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Sebastian de Castell is the author of 16 novels, including 6 in the Spellslinger series and 4 in the Greatcoats series--plus prequels and extras.

Thomas Silkstone series and the Constance Piper Mystery series as well as The Light We Left Behind),

Mystery series with strong female protagonists?

01 The Conquerer’s Saga series by Kiersten White White's And I Darken, the first book in her Conquerer's Saga series, has a cover that to me evokes fantasy, but this series is actually captivating historical first in LaFevers's five-book His Fair Assassin series. If you haven't read this series yet, consider me envious. Have you read any or all of these magical young adult mysteries related to royalty?

panic, she makes a magical deal in which she lives on...in the world of her sister's favorite fantasy series

Book two of the series continues to be playful, mischievous, wonderfully detailed about Victorian life I loved the first book in Gail Carriger's five-book (plus a prequel short) Parasol Protectorate series I also included it in the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat Series I Just Started and Love. installment involves technology of the time, ancient Egyptian artifacts, revelations about Alexia's mysterious Carriger is the author of many series; this is the only one I've dug into so far.

01 Exiles (Aaron Falk #3) by Jane Harper The third in Jane Harper's Aaron Falk series offers procedural series. As Good As Dead is the final book in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, a series I've loved, and I've been delaying reading this third and final installment due to my willful denial that the series is ending For my full review (and links to my reviews of the other books in this series), check out As Good As

The first book in this series from Meg Long was Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves.

I was hooked on the story of a team of young women fighting for admittance to a guild, their bonds, and their adventures. But the extremely specific, frequent mentions of body parts and the mechanics of sex became distracting, and I didn't respond to the experienced, relentless male/naive, wowed female dynamic. Ruby Dixon's paranormal, interspecies-romance novel Bull Moon Rising  begins with privileged heiress Aspeth Honori's unlikely pilgrimage to the gritty city in a desperate attempt to try to save her family's legacy. Her father's gambling means the family's artifacts have been lost, and Aspeth is determined to join the Royal Artifactual Guild, become an underground adventurer, find artifacts, and secure her own future and those of her family too. But achieving her goals isn't going to be easy. As a woman, she won't be accepted into the guild without a chaperone, and her most likely candidate is a grumpy minotaur (who's also her teacher, oops) who also needs a favor. He's about to go into rut, and despite her ignorance of minotaurs and of sex in general, she's pledged to pair with him, and she enters into a rushed marriage. The next day, she begins classes with her female-only group of misfits, who are each hoping to earn their way into the guild. The cover is arresting, and the sparkles and art are a nod to the novel's fantasy genre. But the cotton-candy-rainbow palette somehow didn't prepare me for the steaminess and frank sexual discussions that begin to hit early in the book and ramp up from there. I listened to Bull Moon Rising in audiobook form, and hearing it all read to me may have exacerbated my distraction and eventual irritation at the prominently featured and often-discussed instances of specific body parts, excretions, planned particulars, and sex itself. The minotaur character (he's strong, with a heart of gold) is beastlike in his urges and relentlessness, and his "must-mate" bossiness made me uncomfortable, especially set against Aspeth's inexperience and wondrous admiration for him (she's the naive young lady being taken in hand). The "rutting moon" build-up and his Neanderthal-like single-mindedness grated on me as well. The world-building felt a little unfinished, but the adventure story was compelling, with women fighting for recognition--often by subverting the rules and making their own way; the exploration and danger; the quickly developed and strong bonds; and, ultimately, moral reckonings about the search for, sale, and amassing of ancient artifacts. I loved that Aspeth is a plus-size woman who loves books and wears glasses and is the irresistible object of affection for the main male character. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Dixon is the author of 21 Ice Planet Barbarians novels and dozens of other steamy-romantasy books.

