Sophia Rose Reviews - Three Mages and a Marguerita by Annette Marie

 

Three Mages and a Marguerita by Annette Marie

#1 Guild Codex: Spellbound

Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Self-Published

Published:  9.14.18

Pages:  312

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ebook

Source:  KU borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

GoodReads:  

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.

It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview - to see if I'd mesh with their "special" clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an asshole right back. That's the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ass. Instead, they...offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn't a bar. It's a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I'm exactly the kind of takes-no-sh*t bartender this guild needs, or there's a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what's a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course - with a pay raise.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - The Serpent in Heaven by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Eva Kaminski

 

The Serpent in Heaven by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Eva Kaminski

#4 Gunnie Rose

Post-Apocalyptic Thriller, Alternate History

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  11.15.22

Time:  8 hours 53 minutes

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Dramatized Adaption

Source:  Library borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

GoodReads:   

GoodReads Synopsis:

#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns to her alternate history of the United States where magic is an acknowledged but despised power in this fourth installment of the Gunnie Rose series.

Felicia, Lizbeth Rose’s younger half-sister and student at the Grigori school within the capital of the New Holy Russian Empire in San Diego, is caught between secrets and powerful family struggles. As a distant relative to the Tsar, she provides an essential service to him by providing blood transfusions for his hemophilia, and she is thus given rare access and dismissed as if cattle. At the Grigori school she is seen as a charity case, a poor orphan with no prospects and no sign of magical prowess—the latter which Felicia keeps purposefully hidden. And yet, when a kidnapping attempt is made upon Felicia her past and her future crash together in violent ways.

Continuing immediately after The Russian Cage, this fantastical fourth book takes a side step, exploring the Holy Russian Empire while also showcasing the dynamic depths of magic within Harris’s alternate North America in curious mysteries. Felicia, it turns out, is far more than the Russian-Mexican waif Lizbeth rescued, and the journey of discovery she is on is filled with magical assassins and desperation, but above it all is her courage to never give in to the limitations imposed upon her.

Sophia Rose Reviews - A Moment’s Shadow by Anna Lee Huber

 

A Moment’s Shadow by Anna Lee Huber

#8 Verity Kent

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Kensington Books

Published:  8.26.25

Pages:  389

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: Goodreads 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Violence, reprisal, and intrigue abound in post-World War I Ireland as the bloody conflict between the Irish Republican Army and the British authorities continues to escalate.  But former Secret Service agent Verity Kent must deal with a more immediate concern—the possession of poisonous gas by a ruthless adversary . . .

August 1920, Dublin,  A fraught task keeps Verity and her husband Sidney in the country after their initial clandestine mission has been the traitor Lord Ardmore is scheming to employ the deadly phosgene gas he’s stolen for some terrifying purpose, and the couple will need both the Crown forces and the rebels’ help to thwart him.

As they pursue their quarry, they are drawn into a case involving a series of cunning and brazen jewel thefts. Many believe it is the work of the Irish rebels, seeking to fund their revolution, but when Verity and Sidney are also approached by Michael Collins and the IRA to unmask the thief, they suspect he may instead be an opportunist using the political unrest as a cover for his crimes.

As the thief continues to pull ever more risky jobs—including targeting Verity and their friends—the couple receive new intelligence that the gas they seek may be intended for a crowded event, one that the entire world will be attuned to. They must stop Lord Ardmore at all costs—or the consequences will be devastating . . .

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - Shakespeare’s Counselor by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

 

Shakespeare’s Counselor by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

#5 Lily Bard

Mystery

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  11.13.09

Time: 7 hours 50 minutes

Rating:  4 stars

Format: audio

Source:  library

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis: 

Cleaning lady and karate expert Lily Bard is a woman with a complicated past. Doing her best to cope with her terrifying memories, she decides to join a therapy group in her adopted hometown of Shakespeare, Arkansas. As it turns out, the group members' feelings aren't the only things that need sorting out, as they assemble for a session only to find a woman dead, left on display as some kind of twisted message.

