Kathy's (kmartin802's) First 2016 Thread

Time to start a new year and a new list of books read. I'm aiming for 250 books again this year. Last year I got to 313.

Welcome back!

My first book of 2016 has been sitting on my TBR stack since I began keeping track on LibraryThing in 2008. It is my goal this year to try to read as many as I can that have been waiting for my attention since 2008. I have 99, now 98, on that stack.

1. Dragon's Fire by Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey (366 p.) -- Story from the early days of Pern starring a number of young people as viewpoint characters. The problem is growing numbers of Shunned and difficulty in finding enough firestone to let the dragons battle thread on the next threadfall. Cristov is a miner whose father was Shunned for stealing. Cristov wants to use his talents to find a new, safer firestone for the dragons since the current stuff explodes on contact with water. Pellar is a mute who has been adopted by a harper and is a trained investigator. He and his harper are trying to find out who is stealing from the coal mines. Halla is a young girl who is a child of the Shunned who is caring for children even younger than herself. Villains are Tenim who is another child of the Shunned who has grown up to be a thief and murderer and who hatches a plot to corner the market on firestone and D'gan who is so singlemindedly focused on firestone that he'll spend lives to get it.

2. Known by Kendra Elliot (338 p.) -- Chris Jacobs rescues Gianna Trask and her daughter Violet first from a cabin fire and then from all sorts of other dangers. An evil someone wants something that he believes Gianna has and is more than willing to leave a trail of bodies on his way to her. Chris is still dealing with the consequences of being kidnapped at age 12, held captive for two years, and being tortured. While he is getting better, not all the scars are external. Gianna is also a victim of trauma as the only survivor of an accident that killed her parents when she was eight. She learns some family secrets in the course of this book. Excellent and exciting.

3. Even the Dead by Benjamin Black (387 p.) -- Slow paced mystery that is 7th in a series. Quirke is a pathologist who has been on medical leave because of brain issues from a beating that happened years ago when his assistant calls him in to take a look at a supposed suicide. Quirke and the assistant both believe that it was murder. Then Quirke's daughter Phoebe comes to him with a problem: an acquaintance from a school class comes to her for help as her boyfriend has just died, she's pregnant and she's scared. When Phoebe went back to check on her, she had disappeared. This case however is buried inside all sorts of other things - Quirke's relationship with his daughter, his relationship with his adopted brother who has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer, his relationship with his sister-in-law, his relationship with a new woman in his life who happens to be a psychiatrist and Phoebe's boss. It seemed like Quirke spent most of his time gazing at the inside of his own head and still didn't ever come to any sort of conclusion.

4. Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer (315 p.) -- New series about an FBI agent who is also a practicing witch. Harmony is drafted to join a secret team that investigates otherworldly actions. She is sent to Talbot Cove, where she was born, because children are disappearing again. Harmony's sister was one of the children who vanished in the last round. This story includes pacts with the devil and demon bounty hunters. I liked the action and the relationships between the new team members. Jessie was especially interesting.

5. Behind the Canvas by Alexander Vance (336 p.) -- Claudia sees a boy in a painting who tells her he is trapped. She decides to help him by going inside the world behind the canvas where she meets all sorts of characters from paintings and travels through all sorts of landscapes. The story is filled with action and adventure and also has a great relationship between Claudia and Pim. I especially liked the footnotes which gave information about the artists with snarky asides by the purported author of the art book that is being quoted. Fun middle grade adventure.

6. Betting the Bad Boy by Sugar Jamison (?) -- Hidden baby trope. Duke comes back to town and finds that the love of his life had his son and never told him. Duke spent time in prison for attempted murder. He was the son of the town drunk and she was the judge's daughter. Now he and his brothers are multi-millionaires and she is working two jobs as a nurse to take care of her son. There is lots of anger between the two of them because each feels betrayed by the other.

7. The Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine (400 p.) -- Excellent fantasy; Lorelai, her brother and a loyal guard fled the palace when her stepmother killed her father. They have spent nine years on the run and hiding from the queen's magic while Lorelai hones her magic. Kol has come from his kingdom to beg the queen to use her magic to save his kingdom from the ogres that are invading. The queen makes a deal with Kol: if he'll hunt down the princess, she'll save his kingdom. However, they've already met when she saved him when he first arrived in the country and he owes her his life. They try to trick the queen but she prevails, steals his human heart, and sends him after Lorelai again. Lorelai uses her magic to overcome the queen's for a while and the two join forces to battle the evil queen until she gains a sudden influx of strength. Now Lorelai has to battle alone and defeat the evil queen while preserving the life of the boy she has come to love. Lots of action and magic! Great romance too.

8. Fighting Dirty by Lori Foster (384 p.) -- 4th book in Ultimate fighters stars Armie and Merissa. After loving him from afar since she was 16, Merissa decides it's time to make her move on her brother's best friend Armie. But she has a stalker who is willing to go to great lengths to get her back and Armie is facing a recurrence of bogus accusations of rape that could wreck his new career as an ultimate fighter. The story was filled with action both in and out of the bedroom and featured two genuinely likable characters. My favorite of the series!

9. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig (464 p.) -- Time travel story: Nix has traveled with her father on the The Temptation since she was an infant. She has supported his obsession to return to Hawaii where she was born and her mother died in childbirth to save his beloved wife. Nix fears that, if her father succeeds, Nix will disappear. Now sixteen, she needs to decide whether to continue to support her father or strike off on her own. Most of the story takes place in Hawaii in 1884 but there is also a wonderful side trip to Emperor Qin's buried grave and to current day New York City. Romantic triangle too as Nix meets a boy in Hawaii who fascinates her and her relationship with her crewmate Kash may be taking a turn from friendship to romance.

10. The Infamous Heir by Elizabeth Michels (352 p.) -- Nice historical romance. Ethan is a disowned second son who has returned home just in time to find his brother getting engaged to a childhood friend. Roselyn has her life all planned out. She wants to marry a gentleman and live a scandal-free life. But, when her fiance of one day is killed, her life plans fall apart. She certainly didn't plan to fall in love with Ethan especially when she thinks he might have killed his brother. Ethan is determined to find his brother's killer and get the girl too.

11. On His Watch by Katie Ruggle (84 p.) -- This novella introduces the search and rescue crew and sets up the next 4 novels about the characters. It also features the rekindled romance between Derek and Artemis. Derek is a diver and Artemis is a teacher. They reconnect when Derek needs to give a presentation to third and 4th graders that Artie teaches. The presentation ends up being a rescue when one of the kids falls through the ice. And then, two other young kids who feel guilty that they encouraged the boy to go out on the ice, run away and get lost in the woods just as a blizzard is starting. Derek and Artie and teamed up to find the girls and have issues of their own as they discover an old forestry cabin that might have been used by an arsonist before they find the girls just as they are being stalked by a mountain lion.

