N is for Nevermore

I’m doing folklore and book review posts to reach and please a larger audience. Previous years have shown select interest in both and to minimise blogging throughout the year, I’m focusing my efforts on April.

Focusing on an A to Z of my TBR (to be read) list, each letter will have books starting with that letter on my list, a book I’ve read and reviewed (with the review!) and one of my books matching the letter with a link about more info about the book.

I chose the books this year quite randomly from my Goodreads Want to Read page. Some are quite creatively added to letters.

If you’d rather check out my folklore post for today, go here.

You can read reviews for from previous years for this letter here and here, and my year-end reviews here, here, here and, most recently, here.

My TBR

About the Book

A Dead and Stormy Night (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #1) by Steffanie Holmes

What do you get when you cross a cursed bookshop, three hot fictional men, and a punk rock heroine nursing a broken heart?

After being fired from her fashion internship in New York City, Mina Wilde decides it’s time to reevaluate her life. She returns to the quaint English village where she grew up to take a job at the local bookshop, hoping that being surrounded by great literature will help her heal from a devastating blow.

But Mina soon discovers her life is stranger than fiction – a mysterious curse on the bookshop brings fictional characters to life in lust-worthy bodies. Mina finds herself babysitting Poe’s raven, making hot dogs for Heathcliff, and getting IT help from James Moriarty, all while trying not to fall for the three broken men who should only exist within her imagination.

When Mina’s ex-best friend shows up dead with a knife in her back, she’s the chief suspect. She’ll have to solve the murder if she wants to clear her name. Will her fictional boyfriends be able to keep her out of prison?

The Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries are what you get when all your book boyfriends come to life. Join a brooding antihero, a master criminal, a cheeky raven, and a heroine with a big heart (and an even bigger book collection) in this brand new steamy reverse harem paranormal mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Steffanie Holmes.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

So much fun to read! All my favourite guys from classic literature come to life in an old bookstore filled with unknown magic, someone who backstabbed the heroine ending up with a knife in her back – literally – and worldbuilding coupled with vivid writing and a heroine with heart, makes this an absolute delight to read. Not to mention the gorgeous bookboyfriends…

I can’t wait to read the next book to see what shenanigans the four of them get up to next.

Trigger warnings: grief in many forms (loss of a friend, losing her sight), being falsely accused, dead body, betrayal.

About the Book

Of Mice and Murder (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #2) by Steffanie Holmes

Join a brooding antihero, a master criminal, a cheeky raven, and a heroine with a big heart (and an even bigger book collection) in this hot new steamy reverse harem paranormal mystery series.

When the local Banned Book Club lose their meeting room, Mina volunteers to host the group at Nevermore Bookshop (against Heathcliff’s muttered protests, of course). Little does she know this old biddies book club is about to turn murderous.

First, someone poisons Mrs Scarlett, then members of the book club start dropping like flies. Who in the village will turn to murder just to stop people reading a few dusty old books?

Mina’s got to figure it out quick, or her beloved teacher Mrs Ellis is next to die. Luckily, she’s got Moriarty, Heathcliff, and Quoth to help. That is, if she can figure out her feelings for her three fictional men before the magical bookshop is torn apart by sexual tension.

They want her.

She can’t choose.

But maybe… she doesn’t have to.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Another LOL adventure in the bookshop with a mouse being dubbed “The Terror of Argleton” (Morrie is terrified of it, Quoth and Grimalkin are unable to capture it, and it is smart enough to evade traps). Someone has it out for the Banned Books Bookclub, the ladies dropping like flies. A lot of excellent red herrings followed up by good reasons for everything. And a – possibly – terrifying message from the bookshop regarding mice. Mina’s mum is up to her elbows in a new scheme, dragging everyone from the bookshop into it. Morrie’s using his great mind to create Mina’s harem – at a much faster pace than it would have gone if left up to the other three alone. Loads of lava hot scenes.

I can’t wait for the next adventure!

Trigger warnings: murder, coarse language, betrayal, Mina’s disease progressing, death.

About the Book

Pride and Premeditation (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #3) by Steffanie Holmes

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune will be gruesomely murdered at the ball.

