A Little Dare by Brenda Jackson

 Ten years ago, Rachelle Brockman and Alisdare Westmoreland were hot and heavy. But then he told her that he wanted to break it off so that he could go into the FBI. She loved him so she let him go even though she had news of her own. 
Now, it’s time to come home and to finally tell Dare about his son. I actually liked that he 

admitted his own culpability and worked with Rachelle to let AJ make his own choice about when to be a part of the family. Didn’t love that Dare made up his mind and decided to chase her so hard even when she said no but she actually didn’t protest hard.

Three stars

Followed by Thorn's Challenge

This book came out September 3rd, 2003

Borrowed this as an audiobook from Audible Escape

Opinions are my own

The Witch’s Halloween Hero by Kristen Painter

It is a novella wherein the mother of the heroine from the last book accidentally drinks a potion meant for a teenage girl who wants to completely forget her ex. Like, completely. To the point that she can’t even see him if he is 

standing right in front of her. Which seems fairly problematic in it’s own right but then Corette Williams drinks 

it instead and completely forgets her long-time boyfriend Bartholomew Stanhill. And just on the night he has a very important question to ask...
A lot of nonsense about true love’s kiss, etc. and why her daughters didn’t have an antidote recipe at the ready seems weird but... fine. It was short and not horrible but not as good as longer books in the series.

Two and a half stars

Follows The Professor Woos the Witch

Followed by The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish

This novella came out January 20th, 2016

Opinions are my own

A Witchly Influence by Stephanie Grey

 Carmen Devereaux is a witch. But that doesn’t mean she’s not susceptible to heartbreak. Divorcing her husband might not quite reach that level but it still sends her home to North Carolina. It may not be entirely where she grew up but it’s where her family is now. And Fate has decreed that Carmen will no longer be working granting permits. Instead, she will be an Influencer, helping to age sure that people get to where they should be in life. Her first two people are both in the town she’s moving to and one is her stepbrother. She struggles a little, even going through time to help them out.

This was just a nice book. Is the solution for the friend a little bit of a cheat? Yes. Are all the solutions she comes up with a little too pat? Yes. Is Carmen just a little bit of a Mary Sue? Yes. But this is just a nice story at a time that I needed to read something light and sweet.

Four stars
This book comes out October 1st
ARC kindly provided by BHC Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Happily this Christmas by Susan Mallery

 Many a romance has started with the guy next door and this one is no different. Wynn Beauchene has a 14 year old son but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t admire Garrick McCabe, the cop who lives next to her. When he comes to her asking for help with a pregnant 21 year old, Wynn is taken aback, until she realizes the woman is his daughter. It seems that Garrick and Jolyn were close when she was younger but now their relationship is more strained, especially since Jolyn’s pregnancy has been difficult and that isn’t helped by the fact that her husband is currently deployed. 
As Wynn and Garrick spend more time together, attraction starts to grow. Both have been burned in the past though and the upcoming holiday season brings f

amily obligations and outside expectations that they might not be willing to bend to.
A typical Mallory romance: mostly closed doors for the romance; nice character development; an attempt to involve almost everyone from previous stories in the series; just a low-stakes, sugary, and fun read.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out September 29th
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Three and a half stars

Professor Woos the Witch by Kristen Painter

 Nocturne Falls is a pretty amazing place to live if you’re a paranormal. That’s why Cole Van Zant’s daughter is stoked that they are moving there even if it is temporarily. See, her mother just told her that she’s a witch and she is ready to learn more. Cole is definitely not impressed with his ex-wife’s parenting skills. She’s more or less completely out of their daughter’s life and only shows up to tell her some hogwash about being a witch? Nonsense. It’s all nonsense.

But Pandora Williams doesn’t think it’s nonsense. In fact, she comes from a long line of witches. It’s just too bad that her power is broken. All of her spells go just a little bit awry. 

