I saw this meme on It’s All About Booksand thought, I like this!! So, I decided to do it once a month also. Many thanks to Yvonne for initially posting this!!
This post is what it says: Places I travel to in books each month. Books are lovely and take you to places you would never get a chance to go. That includes places of fantasy too!!
So….enjoy!! Please let me know if you have read these books or traveled to these areas (other than the fantasy….lol).
Panem
District 12, Capitol
United States
Florida
Ohio (Chestnut)
Maine (Dearmont)
New York (New York City, upstate New York)
Crooked Tree (unknown state)
New York (Willow Cove)
Massachusetts (Boston, Riverton)
Massachusetts (Pittsfield, Boston, Amherst)
Florida (The Everglades)
California (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Pasadena, Studio City)
Texas (Houston)
North Carolina (Raleigh)
Washington D.C.
Massachusetts (Coventry)
California (San Verde)
Wisconsin (Fontana, Lake Geneva)
Florida (Accident)
Colorado (Last Word)
Washington (North Bend, San Juan Islands, Seattle), Montana
Illinois (Chicago)
Pennsylvania (Johnston)
Iowa (Ames, Sibley), Minnesota, South Carolina (Columbia),
Alabama (Summerland, Hell), New York (New York City)
Illinois (Chicago), New York (New York City), Montana
Ljosland
Hrafnsvik
Japan
Tokyo
Guatemala
Guatemala City
France
Limoges, Perigueux
Giverny
Scotland
Edinburgh
Edinburgh, North Berwick
England
Hull
London
Bellehaven Bay, Regency London
Essex, London, Kent
India
Delhi, Kanpur, Calcutta, Brahmapur
Argentina
Italy
Ostia, Padua, Port of Civitavecchia, Palmro, Sicily, Florence, Rome, Milan, Pompeii, Amalfi, Tropea
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (for Cover Scavenger Hunt 2023—a bird)—Finished 1-1-2023
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth(for The StoryGraph Onboarding Challenge—-Read a book with more pages than the longest book you read in 2022)—Finished 1-17-2023
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (for The StoryGraph Read the World—Argentina)—Finished 1-17-2023
The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill (for The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge—a contemporary or literary fiction novel with disability rep)—Finished 1-24-2023
The Reader by M.K. Harkins (for Beat the Backlist 2023—a backlist book)—Finished 1-24-2023
The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga (for Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge—Read the most recently added book to your TBR)—Finished 1-3-2023
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (for Scavenger Hunt—a book written by a woman using a male perspective)—Finished 1-19-2023
The Nightmare Man by J.H. Markert (for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023—a book you meant to read in 2022)—Finished 1-5-2023
Lost Soul by Adam J. Wright (for 2023 TBR Toppler—a TBR vet)—Finished 1-3-2023
In Our Blood by William J. Goyette (for 2023 Monthly Themes—books that make you feel cold)—Finished 1-10-2023
Before the Coffee Get Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (for 2023 Reading challenge—a translated work)—Finished 1-11-2023
All Hallows by Christopher Golden (for 2023 ABC Challenge—A)—Finished 1-19-2023
The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (for Romanceopoly 2023!—read a thriller or mystery where one of the main characters are a detective or private investigator)—Finished 1-3-2023
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (for 2023 TBR Prompts—a 5-star prediction)—Finished 1-16-23
A device that can save a life is also one that can end it
Kadence, a new type of implanted defibrillator, misfires in a patient visiting University Hospital for a routine medical procedure—causing the heart rhythm problem it’s meant to correct. Dr. Kate Downey, an experienced anesthesiologist, resuscitates the patient, but she grows concerned for a loved one who recently received the same device—her beloved Great-Aunt Irm.
When a second device misfires, Kate turns to Nikki Yarborough, her friend and Aunt Irm’s cardiologist. Though Nikki helps protect Kate’s aunt, she is prevented from alerting other patients by the corporate greed of her department chairman. As the inventor of the device and part owner of MDI, the company he formed to commercialize it, he claims that the device misfires are due to a soon-to-be-corrected software bug. Kate learns his claim is false.
