Finished Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman. This book features Jesse Stone, a character created by the late Robert B. Parker.

Like the rest of Paradise, Massachusetts, Police chief Jesse Stone is gearing up for the summer tourist season. In Jesse’s case, that means figuring out who’s behind a rash of car thefts. Also in the mix is an old enemy who’s out of prison and headed toward Paradise to finally take his revenge on Jesse …

I’ve enjoyed and read Parker’s books for years, so I was interested in seeing how this series would continue after Parker’s death (he passed away in 2010).

On one hand, things haven’t changed much. All the familiar characters are back, and Jesse takes down the bad guys with ease (really, almost too much ease).

However, it just didn’t quite read like a Parker book to me. The dialogue (one of my favorite things about Parker’s style) just didn’t seem quite as snappy and engaging as in previous books. Also, Jesse didn’t sound quite like Jesse to me.

The mystery involving the car thefts is fairly thin, and I was disappointed that Sunny Randall, Jesse’s on-again, off-again love interest (and star of another series by Parker) wasn’t in this book. I’ve been hoping that Jesse and Sunny would get and stay together, just because I think it would be interesting to read about their relationship from both his and her points of view. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen now.

Overall, this was an okay entry in the series, but I enjoyed the books written by Parker more.

My grade: D

Would I read this author again: Probably. I’m interested in reading more about Parker’s characters.

Memorable quote: “Coffee was the only thing on Jesse Stone’s mind when he entered the Paradise police station on a bright New England spring morning.”

Just a note to let everyone know that I (and my website guru) have updated the site with all the information and book covers that I have available right now.

So if you haven’t seen the back cover copy or read the excerpts for Thread of Death, By a Thread, Dark Frost, or Widow’s Web, you may want to check out the Books at a Glance or Excerpts and More pages. Beware of spoilers, though, because some of the descriptions and excerpt do contain them.

As the year goes along, I’ll start posting about my 2013 releases, which will include Crimson Frost, Mythos Academy #4, in January 2013. So stay tuned for more.

I now have bookmarks available for Dark Frost, the third book in my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series. Bookmarks for Touch of Frost and Kiss of Frost are also still available.

As always, the bookmarks are free to readers, librarians, booksellers, reading groups, schools, and anyone else who wants them. However, I do ask that folks send me a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) with two U.S. stamps on it in order to get the bookmarks. This helps me cover postage costs. If you don’t put stamps on or include them with your SASE, I will not be able to send the bookmarks to you.

Also, if you are overseas, I ask that you include $2 worth of U.S. stamps or that much in international postage coupons with your SASE. Again, this helps me cover postage costs.

If you want more information about how to get the bookmarks, you can e-mail me.

Dark Frost will be out on May 29. Here is the back cover copy. There are a few spoilers for Kiss of Frost in this, so if you haven’t read that book yet, you may want to skip reading the description:

I’ve seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall.  I know I’m supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I’m just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me — again.

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects — and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school.  But I’m also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way.  The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom.  So why do they have it in for me?  It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can’t use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me — and I’m in for the fight of my life.

You can also read the first chapter of the book. Dark Frost is also up for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Finished How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long. This is one of the books in her Pennyroyal Green historical romance series.

Everyone in the ton seems to watch and imitate Julian Spenser, aka Marquess Dryden, aka Lord Ice. Julian doesn’t care for the attention, especially since he’s close to arranging an advantageous marriage to Lisbeth Redmond that will let him finally acquire a piece of land that used to belong to his family. What Julian doesn’t count on is teacher Phoebe Vale, who is acting as a companion to Lisbeth. Julian finds himself much more interested in Phoebe than Lisbeth. Others notice Julian’s interest in Phoebe, and soon, she seems to be the new darling of the ton. Phoebe enjoys the attention, even if she knows that it can’t last — and that Julian is determined to marry Lisbeth, no matter what his heart tells him …

I thought the premise of this one sounded interesting, and I’ve seen a lot of nice comments about Long’s books online.

This had everything I would expect in a historical romance, including two likable lead characters and lots of clever quips. I thought Long did a really nice job with the dialogue. There were a lot of arch comments and engaging banter between Phoebe and Julian, and I enjoyed reading their back-and-forth war of words. That was one of the highlights of the story.

However, I wish more had happened in the book. It’s only toward the middle and end that other members of the ton take notice of Phoebe, and she seemingly becomes the darling of society (much to Lisbeth’s jealousy). I would have liked to have seen more of that plotline earlier on in the book, along with its consequences at the end, when Phoebe finds out what’s really going on.

Overall, this is a solid historical romance. If you like snappy dialogue, check this one out.

My grade: C+

Would I read this author again: Yes. I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters.

Memorable quote: “I don’t …” Dryden stopped to gulp the whiskey, winced, then blinked appreciatively. ” … love her, mind you …”

Finished Where She Belongs by Cindy Procter-King. This is a contemporary romance.

After her stepfather’s death, Jess Morgan takes some time off from her shoe buying job and returns to her small hometown in Canada to help out her mother. While in town, she meets Adam Wright. Being back home brings up some bad memories for Jess, including the deaths of her father and high school sweetheart and her strained relationship with her stepfather and mother. But she finds herself opening up to and falling for Adam, who wants to have a real relationship with her. But Jess isn’t sure that she’s ready to risk her heart again …

I like small town romances, and I enjoyed the Canadian setting in this one. I also thought there were a lot of interesting issues in the book, including relationships with your parents, how the past influences you, and things like that. It was nice to see Jess reconnect with her mother and old friends and put some of those issues to rest.

However, I just didn’t like Adam all that much. He seemed a bit overbearing to me, and he pushes Jess quite a bit about her feelings. I didn’t connect with him as a character, especially as the hero.

Overall, though, if you like small town romances, you may want to check this one out.

My grade: D

Would I read this author again: Maybe. I liked the Canadian setting.

Memorable quote: “Yet Adam Wright looked more at home in her mother’s kitchen than Jess had felt in years.”