Raiders of the Lost Bark by Sparkle Abbey

I requested this book from NetGalley with the vague remembrance that I had enjoyed the Pampered Pets Mysteries. I couldn't remember any of them but started into Raiders of the Last Bark anyway. About halfway through, I sort of remembered pieces of the earlier books and went to check out my reviews. It's been about three years since I last read a PPM which explains why it's a little foggy in my memory. I've also skipped three of the books apparently which was fine. A lot of the back story, like Mel's feud with her cousin Caro over their grandmother's broach, was inserted neatly into this story without too much fanfare or over-explaining. I'm not sure if I'll go back and read the three I've missed but it was nice to be able to jump back in without too much trouble.
Mel is the first-person narrator of this book (my reviews reminded me that the books switch between her and Caro). This time she's heading out to a glamping event. One that she's been blackmailed into attending by the resident pet chef (is this a thing? Good lord I'm glad I live in a small town in the back of beyond). When said pet chef turns up with a fork sticking out of the side of her neck, somehow Mel ends up as the main suspect. I say "somehow" because it seems very odd that the police would immediately zone in on her and not let up. Maybe not in real life but at least in this kind of series mystery.

This book comes out March 25
Three stars

Snoopy: Party Animal by Charles Schulz

In this book, the strips gathered mainly feature Snoopy. There are an inordinate number with just Snoopy on his doghouse. It's absolutely amazing how much Schulz was able to do with so little, just a dog on a small building. And LOTS of strips with birds. I knew Snoopy and Woodstock were good friends but I didn't realize that he liked ALL birds. At least, what look like blue birds.
As with other Snoopy/Peanuts books I've enjoyed, a nice blast of nostalgia. Great for Shulz fans and neophytes alike.

Four stars
Book comes out March 22, 2016

The Jewelled Snuff Box by Alice Chetwynd Ley

Somebody compared this book to Georgette Heyer and I can sort of see it. The WTFery is a little lower (a little) but it is a historical with very little physical interaction but a story that is continuously on the go.
We start with a poor, but moral, young woman, Jane Spencer. She is on her way to London via public conveyance when the stage is stopped by snow. Lo and behold, she stumbles over a body in the snow. It's a man who has lost his memory. When she finally gets him to London, he apparently wanders off again without even a thank you. So Jane goes on her way, becoming a companion to the same girl that used to torture her in boarding school. Oh, but that same girl is now married, but seems to be having an affair with... bum bum BUM... Jane's amnesiac. Who doesn't remember her.
A fun story full of classic romance tropes that regular romance readers will love.

This book came out on March 4
Three and a half stars

The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries

It's time for the man with the crusty exterior and marshmallow insides (Edwin Barlow, the Earl of Blakeborough) to meet his match. Well, technically, he's already met her. Clarissa Lindsey, described on the book cover as his friend Warren's ward, is under Warren's protection, but more because she's being stalked, not really because he's her guardian.
So, while Warren goes to check on Clarissa's exiled brother, Niall, Edwin's going to hang around and make sure that Count Durand (of the French embassy) doesn't get handsy with her again (the Count is obsessed with Clarissa and seems like he will do anything, ANYTHING to get her to marry him, even assault her).
Since they're thrown together, Edwin and Clarissa have no choice but to get to know more about each other. A happenstance that helps them see past the prejudices that they have built up toward each other over the years.
Those that love Sabrina Jeffries will definitely enjoy this book.
I wish I had seen more of their relationship growing and a little more at the end but generally a good book.

Book comes out March 22, 2016
Three and a half stars
Follows The Art of Sinning

Loving the Odds by Stefanie London

This was a novella so it's hard to connect to the characters, especially when they fall into bed so fast. But there was some quick world-building and the sketches of the characters made them fairly believable. A risk analyst (Bailey Reuben) who decides to throw caution to the wind and chase after her grandfather's watch. A watch she had given to her ex only because he implied they were getting married (what a smarmster!) Then she meets a playboy PR guru who decides to through his woman-loving ways aside to help Bailey. And, yeah, she's sort of helping him too but it's mostly about her.
Would I read another book in the series? Yes. In fact, I have both her "Behind the Bar" books in my TBR and I'm looking forward to them both.

Three stars
Comes out March 14

The Forbidden Duke by Darcy Burke

Miss Eleanor Lockhart had resigned herself to living with her father after her first (disastrous) season ended in scandal. But he's lost all of his money in a ill-fated scheme and Eleanor must go to work. IT is just her good fortune to have been hired/adopted by the Countess of Satterfield. Instead of a companion, the Countess seems determined to set Eleanor set up for a second season. At least it's keeping her off the back of the stepson she so desperately wants to see married.
That stepson, Titus, known more colloquially as the Forbidden Duke, is ecstatic. Until he meets this new companion and feels an instant connection. Even his newly acquired mistress loses flavor. Though he tells himself that he is just trying to help her have a wonderful season, how can he ignore his feelings for her?
As a slightly-longer-than-usual novella, this book felt a bit rushed, like major conversations were jumped over. But it was an okay book. I didn't love the set up for the next trilogy but understand why it was added.

Pumpkin: a Cindermama Story by Ines Johnson

I got this book as an ARC last week but it looks like it's already been published. I'm really hoping that the fact that it's in NetGalley means that it's going to be re-released with some better editing. This was a fairly charming story (heh, charm-ing?) but the grammar/spelling mistakes started pulling me out of the plot. I don't mind one or two mistakes, especially in a book that hasn't been released yet but this looks like it's already out. Hopefully the second book (which I can't wait to read) has a better editor (although the fact that Midori refers to "Jimmy Chu's" and "has that affect" in the sneak peek doesn't give me hope.)
Malika "Pumpkin" Tavares has always thought her life was that of a fairy tale. She's a modern-day Cinderella, complete with two evil cousins and an aunt standing in for the traditional "steps." 
Manny Charmayne knows that his life is charmed, literally. Descended from a long line of gypsies, it's his destiny to see gold when The One appears. So why is he so attracted to Pumpkin?
To be honest, if this hadn't been an ARC, I would have rated it two stars because of the issues noted above. I also didn't love that Manny hurt his friend Darrell just because Malika was his Twu Lurv. He's supposed to be a good guy; he could've talked to Darrell first.