12. The Fine Art of Murder by Emily Barnes (304 p.) -- Interesting cozy mystery set in Edina, MN. Retired police chief turned artist Katherine Sullivan gets involved in investigating a murder when her daughter asks her to because the daughter's new boyfriend is a suspect in the case. While I felt the heroine was to good to be true, I still enjoyed the mystery.

13. Hostile Witness by Leigh Adams (304 p.) -- Computer security specialist Kate Ford suffers from an unusual condition she often has spells when she becomes hyper-aware even to the point of having a seizure. When she is put on administrative leave from her company for breaking procedure, her father (in the early stages of Alzheimer's) encourages her to take a look at a sensational court case involving the daughter of her employer. She quickly comes to see that the details both of the problem with her employer and of the court case don't add up. She begins to investigate along with a police detective who should have done the police work for the court case but was replaced because he too thought things weren't adding up. This was fast paced and fascinating.

14. Benefit of the Doubt by Neal Griffin (360 p.) -- Tense, gritty thriller about a cop who has come back home after losing it and almost killing a suspect in his former job in California. He is dealing with a police department that doesn't want him now that his father-in-law, the former chief of police, has been forced to retire because of a severe stroke. When a murderer frames his wife for killing a friend to get back at her father, Ben is fighting against some corrupt colleagues and the murderer to prove his wife innocent.

15. A Voice from the Field by Neal Griffin (300 p.) -- Tia Suarez, still recovering from being shot and with PTSD and voices in her head, can't get anyone to put high priority on rescuing the young woman she say bound and gagged in the back of a van when bad guys were trying to kidnap her too. In fact, the bad guy caught trying to kidnap her and assault her got a deal the lowered the crimes to disorderly conduct. It seems that some mystery government organization was investigating him for domestic terrorism and didn't want to jeopardize their case to rescue a poor migrant who likely sneaked over the border. Tia continues to investigate and deals with her battles with alcohol and prescription medications as she wonders if she is going crazy. This was a tense, gritty thriller with a very determined heroine.

16. Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie (512 p.) -- Another epic fantasy that is book 1 in a trilogy that features the required love triangle. Sonya is a barely trained empath called an auraseer in this book who is tasked with protecting the emperor. She is barely trained because her parents sent her away to live with the gypsies to keep her from becoming the emperor's property and she wasn't found by a bounty hunter until she was seventeen, Now she is the property of an emperor who isn't much older than she is and who has just become emperor after being hidden away by his father to keep him safe. His brother was also sent away and, believing that his older brother was dead, was also trained to be emperor. The older boy is an insecure tyrant who has megalomaniacal dreams of world conquest. His younger brother would like to overthrow the empire in favor of a democracy. Sonya is caught between the two boys.

Love hearing good things about The Shadow Queen and Burning Glass! They're both high on my TBR list.

17. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (336 p.) -- Great mystery and story of friendship between James Watson and Charlotte Holmes, the descendants of Sherlock and John, who meet at a Connecticut boarding school and find themselves being framed for the death of an obnoxious classmate. Told mostly from James' point of view it spends a lot of time on the growing friendship between the determined James and the prickly, brilliant Charlotte. The mystery was well developed as was the friendship. This is the first book in a trilogy.

18. Just This Night by Mari Madison (336 p.) -- Nice romance. Beth and Mac are both trying to forget their troubles when they meet and have a one-night stand. Imagine their surprise when they learn they will be working at the same television station and, even more, that they will be partners with Beth reporting and Mac as her photographer. Complications include a jealous co-worker who is trying to sabotage Beth and a not-so-ex wife who wants to restart their marriage. Add in Mac's cute little 4-year-old daughter and you have a heart-tugging story.

19. Where You'll find Me by Natasha Friend (272 p.) -- This was a nice story about a girl named Anna who is dealing with all sorts of issues at the start of 8th grade. Her best friend has blossomed over the summer and now is looking for new friends and leaving Dani behind. She is also dealing with a depressed mother who attempted suicide and is now hospitalized. She living with the father who divorced her mother, married a girl just out of college, and started a new family. She feels scared for her mother and uncomfortable in her father's house. She also has to make new friends with the weirdos who turn out to be lots more interesting than she thought. This was a story about dealing with changes and was well told.

See your reading is off to its normal , erm, brisk start, Kathy. I think you'll struggle to top the 313 you did last year but it will be fun watching you try.

Summer is my peak time for reading. I just try not to get too far behind during the school year when I am busy teaching.

20. Brotherhood in Death by J. D. Robb (400 p.) -- Eve catches a case that begins as a missing persons case when she is called to investigate the disappearance of Dennis Mira's cousin Edward. As she begins, she learns how different the cousins were. She has a crush on Dennis Mira but Edward was a sociopath, according to Dr. Mira, who held himself above the rules. Eve investigates the young women has has had affairs with in the past year and, when his tortured body is found, investigates his past. A couple more deaths follow of men who were Edward's cronies. This is a case where Eve has much more sympathies with the murderers than with the victims though that doesn't change the fact that she stands for the dead - even the unlikable dead. The case brings back Eve's one tortured childhood but also shows that she has built a strong support network - Roarke, Mira, Peabody. I liked the touches of humor that infused the story - Eve's views on Roarke's possible infidelity, her mixing up and over-analyzing of idioms, and a room full of dolls.

21. The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins (416 p.) -- First in a series, Aerity's father the king offers her hand in marriage to any hunter who can rid the kingdom of a great beast that is terrorizing it. Aerity agrees for love of the kingdom but is not eager to marry a man she doesn't love. Lots of hunters from all the nearby kingdoms come to try to kill the beast and win Aerity's hand. Among them are Paxton Seabolt and younger brother Tiern. Paxton is a man of secrets. Others vying for Aerity's hand are her childhood friend Harrison and a prince from a neighboring kingdom. Aerity falls for Paxton who likes her too but feels his secrets would keep them apart even if he is the one who kills the beast. Nice story.

22. Ghost Gifts by Laura Spinella (386 p.) -- Aubrey Ellis has seen ghosts since she was a child living with her Grandmother in a traveling carnival. Now adult, she is working for a newspaper in Surrey concentrating on real estate showcases. When the body of a young woman missing for twenty years is discovered behind a hastily built brick wall in Dustin Byrd's basement the whole case is reopened and the murder conviction of a troubled Army vet is reversed. The corporate office sends in hotshot investigative reporter Levi St. John to take over the investigation and he is teamed with Aubrey, much to her dismay. There are flashbacks to Aubrey's childhood and to the time of Missy Flanagan's disappearance that help fill in the story of her life. There is also an almost ex-husband for Aubrey who wants to start again and a longtime girlfriend for Levi who also wants their relationship to get moving. Then there are ghosts from the homeowner who died before telling his daughter about some hidden money, to the young man who committed suicide to gain his parents attention, to Levi's brother, and to Missy herself. This was an excellent story with intriguing characters and a great plot.