But she recognizes the power in Cole’s daughter and wants to help. The fact that Cole is pretty hot doesn’t hurt. And he’s in town to fix up and sell his great-uncle’s house? Even better. It’s just strange that her power actually seems to work when she’s around Cole. And that his great-uncle was very happily married to Avery powerful witch, who seems to still be hanging around deepens the mystery.

A fast, fun, and fluffy book. The “villain” is a little two-dimensional but it was an easy listen and Cole and Pandora were easy to relate to.

Three stars

Follows The Gargoyle Gets His Girl

Followed by The Witch’s Halloween Hero

This book came out October 8th, 2015

Borrowed from Audible Escape

Opinions are my own

Reaper’s Blood by Kel Carpenter

 

Hostess cupcakes might kill you but Salem didn’t expect it to be quite so immediate. After an animal with red eyes runs out in front of her car, she finds herself in a literal out of body experience. There, a strange girl Salem dubs “not Morticia” tells her that she has to go back. When Salem touches her body, she sets off a chain of events that start to tell her more about her family, including why her brother insisted on joining a fraternity and why he and Salem’s father died. 

Salem and her crush, Graves who is the one to find her, are new adults which is not my favorite genre to read but the book was short and I love the take Carpenter has on Grim Reapers and the supernatural world. Her characters range from quirky and fun (e.g. Ralph, the pot-smoking Reaper) to sometimes stereotypical (the other frat boys). I did really like Salem’s best friend, the succubus. She’s not ashamed of her sexuality and is willing to fight the patriarchy who are simultaneously trying to keep the succubi down but taking advantage of their sexuality. Some good discussion on consent.

Three stars

Followed by Reaping Havoc

This book came out June 13th, 2020

Borrowed as an audiobook

Opinions are my own

Her Scandalous Pursuit by Candace Camp

Thisbe Moreland is a scientist even if she is a woman in a time when women are not considered to be intelligent. HarrisoBut she still attends lectures. And that's where she meets Desmond Harrison.  Most duke's daughters wouldn't be interested in a shopkeeper's assistant, especially one who works for a scientist trying to prove that ghosts exist, but one of the Mad Morelands would definitely be willing to defy convention.
Thisbe hates the name but she can't deny that she is having odd dreams. Dreams that are connected to the artifact that Desmond is looking for, one that might prove the existence of ghosts. Something her grandmother, the feared Dowager of Broughton owns.
This book was written after the rest of the series, even though it is a prequel. It is a nice, quick story though sort of surface, even though it tops four hundred pages.

Three stars
This book came out January 8th, 2020
Hard copy I didn’t keep
Opinions are my own

Collards & Cauldrons by Bella Falls

 

In Charleston for a witch convention, Charli is surprised to learn that she is also going to learn more a about her biological family. But only if she can figure out why the people from Honeysuckle Hollow are causing some consternation among her fellow conference goers. And there’s also the little matter of the murder that some are blaming on her beloved grandmother...

Charli does get to learn a little bit more about her bio family as well but none of it seems good. Her cousin Abigail might be fine but her cousin Ethan is definitely set up to be a big bad later in the series.

I liked that Mason is maybe regaining his feelings for Charli if not all of his memories and that Dash was just a blip. Probably the best book in the series so far.

Three stars

Follows Barbecue & Brooms

Followed by Cornbread & Crossroad

This book came out May 21st, 2019

Opinions are my own

The Gargoyle Gets His Girl by Kristen Painter

 

This book just wasn't as good as others in the series. It was very much problem: resolve the problem: new problem: resolve the new problem. Other books in the series would  have been better as a novella.es create an overall story with oth

er  issu

es tackled as subproblems. At least three times, I opened the audible (escape) app and looked to see if the book was really done because it seemed like it should be... but it wasn't.  This is one of the very few stories that I think 

Willa Iscove is fae and a jeweler. Too bad her latest creation has created a stalker. And that's what it did. And she gets all het up because the customer is obsessed with her because of her own mistake. Which she acknowledges. But then she accidentally conscripts Nick Hardwin into protecting her. And he's not stoked. Because there's a long history of the fae enslaving gargoyles (which is what he is), he is skeptical that her motives are pure. But Willa actually left home at a young age which is a whole different story and didn't know what she was doing. They do solve that issue pretty quickly but really, the story could have ended there.