The list includes: literary fiction that's part of an interconnected series; a romantic story about starting 1960s; historical fiction about a midwife that's based on a real historical figure; the first in a mystery series centered around former CIA agents; and literary fiction/historical fiction based upon disturbing The mystery of what happened to the man is a subplot that winds through the story. Maine, the town has drawn multiple  former intelligence agents (they make up the "martini club" in the series

my six favorite reads of the past month: Renaissance-set historical fiction, two historical fiction mysteries series offers not only an irresistible heroine, but a fascinating examination of gender in Victorian A Study in Scarlet Women, the first in her Lady Sherlock series, presents Charlotte Holmes, a clever, Then a series of unusual events lead to Charlotte's assuming the identity of a made-up detective, Sherlock of True Biz. 04 A Restless Truth (The Last Binding, #2) by Freya Marske The second book in Marske's series

talking) creepy-crawlies in this middle-grade novel, you'll find a noble quest, unlikely heroes, a mysterious baggage or knee-jerk reactions to it, who was willing to dive in and who would maybe just maybe love this series Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games series) offers a unique setting while doing something fascinating: You might like the books I included on the Greedy Reading List Six Royally Magical Young Adult Series

Rogue Protocol tracks Murderbot's travels to look into the goings-on of the questionable and mysterious I tore through the first three books in this series with glee and am saving the other two that are already #robots, #fantasyscifi, #series, #fourstarbookreview

Schwab returns to the world of the four Londons in the first of a wonderfully paced new series featuring job of reinforcing characters from prior stories while introducing new ones; in this first of her new series The first two books in the Shades of Magic series are A Darker Shade of Magic and A Gathering of Shadows

I wanted to love Fourth Wing, the first in this series, (talking dragons! dragon riders! I do love a dragon book, and the second in the Empyrian series offers more page time for the talking Yet she also serves up an unexpected (as in, we thought he was dead, so: very unexpected) second chance Have you read the fantastic Temeraire series by Naomi Novik? The tone is very different from the Empyrian series--no teen angst or steamy scenes.

colonizers expect Anequs to either adhere to their strict customs and expectations--all of which are a mystery Moniquill Blackgoose offers a wonderfully layered first installment in her series (I can't wait to read I cannot wait to read the next installments in this series.

, Roaring Twenties-set historical fiction, postapocalyptic fiction, and the newest in a young adult mystery series. in Johnson's Truly Devious series delivers more smart, creative sleuthing from Stevie Bell and the gang The Box in the Woods is another smart, funny, intriguing young adult mystery from Maureen Johnson. This allows for the cooperative problem-solving that I adore in the rest of the series.

ICYMI: I've been thinking lately about robot books and specifically about this great series by Neuvel , in which a girl stumbles upon pieces of a giant robot and makes solving the mystery her life's work to unlock the secrets of the hand and the curious artifacts she stumbled across as a child, but the mysteries The next books in this series are Waking Gods and Only Human, and I liked them both.

Spoiler: a dragon appears at the very end of the book, laying the groundwork for more dragon page time More from John Gwynne: Gwynne is also the author of book two in this series, The Hunger of the Gods , the series Of Blood and Bone, and The Faithful and the Fallen series.

The audiobook was narrated by Dick Hill, who has a voice that sounds very similar to Sam Donaldson in This felt very retro to me, and I admit that I often found myself thinking of the narrator’s voice rather Child has been writing Jack Reacher novels since 1997, so whether you're committed to the series or you only dabble in suspense, mystery, or crime fiction, you've probably gotten Jack Reacher's number by #mysterysuspense, #series, #threestarbookreview

In Fugitive Telemetry, Murderbot attempts to solve the mystery of a murder--while generally annoyed and Was it when I reviewed books 1 through 3 of the series?

Chambers is also the author of the Wayfarers series; click here to read my review of The Long Way to

In Holly Jackson's young adult mystery sequel, we revisit the brave, faulted, irresistible character In Good Girl, Bad Blood, Holly Jackson's sequel to the wonderful young adult mystery A Good Girl's Guide much) the mystery of the Andie Bell and Sal Singh case. Jackson offers layer upon layer of intrigue and twisty turns in this mystery. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is Holly Jackson's first book in this series.

The first in the series sets up a strong young Black heroine who bucks tradition as she explores her own heritage, flexes her newfound power, and digs into the story of her mother's mysterious death--while Was her mother connected to all of these mysterious goings-on? Legendborn is the first in Tracy Deonn's young adult Legendborn Cycle series. I look forward to reading the second book in the series, Bloodmarked.

