The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books by Martin Edwards

There's unfortunately not a lot to say about this book. Martin Edwards has put together several good anthologies of classic mysteries based on various themes: crimes on the continent, locked room mysteries, winter crimes. Here, he writes short descriptions of the 100 books that have helped to frame mysteries as we know them today. These are not the 100 best books by anyone's standards but it is a nice mix of names that I knew and names that were new to me.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 1

Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules for Spying by Amanda Hosch

Mabel Opal Pear is not your ordinary almost-11-year-old. For one thing, her parents are spies. For another, she's a spy-in-training. She knows immediately that something is wrong when her parents disappear and her Aunt Stella, Uncle Frank, and Cousin Victoria show up. Victoria is mean, Frank is clueless and Stella is something else. Normally Aunt Gertie takes care of Mabel but she's in jail. So it's up to Mabel to not only run the family spoon museum but also figure out the mystery.
I couldn't quite get into Mabel's world. I'm not sure where the connection was missing. It seemed like a serviceable story with some interesting world-building but... not for me.

Three stars
This book comes out August 1

My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Beauty and the Beast by Jerry Mahoney

I wasn't sure what this book would be and I think that helped me enjoy it a little bit more. It appears to be at least the second book in a series since our main characters, Maddie and Holden, get sucked into a fairy tale and quickly take it in stride.
Of course, the main lesson that Maddie learns is that beauty is on the inside and I'm not sure what the irrepressible Holden learns but I enjoyed that there was a twist on the Beauty and the Beast trope with Maddie hopping into Beauty but Holden becoming a whole new side character. One who doesn't speak French. In France.
A fun book and I look forward to reading another in the series.

This book comes out August 1
Four stars

All or Nothing at All by Jennifer Probst

When she was younger, Sydney Green loved Tristan Pierce fiercely. She didn't have a lot of love in her life and she was able to find a little with Tristan until he unceremoniously dumped her. Now they've been working together at the Pierce Brothers Construction. And he's the only one standing between her and what she wants, a giant promotion. Well, she's damn good at her job so he doesn't stand in her way for long. It seems like a lot of their old hurts are being mended. Tristan is even taking some interest in Sydney's daughter, something he didn't seem to be able to do for a long time. Now there's just one more secret left to be told...
I didn't love how they resolved this secret. It was a bit... contrived. This was not my favorite Probst series though this actually was the best book in the bunch.

Three books
This book  comes out July 25

Marry Me at Willoughby Close by Kate Hewitt

This book is a very sweet romance. A very sweet romance. With a heroine that is sweet. And a heroine whose hard outer shell hides his sweetness. It was... a lot of sweet.
Alice James has just aged out of the foster care system. She has nowhere to go. Until she's hired to be the companion for a dying woman, Lady Dorothy Stokely. Too bad her nephew isn't as charmed by Alice.
I didn't feel like I needed to have read another book in this series. There weren't giant swathes that I felt like I was missing. This book was just a little too ... sweet. There wasn't a lot of depth to either the story or any of the characters. I have a feeling this will be a book that will appear to readers who like stories with young heroines and treacly romance.

Three stars
This book came out July 18

Until You Loved Me by Brenda Novak

I read the first chapter of this book at the end of No One but You and was immediately entranced. Yes, this is a surprise baby BUT it's a result of a failed condom (which happens, at least they were being responsible) and she responsibly lets him know about the baby... as soon as she figures out his last name.
I liked watching these two fall in love. Ellie's last relationship ended when when walked  in on her coworker/fiance with his (male) best friend... who is also a coworker. The biggest problem I had with the book was how these two were portrayed. Yay for homosexual representation. Boo for making them both so thoroughly unlikable (aka The Bad Guys.)
Yay also for the representation of Hudson King, a football player who seems like a generally  nice guy, doesn't sleep around. He's got some demons-- like being left in a bush as a baby and now being blackmailed. His drama (and dramatics) were a bit overwhelming but Ellie handles it all like an adult which was incredibly refreshing.

Four stars
This book comes out July 25
Follows No One But You

Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud by Anne Helen Petersen

I didn't even read the description of this book; I loved the title so much I requested it from NetGalley. And really, really enjoyed it. Petersen takes aspects of what women aren't supposed to be in today's culture and applies it to famous women. Melissa McCarthy is too fat, Nicky Minaj is too slutty, etc. Then she dissects why these women (and their adjectives) are so divisive. Is it the women themselves or the norms that they're bucking?
A highly enjoyable book and a fast read.

This book came out June 20
Four stars