Three stars
Follows The Werewolf Meets His Match

Followed by The Professor Woos the Witch
This book came out August 1st, 2015
Borrowed from Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

A Touch of Magic by Annabel Chase

The mystery takes a back seat to building Emma's story in this book. She is working 

hard to help make sure that her friend Lucy is elected mayor but it's hard when one of the candidates, a vampire, is killed before he can make his speech. The former sheriff Hugo, now one of the other candidates, takes this chance to accuse Lucy of the murder. It doesn't help that it's one of Emma's handmade signs that was used as the murder weapon.

Emma always has one case per book and this is no different. Now, she has a young nymph who is accused of animal cruelty. But that makes no sense since nymphs are closely connected to nature.

Her friends at the ASS academy are in the story as well. Lady Weatherby is giving Emma her own spell lessons but she is still attending the remedial magic classes as well. This time, the head of the coven goes off the books and lets the students create their own spells to show what they can do. They are all successful but it does take some work.
A nice addition to the series. I wish there had been more to the mystery, it was fairly underdeveloped. And I could do without the overblown gushing about Daniel but overall a nice addition to the series.

Three stars
Follows Cast Away
Followed by A Drop in the Potion
This book came out June 28h, 2017
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins

 

The Frost family has always had their issues. Barb doted on older daughter Juliet while John connected more with their younger child Sadie. Now in their seventies, it sometimes seems like the Frost parents are living parallel but very separate lives. Then John suffers a catastrophic stroke while riding his bike and all of the family secrets are bubbling to the top of the pot as are the resentments of a lifetime. 
Juliet is struggling with a new up and comer at work who is gunning for her job. Sadie can’t make her family take her art seriously. And being back in her hometown means she’s in close contact with the boy (now very much a man) who she left behind. 
I cried so hard reading this book and it was a good cry. Family drama, lives changing, and a happily for at least right now made me happy. Maybe not all of the characters were fully developed and good characterization is usually what makes a book for me but the story was so good I just didn’t care.

Four stars

This book came out June 9th

Borrowed book from library

Opinions are my own

Barbecue & Brooms by Bella Falls

 Charli is finally getting out of the stupid love triangle that's been building in previous books. She and Mason are getting ever closer. To the point that, in the last book, they were sharing their powers. But that has come at a cost. Charli's powers seem to be gone. But that is only a small part of their concerns since the witch's council of Charleston

seems ready to take over Honeysuckle. What can prove that Honeysuckle can take care of itself? A barbecue cookoff! Add in some amateur broom racing who will get to compete against some of the biggest named pros in the business and it seems like fun. Except that local leprechaun Lucky's luck has been stolen. And then there's a death. It's no longer just fun and games.
Fast, fun, and fluffy though I'm super bummed that Falls seems determined to draw the love triangle out by hook crook and every other means.

Three stars

Follows Sweet Tea & Spells

Followed by Collards & Cauldrons

This book came out May 21st, 2019

Opinions are my own

The Werewolf Meets His Match by Kristen Painter

 Ivy Kincaid isn't exactly excited to be in Nocturne Falls. Getting arrested for a bar fight when she steps in to help an abused woman makes her even less excited. And then, she finds out that the sheriff is her intended fiance. Just great.Hank Merrow doesn't know that he's engaged but he finds out at the beginning of the book. It seems that the Kincaid pack helped to save his brother's life. To return the favor, the Kincaid Alpha wants Hank to marry his daughter. 
While neither want the marriage, there is a strong attraction that could turn to love and maybe even a pack bond. But only if they can get past the family secrets.
This is a fast, fun, and fluffy book. Even the domestic dispute is sort of glossed over quickly and never revisited. Not real deep and we don't get to know Ivy or Hank very well. The premise is thin but overall a fun story.

