"Terrier Transgressions" by Molly Fitz

After working together to solve the question of who had murdered Octo-Cat's human, (Ethel), Angie became his caretaker. 

Now, a new associate has come to join the firm where Angie works as a paralegal. After accidentally discovering that she can talk to and understand what her cat is saying, Charles convinces them to help him prove the innocence of the man accused of murdering two people. He hopes that she and Octo-Cat can talk to the dead couple's yorkie to learn what really happened.

This is the second book in the Pet Whisperer P.I. series, and I am enjoying it so far. Ms. Fitz has given us a well-written tale that very easily holds a reader's interest. Anyone who has ever been owned by a cat will easily recognize and understand that we belong as much, if not more, to them than they do to us. 

I enjoyed watching the interactions between all the characters, but especially those between Angie and Octo-Cat as well as their interactions with Yum-Yum the Yorkie. The author has an excellent understanding of cat and dog behaviors as well as their good and bad tendencies/impulses. 

It is that understanding and the author's ability to effectively portray it that makes this book so interesting and enjoyable. I believe that anyone who has ever been owned by a cat or who has had a small dog in their family will find this book as interesting and entertaining as I did. I would definitely recommend giving this series a try.

"Configured" by Jenetta Penner

 Avlyn was preparing for her configuration day. She had spent most of her life just trying to appear average, trying not to stand out. She has never truly fit in with most other people, not even with the couple who had raised her since the time she was determined to be of a level 2 intelligence, rather than the level 1 family she had been born into.

I found this to be an interesting story to read given that our world appears to be in the middle of a pandemic that has the potential to cause as much devastation as the one referred to as having happened in this story's history.

I can easily see many of the things that happened in this book becoming possible if our path were to follow a similar direction and found it quite reasonable for the characters to make the choices they did throughout the story and enjoyed seeing where those choices led them. And I am very much looking forward to seeing where the author will take us in book 2 in this series. This is definitely a good choice for anyone who enjoys reading dystopian fiction.

"Pregnant Mail Order Bride and her Troubled Rancher" by Florence Linnington

Annabelle's abusive husband had died, leaving her penniless and prey for other predatory men like he had been. There was only one real option open to her… she became a mail order bride.

Brett was a rancher with a troubled past, who desperately needed help with cooking, cleaning, and all the other household chores that he just didn't have time for and wasn't very good at doing anyway. He needed help, and a mail order bride seemed the most practical solution.

I have always enjoyed Ms. Linnington's mail order bride stories. While much of the basic story lines are similar between the different books, her tales are full of many variations in the subplots and are always enjoyable, fun to read, and entertaining.

Her stories are heartwarming tales of how good things can come about no matter the adversity that the characters must face and overcome before they are able to find their happy ending together. Knowing that there will likely be a happy ending is one of the things that I, personally, enjoy the most about this series.

I believe that anyone who also enjoys a good mail order bride tale with an expected happy ending, as I do, will also enjoy this one.

"Phage: Deluge Book Two," by Kevin Partner and Mike Kraus

Those who have survived the flooding and the hardships that come with surviving in a world that seems to have become mostly lawless, need to decide what they will do next. Some are merely struggling to survive their new reality, while others are searching desperately for missing family members and hoping that they are still alive somewhere.

But there is a new difficulty that must also be faced, a mysterious illness is hitting almost everyone, some more strongly than others, and if they can't figure out what is causing it as well as finding a cure, very few may wind up surviving this plague.

Like the first book in this series, I enjoyed reading this one. The authors have done a fantastic job of creating and drawing us into a world where almost everything that can go wrong, has, and yet there are still hopes for survival and hope for the future. 

The book was well written & kept me wanting to find out what would happen next. Be warned though, like the last book, this one ends with a good number of questions still needing answers. And for that, the reader will need to continue on to book 3…. as I intend to do. (Yes, I am hooked and feel a need to see what happens next.)

