Save the Date by Monica Murphy, Ava Lucas

Okay, the first maybe third of this book is about Caroline Abbott discovering that her newest bridezilla at the stationery store is engaged to Caroline's first kiss, then discovering that bridezilla is cheating on the hotel scion, and then telling Alexander. And that's all before they even decide to fake date so that Alexander's family can close a business deal in France. 

And it's all nuts but... somehow Murphy makes it work. And the narrators definitely add to the story.

Four stars

This book came out June 14th, 2019

Followed by Fake Date

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas

When Moriarty shows up on Charlotte Holmes's doorstep, she is immediately ready to put into place the safeguards she's put up and she gets ready to run. But Moriarty shocks her - he wants Holmes to find his daughter. They were not close but he still worries when he hasn't heard from her in a long while. 

Living as Miss Baxter, the daughter has good reasons not to contact her father. But is she safe behind the walls of the Garden of Hermopolis? Or is it a cult that has sucked her in and will not allow her to leave? And why, when Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to the remote locale, is everyone loathe to talk to Miss Baxter? Or even let them see her?

I enjoyed having the third person view focused on Mrs. Watson. It is definitely a throwback to the Doyle stories and made the story interesting, even if we had a narrator who might not be observing everything and decoding it like Charlotte did. 

Four stars

Follows Murder on Cold Street

Followed by A Tempest at Sea
This book comes out November 2nd, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Berkley and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

October Rereads

As always, opinions are my own

 The Lady Has a Past by Amanda Quick

Burning Cove #5

Four stars

Follows Close Up

This book comes out May 4th

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

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

Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik

Four stars
Follows Polaris Rising
Followed by Chaos Reigning
This book came out October 1st, 2019

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

Leda Foley has sort of always considered herself sort of a minor psychic. She gets flashes but they are mainly small things like preventing someone from spilling a coffee. Heck, she doesn't even have any information about her fiance's death three years ago. But then she gets a big flash and, in the course of her job as a travel agent, reroutes an LA detective off of a plane that blows up on the tarmac. It's a good thing that she's been slowly building her psychic muscles by holding objects for people and then picking a karaoke song because she's going to need all the skill she can get in order to help the detective solve a cold case. A cold case that might help her find some closure for herself.

The connection between the two cases was a bit tenuous and there were a lot of people introduced in the story but I liked that Leda actually acted like she had some brains and didn't rush into dangerous situations like is so common for amateur detectives in contemporary novels. A bit quirky but fairly fun. 

Three and a half stars

This book cam out October 26th, 2021

Followed by Flight Risk

ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas by Jackie Lau

If you can get a grunt out of Greg Wong, you should consider yourself lucky. But he would talk with Tasha Edwards. And he was probably her last good boyfriend which is sort of sad considering that was high school and they are now in their thirties. Now they are both living in the big city and Tasha needs a ride to Mosquito Bay for the holidays so Greg's mother has volunteered him. Too bad they are caught in a snowstorm. They are just lucky to get a room, even if it doesn't have heat and only has one bed...

A cute story though not as good as the first book in the series and awfully short. I wasn't quite sure how the two of them would stay together but... eh. As a part of the larger series, I would bump the rating up a bit. 

Three stars

This book came out November 12th, 2019

Follows A Match Made for Thanksgiving

Followed by A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

A donut baker and a movie star fall in love? Sure! I'll read that book. And it's by Jackie Lau... I'm all in. And Lau didn't disappoint. With well-developed characters and a relationship arc that made sense, this was a book that I adored.

Lindsay McLeod can be forgiven for not recognizing Ryan Kwok when he ducks into her bakery. After all, his most recent fame is for his abs and he's wearing a shirt. But when he calls later to ask her for some help learning how to bake for when he's on a celebrity baking fails show, she's hesitant. The man is hot but way out of her league (as she sees it).

Ryan is reeling from his mother's death. He was never as close to his father and now the man is practically only talking to him in grunts. When he answers the phone; which isn't often. Ryan goes on the baking show as a way to be closer to his mother though it doesn't hurt that Lindsay is a woman at whom he'd definitely look twice.

I loved the way the two fell in love and can't wait to read the next book that Lau puts out.

Four and a half stars

This book came out October 26th, 2021

Followed by The Stand-Up Groomsman

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Book and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven

Another book that has been adapted from a commencement speech. Most of what you will read is contained in the speech which is widely available on the web. A lot of what you read is common sense but McRaven manages to wrap in compelling stories from his days as a Navy SEAL. There are things like never leaving a friend behind, making sure that you are taking some risks, standing your ground, and, of course, making your bed (because then you have done at least one thing well in the day.)

Four stars

This April 4th, 2017

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own