REVIEW: Dungeon Crawler Carl

 Dungeon Crawler Carl
Author: Matt Dinniman

A friend recommended this LitRPG series to me, and I had no idea when I started the first audio book that I was going to end up binging most of the series back to back. Love these books! Jeff Hays is a talented narrator who brings the characters and entertaining plot to life. He has rapidly risen the top of my favorite narrators list! So talented!!

The basics:  Carl is minding his own business and actively trying to lure his ex's spoiled cat back into the house when everything crashes down around him...literally. Aliens invade earth and smash every structure to pancake piles of rubble in seconds. Portals open....those who survived can choose to stay on Earth's surface and die, or venture into the dungeon and become part of the most watched reality television show in the galaxy. 18 floors of monsters, dangerous games, traps and tricks. The surviving humans have to navigate each floor and find a staircase down to the next level before time runs out and the floor collapses. 

Carl and his sidekick cat Princess Donut don't have anything to lose....so they learn to fight and survive. 

The audio book is 13.5 hours long and Jeff Hays does a phenomenal job of voice acting! The voices he does for each character are perfect. 

This is the first series by Matt Dinniman that I've read/listened to. I'm definitely reading more! I love the mix of fantasy with a gaming/RPG twist and humor. So fun to listen to! 

REVIEW: Dead Silence

 Dead Silence
Author: S.A. Barnes

The front cover of this book is what grabbed me and reeled me in....I had to read this story! I love Sci-Fi horror. Space is mesmerizing, exciting.....and scary. Beautiful and completely inhospitable for human life. Great set up for horror! 

Clarie is the lead technician for a Salvage Crew. But won't be for long....they are being replaced by machines. Made redundant. The last beacon. The last mission. Then...the crew picks up a strange signal and finds a ghost ship. This discovery might just be the last everything for her crew....

I started out reading a digital arc of this book....and loving every word of it! I became engaged with the characters and the story immediately.  Work and adulting kept me from finishing before release day, so I snatched up the audio book and started the story over again. There's just something about having a horror story read to me that makes the tale even more suspenseful! 

The audio is narrated by Lauren Ezzo and runs nearly 13 hours. Ezzo reads at a nice pace and does a superb job of voice acting. She really brought the story to life!

This is the first book by S.A. Barnes that I've read. She also publishes under the name Stacey Kade (YA and romance genres). I can't wait to read the next horror novel she publishes! 

**I voluntarily read a digital arc of this book from Macmillan/Tor-Forge, and also purchased the audio book (Macmillan Audio) because I loved the story! All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Circus of Wonders

 Circus of Wonders
Author: Elizabeth Macneal

I enjoyed Elizabeth Macneal's debut novel, The Doll Factory. When I read the blurb for this new book, I knew immediately that I just had to read it!  

Nell is 19. She's different...birthmarks cover her body, making her a focal point for local villagers' jeers and superstitions. Then the Circus of Wonders comes to town and Nell is sold by her father to the circus. As her fame grows, her life takes a path she never could have imagined.

This story is just a whirlwind of emotion -- both sadness and elation. At times it was hard to keep reading because Nell went through so much....but I just couldn't put the book down. The story is engaging and very emotional. Loved it! 

I can't wait to see what this talented author comes up with next! I'm definitely eagerly awaiting her next book!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Atria books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

REVIEW: The Deepest of Secrets

 The Deepest of Secrets
Author: Kelley Armstrong

The Rockton series is one of my favorites! I love the setting, the characters and just the premise itself....a town hidden in the Canadian wilderness where people in trouble go to disappear for awhile. It makes for great suspense novels! 

The Deepest of Secrets is the 7th book in the series. This time, the residents of Rockton are on edge. Every one of them came to the hidden town to hide out and keep their past secrets private But someone is revealing information and the threat of exposure causes the residents to start turning on each other. Soon the situation escalates from gossip to violence. Can Detective Casey Duncan find out who is behind it all before things spiral completely out of control?

This story starts off at a slow burn....with the plot developing over the first half of the book. And then it just really takes off. I was hooked on each word. After 7 books I'm invested in these characters and what happens to them.....so I totally binge read this one! I enjoy Casey and her lover Eric Dalton (Rockton's sheriff) as main characters. They work well together to keep things safe in Rockton, and I just like the characters in general. They've been through a lot in seven books! 

I read somewhere that this might be the last book....I hope not! I'm definitely in line for the next book if there is one...love this series! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St Martins Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library

 Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library
Author: Holly Danvers

Rain Wilmot just wants to coast through winter in Wisconsin working at the Lofty Pines library. Local winter festivities like the annual ice fishing tourney and chili cookoff are ruined though when a local is found dead in his ice shanty. Rain goes fishing for clues to catch a killer and prevent the wrong man from being arrested.

I loved this winter themed cozy! I wish the Lofty Pines library was a real place -- the idea of a log cabin library just sounds so cozy, relaxing and inviting!!! I grew up in the Midwest, but have lived in NC for 20 years, so the winter theme was enjoyable as well. Haven't gone through a "real'' winter in a long, long time. Here in NC they call off school for any amount of snow -- two flakes....no school. It snows once or twice per season and then only a small amount. And it hardly ever gets below 20 degrees. I kinda miss those "real'' winters sometimes....this book made me feel nostalgic for snow measured in feet, ice creeping in the back door, and being snowed in. :) 

I enjoy this series. The setting is fun. The characters are hometown-y and engaging. And, there is plenty of amateur sleuthing....plus....log cabin library! :) 

I'm definitely onboard for the next book! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Caramel Pecan Roll Murder

 Caramel Pecan Roll Murder
Author: Joanne Fluke

I've been reading the Hannah Swenson mystery series for more than 20 years now. I eagerly look forward to each new book! And I will continue reading this series until it ends. :) Caramel Pecan Roll Murder is the 29th book in the series...so I'm nothing if not a loyal reader!

This time around Lake Eden is hosting a fishing contest at the lake, sponsored by the owner of chain of famous sportsman's shops. A well-known television personality is there to host the event. Sonny is a looker, but pretty much a jerk...and a fake. Hannah takes a bit of a break from The Cookie Jar to help the local Inn during the competition. Things are going swimmingly at the event until Hannah and Norman spot a dead body. Suddenly Hannah is not just cooking desserts for the Inn.....she's also fishing for clues! 

Another great story in this long-running series. I always look forward to revisiting my favorite characters from Lake Eden, MN! Loved every word of this new book! And, as always, I'm looking forward to the next book! 

Yummy recipes in this newest book! The recipes are a varied mix of sweet and savory dishes. There are definitely a few I'm going to try! Yum! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this new book from Kensington Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** 

REVIEW: A Plus One for Murder

 A Plus One For Murder
Author: Laura Bradford

A promising start to a new cozy mystery series! I enjoyed this book because the plot was a bit different than other cozies I've read recently and the characters were fun! The basics: Emma Westlake has hit a bit of a bump in her life plan and decides to regroup. She starts a new career as a paid companion. If someone needs a Plus-One, Emma's right there to help out. She starts being called on do a bit of everything....from work out partner to enthusiastic friend at an open mic night. Everything is going great....until one of her clients drops dead. Suddenly Emma has to add amateur detective to her growing list of skills.  Can she find the killer before she's the number one suspect?

I definitely enjoyed this book. The mystery moved along at a nice pace with plenty of sleuthing and suspects. Laura Bradford's books are always well-written and enjoyable. I'm definitely eagerly awaiting the next book in this new series!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**