The Theory of Happily Ever After by Kristin Billerbeck

I really liked the premise of this book. Self-help author falls apart, gets forced on a cruise by her friends, finds love hate with the man of her dreams who has Big Secrets. Seemed very similar to Breathing Room which is a favorite I reread fairly often.
I wish the description of the book had been a little more explicit that it had Christian overtones. It's fine to read when it's done well but the religious themes were wedged in with a fairly heavy hand (jamming a Bible into a character's hand then prolonged wondering about why it's there... really?) that became distracting. It was neither this though nor the first-person-narrative that dropped this down a star for me. It was a fairly pleasant if unexciting read except that it pitted the narrator against her friend for the interest of a man. Just, no. And, ew, can we just get rid of that trope already?
For those that don't mind that trope or spots of Christianity or first-person narrative, this is generally a light and fluffy read that you would probably enjoy.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out May 1
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Falling for You by Becky Wade

Model and a football player? Yes please. Christian themes? Hm. Not my favorite. But I'm going to try it. I'm not a practicing Christian but I've read books with religious undertones that I have enjoyed (as long as I'm warned about it ahead of time)
And the book starts off well. I generally like Willow Bradford and Corbin Stewart. They were a couple a few years ago but broke up. Now they're both in Washington and his "niece" wants help. Specifically, she wants help from Willow. And this was a bit of a stretch for me. Why her? Just because she's nearby? But I enjoyed Wade's writing and kept going. Then we're told over and over that Willow's ashamed because she's illegitimate. Um, in this day and age that seems odd -- and why would she feel ashamed? Okay... still reading. Then we find out that Willow always thought God would break them up because they were having sex outside of marriage. That... is an incredibly narrow view but I'm still liking Wade's writing. The thing that made me DNF this book? That Corbin told Willow that she HAD to forgive him because Jesus told her to. Um. No. That is not how forgiveness works, you do not get forced into it.
I definitely enjoyed Wade's writing but the narrow view of Christianity really turned me off.

DNF
This book comes out May 1
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Ask a Manager by Alison Green

I read the Ask a Manager blog pretty religiously. Like, every new post, going back and reading old posts, following comments. I was really excited to get this book. And it really is a good book with practical details for everyday working life (more geared toward office work.) There are sections based on your role in the office (boss, employee, etc.) and they include bullets of practical advice, scripts for difficult situations, and stories taken right from Green's blog. It is a little dry in points but it's a nonfiction advice book. I liked the stories pulled right from the blog, they injected some life into the book.
If you are already an Ask a Manager reader, it's all the advice you've read but organized into neat lists. Nothing new really so longtime (years) readers probably won't gain much. For people just entering the workplace, just becoming mangers, or conducting interviews, this would be an invaluable book.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out May 1
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Someone to Care by Mary Balogh

Viola Kingsley's world came crashing down when, after her husband's death, she found out that she wasn't actually his wife and her children were now considered illegitimate. It turned her world upside down. And now in her forties, she's trying to put her life back together. Hard at any time but especially in Victorian England when many people look down on her even though none of what happened was her fault. It's no wonder that one day, she feels like she needs to get away.
Many years ago, Marcel Lamarr, Earl of Riverdale, had tried to seduce Viola. Being a good wife, she had rebuffed his efforts. He was married once and has twins that are being raised by a very stodgy relative. His life is... boring. So when he runs into Viola at a country inn (her carriage broke down), he takes the opportunity to spend more time with her. Even if that only means spending the day at the local fair and then saying their goodbyes and parting for the evening. When Viola decides to take him up on his offer for a very good night, Marcel is shocked but still behaves honorably, giving her the space to change her mind. She doesn't. And it sets them down the road to eventually being discovered... and engaged.
Another book that Balogh lovers will enjoy.

Four stars
This book comes out May 1
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The Good Luck Sister by Jill Shalvis

Tilly Adams hasn't exactly reached the heights that her teenage self had imagined (who does?). Instead of being a famous artist, she's an art teacher. And who's in the front row of her first class? Dylan Scott, her teenage best friend, her first boyfriend, and they guy who walked away without looking back.
Dylan did what he thought was best, in order to give Tilly a better life. And he's pretty sure it worked out. If only he can get Tilly to agree.
Man, I was really hoping for a better story for Tilly. And one for Quinn's (Tilly's sister and heroine of the first book in this series) best friend Skye. As novella's go, this one has the same problems of making you believe that the characters can fall in love in less than 100 pages. And this one has the added pressure of doing it in even fewer since the "current day" story is interspersed with what happened ten years ago.

Three stars
This book comes out May 1st
ARC kindly provided by Edelweiss
Followed by Rainy Day Friends

Murder on the Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn

I had never read a Daisy Dalrymple before and I'm so excited to have found a new series.
Daisy, a magazine writer, is on the train to Scotland when her potential beau's nine-year-old daughter, having run away from home, finds her. The train has already pulled away from the station so it's too late to send her home. Also on the train? One of Daisy's schoolmates whose entire extended family is also on the train in a last ditch effort to get the family's notoriously pinch-penny, misogynistic patriarch to change his will. It seems that Alistair McGowen believes that the family money should only go to someone in the direct male line. Right now, the only one that meets that description is his scapegrace twin brother. The older man spent a large portion of his life in India and (according to the rest of the family) now has some strange ideas. Like leaving his money to a young Indian doctor.
Amazingly, it's not the usual person (Alistair) who gets murdered. Instead, it's his brother Alistair. Belinda (the nine-year-old) is the one who discovers the body. Daisy takes a look at the scene and immediately deduces that this is not a natural death.
There is some terms used in this book that are firmly in the "racist" category these days. The overall tone was that everyone should be accepted because of who they are, not what they look like, but there were a couple of cringeworthy moments.

Four stars
This book comes out April 24 (originally published 1996)

Follows Requiem for a Mezzo

Followed by Damsel in Distress

Reread in May 2022

Lady Rogue by Theresa Romain

Callum Jenks and Lady Isabel Morrow had a short affair months ago. And now she's asking to see him again. This time it's not for romance; she needs help. Her deceased husband, it appears, was selling forgeries. And she needs to make things right before anyone finds out and her ward is ruined.
As they start investigating, it opens questions about how Isabel's husband died. Was it really a suicide?
This was a good book for some world building. While it didn't hold my attention for long periods of time, I don't think regular Romain readers will be disappointed.

Three stars
This book comes out April 24
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Followed by Lady Notorious