Welcome to the World of Insanity.

Title: Sweet Nightmare Author: Tracy Wolff Series: The Calder Academy #1 Number of Pages: 496 Genre:  Teen & Young Adult Loners & Outcasts Fiction (#8 on the list, didn’t know this is a genre to be honest, I get these from Amazon). Publisher:  Entangled: Teen Date of Publication: May 7, 2024 ISBN: 978-1649377012

Sweet Nightmare is the start of a new series by Tracy Wolff called The Calder Academy. It is a spin off from her Crave Series. I will be honest, I really did not like the Crave Series. I think I either gave it a 1 or 2 stars.

I liked the two characters she said would be in this spinoff but I was a little disappointed in this first book. The two characters (Remy & Izzy) were not really the focus at all and were in the background for most of the book. They were more important towards the end but still felt displaced. No other characters from Crave were even mentioned.

I do like the setting of the storyline and the new characters that were introduced but I felt like the events in this book were a little smooshed together. She had a lot going on and not enough pages to portray it which made some scenes a little confusing and rushed feeling. She also introduced even more characters at the end that added to this problem.

I’ll give book two a shot when it comes out but so far she’s not an author I’d recommend. (No Offense to the die hard Crave fans).

★ ★ ★

Up Next:     -Paws and Claws Series – Argentina Ryder -Broken Things – Lauren Oliver -The Wife Before – Shanora Williams

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 16/75  = 21%

Page Goal: 5040/25k = 20%

Title: Dark Corners Author: Megan Goldin Series: Rachell Krall #2 Number of Pages: 352 Genre: Psychological Thriller Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press Date of Publication: August 8, 2023 ISBN: 978-1250280688

Book two of Goldin’s Rachell Krall series was a good sequel and addition to the series. I didn’t think book one needed a sequel but I did enjoy this story.

Rachell Krall is a podcaster who reports on true crime. In this novel she is brought in by the FBI to assist in keeping a man in jail who they believe is a serial killer. Rachel is dragged into the influencer world and assists with solving murders and disappearances that have been happening in the city in Florida.

The characters in this book were unique and the storyline was constantly moving. It had several different crimes and events that kept you guessing. It also developed Rachel’s character with a love interest and an insight into her life as a podcaster.

It is a good series that I would recommend. I am not sure if she’s going to write a third book but I would definitely read it.

★ ★ ★ ★

Up Next:     -Paws and Claws Series – Argentina Ryder -Sweet Nightmare – Tracy Wolff (Calder Academy #2)

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 13/75  = 17%

Page Goal: 4014/25k = 16%

Title: The Vanishing Author: Jayne Anne Krentz Series: Fogg Lake #1 Number of Pages: 304 Genre: Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense Publisher: Piatkus Books Date of Publication: July 2, 2020 ISBN: 978-0349424408

The library got me again. Went to pick up a book and found this one on the recommended table. The Vanishing is book one of the Fogg Lake series by Jayne Anne Krentz.

The Vanishing book is set around a town that had an event happen and now is constantly foggy. The residents of the town have paranormal things that happen to them, like psychic abilities. The town does not accept visitors or maps and is relatively private. Two friends now live in Seattle after leaving the town and starting their own detective agency. They are quickly pulled back to the city to solve a mystery.

I really liked this book. It was interesting, and easy to read. The characters were likeable. It also ended nicely with no cliffhangers. I was actually surprised that it’s a series. I will put book # 2 onto my TBR but there is no rush on it. I’m interested to see where it goes next. I’m also thankful to the local library system for pulling books that are not as common and recommending them, because I probably would not have found this one if they hadn’t pulled it off the shelf.

★ ★ ★ ★

Up Next:     -Paws and Claws Series – Argentina Ryder -Dark Corners – Megan Goldin (Rachel Krall #2)

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 11/75  = 14%

Page Goal: 3441/25k = 13%

Title: Rise & Fall, Against the Grain, and Catch a Tiger by the Tail Author: Charlie Cochet Series: THIRDS Number of Pages: 368, 296, 290 Genre: LGBTQ Romance Publisher: February 3rd, 2022 Date of Publication: Independent ISBN: B09Q6J6DVR

I finished the second THIRDS collection by Charlie Cochet, books 4-6. This series has been a gem of a find and I highly recommend it. I will not review too much of it as I do not want to give out any spoilers. I would recommend reading this series if you are into MM. It is action packed and the characters are quite loveable.

Book 4, Rise & Fall continues the storyline of the two main characters Dex & Sloan and them figuring out how to work and be in a relationship. It also gets out to their team and family and is a story of personal growth.