The misfires continue as Christian O’Donnell, a friend and lawyer, comes to town to facilitate the sale of MDI. Kate and Nikki are drawn into a race to find the source of the malfunctions, but threats to Nikki and a mysterious murder complicate their progress. Are the seemingly random shocks misfires, or are they attacks?
A jaw-dropping twist causes her to rethink everything she once thought she knew, but Kate will stop at nothing to protect her aunt and the other patients whose life-saving devices could turn on them at any moment.
First Line:
You aren’t gonna let me die this time, are ya, Doc?Oh boy.
Misfire by Tammy Euliano
As I stated in my review of Fatal Intent, I do not read/review medical thrillers. But after reading these two books, I realize I will have to fix that. Like Fatal Intent, Misfire was an excellent read that kept me glued to the book.
There are trigger warnings in Misfire. There are scenes of gore at several points in the book. There is a scene where Kate does CPR on her aunt. There are scenes at the end of the book that broke me. If you want to know what, use the contact me page and ask what they were. Because of spoilers, I won’t include it in the review. I will mention it, but I won’t come right out and say what.
Misfire is a fast-paced book that takes place shortly after the events of Fatal Intent. Kate is still dealing with what Adam did, which included trying to kill her great-aunt Irma, Christian (her lawyer), and killing her husband (and his brother), Greg. Her great-aunt was dealt a more severe blow during that attack, suffering a heart attack and needing a pacemaker installed. Kate noticed that people with Kadence installed were suffering from an elevated rate of heart attacks and disruptions. But, when Irma suffers an attack after a routine visit with her cardiologist, Kate starts digging into the study. What she finds stuns her and also sets off a chain of events which outcomes she didn’t see coming. What happened? Why is Kadence misfiring? Who is behind it?
The characters in Misfire were as wonderfully detailed as they were in Fatal Intent. I liked that they still appeared realistic and made me get invested in their lives.
Kate—She was still that great person from Fatal Intent. I liked that she wanted to move forward (and was urged to by Aunt Irma) but was hesitant. She regrets being distant from her friends (like whenshe helped with Ronnie’s pregnancy). I believe she was so stuck on helping Nikki and Ian because of that. As with the last book, she didn’t want to get sucked into the drama with Kadence. She was moved to action when her aunt was harmed by it and when multiple people died in a horrific accident caused when a Kadence misfired when someone was driving. Her solid moral character demanded that she look into it and discover why it was happening. I don’t think she expected to find out what she found out.
The secondary characters did add extra depth to the book. I loved the extra attention paid to AuntIrma and Christian in this book. Christian’s secondary storyline broke my heart, and the resolution had me sobbing on the couch. The only character I didn’t care for from the beginning was Nikki. There was something about her that rubbed me the wrong way.
Misfire fits perfectly into the medical thriller and mystery genre. The author had a little spark of romance in there too. The mystery angle of the book was terrific. A twist in the storyline at the end stunned me and made me sick.
The storyline with Aunt Irma, Kate, Christian, and the search for Nikki was well written. I loved how the author took me for a ride with this storyline. I learned more about pacemakers in this book than I would have known about, ever. But that is what made this storyline so good. It was realistic. Also, I couldn’t get over the twist at the end of this storyline. It was maddening, heartbreaking, and just evil.
The storyline with Nikki,Kate, the Kadence device, and Dr. Cantrell was interesting. Interesting because I could see people like Dr. Cantrell doing what he did in the book. Sure, he was not a nice guy who didn’t do the right thing. But, in the end, he did redeem himself a little bit, in his eyes. I wouldn’t say I liked how he treated Nikki and Kate, even with the credible evidence that Kate had about Kadence.
