Thursday, November 8, 2018

Want Me, Cowboy by Maisey Yates

Want Me, Cowboy by Maisey YatesAnother Grayson sibling is about to fall. Isaiah is ready to get married and decides the best way to do that will be to place an ad like his father did for his brother. After all, his brother found someone to love. He instructs his assistant Poppy to make it happen.
Poppy has been in love with Isaiah for years. Even while he was dating her foster sister. Even through all of her time being his assistant. Why won't he look t her? But then he does.
I didnt feel like we ever got to know either Poppy or Isaiah that well. Poppy definitely had issues leftover from being a foster kid but we didn't really get to see her work through them. And I wish we had seen a little more struggle. It all just seemed magically solved by Twu Luv.

This book came out November 6
Three stars
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; opinion is my own

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

The Unsinkable Walker Bean and the Knights of the Waxing Moon by Aaron Renier

The Unsinkable Walker Bean and the Knights of the Waxing Moon by Aaron RenierWalker Bean is back with his friends for more adventures. This time, he's looking for treasure and dealing with pirates. With a tough riddle to solve, can he figure out where the treasure is before the bad guys? And why does his friend Genoa seem so involved?
I have to admit that I thought this was a part of a different series when I requested it from NetGalley. But I thought I would read it anyway. It took some time to figure out what was going on as I hadn't read the book before this one. It was okay but took some time to wade through which I wasn't expecting from a comic. Would definitely be a lot of bang for your buck.

This book came out October 23
Four stars
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinion is my own

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Calendar Girl by Georgia Beers

Calendar GirlKatie Cooper has moved back home to help her mother deal with Katie's father who has early (and fast) onset Alzheimer's. She really needs some more money to help with the mounting medical bills. When her friend tells her about an admin assistant job, she jumps at the chance.
Addison Fairchild doesn't actually want an assistant but her drive to work has created a health crisis that has made her family decide that she HAS to have some help. Even so, it doesn't mean she has to act gracefully. Until Katie calls her out on her manners. The two eventually find a tentative working relationship. And love.
I wish I had remembered that I don't like boss/employee romances before requesting this book from NetGalley. I'm pretty sure people that don't mind that trope will like this book more than I did.

Three stars
This book comes out November 13
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Monday, November 5, 2018

A Season to Celebrate by Fern Michaels; Kate Pearce; Donna Kauffman; Priscilla Oliveras

A Season to CelebrateChristmas Homecoming by Fern Michaels
Kevin Matthews is grateful to be back home in Texas after his time in the Air Force. He's trying to figure out his next move but his interest in the town's new surgeon, Kate Stafford, may make the decision easier.
This story was a little hard to follow in places  but I suspect that regular readers of the series would have no problem.

An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce
A nice story about an older couple. Bella is helping to plan her son's wedding and Billy is happy to help her get things done. And maybe they might find their own HEA.
I think having read other books in the series would have made this book more understandable but it was a very cute story.

Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by  Donna Kauffman
Chef Hudson Walker has just finished working a wedding when he sees Moira Brogan being harassed in a bar. He steps in to help even though she's got it handled. They then start to spend a little more time together even though she's a planner to the nth degree while he tends to be a little more free form.
I was so looking forward to this story and... I just didn't feel it. After reading about Moira in the previous book, I was hoping for a little more of her story. But I did appreciate the story of her previous romantic fling not turning into an HEA.

Holiday Homerun by Priscilla Oliveras
Julia Fernandez is sick of hearing about baseball. She just wants to pursue her dreams of a being an event planner in Chicago rather than taking over the family business in Puerto Rico. So why is she getting so distracted by the VIP for her event, former pro baseball player Ben Thomas.
This was a little too sweet for me but I think regular readers will enjoy.

Three stars
This book came out October 30
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The Big Book of Female Detectives by Otto Penzler, Editor

The Big Book of Female Detectives by Otto PenzlerWow. This is a LOT of female detective stories all in one place. Divided mainly by date published, this book includes not only selected short stories but brief biographies of the authors as well. Not all of the authors are women but all of the main characters are. I say main characters advisedly because the last section is labeled "Bad Girls" (which, "girls", really? You couldn't call it Femme Fatales? or Wicked Women?) and includes characters who may not exactly be on the side of angels.
I rarely wish books were shorter but this would have been better served to be in a few volumes. It got long slogging through the stories. And it would have been more interesting with slightly longer biographies. Or biographies of the characters. These were all too brief.

This book was published October 16
Three stars
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinion is my own

Everything's Trash, But It's Okay by Phoebe Robinson

Everything's Trash, But It's Okay by Phoebe RobinsonPhoebe Robinson is back with more of her observations about life. This time she covers feminism, toxic masculinity and other hard (and some not so hard topics with her trademark humor).
I have to admit, I suspect that I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one because of where I am in my own life versus Ms. Robinson's writing. I think that most people will enjoy this book as much as the first.

This book came out October 16
Three stars
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley. Opinions are my own

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Snowed in for Christmas by Noelle Adams, Zoe York, Samantha Chase

Snowed in for Christmas by Noelle  AdamsStranded in the Snow (Holiday Acres, Book 2)  by Noelle Adams

Olivia Holiday's father cheated a man out of his share of some land. His relatives have hated hers ever since. So when she gets stranded with the man in a cottage during a snowstorm with Scott, the one who seems to dislike her the most.
An okay story, but there was a lot of shoehorning in of other characters and stories in this series which causes Scott and Olivia's romance to be not as believable.

A Christmas Rescue (Silver Bell Falls, Book 4) by Samantha Chase

Bailey Walsh is ready to quite her job. Her new boss is an absolute Scrooge and she's tired of it. But then a snowstorm and a litter of puppies let her see her boss in an entirely different light.
An okay story but Ms. Chase's longer works are more enjoyable.

Love on the Edge of Reason (Pine Harbour, Book 8) by Zoe York

Chloe Davis just found out she's pregnant. And when she told the father, Tom Minelli, he reacted.. less than well. But he's recovered. And getting trapped in a remote cabin during a winter storm give him time to convince her of just that.
Again, okay but would have been better in a longer book.

Three stars
This book came out October 23
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinion is my own