Book 5, Against the Grain, and book 6, Catch a Tiger by the Tail feature two sets of couples also on the team and their progression in work and personal life.

Book 6 ends on a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to get the third collection books 7-10 to finish out this series. As I understand it does not continue after 10 but there are spinoff series that I will look into.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Up Next:   -The Vanishing – Jayne Ann Krentz (Fogg Lake #1) -Paws and Claws Series – Argentina Ryder -Dark Corners – Megan Goldin (Rachel Krall #2)

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 10/75  = 13%

Page Goal: 3147/25k = 12%

Title: Requiem Author: John Palisano Series: N/A Number of Pages: 256 Genre: Gothic Fiction Publisher: Flame Tree Press Date of Publication: May 27, 2025 ISBN: 978-1787589544

I made the mistake of judging a book by the cover on this one. Picked up a book at the library and this was featured on a table. Cool cover with sprayed edges. However, Requiem was a disappointment.

I am not typically into anything outer space related, but the storyline seemed interesting. A crew of humans and a robot go up to space to service a giant cemetery. For some reason some famous singer comes with the crew to create a new Requiem that these spirits have to listen to over and over and over. Now you’d think that they’d go insane and attack humans, but that doesn’t happen.

Instead, the storyline is a little confusing and not very well laid out. There’s no character development and it’s a little repetitive. All of a sudden the crew starts to get sick, die, hearing loss, etc., and somehow the main character figures out that there’s an outside entity attacking them. But it’s not like Alien’s it’s more psychological warfare. The storyline finishes rather abruptly by the main girl confronting this thing and making it leave. Then they all go home. H.E.A.

Cool concept but totally fell flat and could’ve been presented better. Wouldn’t recommend. Cool cover though.

★ ★

Up Next:  

-THIRDS #4-6 – Charlie Cochet -The Vanishing – Jayne Ann Krentz (Fogg Lake #1) -Paws and Claws Series – Argentina Ryder

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 9/75  = 12%

Page Goal: 2857/25k = 11%

Title: The Woman Who Lied Author: Claire Douglas Series: N/A Number of Pages: 381 Genre: Psychological Thriller Publisher: Harper Paperbacks   Date of Publication: July 30, 2024 ISBN: 978-0063277465

January’s book for my local mystery book club was The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas.

This book is about an author who writes her final book in her murder mystery series and then starts having someone act out scenes from her book around her, going as far as to mimic the killer in her series. Throughout this book there are several friends, family members, and colleagues in the storyline to keep you guessing until the end.

I liked this one as the storyline was believable and the characters were likeable. The novel was fast paced and kept moving right until the end. I thought the storyline had just enough twist to keep the main characters credible and didn’t have too much of a dramatic ending.

I would recommend this one. I know I have Local Girl Missing by this author also somewhere on my TBR. One day.

★ ★★★

Up Next:  

-THIRDS #4-6 – Charlie Cochet -Requiem – John Palisano -The Vanishing – Jayne Ann Krentz (Fogg Lake #1)

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 5/75  = 6%

Page Goal: 1728/25k = 6%

Title: The Shots You take Author: Rachel Reid Series: N/A Number of Pages: 332 Genre: Gay Fiction Publisher:  Carina Adores Date of Publication: March 4, 2025 ISBN: B0CW1H3HT7

Kind Unlimited recommended The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid after my previous reads. I did not know this is the same author that wrote Heated Rivalry. Please note I have not read that series and have never really been interested in Hockey. I gave this one a shot because I was bored at work and it was random.

This book is about two old hockey players who reconnect about twenty years after they played hockey together. They had feelings for each other back in their 20s but never really developed anything past a sexual relationship. Now they’re in their 40s and trying again.

I honestly can say I didn’t care about this plot. Neither characters were likeable. The storyline was a bit repetitive. It’s like they couldn’t move on from their past mistakes but suddenly, they were okay with it by the end. There wasn’t much build on their actual relationship. It was like…sex, talk about their past mistakes, sex, apologize for their past mistakes… Nothing really happened to build their current lives.

I wouldn’t recommend it compared to other gay stories. I do have the Heated Rivalry series in my TBR. Maybe it’ll be better.    

★ ★★

Up Next:   - The Woman Who Lied – Claire Douglas

-THIRDS #4-6 – Charlie Cochet

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 4/75  = 5%

Page Goal: 1347/25k = 5%

Title: Insurrection Author: Tom Combs Series: Drake Cody #4 Number of Pages: 441 Genre: Terrorism Thriller Publisher: Evoke Publishing Date of Publication: June 11, 2021 ISBN: 978-0990336082

Finished book 4 of Tom Comb’s Drake Cody Emergency Medicine series. This is the last book that was written and will await book 5. This series is written by a retired trauma doctor who lives here in the Twin Cities where I’m from.

