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Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for The Wake of the Lorelei Lee, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from previous Bloody Jack adventures.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.

I've talked a lot about the Bloody Jack books by L.A. Meyer on my blog because it's long been one of my favorite YA series.  Reading it is like listening to a skilled storyteller recalling highly entertaining, obviously embellished tales full of adventure, romance, danger, and derring-do.  It matters little that the books are all basically plotless (other than Jacky needing to get out of whatever scrape she's currently gotten herself into) because they're just so darn fun!  I've especially enjoyed listening to the tales on audio.  Katherine Kellgren is an exceptional narrator.  Sadly, both Meyer and Kellgren have passed away—they were a brilliantly talented duo and I miss the perfection of their combined genius.  

The Wake of the Lorelei Lee is the eighth installment in the Bloody Jack series.  The novel starts with a very happy Jacky Faber in command of the ship she purchased with the Spanish gold she pocketed after her deep-sea diving adventures in Rapture of the Deep.  Under the false belief that she has been pardoned by her homeland's government, she is excitedly making her way toward England and her true love, Jamie Fletcher.  Of course, life is never that simple for ole Jacky.  Almost before she knows what's happening, she's a prisoner on her own ship, headed for a penal colony in New South Wales, Australia.  Scrappy Jacky never goes down without a fight, however, and this time will be no exception.  From riding an elephant to saving an island people from a tyrant to charming a powerful Chinese pirate, her latest adventure is another thrilling episode in the life of the inconquerable Jacky Faber.

As you can tell, Jacky's crazy adventures are always entertaining.  She's a spunky, irresistible heroine who's fierce, funny, and loyal.  It's impossible not to be drawn in by her engaging voice and her colorful, exciting escapades.  Although The Wake of the Lorelei Lee is a little more graphic than its predecessors, I still very much enjoyed listening to this engrossing tale.

 (Readalikes:  Other books in the series, including Bloody Jack, Curse of the Blue Tattoo, Under the Jolly Roger, In the Belly of the Bloodhound, Mississippi Jack, My Bonny Light Horseman, Rapture of the Deep, The Mark of the Golden Dragon, Viva Jacquelina!, Boston Jacky, and Wild Rover No More)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a couple F-bombs [unless I heard wrong], plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, sexual innuendo/content, and references to prostitution/rape

To the FTC, with love:  I bought an audio copy of The Wake of the Lorelei Lee from Audible with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

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(Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers for The Secrets of Bones, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, The Scent of Murder.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Although Jazz Ramsey makes her living as an administrative assistant at St. Catherine's Preparatory Academy for Girls, her real passion is training cadaver dogs.  As the school embarks on its annual career day, in which local women visit campus to teach the students about their jobs, Jazz is asked to showcase her work with the animals.  To give the girls an exciting demo, she hides a bone in an unused attic space.  Her audience is delighted when Gus finds it easily; they're all shocked, however, when he scents human remains that were not hidden by Jazz.  When a skeleton is recovered from its hiding place in the attic, Jazz gets an even bigger surprise—the bones appear to belong to a fanatical religion teacher who mysteriously resigned from her job three years ago.  

Bernadette Quinn was almost universally disliked by St. Catherine's student body, administration, and presumably everyone who knew her.  Still, who would murder the pious teacher?  When the police zero in on Sister Eileen, Jazz refuses to stand by and let her beloved boss's name get dragged through the mud.  If the authorities are too inept to find the real killer, she'll launch her own investigation.  The more she digs, the closer Jazz gets to shocking secrets someone doesn't want revealed.  It soon becomes obvious that someone will stop at nothing to stop her from digging.  Can Jazz find the murderer before she becomes the next victim?

I enjoyed The Scent of Murder, the first installment in Kylie Logan's Jazz Ramsey mystery series, so I was eager to read the second, The Secrets of Bones (available May 5, 2020).  While I ended up enjoying the former more than the latter, I still found The Secrets of Bones to be intriguing and entertaining.  Jazz is a likable character, as are her canine companions.  It's always interesting to see working dogs in action; in fact, I wanted more of that in this installment.  As far as the mystery goes, I saw some of the plot twists coming, but not all of them.  There were a few plot holes that didn't get tied up satisfactorily to me.  In addition, I wanted more personality from Nick, Jazz's love interest.  Overall, then, I didn't love The Secrets of Bones.  Still, it was engaging and entertaining enough to convince me to keep with the series.  I just hope the next installment is a little tighter, with a stronger emphasis on Jazz's work as a cadaver dog trainer.

