Book 38, 2021

Claw Enforcement by Sofie Ryan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Before lunch, I polished off Claw Enforcement, which is the 7th book in author Sofie Ryan's "Second Chance Cat" series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Sarah Grayson, who lives with her cat, Elvis.

At a local reception to celebrate the redevelopment of the harbor front, Sarah and her friend Nick leap into action when a man collapses. They administer CPR, but the victim dies. Later, Sarah learns that Christopher Healy was poisoned. She also learns he was the stepson of a friend of Mr P, the elderly computer expert who works with other senior citizens to investigate crimes. Mr P wants to solve this case as a way of helping his friend. Sarah soon finds herself embroiled in the investigation. She also has a business to run, a potential relationship that is trying to develop, and a brother who isn't happy that one of his friends is the focus of the investigation. Sarah will need all the help she can get from her friends, as well as from Elvis.

Delightful story! I enjoy books that don't focus solely on the investigation. Sarah works, socializes, and even lounges around watching TV. Her friends, family, and co-workers are an interesting, eclectic group, and they are all wonderfully characterized. Even Elvis has a distinct purrsonality! The plot flowed smoothly, and I am happy to report that I figured out who-dunnit before anyone else in the book. Yay!

Favorite lines:
♦ "I'm little and stealthy. Just think of me as a geriatric ninja."
♦ "And never say no to cake."
♦ "I have nothing but good feelings when it comes to lasagna."
Sarah is a gal after my own stomach heart!

Charming and fun, five stars!

Book 39, 2021

The Dragon Omega's Baby Plan by J.R. Fox

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Late this afternoon, I read The Dragon Omega's Baby Plan by JR Fox. Yeah, it was a novella, but it had chapters, and I'm counting it.

Jonas is a dragon omega who wants to have a baby. The problem is, he's never met an alpha he didn't dislike...except for his college rooommate, Deacon. Jonas takes a chance and reaches out to Deacon to see if he's willing to donate to the cause.

Deacon didn't dare let Jonas know his true feelings while they were in college, but now that Jonas has contacted him, he can't say no to him. He's the only omega that Deacon ever thought about settling down with.

Once Jonas is pregnant, he and Deacon stay in touch until old-fashioned, outdated opinions threaten to derail Deacon's career...unless he and Jonas are officially mated. They decide to fake it, but the more time they spend together, the more each of them begins thinking of forever.

This was fluff in the purest sense. It was virtually conflict-free; even the drama of Deacon's reputation being in jeopardy was handled with no problem. For a short read, the characterizations were done well, and just enough back-story was provided on Jonas and Deacon. I would have liked to see more world-building, but again, novella length.

Favorite line: "I'm not ironing. I don't own any clothes that require ironing, the ironing is your problem."

Good for mindless entertainment--three stars.