Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery

Griffith Burnett knows why tulip farmer Kelly Murphy is avoiding him. After he insulted her fairly cruelly in high school, he deserves a little bit of a cold shoulder. But also wants her to get over it because he wants to get with her.
Kelly has more issues that just an overzealous suitor. Her sister is home for the first time years and Kelly has to admit that she had a large part in helping to have her sister sent to boarding school. Also in town as a surprise? The mother who had a number of embarrassingly public affairs and then walked out on them all. And then there's her best friend who's harboring a secret crush on Kelly's father....
Olivia Murphy isn't exactly loving her life either. Her father sent her away as a teenager and, though Olivia has built a life for herself, she's not really sure it's a life that she wants. Maybe going home will help her clear her head.
I didn't love the main hero, Griffith. I think he was supposed to be forceful but was mostly sort of a jerk. And Kelly has an issue that I felt was not handled well. Olivia was a nice addition but she had too many problems that got solved way too quickly without any build or tension.

Three Stars
This book comes out July 11

Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes; Jo Piazza

A book of our times: an obsession with weight, a plethora of today's trends in exercising, and the bruffin that starts it all. Janey Sweet had forgotten the codicil in her business agreement that forbid her from changing size but her partner sure didn't. In fact, he's invoking it. Janey will take three months to lose the weight or she'll be kicked out of the firm that she helped build.
And for whatever reason, Janey doesn't fight back. Of course, that would have shortened the story a LOT. Instead, she throws herself into a whirlwind of exercising and self-exploration. She meets men (one younger, one older) and gurus. Janey also gets involved with one of the "it" women of fitness, Sara Strong. 
This is overall a fun story but I wish we had seen more of Hugh and that the big denouement weren't quite so crazy.


Three stars
This book comes out July 11

Instant Pot® Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook (An Authorized Instant Pot® Cookbook) by Sara Quessenberry, Kate Merker

I love my Instant Pot and was excited to see this book come up as an option in NetGalley. I was immediately disappointed by the length (75 pages). I was further disappointed by the recipes. Who has millet in their cupboards on a regular basis? There are some with ingredients that I would consider standard but there were enough with some slightly odd ingredients as to make it not worth reading. Also, the large pages made loading on the ereader very, very slow.

Two stars
This book came out April 15

Cutie and the Beast by E.J. Russell

David Evans is a temp who would love to work in the healing fields but so far, every opportunity has ended in disaster. In fact, he's been forbidden by his boss from helping in any doctor's office. But when she's out sick he jumps at the chance to work for Doctor Alun Kendrick, he of the hot voice, David jumps at the chance. Even if it means that he might never work again. He's just seduced by The Voice.
Alun Kendrick is only starting to get used to his hideous features. After 200 years with this curse, you'd think he'd be more at peace but every look in the mirror reminds him of the love he lost. The love to whom he brought death. Not only to the lover, but to the man's entire family. So Dr. Kendrick got some major guilt going on. Of course, that guilt leaks over to his love life. It's too darn bad he's so attracted to David. And, amazingly, David seems to feel the same attraction.
There are a lot of complicating factors. Like the fact that he has to go back to Seelie Court and swear fealty to his Queen. But only the most beautiful are allowed in and he is most certainly not that. 
A fun story that I mostly enjoyed. The writing was not my favorite but that is definitely a personal preference but I am still very much looking forward to the next book.

Four stars
This book comes out July 24
Followed by The Druid Next Door

Wired by Julie Garwood

Allison Trent is a college student. No, she's a computer hacker. No, she works for the FBI. No, she's a model. Oh wait? She's all of these things? And also, she's under fire from an aunt and uncle who want her to make money to keep her cousin out of jail? Oh, but there's also an FBI agent who's angry at her. Well, someone's trying to kill her but it could be anyone really. Good thing Liam Scott is there to keep her out of danger. Or put her in danger. Or... something?
There was a lot going on in this story. Which is not unusual for a Julie Garwood book. And the heroine is young. Really young. Not unusual for a Julie Garwood book. And she's TSTL. Like, really. She's this hotshot computer hacker but can't figure out how to block her aunt and uncle on the phone? Again, not unusual for a Garwood. But sad that this book seems like such a cookie cutter version of every book in the Buchanan-Renard series.
I have a lot of fond reminiscences of Garwood but I feel like her more recent books are intermittently rewarding. Allison drove me nuts, I never felt like we knew that much about Liam, and there was so much going on in this book it was hard to keep up and it felt like nothing was really wrapped up satisfactorily. I don't think I can ever really quit reading Garwood because when she's good she's very, VERY good but this is NOT one of those times. The only reason this didn't get one star is because I save those for DNFs and I waded my way through this whole damn book.

Two stars
This book comes out July 4, 2017

Follows Grace Under Fire

The Incredible Crime by Lois Austen-Leigh

The beginning of this book started off so well. A feisty heroine set in amongst the dons of Prince's College, Cambridge -- catnip. And a good portion of the book is highly enjoyable. Ms. Austen-Leigh describes her characters and the setting very well. But then she introduces more characters. A lot of characters. And Prudence Pinsent turns out to be not as feisty as introduced (part of the times, I guess). The mystery was not at all fairly clued so if that is part of what you like in a mystery, this will not be the book for you. It was generally an okay book but not as good as the usual ones reproduced by the British Crime Classics.

Three stars
This book comes out July 4

Dog Night at the Story Zoo by Dan Bar-el

Argh. I feel so bad because somebody spent a lot of time on this book and I just didn't enjoy it. I couldn't figure out who it was supposed to be geared toward. It had fun pictures and a cute premise (animals coming out for open mike night) but the stories seemed like they were more geared toward adults. It was an interesting dichotomy what one that made the stories work a little less.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out