Kiss, Marry or Kill: 50

I'm on Book 5 of 27 (!!) and have NO PLANS OF STOPPING. Also, a hair update, a guide to comfort food, the Instagram account keeping me going, a Kill lightning round, and a Superbowl bonus!

This is my weekly series for subscribers only, where I’ll share things that caught my eye this week in a fun and flirty way (kiss), a sustainable way (marry), or a not-so-good way (kill). And yes, this trendy game is technically “f***, marry, or kill” but we run a family-friendly-ish show around here.

Kiss (things I like right now)

The Winter Black FBI Mystery series by Mary Stone (←Kindle Unlimited)

I have ready many a book series, but it’s rare that I stay interested and invested past the third book. No matter how much I love the characters or storyline, by the fourth in the series I’m often bored and ready to move on.

I stumbled upon Winter’s Mourn (Book 1) through Kindle Unlimited; it was suggested to me based on my reading habits. I took a chance, and really liked the book. At the end, I realized there was a Book 2, also on Kindle Unlimited. Instant download. At the end of Book 2, I realized there was also a Book 3… repeat until today, where I’m halfway through Book 5.

At no point before now did I look to see how many were in this series. It turns out, 27. TWENTY SEVEN. I’m both impressed and exhausted… but it’s holding my attention, so let’s see where it goes! The story follows Winter Black, a serial-killer-victim (who survived against all odds with unexplained powers) turned-FBI-agent. In the first few books, she’s solving crimes while circling the serial killer who murdered her family, disappeared her brother, and left her in a 3-month coma. In the following books, she continues solving crimes, all of which are related in some way to the other books.

The way the stories are intertwined is quite clever, and do not hit you over the head. I really appreciated that. The introduction of new characters is also deliberate, and serves the purpose of furthering the plot quite well. The characters are well developed, if not at times cliched. If I were to rate this on my “How much does this book sound like it was written by a 14-year-old-boy” scale, I’d give it a 6. It’s not overtly cliched, but the authors consistent use of “females” (when she means “women”) is as misogynistic as a podcast bro, and the “will they/won’t they” love stories could be set on any college campus with any two people who have never gone to therapy. (Winter is a bit of a caricature at times, but I really like her anyway. Autumn might be my favorite!)

Also, the author uses words I find myself looking up and memorizing, because “laconic” is a much more elegant way of saying, “terse.” AND I’m on Book 5 with no plans of stopping! Consider these a delicious snack—not like Oreos, but a charcuterie board where once in a while, a rogue Taki pops up. Who doesn’t love a mix like that?