Mina’s excited to attend the annual Argleton Jane Austen Experience at the stately Baddesley Hall. It’s just what she needs after all the recent murders – a whole weekend of dancing with Morrie, attending poetry readings with Quoth, and helping Heathcliff field marriage proposals from adoring fans.

But murder and intrigue follow Mina everywhere. When an eminent Austen scholar is run through with his own sword, Mina and her boys must solve the mystery before the killer claims another victim.

The Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries are what you get when all your book boyfriends come to life. New from USA Today bestselling author Steffanie Holmes, this book bursts with petticoats and plots, steamy scenes and scandalous liaisons, manners and mystery, magical books and time-traveling rooms, and a healthy dose of Jane Austen humor. Read on only if you believe one hot book hero isn’t enough!

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Lydia Bennett steps from the pages of her book and terrorises Mina and her boys at a Jane Austen Experience weekend – everyone has to dress up in Regency gear and listen to simpering idiots, endure dance lessons and lectures about Austen-era things. And then the first body drops. I know who the murderer was, as certain themes stood out, but the red herrings were fun.

Loads of heart and important themes in this book with enough references to the real world (e.g. #metoo) and academia fighting over frivolities to bring depth and LOL moments.

I had a problem with the italics as it messes with my eyes and head, making it difficult to read and enjoy the book. Authors and publishers: please consider the neurodivergent when making decisions about italics so books are accessible to all.

A fun book to read. Can’t wait to continue the series.

Trigger warnings: grooming, blood, murder, blackmail, Mina’s disease progressing.

About the Book

Memoirs of a Garroter (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #4) by Steffanie Holmes

Murder is bad for business, especially when the hot local crime writer is garrotted between the shelves!

With grudging permission from Heathcliff, Mina Wilde has transformed Nevermore Bookshop. She’s running author events, hosting Quoth’s art show, and using her creative flair to attract more customers. But when crime writer Danny Sledge is murdered moments before his writing workshop, the bookshop goes from bustling to broke.

No one in the village will set foot inside Nevermore. What if the murderer is targeting the bookshop? What if it’s connected to Mina’s father and the mysterious room? All Mina knows is that if she doesn’t solve the crime soon, she can kiss her livelihood goodbye.

Add in a plague of locusts, an emotional school visit, and a magical visitor from the past, and poor Mina has her work cut out for her. Luckily, she has Heathcliff, Morrie, and Quoth to help… that is – if they can keep their hands off her, or each other…

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

My favourite quote: Don’t worry, I’m not going to crap on him, Quoth’s voice landed in my head. I have more self-control than that. I just thought if I flew over here I might distract him from saying the word that makes Heathcliff go Super Saiyan.

LOL. I love watching Dragon Ball, so this was hilarious.

I had a problem with the italics as it messes with my eyes and head, making it difficult to read and enjoy the book. Authors and publishers: please consider the neurodivergent when making decisions about italics so books are accessible to all.

I had to laugh about the snooty trad pub people being absolute riffraff underneath the glitter.

Mrs Ellis is a hoot – and her friends also seem to be okay with the unorthodox arrangement in the bookshop.

I don’t think I’d be able to be roommates with Jo – all the weird experiments (especially in the fridge) would drive me up a wall.

Grimalkin being more than an ordinary cat makes complete sense.

A fun mystery with loads of interesting twists. Loads of lava hot scenes.

And that ending! Wait. What?

Can’t wait to read the next book.

Trigger warnings: murder, coarse language, Mina’s disease progressing, death, blood, insects.

About the Book

Prose and Cons (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #5) by Steffanie Holmes

Morrie’s been arrested on suspicion of murder. Mina knows the Napoleon of Crime is innocent, but how can she prove her favorite con-artist is being stitched-up?

Being the spider in the center of a vast criminal web has left Morrie in hot water. His list of enemies is long… too long for Mina and her men to unravel. Mina doesn’t have a clue to stand on when a shadow from Morrie’s past shows up and threatens to destroy everything she’s fought for.

If Morrie’s ex solves the murder before them it could mean the end of Nevermore Bookshop. But is Mina ready to pit her sleuthing skills against literature’s foremost consulting detective?

