FINISHED -

1. "LORD OF THE PRIVATEERS" by Stephanie Laurens (Adventurers Quartet #4) (new author for me) (A+++++) Unstoppable determination - Widely known as the lord of the privateers, Royd Frobisher expects to execute the final stage of the rescue mission his brothers have begun. What he does not expect is to be pressured into taking Isobel Carmichael - his childhood sweetheart, former handfasted bride and current business partner - with him. A force of nature, Isobel has a mission of her own: to find and bring a young cousin safely home. And along the way, she hopes to rid herself of the dreams of a life with Royd that still haunt her. Unfinished business - Neither expects the shock that awaits them as they set sail, much less the new horizons that open before them as they embark on a full-scale rescue-assault on the compound deep in the jungle. Yet despite the support of his brothers and their ladies, Royd and Isobel discover that freeing the captives is only half the battle. To identify and convict the conspirators behind the illicit enterprise - and save England from political disaster - they must return to the ballrooms of the haut ton and hunt the villains on their home ground. Unforgettable love - But having found each other again, having glimpsed the heaven that could yet be theirs, how much are Royd and Isobel willing to risk in the name of duty?
2. "PLAIN PERFECT" by Beth Wiseman (Daughters of the Promise #1) (A+++++) A search for peace in Amish country proves anything but simple for a woman on the run from life...and herself. On the rolling plains of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lillian Miller is searching for her grandparents' house...and so much more. After years of neglect and abuse, she's turning to a lifestyle of simplicity among the Amish to find herself. As she discards the distractions of her former life, she befriends the young boy working on her family's farm, and his attractive widowed father, Samuel Stoltzfus. Despite Lillian's best efforts to the contrary, her feelings for Samuel - and his for her - deepen. Will Lillian find her faith in Plain living, or will she be forced to return to her former life? What makes life perfect? For many, the pursuit of a 'perfect life' can lead to disappointment. At the very heart of humans, the perfect life is one of peace and contentment.Beth Wiseman pens a tale of a woman's search for peace. The pursuit takes Lillian to an unlikely location - her mother's Amish birthplace. But the lifestyle of these Plain, honest people turns Lillian's heart upside-down.
3. "THREE WEEKS WITH A BULL RIDER" by Cat Johnson (Oklahoma Nights #3) (A+++++) One Broken Man…Cowboy Jace Mills has suffered fewer injuries from bucking bulls than he has from his ex-girlfriend. Following his best friend Tucker’s advice, Jace is convinced it’s time to move on. But with his ex’s tight rein on him, easier said than done. One Broken Heart…Tara Jenkins learned a lot in her sports medicine courses, but not how to fix her broken heart. So when her brother Tucker suggests using her skills on the rodeo, it gives her the perfect opportunity to ride off into the sunset - or at least run away. Three Weeks Together…Only problem is, Jace and Tara have had a hate-hate relationship for over a decade, putting up with each other for Tucker’s sake. With their long history as frenemies, they know sparks will fly, they just never expect them to flare into scorching passion.
4. "HEART OF STONE" by Debra Mullins (Truthseers #2) (new author for me) (A+++++) Darius Montana is a Seer. With his gift of empathy, he can see into the hearts of others, both human and Atlantean. When his family comes into possession of one of the legendary power stones of Atlantis, Darius is sent to find the Stone Singer. Faith Karaluros is the last Stone Singer. Manipulated all her life for her rare ability, she is widowed after her husband tried to steal her power for the Mendukati, an extremist group that hunts Seers. Faith wants nothing more than to stay out of this war when Darius comes to find her - just in time to rescue her from being kidnapped. Faith goes with Darius, determined to do the job and be on her way with the money that can set her up where no one can find her again. She didn't count on the Mendukati sending a hit man after her. Darius swears he can protect her, but when she discovers he is one of the rare Atlanteans whose powers work on their own kind, can she trust him to keep his word, or is she being used again?