(Readalikes:  The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan; also reminds me of A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs), violence, innuendo, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Secrets of Bones from the lovely folks at Macmillan via those at Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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After almost a decade as an apprentice to the late Harry Houdini, 26-year-old Wren Lockhart knows all about creating the perfect illusion.  She does it both onstage and off, concealing her true self behind a confident vaudeville act and a wardrobe of gentleman's clothing designed to both draw attention and deflect it.  Given her guarded life of wealth and privilege, no one would guess at Wren's humble beginning as the daughter of a drunken theater owner.  She'd like to keep it that way.  

When a daring illusionist act by a man Houdini denounced as a fraud goes horribly awry, leaving a man dead, Wren is unwittingly drawn into the ensuing police investigation.  Although she desires only to be left alone, she understands the gentle threat issued by FBI agent Elliot Matthews—if she doesn't cooperate, he will reveal to the public what he knows about her past.  Desperate to keep her secrets hidden, Wren agrees to help.  It soon becomes apparent, however, that she's not the only one willing to risk everything to keep the truth under wraps.  With her reputation, her secrets, and even her heart on the line, Wren must make sure Elliot's case gets solved.  And quickly.  Before everything she's worked so hard to build crumbles before her very eyes.

I discovered Kristy Cambron last year and have since been eager to read everything she's ever written.  The Illusionist's Apprentice proved a good place to start.  With plenty of rich detail, its Jazz Age/vaudeville setting comes to vivid, vibrant life.  The characters are warm, likable, and interesting.  Plotwise, the novel moves along at a brisk enough pace, making for an exciting story.  I especially appreciate Cambron's ability to create a compelling mystery but keep it PG-rated.  Although she's considered a writer of Christian fiction, God/religion is touched on only lightly in this novel.  However, Cambron does make sure to emphasize the continual triumph of light over darkness, good over evil.  The Illusionist's Apprentice does touch on some dark subjects, but its overall tone is positive and uplifting.  For all these reasons and more, I very much enjoyed this intriguing historical mystery. 

(Readalikes:  Um, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and mild innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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Exhausted from years of trying to have a baby with nothing but heartbreak to show for it, Angie Malone has had enough.  Enough of the miscarriages, enough of the failed adoptions, enough of the marriage that has crumbled under the strain.  With divorce on the horizon, she moves back to her tiny seaside hometown of West End, Washington.  Between all the drama her big, loud Italian clan cooks up and her new task of saving the family's struggling Italian restaurant, Angie should have plenty to focus on besides her crushed dreams.

When Lauren Ribido walks into Angie's life, everything changes.  With her world-weary countenance and ill-fitting Salvation Army wardrobe, it's clear the 17-year-old is in need of some TLC.  Especially when her alcoholic mother disappears, leaving Lauren to fend for herself.  As Angie pours all the love she's been storing up for her own child into this abandoned young woman, she cautions herself against growing too attached.  When Lauren announces that she's pregnant, Angie can't help the hope that flutters in her heart.  She knows better than to play the "What if" game, but what if Lauren can provide the one thing Angie wants most in the world?  How far will Angie go to make that happen?  And what of the teenaged mother?  What does she want?  If their desires conflict, what does that mean for their newly-discovered closeness?  What will happen as the two frightened women try to navigate their unknown futures?

I'm a big fan of Kristin Hannah's recent blockbuster novels, The Nightingale and The Great Alone.  While waiting for her to produce another stunning masterpiece, I've been making my way through her backlist.  I've enjoyed some of these older novels—others, not so much.  The Things We Do For Love (2004) falls somewhere in the middle.  I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.  Its premise intrigued me and I was definitely interested to see where the story would go.  Unfortunately, although I sympathized with Angie, I didn't really like her.  To me, she seemed self-centered, fickle, and short-sighted.  This made it tough for me to side with her, while I had no problem rooting for Lauren.  This, plus the fact that The Things We Do For Love seemed to ramble on longer than necessary, made the novel less enjoyable than it could have been.  In the end, then, I feel a bit ambivalent about this one.  Like I said before, I didn't love it, didn't hate it.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany and How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives) and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Things We Do For Love at Target with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.