Add a rambunctious puppy, a meddling mother, a cockroach cookery lesson, and their ultimate enemy closing in, and Mina’s on her toughest case yet. There’s only way to get the answers they need, but are Heathcliff and Quoth prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to save their friend?

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Sherlock Holmes. Of course. Though Mina did a much better job at solving the crime. LOL.

I liked all the nature scenes – especially the foraging for dinner part.

Oscar, Mina’s new “eyes”, is so cute! And well-behaved. Even Heathcliff likes him. And Oscar doesn’t want to eat Quoth.

Grimalkin and Mina’s mum get up to hilarious shenanigans in the bookshop – that makes even Heathcliff laugh.

And we find out who Dracula’s “Renfield” is… Makes total sense.

The murder Morrie is framed for is quite ridiculous once forensics take a proper look, yet the police still believe him to be guilty. Perhaps their spidey-senses picking up on his penchant for chaos and villainy.

I liked the look into cosplay and the people who get involved.

And the twist on the murder – genius!

I had a problem with the italics as it messes with my eyes and head, making it difficult to read and enjoy the book. Authors and publishers: please consider the neurodivergent when making decisions about italics so books are accessible to all.

Can’t wait for the next book.

Trigger warnings: murder, coarse language, Mina’s disease progressing, death.

About the Book

A Novel Way to Die (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #6) by Steffanie Holmes

In the sixth and final story in the Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries, Mina, Heathcliff, Morrie, and Quoth face off against their ultimate enemy.

Add meddling villages, an army of fictional characters to wrangle, Mina’s mother’s latest get-rich-quick-scheme, and a curious dog into the mix, and Mina’s got her hands full.

But Nevermore Bookshop still has secrets to reveal. Mina and her men are ready for an epic showdown worthy of a Homeric poem… if they survive.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Dracula and his minions cause havoc in Argleton, Quoth is hardly ever home, Mina’s mum is selling portable vampire slaying kits, Mrs Ellis is provoking everyone too scared of the occult to drastic measures (book burning, witch hunts, etc.) because of her Halloween celebrations, and the bookshop is flooding – from burst pipes and new fictional characters come to life.

Oscar is so brave and cute – such a perfect dog.

Of course Mrs Ellis with the members of the banned books book club and Mina’s mum start a whole new group bent on hunting ghosts and other supernatural monsters…

I had a problem with the italics as it messes with my eyes and head, making it difficult to read and enjoy the book. Authors and publishers: please consider the neurodivergent when making decisions about italics so books are accessible to all.

Loads of fun to read with chills and thrills throughout. Loads of lava hot scenes. It ties up all the questions from the previous books.

Trigger warnings: murder, coarse language, betrayal, Mina’s disease progressing, death, blood.

About the Book

How Heathcliff Stole Christmas (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #3.5) by Steffanie Holmes

Every Who down in Who-ville likes Christmas a lot . . . but Heathcliff, the surly bookstore owner and fictional bad-boy, does NOT!

Luckily, Mina Wilde loves him anyway, as well as her two other literary boyfriends – the ‘Napolean of Crime,’ James Moriarty, and Poe’s contemplative raven, Quoth. It’s tough buying the perfect Christmas gifts for three lovers, but Mina’s determined to make this year the best Christmas Nevermore Bookshop has ever seen.

That is until the charity Christmas tree and all the presents donated by the village go missing. Heathcliff’s grinching makes him the obvious culprit, but Mina knows Heathcliff isn’t mean enough to steal gifts for the animal shelter … or is he?

Mina and her men must race to solve the mystery and save Christmas before the village roasts Heathcliff over a Yule log!

The Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries are what you get when all your book boyfriends come to life. Grow your heart three sizes and join your favorite punk-rock heroine, her three hot book boyfriends, a meddling mother, a troublesome cat, and a cast of strange and wonderful Argleton villagers in this fun reverse harem Christmas mystery.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Heathcliff is a real grouch, Grimalkin discovers the joys of catnip, Quoth is on a mission to help the animals abandoned at the animal shelter, and there’s a freezing draft in the bookshop without any obvious cause. Oh, and Mina’s mum has a new scheme going with tinsel and other Christmas decorations.