Lily soon finds herself embroiled in the murder and its aftermath. Some of her own terrible secrets have been dredged up, and she may not be able to rest until she can untangle the 'who' and the 'why' of this shocking crime. But can she do so before the killer strikes again - and before her own nightmares send her over the edge?

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh

 

Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh

#10 Bree Taggert

Romantic Suspense

Publisher:  Montlake

Published:  9.16.25

Pages: 312

Rating: 5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: Goodreads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

In the wake of a woman’s savage murder, the suspects and motives are only mounting for Sheriff Bree Taggert in a twisting novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

In a quiet suburban neighborhood in upstate New York, single mom Kelly Gibson is slain in her home—the victim of a rage killing. Right away, Sheriff Bree Taggert has three persons of interest: an angry soon-to-be ex-husband, a furtive rebound boyfriend, and an obsessive neighbor.

But as Bree and investigator Matt Flynn work together to narrow the field, there’s a shocking twist in the case: a second woman is murdered in the same brutal fashion.

While investigating, Bree is attacked and left for dead. When another woman is kidnapped, Bree and Matt must act quickly to unravel the deceptions in Kelly’s life and death and find a killer before someone else dies.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews- Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy by Martha Wells

 

Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy by Martha Wells

#2.5 The Murderbot Diaries

Sci-Fi

Publisher:  Tor Books

Published:  7.11.25

Pages:  34

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ebook

Source:  purchased

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Perihelion and its crew embark on a dangerous new mission at a corporate-controlled station in the throes of a hostile takeover...

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - The Russian Cage by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Eva Kaminski

 

The Russian Cage by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Eva Kaminski

#3 Gunnie Rose

Post-Apocalyptic Thriller, Alternate History

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  2.23.21

Time:  7 hours 52 minutes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Audio

Source:  Library borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Picking up right where A Longer Fall left off, this thrilling third installment follows Lizbeth Rose as she takes on one of her most dangerous missions yet: rescuing her estranged partner, Prince Eli, from the Holy Russian Empire. Once in San Diego, Lizbeth is going to have to rely upon her sister Felicia, and her growing Grigori powers to navigate her way through this strange new world of royalty and deception in order to get Eli freed from jail where he's being held for murder.

Russian Cage continues to ramp up the momentum with more of everything Harris' readers adore her for with romance, intrigue, and a deep dive into the mysterious Holy Russian Empire.

#1 'New York Times' best-selling author Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse mysteries and Midnight, Texas trilogy) continues to ramp up the momentum with more of everything Harris' readers adore her for with romance, intrigue and a deep dive into the mysterious Holy Russian Empire in the much loved Gunnie Rose series.

Sophia Rose Reviews - Naked Once More by Elizabeth Peters, narrated by Grace Conlin

Naked Once More by Elizabeth Peters, narrated by Grace Conlin

#4 Jacqueline Kirby

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Blackstone Audio

Published:  8.5.08

Time: 12 hours 42 minutes

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Audio

Source:  Purchased

Sellers:  Amazon

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Goodreads Synopsis:

She may be a bestselling author, but ex-librarian Jacqueline Kirby's views on the publishing biz aren't fit to print. In fact, she's thinking of trading celebrity for serenity and a house far away from fiendish editors and demented fans when her agent whispers the only words that could ever make her stay: Naked in the Ice.

