The Professor Next Door by Jackie Lau

All she wants is someone with no strings to stay no strings but also just stay. Nicole Louie-Edwards is about to turn thirty-four and she can't seem to find the kind of life she wants. But she's having a lot of fun while she waits. 

David Cho is Nicole's next-door-neighbor. And, as he notes to himself, they share a very thin wall. He is very aware of how she spends her nights and it... affects him. 

The two of them meet when the elevator to their apartment stops while they are both in it. But that is a small part of the book and the two begin a more adult relationship. But, it's very possible that it will turn into something more. 

Four stars

This book came out June 8, 2021

Follows Her Pretend Christmas Date

Followed by A Very Beery New Year

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood

Three novellas are loosely connected by a circle of friends but they don't show up very much which is probably fine since the book is so short we don't get to see much of Sadie and Erik anyway. And it turns out that this is one of those books where, if one of the two had talked to the other, there wouldn't be much to the story. And the only reason they are together now is because they are caught in an elevator. 

Three stars

This novella came out March 8, 2022

Follows Under One Roof

Followed by Below Zero

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

This is very much like a gay version of the movie "The Holiday." Two people, Greta and Truman, who have a mutual friend. That mutual friend helps to arrange a swap when they both hit points in their life where leaving seems like the best way to move forward. For Greta, she has an overly-involved family who are loath to let her live her own life. Actually, they are actively interfering in her life, including setting her up in a bachelor/ette auction which a) they know she hates as a general premise and b)she's gay. 

Truman, on the other hand, has just discovered that the man he's been dating for a year is cheating on him. Or, really, cheating on his husband with Truman. He is ready to escape. A small island off the coast of Maine sounds like a perfect place to go. 

This was an adorable book though the romances both seem incredibly fast. But, we can all suspend a little disbelief for good fiction, right?

Four stars

This book came out September 6, 2022

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Tale of the Tenpenny Tontine by P.J. Fitzsimmons

Anthony "Anty" Boisjoly's reputation is getting larger. Another of his old school chums has asked for his help. This time, it's to prove who died first in a duel where both men died. It seems that the two were of the generation of the Tenpenny family and it was to the survivor that the riches of the family tontine would pay out. But who actually gets the money will depend on who died first.

Again, very funny but more than a little convoluted.

Four stars

This book came out November 30, 2021

Follows The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning

Followed by The Case of the Carnaby Castle Curse

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Flight Risk by Cherie Priest

Leda Foley has a new case. A man has come to her looking for answers to why his sister disappeared. She is just starting to get to work when Grady Merritt, homicide detective shows up. His dog found a leg at Mount Rainier. Just the leg. Well, he also swallowed a man's wedding ring. The two are able to track the ring back to the woman's husband. Which is odd since the man didn't seem to worried his wife was missing. He's a professor whose interest in his students may be a little too interested. But both man and wife are missing and it will take Leda and Grady working together to find them both.

I like this series. I like that Leda and Grady aren't love interests (at least not yet) and for sure there is no love triangle (a trap many cozies seem to fall into). I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series. 

Four stars

This book comes out November 15, 2022

Follows Grave Reservations

ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall

Wow. If you have any problems with self doubt, this book may not be the best as we get the first person view of Paris as he wobbles his way through a version of the Great British Bakeoff. He doubts every single thing he does and we get to read paragraphs of it. Lots and lots of paragraphs of it. And we don't get nearly enough of the romance in this book (same as in the first one in the series) but it is still an incredibly charming book. Hall is such an amazing writer that , in another's hands (words?) I wouldn't have kept going but I did. 

I wish we had gotten to see more of the behind-the-scenes as Paris finally figured out how to start the long road to being more confident. And how to be in a relationship with Tariq. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 1, 2022

Follows Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Modern Calligraphy by Maricar Concepcion Ramos

This was a very nice introduction to calligraphy though I was very surprised that the author suggested that you should pick your pen up after every stroke. I have watched a number of videos and read another book and none of them suggest that approach. It seems to me that would add a large amount of time to your projects. I also really wish that the author had interspersed the practice sheets closer to the actual description of the fonts. Lots of font options in this book as well as some art work that can be done with your brush pens. I highly recommend buying a physical copy of this book. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 8, 2022

Ebook from NetGalley

Opinions are my own