Con Quest! by Sam Maggs

Just because your parents are cult favorites, it doesn't automatically mean that their kids will be nerds as well. Fiona sure isn't. In fact, she's been invited to the popular kids camp trip. But she's only going to get to attend if she can keep her brother and sister in line while her parents attend their panel.

But Cat and Alex aren't interested. Instead, they want to compete in the unauthorized Quest that runs in the Con every year. But just because something is fun, it doesn't mean it won't be stressful. By the end of the day, all three of them will have some of their preconceived notions upended.

It took me awhile to get into this book but I did like the way the characters grew over the course of the book.

Three stars

This book comes out June 23rd

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Actually, the Comma Goes Here by Lucy Cripps

I'm assuming that the errors that I saw in the book were fixed by the time they went to print but this was a fun book for being a) nonfiction and b) about punctuation. And I'm a huge dork who reads a lot of grammar and punctuation books.
Be warned that the author is VERY fond of the word "pedants" (which is odd because she does come across as one herself in places) but the sections on the history of each punctuation point are informative and brief. Another bonus? The book isn't very long but it doesn't have to be for the author to give good examples even while her tongue is in her cheek.

Four stars
This book came out June 2nd
ARC kindly provided by Callisto Media and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

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