Three stars
Follows the The Vampire's Mail Order Bride

Followed by The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
This book came out July 1st, 2015
Borrowed from Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

60-Second Brain Teasers Crime Puzzles by Diane Capri

 I used to love books like this when I was younger - short stories where you solve the mystery - so I asked for this book from NetGalley and was delighted to have gotten an ARC. These stories are definitely short and make you think. Unfortunately about a quarter to a third of the stories are not solvable with the information given; you need to have specialized knowledge in order to guess the correct solution. 

I didn’t count this against the book in my review but I would highly suggest getting this book in the physical form since flipping back and forth between stories and solutions in the ebook format is a pain.

Three stars

This book came out September 15th

ARC kindly provided by Quarto Publishing Group

Opinions are my own

Last Resort by Angie Williams

Every six months, a popular matchmaking resort has a week for women only. This time, Katie Fausch’s mother and sister, eager for her to find love, have signed her up. Luckily, she meets Rhys Morgan right after checkin. In fact, she really, really like Rhys. But her last relationship left Katie feeling pretty burned on ever finding love again. 

Rhys is just as attracted to Katie but she respects the fact that Katie doesn’t want to be in a relationship. So she stays on the friend side, no matter what. I really wanted to like Rhys more but she needed just a little more development. 

I didn’t really connect with either heroine but I did like the premise. The big overture was also a bit too much for me but I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Williams.

Three stars
This book came out September 15th
ARC kindly provided by Bold Strokes Books, Inc. and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Bilbao Looking Glass by Charlotte MacLeod

Sarah and Max are still trying to finalize their relationship. Sarah's cousin and his new wife have taken over running her boarding house so she's at the summer home and Max has come with her (but he is staying circumspectly in the carriage house.)  Too bad the "summer folks" have decied to stick their noses in Sarah's business even to the point of convincing her rather flighty and flittering aunt to show up early so the pair don't get the alone time they were hoping for. Max and Sarah go to a party where Alice B., the companion of one of the wealthiest women, drops a remark designed to put a wedge between Max and Sarah. And it works, temporarily, but then Alice B. is found dead, killed by an ax, and a Kelling & Bittersohn mystery starts in earnest.

There is a LOT of anti-Semitism from the "summer folks" in this book; it was in line with the characters that MacLeod created and starts off slow but builds to some truly reprehensible remarks. If you are a regular reader of classic mysteries, the "bad guy" isn't hard to guess but MacLeod does drop in some really good red herrings. And for such a short book, the characters, including those we may never see again (flight Aunt Appie, her grasping son Lionel and his four wild sons, Lionel's wife Vaney who is experimenting with lesbianism (a slur about this is also used by one of the sons), the groundskeeper Lomax and his shiftless nephew Peter.)

Three stars
Follows The Palace Guard
Followed by The Convivial Codfish
This book came out 1983
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Flea Market Magic by Bella Falls

 

I had been listening to the Southern Charms Mysteries and thought I would try this series. I made it through about two chapters but the narrator (who is absolutely lovely) is the same and there wasn’t much difference in the voice of either the narrator or the series so I switched to Kindle Unlimited. 

This first book is a set up for Ruby Mae Jewell. Even from the beginning we know that she is being set up for a knock to the ego as she first takes down an arrogant flea market seller and then the grandson of another seller who had accidentally gotten ahold of a magical object that allowed her to channel magic. The prediction Ruby Mae get says that she needs to be ready for a fall.
I have to say that, especially after the Southern Charms Mysteries, Ruby was fairly unlikable. She has literally every other "good guy" character in the book telling her not to use the crystal ball but she defies them all and uses it anyway because she is just smarter (and more stubborn) than anyone else. I had hoped that after she was proven wrong she might mellow out a bit but it doesn't seem like it. I will probably give this series one more chance just to see if she changes but I have a feeling she's not going to.

