An Act of Villainy by Ashley Weaver

Amory Ames has always thought that Gerard and Georgina Holloway were the epitome of romance. They have always seemed to be in love with each other. Which is why she's surprised that Gerard is cheating on his wife with the young actress in his latest play. And that Gerard is asking her and Milo for help with the young woman, Flora Bell, who is receiving threatening letters. Amory is not really interested but she meets with the actress who brushes off the threats. But opening night, Amory is the one to discover a body. She and Milo will have to work fast to figure out who the murderer is.
I liked this book. The ending wasn't my favorite but it was interesting and that's sometimes better.

Four stars
Followed by A Dangerous Engagement
This book came out September 4
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

One More Moment by Samantha Chase

For the last member of the Band on the Run series, Julian Gray, love has been a slog. The book opens when he dumps his fiancée at the altar, playing the video that shows that she has never really been in the relationship for him or their love.
Dedicated social worker, Charlotte Clark doesn't recognize Julian Gray when he can't pay for his coffee one day at her favorite coffee shop. She just recognizes the symptoms of someone who is in a liminal space and does not want to be there. She strikes up a conversation and helps to start pull him out of the dark space he's been in.
The two will have to figure out how to work around each other. I like that Charlotte sticks to her guns and makes Julian put forth actual emotional effort rather than letting him get away with just buying her forgiveness.

This book comes out September 4
Four stars
ARC Kindly provided by NetGalley
Follows  One More Promise 

Murder at the Mousetrap by Helena Marchmont

Alfie's aunt has died and left him her cottage in Bunburry. He arrives on a cold and rainy night. He also lands in the middle of a mystery. Or, is it? It seems a local man has died. It seems like an accident but there are those in town who aren't so sure, including two of Aunt Augusta's friends. It's up to Alfie and the ladies to figure out what is really going on. Even as they are helping get the annual rendition of "The Mousetrap."
A super-short novel but one that built it's characters out pretty well. There was less of a Christie connection than I expected from the description but aI'm looking forward to the next book.

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

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

The premise of this book, a Groundhog Day Agatha Christie murder mystery with a touch of Quantam Leap thrown in, really intrigued me. I like all of those things. But would the author be able to make it work?
A man wakes up without a memory. He seems to be at a house party. It is nineteen years after a similar house party where the young son of a lord was drowned. Soon after, his sister was sent to Paris. This party is ostensibly for her return but it seems that someone has something more insidious in mind. Evelyn Harding is going to die. Our protagonist is "hosted" by various members of the party, one each day. He only has eight "days" to figure out who kills Evelyn Harding or else... I, I have to be honest. I never really did figure out what the absolute consequences were.
It took me awhile to get into the first person narrative. The ending was... how much can I say without giving it away? It wrapped up most of the plot points but it took a lot of effort. It is a good book though and I'm guessing it will be very popular when it comes out.

Four stars
This book comes out September 1

Barefoot in the Dark by Suzanne Enoch

I hadn't read any of the books in the previous series but that didn't prevent me from enjoying the story of Samantha Jellicoe and Rich Addison settling into their engagement. As a bazillionaire, Rich's engagement has caused a lot of interest and his house is surrounded by paparazzi and his disappointed followers. So he plans to whisk her away to Scotland to visit his ancestral home and let her meet her family. Of course, there is a mystery. A centuries old hidden treasure that is directly linked to the local village.
I am most definitely looking forward to further books in this series.

Four stars
This book came out August 15, 2023

Sam and Rick #1

Followed by A Kiss in the Dark
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Sliding Home by Kathy Lyons

Ellie McDonald is generally shy and retiring. But when she decides to do one thing every day where she gets rejected, her sister dares her to ask out MVP on her cousin's pro baseball team, Jake Armstrong. Except that he doesn't reject her. And then there's a hotel fire... and things really spiral out of control. Suddenly she's agreeing to pretend to be in a relationship to help save his job and her reputation.
There were parts of the book that I didn't love (a lot of misunderstandings) but I am interested in reading more books in this series.

Three and a half stars
This book came out August 13
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The Dogfather by Sparkle Abbey

Melinda Langston's former fiance Grey Donovan is under suspicion for a murder. A nearby store owner is dead and there is no shortage of people who might want to kill him: he had accused Grey of selling him a fake, his wife doesn't seem to like him very much, there's a mysterious blonde standing over the body, and a guy in town from the murdered man's past.
Betty is once again on the case which means that hijinks will ensue. And she's not too over the top in this book. But she definitely verges.
Overall a good read.

Three and a half stars
This book came out September 21