Seven years ago, this blockbuster skyrocketed Katleen Darcy to instant fame. Now the author's heirs are looking for a writer to pen the sequel. It's an opportunity no novelist in her right mind would pass up, and there's no doubting Jacqueline's sanity...until she starts digging through the missing woman's papers - and her past. Until she gets mixed up with Kathleen's enigmatic lover. Until a series of nasty accidents convince her much too late that someone wants to bring Jacqueline's story -and her life - to a premature end.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - Shakespeare’s Trollop by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

 

Shakespeare’s Trollop by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

#4 Lily Bard

Mystery

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  11.24.09

Time:  6 hours  54 minutes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: audio

Source:  library

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis: 

Welcome back to Shakespeare - a charming Arkansas town with endless back roads, an eclectic mix of residents, and a dollop of noir. Featuring cleaning woman/karate expert Lily Bard, Charlaine Harris's series puts a unique spin on the traditional cozy to create mysteries that "work on every level. The writing and plotting are first rate [and] Lily is appealing in her own prickly way" --Washington Times

In the latest installment, Lily discovers lifelong Shakespeare resident Deedra Dean murdered inside a car parked in a woodsy area outside town. Determined not to get involved, Lily wants to leave the police work to Sheriff Marta Schuster and her team of deputies, and concentrate on cleaning, high kicks, and her boyfriend Jack's impending visit. But when Deedra's notoriously promiscuous lifestyle provides an extensive list of suspects but very few clues, Lily has no choice but to resume the role of amateur detective and join the investigation.

In this fourth book in Charlaine Harris's highly acclaimed and darkly compelling series, Lily Bard delivers a hard-hitting mix of Southern charm and street smarts, a combination so alluring that long-time readers and newcomers will be dying to visit Shakespeare again.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - Flint by Louis L’Amour, narrated by MacLeod Andrews

 

Flint by Louis L’Amour, narrated by MacLeod Andrews

Historical Fiction, Western

Publisher:  Penguin Random House Audio

Published:  4.25.23

Time:  6 hours 38 minutes

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Audio

Source:  Purchased

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

A classic western from a #1 New York Times bestselling author and read by an Audie Award–winning narrator: Flint left the American west to escape a bloody past — but the east held danger too. Now, incurable illness sends him back to New Mexico — where his plans for a quiet end are disrupted by threats to a local rancher.

He left the West at the age of seventeen, leaving behind a rootless past and a bloody trail of violence. In the East he became one of the wealthiest financiers in America—and one of the most feared and hated.

Now, suffering from incurable cancer, he has come back to New Mexico to die alone. But when an all-out range war erupts, Flint chooses to help Nancy Kerrigan, a local rancher. A cold-eyed speculator is setting up the land swindle of a lifetime, and Buckdun, a notorious assassin, is there to back his play.

Flint alone can help Nancy save her ranch…with his cash, his connections—and his gun. He still has his legendary will to fight. All he needs is time, and that’s fast running out….

 

Sophia Rose Reviews - ZomRomCom by Olivia Dade

 

ZomRomCom by Olivia Dade

#1 Supernatural Entanglements

Paranormal Romance

Publisher:  Berkley

Published: 8.5.25

Pages:  411

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Teaming up with your neighbor during a zombie outbreak is a no-brainer, but if it turns out he’s a vampire . . . the stakes couldn’t be higher, in this infectious new paranormal romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Spoiler Alert.

When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless human neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she’s stunned to be saved by him—and his ridiculously large sword—instead. As it turns out, he's actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. But for all her neighbor's newly revealed cynicism and lethality, Gaston "Max" Boucher (yes, Gaston) is unexpectedly protective. He wants her to stay in his safety bunker until the breach is resolved. Edie can’t risk more innocent people getting killed, though—and Max won’t let her save them alone.

As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they're not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. Despite the awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world . . . but all their dangerous plans could end their future before it even begins. As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you'd die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.

Sophia Rose Reviews: A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris, narrated by full cast

 

A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris, narrated by full cast

#2 Gunnie Rose

Post-Apocalyptic Thriller, Alternate History

Publisher:  Graphic Audio

Published:  12.16.20

Time:  5 hours 16 minutes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Dramatized Adaption

Source:  Library borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Number-one New York Times best-selling author Charlaine Harris returns with the second of the Gunnie Rose series, in which Lizbeth is hired onto a new crew, transporting a crate into Dixie, the self-exiled Southeast territory of the former United States. What the crate contains is something so powerful that forces from across three territories want to possess it.