23. A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachmann (464 p.) -- Spooky adventure story told by Anouk who is one of 5 teenagers chosen to explore a recently discovered French palace built during the Revolution to shelter an aristocratic family. However, that's what the kids are told but something else is really going on as the kids encounter traps, two groups of enemies who want them dead, and other unexplained things in the palace. They need to find a way to escape and avoid their enemies. There are also chapters from the viewpoint of Aurelie who is a daughter of the mad duke who built the palace and who is herself imprisoned in it. This one was as much science fiction as it was horror.

Due to my slower reading pace this year, I have reset my GoodReads goal to 180 books which seems more realistic for this year.

24. The Skeleton Garden by Marty Wingate (233 p.) -- Nice cozy mystery. Gardener Pru Parke and her husband Christopher Pearse get involved in solving a crime that occurred during WWII when Pru and her brother Simon unearth a buried Messerschmidt and some bones in the garden they are working on. Add in a current death in the same place and the past and the present intersect with long buried secrets coming to light and a murderer who wants to keep them buried. This book had great characters and interesting relationships.

25. Uprooted by Naomi Novik (438 p.) -- Amazing epic fantasy with lyrical language and a fairy tale feel. Agnieszka is chosen by the Dragon - a wizard who guards their valley from the encroaching Wood - and has her life changed. She is taught magic which is frustrating for both of them because her magic isn't the formal kind he knows. When her best friend is taken by the Wood, she is determined to rescue her which she does though no without consequences. The prince blackmails her and the Dragon to rescue his mother the Queen who was taken more than 20 years earlier which leads to war with the Wood that is quite graphically described. This was a great story about friendship and love and growing up to find your place in the world.

26. Tumbled Graves by Brenda Chapman (376 p.) -- Engaging mystery about a missing mother and child. Kala Stonechild investigates and uncovers all sorts of buried secrets about the mother and child. Lots of backstory about the other detectives and their relationships too. Stonechild is getting used to be a foster mother to her childhood friend's daughter until her own shady past comes to light.

27. The Inn Between by Marina Cohen (195 p.) -- Creepy middle grade book about a spooky hotel and the family that finds itself there. Quinn is taking a trip with her best friend Kara and Kara's family since they are moving from Denver to Santa Barbara. They get tired deep in the desert and the Inn Between is the only place they can stay. Quinn thinks the other people there are strange and that is just the beginning. First Kara's parents disappear, then her older brother Josh disappears. Now Quinn and Kara have to find them and find a way out. They are being chased by a scary man and have encounters with other residents. I figured out what was happening fairly early but still found it a creepy story.

28. Dragon Harper by Anne McCaffrey (299 p.) -- Plague hits Pern and, because of the deaths of so many of his elders, Kindan and his fellow apprentices have to find a cure and a way for Pern to survive. There is a romance plot too as Kindan falls in love with Koriana, the Lord Holder's daughter, when both impress fire lizards.

29. The Drafter by Kim Harrison (432 p.) -- New series for Harrison. Peri Reed is a drafter. She can change time but she needs an anchor to help her untangle her memories and to keep her from going insane. Unfortunately, she is working for a corrupt organization and her anchor is also corrupt. He's only giving her the memories that he wants her to have. A competing organization is trying to bring hers down. She learns that she is an undercover operative for the competing organization but has had her memory so altered that she doesn't remember that. This was a complicated story told from Peri's point of view which means that, like Peri, the reader doesn't know who to trust and what the real story is.

30. The Nameless City by Faith Erinn Hicks (232 p.) -- Besides excellent, detailed illustrations, this graphic novel had a meaty story. Kaidu, son of one of the conquering Dao, has come to the city to meet his father after growing up in the homelands with his mother. His father is an adviser to the ruler and has a plan to share governing with all three of the groups that serially conquer and rule the Nameless City. He gives his son a tour and introduces him to one of the native girls. The two gradually form a friendship despite Rat's dislike of all the conquerors. So when she hears a plot to kill the ruling general, she and Kaidu have to team up to save the city they both love.

31. Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben (400 p.) -- Great thriller starring former military helicopter pilot Maya Stern who is investigating the murders of her sister and her husband while dealing with PTSD and her two-year-old daughter. She was a fascinating character and an unreliable narrator. The story ends with a twist I never saw coming.

32. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (excerpt) -- Nice desert setting with a hint of magical creatures. A poor, orphaned young woman who happens to be a sharpshooter and is desperate to get away from the dead end town where she lives. A mysterious stranger she meets at a shooting match and who later is being chased by the army. I need to read the rest!

33. A Lady in the Smoke by Karen Odden (411 p.) -- Lady Elizabeth is injured in a train crash and helped by Surgeon Paul Wilcox. She assists him in caring for the wounded despite it being nothing a lady would do. They fall for each other but their different social classes threaten to keep them apart. Another hazard is the fact that the train crash wasn't an accident but engineered by a group who wants to lower share prices of railroad and take it over. Elizabeth's dowry is being funded by the share prices which gives her incentive to try to find out who is plotting. Her biggest incentive to act occurs when Paul is accused of manslaughter for his treatment of one of the injured in the crash. Conviction means imprisonment or deportation to Australia. This was a nicely twisty story with all sorts of tangled relationships wherein Elizabeth learns a lot about her family's past.

34. The Girl in the Tower by Lisa Schroeder (246p.) -- A sweet fairy tale like story with an evil queen and an intrepid young girl that she has imprisoned in a tower. The queen wants beauty but the spell requires a feather from a living hummingbird and a long hair from a dark haired girl with lavender eyes who is between eleven and twelve. The queen imprisons Violet and her mother Nuri in the tower when Violet is born determined to keep her until she is old enough to supply the hair. Nuri loves and educates her daughter to be brave and kind. When the queen discovers that she is sneaking out to a secret garden where the hummingbirds gather, she forces Violet to live in her castle and banishes Nuri. But Violet uses the powers of love and kindness to defeat the evil queen.

35. Winter by Marissa Meyer (827 p.) -- Amazing conclusion to the Lunar Chronicles. All of the main characters from the earlier books are on the moon and starting a revolution to overthrow evil Queen Levana. Cinder, Scarlett, Cress, Iso, Kai, Wolf, Thorne are joined by Princess Winter and her beloved Jacin. The story is filled with adventure and romance.

