Chaos Reigning Jessie Mihalik

As a child, Catarina von Hasenberg was often sick. But what no one other than she, her father, and a handful of scientists know that she wasn't really sick, her family was experimenting on her trying to play with her genes to make her faster, stronger, etc.  She was the youngest in a family of six so she was more expendable and her father is more interested in a way to gain power than keeping his family alive. Her bonds with her siblings are tight and Catarina is willing to help them in the fight against the Syndicate, a group that is trying to take over power from the Royal Consortium of which the von Hasenbergs are one of the three High Houses.
Cat has been invited to a house party at one of the family's that is suspected to be plotting against the Royal Consortium. Her sister Bianca is worried about her safety and sends two people along with Cat, Alex and Aoife. Aoife will be her bodyguard and Alex is going to pose as Cat's newest boy toy. Since no one knows about Cat's skills, she chafes against the restrictions but realizes why her sister might want to send her extra help, especially since she's the youngest and everyone is used to thinking of her as being weak.
I would definitely read the first two books in the series before this one. I don't think you necessarily have to but the series as a whole is amazing and worth reading. Of the three heroines, I think I connected to Cat the least but I couldn't put my finger on why. She is just as kick ass as her sisters  but I think the mask she had to wear annoyed even me. It also took me a bit of time to get into the story but, once it picked up, it really became wonderful.

Four stars
Follows Aurora Rising
This book comes out May 19, 2020
ARC kindly provided by Harper Voyager Trade and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Crossing Over Easy by Nova Nelson

Normally, a horrific car crash might not mean that someone will be able to walk away. But Nora Ashcroft does. And she follows a talking dog to a restaurant that includes fauns, witches, and the Grim Reaper (though he prefers "Ted.") Her brain can barely comprehend what's happening when she discovers a dead body. She also finds out that she is a Witch of the Fifth Wind; she can talk to ghosts, especially those who were murdered and help to set things right.
And because of who she is, she gets involved in solving the mystery of who killed Bruce the werewolf.
This is a short book but sets up some good worldbuilding (including the fact that Eastwind has a larger than normal murder rate which easily sets up the rest of the series and solves the usual problem with small town murder mysteries.) An interesting series and a nice first book.

Three stars
Followed by Death Metal
This book came out February 26th, 2018
Borrowed as audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Kristin Petersen has just gotten some devastating news. But she's trying to keep it quiet so that she can continue to plan her best friend's wedding. Of course, driving her friend's fiance's brand new truck and then spilling coffee during a minor fender bender (maybe slightly before...) doesn't help the day. And the guy who bumps her ending up being the best man? That's just crap icing on the crap cake.
But as she gets to know Josh Copeland, she starts to fall a little bit more and more in love. Too bad she isn't really the perfect woman for her perfect man. And then a major emergency puts all wedding plans on hold.
The characters were well drawn and I generally liked the story except that it's one of those stories that could be easily solved by one conversation. And the ending just felt... wrong. Things like that can happen in real life but it didn't feel organic to the way the rest of this story was written.

Three stars
Followed by The Happy Ever After Playlist
This book came out June 11th, 2019
Borrowed this as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

The book starts off with a goblin hunt and leads into complete zombie fest. Mercy originally set out with Ben and Mary Jo (the latter of whom she is still trying to figure out; she saved the woman's life but she still hates Mercy) but ends up needing the help of powerful witch Elizaveta. But, for some reason, no one at her house is answering the phone. It seems that a witch consortium is building power and if Elizaveta's family isn't with them, they are against them. And Mercy's pack? They're automatically against them. And the cute little zombie goats that begin the story have nothing on the creatures that these witches will unleash in the search for power.
This story definitely move forward the stories of a lot of the main characters as a couple of the B characters in this series. A nice addition to the series that is making look forward to the next.

Four stars
This book came out May 7th, 2019
Follows Silence Fallen
Followed by Smoke Bitten
Ebook from Library
Opinions are my own

Secret Star by Nora Roberts

Grace Fontaine just needed some time to relax so she went away. She didn't realize that doing so would lead to her cousin's death. Nor did she think that her friends might believe she was the one who died. So when she walks into her trashed home and is accosted by Detective Seth Buchanan, she reacts badly, playing right into his assumptions about her personality.
Rich girl, party girl, doesn't care about others are Buchanan's thoughts. Here, her friends are mourning her, and she's just wandering around blithely. But he is soon proved wrong. Grace is more than that. More than just her wealth and beauty. But there are others who don't see that and she may be in danger from the one who doesn't just covet her but the three giant diamonds at the heart of this series.
Definitely a 90s romance first written as a Harlequin romance. Not a lot of room for much (e.g. Character or romance development) other than the story.

Three stars
Follows Captive Star
This book came out January 1st, 1998
Hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

January Scaller does not live with either her mother or her father. Instead, she lives with Mr. Locke while her father travels the world, searching for treasures for the New England Archeological Society. And Mr. Locke seems to care for her. She cares for him. Her life is distressingly normal for a girl who is neither white nor black in (I think?) the early 1900s. But her life begins to change at seven when she briefly sees a blue door and goes through to another world. When her father dies, her life changes irrevocably. Her first person narration pulls us into the story, into her feelings and sense of wonder.
Her story intersects with two others whose identities are originally concealed from us by the third person narrator. All of them, explorers, trying to discover all 10,000 doors (which is actually "too many to count" but 10,000 works well.)
Great character development, awesome world building, and a happy ending. All things that make me happy. I did skim a couple of sections but not very much.

Four stars
This book came out September 10th, 2019
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Falling for Max by Shannon Stacey

Tori Burns loves her life. She's a part-time waitress which lets work with people and also work her first love, graphic design. When Max Crawford walks into her diner one day, she is confounded and bemused. The man who half the town believes to be an ax murderer is there to try and meet a woman. Well, it's true it is the only game in town for meeting people but Max is adorably awkward. That's why she agrees to help him practice date. If only they can keep it to practicing...

Four stars
Follows Taken with You
This book came out July 29th, 2014
March 25th, 2014
Listened to on Audible Escape
Opinions are my own