The series is about an ER doctor named Drake Cody and his struggles at a level one trauma center. Each book has one dramatic thing that happens that Drake has to try and stop and nearly get in trouble for. Most of these books are a little over the top and not realistic but it makes it fun when it’s fiction you’re reading.

I liked the first two more than these last two but it’s worth a read. They’re short and quick. They always have happy endings and no cliffhangers.  This book was about a terrorist group who took over the hospital. The last book was about an opioid crisis. It’s not for everyone but the medical parts are interesting and educating.

★ ★★★

Up Next:  

- The Shots You Take – Rachel Reid - The Woman Who Lied – Claire Douglas

-THIRDS #4-6 – Charlie Cochet

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 3/75  = 4%

Page Goal: 574/25k = 4%

Title: Hell & High Water, Blood & Thunder, & Rack & Ruin Author: Charlie Cochet Series: THIRDS #1-3 Number of Pages: 356, 304, 270 Genre: LGBTQ+ Romance Publisher: Independent Date of Publication: July 28, 2020 ISBN: 979-8668540693 & 979-8668550500 & 979-8668552597

Next adventure for the LGBT+ Genre is the THIRDS series by Charlie Cochet. This series has 10 books to it, the first set features 1-3 and is full of action and adventure. I was a bit hesitant on this one because it seemed a little too science fiction-like for me. But it isn’t and I appreciate the world building be on earth and the characters are unique.

The first book, Hell & High Water, features the main character Dex and mainly sets the storyline and setting. Dex has upheaved his life due to a court case against an ex-partner, he essentially loses his job and relationship but in this book gains new ones as he dates his partner in the new organization he works for called the THIRDS. This book is action packed and has a lot of comedy. It gives good insight into the main character’s personality. It is fast-paced and entertaining.

The second book, Blood & Thunder, focuses more on Sloane, Dex’s new partner and his past and how it’s coming into his current life. This second book has more action and sets up the new enemies in a story arc for the THIRDS to follow and track. It also encompasses Dex and Sloane’s new relationship and the mistrust and challenges that they are facing.

The third book, Rack & Ruin, is also fast moving and delves deeper into the enemies and their intentions. Other characters’ storylines are developed in this book and helps solidify Sloane and Dex’s storyline.

The third book ended on a cliffhanger, and I will be excited to start the second set this week, books 4-6. I hope that the next books continue to be action packed and the storyline continues to move along. I would like to see more of the comedic side of Dex like the first book had and hope his relationship with Sloane grows.

★ ★★★★

Up Next:  

- The Shots You Take – Rachel Reid - Insurrection – Tom Combs (Drake Cody #4) - The Woman Who Lied – Claire Douglas - THIRDS #4-6 – Charlie Cochet

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 2/75  = 2%

Page Goal: 574/25k = 2%

Not going to lie.... 2025 sucked. 2 family deaths, a job loss, a move.....it just wouldn't stop.

To recap I hit my page goal but not my book goal (69/75). I finished the year out with the ACOTAR series by Sarah J Maas. Which was a mistake. The series was so boring and overhyped it was painful to get through. The books do not "get better" as so many told me. The books are twice as long as they need to be and the characters are not liked.

Title: Dark Celebration Author: Christine Feehan Series: Dark #17 Number of Pages: 298 Genre: Paranormal Romance Publisher: Piatkus Books Date of Publication: October 4, 2007   ISBN: 978-0749938468

I honestly put this series on the back burner because the first 16 books were extremely repetitive. I thought book 17 would be better as it’s considered a “Christmas Special” but yet again I was highly disappointed.

Dark Celebration is book 17 of Christine Feehan’s Dark Series. It is marketed as a Christmas story where all the characters from the first 16 books all meet together in the mountains for the first time to celebrate the holidays.

The only thing is this book totally flopped. 19 chapters and it took to chapter 18 to actually get to this Christmas Celebration and honestly 18 + 19 were more about a villain trying to take them out and a character having a baby.

There was a lot of room for opportunity with this one and it just fell flat. Each chapter reintroduced a couple from the previous books and it was highly repetitive. The males all overbearing and going on about how their species is having issues reproducing. Over and over again.

I will give this one some time before going on to book 18 because this series just keeps on going….

