Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

Lila, her friends and family are back in the second of the Tita Rosie's Kitchen mysteries. She is still recovering from the events of the first book but still preparing to set up her own cafe. Plus, there are the two eligible bachelors floating in her vicinity. Now, Detective Park is asking her to help with why someone would have sent a note threatening the local beauty pageant. 

Lila is reluctant to get back into the beauty pageant world. It brings up some memories of her mother that she's rather not have at that forefront. Pile that on top of the fact that she is still dealing with PTSD from her near murder in the last book and there's a lot going on in her head right now. But she goes and appreciates the updates that Valerie Thompson has made to the program, dragging everyone kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Is it perfect? Maybe not, but at least there's no evening gown section. Lila is also excited to get to know Sana, one of the other judges. Too bad Valerie's brother, Rob, is clearly such a jerk, hitting on every woman there, including the underage ones. Does that mean he should end up dead? Probably not. But he is and Lila is one of the people who find him.

I liked most of the mystery but felt that it didn't really come together well. There were a couple of hints of what was going to happen but it mostly came out of left field. I am mostly enjoying Lila's journey and seeing how supportive her family and friends are. t is also really nice to see an author addressing the fact that an amateur sleuth would be dealing with mental issues if they were almost killed; it makes Lila seem much more real. It makes I also enjoyed the writing style, even snorting a drink through my nose when Lila started talking about love triangles. 

Four stars

This book comes out February 9th, 2022

Follows Arsenic and Adobo

Followed by Blackmail and Bibingka

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Gladstone Bag by Charlotte MacLeod

I'm fairly certain that I picked this book up at a garage sale. Or a thrift store? I had it on my TBR shelves for about 2 years before I finally picked it up. And it's taken me a LONG time to get through it. Not that it was bad, it just kept putting me to sleep. It's the first in the series for me and, based on the name of the series, I'm assuming that the main character in this book is not the recurring detective. Which I actually really like as a plot conceit (and still do on re-read when I'm working through the series.) Rather, it is Sarah's Aunt Emma who is involved in a mystery.

Emma seems to be your stock New England older woman from a small town; pragmatic, part of the community. She is heavily involved in the local theater and, when a friend asks Emma to act as hostess for a group of artists and writers on an island, Emma takes along the costume jewelry to make some repairs.

Well, on the ferry, Emma is drugged and her bag disappears. But it quickly shows up in the men's restroom. Why was the bag taken? And why has a mysterious man with amnesia shown up on the island? A man who soon dies. And who are are these strange people that have been invited to the island? Including one man who calls himself "Count" and wants to search for treasures and a woman who is supposedly psychic who is suddenly not feeling well enough to come out of her room?

Page 147: "I've noticed the strap's getting a bit chewed" "Aren't we all?"

Four stars

This book came out February 1, 1990

Follows The Silver Ghost

Followed by The Resurrection Man

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year by Jackie Lau

Zachary Wong knows that he needs to be preemptive. The last two holidays, his parents have invited prospective partners for he and his siblings. So he asks his friend, the town dentist Jo MacGregor, if she will pretend to be his girlfriend. From there, this book beats exactly along the fake-relationship-trope lines and does not veer from them. Zach and Jo go out to dinner to convince the townsfolk that they really are dating, they both have deeper feelings for the other but don't want to say anything, etc. Lau is an amazing writer but this felt like more of a duty book than one she enjoyed writing.

Two and a half stars

This book came out January 7, 2020

Follows A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas 

Followed by A Big Surprise for Valentine's Day

Kindle book I own

Opinions are my own

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