Friday, September 4, 2020

A Deception at Thornecrest by Ashley Weaver

A Deception at Thornecrest by Ashley WeaverHugely pregnant, Amory Ames is just ready to give birth. She is suffering through the planning of the local festival. She does not need a young woman showing up claiming that Amory's husband Milo is also her husband. Even despite their rocky past, Amory is willing to wait until Milo can be reached before she passes judgment. And it's a good thing that she does because it turns out that Milo is, indeed, innocent. It's actually a shadowy figure from his father's past is the person who provides the explanation.
Unfortunately, that is not the end of their troubles when a local stable boy is killed at the festival and more than one person declares that it must be murder.
The mystery in this one was maybe a little disappointing but it needed to be set up that way to introduce a new character. I don't believe that most Amory Ames fans will be disappointed.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out September 9th 
ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Skeleton Key by Lenore Glen Offord

Skeleton Key by Lenore Glen Offord

 Georgine is a widowed mother who is trying to make ends meet during the war by selling magazines. But she’s not very good at it. So when she stumbles into a cul-de-sac of Gettry and one of the home owners mistakes her for a secretary that is supposed to type copies of his scientific treaties. When he mentions the person will get $100, Georgine jumps at the chance. Her daughter is on vacation with family friends so she has the time and this money will get her ahead. But the more Georgine gets involved in the neighborhood, the more she realizes that things aren’t right and that the sense of wrongness really emanates from one man, the local air warden.

During a potential air raid, the man is killed by a supposedly run away Jeep. But Georgine has her suspicions and goes to the police with them. While the inspector seems suspicious, he also at least listens. So does Todd MckKay, the odd man down the street.
I should have been thinking more clearly about this book which I first heard about on the Classic Mysteries podcast. It was written in 1943 and definitely contains the casual racism of the day which, today, can pull a reader out of the story pretty quickly. I did mostly like the story and the mystery was fairly clued but Georgine was a little too Mary Sue for me and Todd pretty glib. The characterizations of the other folks in the book was often broad and stereotypical.

Three stars
This book came out in 1943
Borrowed from Hoopla
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Better than Hex by Annabel Chase

 Better than Hex (Spellbound #5)Emma Hart is already struggling with her emotions. The love of her life is engaged to a fairy who is more spice than sugar. She's trying to move on. But that doesn't mean that Markos, the centaur who is interested in Emma, is someone she wants to date. She will, however, have a friendly meal between friends in his new building with a moving labyrinth. Too bad the body of the town's building inspector is found dead. But everyone loved Ed, a satyr, so why is he now dead?

A fun story that advances many story lines.

Three stars
Follows Spell's Bells
Followed by Cast Away
This book came out April 18th, 2017
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Black Tie Optional by Ann Marie Walker

Black Tie Optional by Ann Marie WalkerFor 80 days, Olivia Ramsey, do-gooder  extraordinaire, has been hounding billionaire Coleman Grant III about saving the bats. He has been charming about turning her down but still an asshole. He’s got bigger things to worry about; his grandmother is trying to steal his company. The only way he can keep control? Get married. A weekend trip away where Olivia and Cole are in the same place and their sparks explode. So Cole figures, why not a marriage of convenience.
I heard about this on Episode 248 of Smart Bitches Trash Podcast. It started off so fun but sort of sputtered out. There wasn’t a really satisfying resolution with the grandmother either.

Three stars
This book came out May 30th, 2017
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Opnions are my own

Monday, August 31, 2020

Yours to Keep by Lauren Layne

Yours to Keep by Lauren LayneIn a loose crossover between two series, Carter Ramsey, an injured pro-baseballer, is tricked into coming home by his very pregnant twin sister. Well, not exactly tricked. More like an irresistible bribe is dangled in front of his nose; his high school sweetheart is coming to town. She was his first love, the one with whom he made a pact to get married if they were both single at their ten year reunion. And that's why his sister wants him to come home. He is a big star and having him at their reunion will guarantee her success as a co-chair.
The other co-chair, Olive Dunn, is not as excited that Carter is back. She prizes her solitude and he's moved in to the house next door. He recognizes her right away (they were lab partners in senior year chemistry after all) much to her chagrin. She was sort of hoping she had transformed into an amazing swan. But overall, Olive is very happy with who she is. And it's that confidence is part of what draws Carter into wondering whether the first love is the best love after all.
Light humor enmeshed with an unexpected romance made this a fun read. The epilogue didn't need to be there and there were some spots that made me cringe a bit but overall a fun read with a great heroine.

Three stars
Follows Yours in Scandal
This book comes out Sepember 1st
ARC kindly provided by Montlake Romance and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Southern Bred and Dead by Angie Fox

Verity and Ellis have hit a rough patch. Their romance has been pretty idyllic so far (his mother and the fact that Verity was engaged to his younger brother notwithstanding) so how they handle thsi figh will set the tenor of the rest of their relationship. Big doings.
Southern Bred and Dead by Angie FoxThe central mystery though is why Josie, a good friend of Verity's grandmother, died. It is the annual fundraiser for one of the local churches and Josie has fallen from the steeple. But did she really just fall?
We also get to learn more about Frankie's relationship with his brother and exactly why Frankie died.
This was overall a very nice addition to the series. I hate the "amateur detective does stupid things and almost dies" trope and Verity is very much skirting the line of intelligence that she has generally shown in earlier books in the series. I'm hoping that doesn't continue in future books since it mostly seems like a plot device specifically in this book.

Four stars
This book came out August 28th
Follows The Ghost of Christmas Past
Followed by The Haunted Homecoming 
ARC kindly provided by Moose Island Books
Opinions are my own


Saturday, August 29, 2020

Big Nate: The Gerbil Ate My Homework by Lincoln Peirce

More fun stories from Big Nate. He breaks up with his seventh grade girlfriend in order to spend more time with his friends. And even though he's still in school, at least his favorite teacher is back. We get to see Nate make a film with Gina and Chad and there is more time spent with Dee Dee (who I am really enjoying as a character and am glad to see more of.)

Four stars
Followed by In Your Face
This book comes out September 1st
ARC kindly provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley
Also downloaded from library
Opinions are my own