The end of Misfire was equally thrilling and sad. I did not see the twist coming (as I stated above), and it took me by surprise. The author was able to wrap up all the other storylines in a way that satisfied me as a reader. I also cannot wait to read more books in this series.
I would recommend Misfire to anyone over 21. There is graphic violence, mild language, and no sex.
If you enjoyed reading Misfire, you will enjoy reading these books:
When her elderly patients start dying at home days after minor surgery, anesthesiologist Dr. Kate Downey wants to know why. The surgeon, not so much. “Old people die, that’s what they do,” is his response. When Kate presses, surgeon Charles Ricken places the blame squarely on her shoulders. Kate is currently on probation, and the chief of staff sides with the surgeon, leaving Kate to prove her innocence and save her own career. With her husband in a prolonged coma, it’s all she has left.
Aided by her eccentric Great Aunt Irm, a precocious medical student, and the lawyer son of a victim, Kate launches her own unorthodox investigation of these unexpected deaths. As she comes closer to exposing the culprit’s identity, she faces professional intimidation, threats to her life, a home invasion, and, tragically, the suspicious death of someone close to her. The stakes escalate to the breaking point when Kate, under violent duress, is forced to choose which of her loved ones to save—and which must be sacrificed.
Perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerritsen
While the books in the Kate Downey Medical Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:
Fatal Intent Misfire (coming January 2023)
First Line:
I dreaded weekends. That alone set me apart from my colleagues-from humans in general-even without all the rest.
Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano
Medical thrillers are not a genre that I typically read. It’s not that I don’t like them (I do); it’s just that they don’t show up on my radar very often, even when I am looking for a new book to read. So, I was intrigued when I was invited to review Fatal Intent. After reading the blurb, I knew I wanted to read this book. I am glad that I did because it was a great read.
There are trigger warnings in Fatal Intent. The huge, most obvious one is the angel of mercy killings. There are brief mentions of the death of a spouse and child through a drunk driver and the miscarriage. The author also talks about assisted death quite often during the book. This is a touchy subject and one that I am not going to discuss in this blog.
Fatal Intent is a fast-paced medical thriller that takes place in Florida. Kate is an anesthesiologist working at a university (or teaching) hospital. Kate lives with her great-aunt Irma, an eccentric German transplant, and her black lab, Shadow. Kate has had a rough couple of years. Her husband, Greg, severely injured by a bomb while deployed, has been in a coma for a year. She miscarried their daughter because of that. And the cherry on top, the chief of staff, Dr. Walker, dislikes Kate and makes her life miserable at work. Things start to snowball when Kate discovers several suspicious deaths on and off the hospital grounds. At the same time, Kate is accused of misconduct with a student and malpractice by an unpleasant surgeon, and Greg’s brother, Adam, is going ahead with a lawsuit to take Greg off life support. As Kate fights the lawsuit, the inquiry, and the malpratice accusation, she realizes everything is connected. Determined to get to the bottom of everything, Kate soon finds herself in a situation where she needs to make an impossible choice. What choice does Kate have to make? How is everything connected? Did the hospital have an angel of mercy?
The main characters of Fatal Intent surprised me. I was prepared to be annoyed or even not like them. But, right from the beginning, the author made them relatable. Also, she wasn’t afraid to kill off a couple of who I considered main characters. It made what happened at the end of the book so much more poignant.
Kate—I liked and connected with her. She had a great relationship with her great-aunt Irma and 98% of her coworkers. She treated her patients respectfully and wasn’t afraid to speak up when she thought something wasn’t right. Her relationship with the chief of staff did confuse me a little at the beginning, but once the author explained it, a lightbulb went off. The only thing that she had a conflict of interest in was Greg. She didn’t want him to die starving to death. But her brother-in-law, Adam, thought otherwise. As for her investigating the deaths, she didn’t intend to become embroiled in that scheme. She was doing what she thought was right. My heart broke for her at the climax of the book. She had to make an impossible decision. No matter what she decided, it was going to hurt her.
