(Book #4 in series. Suggest starting at Book #1 The Trials of Morrigan Crow)

Morrigan discovers she has family in the exclusive Silver District and finds herself whisked away from her home and living the life of the idle rich. But while attending a wedding the newly married groom is found murdered and she realises there is something very off in the Silver District.

As she investigates she learns things that will completely tear the Silver District apart.

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I hesitate. That which must not be spoken. I can’t help but think refugees of the Harry Potter series will enjoy the Nevermoor series. It’s a magical fantasy mystery series and while I’ve occasionally struggled with it, it is a lot of fun. This book did meander a little at first but it had a 5 Star ending.

13 years earlier Noelle Marshall survived the brutal attack that killed her husband. As a high profile and well connected politician his murder was investigated by the FBI but because Noelle only had patchy memories of the attack the investigation went nowhere. 

After the death, one of the investigating agents encouraged Noelle to pursue a career in law enforcement and following that path led her to becoming a detective with the Oregon State Police. 

But after 13 years the FBI are taking another look at the murder of her husband to see if anything shakes loose. 

And something has. Noelle has said or done something that has made the killer start to suspect her memories are returning but she has no idea what that is. Now with the help of the two FBI Agents she must dig up the truth of her husbands murder before the murderer silences her forever. 

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Noelle Marshall has been floating in the background of Kendra Elliot’s Columbia River series for a few books now. She has become a fan favorite and finally she is getting her own series. And she doesn’t disappoint. Her First Mistake is much more cerebral than previous books but it is tight, gripping and an edge of your seat thrill ride.

Mystery

When Claire returns home from work she discovers her parents, lying in bed, murdered. While investigating the murder Bree Taggert uncovers family secrets and a shocking motive. 

Every now and then an author stumbles upon the magic sauce that makes a series great. Robyn Carr found it with Virgin River, Patricia Briggs with Mercy Thompson and Kendra Elliot nailed it with Mercy Kilpatrick. Bree Taggert is kind of like that. Melinda Leigh’s other series’ were good, even great, but Bree Taggert got everything right. 

And when you hit that sweet spot there is a lot of pressure to keep going. Robyn Carr kept going with Virgin River way past its best before date. I wonder if Patricia Briggs is also approaching that point with Mercy Thompson. And in some ways this book feels like that. It’s good. Every bit as good as some of her other books, but it also feels like maybe the series has run its course and maybe it’s time to explore new ideas. 

Overall, this book was good but not great. But there were opportunities in this book which were not explored and I hope Melinda Leigh planted those seeds to be explored in her next project. 

YA / Fantasy

Leovander Loveage is a bit of a failure as a scryer. While other sorcerers are writing powerful and complex spells he is stuck writing small magic. His exact opposite is the intensely serious Sebastian Grimm. He is a magical prodigy…and they hate each other.

Until they are forced to partner in class. Leovander hands Grimm a spell to cast on him but the small magic he thought was being cast was somehow mixed up with a powerful curse. And they must somehow put aside their differences to break the curse.

I try to not compare books but I’m going to here. Sorcery & Small Magics gave me some of the same feelings as Darkwood by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch. Honestly that’s about the highest praise I can think of. I loved this book and I’m excited for the series to continue.

Urban Fantasy

This is book 8 in the Amber Farrell / Bite Back series. To start at the beginning read the novella Raw Deal or Book 1, Sleight of Hand.

The first four of five books in the series were very much about discovery. Amber Farrell who is vampire, werewolf and witch was learning who she was. All the while battling the bad guys and each supernatural community where she was considered an abomination.

The more recent books have been about joining her separate parts, I guess “becoming” is a good word. And the last couple of books, Queen of Diamonds and Snake Eyes (essentially one book broken into two parts) seem to me to be her arriving at who she is.

This series is honestly one of the best. If you look at the books I read, you’ll notice 90% plus are written by women. Mark Henwick is one of a handful of male authors I read and reread. I’ve probably read most of the books in this series a dozen times. So if you love Urban Fantasy, do yourself a favour. Read Amber Farrell.

Columbia River Book 6

A retired detective is tortured and murdered and his daughter has disappeared. Detective Evan Bolton catches the case and discovers he was investigating closed cases. As he investigates. he realises that the killer may have turned his attention to him.

Kendra Elliot writes edge of your seat crime fiction. I fell in love with her stories with the Mercy Kilpatrick series and the Columbia River series delivers more of the same. And with characters who have been on the periphery scheduled to take centre stage, it looks like I will be enjoying the series for a few years to come.

Contemporary Romance

Many years before Desmond ghosted Ava. He completely disappeared and despite her sadness she managed to get on with her life. But after 10 years he has come crashing back into her life.

Desmond is a thief. In the Robin Hood sense of the word. He only steals from those who deserve it and he makes sure the people who have been wronged get their due. He returns to Chicago to steal from a very bad person. This bad person has set his sights on Ava. Desmond has no intention of letting that stand.

Bananapants is funny, cute and heartwarming contemporary romance. Lady Heather on Goodreads said it best “heartbreaking and heartwarming”. Honestly Penny Reid is brilliant. She writes the very best contemporary romance and it’s proper contemporary romance ––– and she also surprises me. Every single time. Five Stars.

Mirrored Heavens is the conclusion of the series and should only be read after you have read book 1, Black Sun and book 2, Fevered Star.

Mystery

While trekking the backcountry, Ollie stumbles upon a woman and a crime scene. The husband is missing but blood points to a violent struggle. Mercy and Truman investigate and it quickly becomes apparent the case is linked to a 20 year mystery — three missing teenagers, one murder victim and one who miraculously survived despite having his throat cut. 

The Columbia River series is very much an expansion of Mercy Kilpatrick. New characters are introduced who will appear in future stories while old characters continue to show up. Honestly, there aren’t many books I read and reread but I will revisit these stories again. When the audiobook comes out I will buy it. 

For lovers of crime fiction there are not too many who do it better than Kendra Elliot. 5 Stars.