The fun first book in Tricia Levenseller's trilogy about a teenage female pirate captain sets up a long game toward obtaining a key treasure map and handling hard-to-please fathers--and it lays the groundwork for a forbidden romance between enemies. Alosa is a seventeen-year-old female pirate captain who didn't secure treasures or rule a ship of motley crew members by being a fool. So when she gets captured by her enemies, it's on purpose. She's got to search their ship and find the treasure map to end all treasure maps, and she's confident that she's clever enough to do it. The one complicating factor is the equally clever--and distractingly handsome--first mate on the enemy ship, Riden. Alosa is playful and sassy, and her banter with Riden is fun. The cross/double-cross setup and forbidden-love tension is intriguing. Alosa doesn't subsume her strength or powers unless she's doing so for a deliberate reason. She's also got a sneaky-thief ability that's a slam-dunk for me. Not until halfway through the book does it become clear that a possible power alluded to early on is in fact present, and its existence and use becomes a key plot point. The timing of this revelation surprised me; we had been privy to most of Alosa's inner dialogue, and this had been omitted from all of it. The book is clearly set up for a sequel--the ending felt abrupt enough that I paged forward in my Kindle to try to find more story, only to find that the book was over. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Daughter of the Pirate King is the first in a trilogy from Levenseller and is her debut novel. The second book is Daughter of the Siren Queen, and the third will be Vengeance of the Pirate King.

In the second installment in Leigh Bardugo's Alex Stern series, Alex is as brave, scowling, and unapologetic for adults whose story line is not connected to the Grishaverse, is the first in Bardugo's Alex Stern series I mentioned Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone series in the Greedy Reading List Six Royally Magical Young Adult Series. and the King of Crows duology discussed here, which is expected to be the end of the interconnected series

are the books I most loved reading in April: Exiles, the third in Jane Harper's Australian Aaron Falk mystery series; Curtis Sittenfeld's focus on skit comedy and an unlikely romance that I adored, Romantic Comedy 01 Exiles (Aaron Falk #3) by Jane Harper The third in Jane Harper's Aaron Falk series offers procedural Exiles was the right mystery at the right time for me. Life, like a poem, is a series of choices.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading a memoir about coping with chronic illness; a twisty mystery in which people aren't always what they seem; and a young adult mystery with heart, the second in a series was a twentysomething writer in New York City when she began having odd symptoms, terrible pain, and mysterious Laura Dave is setting up a well-rounded, fascinating mystery so far; Hannah and Bailey are pushed to the destructive gossip app taking down reputations and revealing secrets, and they managed to trace a mysterious

Meanwhile there are odd creatures doling out questionable advice, a mysterious stepmother, a land struggling She's also the author of The Blood of Stars series and multiple Twisted Tales books.

, although Al developed a peaceful attitude about the ongoing mystery. in this duology, Ink & Sigil, so much so that it made it onto the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat Series The playful tone of this series often reminded me of The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C.

The first in this dragon rider series by Yarros is full of dramaaaaatic teen angst, a cutthroat path Fourth Wing is the first in Rebecca Yarros's Empyrean fantasy series, about a war college for dragon It makes sense that Yarros is the author of a romance series, Flight & Glory, as well as other romance

Click here to check out my review of the first book in this series, Tess of the Road.

This book was a little darker than the previous two in the series. And the mysterious deaths of people connected to Ellingham Academy aren't over. I felt like this book was a little darker than the previous two in the series. Have you read this series? #series, #youngadult, #mysterysuspense, #threestarbookreview

A Deadly Education is the first in Novik's Scholomance series, which begins the story of a magical high In The Golden Enclaves, the third installment of the series, an allied force of students faces the aftermath But I'm fully invested in this series. The largely somber tone of the third book in the series appropriately reflects these kids' growing up I feel compelled to also mention that Novik has a series of nine books about dragons, the Temeraire series

The details of everyday life are fantastic, and some characters wield magic and hold mysterious powers I loved Pike's first novel in this series, The Lost Queen, and this book reminded me of The Mists of I was at the beginning of the second book in a different series (A Court of Thorns and Roses) and was Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book--or any historical fiction/fantasy series you love? The Lost Queen is currently in development for a television series, which is great news, unless it delays

In Marie Lu's young adult dystopian series starter Legend, the Republic and Colonies war with each other In Marie Lu's young adult Legend, the first in the dystopian series of the same name, the west of the potentially intriguing aspects of Lu's world--the history of the split between the Republic and Colonies; the mystery Lu is the author of multiple young adult series (Legend, Warcross, The Young Elites, and Skyhunter) as Check out my review of her book Skyhunter, and look for my upcoming review of the second in that series

In Steelstriker, the second and final book in the series, the last free nation in the world has been Lu, a former artist in the video game industry, has written multiple young adult series (Legend, Warcross

correlating relationship to Andy and Jen's, and Avi and Jane's bickering, hectic, haggard states seem to serve I listened to Good Material as an audiobook. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book?

