The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

I requested this book from Edelweiss and was surprised to see it a little later featured on the Mighty Girl Facebook page. And this is definitely a story about a mighty girl. One who is a regular (unnamed) girl who likes to hang out with her dog doing the normal things (racing, eating, exploring, relaxing) and also creating. Until the day that she thinks of the *Most Magnificent Thing.* But this time creation doesn't go so smooth. "It was not her finest moment." I can just see two- and three-year-olds parroting that and being absolutely adorable. The language is not too difficult but it wasn't dumbed down either.
I loved the lessons about learning from your mistakes and adored that the little girl was an inventor. The illustrations were fabulous as well and fit the story perfectly.

This book comes out April 1, 2016

Six Degrees of Scandal by Caroline Linden

I have been wondering what the heck was up with Olivia Townsend and we finally get to find out. I definitely preferred this book to the last one in this series though.Olivia Townsend has loved James Weston for most of her life. They grew up together and then fell in love. But after a romantic interlude... James decides that he knows what's best and wanders off rather than immediately asking for her hand. Because Olivia's family is in dire straights, they can't wait to get her married. Especially now that she's "damaged goods." So Olivia marries another. It's been two years since her husband died of the flu and she's not sure what's going on. Not only has all of the money from his inheritance mysteriously disappeared, one of her husband's friends is getting more and more insistent about pressing his intentions. And now she's got this mysterious book that just showed up. It seems to be one of her husband's diaries (according to the back cover, but really it sounds more like a ledger). When she takes it to a lawyer, he not only denies knowing exactly what it is, he claims that it was supposed to be burned. Going to her cold and lonely cottage (where she's hiding to get away from her would-be suitor), Olivia is beset upon by a shadowed man. One with a very familiar voice. It's James. He's been recruited by his sister Penelope to come to Olivia's rescue.As readers, we travel with James and Olivia to find out what her husband was really up to all while watching the two of them fall back in love. Or acknowledging that they still love each other. Parts of the story were a little too smooth and other parts dragged on a bit but overall a fairly good story.

This book comes out March 29, 2016

Fortune Favors the Wicked by Theresa Romain

When I requested this book as an ARC, I didn't realize that this was part of a new series (I hope) and not part of the "Romance of the Turf."  I was really looking forward to that next book and that may have dimmed some of my excitement in this book. But, hey, blind hero, courtesan heroine... this is definitely not your average romance novel.
There was a LOT going on in this story though. Both Charlotte Perry (also known as  Charlotte Pearl, La Perle, and Mrs. Smith in the course of this novel) and Benedict Frost, currently on half-pay from his Majesty's navy, are looking for the gold recently stolen from the royal treasury. The reward for finding said gold is 5,000 pounds, a princely sum. Charlotte could retire and set her daughter up for life. Benedict would like to sell his stories but the London publishers have all told him that, though based on his own life, no one will believe that a blind man could travel the globe. So instead, he's hoping to get the reward money and set himself and his sister up for life.
There is also a villain plotting against Charlotte, a murder, and, oh, just a LOT going on in this book. It was still worth a read and I am very much hoping that we will see more of what happens between Georgette (Benedict's sister) and Lord Hugo (Benedict's friend, younger son of a duke).

This book will be published March 29.
Followed by Passion Favors the Bold

Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis

Damn it Jill Shalvis. Another book that I loved so much I read it too darn fast. And even a day later, thinking about the things I didn't like, this book still gives me warm fuzzies.
Sophie Marren knows she isn't perfect. And she's too impulsive. Why else would she have asked for her husband's boat in the divorce proceedings rather than some money. Or her car. Or something that didn't make her seasick. And it's just her luck not to have thought about the fact that she'd need both day and night permits on this darn lake. Oh. And that a sexy ranger seems to have stumbled upon her latest "secret spot."
Readers will probably know Jacob Kincaid as the absent brother from the first two books in the series. He ran away from the family, including his own twin brother, when he was eighteen and hasn't really checked in since. But now his best friend from the army is dead and he needs to be home. Even if that means going back to Cedar Ridge without really letting his family know. Thank goodness there's a spunky redhead out on his boat dock, distracting him.
The first 3/4 of the book were a definite four-and-a-half-stars for me. Then came the last Big Misunderstanding. And it wasn't really as dramatic as your regular BM, but for these characters, it seemed out of proportion to how they had been set up in the rest of the book. A discordant note that threw me off for the rest of the book. Especially since it seemed like it was such a Big Deal but was resolved super-quickly.
And I really didn't like the epilogue for a couple of reasons but mainly because it makes me suspect we're not going to get Kenna's story. What's going on between her and Mitch? What gets her from grumpy ex-ski star to happy in love?

This book comes out March 29, 2016

Follows: My Kind of Wonderful

Stop the Presses by Robert Goldsborough

This was an ARC so I didn't count against it that there was a really weird back and forth of whether  contractions are used. On one page, you'd have "you are" and a few pages later it would be "you're" with no rhyme or reason. Very distracting.
I requested this book because a)I love Nero Wolfe and b)I was excited that Lon Cohen, our favorite press junkie, is featured. Specifically, he's very worried that one of their more... contentious reporters seems to be getting increasingly threatening letters. Muddling the issue is the fact that Clay has pissed off so MANY people. But he's narrowed it down to five people who are the most likely to want him dead.
And then... Cameron is found shot to death. The police say it's suicide but the newspaper's owners aren't so sure.
Close to the Rex Stout voice and certainly better than "Black Coffee" but the mystery was a bit week and the characters didn't... seem like themselves (can you say that about fictional characters?) I did  really like page 35 ,the juxtaposition of loath and loathe.

This book came out March 8
Three stars

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