Snoopy: Contact! by Charles M. Schulz

Snoopy rides again! Mainly stories connected to the Red Baron, this is a fantastic look at the work of Charles M. Schulz. And so many of the stories still work today. Simple, awesome. Definitely worth a read.

Will come out next week, October 20.

Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante by Susan Elia MacNeal

Regular Maggie Hope readers will love this book. I think beginners to the series will be able to fall in pretty easily be able to fall in as well.
Pearl Harbor has been bombed and Maggie's joining Prime Minister Churchill in his trip to help American and Britain become firm allies.
She's relieved to be back in America (partly because austerity measures are not yet in place). She's also excited to rekindle her romance with John... but fate steps in. It seems that Mrs. Roosevelt's secretary has committed suicide. But we readers know that something else entirely has occurred. It seems the secretary was caught up in a scheme to discredit the president's wife (and thus, the president). But was she killed in order to further the scheme or prevent it? It seems that Maggie's skills in protection and detection will come in handy here. She'll also lend her help to defending a black man put on trial (lots of period-consistent but terribly un-PC language used herein) for killing a white man.
A lot of character development in this book. I think some people may be disappointed by some of the movement but I am actually enjoying watching Maggie grow as a person and can't wait to read the next book.

A Winter Wedding by Brenda Novak

Oof. I'm so glad I got to read this book. The last two in the series were hard reads (because Brenda Novak tends to write outside the lines of your stereotypical romance stories, maybe not quite real life but definitely some harder emotions than a lot of romance novels) and this one was no less hard but maybe just a little less on the unending "feels" which made for a nice change-up in the Whiskey Creek series.
In this book, Kyle Houseman finally gets his HEA. And it's not with the quiet homebody that he always thought he wanted. Instead, his life is invaded by Lourdes Bennett, a country star whose star is somewhat on the wane.
Neither actually wants to get involved with the other. For one thing, Lourdes is engaged to the man (her manager) she's been dating for three years. Even if he has been distant lately and more concerned about an up-and-comer than Lourdes.
And Kyle isn't interested in someone who's almost a decade younger than he is. Especially someone who certainly isn't going to want to live in Whiskey Creek, a place he can't imagine leaving. Besides, he only seems to attract crazy women (e.g. ex-wife, Noelle who can't seem to leave him be) and is still in love with his step-brother's wife, Olivia (even more complicated, she's Noelle's sister).
Like a lot of the books in this series, there is a lot of build-up to what seems to be a fairly fast ending which can be a bit disconcerting. But I'm really glad I've stuck with the series because it's one that doesn't fall into the stereotypical romance lines (which, by the way are most of my favorite books). I really, really hope that we're going to get a Baxter story. There aren't really any other friends in their group left and I'd hate to see him be left out.

Followed by Discovering You

The Adventuress by Tasha Alexander

Jeremy, the Duke of Bainbridge, Emily's dearest friend has finally gotten engaged. To an American heiress no less. But Emily's not sure she can like the girl. Not because she's an American, rather because the woman can't seem to hold an opinion of her own. Instead, Amity (the fiancee) transforms to agree with whoever is talking to her.
The book opens with the death of one of Jeremy's closest friends. The authorities presume suicide but Emily isn't so sure. And there seems to be some darkness lurking underneath the cheerful facade of this honeymoon party.
The story is told in alternating first person (Emily, in the "present") and third person (Amity, snippets of the months leading up to the party). It's an interesting way to sow some red herrings quite nicely into the story.
I think regular Alexander readers will be quite satisfied with this book.
This book comes out next Tuesday, October 13, 2015.

Hot Toy by Jennifer Crusie

New Crusie book from NetGalley? Unfortunately, I hit "request" before I realized this was actually a novella that had already been published. And for being a 2006 story, this isn't really the Crusie I've come to love and know. And on re-reading... it wasn't any better..

Trudy Maxwell is rushing to find a toy for her nephew so that he can have the latest for Christmas. While at the toy store, she runs into an old associate of her father's and discovers that he too is looking for the season's hot toy. They find one left and Trudy discovers that this may be an extra special toy as it gets her into a mess of trouble with spies who want it almost as badly as she does.
I really did not like Trudy in this story. She is pushed around by her sister and more than a little flaky. Yes, it's nice that she's getting this toy for her nephew for the first Christmas after his father ran away with the secretary but, dear God in heaven, it's a toy. And hold her up to Crusie's uber-competent Agnes (Agnes and the Hitman) or self-confident Minerva (Bet Me) and this story suffers. A LOT.

The Mutts Winter Diaries by Patrick McDonnell

A collection of winter strips, all in one place. it makes you realize how great Patrick McDonnell is at recycling jokes but giving them new little twists each time. Earl and Mooch are trying to figure out how to survive the long cold winter. One storyline involves hibernating while others include various types of clothing, or trying to find identical snowflakes. 

A very cute book that any comics reader will enjoy.
Will be published on October 13.

The Duke and Miss Christmas by Amelia Grey

Louisa’s sister, Gwen, finds her match in this novella. She just doesn’t know it at first.

Crispin, Duke of Hurst, is visiting his uncle when he spies a young girl sitting underneath a tree. Since it’s close to Christmas, and presumably chilly, he walks over to talk to her and discovers that she has injured herself falling out of a tree trying to pick holly to decorate her home. While he’s trying to get the girl on his horse, Gwen (it’s one of her younger sisters he’s helping) comes along, believes that he’s up to dastardly deeds and proceeds to whack him with her basket.

Though this is a novella, Grey deftly adds notes about time passing so this isn’t quite a fall-in-love-at-first-sight-marry-soon-after novel. Nice addition to the series. Three and a half stars.

Comes out October 13, 2015

Follows The Earl Claims a Bride