If you enjoyed Book 1, I think you will also enjoy this book as well. I'd recommend giving it a try.

"War Girl Ursula" by Marion Kummerow

 Living in Berlin during WWII was definitely not easy. Ursula Klausen had been planning to marry her fiance Andreas Hermann, but had hoped that he would be at the wedding with her. Unfortunately, with him not able to be granted leave from the Front, the two of them were married in absentia, so that if the worst were to happen, Ursula would still be entitled to a widow's benefits.

I found this to be a fascinating story. I have read other WWII novels before, but not many that take place in Germany with Hitler in power and from the German’s perspective. It provided quite a different point of view than I was used to seeing in regards to a war that is being experienced by the women and families who are left at home during the bombing raids and the other problems that must be faced every day.

This book was very well written. I truly enjoyed seeing the way the characters grew and progressed during their lives in a war-torn country where everyone is always suspicious of everyone around them. 

I would definitely recommend giving this book a chance if you are at all curious about what life was like for the women living in Germany during WWII. It gave a very unique perspective without falling into a stereotypical feeling that simply one side or the other was bad, but rather let us see how those living through it at the time may have seen things. It left me curious enough to want to continue on with reading the other books in this series.

"Good Sam" by Dete Meserve

Kate Bradley is a news reporter who is usually assigned to the disaster stories and other tales of misfortune. It is not the type of assignment that brings a reporter much in the way of notice or fame, but it is something she seems to be good at reporting.

But everything changes when she is assigned to follow the story of an anonymous Good Samaritan who has been leaving large amounts of cash for people who desperately need the help, but without any sort of reason given or seeking any word of thanks or acknowledgement for his good deeds.  And soon other random people seem to be following Good Sam's example and quietly helping others around them in whatever small ways that they can.

I enjoyed reading this book a great deal. Though the main character often questions whether or not "Good Sam"  has ulterior motives for his actions, she seeks out the truth as to who Good Sam is and why he is giving away such large amounts of money to complete strangers without wanting anyone to know about it. In today's world, we often hear the sad & depressing stories, but much less rarely do we get to hear about the happy and heartwarming ones. And in my opinion, we could all use more happy and heartwarming stories like this one these days.

It should also be noted that this book has been made into a Hallmark Channel film. I have not yet been fortunate enough to see it myself, but after reading this book, I will be keeping my eyes open for the chance to watch it the next time it airs.

If you enjoy heartwarming tales with a bit of a mystery behind them, then you definitely want to give this book a try. I don't think you will be disappointed, and it just might give you something to smile about in these often dark and depressing times.

I hope everyone will have a happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday and will try to remember to be kind to both friends and strangers over the upcoming holiday weekend as well as during the rest of the year.

"Peace Talks" by Jim Butcher

After a few years away from this popular series, Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden is finally back!  It's no secret that this has been a favorite series of mine for quite a while, and the first thing I can say is that this book doesn't disappoint.

As the title suggests, the main plot of this book involves peace talks involving all the supernatural nations who had previously signed the Accords and will also include the Formor at this gathering. This alone is a big event, but add in the fact that there are members of the White Council who want to hold a vote about possibly rescinding Harry's status as a full wizard and that's only the beginning of the trouble that he will have to face this time around.

In this book, we get to see almost every character from the supernatural world that we have gotten to know in the previous Dresden novels, plus a few new ones. There is so much going on in this tale that it kept me spinning with each new problem encountered. (And trust me, as usual Dresden has to deal with more than just a few of them at once, all without ruining the upcoming peace talks.)

If you like a story with a complicated enough plot to keep you guessing at things, Harry Dresden stories, or paranormal interactions among a variety of beings, this book will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat and reading later into the night than you'd intended. I highly  recommend giving this whole series a try.  Be warned though, that the ending of this book leads you immediately into the next one in the series. So if you're like me, expect to need to run right out & buy that one too.