The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine

This anthology has three stories revolving around the annual Halloween party at a B&B, Rose Cottage, in Moonbright, Maine which is apparently an October 31st mecca. There is a touch of fantasy with the owner of the Cottage having a crystal ball that sees the future. Most of the stories are okay but suffer from the regular issues that plague shorter romance books.

Charmed by You by Kate Angell
Grace Alden is trying to get the Cottage decorated with the help of Three Men and a Truck, one of whom is Cade Maxwell. He's having issues because she's a commanding woman and he doesn't like having a female boss. Explicitly, his cousins don't like working for a woman but you get that sense from him as well. While helping her aunt Amelia, the far-seeing owner of the Cottage, is having them set up her fortune telling table Grace sees a man's hands in the crystal ball. Later Cade sees a black cat tattoo. They end up together. I'm not sure why or how but it seems like it might be an HEA? 

Two and a half stars

Mesmerized by You by Jennifer Dawson
Chloe and Jack have been friends forever. All of their other friends wonder why they haven't just slept together and gotten it over with. Even her family wonders. Which is why her Aunt Iris, who they are visiting in Moonbright, decides to force the issue. There's only one bedroom left in the last B&B in town. This was also an okay story but there seemed like WAY too much set up as to why the two weren't already sleeping together and then SO MUCH angst about finally doing it.

Two and a half stars

Enchanted by You by Sharla Lovelace
This one was my least favorite of the three. Sidney Jensen works for a horrible human being. One who blames her for a deal imploding and then sends her off to the wilds of Maine to take care of her own (not Sidney's) family business. There, Sidney meets up with the boy (now man) who broke her nerdy heart in high school. They sort of talk and work things out a bit and then have an HEA.

Two and a half stars

Overall, intellectually, this book averaged to two and a half stars but it actually gave me enough good-feels that I'm bumping it up to three.

Sunset in Central Park by Sarah Morgan

Frankie Cole grew up on Puffin Island with her best friend Paige Morgan. And Paige's brother Matt. Matt, who has been secretly in love with Frankie for years. But Frankie's prickly. At least, that's how I described her in my review of the first book in this series. And she has reason to be. Her parents... her mother... they're... interesting. And it really screwed her up. But one night, she finally wakes up to the fact that Matt is a man. A handsome, handsome man. One who not only loves her madly, but respects and needs her wicked-mad landscaping skills .
This book was not the up-all-nighter that "Sleepless in Manhattan" was for me. It felt a little... meandering. There was a little too much going on. And I didn't love that we had to return to characters for another series. But it was a good book and I'm ready to read about Eva and her mystery-writing and mysterious hero.

Three stars
This book comes out August 30
Follows Sleepless in Manhattan
Followed by Miracle on 5th Avenue

Liar's Key by Carla Neggers

Colin and Emma are off on another adventure, one that is happening right before their wedding. A friend of Oliver (the infamous art thief from previous books) and Emma's grandfather (famous antiques dealer) is killed. Right after he brings up the suspicious theft of some mosaics. Also involved, a legend of the FBI, one who slipped up only once in his career, but it was with a confidential informant. A CI who is also in Heron's Cover. One who might have some information about what happened with the mosaics.
The mystery was easy enough to solve but it was rather shallow. Not a lot of information. There were so many people that were revisited and introduced (including Father Bracken's sister, Mary). Not my favorite Carla Neggers but not horrible either. Regular Sharpe & Donovan readers will enjoy.

Three stars
This book comes out August 30
Follows Keeper's Reach
Followed by Thief's Mark

If I Only Had a Duke by Lenora Bell

Lady Dorothea Beaumont is tired of the marriage mart. She's tired of being shepherded around and made to act the perfect lady in the hopes that she might capture the eye of some titled gentleman. And she's tired of being known as the girl whose illegitimate half-sister "stole" Dorothea's husband. Instead, she'd rather live with her aunt and perhaps catalog the art collection of the Duke of Osborne.

But Dalton, the duke, doesn't believe that an eligible miss would be asking to see his collection just so that she could catalog it. He believes that she has more devious plans. So he does his best to ruin them by waltzing with Dorothea and thus making her popular. Basically plunging her into her worst nightmare. But he doesn't need her distracting him from his true purpose; finding revenge on the man who killed his younger brother.

An okay story but I had problems fitting together all of the pieces. There was a lot going on. A LOT. An interesting book that I think Bell fans will enjoy.

Three stars

This book comes out August 30

Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell

Emma Cross is delighted when she is requested to come and cover an artists' retreat at her Vanderbilt cousins' "cottage." What she doesn't realize is that she will be covering people from her past. People like Edith Wharton. And her own parents who she hasn't seen for four years. But she doesn't know about the latter when she's invited to stay at Rough Point to better observe the party.
And what Emma really doesn't understand is the strange undercurrents invading the retreat. Even as early as the first lunch, there seem to be silent conversations happening that she can't understand. And artistic temperaments that she can't even begin to relate to.
Then there's a murder. And another. What exactly is going on at Rough Point? How will the storm exacerbate tempers? And why are her parents acting so strangely?

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 30

For Better or Worse by Lauren Layne

I feel bad because I generally liked the first book in this series, but I just could NOT get into this one. I never warmed to Heather and Josh... oofta. Yeah. I get that he had a scrape with death but to me, he was less of a survivor and more using it as an excuse to be an asshole.
Two and a half stars. I rounded up for Goodreads because I have warm fuzzies from the first book and I'm still looking forward to Heather's boss and her accountant finally getting together.
Heather is working to become a full wedding planner for the elite Wedding Belles company. She has just booked her first major client but is having problems not only because her client isn't acting very... bridal but also because the man next door seems to be up all hours of the night playing music with his band.
A few years ago, Josh was making the big bucks on Wall Street and living the hard life. But then, everything changed. Now he's trying to take time to smell the roses... and he thinks Heather should too. Can these two disparate people ever hope to find love?

Two and a half stars
This book comes out August 30
Follows To Have and To Hold
Followed by To Love and Cherish

Wrong Question, Right Answer by Elle Casey

Oof. I was so looking forward to this book (and not just because the "lithping" plot moppet would have a smaller role.)  Toni was such an interesting character in the first two books. Strong, independent woman who had killed a man. And then, right away, she's sidelined by an unexpected pregnancy. The description of this story says that she's thrown for a loop, more than that, I'd say that she's caught up in one. One that we have to read about, her making bad decision after bad decision. I get that she is supposed to be growing but I'd rather not see that growth come about as as a result of such rampant stupidity.
Antoinette “Toni” Delacourte is a kickass operative of the Bourbon Street Boys. She's always had the hots for Lucky, the computer specialist. Like, always-always. Since they were kids. But she didn't think he liked her so she got involved with a bad guy. A really bad guy.
Too bad she didn't know that Lucky also had the hots for her. Because he did. And one drunken night leads them to that realization.
I so wish that their romance had been more to the forefront of this story. Instead we got one hookup, a pregnancy, a lot of Toni looping in her own head, and then an HEA. I just didn't feel it. Unfortunately, I just read the first book within the last week and comparing the fun of that book with the angst of this book just made this book seem so much... angstier. I will read Thibault's story but I'm worried about whether I will enjoy it.
Two and a half stars
This book comes out August 23