Thursday, March 30, 2017

Miraculous Mysteries: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes -- anthology

Miraculous Mysteries by Martin EdwardsA nice collection of mystery stories; a good reason why the Poisoned Pen Press anthologies are quickly becoming a must-read. Stories of murders that couldn't have happened, mostly because of locked rooms. There were several authors with stories I already knew but enjoyed visiting (Sayers,  Allingham, etc.) as well as some new-to-me authors and stories. Was every single one a winner? No, but enjoyed most of them.

Four stars
This book comes out June 6, 2017

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Every Body Yoga by Jessamyn Stanley

Every Body Yoga by Jessamyn StanleyI first "met" Jessamyn Stanley on Instagram and loved her pictures. I saw her book on NetGalley and snatched it up. I loved the book. I love the writing, I love the language and I  love the pragmatism. There is language in this book. It's not a high-falutin' philosophic exploration of yoga (though it does include some of that). Instead, this is a lovely introduction to people who might be nervous about getting onto the mat for the first time. Yogis are often introduced as skinny white ladies twisting themselves into ridiculous poses but the fact of the matter is that everybody (every body) can do yoga.
I liked the mix of poses and writing. So many yoga books do all the writing and then do all the poses and then asanas. This was a nice interspersion.
A  nice review for experienced yoga-goers and I suspect a very nice beginning for newbies.

Four and a half stars
This book comes out April 4

Monday, March 27, 2017

Twelve Terribly Active Princesses who were not Exactly Dancing by Michael Ann Dobbs

I generally liked this book. There was a little too much text on the pages but the updated fairy tale was fun. The repetition of the mattress moving will delight children. And the fact that none of the princesses fell in love with their manager? Priceless!

Four stars
This book comes out April 4

Occult and Battery by Lena Gregory

I didn't read the first story in this series but I didn't feel like I needed to. The story of Cass Donovan, a former psychiatrist with just a hint of the psychic about her (though she doesn't seem to believe it.) She's excited to have been hired for a weekend party, even if it is at a supposedly haunted house.
Occult and Battery by Lena GregoryBut nothing seems to go right. A big storm moves in, her husband is there with the ex-best-friend he cheated on Cass with, and she seems to have conjured a real ghost. Then, one of the three siblings who hired her to make their new hotel a success is found dead. Why was he up in the cupola? And how much can Cass and her friends do while trapped in the hotel by the snowstorm?
The character of her (presumably gay) friend Bee was just a little too, too but I have hopes for future books in the series.

Four stars
This book comes out April 4

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Red Clover Inn by Carla Neggers

The meeting between Charlotte Bennett and Agent Greg Rawlings does not get off to an auspicious start. They're at a rehearsal dinner for Charlotte's cousin and Greg starts off by telling Charlotte she's too uptight. And it doesn't go uphill from there.
Red Clover Inn by Carla NeggersGreg is attracted to Charlotte and is delighted to learn that she is going to be at the Red Clover Inn in the Swift River Valley so he can spend more time with her. Well, Charlotte and his teenage children from a youthful first marriage.
I liked that this was a quiet story. Slow and steady, Charlotte and Greg built their relationship and fooled no one but themselves as they did so.

Four stars
This book comes out March 28
Followed by The River House

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Forever Mine by Erin Nicholas

Maya Goodwin rushes into life headfirst. No matter what she does, she does it with all her heart. It has gotten her in trouble including one where she got trapped inside a burning car. It was that incident that sent her to desk duty. Now she runs a center teaching martial arts through the lens of superheros. It's that center that sends Dr. Alex Nolan to Zoe.
Forever Mine by Erin NicholasAlex has only just discovered that he fathered a child almost ten years ago during a drunken one-night stand. He might never have found out except that Charli (his daughter) is a hemophiliac and that happens to be Alex's specialty. So he's trying to find a way to connect and wants to do it through her favorite, very geeky, TV show.
This is a lovely story where both characters show some growth and we get to seem them help each other. For the most part, they were adult about the whole thing and while there was a misunderstanding at the end, it didn't seem like a Big Misunderstanding. I didn't love everything about their relationship but Nicholas creates a nice story of two people coming together and I can't wait to hear more about costume designer, Sophie. Possibly with Maya's sparring partner Ben but I would also be okay with him getting his own book. A tough guy sidelined from his favorite activities? I hope that there is more to that story than just as a plot point for an Alex breakthrough.

Four stars
This book comes out March 28

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Crazy for You by Rachel Lacey

Bolstered by her friends, Emma has decided that it's time to divert from her normal stream of dull boyfriends and shake things up a bit. Her target? Her (now dead) brother's best friend Ryan. She's had a thing for him for years and is ready to act on int.
Ryan has a thing for Emma as well but he promised her brother that they would never hook up. Plus, his biological half-brother is in town and Ryan is trying to be a good example so that his brother's family will allow him to keep in contact. 
It's Ryan's rigid adherence to the dead brother's promise that made me enjoy this book less. It's repeated over and over and over with no growth on Ryan's part until the very end of the book. And Trent (Ryan's brother) is little more than a plot moppet (albeit eighteen-years-old). 
I really liked the first book in the series but just couldn't get into this one in the same way. I'm holding out hope for the next book when a wounded warrior and the woman he loved are getting their second chance.

Three stars
This book comes out March 28
Followed by Can't Forget You