I say this in every review, but the secondary characters made this book. Every single one added extra depth to the plotline. I liked how these secondary characters also tied into the main storyline. They had clues about who the killer was, why Kate was being singled out at work, and why Adam was insistent on taking Greg off life support. Secondary characters rarely do that.
If you look above, you see that I put a lot of genres down that this book fits into. The top three out of that group would be medical fiction, mystery, and thriller. Fatal Intent fits perfectly into those genres.
So, a little bit of a warning, the review will get a little longer here. Several main storylines in FatalIntent are merged about halfway through the book. I didn’t understand why the author had so many until the end. Everything became crystal clear here.
The storyline with Kate, the medical student, and the accusation of misconduct made me so angry. I knew the medical student was up to no good from the moment the author introduced him. There was a point in the book where I thought that Kate would end up losing her job, but the author pulled out her hidden ace. It was mentioned, and I didn’t even think about it until it was mentioned. Of course, the ending to that storyline was very satisfactory and did tie into the storyline with the malpractice, Dr.Walker, and the angel of mercy.
Speaking of that, I was so angry about the malpractice inquiry that Kate found herself in. The surgeon was full of himself, and I couldn’t believe that the chief of staff would side with him instead of remaining impartial. I found it suspicious. Of course, this storyline ended the way I thought it would but still. I wanted to smack that surgeon upside the head and tell him to take it down a notch.
The storyline with Dr. Walker, Kate, and the deaths left a bad taste in my mouth. As I said above, Dr. Walker was so suspicious. His treatment of Kate was borderline abuse of power, and everyone in that hospital knew it. He didn’t want to listen to her when she brought up credible evidence about a new hire. Also, he was too involved with the medical student’s accusation and the inquiry. I wasn’t surprised by what was revealed during Kate’s investigation. I did like that what she turned up had an effect…haha. I was thrilled with how everything turned out. Dr. Walker reaped what he sowed.
The storyline with Kate, Greg, and Adam was one of the saddest ones I have ever read. I got why Kate didn’t want to take Greg off life support. I agreed with her that starving to death was a painful way to go, even if you were in a coma. And like Kate, my distaste for Adam was there from the beginning.
The end of Fatal Intent was heartstopping. The author was able to meld the above storylines together in a way that took me by surprise. A colossal twist (and a heartbreaking decision made) took me by surprise. It is hard to get one past me with thrillers; the author certainly did!! I didn’t see it coming and felt that I should have.
I would recommend Fatal Intent to anyone over 21. There is violence, non-graphic sexual situations (kissing), and language.
I want to thank Tammy Euliano and Oceanview Publishing for allowing me to read and review Fatal Intent. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
If you enjoyed reading Fatal Intent, then you will enjoy reading these books:
December has flown by for me (I don’t know about you guys). I was stretched thin between my kids’ Christmas events, last-minute shopping, and the actual holiday. I hope January is less hectic and I can breathe again.
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Personal:
I will not go into a day-by-day breakdown like I usually do. It will take up too much time, and my brain is still fried from Christmas.
Christmas was good. I got a Kindle Scribe which I was thrilled about. I had the Oasis, and it was beginning to die (was freezing, and I had to reset it frequently). So this was needed. I love being able to take notes. But the main thing is that I can easily read at night without my glasses on. I had an issue with the font being too small on the Oasis (even with adjusting everything).
We didn’t do a ton of presents for Christmas. BK got a deep fryer with an oil filtration system. Miss B got Air Pods (to replace the ones I washed), an iPhone 14, and some other smaller things she wanted. Mr. Z got a gaming mouse and gaming monitor, a lot of books, and a hardcover comic book. Miss R got an iPad (along with an otter box and a drawing pencil), a box set of Dav Pilkey graphic novels, a NationalGeographic book about horses, and a 3 Bayers horse sets (all separate) she wanted (Quarter Horse,Morgan, and Appaloosa).
