Sit! Stay! Speak!

Due to the cover and the story having a dog as a main part of the story I have been putting off sit! stay! speak! since it reminds me too much of my dog I had to put down earlier this year. Thankfully it did not get to me since Felix did not play as big a role as I thought he would.

Addie has inherited her Aunt's house and it eager for a change of pace since her life has been a bit depressing lately. Going for a walk along the river she finds a bag with a badly injured dog inside. Frantic to save the dogs life she rushes him to the vet and decides to adopt the dog when the vet informs her that the human society will tell him to put the dog down.

I am fairly sure this is a debut novel since the writing lacked a polished finish. Transitions were bad and nonexistent. It took a lot of focus to read the story since it jumped around with no notice at all. Also I did not realize the genre of the book until the last couple of chapters which is not the best way to write a story. Addie was totally clueless and everyone wanted to protect her which drove me crazy, she needed to learn to protect herself in some ways. While the part about Addie's bond with Felix was cute I will not seek out this type of story again.

If You've Got It, Haunt It

I was really wanting a nice cozy mystery so I choose If You've Got It, Flaunt It from the library homepage a few nights ago. It was an alright read, I prefer cozy mysteries that have a food focus instead of clothing focus.

Cookie was a fun character though I would have loved to learn why a ghost was choosing to haunt her. That was never explained but it might be later in the series. Just looking for some good deals on clothes for her vintage clothing shop Cookie got more then she bargained for when she picked up a ghost a rummage sale. Not wanting anything to do with Charlotte the recently murdered real estate agent Cookie does her best to ignore her which does not work. Things get more chaotic when a lovely white cat decides its new favorite spot is in Cookie's clothing shop.

For once it was nice to read about a believable main character in a cozy mystery, instead of being eager to solve the murder Cookie just wants to be left alone. In no way shape or form does Cookie want to snoop, ask people questions, search for clues, or even talk to Charlotte. Even though it was not my preferred style I liked If You've Got It, Haunt It enough to download the second book in the series last night.

Scourged

Scourged is the ninth and final book in the Iron Druid series. I am glad I waited to start the Iron Druid after the whole series was released, I prefer to read long series all at once so I do not forget anything. Sadly I did not care for Scourged or for the overall ending of the series.

Atticus knows Loki is coming and most likely coming for him. Out of time and places to run Attiucs starts helping prepare for the battle to determine the fate of the world. Wanting to keep the world safe, his apprentice, archdruid, and all the young druid apprentices Atticus works on calling in favors and balancing things out as well as he can.

I never liked Granuaile, she drove me crazy with her desire for vengeance and ability to not make diplomatic mistakes unlike Atticus who made them every time he opened his mouth. 

I did like Owen and wished it would have touched on Atticus training to be a druid in his memories more since it sounded like lots of stories happened. 

Kevin Hearne did mention writing about the young apprentices possibly but I do not think I will pursue that since I did not care for the overall ending of the series. I am a bit burnt out on fantasy due to the Iron Druid so I intend to find a light hearted read just to relax with. 

The Hideaway

The Hideaway was in a large box of books a friend passed one to me. I loved the inviting cover and the idea that an overworked woman would rediscover her childhood roots.

With the death of her grandmother Sara inherits an old house that use to be a grand bed and breakfast. Torn from her life in New Orleans where she runs a posh furniture shop Sara returns home to fulfill her grandmother's dying wish restore the old house. Reluctantly Sara starts to work on the house and as the layers of paint are peeled back she beings to fall in love with the house and becomes unsure what to do about her life's direction.

The Hideaway was a believable, every day life story. Sara was a normal person struggling to figure out her life and thinking she had it all until a wrench was thrown into things. The writing was average and the story did drag at points. Not the normal type of book I would have chosen to read but it was nice for a light moment or two to read a few pages.


Personal Note
Last year something went wrong with my right hand and affected the ability to move my fingers. After several months doctors provided the rare diagnosis of a nerve disease that I have been actively doing physical therapy to reverse. It is slow going and due to that my left hand has been making up for my right hand which caused my left hand to become sprained and thus with limited use of both hands I had to slow down on my reading since holding a book open was not working well. Thankfully my left hand is now fully recovered so I should be able to go back to reading a bit more.