The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis

Tae and April Holmes, though mother and daughter, basically grew up together since April was a teen mother. Now, they are still unutterably close. In fact, April helped Tae get the event that is getting her company off the ground and save her from penury.

While at the party, Tae tries to make a quick getaway when she discovers that the man she recently went

on a date with is now attending with her mother. And she's standing there in a rented dress. When she tries to make a quick getaway, she doesn't get into her Uber, continuing the pain of the night. But it doesn't get better because the driver is an old friend/flame, Riggs Copeland. Oh, and they interrupt what appears to be a robbery at the local gas station.

The two of them start with a friendship pact but, since this is Shalvis it grows into more. 

I enjoyed this book mainly for the relationship between Tae and April. The one between Tae and Riggs was a little too fast for me. I did like that the Big Understanding was cleared up rather quickly when all of the characters finally talked to each other. 

Four stars

This book came out June 14, 2022

Follows The Family You Make

Followed by The Backup Plan

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Drop the Ball by Tiffany Dufu

I had read about this book on a blog site but I forgot to pin which one it was. I do remember the article

was about ways for women to succeed. I don't know if the author described exactly how much this book skews toward assuming that the reader is in a hetero-normative relationship. There is good advice but it won't work if you are single or same sex because so much of it skews on assuming that the partners align along stereotypes. 

I also wasn't expecting dropping the ball to be so much work. Work that still needs to be initiated by the woman.

One thing I did like was the idea of thinking about, "Is what I am working on the highest and best use of my time?"

Three stars

This book came out February 5, 2017

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Danger on the Atlantic by Erica Ruth Neubauer

In the first two books, Jane was starting to step out of her shell after having been in an abusive marriage. She moves out a little further in this one, joining the mysterious Mr. Redvers on a transatlantic voyage. Jane will be posing as his wife as they try to uncover who is working as a German spy. 

While on the trip, Jane meets Vanessa FitzSimmons, a newly married woman whose husband disappears almost immediately after the ship goes out to sea. But no one else seems to believe the man ever existed. 

This was an interesting story but I thought some of the plot lines could have been more thoroughly developed. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out March 29, 2022

Follows Murder at Mena House

Followed by Intrigue in Istanbul

Opinions are my own

A Very English Murder by Verity Bright

Lady Eleanor Swift has spent most of her adult life traveling the world. She has been to any number of unsafe places and has made it out alive. However, she has now returned to her home country of England and it seems like her life may still be in danger. 

Eleanor has inherited a manor from her uncle. She spent some time there as a child but it never really felt like a true home. But she's back now, at least for a while. Except that she spends her first night wandering the estate and happens to see a man get killed. It's lightning out and she's emotional... no one really believes her. The man then turns up dead... but in his own home and apparently by his own hand. 

In trying to find out what actually happened, Eleanor gets to know her town, the townspeople, and even more about the people working in her manor and what her uncle was like before he passed away.

As a first book in a series, this was a nice one. We get to know the characters, we get to like the characters, and we get a nice mystery that is wrapped up at the end.

Four stars

This book came out April 7, 2020

Followed by Death at the Dance

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Shot Across the Bow by Julie Ann Walker

In the previous books of this series, we've seen Spiro "Romeo" Delgado and Mia Ennis dancing around each other. They are clearly attracted to each other but they keep claiming to only be friends. Friends that often spend evenings together, reading to each other from their favorite fantasy series and then falling asleep. In fact, that's what happens in one of the first scenes in this book. At least their night was better than Doc's. He left with a woman but then... well. It didn't work out. And then the woman ends up being the lawyer that the lieutenant hired to make sure that they can keep the treasure after they find it. 

Unfortunately, while the four of them are flying back to the island where they are looking for the Santa Cristina, their plane goes down. That would be bad enough if it didn't seem like someone is making sure that no one survives the night...

Because the whole book takes place in such a short time period there is understandably not a lot of character development and you will probably want to read the other books in the series before you read this one.

Three stars

This book came out November 29, 2021

Follows Deeper Than the Ocean

Followed by Dead in the Water

Borrowed as ebook from NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

One day, scriptwriter Nora Hamilton's husband decided to leave. He just took off leaving her behind with her two children. This caused her to diverge from her usual Hallmark movie writing into a much more serious film. One that got picked up by a major studio and is going to star Leo Vance. Yes, THAT Leo Vance, a former Sexiest Man Alive. Even better, they want to film at her house meaning she will get to make some extra money. And that's good because Nora doesn't seem to have it in her anymore to write that old familiar script. Hollywood will show up for a week, film, and leave. And all of that happens, except that Leo doesn't leave. Leo stays. And that is the story that unfolds in this book. 
I didn't love the ending nor the Big Misunderstanding. And the ending was a little too formulaic but this was overall a delightful read. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out June 7th, 2022

ARC  kindly provided by Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

This book has gotten some delightful reviews and there is a good reason why. Henry has created a book that I think regular romance readers and newbies alike can enjoy. The book touches on so many of them and then upends them in a way that feels right for these characters.

The book opens with first person narrator, Nora Stephens, book agent, opining on the types of romantic tropes. She herself has been a part of no fewer than four instances where a big city-type goes away to the country and falls for some woman there, leaving behind theuptight ex in New York. Unfortunately, Nora is the uptight ex. But she is good at her job so why would she need to change? Especially when one of her clients is just about to hit the best seller lists. No matter what editor Charlie Lastra says about the book.

After that book does turn into a mega-hit, Nora's sister, Libby, asks Nora to go to the small town outside of Asheville where the book was based. Libby is pregnant with her third child and just wants to get away. For an entire month. Nora makes the arrangements to telework for that time and heads out. She and her sister, usually so in sync, have been out of a good rhythm lately and maybe this is a way to solve it. While there, Libby insists that they create a list of things to do while they are there. Nora reluctantly agrees because, really, most of the things on that list are things that only Nora can do. Like go out on at least two dates. What makes it even worse is that somehow, the town that the book was based on, is Charlie Lastra's home town. And he's back there, working in his parent's bookstore (apparently the only place in town with working Wi-Fi). He's all smolder-y and handsome and gets Nora's snarky sense of humor. He even admires that she's a shark. 

Of course, there are a few miscommunications that derail the Happy Ending but it does all work out. And even if I would've liked getting to know Charlie just a little better, this was a fabulous read and I look forward to more books from this author.

Five stars

This book came out May 3, 2022

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own