36. Silence by Mercedes Lackey and Cody Martin (336 p.) -- Sixteen-year-old Staci is exiled to Silence, Maine, when her father remarries. She is living with her alcoholic mother in a town time has forgotten. No cellphone, only dial-up internet, no chain stores. Even worse the town is being controlled by dark elves - masquerading as the richest people in town - who have evil plans for the people of Silence. Staci is being courted by Sean Blackthorne, the son of the family. At first she is flattered but soon becomes suspicious. Her suspicions are encouraged by her new friends who are nerds who hang out at the local bookstore and by Dylan, a stranger in town who rides a fancy motorcycle. This one comes down to a battle with Dylan, Staci and the nerds against the powerful evil elves. It was exciting and entertaining.

37. Stone Field by Christy Lenzi (320 p.) -- Based on WUTHERING HEIGHTS but set in Missouri during the Civil War, this tells the story of Catrina who discovers an unconscious man in the family's sorghum field and falls in love with him. She's dreamy, artistic, and unconventional and they fall in love. But the fact that he is Creek Indian and many outside forces tear them apart. No happy ending here.

38. The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead (416 p.) -- Excellent fantasy which begins a new series. Lady Elizabeth Witmore, Countess of Rothford, changes places with one of her maids to escape an unwanted marriage and finds herself at a school being trained to be a suitable wife for successful men in the colony of Adoria. She makes friends with Tamsin, a former laundress, and Mira, a Sirminican refugee, and falls in love with Cedric Thorne who is the son of the man who began the scheme of transporting young women to the colony. However, they run afoul of one of her persistent suitors and are further hampered by Cedric's illegal religious preferences. This story was filled with adventure, danger and romance and was a sweeping epic fantasy.

39. I Dream of Dragons by Ashlyn Chase 9356 p.) -- Cute paranormal romance between a dragon and a modern day muse. Rory has been kicked out of Ireland with his two sisters after being accused of stealing a leprechaun's gold. They find their way to Boston. Amber is a flight attendant newly recruited to be the muse of air travel. The meet when they both rent the same apartment in a paranormal friendly building. Neither is willing to give way for the other and fall in love when they are cooped up together in the apartment. But the leprechauns are still causing trouble for Rory and his sisters and Amber is having some issues getting used to her new responsibilities. This was both spicy and funny and people by crossover characters from some of the author's other books.

40. Tommy McKnight and the Great Election by Danny Kravitz (89 p.) -- Middle grade historical fiction. It's 1932, Tommy McKnight caught polio and now he walks with leg braces and crutches. He misses all the things he used to do and hates that Wally picks on him. When he learns that FDR had polio and still is running for president, Tommy decides that he too will run for student government at his school. His friends, recent immigrants, help him as the girl he has a crush on.

41. Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima (544 p.) -- Great epic fantasy that begins a series. Ash, son of the Queen of the Fells, is determined to assassinate the King of Arden who killed both his sister and his father. Jenna is also determined to kill the King of Arden since she watched him kill her two best friends. She is also eager to assist a revolution to throw him and his soldiers out of her town. Jenna has a mysterious mark on the back of her neck that makes her a _target for the Empress of Carthia. The king launches an all-out search for her with the goal of trading her to the Empress for an army to help him win the war against the Fells which has been going on for 25 years. Jenna and Ash meet in the king's castle and fall in love. They aren't the only ones plotting against the king. Lila, Destin Karn, and the emissary from the Empress all have hidden agendas. Lots of plot threads left dangling as we await book 2.

42. Hold Your Breath by Katie Ruggle (384 p.) -- First in a Romantic Suspense series set in the Colorado Rockies featuring people involved in search and rescue. Lou has escaped controlling parents in Connecticut and an unwanted boyfriend and is making a new life for herself in the mountains. She joins the Dive Team captained by Callum Cook and discovers a body on a training mission. She is also being stalked. Callum steps in to protect her. The two fall in love despite the fact that she is a free spirit and he is a control freak with OCD tendencies. I loved the relationship between them. Can't wait to read more books in the series to find out who murdered the man Lou found.

43. Luck Is No Lady by Amy Sandas (352 p.) -- Nice historical romance that begins a series. Emma Chadwick is chaperoning her younger sisters for the Season and hoping they will make successful marriages. She is also trying to come up with a large amount of money to repay a gambling debt her father accrued just before his death. She gets a job as a bookkeeper in a casino owned by Roderick Bentley who is the bastard son of an Earl. They fall in love but have much more to overcome than society's disapproval.

44. Flawed by Cecelia Ahern (368 p.) -- Celestine has always been the perfect child in her society that worship's perfection and punishes flaws until the day she helps a Flawed man facing a medical emergency on a bus. Then she learns that the man she admires - Judge Crevan - is not the man she thought. He is power-mad, vindictive, and bent on revenge. Celestine is branded six times when the most ever done before is three and five is the limit. She has to come to terms with being an outcast in her society and the poster child for those who want change and those who oppose Crevan. That is a lot for an ordinary girl to deal with especially when her boyfriend, Crevan's son, disappears on her. Cliffhanger ending!!!

45. Nightstruck by Jenna Black 9304 p.) -- Dark and spooky paranormal that starts a series. Becket is an ordinary high school senior until she accidentally, while performing an act of kindness, lets evil from another world into our world. Things start small but quickly escalate until the city is under quarantine, their is a curfew that keeps everyone in after dark, and Becket is particularly _targeted by the denizens of the night. Her best friend Piper is overcome and becomes evil. She is especially eager for Becket to join her on the dark side. Becket struggles especially because the curfew and quarantine is throwing her together with Luke who she has had a secret crush on for years and who is Piper's boyfriend. Major cliffhanger ending!

46. Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan (368 p.) -- Retelling of A Tale of Two Cities told in a futuristic New York City divided by magic. The Light is in power and oppressing the Dark who are ready to rebel. Lucie Manette is caught in between as a poster child for both sides. She escaped the Dark and is in love with the son of one of the leaders of the Light. She is a Light magician. Her boyfriend had a doppelganger made when he was a sick infant - a disgraceful and illegal act. Doppelgangers are supposed to die young but Carwyn, who grew up in the Dark, has now come to the Light. I liked the story and the romance and sympathized with Lucie who was caught between two sides and just wanted to be left alone to live.

47. The Obsession by Nora Roberts (464 p.) -- Wonderful Nora Roberts romantic suspense. Naomi discovered that her father was a serial killer when she was eleven. She turned him in and rescued his latest victim. She, her brother and her mother fled to live with her gay uncle and his husband but notoriety followed them. Her mother committed suicide when Naomi was a teen. Naomi became a photographer who traveled all the time until she came to Sunrise Cove and fell in love with a fixer-upper, was adopted by an abandoned dog, and fell in love with the local mechanic. But then a series of murders started happening that mirrored those of her father 17 years earlier which almost made her want to run again. But love and the friendships she built were strong enough to let her take a stand and finally come to terms with what her father did.

