Superfan by Sarina Bowen

TW: spiked drinks

I don't love books that shift from the past to the present but this is the closest I've gotten to enjoying that conceit. Because we do get to see a glimpse not only into how this love story has been building for years but also how it derailed the first time. 

In earlier books, Silas has always been teased for his love of Delilah Sparks, the pop star. So when she shows up at a hockey game (not one of his), he tweets her and she responds. When he sends her a gift (with the help of Georgia) a 'ship is born. The two try to go on a date but are stymied by circumstance. However, they are able to spend some time with each other courtesy of Becca and Nate's uber-private wedding. 

There are some sexy times but not a ton of relationship building which made the flashbacks sort of imperative so that we can see that their time together isn't a flash in the pan. It was really more interesting to see Delilah's growth because Silas kind of starts and ends as the same person.

Three and a half stars

This book came out June 25, 2019

Follows Overnight Sensation

Followed by Moonlighter

Ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb

Flipping between past and present, the latest of the "In Death" series starts with a young mother at the end of her tether and then her now-grown-up-son who just wants to replace her. And he's doing so by kidnapping women who look similar to her. When these women fail to live up to his expectations though, he kills the "bad mommy."

Eve is brought into the story when the first body is found at a playground not far from Mavis and Leonardo (and Peabody and MacNab's) new house. They are still going full bore on renovations and the proximity shakes Dallas. There seems to be no sign that any of her friends will be affected but she doesn't want to take that chance. 

I don't remember another book in this series doing a similar thing with the past and the present overlapping in the same book (especially while rotating through third person narration with both Eve and one of the victims) but, then again, after fifty-three books, I definitely don't remember them all. It's not a favorite plot device of mine but I appreciated Robb trying something new and it worked for this particular book, especially give who the killer ended up being. 

Four stars
Follows Forgotten in Death

Followed by Desperation in Death
This book comes out February 8, 2022
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread as hard copy from the library August 2023

January Rereads

As always, opinions are my own

Rebel Hard by Nalini Singh

Hard Play #2

Four stars

This book came out September 18, 2018

Follows Cherish Hard

Followed by Love Hard

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Love Hard by Nalini Singh

Hard Play #3

Four stars

Follows Rebel Hard
This book came out March 10, 2020
Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews 

Innkeeper Chronicles #1

Three stars

Followed by Sweep in Peace

eBook of mine on Kindle

This book came out December 2, 2013

Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews

Innkeeper Chronicles #2

Follows Clean Sweep

Followed by One Fell Sweep

This book came out November 13, 2015

Ebook of my own on Kindle

One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Innkeeper Chronicles #3

Follows Sweep in Peace

Followed by Sweep of the Blade

This book came out November 13, 2015

Ebook of my own on Kindle

Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews

Innkeeper Chronicles #4

Follows One Fell Sweep
Followed by Sweep with Me
This book came out December 2018
Ebook of my own on Kindle

Sweep with Me by Ilona Andrews

Innkeeper Chronicles #4.5

Follows One Fell Sweep

Followed by Sweep of the Heart

This book came out December 20th, 2016

Ebook of my own on Kindle

Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #3

Four stars

This book came out October 12th, 2001

Follows Murder With Puffins 

Followed by Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon

Audible book I own

The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #27

This book came out August 4, 2020

Follows Owl be Home for Christmas

Followed by The Gift of the Magpie
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

The Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #28

This book came out October 20, 2020

Follows The Falcon Always Wings Twice

Followed by Murder Most Fowl

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Murder Most Fowl by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #29

This book came out August 3, 2021

Follows The Gift of the Magpie

Followed by The Twelve Jays of Christmas

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Super Hot Wingman by Sarina Bowen, Lauren Blakely

For this novella, a prequel to The Best Men, we are seeing the viewpoint of Mark Banks. He is a bi male who is basically a single father of an adorable little girl. He is also the older sister of Hannah who may or may not be a character from another book. She is in fast lust with a man whose name is Flip. Well, his nickname but Mark isn't so sure about this man, especially since their relationship seems to be fast tracked. Also, Flip has a best friend, Asher St. James, who is beyond gorgeous.

This is a closer to a short story then a novella really so we don't get to see a lot of either man but now I can't wait to read the first book.

Three stars

This novella came out January 3, 2022

Followed by The Best Men

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Fated Blades by Ilona Andrews

This book is technically a standalone and you really don't need to have read the other two books in the series to have read it since it doesn't really reference either at all. It sort of plops you down in the world of the Kinsmen but there are some rather large gaps in the story anyway (it's typical in the series) so you don't necessarily notice the things that are unexplained.

The book starts with two people whose families are mortal enemies and have been for generations. Matias Baena is shocked to hear Romana Adler is in his boardroom. Their companies have been developing technology sort of parallel to each other and now their respective spouses have run away with the information and it seems that they are going to be selling it to space pirates. 

Yes, it's overdramatic and yes, I mentioned the gaps but it was still really fun and I plan on rereading the last 25% before I send it back to KU.

Three stars

This book came out November 23, 2021

Follows Silver Shark

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Marion Lane and the Deadly Rose by T.A. Willberg

Marion Lane is only just recovering from the events of the first story when there is a mysterious death caused by an assassin known only as The Florist. But there are also new inquirers coming to Miss Brickett's and someone has slipped Marion a note that one of them is not what they seem. This is on top of the fact that there are mysterious flyers being distributed around the company and a secret subgroup that is intent on changing the way Miss Brickett's fundamentally works. Unfortunately, one of Marion's cohort will not be alive by the end of the book.

Three stars

This book comes out February 1st, 2022

Follows Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder

ARC kindly provided by Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh

Though only twenty-three years old, Sailor knows what he wants out of life. Right now, he's working on building a successful landscaping company. Unlike his brothers, rugby isn't his life. He likes it well enough but it's not going to be what he shoots for every day. So, when he finally sees the woman that has been haunting his dreams for the past seven years, he's excited to finally get his chance but worried he's not going to be able to make room for her in his life when he's got so much going on.

Isa knows what she wants in her life. She wants to teach. But both her mother and her father are trying to get her to take over as the Vice President of one of their companies (yes, they each have one.) In fact, Isa's mother has blackmailed her into working at her mother's company for the summer. Someone she's going to be working closely with? The five-years-younger Sailor. 

This was a nice story for Isa and Sailor but there was a lot of world building going on that pulled back from their love story.

Hard Play #1

Three stars

This book came out November 14, 2017

Connected to Rock Hard 

Followed by Rebel Hard

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as ebook from Libby February 2024