Three stars

This book came out October 30th, 2019

Book borrowed from library

Opinions are my own

The Origin of Evil by Ellery Queen

 Ellery is in Hollywood. When he’s sunbathing in the nude one afternoon, he is interrupted by

 a young girl who is convinced her father was murdered. The means? A threat in the form of a dead dog. Now the man’s business partner is being threatened as well. Roger Priam, the business partner, is in a wheel chair and his wife, Delia, is running around with his private secretary, Alfred Wallace. Delia has a son who is living in trees and has a crush on the girl who came to Ellery in the first place. 
The mystery ends up being incredibly convoluted and Ellery comes off as a major asshole (he lusts after Delia who does nothing to encourage him then gets pissed off when he finds out that she’s sleeping with the secretary - why? He wanted to sleep with her too. Boo, Ellery, boo).
I heard about this book on the Classic Mysteries podcast.

Two stars
This book came out 1951
Borrowed from the library
Opinions are my own

Lucky the Hard Way by Deborah Coonts

 At the end of the last book, Lucky’s best friend and former lover, Teddie, was in trouble. In 

Macau no less. So, even though she’s just about to open her own casino, Lucky flies to China to go to Macau and figure out exactly what is going on. It doesn’t help that someone just tried to murder Miss Minnie and someone else is putting enough pressure on her recently shot father that he is worried that their entire family fortune is about to be lost.

Lots of action, not a lot of depth. I do like that the love triangle that could exist, doesn’t. Other authors would draw out Lucky’s love for Teddie but Coonts allows her to feel a nostalgic love rather than a back and forth.

Three stars

Follows Lucky Break

Followed by Lucky Ride

This book came out November 18th, 2016

Book borrowed from library

Opinions are my own

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

 Having just gotten out of a relationship, Dani Brown is ready for some good old-fashioned no-strings sex. Zafir Ansari is not a good candidate for that. Yes, he is a great friend. Yes, he probably has a crush on her. And that’s why it wouldn’t work. They just couldn’t be no strings. But when Dani misses the memo about a fire drill and gets locked in to an elevator, Zafir rescues her and carries her out of the building. Because their electricity is so apparent and they work on a college campus, they immediately go viral. Zafir  would like to continue the relationship because it brings money to his nonprofit helping kids by teaching them rugby. Of course, they fall in love over the course of the relationship.
The ending is just a little too pat and both Zafire and Dani are just a little too perfect so this was more of a three and a half star book than tipping over into four stars for me but obviously quite enjoyable.

Three and a half stars

Followed by Act your Age, Evie Brown
This book came out June 23rd, 2020
Book borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Cast Away by Annabel Chase

Emma and her friends are working on an advanced spell that may help show that Emma's suspicions about Daniel's relationship are correct. On her way back from that mission, Emma stumbles across the body of a dead troll who seems frozen to death. She also has to defend a shifter who accidentally, um, showed his wares when he shifted on Allison's (Gareth's fiancee) lawn.
But the person she thought was her ally turns out not to be and all of her plans fall apart. Then her deeply held secret is exposed in front of the town and they react in the worst way.
Emma is very much becoming a Mary Sue. There is looking at the world through rose-colored glasses and then there is willful ignorance. This is the latter.