5. "ISLAND OF GLASS" by Nora Roberts (The Guardians #3) (A++++++) As the hunt for the Star of Ice leads the six guardians to Ireland, Doyle, the immortal, must face his tragic past. Three centuries ago, he closed off his heart, yet his warrior spirit is still drawn to the wild. And there’s no one more familiar with the wild than Riley - and the wolf within her. An archaeologist, Riley is no stranger to the coast of Clare, but now she finds herself on unsure footing, targeted by the dark goddess who wants more than the stars, more than the blood of the guardians. While searching through Irish history for clues that will lead them to the final star and the mysterious Island of Glass, Riley must fight her practical nature and admit her sudden attraction to Doyle is more than just a fling. For it is his strength that will sustain her and give her the power to run towards love - and save them all.
6. "SHELTER ME" by Catherine Mann (Second Chance Ranch #1) (A++++++) Nestled in the sunny fields of Tennessee lies the McDaniel family’s Second Chance Ranch Animal Rescue. Two new arrivals are on their way, but only one is the four-legged kind. Staff Sergeant Mike Kowalski wants only one thing after he gets home from Iraq: to sleep in a king-sized bed with clean sheets. But first, he has to hand off his fallen commander’s dog, Trooper, to his family without handing off his heart to Sierra. Sierra McDaniel needs a break. Her family life is crazy, and when she’s not mucking out kennels, she’s slogging through grad school. Sierra certainly doesn’t want another dog, especially one that reminds her of her father. And she definitely doesn’t want to see Mike with that charming smile of his. But Trooper has a mission of his own. Before too long Mike is moving to the ranch to lend a hand - and hoping for his own second chance with Sierra.
7. "TAKE ME COWBOY" by Maisey Yates (Copper Ridge: Desire #1) (A++++++) She's just one of the boys, but with a new business in Copper Ridge, Anna Brown needs to change that. Her brothers bet she can't land a date for a fancy charity event. So Anna turns to her best friend - the hottest bachelor in town - for advice. Rancher Chase McCormack wants in on that gala. If Anna takes him, he promises to turn her into a lady. But the makeover reveals what he's long suspected - Anna's irresistible! Is his best friend prepared to be taken - heart, body and soul - by her very own cowboy?
8. "MULBERRY MOON" by Catherine Anderson (Mystic Creek #3) (A+++++) After a career on the rodeo circuit, Ben Sterling longs to settle down on his farm and start a family like his brothers. He’s searched all over for the woman of his dreams. Yet the only one to spark his interest is the new owner of the local café. Getting her attention, however, won’t be easy. Sissy Sue Bentley has worked hard to make it on her own, and she doesn’t need another man in her life. From her alcoholic father to the men she’s dated, who were after only one thing, they are nothing but trouble. Except Ben keeps showing up whenever she really needs help. Sissy struggles to deny her growing feelings for him - but soon Ben’s tender concern has her hoping for a happier future. Then her past comes barreling back into her life, and it will take more than the love in Ben’s heart to hold them together.
9. "ABSOLUTE TRUST" by Piper J. Drake (True Heroes #3) (new author for me) (A+++++) Love is the greatest risk of all. After multiple tours of duty, Brandon Forte returns to his hometown on a personal mission: to open a facility for military service dogs like Haydn, a German shepherd who's seen his share of combat and loss. It also brings him back to Sophie Kim, a beacon of light in his life...and the one woman he can't have. But Forte's success means he's made enemies in high places. Enemies who are now after Sophie. When Forte enlisted and left without saying goodbye, Sophie did her best to move on. But with her first love back in town, looking sexier than ever, she's constantly reminded of what they could have had. Then after he risks himself for her, Sophie realizes she'll have to put her life in the hands of the man who broke her heart, knowing the danger - and the sparks between them - could consume them both.
10. "A CRY IN THE NIGHT" by Linda Castillo (High Country Heroes #3) (A+++++) Search-and-rescue leader Buzz Malone thought losing the only woman he'd ever loved was the worst blow life could deal. He was wrong. Finding out that he had a son - a son his ex-wife, Kelly, had kept secret - was worse. Especially when that child was lost in the Rocky Mountains, pitted against a raging forest fire. Tirelessly trekking through the mountains with Buzz by her side, Kelly soon realized that the wilderness wasn't the only thing on fire. For the passion that had always flared between them now burned hotter than ever. If they ever made it through this ordeal alive, Kelly vowed to face an even greater challenge - convincing Buzz to give their love another try!