Lizbeth Rose is hired onto a new crew for a seemingly easy protection job, transporting a crate into Dixie, just about the last part of the former United States of America she wants to visit. But what seemed like a straightforward job turns into a massacre as the crate is stolen. Up against a wall in Dixie, where social norms have stepped back into the last century, Lizbeth has to go undercover with an old friend to retrieve the crate, as what’s inside can spark a rebellion, if she can get it back in time.

Author Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse mysteries and Midnight, Texas trilogy) is at her best here, building the world of this alternate history of the United States, where magic is an acknowledged but despised power.

Performed by Colleen Delany; Robbie Gay; Amanda Forstrom; Yasmin Tuazon; Stephon Walker; Bradley Smith; Ken Jackson; Michael Glenn; Alejandro Ruiz; Elizabeth Jernigan; Steve Wannall; KenYatta Rogers; Karen Novack; Nora Achrati; Nanette Savard; J.W. Rone; Jefferson A. Russell; Michael John Caesy; Richard Rohan; Nick DePinto; Dawn Ursula; Christopher Walker; Eric Messner; Rose Elizabeth Supan; Carolyn Kashner; Duyen Washington; Joe Mallon; Scott McCormick; Ren Kasey; Kimberly Gilbert; Ryan Carlo Dalusung; James Lewis; Lolita Horne; Elliot Dash; Chris Davenport.

Sophia Rose Reviews: Die for Love by Elizabeth Peters, narrated by Grace Conlin

 

Die for Love by Elizabeth Peters, narrated by Grace Conlin

#3 Jacqueline Kirby

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Blackstone Audio

Published:  9.19.08

Time: 9 hours 13 minutes

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Audio

Source:  Purchased

Sellers:  Amazon

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The annual Historical Romance Writers of the World convention in New York City is calling to Jacqueline Kirby, a Nebraska librarian who desperately desires some excitement. But all is not love and kisses at this August gathering of starry-eyed eccentrics and sentimental scribes. As far as Jacqueline is concerned, the sudden "natural" death of a gossip columnist seems anything but. And when she's approached by a popular genre star who fears for her own life, the resourceful Ms. Kirby quickly goes back to work...as a sleuth.

There's a sinister scenario being penned at this purple prose congregation. And when jealousy and passion are released from the boundaries of the printed page, the result can be murder.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews: Shadow at the Morgue by Cara Devlin, narrated by Allie Rose

 

Shadow at the Morgue by Cara Devlin, narrated by Allie Rose

#1 Spencer and Reid Mysteries

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Published:  6.17.25

Time:  9 hours 4 minutes

Speed: 1.2 xs

Rating: 4 stars

Narrator Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: audio

Source: Tantor Audio

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Leonora Spencer has an acquaintance with death. Sixteen years ago, only she survived the brutal murder of her family. Now, as an assistant in her uncle's London morgue, she uses her photographic memory to catalogue details for his coroner reports. She also isn't opposed to helping him during postmortems if his skilled hands begin to shake. After a thief breaks into the morgue and steals a locket from a young woman's corpse, Leo is determined to understand why, even if it means going against Detective Inspector Jasper Reid's express orders to keep her nose out of it.

Born and bred in the East End slums, Jasper Reid's recent promotion to the detective's branch at Scotland Yard is a long step up from his murky past . . . a past he can't afford to reveal to anyone. The last thing he needs is a convoluted case concerning the well-known eccentric Leo Spencer. As if her stubborn resolve to undermine his investigation isn't bad enough, matters deteriorate when Jasper realizes the criminals he associated with as a lad may also be involved.

When the missing locket and a handful of suspicious deaths point to a mysterious buried object, Jasper grudgingly accepts Leo's help to locate it. But someone is watching them, and the more they uncover about a deadly blackmail plot, the closer Leo and Jasper get to becoming the killer's next targets.

