WWW Wednesday (31)

Today I’m participating in WWW Wednesdays hosted by Sam of Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are…

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Mystery, mysteries and more mysteries… from cozy to suspense to sci-fi… my weeks have been full of puzzles!

Only the Quiet is Book 2 in the Death Gate Grim Reapers series. I’m about halfway in, and while I’ve noted a couple issues, I’m really enjoying it. Sometimes it’s nice to catch up with familiar, fun characters.

Izzy Sage is settling into her new life despite the pall hanging over her past.

While the memories of the catastrophe that took her parents when she was a child remain elusive, she finds she’s comfortable in her new environment … even though she happens to have taken up the same position her father held when he was killed.

She’s the new death gate operator, which means she’s in control when souls are ferried to the other side. She literally controls death … and it’s not a comfortable spot to be in.

Her only problem is a man … and it’s not something she thought she would be facing because romance was supposed to be off the table.

Braden Grimlock isn’t exactly known for being mature and grounded, but there’s something about Izzy that calls to him. He can’t stay away. The feeling only grows stronger when a group of deaf students tour the aquarium located on top of the death gate … and the teacher drops dead in the middle of a blackout.

Right away, Izzy senses something is wrong … other than the obvious, that is. She simply can’t figure out what sort of opponent she’s facing.

The past is about to meet the present as a long-hidden secret grabs Izzy by the throat and demands answers. There’s a malevolent spirit on the loose and he has designs on escape from Belle Isle. The havoc he could wreak if freed is immeasurable.

It’s up to Izzy and Braden … and the rest of the Grimlocks … to figure out what’s happening and stop a horrifically determined ghost from claiming an innocent life. It’s going to take all of them working together … and if a little romance gums up the works, they’re simply going to have to deal with that, too.

Izzy is a powerful Bruja. Even she might not be strong enough to face the horror of what’s to come, though.

Recently Finished

Oooh, a futuristic sci-fi-ish mystery. I had fun with this last book in the Cassie Tam Files. Review to come tomorrow!

With Angel Tanner, the android that runs California’s criminal underworld, pulling the strings, PI Cassie Tam finds herself thrust into a conflict with New Hopeland’s biggest and baddest. But working with the murderous AI may be the only way that Cassie can get to the bottom of her home’s greatest mystery: What is New Hopeland City?

Up Next

Speaking of familiar characters, this series is 16 books in and I’m looking forward to catching up with the latest release.

Avery Shaw likes to win. Unfortunately, her single-minded focus on being declared victor tends to get her into trouble. That’s never more true than when she decides to take on her archnemesis Tad Ludington.

With an election coming up, Avery is ready to let her freak flag fly in an attempt to get Tad to show his true colors on television … thus sabotaging his chance at getting into office. That backfires when, after a truly epic meltdown, Tad is shot and left for dead in his own home.

Sheriff Jake Farrell knows Avery isn’t guilty but his belief doesn’t matter when the case is taken away from him and given to the Michigan State Police. The incoming investigator zeroes in on Avery almost instantly … and makes her life a living hell.

In addition to Tad, who is fighting for his life in the hospital, Avery also has to grapple with Eliot’s former employee Fawn, a woman who won’t stop flapping her lips about Avery’s probable guilt … all because she holds a grudge and finally has a platform to express it.

Avery is in a bind. She’s been banned from covering Tad’s attack and the election, and she’s being called a “suspect” on every television station in the state. If she wants to clear her name, she’s going to need help.

There’s little more she loathes than asking for help. She has no choice this time.

Avery has always attracted weirdos. This go-around, those weirdos are going to come to her defense. It’s going to take a motley band of colorful characters to save Macomb County’s favorite intrepid reporter.

Will they be up for the challenge?

These are the stories filling my days at the moment.

What about you? Have you read any of these? What are you enjoying today?