Similarly, when he stumbles onto a truth about his own mysterious heritage--a mystery he felt he had series. As Good As Dead is the final book in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, a series I've loved, and I've been delaying reading this third and final installment due to my willful denial that the series is ending For my full review (and links to my reviews of the other books in this series), check out As Good As

Castillo's Amish setting is intriguing, I didn't see the resolution of the mystery coming, and I was the audiobook version of this book--the first I've read in Castillo's thirteen-book Kate Burkholder series I wondered if it was fair of me to first dive into the story so late in the series, but in an illuminating Brutal violence is at the heart of the mystery--and there's enough bashing people over the head that But Castillo's Amish setting is intriguing, I didn't see the mystery's resolution coming, and I was

Trapped in the eerie space station with three grumpy, unwilling teachers trying to prepare her for the For my review of the first book in this series, Gideon the Ninth, check out this link. The third book in the series, Nona the Ninth, was published in 2022, with the fourth book, Alecto the

the world make up Haig's personal set of reminders to his future self about taking heart, and they serve British Baking Show, hosts a Netflix cooking show, Time to Eat, and this is the companion book to that series multiple other cookbooks, the memoir Finding My Voice, and a trilogy of novels in her Amir Sisters series your life, in case you find yourself in the middle of an English Murder Village straight from a quaint mystery series.

stories by a favorite author; a vulnerable celebrity memoir; the latest loooong installment in a favorite mystery series; and a cozy fantasy story--and love letter to coffee. #7) by Robert Galbraith In what's possibly my favorite book yet of the seven in the Cormoran Strike series In the newest doorstop of a series installment (960 pages; the audiobook is 34 hours and 14 minutes), book 6. 06 Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree The first in the Legends & Lattes series

an immensely readable book rich in period detail, great dialogue, and satisfying elements of love, mystery oddly unresolved at the end--even keeping in mind that there's a second book in Donati's Waverly Place series Donati has also written a series of four books in her Wilderness series, which sounds like an epic romantic

I've been putting Marie Lu series (Legend, The Young Elites, and Warcross) into my son's hands for years

(I mentioned the author's Shadow and Bone series in the Greedy Reading List Six Royally Magical Young Adult Series, and I adored her Six of Crows duology even more.) her inconvenient romantic feelings for Nikolai (and vice versa) and begins to come to terms with the mysterious and the King of Crows duology discussed here, which is expected to be the end of the interconnected series The Shadow and Bone Netflix series offers intermingled Grishaverse characters and storylines, and a second

editorialization about class and race, and futuristic advancements in this first book in the Skyhunter series mesmerizing cover for Marie Lu's latest young adult science fiction/fantasy book, the first in the Skyhunter series A mysterious prisoner from the front arrives who could be friend or foe, and our main protagonist Talin Then I remembered that this was the first in a series and that the story would continue past the final Lu, a former artist in the video game industry, has written the Legends, Young Elites, and Warcross series

is the Crown Prince of Japan; Damnation Spring, Ash Davidson's dark and beautifully written literary mystery set in the Pacific Northwest; and Good Girl, Bad Blood, Holly Jackson's sequel to the young adult mystery In Holly Jackson's sequel to the wonderful young adult mystery A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Pip has much) the mystery of the Andie Bell and Sal Singh case. Holly Jackson's third book in this series, As Good as Dead, is coming out next month, and I can't wait

When cool Leo at school reveals that he's into comedy too, Haylah jumps at the chance to write material The next book in this series is Pretty Rude for a Girl. Elliott is also the author of the Owl Diaries series and over twenty picture books.

life-and-death repercussions for a young author; the final book in Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series the attention of a nearby diner, who mistakenly interprets what's happening and leaves Finlay with a mysterious by Megan Whalen Turner The Return of the Thief is the sixth and final book in Turner's Queen's Thief series (which I listed in the Greedy Reading List Six Royally Magical Young Adult Series). The series was published over a period of almost twenty-five years, and the story trail traces the charismatic