Weekly Mews: What I Am Reading Now & Was Reading Then - Plus, My Bookish Mewsings on Bayou Moon

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.

I am over halfway through my two book club reads for this week, The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett (loving it!) and Reformatory by Tananarive Due (heartbreakingly good!) I also recently started this month's TBR winner, The Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay and cannot wait to get back to it.

What are you reading right now? 

This past week I finished two books. Let's take a look! 

Bayou Moon (The Edge #2) by Ilona Andrews, Renée Raudman
Ace, 2010
Romance/Fantasy; 15hrs 32 min
Source: Hoopla via the Library

William was one of my favorite characters from the previous book in the series, and I looked forward to reading Bayou Moon for the COYER Ilona Andrews' Edge and Inn Keeper read-a-long. As always, Ilona Andrews' world building sucked me in--although, I admit, I do not think I would survive long in the swamplands--at least not in the Mire.

Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan's long-time rivals are suspect number one.

But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge---and Cerise's life. William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation's spymaster.

When William's and Cerise's missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly---but they'll have to work together if they want to succeed…and survive. [From the Publisher]

The Mire is a dark and dangerous place, but it is home to Cerise Mar and her family. The Mars are intensely loyal to one another and when her parents go missing, Cerise will do anything to find them. Even if that means teaming up with a mysterious outsider like William. They have a common enemy, a very vicious and violent one--the stuff of nightmares. Both Cerise and William are fiercely independent and do not trust others easily. They dance around each other, testing one another, each proving that they can not only hold their own in a fight, but also in matching wits and finally accepting their growing attraction to one another. I felt the chemistry between Cerise and William more than I did Rose and Declan in the first novel. Perhaps that had to do with their close proximity to each other in an unrelentingly tense situation. Bayou Moon has a more gritty feel than the first book in the series, On the Edge. There were a couple of scenes that made me feel uncomfortable, the gore a bit much, but I was invested in the intrigue and romance of the novel. The suspense was high throughout, up until near the end. Renée Raudman narrates the audiobook and does an amazing job capturing the voices of the many characters and providing a real sense of place in her reading of the the novel.

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This past week, I also read Hearts Unbroken  by Cynthia Leitich Smith. I shared my thoughts on it this past Friday if you want to take a look (just click on the title)!

What was the last book you finished? Would you recommend it?  

And other posts you may have missed:

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende, translated by Francis Riddle 

Top Tuesday: My Favorite Novels Featuring Love Stories that Stole my Heart 

Can't Wait to Read Wednesday: Cold as Hell / Wooing the Witch Queen / Stone Angels 

A monthly feature in which I l share the books I read that month ten years ago. 

(Rating Scale: 5 Paws=Outstanding; 4 Paws=Very Good; 3 Paws=Good; 2 Paws=Okay; 1 Paw=Didn't Like)

The titles are linked to my original reviews of each book when available. 

Ten years ago this month, I entered the world of The Others for the first time, reading Anne Bishop's Written in Red and Murder of Crows. I have so much love for this series--which I still haven't finished. Ack! I also read a mystery by Elizabeth Haynes, who is a favorite mystery author of mine. Vonnie Davis's Highlander series was a fun escape--bear shifters, anyone?  There were several other, less memorable reads, mixed in there--but not one I didn't like among them.

Miramont's Ghost by Elizabeth Hall

Under a Silent Moon (DCI Louisa Smith #1) by Elizabeth Haynes

Before I Go Sleep  by S.J, Watson

The Highlander's Obsession (Highlander's Beloved #1) by Vonnie Davis

The Highlander's Passion (Highlander's Beloved #2) by Vonnie Davis

Shady Cross by James Hankins

Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop

Murder of Crows (The Others #2) by Anne Bishop

And because it's my favorite Storygraph chart, below are the moods related to my February 2015 reading: 

Do you remember what you were reading all those years ago? Have you read any of these books, and if so, what did you think? 

I recently caught a few episodes of The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, a Korean medical show based on a web novel, and Doc, another medical drama that my mom recommended. I accidentally started watching Will Trent the other day, failing to turn off Hulu after the last episode of High Potential finished streaming, and am now hooked. 

What have you been watching lately? 

Following in the footsteps of Deb of Readerbuzz - With all the worries and stressors in life, 

I want to highlight some of the good, even the seemingly small stuff. 

1. We had a fun Saturday yesterday. After picking my mom up from the airport, we went out for lunch at a restaurant with an arcade and enjoyed good food and playing some of the games.  

2. My diverse romance book club had a great book discussion this past week. It was worth driving in the pouring rain to and from to attend. (The rain being another pawsitive!)

3. Wednesday, we attended an award ceremony at Mouse's school where she got a certificate for highest honors. 

I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!

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