Tell Me Exactly What Happened by Caroline Burau

A quick read with an enjoyable look behind the scenes of dispatching. I have friends who are dispatchers and it was nice to see behind the curtain (as it were). And this author takes us through some of the highs (delivering babies) as well as the lows (the innumerable deaths) all in a well-edited manner that makes it easy to keep reading.
My two favorite pints were not to slap someone on the back if they're choking and to try to stay on the line with the dispatcher if possible. They're trying to help.

Four stars

Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary by Susan Rennie, Roald Dahl

What a perfectly wonderful tribute to a wonderful author (if not always a wonderful human being). This book combines the recognizable illustrations of Dahl's books with the wonderfully creative language of the author himself. This book not only teaches about the language that Dahl used, but how he created his words. A nice combination. I wish that there had been more live links (for instance, being able to jump to a specific letter of the dictionary or being able to jump to a section when the book said "see [this] for more details.")

Four stars
This book comes out September 1

He-Man and She-Ra by James Eatock

Incredibly detailed description of each and every episode of the He-Man and She-Ra television series. Like, really incredibly detailed, including synopses, memorable quotes, the morals from the end of each episode, reviews (the author's personal opinions), deleted scenes, trivia, scenes that were replicated from other episodes (and which episodes those were), sketches from storyboards... Very, very thorough.
If you're a huge fan of both series, you will really enjoy this book. If you're not a HUGE fan, it can get a little repetitive.

This book comes out August 30
Three and a half stars

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