11. "A COLD CREEK CHRISTMAS STORY" by RaeAnne Thayne (Cowboys of Cold Creek #14) (A+++++) Celeste Nichols has always preferred to keep to herself in her hometown of Pine Gulch, Idaho…until she becomes an instant celebrity! When one of her children's stories becomes a major success, she's suddenly the talk of the town. Celeste should be gloriously happy…but something, someone, special is still missing from her life. Could the return of her childhood crush be the answer? Flynn Delaney has moved back home for his daughter's sake. Yet all the millionaire's resources can't help the little girl heal from the tragic loss of her mother. Shy librarian Celeste and her stories do hold some indefinable magic, though. Flynn came home looking for support - can he find that, and true love, in the one who got away?
12. "A PLACE TO CALL HOME" by Jo Goodman (new author for me) (A+++++) When Thea Wyndham and Mitchell Baker learn they've been named joint guardians for their late friends' three children, they're little more than acquaintances. Barely polite acquaintances, at that. Something about Mitch's forthright intensity has always left ad exec Thea feeling off-balance, while Mitch makes no secret of his disdain when Thea offers him financial assistance if he'll take sole guardianship. Thea is far from heartless. She's just plain terrified of her new parenting responsibilities. Both she and Mitch are romantically involved with other people. Yet the more time they spend together, the less certain she is of her loyalties. There are complications and missteps, tears and laughter--lots of it. And somehow, through it all, the dawning realization that the last place she thought she'd find herself could be just where she belongs.
13. "THE CALAMITY JANES: by Sherryl Woods "THE CALAMITY JANES - EMMA"(A+++++) Struggling with single-motherhood and career pressures, Denver attorney Emma Rogers comes home for a reunion with the Calamity Janes in desperate need of their support. Can they - and her young daughter - possibly be right that sexy journalist Ford Hamilton, the biggest thorn in her side, is actually the answer to her prayers? "TO CATCH A THIEF - GINA" (A+++++) Gina Petrillo thought she was on the run from her troubles…but they followed her home to Winding River, Wyoming. City-slicker lawyer Rafe O'Donnell is in hot pursuit of Gina, and he doesn't intend to let his suspect out of his sight, even though Gina's mouthwatering kisses are irresistible. And while Rafe is out to catch a thief - she just might steal his heart!
14. "ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE" by Jill Shalvis (Heartbreaker Bay #3) (A+++++) There’s no such thing as a little in love...Elle Wheaton’s priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there’s the muscular wall of stubbornness that’s security expert Archer Hunt - who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. “Feels-Free Zone” that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer...which should only take a lifetime. There’s no such thing as a little in lust...Archer’s wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco earthquake and he craves her 24/7, but Archer doesn’t want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren’t him. There is such a thing as...As far as Archer’s concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad - and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along.
15. "FLASHPOINT" by Lynn S. Hightower (Senora Blair #1) (new author for me) (A++++) Cincinnati homicide detective Sonora Blair hunts a serial killer who's playing with fire in Shamus Award - winning author Lynn Hightower's chilling thriller. A single mother of two children and a police specialist with the Cincinnati Homicide Division, Sonora Blair is still awake in the middle of the night when the call comes in. Mark Daniels has been found in Mount Airy Forest handcuffed to the steering wheel of his car, doused with accelerant, and set on fire. As the hideously burned college student lies dying in the ER, he describes his killer: blond, female, and a total stranger. But Mark may not have been the intended victim. Evidence points to a sexual fixation on his older brother, Keaton, a teacher currently separated from his wife. Then the murderer - who has been dubbed "Flash" by the media - calls Sonora one night, taunting and mocking her. As the investigation heats up, the harassment continues. The female psychopath knows intimate details about Sonora's family and her past. As the criminal's monstrous plan becomes chillingly apparent, Sonora must risk everything to corner a cunning killer.

