average reading month overall.

And now, on to BINGO!

This came sooo close to being a really excellent cozy, but as is, it's a very good one. 

Nixy is called to Lilyvale, Arkansas by the local detective because he's been called out to the home of Nixy's aunt and  her friends one too many times for fires and explosions and there's talk about the courts stepping in and shipping them all off to a nursing home.  When she arrives she finds 6 people that are anything but incompetent and a rather unconventional reason for all the false alarms.  She also finds an unscrupulous developer itching to get her hands on the family land - and everyone else's too. 

There are a lot of things to love about this book:  strong, independent senior citizens, a strong, independent, educated main character who never, ever resorts to ditzy behaviour or immature behaviour, and a charming small town setting.  The mystery was better than average too, although the murderer wasn't hard to figure out after the half-way mark.

The only reason I didn't rate it higher was Nixy's declaration that she was 'investigating' the murder and she wouldn't rest until she solved it and cleared her aunt.  That, for me, left a disappointing dent in my enjoyment.  In every other way this mystery was great, it just crossed that line into immaturity when the MC decided she could do the police's job better than they could.

I'm interested in reading the next one, as it was easy to grow fond of the characters and setting.  But its with the hope that future mysteries will be more subtly crafted.  

After a quiet couple of weeks, the books started pouring in through the post.  I suspect based on shipping notices a few more might stumble in this afternoon, but so far this is what I've got.  In addition to the ones at the top, I also received Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening - Louise Riotte.  I spent yesterday afternoon flipping through it and reading most of it (it's setup to be largely a reference book).

If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home I bought based on Degrees of Affection's updates as she listened to the audio.  She never steers me wrong in non-fiction!

The Madwoman Upstairs:  I saw It's a Mad Mad World's review of this one and it just sounds like a must read for me.  Clues!  Books!  Yay!

The Semester of Our Discontent is the first in a Henery Press series that takes place on a school campus.  

Lost Among the Living and The Other Side of Midnight are two of the three works by Simone St. James that I haven't yet read (the third should arrive any day).  The first two are some of the best ghost stories I've ever read, and I have high hopes for these two.

The Conspiring Woman I don't know for sure, but I think this might be the last book in this series (unless the author plans going self-pub.  I suspect it was part of the Penguin/Random House culling.  It's a shame if so, the series was good, if not strong and I want to find out what happens to the MC.

Crime and Poetry and Basket Case are two first in new series.  I've stared Crime and Poetry last night and the opening gambit is ridiculous but I love the raven!  Vanilla Beaned and Breach of Crust are the latest in on-going series.

New books: 11

Books read: 5

Total physical TBR: 221

Hope everyone has a happy weekend!

I love paranormal romance. I am not burned out on in in any way but I do have a pet peeve. I like a known world. I don't like one of the leads discovering the paranormal world exists. Bleh.  I like it even better if the supernatural world isn't unknown to humans but I can live with that trope as long as it isn't unknow to the leads.

With that in mind, here are some wonderful Paranormal Romance Novels with Vampire Heroines (they have always been vampires or have been turned before the book begins) 

1. A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole 

A mythic warrior who'll stop at nothing to possess her . . .

After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he's waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him. 

A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy . . .

Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents -- until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae -- and their notorious dark desires -- ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings. 

An all-consuming desire . . .

Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?

2. Serpent's Kiss by Thea Harrison 

Recently, Vampire Queen Carling's power has become erratic, forcing her followers to flee. Wyr sentinel Rune is drawn to the ailing Queen and decides to help find a cure for the serpent's kiss-the vampyric disease that's killing her. With their desire for each other escalating they will have to rely on each other if they have any hope of surviving the serpent's kiss...

3. The Lady is a Vamp by Lynsay Sands

4. Vamps and the City by Kerrelyn Sparks 

Who says a vamp can't have it all? 

Darcy Newhart thought it was a stroke of genius—the first–ever reality TV show where mortals vie with vampires for the title of The Sexiest Man on Earth. As the show's director, Darcy's career would be on track again. And she can finally have a life apart from the vampire harem. Okay, so she's still technically dead, but two out of three's not bad. Now she just has to make sure that a mortal doesn't win. If only she wasn't so distracted by a super–sexy and live contestant named Austin... 

But Darcy doesn't know the worst of it. Austin Erickson is actually a vampire slayer! And he's got his eye on the show's leggy blond director. Only problem is, he's never wanted any woman—living or dead—as badly. But if he wins her heart, will he lose his soul? And if it means an eternity of hot, passionate loving with Darcy, does that really matter anyway?

