Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

I didn't realize this book was going to be a prequel when I requested it from NetGalley. Usually, prequels are not as good as the first book. And that was still true for this book but it was darn close.

Viv has been injured in battle and is stuck in a sea town until she heals. At first, she is bored out of her mind but she finds a bookshop where the rattkin owner forces a book on her. And, to her surprise, Viv enjoys the book (which we also see on page.) And the next one.

But the reason Viv is stuck in Murk is going to come back to haunt her. A man in gray appears and brings two things of great value with him which will lead great evil to the town. Viv knows she isn't going to stay, but she values the people she's met and wants to help them live. 

Four stars

Legends & Lattes #0

This book comes out November 7, 2023

Follows Legends & Lattes

ARC kindly provided by Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby December 2025

One Sweet Holiday by Lucy Day

When I requested this book, I didn't realize it was the third book in a series. It is very much a standalone book though and I didn't feel like I was missing anything by having not read the first two books. I will say that, though this book may have been set at a holiday, I didn't really get that feel so the title is a bit misleading.
Gwen Griffin needs a date to a wedding. Her sister is getting married and Gwen wants everything to be perfect. That includes no one questioning why she's still single.
When Gwen's sister rents out the house next door to one of the groom's friends, Gwen isn't bothered. It's often used as a rental. But she's not expecting the tenant, Logan, to be so gosh-darn handsome. Nor is she expecting to meet him while she's half dressed.
The two spend some time together and are delighted to find that they have much in common and that they may be falling in love.
Closed door romance with a bit of a rushed ending but I overall enjoyed it. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out November 6, 2023

ARC kindly provided by Blue Crow Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Ever since her sister Sky died, Sage has been avoiding going home. But now, her job has been made redundant and she has nowhere else to go. Besides, the (literal) ghost of her past is encouraging her to go and mend the fences with their other sister.

It seems that Sage can't keep her mouth shut. She blurts out things that other people would keep quiet and that has caused rifts for her in the past. But she's determined to try and patch up those relationships. She's also interested in maybe getting something going with her boss, Nate, at the plant shop where she immediately gets rehired, having been nicknamed the Plant Whisperer when she worked there in high school. But that is her gift, being able to speak to the plants, know what they are and what they need. Her relationship with Nate may not run smooth as another man from her past, Tennessee Reyes, turns up as well. 

This was fast, fun, and fluffy. Sage may not have been the deepest character and there are some definite plot holes but I really enjoyed this story and am hopeful that we will see some sequels.

Four stars

This book came out September 12, 2023

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

I only vaguely remember Fizzy as being a side character in a previous book but, dang, is she hilarious. Thirty-seven years old and a romance writer who has known who she is for most of her life, she is in the middle of a bit of writer's block and some decisions about whether where she is in life is where she wants to be. When she's contacted by a producer who thinks she would be great as a "Bachelorette" type main character on a new show he's developing, her first thought is she doesn't want to do it. But when she overhears a conversation (and only gets the tail end), she decides that she will do the show but only under her terms. To start? She's going to parameters around the men she's going to date (the words cinnamon roll may or may not be included.)

Connor's life is changing whether he wants it to or not. He was happy producing documentaries for a small network but now they want a reality show. He happens to see a news story about the DNADuos and thinks that maybe he could do a dating-type show where the audience chooses the match but they see if they can figure out who among the contestants would have been picked by the algorithm.

The two actually saw each other across a crowded bar and were intrigued. But now they are contractually forbidden from fraternizing with each other. However, the more time they spend together, the more they want to stay together.

I really liked Fizzy. Connor was pretty good too but Fizzy is the kind of person who lives their lives authentically and is just a fun person to know. Maybe a touch too much drama for me but overall an enjoyable read.

Four stars

This book came out May 16, 2023

Follows Soulmate Equation

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Reread as hard copy from library November 2024

Beatrice Goes to Brighton by Marion Chesney

Lady Beatrice is a widow- a happy widow at that. But now her father has promised her in marriage to another brutish man so she decides to travel by coach to Brighton. Hopefully, but the time she comes back, those hopes will have been dashed. She intends to be cold to the other coach passengers but, of course, one of them is Miss Hannah Pym. The others include a dumpy man, a woman with a child, a soldier, and a small woman with big eyes.

At the first stop, a few things happen. Lady Beatrice is taken by a brutish man into another carriage. She says it is of her own free will but Miss Pym is not convinced. Benjamin, her footman who was thought not to have hearing or speech is found to have both. She is left behind but is helped by Lord Alistair.

Miss Pym is at it again though, trying to convince Lord Alistair that Lady Beatrice is not quite the harridan she appears while convincing Lady Beatrice that Lord Alistair is going to be her best choice if she doesn't want to marry the brute. 

A little disappointing because this one isn't nearly as crazy as the last one but still a nice addition to the series. 

I liked that we got more in the way of Miss Pym and her budding relationship with Sir George.

Three stars

This book came out in 1991

Follows Penelope goes to Portsmouth

Followed by Deborah goes to Dover

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

October 2023 Rereads

As always, all opinions are my own

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 1, 1969

Follows Third Girl

Followed by Elephants Can Remember

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Murder at Everham Hall by Benedict Brown

Marius Quin is a bestselling author. He is now working on "Glimpse of a Blood Moon." Well, he's trying to work on it. The first chapter has been written but he's now struggling with a massive case of writer's block. His publisher won't advance him any more money (he has to be guaranteed of a product, after all) but has invited Marius to a Boxing Day party. 

Outside the office, Marius slips and falls. It is then that his childhood sweetheart, Lady Isabella "Bella" Montague shows up. He falls again - instantly back into love. It's been ten years since they've seen each other. In that time, Marius's father has gone missing, the war happened, and he has slipped into some financial distress. 

With some surprise, he accepts an invitation from her to a party at Everham Hall, where a friend of hers, Cecil Sinclair, a famous actor, is throwing a party on New Year's Eve. He goes and takes his basset hound, Percy, with him. 

Marius realizes almost instantly that this party will be as awkward as all heck. It seems that this Cecil is a diva of the first order becoming childish and petulant when drunk.  His paramour, Poppy, is someone that no one likes.  There is a film director, Anton, and his wife, an actress called Alma. There is also Bella's beau, Gilbert, whom Marius instantly dislikes. Cecil's father, Ross, and Edith, who Marius pegs as Ross's innamorata. 

Marius pulls Bella aside to ask why she invited him to this house. He had hoped to reignite their romance; she says that she wanted to help reignite his imagination. She is more successful than he is at the end. 

Of course, there is a murder and, since the police can't get there, Marius is elected to solve teh crime. As a mystery writer, he is (according to the other characters), the most likely to be able to solve the crime.

I haven't made it to that book yet but it appears that Marius has crossed paths with Lord Edgington, another of Brown's mystery series. If you like that series, I believe that this one will be enjoyable as well. 

Four stars

This book comes out November 3, 2023

Followed by The Hurtwood Village Murders

ARC kindly provided by Storm Publishing

Opinions are my own