It’s a fun exploration of the shop, town life and Heathcliff’s inner self – while solving a tree-snatching.

I had a problem with the italics as it messes with my eyes and head, making it difficult to read and enjoy the book. Authors and publishers: please consider the neurodivergent when making decisions about italics so books are accessible to all.

About the Book

Much Ado About Murder (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #7) by Steffanie Holmes

All’s fair in love and murder.

The Shakespeare Festival has come to the village, and all of Argleton has gone bard-crazy. Mina’s excited about Nevermore being the festival’s official bookstore, but a rival bookshop opens up across the green and completely cramps her style.

When the bookshop’s owner is found clobbered to death by his own First Folio, Mina and Quoth are determined to stick their nose (and beak) in to solve the case. But with a real Shakespearean fairy running around the village and Morrie determined to curse the performance, Mina and her men already have their hands full.

With help from a troublesome Puck – and absolutely no help from Mina’s mother’s latest scheme – will they solve the crime and save the festival, or is it the final curtain call for Nevermore Bookshop?

The Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries are what you get when all your book boyfriends come to life. Join a brooding antihero, a master criminal, a cheeky raven, and a heroine with a big heart (and an even bigger book collection) in this fun and steamy reverse harem paranormal mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Steffanie Holmes.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

A weeklong Shakespeare festival in a small town known for odd murders – what can go wrong? Of course Puck is front and centre with his mischief, and the chief suspect in the murder because he’s drawn to mischief. A rival bookstore opens and draws all the attention from Nevermore – for good and ill. And Mina’s mum, besides playing one of the witches in Macbeth in the theatre set up specially for the Shakespeare festival, is predicting the deaths of authors on social media so their books will sell out in the Nevermore Bookshop and the buyers can later cash in with collectors. Yeah, that won’t eventually blow up in her face…

I had a problem with the italics as it messes with my eyes and head, making it difficult to read and enjoy the book. Authors and publishers: please consider the neurodivergent when making decisions about italics so books are accessible to all.

A fun murder mystery with Shakespearean larks, loads of lava hot scenes, odd people visiting Argleton, Mina and her boys growing even closer, and even a weird new friend for Mina.

Trigger warnings: murder, coarse language, Mina’s disease progressing, death, blood.

About the Book

Crime and Publishing (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #8) by Steffanie Holmes

A poisoned pen drops Mina into a world of trouble when she attends the writers’ retreat at Meddleworth House. Luckily she’s got Quoth, Morrie, and Heathcliff on hand to solve the case in the next Nevermore Bookshop Mystery, Crime and Publishing.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

Though not as good as the previous books, this one still has its charm. An old castle, snooty writers, a riffraff editor who can’t keep it in his pants, ravens, and rainy weather. A locked-room murder mystery nearly becomes deadly for more than the one who deserved to die.

About the Book

Plot and Bothered (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #9) by Steffanie Holmes

Wedding bells are ringing at Nevermore Bookshop!

Mina, Heathcliff, Morrie, and Quoth are tying the knot in an extravagant ceremony. But when someone sabotages the decorations and Heathcliff receives a threatening note, they realise that a saboteur in the village doesn’t want them to have their happily-ever-after.

Their wedding misadventures turn deadly when the wedding saboteur murders the celebrant.

Add in a duck-napping, disastrous dance lessons, absent book reviewers, Mina’s mother’s newest business venture, and visits from old friends…and enemies, and Mina has a matrimonial catastrophe on her hands. Will she make it down the aisle to marry her fictional men, or does someone intend the wedding toast to be, “eat, drink, and be murdered?”

Will our foursome be able to tie the knot amongst the chaos and carnage? Find out in the final book in the Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries – Plot and Bothered.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

The final Nevermore Bookshop Mystery is full of heart, hilarity and healing. Mina finds her literary tribe despite setbacks; learns that people are short-sighted where it comes to disability but that it isn’t her burned to bear; and a missing drake sets off a mystery for her to solve which leads to other hilarious things coming to light.

A fun story told from all four’s POV – and how the guys arrange the most beautiful wedding with its own trials.

A great ending to this romance.

My Book

The Irascible Immortals Short Story Series Volume 4-6

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