Love on Beach Avenue by Jennifer Probst

Avery Sunshine is delighted to help her best friend get married. As an in-demand wedding planner, she is wedging Ally in but she is happy to do it. She is not so happy that Ally's older brother has decided that he's going to take the summer off and "make sure" that Ally's day is perfect. Too bad he still believes Avery is the wild-child who led his sister astray in college. And two brides fighting on her doorstep the first day he sees her doesn't give the best impression. Then he completely takes over the planning for Ally's day and really could have shaken Avery's confidence if he hadn't owned up to what he was doing. I really wish we had seen him put a bit more in his place but it was nice to see him realize that he was being a jerk. 
While the two work together, they start to acknowledge that there is an attraction between them. Avery is wiling to work on a relationship but Carter is hesitant. He has A Past that makes him wary of love. They eventually work it out and I liked that there wasn't a Big Misunderstanding and, in fact, there was a rather pointed remark by one character that love can be lost through little misunderstandings as well.

Three stars
Followed by Temptation on Ocean Drive
This book came out May 1st, 2020
Ebook from Kindle
Opinions are my own

The Plain Old Man by Charlotte MacLeod

I didn't like the last book in the series very much because there was a decided lack of Sarah. This book balanced that with a decided lack of Max. It was an interesting premise but I have to admit, I missed the other person in each book. Though Sarah's family is always a nice mix that keeps the story moving. Overall, this was a fun book that, once you got through the beginning chapters, kept things moving right along.
In this book, her cousin Emma is the spearhead of the local community theater. Sarah has been called down to help out painting the scenes and doing other work. The regular players are all in attendance including the fresh-faced ingenue whose father is an aging roue and whose mother has mostly resigned herself to her lot in life. Then there is the slightly-older-than-the ingenue who is seemingly involved with the roue. There is also a plain old man who has been out with gout but has recently been able to rejoin the group. Too bad he dies in a bathroom fall shortly thereafter. But his childhood friend suspects that it wasn't quite the accident it seems. And since that friend is another of Sarah's relatives, she is pulled in to investigate that case as well as the disappearance of a family portrait worth a lot of money.

Three stars
Follows The Convivial Codfish
Followed by The Recycled Citizen
This book came out October 28th, 1986
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Waiting for Nick by Nora Roberts

I think this book might have been a bit better in the nineties but it has always been the least favorite of the series. Freddie is fairly single-minded in chasing Nick denying that he might have a say in their relationship (consent goes both ways, people.) And the end that brings Nick's past in is overwrought. I read it to complete the series but am otherwise not searching it out.

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 1997
Follows Convincing Alex
Followed by Convincing Kate
Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary
Opinions are my own

January Rereads 2021

As always, all opinions are my own

Naked Once More
Jacqueline Kirby #4
Five Stars
Follows Die for Love
This book came out August 1st, 2989
Borrowed from Audible Premium Plus






Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston
Honey Badger Chronicles #1
Three stars
Follows Bite Me
Followed by In a Badger Way
This book comes out March 27, 2018
Hard copy I own  

In a Badger Way by Shelly Laurenston
Honey Badger Chronicles #2
Three and a half stars
Follows Hot and Badgered
Followed by Badger to the Bone
This book came out March 26, 2019
Ebook borrowed from Libby

Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston
Honey Badger Chronicles #3
Follows In a Badger Way
eBook borrowed from Hoopla



Appleby Talks Again by Michael Innes
Sir John Appleby #15
Three stars
This book came out November 19th, 2019
Hard copy I didn't keep

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

Hidden Legacy #3

Follows novella Diamond Fire

Followed by Emerald Blaze
This book comes out August 27th, 2019

Ebook borrowed from CloudLibrary

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

Hidden Legacy #4

Four stars
Follows Sapphire Flames

This book came out August 25th, 2020
Ebook borrowed from CloudLibrary

Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews

 This book was a little easier to follow as an audiobook than the first one. Kate is trying to retrieve some maps for the Pack when her colleague is killed. That leads her into an investigation of trying to find the mother of a 13-year-old girl who has a rare power and the coven of witches that disappeared with her mother. She'll have to face the Oracles, deal with The Shepherd, and defeat Morrigan herself in order to survive. Also involved, Ghastek, the man who controls vampires, Derek, Kate's blood-bound werewolf friend, and Curran, the leader of the Pack. All while the magic seems to be heading for a flare...
Favorite line? "Asshole innocent bystanders" Ha!

Three and a half stars

Follows Magic Bites

Followed by Magic Strikes

This book came out April 1st, 2008

Borrowed as a hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Faithless in Death : An Eve Dallas Novel by J. D. Robb

I loved this return to normal. The last book was fine but there was too much trying to bring back every character ever. The "bad guys" were a little two-dimensional but not horribly so. It was more building off of stereotypes to create a shortcut so that each person could get a little more depth. We also got more about our favorite characters with Mavis and Leonardo taking a pretty big life step that is just so true to their family.

The case starts out with the murder of a young artist. A wealthy, engaged socialite discovered the body and made a frantic 911 call. She claims that she was just visiting a friend but Eve and even Peabody are seeing cracks in the story. As they dig, they begin to find that the case might not be as simple as they originally thought and that finding the killer might mean having to take down a giant cult at the same time.

Four stars

This book comes out February 2nd, 2021  
Follows Shadows in Death

Followed byForgotten in Death
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread August 2023 as audiobook from Libby

Convincing Alex by Nora Roberts

Bess McNee just wants to do a little research for the soap opera that she is a writer on. Dressing up like a prostitute seems like a good idea to create some realism in her characters. She doesn't realize that she might get pushed into picking up a couple of guys. Or that they might be cops. When she ends up at the police station, she is delighted. 
The arresting officer, Alexi Stanislaski, is not so delighted. There have been several women killed lately and he doesn't need some... writer... out making it worse. But she just keeps putting herself in his way. And she might seem a little ditzy but she has a sharper mind than he first sees.
A nice addition to the series. Maybe doesn't age as well as a couple of the other books but isn't egregious.

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 1994
Follows Falling for Rachel
Followed by Waiting for Nick
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own