I did have some excitement on Christmas Eve. Someone got my Best Buy credit card number and tried to buy themselves an Apple Air Pod. Fortunately (or unfortunately for the guy), I checked my email before going to bed and was able to cancel the order. I also changed my password and added two-step verification. I checked again on Christmas morning and saw that they had tried so many times that my account had been locked, and that was a quick fix….lol.
Reading:
I have read a ton since the kids have been out of school. I finished all but one book that I had gotten on Kindle Unlimited. Since I am starting to read my review copies/reading challenges books next week, I am enjoying this break.
The longest book I read this week:First Do No Evil. It wasn’t a long book, but I wasn’t a fan of the first 60% of the book. But the last 40% was fantastic, and I was able to finish it quickly. It took me a couple of days to read.
The shortest book I read this week: It is a tie between The House in the Cerulean Sea and Little One. I read each within a couple of hours of downloading them.
I am also finished going through my Want to Read shelf and adding books to either the KindleUnlimited shelf or the Downloadedto Kindle Shelf. I think I have around 280 books left. My next project going through the books on my Read shelf. Wish me luck with that because I am sure that my Want to Read/Kindle Unlimited/Downloaded to Kindle shelves will increase tenfold. I will add the next books in the series (or previous ones).
I am still behind with writing reviews. I have four reviews to write before New Year’s Eve and two due the first week of January. So, I am behind by six reviews. I’m not sweating it, though. The only ones that must be written by a specific date are the two in January.
So that’s the essential things for this past week. How was your week?
As always, let me know if you have read or are planning to read any of these books!!
What I Recently Finished Reading:
“Take my hand, little one.”
Fran finds her standing by the swings. A little girl, Esther, no older than seven years old, by herself in the dead of night, her pretty but old-fashioned yellow dress covered in grass stains and her hair dishevelled. She says she’s waiting for Father, and that strikes Fran as particularly odd.
After Esther is reunited with her family, Fran can’t stop thinking about this pious child whose imaginary friend is God. Fran’s instincts tell her something is very wrong. Why does Esther keep running away from home, and how did she get that bruise on her leg?
Fran’s husband warns her not to get too close, but one morning, Esther and her family disappear. Where did they go? Why did they leave their furniture behind?
Fran knows in her gut that something terrible is going to happen to that child, and she can’t stand by while it happens. No matter the cost.
After all, she found her. But can she save her?
What I am currently reading:
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
What books I think I’ll read next:
for Cover Scavenger Hunt 2023
Could you survive on your own in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.
ARC
A device that can save a life is also one that can end it
Kadence, a new type of implanted defibrillator, misfires in a patient visiting University Hospital for a routine medical procedure—causing the heart rhythm problem it’s meant to correct. Dr. Kate Downey, an experienced anesthesiologist, resuscitates the patient, but she grows concerned for a loved one who recently received the same device—her beloved Great-Aunt Irm.
When a second device misfires, Kate turns to Nikki Yarborough, her friend and Aunt Irm’s cardiologist. Though Nikki helps protect Kate’s aunt, she is prevented from alerting other patients by the corporate greed of her department chairman. As the inventor of the device and part owner of MDI, the company he formed to commercialize it, he claims that the device misfires are due to a soon-to-be-corrected software bug. Kate learns his claim is false.
The misfires continue as Christian O’Donnell, a friend and lawyer, comes to town to facilitate the sale of MDI. Kate and Nikki are drawn into a race to find the source of the malfunctions, but threats to Nikki and a mysterious murder complicate their progress. Are the seemingly random shocks misfires, or are they attacks?
A jaw-dropping twist causes her to rethink everything she once thought she knew, but Kate will stop at nothing to protect her aunt and the other patients whose life-saving devices could turn on them at any moment
for Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge
Cora hasn’t spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year.
Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief. Cora is still grappling with the death of her beloved sister in a school shooting, and Quinn is carrying the guilt of what her brother did.
