Regency Makeover Part III by Darcy Wilde

The story opens with a lot of information, but none of it feels like a purge of backstory. Instead, we just meet the hero and heroine as they meet each other; Lady Helene Fitzgerald barges into her host's library, ostensibly to find a book, while he, Marcus Edicott, the Duke of Windford is already there. Really, Helene is trying to find Marcus' sister Adele after she fled from her overbearing sister.
Marcus is immediately intrigued. Though Helene is supposed to be a harridan bluestocking, he rather finds her a smart conversationalist who is hiding her light under a bushel.
Helene has escorted her cripplingly shy friend Madelene to the party. Madelene's family was so grateful to have her off their hands, they didn't even mind consigning her to the care of a woman that few in society cared for. But she is tired of being a wallflower and tired of Adele and Madelene being consigned to the same fate. She has conceived of a plan to triumph in Society, but she'll need the help of a fairy godmother, a role novelist Deborah Sewell can fit to a T.
So Helene helps to save herself. And her friends. I was really enjoying this story until the last Big Misunderstanding. It was so unnecessary. And I wish I had read the other two stories. It wasn't absolutely necessary but it would have filled in some gaps.

Three Stars

This story comes out May 17

Who Broke the Teapot by Bill Slavin

A nice, rhyming story with a lovely rhythm. A little difficult to follow the flow of the dialogue sometimes because the pictures are so bright. Another thing about the pictures, some of them are dual-paged, which makes reading this as an ebook odd.
Overall, a nice story and one that I think will make younger readers chuckle as they get the joke.
This book came out April 26.

The White Cottage Mystery by Margery Allingham

Jerry Challoner picks up a girl at the bus station with a blister on her heel and drops her off at a giant house where she seems apprehensive about going. He pauses to let a storm go past and hears a gunshot coming from that same house. A truly evil man has been murdered and the local police are bewildered about how to go on. Luckily, Jerry is the son of Detective Chief Inspector W. T. Challoner so he knows who can help.
At first, the answer seems obvious, but that is so rarely the truth in these stories. So, of course, we get to trace many of the suspects as they move through the story. Short, fast, good read.
Three and a half stars

A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde

Life hasn't been particularly kind to Rosalind Thorne in the last five years. She came home from a ball on cloud nine from a ball, certain that she was about to be engaged. To a second son, but she loves him. Or could. But her world collapses when she learns that her father has lost their family's money and is running away in shame, taking only Rosalind's older sister. Over time, her mother died and Rosalind was given a home by her godmother. Rosalind has also managed to make a little place for herself in the society that has shunned her by helping others who are in an untenable situation. One of those women is Honoria Aimesworth. And Honoria's mother is asking for help again. But this time, Honoria is about to be engaged to a duke, Rosalind's former love. Rosalind turns them down but when Honoria's brother turns up dead in the hallowed halls of Almack's and Rosalind is the one to find him, she finds herself drawn into the mystery.
I really liked this story and hope that somebody does some really good line editing before it goes into print (lots of sighs, a countess addressed as "Your Grace," and some interesting comma placements). This is very much like a Maisie Dobbs but set in an earlier time. I do like the fact that Rosalind seems to be fallible with several characters mentioning that she often misplaces her loyalties (although did it need to be mentioned quite so much?)
It was a fast read and I'll definitely put the second book on my "watch for" list.
This book comes out today
Three and a half stars

Troublemaker by Linda Howard

I know I have a bit of a pet-peeve with condom use but, c'mon, Ms. Howard is a veteran romance writer. There are more reasons than pregnancy to use a condom. At the very least she could sit down and have the characters talk about being tested. More than just "It's okay, I'm on the pill." Blergh. It always takes me out of the story. 
There is a special brand of Howard WTFery that I look forward to in her books. And in this book, while it was a good book, that craziness was way toned down. I mean, the books I think of when I think Linda Howard have agents whose memories have been imperfectly wiped, bear stalkings (again, black bears don't do that), the only road into a small town being shut down so a team of bad guys can retrieve a microfilm, etc. This, this was strangely devoid of any of that-- but still a good book. And what Howard does nicely is depicts small town life. There's a line in her book that even pokes gentle fun saying that people in big cities always expect small-town folks to all know one another but they don't -- one of my major major pet-peeves (see here Fool's Gold, a town of 125,000 where they somehow not only ALL know each other but everyone's extended history).
Anyway, Morgan Yancy is a super-duper, undercover agent who's had a hit taken out on him that was nearly successful. In order to figure out what's going on, his team leader, Axel, sends him to recuperate in West Virginia. The specific person Morgan is being sent to is Isabeau "Bo" Maran, Axel's ex-step-sister. It seems the two had a contentious relationship when their parents were married for eight months and Axel has never quite gotten over it. 
Bo is the chief of police in a small town but her position is supposed to be more clerical than anything, taking care of the paperwork so that her deputies can do the on-the-streets work that they feel more comfortable with. There were some plot points and character issues I had with Bo and this job (she has, like, three) but, again, used to WAY more craziness from Howard so these were minor.
Then there is the plot moppet, Bo's golden retriever, Tricks. I am a huge Goldie nerd and Tricks sounded about right for that breed of dog but, dang, half the book was an ode to the dog. I would have loved to see a little bit more about what was going on in the discovery of who was trying to kill Morgan (view spoiler) or more about their relationship development. Although, I do have to admire the deft touch of covering major swathes of time with a deft touch. It cured the book of insta-love/lust.
Overall, a nice addition to the Howard canon and I think that regular readers will really enjoy the book. I personally missed the crazy (it's the reason I requested the ARC) but others may not even notice it's gone.

Killer Cocktail by Tracy Kiely

Nicole "Nic" and Nigel Martini, like the second "Thin Man" movie, have returned home to California. The book opens with them on the Oscars' red carpet with their Bull Mastiff, Skippy. He is handed off to their assistant DeDee. Later that night, DeDee is attacked, beaten nearly to death. Could the intruder have been after the home movies that Nic and Nigel found in their attic? The behind-the-scenes films done by the producer's daughter seem to have stirred up a hornet's nest. <i>A Winter's Night</i> was a movie that captured the hearts of a generation, not especially because former child star Melanie Summers died while filming the movie. It also launched several stars and set up the producer and director as major Hollywood players.
Rumors have always swirled around the movie. Could it be that these tapes haves something to do with Melanie's death?
Just a teensy bit below the first book in this series (story is a bit slim, WAY too many people to keep track of) but still a fun story.

Three and a half stars.
Follows Murder with a Twist
Followed by A Perfect Manhattan Murder
Comes out May 8, 2016

Hot in Hellcat Canyon by Julie Anne Long

Was it fate that had megastar John Tennessee (JT) McCord's truck dying in Hellcat Canyon? It sure seems like it when he lays eyes on the waitress at the Misty Cat. He's attracted to to her and that attraction sky rockets when she starts casually dropping words like "enigmatic."
Some might say that Britt Langley's decision to stay in Hellcat Canyon is hiding out. But she feels safe where she is. And the fact that JT isn't going to be in town long? That goes right on to the "pro" side of her decision of whether or not to sleep with him.
A very cute story and I'm desperately hoping that JT's frenemy Franco Francone gets his own HEA. The Big Misunderstanding dragged on a bit at the end and I wish there had been better condom use but this book generally has me walking away with warm fuzzies.
Four stars
This book comes out May 31
Followed by Wild at Whiskey Creek