5. Cross Your Heart by Michele Bardsley 

Even vampires can be afraid of ghosts... 

After the death of her husband-and her dreams of motherhood-Elizabeth Bretton returned to the family estate in Broken Heart, Oklahoma. Little did she know she would also give up her life as the Silverstone heiress. 

But escaping the past isn't that easy-especially with a vengeful ghost trying to kill her, a 150-year-old mystery to solve, and an outrageously hot were-jaguar named "Tez" trying to get into her boudoir...

6. Tall, Dark, and Vampire by Sara Humphreys 

She always knew Fate was cruel...

The last person Olivia expected to turn up at her club was her one true love. It would normally be great to see him, except he's been dead for centuries. Olivia really thought she had moved on with her immortal life, but as soon as she sees Doug Paxton, she knows she'd rather die than lose him again. And that's a real problem...

But this is beyond the pale...

Doug is a no-nonsense cop by day, but his nights are tormented by dreams of a gorgeous redhead who's so much a part of him, she seems to be in his blood. When he meets Olivia face-to-face, long-buried memories begin to surface. She might be the answer to his prayers...or she might be the dead of him.

7. Tall, Dark & Fangsome by Michelle Rowen 

arah Dearly's vampire life is not all B-positive cocktails. A curse made her a nightwalker, the most vicious vamp there is; the charm she wears to curb her deadly tendencies is losing its juice; and a hunter from hell is turning up the heat. Gideon Chase will kill the ones she loves most if she doesn't obey his orders. That includes breaking up with master vampire Thierry and turning Gideon into an immortal vamp so he can escape a doom of eternal hellfire.

Making things worse are Sarah's growing feelings for Gideon, a bad boy who keeps showing a vulnerable side . . . but is it for real? Will Sarah's dark side take over? Or can she cure herself of the nightwalker curse in time to stop Gideon and finally live happily ever after with Thierry . . . forever?

8. The Vampire's Wolf by Jenna Kernan

As a werewolf and a marine, he's duty-bound to protect his enemy 

Brianna Vittori is running from vampires. After receiving a mysterious warning, Bri has no choice but to seek refuge with an enemy she never thought she'd run to: werewolves. They're the only ones who can save her…if they don't kill her first. 

As a werewolf, marine captain Travis MacConnelly should be immune to the deadly attraction of female vampires. But Bri ignites his most primal desires. When Mac realizes that his beautiful prisoner doesn't even know what she is, it's up to him to provide her with answers as well as protection. As the bond between them grows, so does the danger they're in….

9. La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock 

eing dead isn't all it's cracked up to be. Take it from Francesca Marinelli, trapped underground for over 200 years and rediscovered during the renovation of a Victorian mansion in historic St. Augustine. A tourist attraction herself, she's well suited for a job as an Old Ghost Town Tour guide. Francesca's due for a new lease on afterlife-and with enough sunblock, she can finally live it. 

Unfortunately, everything she learned about men is a little dated. And when people in her tour group turn up dead, naturally the police suspect her. After all, she is a vampire. Which is why a crazed vampire-hunting vigilante squad is out to get her as well. Between the dead bodies, the stalkers, and a seriously non-existent love life, she's starting to wish she was dead. Or at least buried, where she was safe.

10. Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward 

Butch O’Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex–homicide cop, he’s the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world. He’s got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who’s way out of his league. If he can’t have Marissa, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers....

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he’s found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him....

Did I miss your favorite? Let me know! Vote on my Goodreads list: Vampire Romance Heroines 

BASKET CASE is one of the cutest, most refreshing new cozy mysteries of the year! Author Nancy Haddock has created an extraordinarily, fun cast of characters. The “Silver Six” are such a handful, but there isn’t one of them I wouldn’t want for an aunt.

This first book in the Silver Six Crafting Mystery series is packed with fun, mystery, and just plain good story telling. I was captivated from beginning to end, sad when the book was done.

Ms. Haddock lets readers get a very good way into the story before she brings in the discovery of the murder victim. I’m so glad she waited. It really helped me to get to know and enjoy the core characters before they launched into investigation mode.

Excellent writing and a wonderfully plotted mystery make BASKET CASE one of the “must read” new mysteries of 2015. Don’t miss out on this one!  Nancy Haddock is sure to be an ongoing name in cozy mysteries.

Crafting tips, recipes, and an excerpt of book 2, GOODBYE GOURDEOUS, can all be found at the back of the book!