On the day of Cora’s twelfth birthday, Quinn leaves a box on her doorstep with a note. She has decided that the only way to fix things is to go back in time to the moment before her brother changed all their lives forever—and stop him.
In spite of herself, Cora wants to believe. And so the two former friends begin working together to open a wormhole in the fabric of the universe. But as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of time travel to save their siblings, they learn that the magic of their friendship may actually be the key to saving themselves.
for 2023 TBR Toppler
Alec Harbinger, Preternatural Investigator
I’m the guy you come to when your spouse gets bitten by a werewolf, or your honey is kidnapped by a demon. I’m the guy who knows how to save your ass when an evil sorcerer casts a curse on it.
At least, I was that guy until the Society of Shadows sent me to Dearmont, Maine, a sleepy town that had a zero rating on the supernatural occurrences scale.
My plan was to spend my days sitting in the office with nothing to do except drink coffee and eat apple bakes made by Felicity, my new assistant.
But when a woman hires me to find out if her son has been possessed by a demon at a rich kids’ party, and a young man comes to the office insisting he’s been bitten by a werewolf, Dearmont goes from zero to hero.
Oh, and did I mention that someone in the Society wants me dead?
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Personal:
Thursday:Miss B accidentally washed her Air Pods. Well, she forgot to take them out of her pants pocket, and I, in a rare moment of not checking, washed them. I was so mad when I took the laundry out of the washer, and they fell out. But, in a way, it was a good thing. We got her another pair for Christmas. And she has strict instructions not to leave them in her pockets.
Friday:Miss R had an unmounted lesson at her barn. She came out very excited. Her instructor told her that she is almost ready to join a program they have. Kids who are eligible work in the barn over the summer and get points. The points can add up to anything barn-related but, more importantly, free and extra lessons. I still have to talk to the barn owner, but Miss R will do that this summer.
Saturday and Sunday: We did nothing. BK changed the van’s oil, and I cleaned the house. But other than that, nothing.
Monday:Mr. Z had a concert. He performed, with the rest of the orchestra, in Grace Chapel at Lenoir Rhyne University. The chapel was beautiful!! The orchestra played wonderfully too. I saw friends and a few of Mr. Z and Miss B’s middle school teachers.
Tuesday:Mr. Z had an early orthodontist appointment. I ended up dragging all three kids with me. Not exactly what I wanted to do at 8 am, but he needed to have them checked. His next appointment is in February, and he’s getting the Herbst device installed.
The longest book I read this week:Hello, Summer. It just dragged for me. I couldn’t get into it.
The shortest book I read this week:NetGalley’s Book Advocate Tool Kit. It took me 20 mins to read, and I got many great ideas!!
I decided to go through my want-to-read shelf and move any books marked Kindle Unlimited to a shelf named Kindle Unlimited on Goodreads. I am not even close to done, but I have found many books on KU. So, worth it!!
I have finished my December TBR list!! I can’t even believe that I finished all of those books. Now, I have to write six reviews, but those should be easy.
So that’s the essential things for this past week. How was your week?
As always, let me know if you have read or are planning to read any of these books!!
What I Recently Finished Reading:
Synopsis was taken from Amazon
Hope Turner is the ideal human-hunting assassin, and she is damn good at her job. A daughter of the Chakal, a race of hybrid demons lacking physical sensation and emotion, Hope was always brutally efficient in her work. She never struggled with a case, that is, until she was assigned to take down Ciaran O-Connor – a stubborn, strong-willed bodyguard with a dark past and severe PTSD.
He also happens to be her soulmate.
When the omaeriku – an inescapable soulmate bond – takes hold of her, Hope is hit with a wave of emotion and physical sensation for the first time in her life. Finding herself unable to kill Ciaran and ending up on her former boss’s hit list, Hope and Ciaran must escape into hiding. Immediately, the chemistry between Hope and Ciaran is electric. However, they must try to direct their focus on finding a way to take down Marcus Dentry, their newfound common enemy, who was both Hope’s former boss and Ciaran’s former captor and torturer.
