Curse the Day by Annabel Chase

Trying to find a client's house, Emma Hart accidentally goes into a lake. She's saved by a man with ... Wings? She discovers that Daniel is actually an angel. One who can't return her to the world she knew. Because of a ages old curse, only certain people can leave the town. And Emma isn't one of them. She adapts to that fact pretty quickly (which threw me off at first but then I was impressed because that's not the normal trope.) Emma is also assigned a job, a house, and some learning about her new town. When the town council found out Emma was a lawyer, they immediately assign her to take over for the last public defender who was murdered.
From there, it's a pretty standard cozy mystery with paranormal elements. Emma is engaging and shows signs of intelligence. She's (so far) not putting herself in dangerous situations because, why not. There are definitely signs of a romantic triangle (my least favorite trope) and some of the world building was a teeny bit forced but overall a nice start to a new-to-me series.

Three and a half stars
Followed by Doom and Broom
This book came out January 7th, 2017
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Bait N' Witch by Abigail Owen

In the first book of this series, Rowan McAuliffe was forced to do some pretty horrible things for a werewolf including trying to kill the main characters of that book and the second. So the Mage High Council has sent a Witch Hunter after her. The mysterious Delilah sends Rowan to the witch hunter's house so that she can hide right under his nose while she plays nanny to his magical triplets.
For a shorter book (novella-sized?) there was a lot packed in. This book could have been better served by making it a bit longer and writing more about some of the connections. There are a lot of things that are explained by "Well... because magic." Why Rowan was tied to the werewolf in the first place, more about the triplet's magic. Major parts of the story were explained with one or two sentences instead of paragraphs or even chapters. It was fast, fun, and fluffy and can be enjoyable if you don't mind major plot points being skipped over. If you can get it for the advertised price of $0.99 it is definitely worth it.

Two and a half stars
Follows Shift out of Luck
This book comes out June 15th
ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Marquesses at the Masquerade -- anthology

Once Upon a Ball by Emily Greenwood
Rosamund Shufflebottom has been relegated to being the seamstress for her aunt and cousins. The night before a big ball held by the Marquess of Boxham, they force her to stay up almost all night. But her uncle presents her with a ball gown and her own pearl necklace which her aunt demanded as payment for taking Rosamund in. And Rosamund gets to attend the ball where she meets the Marquess but also loses the pearl necklace. Her aunt finds out and casts her out of the house.

Two and a half stars - Rosamund was described as a firebrand but we never really see it or the reasons why the Marquess would fall in love with her. Yes, it's a Cinderella story but so short that there's not much built out from that bare bones beginning.

Only Unto Him by Susanna Ives
Lord Exmore knows that Miss Annalise Van Der Keer is not right for his cousin. And he tells her so in no uncertain terms, sending her from London. Three years later, she is back but the circumstances have changed. She is no longer so silly, having nursed her parents while they were dying and he is no longer held in regard, having gone off the rails after his wife died.
But then he sees Annalise in a print shop and realizes that she's changed. And with his own changes, maybe something they could work on.

The first part of the story, Annalise and Exmore moving from enemies to friends was captivating. It sort of fell apart when they got married and the Big Misunderstanding but the first three quarters was quite delightful.

Three and a half stars


The Governess and the Norse God by Grace Burrowes
Darien St. Ives,  Marquess of Tyne, loves his daughters and is grateful that his newest nanny, Lucy, has been able to help cheer them since the death of their mother. Lucy is forthright and humble, the perfect nanny. And when they both attend the same masquerade, it opens his eyes to the fact that she may just be his perfect woman.
There was a subplot of a love triangle that didn't need to be there in such a short story but overall an enjoyable read.

Three and a half stars


This book came out April 17th, 2018
Hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own

Nine Times Nine by Anthony Boucher

The Classic Mystery podcast again describes this better than I ever could. The biggest drawback was the fact that this book was written in a time where political correctness didn't exist so there are some discordant notes and the mystery is a little out there.
Sister Ursula's first mystery doesn't have her in it very much. Instead, a lot of the story is focused on Matt Duncan. Through a series of odd events, he ends up the protege of Wolfe Harrigan, a journalist who thrives on exposing cults. When the latest cult he's researching heaps the curse of nine times nine on his head, Wolfe is not worried. But then he is killed behind locked doors with Matt as one of the witnesses. The leader of the cult was distinctive in his yellow robes but was also on stage at the same time.

Three stars
This book came out 1940

Followed by Rocket to the Morgue

Borrowed as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

See the Light by Kate McMurray

Jeremy and Max are best friends and used to be roommates. And now that Jeremy's been dumped, they're roommates again. Well, Jeremy is crashing on Max's couch. Both work on Broadway, Jeremy as a dancer, Max as a makeup artist. Both seem on the brink of success but can they achieve it both in their personal lives and professionally.
This was a really good story but, and I rarely say this, could have benefitted from being a little bit shorter. There was a last Big Misunderstanding that really made me think less of both characters and didn't exactly feel true to the story. But McMurray's writing was fun and I liked them both up until then and will definitely read more of her stories.

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 28th, 2019
This was a hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own

The Virgin and the Rogue by Sophie Jordan

Heavy cramps aren't fun and Charlotte Langley sure knows that. Her sister, Nora, has potions that work but this month's potion tastes different. It turns out that Nora has been experimenting. And this experiment? It makes Charlotte horny. Which is a problem because the man she finds is not her fiance but the illegitimate stepbrother of her sister's husband.
Samuel Kingston is considered lucky by some because his father, though never married to his mother, has acknowledged him. And that has allowed him to participate in his father and stepmother's rather dissolute lifestyle . But since he has seen what that lifestyle did to his mother, he has rejected it. Even if he hasn't participated in that lifestyle for quite some time, that doesn't mean he's good enough for a woman like Charlotte. When she throws herself at him, he's shocked but not prepared to take of all that she's seeming to offer. However, that doesn't mean that he believes that her fiance is the right one for her either.
I wasn't going to read this book but then I heard Sophie Jordan talking about it on the Fated Mates podcast. Love potions? Phhttt. No interest. But then she talked about the issues surrounding have a character under the influence and how you build a love story around that and I reconsidered, "hm, this might not be what I thought."
Great character building; subtle building on a previous book (that I hadn't read) and following books; nice relationship growth. Still some cringe-y moments that prevented a five star book but was still three and a half stars for me.

Three and a half stars
This book came out April 28th, 2020

Followed by The Duke Effect
Borrowed this as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

Ada von Hasenberg is a child of one of the three head houses of the High Council but, as a younger child, she is of little value unless she marries. And her father did contract a marriage for her to Richard Rockhurst. Ada decided she didn't want to get married and fled. She's got a bounty on her head and, two year later, has finally been captured by a merc ship. But she's not their only bounty. The ship also has the notorious Marcus Loch, the man who was rumored to have killed his entire troop during the Fornax Rebellion. If Ada wants to escape, she's going to need to team up with Marcus so that she can figure out why she has suddenly become so valuable to the Rockhurst house. What she uncovers will shake the entire High Council and lead to a house war.
Great world building and an introduction to a world that is just fun to read. I like the second book in the series just a little bit more but this is second in my heart.

Four stars
This book came out February 5th, 2019
Followed by Aurora Blazing
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own