The Witch Is Inn by Danielle Garrett

Holly and Adam have officially bought the Beechwood Inn but they are having problems with their liaison to the Haven Hospitality Committee. They need to do all of the things he says or they won't get rated by the HHC, the only way they can advertise to the magical community. No advertising, no guests. So they'll have to figure out how to work with Pierre Ancel. Too bad he ends up dead just outside of Holly's greenhouse. Even worse, someone saw a man who looked like Adam arguing with Pierre early the evening before.

The mystery ends up being a little thin with the end being way too quick. There was nice development of some of the side stories though with Holly going on a date with a human and Evangeline's baby shower being in the planning stages. We also get a nice set up to the next book which will feature Lacey's return. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 30, 2020

Follows Sassy Witch

Followed by Men Love Witches

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate by Cate C. Wells

I don't remember which podcast I heard about this on and I'm not sure why I enjoyed this book so much but I did. If I had to guess, it was just waiting to see what happened next. I'm not sure I'll read other books in the series since they seem to focus on young/new adults and that's not my favorite but I am glad I read this one.

Una is one of the lowliest members of the her pack. She is unmarried, unmated, female, and has a bad leg resulting from a childhood injury. So why is she suddenly going into heat and telling the entire pack that her mate is the alpha. He tells everyone that she is wrong or maybe moon mad. Una runs and accepts the local healer's offer to break their bond. But Fate is tricky and Killian is stubborn. It may just end up that Una is his mate after all. And, if that's true, he's not letting her go.

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 12, 2021

Followed by The Heir Apparent's Rejected Mate

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Spy x Family, Vol. 6 by Tatsuya Endo

Twilight and Nightfall are entered in an underground tennis tournament. If they win, they can take anything they want from the tournament host's vault. In that vault is a piece of information that may restart the war between East and West. As with most underground tournaments, the rules are that anything goes. During the tournament, Nightfall is still determined to prove to Twilight that she is the better choice to be his wife. But when she plays Yor later, she finds that she may not be as good a player as the current Mrs. Forger. Even though she wins, Yor is feeling uncertain about her place in the family as she is beginning to develop feelings for Loid. 

We also get to see Anya hanging out with her best friend and at school where she is still trying to make friends with Damian.

A lovely book and nice addition to the series. 

Four stars

This book came out December 28, 2020

Follows
Vol. 5

Followed by Vol. 7

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Riley Thorn and the Blast from the Past by Lucy Score

Riley Thorn is supposed to be settling into her HEA. She's got a hot boyfriend, a new house, and a good job. `But the new house has a closet that still has a ... particular smell, and the good job is a little uneven as the man running the show, her hot boyfriend, Nick, is obsessed with his former (police) partner's sister is the focus of his attention. 

Six years ago, Beth disappeared and turned Kellan's life upside down. Nick is wanting to finally close this unsolved case. In the meantime, the rest of his work is suffering. 

A new character shows up who is just as wild as the rest of the group but she just might lead Riley and the rest of their crew to some answers about Beth. If only Riley's psychic powers didn't choose this moment to go on the fritz. 

A fast, fun, and fluffy ride with a large dose of hijinks thrown in. Maybe a little too many hijinks but I am glad that this planned trilogy is going to continue for a longer series.

Four stars

This book came out April 21, 2022

Follows Riley Thorn and the Corpse in the Closet

Followed by Riley Thorn and the Body in the Backyard

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Maid by Nita Prose

Molly Gray's having a bit of a hard time. Her grandmother has died so she's lost her touchstone with the world. Molly has trouble understanding other people and her Gran used to help. It really doesn't help that Molly has just discovered the body of one of the hotel's best clients.

Readers will quickly discern that Molly is an unreliable narrator. Not because she is lying to us but because she has trouble distinguishing between truth and what people tell her is truth.

A very interesting read. I didn't especially bond with Molly but I did like the unexpected ending.

Four stars

This book came out January 4, 2022

Ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Dr. Jane Bonner grew up a freak (in her words.) She was beyond intelligent and it disgusted her father and gave her (more a less) a complex. For her children, she wants something different. She wants them to be normal. At 34, she is ready to have a baby with somebody stupid so that her children have a chance to be "normal." When a chance to sleep with Cal Bonner, quarterback for the Stars football team, comes up, she grabs it with both hands.
Cal only dates women in their early 20s. So when his friends hire a 28-year-old (he is told) prostitute for his 36th birthday, he doesn't expect to be intrigued. And he really doesn't expect to find out that she only slept with him for his sperm. He decides that his child won't be a "stray," forces her into marriage, and whisks her off to a tiny mountain town in North Carolina.
This book holds up surprisingly well and I think a lot of it is due to the humor that SEP injects into her stories but also the relationships she builds with her characters. Most of the story is Janie and Cal figuring each other out but there is a big chunk of Jane interacting with her mother- and grandmother-in-law and the relationships that these women build. Add in a B plot of Cal's parents rekindling their own romance and you have a story that even new readers will enjoy.

Four stars

This book came out February 1, 1997

Follows Heaven, Texas

Followed by Dream a Little Dream

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

This book is a classic for some very good reasons. First, the majority of the characters are fully fleshed out. And there are a lot of characters to get to know in this book. Second, the mystery, though convoluted, is pretty fairly clued - readers can go back through the story and see where the hints to the solution were given.

Hercule Poirot, the world-famous detective needs to go back to London and the easiest way to get there is via the Orient Express. Strangely for this time of year, the train is completely full. Luckily, one of the passengers doesn't seem to have shown up and Poirot's friend, a director of the train company, assigns him the berth. All seems normal until one of the people on the train tries to hire Poirot to protect him. Poirot opts not to take the job. And then the man turns up dead. But the train has run into a snowdrift and isn't moving, presumably with the murderer still on board. It's up to Poirot to figure out what is going on. 

Four stars

This book came out January 1, 1934

Follows Lord Edgware Dies

Followed by Three Act Tragedy

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own