48. Dying for a Taste by Leslie Karst (298 p.) -- Nice cozy mystery. Former lawyer and now working in her family's Italian restaurant, Sally Solari investigates the murder of her Aunt Letta in Letta's restaurant which Sally inherits. Lots of suspects as Aunt Letta had a past Sally didn't know about and was getting hassled for not serving ethically raised meat in her restaurant. I liked the setting and the characters.

49. Mr. Fahrenheit by T. Michael Martin (320 p.) -- Science fiction story about an alien visit witnessed by a group of teens. Benji the magician, CR the quarterback, Ellie the filmmaker and Zeeko the nerd have been best friends since junior high. Now, high school seniors they are busy worrying about their futures and dealing with a potential alien invasion. This story has flashbacks to the flying saucers and music of the 1950s and stars a dreamer who is so busy looking for that life-changing moment that he isn't living now. This was entertaining in a frenetic way.

50. Cold Girl by RM Greenaway (336 p.) -- Mystery set in the Hazeltons in northern British Columbia. Leith is called in when a girl disappears and it looks like she might be the latest victim of the Pickup Killer he's been tracking for a couple of years. He has to deal with the local cops and Dion, who is a new constable who rubs Leith the wrong way. Unknown to Leith and his supervisor in the small town, Dion used to be a high profile detective in a big city but a car accident, coma and brain injury have remade his path. Interesting characters and pretty good mystery too.

51. Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey (368 p.) -- Engaging historical romance that reminds me a lot of early Amanda Quick books. Juliana is set to take part in the season chaperoned by her over-bearing aunt and kind uncle but her main interest is to find a publisher for her book on beetles. She is rescued from a cliff by Spencer Northam and Lord Randolph Bobbington who are in the are hunting for French sympathizers and traitors. It so happens that their prime suspects are going to be house guests of her aunt and uncle. Her aunt colludes with the Pyebalds in some marriage plans - Spencer and the Pyebald daughter and Juliana and the Pyebald son - but are thwarted when Spencer and Juliana fall in love. This was a fun story.

52. 'Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick (352 p.) -- Calista runs an "introductions" agency matching lonely gentry. She meets Trent, who is the author of a popular mystery series, when he checks her out because his sister is using the agency. Calista is being stalked by someone sending her mourning jewelry and also by a former suitor who dumped her for a richer girl. Trent and Calista work together to find the stalker before he makes Calista his next victim.

Have a wonderful Easter.

53. Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (448 p.) -- Latest Liaden Universe book follows Shan, Padi and the Dutiful Passage as they try to forge new trade routes; Tolly, Haz and Tocohl as they try to socialize an infant AI and keep Tolly safe from those who want to use him; and Daav and Aelliana who are still with the Uncle and adjusting to the big changes in their lives.

54. Ferals #2: The Swarm Descends by Jacob Grey (256 p.) -- This time Caw and friends has to deal with the Mother of the Flies who is determined to take over the city, steal the powers of the ferals, and give them to henchmen of her choosing. All she needs is the black stone that Caw has recently been given to hold and protect. Fast-paced action.

55. The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight (352 p.) -- Science Fiction mystery in which a young girl name Wylie takes off following the cryptic clues texted to her by her best friend. She is joined by the best friend's boyfriend whom she does not know but also does not like. She and Jasper leave Boston and find themselves in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine as they search for Cassie. When they find her, they find their problems are far from solved.

56. The Black Dragon by Allyson James (292 p.) -- Urban fantasy set in San Francisco featuring witches and dragons. Saba is a half-Japanese witch; Malcolm is a black dragon. They had a sort of romance in the first book but then he left her to return to dragonspace. When she is attacked by a white dragon, she calls him back and together they rekindle their spicy romance while trying to keep the white dragon from destroying all dragons.

57. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (339 p.) -- Very entertaining fantasy based on Indian mythology. Maya is an unwanted princess who is believed to be cursed by a bad horoscope. Her father has a plan to use her to end the war the country is fighting but wants her to commit suicide. She is rescued by one of her suitors - Amar of Akara - and her life takes a very different path. He offers to make her his queen and equal and takes her to his kingdom, crossing through the mythical night market to get there. His kingdom is strange and he is keeping secrets from her which makes it hard to trust him. When she is convinced by another to leave him, she sets off on a perilous journey to find what her heart desires. At heart, this was a romance and a very engaging one.

58. The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude 9304 p.) -- Mystery set in deliberately isolated Rowan's Glen. Folks in the Glen keep to themselves and live a simpler life filled with home remedies and superstitions. Ivy loves it there; her cousin Heather does not. When Heather is killed, Ivy needs to learn all the secrets that have been buried in the Glen for generations to find Heather's killer and save her own life.

59. Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman (400 p.) -- Elizabeth, the daughter of John Milton, has to decipher clues in Paradise Lost to save her father from being executed by Charles II. She is assisted by Antonio Viviani who comes from Italy and whose mentor was a student of Galileo. She is also helped and hindered by Robert, Duke of Lockton, illegitimate son of Charles II, who has his own use for Galileo's discovery. This was a great story about a young woman who has to remake her life when she learns that what she believed is not true as many did at the time as science was vying with religion.

60. Even If the Sky Falls by Mia Garcia (304 p.) -- Great romance set in New Orleans. Julia comes there to escape problems at home including a brother suffering from PTSD who injures a classmate of hers while drunk driving. She flees an over-sympathetic team leader for downtown New Orleans where she runs into a Midsummer Party and a cute blue-haired boy playing a banjo. They decide to have one night of fun with no baggage and no expectations. But that changes as they get to know each other and weather a hurricane together. Nice romance.

61. The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry (229 p.) -- Exciting mystery where a girl who was 3 when her mother was killed allegedly by her father learns that it wasn't him when his jaw is discovered near where her mother was found when the girl is 17. Raised in foster care after the death of her grandmother, Olivia returns to the town where it all happened to try to find the murderer of her parents. Everyone seems suspicious and all have possible motives but, even so, I didn't figure out the murderer until Olivia did.

62. The Last Time We Were Us by Leah Konen (368 p.) -- Angsty romance where Liz is torn between Innis, the perfect boy from the right family, and Jason, the boy next door who is just back from juvie. Jason and Liz were best friends since they were infants. Middle school broke up the friendship and Jason going to juvie sealed the deal. Jason had become friends with Innis and his older brother Skip. They hung around and did a lot of drinking, drugs, and stupid stuff. One night an accident sent Skip into a fire in a fire pit which severely burned his face. Jason, age 15, took the blame despite it being an accident and was sentenced to 18 months in juvie. Now back and trying to rekindle his friendship with Liz who is now dating Innis, Jason is the catalyst for many changes in Liz's life.

63. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (319 p.) -- Fantasy about a young woman whose first goal is just to escape from the unfortunate setting where she is an unwanted orphan in her uncle's house and finds herself taking part in a revolution where she has found a number of friends and a possible love interest. She also discovers something about herself that will change how she sees herself.

64. Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill (361 p.) -- Ethan and Merit are confronting Adrien Reed who has plans to take over Chicago. The general public think he's a hero. Ethan and Merit know he's a crime lord who is planning a magical attack on the supernaturals of Chicago. They need to enlist the help of Mallory and Catcher to figure out what a spell created by an unknown alchemist is designed to do. This was exciting, action-packed, filled with romance. Ethan finally proposes. Merit confronts the vampire who attacked her forcing Ethan to make her a vampire.

65. Spark by Holly Schindler (304 p.) -- Contemporary story with a touch of magic. Quin has always been told stories about the tragedy the occurred on the stage of the abandoned Avery Theater which is across the square from her home. Now, her mom wants Quin's drama class to recreate the final production there to raise funds to restore the theater and revitalize the square. Quin watches and worries as the leads who happen to be her best friend and another friend seem to be going down the same path as the tragic characters in 1947. It was a fascinating story.

66. Megan's Brood by Roy Burdine (105 p.) -- Something of a hodge-podge. Looks like it is for beginning chapter book readers but has a 12-year-old Goth main character who reads Lovecraft. Megan has moved to a new home with her family and discovers a cocoon in the attic (which is described as the size of a pillow!) which hatches into 9 or ten odd creatures which she determines to raise. Challenging vocabulary would make this hard for even middle graders who wouldn't pick it up because of its juvenile look.

67. The Thing Is by Kathleen Gerard (299 p.) -- Contemporary story about a woman mired in grief who begins recovery when she is forced to dog-sit for a Yorkie named Prozac. Meredith is a writer who has retreated into herself since her fiance was murdered. Sitting for Prozac forces her to follow his routine and visit a senior living center. The residents there have all had their own losses but have found a way to carry on. Meredith learns from them.

68. The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye (416 p.) -- Epic fantasy set in an alternate 1825 Russia. Two young people Vika and Nikolai have been training to be the Tsar's Enchanter. Vika has been taught by her loving father; Nikolai was trained by a Countess who gave him no affection. They meet when the Tsar calls for the Crown's Game which is a test to the death. This is hard because the more the two get to know each other, the more they come to love each other. Great cast of characters and action-packed story.

69. The Hunt by Megan Shepherd (368 p.) -- Second book in a trilogy with horrible cliffhanger ending. After their unsuccessful escape from the habitat where they were being observed by the Kindred to learn about humans, the six teens are dispersed to other, less pleasant, locations on the space station. Cora is being trained to use her psychic powers to take part in the Gauntlet which, if she is successful, with prove that humans are the fifth intelligent species. However, she certainly doesn't know if she can trust her trainer who betrayed them in the first book. She is also in danger because most of the Kindred prefer humans to be as they are and not another intelligent species. This book has our heroes in a wide variety of dangerous situations as they plot and scheme to get home to an Earth that the Kindred tell them has been destroyed.

70. Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop (417 p.) -- In this episode, Humans First and Last finally go too far and attract the attention of the Elders. It is up to the few terra indigine who have positive relationships with humans to find a way to keep them all from extinction. Meg and Simon as possibly the most noted relationship, have key roles. Meg is trying to learn how to prophecy without cutting and is trying to use various fortune telling cards. She goes through moments of self-doubt. Simon is trying to decide how many humans he will have to offer shelter to in the Courtyard and how he can sustain them. Meanwhile, HFL is pulling terrorist attacks that culminate in the slaughter of thousands of the wolfgard. This prompts the Elders to make a cleansing, leaving the human remnants to try to rebuild a civilization.

71. The Giant Smugglers by Matt Solomon (288 p.) -- Middle grade adventure about a boy who befriends a giant and has to help him to safety eluding evil scientists and a superhero type mercenary to do so. The story was fast-paced and enjoyable.

72. The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King (357 p.) -- This mystery is centered around Mrs. Hudson's past. It gives her life story, her meeting with Sherlock Holmes, and explores her relationship with him. I really liked the way Mrs. Hudson was portrayed and admired her determination and resiliency.

73. The Underdogs by Sara Hammel (320 p.) -- Great story about two friends investigating the murder of Annabel Harper - a teen beauty and member of the athletic club where the friends hang out. Chelsea tells the story of how she and her friend Evie investigate. Chelsea is adopted after escaping an abusive situation that has left her with physical weaknesses. Evie has recently been dropped off (like an unwanted parcel) by her mother with the father who didn't know she existed. He is a very careless guardian who neglects her, forgets her, and frequently hurts her with his careless comments. Being overweight has added to her issues. I loved the friendship between Evie and Chelsea. I loved how Evie grew and changed during their time together. And I was blown away by the very unexpected twist at the end.

74. Whirlpool by Elizabeth Lowell (431 p.) -- Excellent romantic suspense. A jewelry designer whose father is a spy sends her a Faberge egg and dumps her right into the middle of trouble. Cruz Rowan of Risk, Ltd. is hired to get the egg back. They fall in love and unravel this very twisty plot together.

One more to hit that goal!

75. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins (345 p.) -- Fun story about a budding Southern Belle who develops super powers and finds herself tasked with protecting the boy who has been her nemesis since she was in kindergarten.

Congrats!

76. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (342 p.) -- Adam and Mercy have problems with the fae when they give shelter to a human boy who escaped from Underhill and who has mysterious powers. The fae want to get him back both because Underhill wants him and because they don't understand why he has powers. Adam and Mercy need to satisfy the fae without giving the boy back or starting a war.

77. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (482 p.) -- Nice combination of Regency and magic. Lady Helen Wrexhall, 18 and being presented at court, learns that she has special powers that will let her fight the Deceivers who prey on humans while being disguised as them. She is an orphan being raised by her aunt and uncle after her mother's scandalous death. The last thing she needs is to get involved with the equally scandalous Lord Carlston but he is the only one who can answer her questions about her mother and her own powers. But are they powers Helen wants to have or will she follow her mother's posthumous wishes and rid herself of them?

78. _targeted by Kendra Elliot (352 p.) -- Ava and Mason's next case starts with the murder of Mason's boss and makes Mason a witness who sneaks into the investigation on Ava's coat-tails. Denny's murder is the second of four. All the victims are in law enforcement and all are found wearing masks from horror movies. The teams fights to find a connection between them before the killer strikes again. On the personal front, Ava is in a pretty good place regarding her sister Jayne and she and Mason are planning their wedding. There is still something there that is making it hard for Ava to find a venue and set a date and it isn't until the end of this book that she figures out what it is.

79. Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan (384 p.) -- First in a fantasy series. Julia is a spy and a thief who gets mixed up with enemies well out of her weight class. The story was exciting, the cast of characters interesting and well rounded, and the moral dilemmas Julia encounters were very interesting. She is a young woman who is trying to survive in a very tough situation and who is building her character through a variety of circumstances. I liked the way she grew during the book.

Uprooted was just announced as a finalist for the novel category of the Hugo awards, and deservedly so. I loved the Seven Realms series by Chima (her Heir series less so, too much teen angst) and hope Flamethrower and its sequels are as good. Lots of intriguing reading here.

80. Fan the Flames by Katie Ruggle (352 p.) -- Ian and Rory's romance. She was raised by very paranoid parents and now owns their gun shop. He was raised in a Motorcycle Club and is trying to balance that with being a firefighter. When Rory gets in trouble with the MC, Ian steps in to protect her. Because he steps in, the club president tries to frame him for the murder committed in the first book. I liked the romance between a socially inept heroine and a really hot hero.

81. With Malice by Eileen Cook (32o p.) -- Psychological thriller. Did Jill actually kill her best friend Simone while they were in Italy? Jill doesn't know. She was severely injured in the car accident that took Simone's life. The last six weeks are missing from her memory. Her doctors tell her that she had a traumatic brain injury and might never remember what happened. Her father has hired a lawyer to protect her interests as the Italian police would like to convict her of murder. The Media and the court of public opinion also are convinced she is guilty. Gradually various accounts from people near the case come out but they are mixed with people who said Jill couldn't have done it and others who see her as wicked and jealous and believe she did. Even after finishing the book, I don't know for sure what happened. It was a very compelling read that gave me lots to think about.

82. To Love a Wolf by Paige Tyler (352 p.) -- Paranormal romantic suspense. Landry Cooper is a werewolf and part of the Dallas SWAT. Everly is an artist. They meet during a bank robbery when he saves her life. The attraction is immediate. Landry comes to believe that she is The One. But her disapproving family and someone setting bombs off around Dallas threaten to break up their romance. This was exciting and spicy.

83. The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May (384 p.) -- Middle book in a fascinating fantasy begins with Aileanna imprisoned and being tortured by her enemy Lonnrach. She is rescued by Aithinne and Kiaran and taken back to discover she'd been gone for three years and that the small remnants of humanity are being hunted and harried by the fae. Lonnrach wants something he believes only Aileanna can give him which will allow him to rule Fairie. Aileanna learns more about her origins and her powers and she learns more about he past of the fae that she loves - Kiaran.

84. Written Off by E. J. Copperman (336 p.) -- Fun cozy mystery about an author who character shows up at her door to ask her to help solve a mystery. I loved the inside info on the world of authors. Rachel was a fun character. Duffy Madison was mysterious and intriguing.

85. Steeplejack by A. J. Hartley (336 p.) -- Entertaining fantasy mystery about a young woman who tries to solve the murder of her new apprentice and finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy with far-reaching political consequences. Ang is Lani, the lowest ranked ethnic group in the city. She finds herself working for a member of the highest level and interacting with all groups. The world is richly developed, the characters are well-rounded, and they mystery sufficiently mysterious.

86. Magic & Manners by C. E. Murphy (393 p.) -- Retelling of Pride & Prejudice with magic. Told by second daughter Elsabeth as she relates her sisters' marriages, her own relationship with Mr. Archer, her learning to accept her magic, and the scandal caused by her youngest sister Dina. While the prose was more flowery, and the sentences much longer, than I usually prefer, I did enjoy this one once I got into the rhythm of the writing and became connected to the characters.

87. Autofocus by Lauren Gibaldi (352 p.) -- A girl on a quest to learn more about the birth mother who died after giving her up for adoption learns as much about herself as she does her mother. Maude goes to visit her best friend Treena at college which happens to be where her birth mother lived. She finds that Treena is trying on a new personality and is immersed in a romance and doesn't have time to help her find anyone who knew her mother. Maude meets Bennett who is a study partner of Treena's and the best friend of Treena's love interest and he help Maude in her quest. Maude meets a number of school friends of her mother and gets all sorts of views of her which changes the misty image that Maude had of her mother. This is pretty traumatic for her which isn't helped by Treena's actions. This was a nice story. I liked Maude and Bennett especially.

88. The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig (454 p.) -- Hysterically funny historical romance intertwined with contemporary parts about a historian working on her doctoral dissertation about Regency spies. In the present Eloise is researching at Colin's ancestral home and crushing on Colin. In the past Lady Henrietta and Miles are trying to track down a dastardly French spy and growing from friends into lovers.

89. The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig (454 p.) -- In order to save her sister Mary from disgrace, Letty tries to meet Geoff who is set to elope with Mary. Unfortunately, Letty winds up compromised and married to a man who is in love with her sister. Geoff is also a spy who is on his way to Ireland to stop an Irish revolt and a French invasion. When Letty follows him, the two have to work together which gives them a chance to really get to know each other and fall in love.

90. The Haunting of Falcon House by Eugene Yelchin (308 p.) -- Slightly boring and slightly scary middle grade story taking place in 1891 St. Petersburg, Russia. Prince Lev Levov has come to live with his aunt and learn how to be the owner of Falcon House. But first he has to banish a ghost and end a curse. Steeped in historical detail and complete with footnotes, it was a quick read.

91. Death on the Sapphire by R. J. Koreto (304 p.) -- Lady Frances Ffolkes finds herself in some trouble when she begins to investigate the disappearance of a manuscript written by her late friend Major Danny Colcombe. She and her loyal maid find themselves interacting with the Special Branch, the Secret Service, and other interested parties who all have designs on the manuscript which everyone believes is some kind of an expose about the late Boer War. It's 1906 and Lady Frances is a suffragette, a woman of independent means, and juggling the old expectations of class and privilege with newer, more modern sensibilities. I liked the setting, time period, and thought the mystery was done well.

92. All In (The Naturals) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (378 p.) -- The Naturals are in Las Vegas tracking down a serial killer. This is especially hard for Slaone because the father who has never acknowledged her existence owns one of the casinos that was a murder site. Cassie is also under stress because bones have been found that are probably her missing mother. I love the characters in this series. They have been so damaged by their pasts but are using their gifts to help.

93. Boundary Lines by Melissa F. Olson (304 p.) -- Middle book in trilogy. Lex has to stop a war between the witches and the vampires and defeat a monster snake while learning more about her powers and how to use them.