Three stars
Follows Better than Hex
Followed by A Touch of Magic
This book came out May 24th, 2017
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

I had heard this book reviewed on a couple of podcasts but when it became available at my library on the same day I listened to the Smart Bitches Trashy podcast episode with Alexis Daria, I considered it fate. Her explanation of the story as well as Sarah’s intense enjoyment got me really stoked.
And this is a wonderfully enjoyable story about two stars of a new series. The leading lady, Jasmine Lin Rodriguez, has just made it into the tabloids for all the wrong reasons. Her other big problem is that she doesn’t really speak Spanish. She understands it just fine and has the accent mostly down but it’s not a language she uses every day.
The leading man, Ashton Suárez, is aging and he knows it. He is definitely tending out of “hero” in the telenovelas he’s known for and into “villain.” He didn’t even make it to the finale of his latest series! This series is his last chance to break into American television. He has always avoided interviews because of a fairly valid but secret reason. And, even though he finds himself falling quickly for Jasmine, he doesn’t disclose this secret to her. That does cause a misunderstanding at the end but it is quickly cleared up when both come to their senses.
The melding of Jasmine and Ashton’s stories with the telenovela storyline was just wonderful. It took me a bit to get into the book but when I did get into it, it was just a fun ride.

Four stars

This book came out August 4th, 2020

Followed by A Lot like Adios

Borrowed from Overdrive

Opinions are my own

Reread June 2022

The Palace Guard by Charlotte MacLeod

Max and Sarah have been spending a lot of time together. He has a lot of free passes to various events (at least that's what he's telling Sarah) so they've been stepping out. Too bad an evening of music at Madam's (a building the Kellings have a fraught history with the building's original owner) is ruined when one of the security guards plummets off a balcony to the floor below. One of Sarah's many cousins is substituting in as another guard. He is able to tell them some of the behind the scenes information. When another guard dies though, this time by paint remover put into the alcohol bottle he kept hidden in his locker, it all starts to get very, very serious. 

A quick read - we get to learn more about Max and Sarah and the mystery is sound. Unfortunately, there is some casual racism in the book which made me uncomfortable and I'm hoping it doesn't continue in future books. 

Three stars
Follows The Withdrawing Room
Followed by The Bilbao Looking Glass
This book came out July 1st, 1981
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Happy Narwhalidays by Ben Clanton

Narwhal and Jelly books are always a little off-kilter but full of fun. And this book is joyous as usual. A little too short and somewhat less developed than usual but still fun.
It’s Christmas-time under the sea though that’s not exactly what it’s called. Again, mixing a fun story with some science facts, Clinton introduces the idea of the Merry Mermicorn who brings gifts to the underwater sea creatures. When a gift is left for Jelly that is just perfect, he knows that he will need to come up with something fantastic for Narwhal as well.

Four stars
This book comes out September 8th
Follows Narwhal's Otter Friend

Followed by Narwhal's School of Awesomeness
ARC kindly provided by Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Shadows in Death by J. D. Robb

After an evening out, Eve and Roarke are stopped by the murder of a young mother. But the night goes to absolute crap when Roarke sees a face from his past and realizes that this is the work of a contract killer. It will take all of our favorite characters to make sure that the killer is brought to justice.

And by all, I do mean all. We see almost every side character that has ever been introduce to the series in this book and that made it feel a little overcrowded to me. Regular readers will have all the feels as regular beats are hit (e.g. Eve becoming a little more human, more of Roarke's past uncovered, etc.) This is definitely not a standalone book because so much of the story depends on knowing what has happened in previous books.

Three stars

Follows Golden in Death

Followed by Faithless in Death

This book comes out September 8, 2020

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby August 2023

Don't Hex and Drive by Juliette Cross

In the last book in the series, we got a glimpse of Devraj Kumar. He was enlisted by another vampire to help get ahold of a precious book. We learned that he is a Stygorn, a particular type of vampire warrior, who roams the world helping others. Usually for a buttload of money. In this book, we find out pretty early that he is also a Bollywood star. A real people-person. The exact opposite of Isadora Savoie who prefers tending to her gardens and visiting the animals in a nearby shelter. There, she uses her powers as a witch, a Conduit who can convey healing and growth, to work with the animals, making them happy and sometimes extending their lives by a little here and there. So she wants nothing to do with Devraj after he accidentally hits her with his car while she’s on her bike. But he just keeps coming around. And he is so very hard to resist...
Devraj doesn’t want to settle down but a single interaction with Isadora has him struggling with that decision. He knows that he can use her help when a band of vampires start grabbing women off the streets and using them for their own nefarious purposes (almost all is off-page with some description of one woman’s injuries.)
This book, since it was dealing with a slight more realistic issue than the first book, didn’t have as much of the fun of that book. It was still a good book and I might have enjoyed it a bit more if I hadn’t liked the first one so much because of its playfulness. I am really enjoying seeing older heroines though (Isadora is (gasp!) thirty-seven).