★ ★

Up Next:  

- ACOTAR – Sarah J Maas - A Death in White Bear Lake – Barry Seigel - Date with Death – Julia Chapmans (Dales Detectives #1)

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 54/75  = 72%

Page Goal: 19.2/20k = 97%

Title: The Lying Game Author: Ruth Ware Series: N/A Number of Pages: 370 Genre: Psychological Thrillers Publisher: Gallery Books Date of Publication:  March 16, 2018 ISBN: 978-1501156205

My local mystery book club had us read The Lying Game for November. This is the third Ruth Ware book that I have read, but not my favorite.

The concept of the book was that there’s four girls in school who have a point system for how well they can lie to others and make it stick. They end up covering the death of a parent and main storyline is the four girls now as adults and now determining what they’re going to do now that the body has been found.

Ruth Ware has a smooth writing style and can keep the reader entertained. However, this storyline took so long for her to setup that the main concept of “the lying game” ended up getting lost by the end of the novel.

The ending was slightly predictable and most of the characters in the book were not likeable. It was hard to sympathize with the girls and really care about the murder and the ending.

I would recommend It Girl by Ruth Ware before this one.

★ ★ ★

Up Next:  

- ACOTAR – Sarah J Maas

-A Dark Celebration (Dark #17) – Christine Feehan - A Death in White Bear Lake – Barry Seigel

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 53/75  = 70.6%

Page Goal: 19.2/20k = 96.4%

Title: Murder at Sunrise Lake Author: Christine Feehan Series: Sunrise Lake #1 Number of Pages: 416 Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: Berkley Date of Publication:  June 29, 2021 ISBN: 978-0593333143

Christine Feehan is most notable for her Dark Series which is a paranormal romance series. I am currently on book 17 of this series, and like her writing style. When she came out with the Sunrise Lake series, I bought the first book to give it a shot. Murder at Sunrise Lake has been chilling on my shelf for four years I will admit, and I finally got around to it.

Murder at Sunrise Lake is about a woman who owns a resort off of a lake and she has dreams of a serial killer murdering people around her. She and the assistance of her dog and boyfriend work to solve the crimes as she has these dreams.

I liked the characters in the book as Feehan does a good job at making them unique. The book was really easy to read and flowed well. The characters were all human, which was not what I was expecting coming from her other books.

I thought the book was drawn out and predictable by the end. I am not sure how she made this one into a series, it probably could’ve been left as a standalone, but I will give the second one a shot.

★ ★ ★ ★

Up Next:  

 -The Lying Game – Ruth Ware - A Death in White Bear Lake – Barry Seigel

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 51/75  = 68%

Page Goal: 18.4/20k = 92%

Sorry guys, had a bit of a break. I did not stop reading, I just did not have the mental capacity to get on and post reviews.

Over the summer I lost my 17 year old cat, Felix. I moved for the first time in 11 years. And in 4 days time I will lose my job and be unemployed and on the job hunt for the first time ever.

The struggle has been real but I hope to try and finish the year off strong.

So far a little behind on my book goal, but going to make a push.

Title: Amber Alert Author: Patrick Logan Series: Chase Adams FBI #4 Number of Pages: 255 Genre: Hard-Boiled Mystery & Police Procedurals Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Date of Publication:  July 31, 2018 ISBN: 978-1724627575

Patrick Logan’s Chase Adams FBI series was another series that I started reading in my local mystery book club. Book one we read about three years back. His books are super easy to read, a little unrealistic, but really action packed and fast reads which is why I like them.

The series revolves around a drug addicted FBI agent who is constantly looking for her sister who went missing when she’s younger. In the mix of being addicted and trying to find her sister she is finding herself in dramatic situations where she hangs on to the few people who still care about her and help her solve the cases.

In this book she is attempting to find a group of missing girls who are kidnapped and Chase believes it’s by the same group who took her sister. Her therapist and partner do not believe her and want to get her into rehab, however her partner has drug secrets of his own that are revealed, and Chase turns out to be right about the connection.

If you can get past the unreliable characters and the unrealistic storyline’s you can really enjoy the quick pace of this series. I will look forward to what happens next in book 4.5 based off of the sister.

★ ★ ★ ★

Up Next:  

 -Pine Cove Series #5-7 by HJ Welch - Hunting Adeline (Cat & Mouse Duet #2) – HD Carlton - Iron Flame (Empyrean #2) – Rebecca Yarros

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 21/75  = 28%

Page Goal: 7.3/20k = 36.8%

Title: First Lie Wins Author: Ashley Elston Series: N/A Number of Pages: 340 Genre: Suspense Thrillers Publisher: Penguin Books Date of Publication:  January 28, 2025 ISBN: 978-0593492932

This was chosen in my local mystery book club as April’s read for this year. I honestly am still trying to figure out why. No murder and no mystery. First Lie Wins is about a woman who lives with her fiancé and works for a shady guy she doesn’t know doing odd and illegal activities, mainly theft. She is on her current assignment with her fiancé when she pieces out who her boss is and how to take him down…sort of.