94. Boundary Born by Melissa F. Olson (290 p.) -- Final book in the Boundary Magic trilogy finds Lex learning more about her powers and the world of magic she inhabits. She learns about her past when she meets her biological father. This one has belladonna attacks, mysterious deaths, and crystal using magicians. It was exciting and fast-paced and I like how Lex is growing into her powers.

95. The Marked Girl by Lindsey Klingele (400 p.) -- This contemporary fantasy begins a series. Liv is a teenage foster child who is eager to make movies. She is filming one in the LA basin when three kids come out of a portal accompanied by an earthquake. They are fleeing their home which has been invaded by wraths. Their only goal is to find a way home. Liv encounters them again a couple of months later when she is rescued from a wrath attack. It turns out that she and the brother and sister who were separated after the death of their parents are the keys to Cedric, Merek, and Kat returning home. While they are fleeing wraths and a human group of knights who are determined to keep Earth safe by killing Liv and all other scrolls, the two become close. This isn't a romance with a future since Cedric is Crown Prince and it is his duty to get home to protect his people and Liv has a life here.

96. The Secret Fire by Whitaker Ringwald (208 p.) -- Conclusion to the Secret Box trilogy finds Jax kidnapped by Ricardo (Epimetheus) who wants Ethan and Tyler to give him the urns of Love and Hope. Ethan and Tyler have to visit Olympus to get the urns and find a way to destroy them. This was filled with action and had great detail. I liked all three main characters who each have chapters from their viewpoint.

97. Veil of Night by Linda Howard (340 p.) -- Fun and intense romantic suspense story about Jaclyn who is an event planner and Eric who is a police detective. When one of Jaclyn's most difficult bridal customers is found killed by being stabbed with kebob skewers, she is the number one suspect. Eric has to prove her innocent and protect her from the real murderer who fears she can identify him. Humor comes from one of the weddings she is planning and Eric's bad luck at encountering robbers two morning in a row when he stops for coffee.

98. Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (371 p.) -- Fantasy that begins a trilogy. Created an interesting world of magic which is shaken up when a former slave becomes the Sorcerer Royal and had to dodge assassination attempts and an attempted coup by his society. Even worse, he suggests that women should be taught magic and has as his example Prunella who is a mysterious orphan with an interesting magical heritage and lots of power.

99. Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg (306 p.) -- Somewhat tedious fantasy about a woman with a gift for baking magic into her pastries who has no memory and must rediscover her past. She is taken captive by a mysterious and maybe insane captor. She sees a ghostly visitor named Fyel who knows her past but can't tell it to her. I thought her secret past was the best part of the book but that getting to it took too long.

100. The Conjurer's Riddle by Andrea Cremer (342 p.) -- Middle book in a trilogy. Charlotte has to guide her friends to New Orleans where they are set to join the Resistance. She learns that everyone wants Grave and no one is concerned with his rights as a human being. She is determined to protect him even from what is supposed to be her own side. She is assisted by the mysterious Linnet who works for Lord Ott and by Meg who was her brother's girlfriend. She also has to juggle two brothers who are both rivals for her affections. Last seen, she was on a pirate ship that just did something really steampunk and took to the air.

Congratulations for passing 100 books already.

Have a lovely weekend. xx

101. Seconds to Live by Melinda Leigh (348 p.) -- Mac is home from South America for his dad's funeral. He outs himself to his family as working for the DEA as well as a wildlife biologist. He had to deal with his complex feelings for his father, the presence of a gang that he was part of when he was using oxy, and his new relationship with Stella Dane. Stella is a police detective working on the murders of two young women that are the results of a serial killer. When Stella's young friend is taken, the rush is on to find the killer.

102. Soldier by Julie Kagawa (380 p.) -- Ember is torn between Riley and Garrett - one dragon and one human. They, along with Mac, are on the run from Talon and the Order of St. George. This gets complicated when they learn that Talon and St. George have sort of teamed up with Talon using St. George to clear out the rogues who oppose Talon. Riley, Ember and Garrett have to find a way to expose the alliance and break it up. Meanwhile, Dante is getting deeper into Talon's evil plans which he supports but not without a couple pangs of conscience.

103. Mortal Fall by Christine Carbo (403 p.) -- Somewhat wordy mystery with an annoying main character. Monty is investigating the death of a wildlife biologist in Glacier National Park when he can get out of his own head. He comes from a very dysfunctional family and is clearly damaged by the experience. He has a disintegrating marriage that just won't end. When the investigation points to the brother who bullied and tortured him as a child, Monty has to revisit the worst parts of his childhood.

104. Dick Francis's Damage by Felix Francis (386 p.) -- Jeff Hinkley investigates a blackmailer who is trying to bring down the BHA which happens to be Jeff's employer. The blackmailer drugs horses, poisons jockeys, sets off fireworks in the middle of a race, and poisons stewards. Jeff has to deal with the politics of his own organization which would prefer to pay the blackmail and keep their troubles out of the newspaper. Jeff also has a sister battling cancer and a live-in relationship with his girlfriend which has him being commitment phobic.

105. Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine (368 p.) -- 2nd book in the Great Library series has the characters from the first book separated into their individual career paths but coming back together to rescue one of their colleagues who was taken by the Library. All of the characters are in danger because those in charge of the Library are ruthless about suppressing any hint of revolution and these people want to change the Library to protect those they love. Lots of action. Great steampunk inventions. And wonderful world building.

106. The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan (592 p.) -- Chunkster epic fantasy which begins a series. Lisanne is a spy and blood-blessed who works for the Ironship Syndicate which controls a product harvested from the blood of drakes and adds skills to those who are genetically able to use them. The Corvantine Empire wants to take over the trade in drakes. The leader of the syndicate is obsessed with finding the mythical white drake which she believes with make her all-powerful. She sends Lisanne spying and recruits untrained blood-blessed thief Clay to travel with an expedition deep into the dangerous part of the content to hunt for the white drake. Meanwhile, Hilemore is serving aboard a navy ship when war breaks out between the protectorate and the empire. Apparently the white drake is not so legendary as it is waking up and sending all the other color drakes and its Spoiled human servants to create havoc with the humans on land or at sea.

>105 kmartin802: Ah, I didn't know that was out. Actually, checking Amazon, I see that it isn't, but thanks for giving me a heads up. I've requested that my library buy it (they have the first, so it's a good chance they will).

107. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (464 p.) -- Dark urban fantasy like Romeo and Juliet without the romance. Kate Harker's father rules one half of Verity and sells protection against the monsters. August Flynn's adopted father rules the other half by fighting the monsters. August is one of the rarest kinds of monsters who longs to be human and fights to be human. The two meet when August is sent to infiltrate Kate's boarding school. The two becomes friends and then need to go on the run when there is an assassination attempt at school. This had a lot to say about what makes someone a monster.