The Master of the Prado by Javier Sierra

I grabbed this book because something about the description reminded me of "Shadow of the Wind" and I enjoyed that book a lot. I wasn't disappointed. It was like a mix between that and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children with a touch of Da Vinci Code. It's the story of what happened to our first-person narrator punctuated by paintings from the Prado (and some other museums). There were places that dragged and I didn't always follow the logic being told to us by the Master but it was overall an entertaining read.

p. 24 "Following the trail of events like these can lead us to the very origins of our written culture, and can also bring us warnings about the future"

Thus sets our narrator on a trail of what story was being unfolded by the great masters including Da Vinci, El Greco, and more. It is being explained to him by an older gentleman who approaches him at the Prado and leads him down what may or may not be a garden path.

This book comes out Nov. 17, 2015

Death before Decaf by Caroline Fardig

This seemed like almost any fun and fluffy mystery that I've read lately. Main character is down on her luck, her last man (in this case, fiance) left her in the lurch, she's picking up the pieces of her life with the help of friends (potential love interest, Pete, who has her managing his father's coffee shop where she worked in college) but has to solve that pesky murder that she's suspected of perpetrating.

I think I need to get off the cozy-mysteries-with-a-cute-but-quirky-narrator train for awhile. I've read a LOT of them lately. Maybe cleanse my palate with some romance novels.
So, Juliet returns to the coffehouse near Vanderbilt where she quickly gets herself in trouble by reprimanding the staff rather harshly (and then trying to apologize later which I thought was dumb, she had good reason to say what she did and that staff needed a wake-up call). The one who gives her the most grief, Dave the cook, is, of course, the one who winds up dead in the dumpster. But, luckily for Juliet, Dave wasn't a very nice person (when are they ever?) and had lots of enemies.
A good book but nothing new under the sun. Will still probably try to read the next one to find out what happens with Juliet and Pete.
Comes out Nov. 17, 2015
Three stars

Followed by Mug Shot

How to Bewitch an Earl by Ally Broadfield

This was a fun little novella, as with most shorter books, I wish it had been longer so we could see more of the development of Isabella and Edward's romance. Also, the plotting was a bit uneven but I will most definitely be looking for the next book in the series.
Edward is somewhat obsessed (we're told that he is but don't really see it) with finding a lost family treasure, a tiara with pink diamonds. But he's been somewhat of a wastrel (again, told, but not seen, we generally only see a good guy who even sets up a fake engagement so that the other ladies at his party can begin to look at the other men for marriage possibilities.
Isabella is more consistently developed with a love for her family and trying to adjust to what she knows is her new station in life. I didn't especially warm to her but I understood her motivations.
Can't wait to see what happens between Thornfield (Edward's friend) and Louisa (Edward's sister).
Three stars.
Comes out on Nov. 30, 2015

Lady Intrigue by Sabrina Darby

Gah. I remember reading the plot for this book and thinking, "This is not a book I'd like to read" (even though I've quite enjoyed two of Darby's other books) but I must have accidentally hit the "Request" button because it turned up in my NetGalley queue. And I think it was her writing that made me not... hate this book. It took me awhile to get into the book and I never quite connected to Jane and never really got the connection between these two. There's insta-love and then there's insta-love and this just didn't quite make me buy them as a long-lasting couple. There is also the issue a lot of early series book face with trying to introduce at least one of the people who will feature in later books -OR- an overabundance of secondary characters.

2,100 Asanas by Daniel Lacerda

I really liked the beginning of this book, the overview of the history of yoga was very readable and held my interest. I think even beginners would be able to follow it. The pictures were great and having variations on the poses was fabulous. I wish there had been more "regular" folks pictured and not so many yogis. Also would have liked more explanation of how to get into poses but overall a very good book.
Four stars

Silent Nights edited by Martin Edwards

Containing some well-known favorites (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Blue Carbuncle," Dorothy L. Sayers "The Pearl Necklace," etc." as well as other short mystery stories set around Christmas. Some are more Christmas-sy than others but it is a nice cozy collection that will help get you in the holiday spirit.

The Sport of Baronets by Theresa Romain

Hannah Chandler and Bart, Sir Bartlett, Crosby are part of a generations long family feud. So when they both claim a colt that is then stolen, they have to work together to get back a potentially family-saving colt.
For a novella, I really enjoyed getting to know as much of the characters that we got to see. Can't wait for the rest of the series.

Four stars

Followed by A Gentleman's Game