Summer Reading: Part 3

Well, school starts Thursday and my official summer reading is over.  I didn't read as much as I wanted to but I was able to read seven books and am in the middle of two more.  I'm pretty satisfied with that.  I am looking forward to listening to audiobooks more often since my commute to and from work will begin again.  

So, the last two books of summer were:

  

The Murder of Mary Russell is I believe the 14th book in the Mary Russell Mystery series.  I love them all.  Mary Russell is the young wife of Sherlock Holmes.  She is the main investigator and heroine while he is her partner.  The books are almost all from Mary's point of view and she is a delightful narrator.  In this book, Mrs. Hudson comes home to find blood and disarray and she fears the worst.  No one can find Mary and the scene is grim.  I was quite worried that this would be the final book in series but I found that much of the story focused on the back story of Mrs. Hudson and how she came to be in the employment of Holmes.  It was so interesting and well written.  It wove in perfectly with the disappearance of Mary.  I will not spoil the story but I can say that I was riveted from beginning to end, not because of any intense amount of action of emotion, but because Laurie R. King's stories are so engaging.  I certainly hope this isn't the last of this series.

I am also lucky enough to be on the Penny Reid "Always ARC" e-mail list.  I adore her Knitting in the City series and have read every book without shame.  I always make sure to give myself a few hours when I start a new one because I know I will want to finish it in one sitting.  Grin and Beard It was no exception.  One thing I especially loved was that the main character of Sienna was not your usual skinny model type.  She was a size 14 and proud of it.  Jethro loved each and every curve and he was as hot, if not hotter than the other Winston brothers we have met along the way.  The plot revolved around Sienna, who is a writer and movie star, falling for Jethro, who is a quiet park ranger with a shady past.  It was nice to watch their romance build and how they overcame the obstacles in their way in order to be together.  The Winston brothers were also present in all their glory and we added a few more characters I would love to see again, like Dave, who was Sienna's bodyguard.

Yes, this was another great story from Penny Reid.  She continues to satisfy and be almost the only contemporary romance author I read.  Can't wait for the next one!