Overall this story was okay because it was an easy read and the writing style was simplistic. The main character is okay and the characters are likeable. In the end this book wasn’t a murder mystery more like a mystery of who’s behind the mask. I think it was a little overrated and wasn’t worth all the recommendations it got.

Majority of the book is going backwards in times, going over the different identities and jobs that the main character has had with the current employer. The flashbacks were designed to help you learn the characters, explain how she got to where she is, and help you figure out who the boss is. However I found it took away too much from the main storyline in present time. It was too much of the past. Maybe 1-2 past jobs would’ve been fine but it ended up being 4-5 and currently overpowered the present storyline. It took away the main goal of the storyline so by the time you got there, you really didn’t care. The ending was also thrown together like an afterthought. ★★★  Okay to skip

Up Next:  

 -Pine Cove Series #5-7 by HJ Welch - Amber Alert (FBI Chase Adams #4) – Patrick Logan

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 20/75  = 26.6%

Page Goal: 7.1/20k = 35.5%

Title: Safe Harbor (1), Troubled Waters (2), Homeward Bound (3), Bright Horizons (4) Author: HJ Welch Series: Pine Cove Number of Pages: 298, 282, 342, 366 Genre: LGBTQ+ Romance Publisher: Helen Juliet (1), Independently Published (2-4) Date of Publication:  May 17, 2019 & August 13, 2019 & September 16, 2019 & December 15, 2019 ISBN: 978-1916027244 & ‎ 978-1686181337 & 978-1693575129 & 978-1671854680

I had been listening to a lot of KC Wells’s books on Audible and HJ Welch came up in my recommendation. This is the first series I have read by them. So far I have read four books and they are okay, the writing is a little amateur and I do not like some of the characters. I will finish it out but will probably choose a different author for this genre next.

Book one of the Pine Cove series is called Safe Harbor. It follows the cliché of a gay guy named Robin who has a room open in his apartment and rents it to a guy who he thinks is straight. In the end Dair accompanies him to a high school reunion where he will run into his ex and Dair will be the model fake boyfriend. A trope that has been done before so I was not too impressed with the storyline. These two are at least likeable and the storyline was entertaining.

Book two of the Pine Cove series, Troubled Waters, was probably my least favorite of the four I’ve read so far. Unfortunately I did not like the characters. Scout and Emery have a hookup in a bathroom of a bar and then end up getting stuck with each other as Emery needs a body guard and Scout gets hired. Scout to me, was not a strong character, and for some reason seems enamored by Emery right away. Emery is probably the most annoying gay character I’ve ever read and thinks he’s some sort of gay influencer online. The storyline was a little over the top as he somehow has a group of gay haters attacking him, breaking into his house, bombing him, kidnapping him….very unrealistic. There seems to be no character development between the two and the romance was subpar. Wouldn’t recommend.

Book three of the Pine Cove series, Homeward Bound, was my favorite so far. I actually liked the characters and thought the storyline was alright. Micha gets in a spot of troubled with the law and ends up needing to return home. He reunites with his childhood friend and crush, Swift, and together they overcome Micha’s past as it attempts to catch up with him. Swift is strongly family oriented and has a child that Micha helps raise. The development between the two progresses nicely and the storyline never tired.

Book four of the Pine Cove series, Bright Horizons, was a yikes. This so far has been my least favorite, and I really didn’t care for book two. Honestly this book felt more like a standalone or spinoff to the Pine Cove series. The two characters were not really tied to the original Pine Cove characters, more like mentioned in the first three books briefly. The book itself was not even based in Pine Cove. It starts in Pine Cove and then they go to London for the entirety of the book. Because of the two characters not really having ties to the rest, it didn’t connect well with the series. The storyline was okay, Ben inherits a giant amount of money and estate in the UK and somehow has a lawyer regular at his coffee shop that’s willing to up and leave his job for two weeks with no notice to go to Britain…(laughable, you can tell the author isn’t American, because realistically we can’t just do that.) Ben isn’t really a strong character and is easy to run over so he has issues coping with his new family and power. The character development between him and the lawyer, Elias, is pretty much nonexistent…Welch can leave these two in Britain behind. I hope book 5 goes back to Pine Cove….

★★★ Alright for a quick listen on Audible if you’re bored.

Up Next:  

 -Pine Cove Series #5-7 by HJ Welch - First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

Yearly Goal Markers:

Book Goal: 19/75  = 25.3%

Page Goal: 6.7/20k = 33.8%