However, as they spend more time together and succumb to their physical desire for each other, the newfound emotion and pain brought forth by the soulmate bond begin to overwhelm Hope. Can Hope learn to handle her sudden emotions, both the good and the bad, before it drives her away from the only person who can make her feel? And can Hope and Ciaran track down Marcus and exact their revenge before he gets to them first?
What I am currently reading:
No review(was a giveaway book)
Detective Jackson Forge can hardly wait to marry the street-sly swindler who’s turned his life upside down. Kit Turner is equally excited to wed the handsome detective, and what better way to show her love than providing him with a gift any man of the law would love? She determines to bring to justice the men who years ago maimed his brother—despite Jackson’s warning to leave the past in the past. As she digs into the mystery of what happened, she unwittingly tumbles into her own history and endangers her future happiness with Jackson.
What books I think I’ll read next:
Cover Scavenger Hunt 2023
Could you survive on your own in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.
Review coming January 3rd
End-of-life care—or assisted death
When her elderly patients start dying at home days after minor surgery, anesthesiologist Dr. Kate Downey wants to know why. The surgeon, not so much. “Old people die, that’s what they do,” is his response. When Kate presses, surgeon Charles Ricken places the blame squarely on her shoulders. Kate is currently on probation, and the chief of staff sides with the surgeon, leaving Kate to prove her innocence and save her own career. With her husband in a prolonged coma, it’s all she has left.
Aided by her eccentric Great Aunt Irm, a precocious medical student, and the lawyer son of a victim, Kate launches her own unorthodox investigation of these unexpected deaths. As she comes closer to exposing the culprit’s identity, she faces professional intimidation, threats to her life, a home invasion, and, tragically, the suspicious death of someone close to her. The stakes escalate to the breaking point when Kate, under violent duress, is forced to choose which of her loved ones to save—and which must be sacrificed.
Perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerritsen
While the books in the Kate Downey Medical Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:
Fatal Intent Misfire (coming January 2023)
Review coming January 5th
A device that can save a life is also one that can end it
Kadence, a new type of implanted defibrillator, misfires in a patient visiting University Hospital for a routine medical procedure—causing the heart rhythm problem it’s meant to correct. Dr. Kate Downey, an experienced anesthesiologist, resuscitates the patient, but she grows concerned for a loved one who recently received the same device—her beloved Great-Aunt Irm.
When a second device misfires, Kate turns to Nikki Yarborough, her friend and Aunt Irm’s cardiologist. Though Nikki helps protect Kate’s aunt, she is prevented from alerting other patients by the corporate greed of her department chairman. As the inventor of the device and part owner of MDI, the company he formed to commercialize it, he claims that the device misfires are due to a soon-to-be-corrected software bug. Kate learns his claim is false.
The misfires continue as Christian O’Donnell, a friend and lawyer, comes to town to facilitate the sale of MDI. Kate and Nikki are drawn into a race to find the source of the malfunctions, but threats to Nikki and a mysterious murder complicate their progress. Are the seemingly random shocks misfires, or are they attacks?
A jaw-dropping twist causes her to rethink everything she once thought she knew, but Kate will stop at nothing to protect her aunt and the other patients whose life-saving devices could turn on them at any moment
Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge 2023
Cora hasn’t spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year.
Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief. Cora is still grappling with the death of her beloved sister in a school shooting, and Quinn is carrying the guilt of what her brother did.
On the day of Cora’s twelfth birthday, Quinn leaves a box on her doorstep with a note. She has decided that the only way to fix things is to go back in time to the moment before her brother changed all their lives forever—and stop him.
In spite of herself, Cora wants to believe. And so the two former friends begin working together to open a wormhole in the fabric of the universe. But as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of time travel to save their siblings, they learn that the magic of their friendship may actually be the key to saving themselves.