Three stars
Follows Wolf Gone Wild

Followed by Witches Get Stitches
This book come out September 8th
ARC kindly provided by the author and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A Deception at Thornecrest by Ashley Weaver

Hugely pregnant, Amory Ames is just ready to give birth. She is suffering through the planning of the local festival. She does not need a young woman showing up claiming that Amory's husband Milo is also her husband. Even despite their rocky past, Amory is willing to wait until Milo can be reached before she passes judgment. And it's a good thing that she does because it turns out that Milo is, indeed, innocent. It's actually a shadowy figure from his father's past is the person who provides the explanation.

Unfortunately, that is not the end of their troubles when a local stable boy is killed at the festival and more than one person declares that it must be murder.

The mystery in this one was maybe a little disappointing but it needed to be set up that way to introduce a new character. I don't believe that most Amory Ames fans will be disappointed.

Three and a half stars

Follows A Dangerous Engagement

This book comes out September 9th 

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Skeleton Key by Lenore Glen Offord

 Georgine is a widowed mother who is trying to make ends meet during the war by selling magazines. But she’s not very good at it. So when she stumbles into a cul-de-sac of Gettry and one of the home owners mistakes her for a secretary that is supposed to type copies of his scientific treaties. When he mentions the person will get $100, Georgine jumps at the chance. Her daughter is on vacation with family friends so she has the time and this money will get her ahead. But the more Georgine gets involved in the neighborhood, the more she realizes that things aren’t right and that the sense of wrongness really emanates from one man, the local air warden.

During a potential air raid, the man is killed by a supposedly run away Jeep. But Georgine has her suspicions and goes to the police with them. While the inspector seems suspicious, he also at least listens. So does Todd MckKay, the odd man down the street.
I should have been thinking more clearly about this book which I first heard about on the Classic Mysteries podcast. It was written in 1943 and definitely contains the casual racism of the day which, today, can pull a reader out of the story pretty quickly. I did mostly like the story and the mystery was fairly clued but Georgine was a little too Mary Sue for me and Todd pretty glib. The characterizations of the other folks in the book was often broad and stereotypical.

Three stars

This book came out in 1943

Borrowed from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Better than Hex by Annabel Chase

 Emma Hart is already struggling with her emotions. The love of her life is engaged to a fairy who is more spice than sugar. She's trying to move on. But that doesn't mean that Markos, the centaur who is interested in Emma, is someone she wants to date. She will, however, have a friendly meal between friends in his new building with a moving labyrinth. Too bad the body of the town's building inspector is found dead. But everyone loved Ed, a satyr, so why is he now dead?

A fun story that advances many story lines.

Three stars
Follows Spell's Bells
Followed by Cast Away
This book came out April 18th, 2017
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Black Tie Optional by Ann Marie Walker

For 80 days, Olivia Ramsey, do-gooder  extraordinaire, has been hounding billionaire Coleman Grant III about saving the bats. He has been charming about turning her down but still an asshole. He’s got bigger things to worry about; his grandmother is trying to steal his company. The only way he can keep control? Get married. A weekend trip away where Olivia and Cole are in the same place and their sparks explode. So Cole figures, why not a marriage of convenience.
I heard about this on Episode 248 of Smart Bitches Trash Podcast. It started off so fun but sort of sputtered out. There wasn’t a really satisfying resolution with the grandmother either.

Three stars
This book came out May 30th, 2017
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Opnions are my own