The Perfect Escape by Leah Konen

I like thrillers that have lots of hints so you could go back to the beginning and see the seeds of the story; this book doesn't have that. It's a perfectly fine book about three friends that are on a trip and one suddenly vanishes. And more secrets are unraveled as the book goes on but, again, the secrets are just kind of plopped into the story rather than woven in more smoothly. I did like the fact that we got to see two of the three people's experiences.

Three and a half stars

This book came out January 4th, 2022

Borrowed as ebook from Libb

Opinions are my own

Murder Comes to Call by Jessica Ellicott, Barbara Rosenblat

Once again, Beryl and Edwina are embroiled in a mystery in Walmsley Parva. It begins when Beryl is in the magistrate's court because Constable Gibbs has decided to cite her for reckless driving. As regular readers might guess, this really grates at Beryl's nerves because, of course, she believes herself to be an excellent driver. But while in court, she sees Declan O'Shea who is in court for fighting in the pub. Being an expat herself, Beryl is drawn to the young man. Plus, there's the fact that he's got the Irish accent and is undeniably handsome. Unfortunately, anti-Irish sentiment is high and more than one person believes that Declan is the burglar who is terrorizing the village. And when the magistrate who sentenced him is found dead in his home, all eyes immediately turn toward him. 

However, Beryl isn't so sure and she and Edwina set out to prove the difference.

There are some repetitions in this book that seem like filler but otherwise a good story and I look forward to hearing the fifth book in the series.

Four stars

This book came out October 27th, 2020

Follows Murder Cuts the Mustard

Followed by Murder in an English Glade

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Can an assistant and a big-time star find true love? After a one-night stand? According to this book, they can. And it is insta-lust, insta-love... how many more tropes got stuck in here? A lot. I enjoyed the first book in the series more than I thought I would and this book, which should have been my catnip, was a little less enjoyable. I think it was the timeline of Amanda and Sam being just a little too fast. I enjoyed seeing a lot of the other characters in this series and I would have enjoyed this book more had the romance been on just a little bit of an extended timeline.

Three stars

This book came out October 27th, 2020

Follows A Cowboy to Remember

Followed by A Thorn in the Saddle

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

The tagline on this is a little deceptive. It says they wanted a different life but that's not exactly true, Charlie and Cass switch places because Charlie gets hit on the head and needs Cass to step into her role as a TV baker when she loses her sense of smell. I'm not entirely sure why it had to be a secret that Charlie was filling in for Cass but I guess in the digital age it's possible someone could have leaked their secret. I also am not a fan of insta-love and we got this times two. I mean, the two couples pair off in less than two weeks. Cass and Miguel's romance was sweet, the fake star and the physician's assistant meeting and him thinking he had already met her. They are able to work through their issues a little more easily. For Charlie, however, she is pretending to be Cass and that is an issue because Cass only just broke up with her boyfriend but he doesn't seem to be acknowledging that fact.

The "falling in love" was just a little two fast for me. It was an okay read and I just had too many questions. 

Three stars

This book came out October 5th, 2021

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon

I wasn't sure that I wanted to read this book but all three books in the series were available at my local library and Weatherspoon is an amazing author so I grabbed this one too. And I really enjoyed it! Yes, there was an amnesia plot but it was fun to see Evie and Zach get to know each other again after she gets pushed down the stairs by a jealous rival. The ending was a bit abrupt but overall a fun ride.

Three and a half stars

This book came out February 25th, 2020

Followed by If the Boot Fits

Ebook borrowed from Libby

Opinions are my own

First Impressions by Nora Roberts

I'm hoping that this is an early book of Nora Roberts (I looked, it is). While eminently listenable, it contains a prototypical nineties Alpha male. Vance Banning is trying to get away from it all. When Shane Abbott (the ubiquitous sunny heroine who's trying to making it on her own and fix the world around her) mistakes him for a carpenter, he decides to go along with the charade. He helps her fix up her grandmother's old house, weathers the emotionally-charged scenes with her cold, emotionless mother, but neglects to tell her that he's really a very wealthy business man who was hurt by (who else?) his first wife.

Not the best of stories but nowhere near being a wall-thumper.

Re-read twelve years later and didn't remember a single part of this story. Same frustration with the alphamale who just didn't want to share his feelings and Shane who is just a little too sweet.

Three stars

This book originally came out April 1984

Ebook borrowed from Libby

Opinions are my own

Flash by Jayne Ann Krentz

Olivia Chantry has recently inherited 49% of her late-uncle's business. This is a problem for her and the rest of the family are nervous about an outsider joining the company. Jasper Sloane is slightly more excited about inheriting the other part of the company. He's been out-of-sorts lately and this job seems like it will be a good challenge, one he's looking forward to. If only he can get Olivia to see things his way... and work on figuring out who a murdering blackmailer is.

One of Krentz's works from the late 90's that I re-read every couple of years. Of course, some of the technology is dated but the love story holds up pretty well.

Four stars

This came out in 1998

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own