CURRENTLY READING - 

1. "Gastien: From Dream to Destiny" by Caddie Rowland (Gastien #2) (reading on an Kindle app on my computer)  
2. "Eight Hundred Grapes" by Laura Dave (new author for me) 
3. "Wild Wicked Scot" by Julia London (Highland Grooms #1)

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO -

1. "The Camel Club" by David Baldacci (unabridged audio CD)

Finished in August:  Band of Angels  by: Julia Gregson

                              Life Sentences  by: Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey

                              Your Friends and Mine  by: Kenny Rogers  (Coffee Table Book for book club)

                              The Friday Night Knitting Club   by: Kate Jacobs

Currently Reading:   The Thorn Birds  by: Colleen McCullough  for book club

Hope to get to:         Murder, She Wrote  -  The Murder of Sherlock Holmes  by: James Anderson

                               Knit Two  by: Kate Jacobs

                               Knit The Season  by: Kate Jacobs

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Reading:

The Prisoner by Alex Berenson

When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories.

Finished:

The Hollow Man by Dan Simmons

The Plain Sense of Things by Pamela Carter Joern

The Mirrored World by Debra Dean

Degrees Kelvin: A Tale of Genius Invention and Tragedy by David Lindley

The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This by Bob Newhart

Audio:  NPR Driveway Moments All About Animals

The Bookseller of Kabul

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

Print:  The Handmaid's Tale

Killer's of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman

'The Regulators, by Stephen King. I read "Desperation"10 or 15 years ago but still enjoying this.

In audio listenig to Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay. Read it in print about 6 years ago but still enjoying it.

alsol listening to "Cry for the strangers" by John Saul. Read this one in print back in the 1980's but I'm not really remembering it. Just like reading it for the first time! ')

Finished this month:   The Black Echo by Michael Connelly--- the first of the Harry Bosch series.  I really enjoyed this book; a lot of police proceedure involved when Harry and his FBI partner track down murderers, and those involved in a cold case bank heist that seems to be leading in the same direction.

Illegal Possession by Kay Hooper --- One of Hooper's earlier novels so it's not as intense as her Bishop series, but still a fun read.  Troy Bennett is a female cat burglar who's caught in the act by Dallas Cameron. 

Sweetwater by Dorothy Garlock --- Jenny Gray has taken her two younger sister and fled to the Wyoming Territory to escape their abusive guardians and to teach school on the Shoshoni reservation. A crooked Indian agent and men determined to do her harm bring her into contact with a rancher who wants to protect her and other people in need of protection. A good read with an interesting look at that time.  Garlock has a way of capturing the time period she's writing about.

Sex and Salmonella by Kathleen Taylor --- Tory Bauer is a waitress in the small South Dakota town of Delphi.  When the carnival comes to town during the town's celebration of Delphi Daze, Tory and her friends have their hands full with all the suspicious goings on.  As a South Dakota native I can relate to a lot of this small town's characters and peculiarities.  Fun series.

Hunting Season by Nevada Barr --- Anna Pigeon investigates the death of a man left in one of the Natchez Trace visitor's centers and is also dealing with her growing feelings for a local sheriff/Episcopal priest. Interesting series, I really enjoy it.

Careless in Red by Elizabeth George --- Thomas Lynley is grieving over the murder of his wife and has left New Scotland Yard. While walking through Cornwall he finds the body of a young man and is drawn into the investigation when the local DI learns who he is. The murder investigation actually takes a back seat in the plot as it revolves mostly around the families involved, and they are pretty dysfunctional!  More of a psychological work, but interesting

Currently reading:  undecided

Let's see.

Reading The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong and Children of the Morning Star by the Gears. Also finished The Awakening and am on The Reckoning.

Judye

Just finished Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith and enjoyed it very much. Am awaiting the next in the series.

In It for the Money by David Burnsworth was good PI type novel.  First in a series.

I also read the first 10 books in the Never Say Spy series by Diane Henders.  They were well done so far.  Curious twist on the usual spy trope.

The First 5 books in the Sabel Security series feature a mid-20's former Olympic gold women's soccer player in the lead.  It gets a bit annoying when the POV changes too often and two lead characters both hear voices.

Jenn Stark's latest Immortal in Las Vegas, Call of the Wilde, read like it had been rushed and was missing all the extras that make a really good read.  She also moved the plot so fast, no one stopped to think WHY - and it occurred to them too late.  The author's doing a Darynda Jones and dragging it out.