©2025 Cara Devlin (P)2025 Tantor Media

 

Sophia Rose Reviews: Shakespeare’s Champion by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

 

Shakespeare’s Champion by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

#2 Lily Bard

Mystery

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  9.24.09

Time:  7 hours 20 minutes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: audio

Source:  library

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

When Lily stumbles upon the well-built corpse of a local body builder - his neck broken by a barbell - the town's underlying racial tension begins to boil over. The white victim was somehow connected to two unsolved murders of black residents of Shakespeare - and a dogged policeman is determined to stop the killing. But it is Lily herself who may have to decide whether to stay and fight for justice, or run away one more time.

Sophia Rose Reviews: The Paradise Petition by Carolyn Brown

 

The Paradise Petition by Carolyn Brown

Historical Romance

Publisher:  Montlake

Published: 7.15.25

Pages:  283

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

In nineteenth-century Texas, two tough-minded women dare to challenge the status quo in a warm, witty, and adventurous historical romance by New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.

Daisy Lindberg and Lily Boyle traded a colorful past for a fresh start as seamstresses in Autrie, Texas, and their aim to spark a women’s rights movement is raising eyebrows among the town’s dumbfounded men. But among the ladies? Tired of being treated like possessions, they have two Amen, sister!

Beulah, a sassy shop owner as formidable as a cannon shot, is on board. So is Alma, a timid preacher’s wife who hit her breaking point. Before long, a courageous female posse has a liberating petition of demands. Surprisingly, they also have an empathetic ear in sheep rancher Matt Maguire, who’s as keen on women’s independence as he is on Lily.

As Daisy and Lily make waves in the small town, their secrets threaten to come out. But they haven’t traveled this far to let their past define them. In fact, with love and the forging of new lives on the line, they’ve never felt more defiant.

Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris

 

Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris

#1 Lily Bard

Mystery

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  8.11.09

Time:  6 hours 47 minutes

Rating: 4 stars

Format: audio

Source:  library

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Welcome to Shakespeare, Arkansas. Lily Bard came to the small town of Shakespeare to escape her dark and violent past. Other than the day-to-day workings of her cleaning and errand-running service, she pays little attention to the town around her. So when she spots a dead body being dumped in the town green, she's inclined to stay well away. But she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and despite her best efforts, she's dragged into the murder case. Lily doesn't care who did it, but when the police and local community start pointing fingers in her direction, she realizes that proving her innocence will depend on finding the real killer in quiet, secretive Shakespeare.

 

An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris, narrated by full cast

 

An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris, narrated by full cast

#1 Gunnie Rose

Post-Apocalyptic Thriller, Alternate History

Publisher:  Graphic Audio

Published:  6.3.20

Time:  5 hours 56 minutes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Dramatized Adaption

Source:  Library borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

The beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, the inspiration for HBO’s True Blood, and the Midnight Crossroad trilogy adapted for NBC’s Midnight, Texas, has written a taut new thriller—the first in the Gunnie Rose series—centered on a young gunslinging mercenary, Lizbeth Rose.

Set in a fractured United States, in the southwestern country now known as Texoma. A world where magic is acknowledged but mistrusted, especially by a young gunslinger named Lizbeth Rose. Battered by a run across the border to Mexico Lizbeth Rose takes a job offer from a pair of Russian wizards to be their local guide and gunnie. For the wizards, Gunnie Rose has already acquired a fearsome reputation and they’re at a desperate crossroad, even if they won’t admit it. They’re searching through the small border towns near Mexico, trying to locate a low-level magic practitioner, Oleg Karkarov. The wizards believe Oleg is a direct descendant of Grigori Rasputin, and that Oleg’s blood can save the young tsar’s life.

As the trio journey through an altered America, shattered into several countries by the assassination of Franklin Roosevelt and the Great Depression, they’re set on by enemies. It’s clear that a powerful force does not want them to succeed in their mission. Lizbeth Rose is a gunnie who has never failed a client, but her oath will test all of her skills and resolve to get them all out alive.