Saturday, December 7, 2019

Your Irresistible Love by Layla Hagen

Your Irresistible Love by Layla HagenSebastian Bennett has a strict rule against fraternizing with his employees. It's part of what has made his company so successful- the company he built from the ground up after his parents sold the family ranch. But he succeeded and Bennett Enterprises and their jewelry is well known. He is, in fact, not up for relationships in general. He's seen his parents' marriage work through 9 kids and wants something more like what they have than the empty promises of women after his money.
Ava Lindt doesn't care how rich Sebastian is. And while she is drawn by his looks, the hottest thing about him is how much he cares for his family. She doesn't have those types of ties to hers. Even so, her company has a rigid policy against getting into relationships with clients so her goal is to come in, help set up the marketing for the yearly Bennett Enterprises jewel show and then head on to the next contract. Getting involved with Sebastian is not on the agenda.
But the two end up getting together (all of the Bennetts seem to fall in love rather quickly after Hagen has them think that they don't want to be in a relationship; at least they don't fight it.) The last Big Misunderstanding ended up being a giant setup that was resolved with a little whimper but it was a nice kick off to a new-to-me series.

Three stars
This book came out January 15, 2016
Followed by Your Captivating Love
Audiobook from library
Opinions are my own

Friday, December 6, 2019

Dirty by Kylie Scott

Dirty (Dive Bar, #1)Lydia Green is sent a rather graphic video of her fiance just before the ceremony is supposed to start. So what does a woman, recently moved to the area with no friends or family at the wedding, supposed to do? She does the sensible thing and runs. Wearing the fancy underwear which was supposed to tempt her fiance (ha!) and her wedding dress, she whisks past the flower girl and makes it over the fence in the backyard, through a small window and into the bathroom and shower of the house behind.
Vaughan Hewson doesn't expect to hear any noises coming from his shower when he turns it on and he is even more startled to realize that it's a woman. A now soaked woman who can't stay in her wet wedding dress so she's sitting in his kitchen with great lingerie displaying an amazing rack. He failed at being a rock star but the lifestyle sure taught him how to roll with the punches. Even one this big. And when Lydia's ex-fiance and in-laws try to start blaming her for what happened? Vaughan wades into the fray. Lydia punches her ex? Vaughan knows the deputy and helps back him off.
This is a super fun and fluffy book where the focus is on the couple and even though the relationship and character building is a little shallow, it was still a fun read.

Four stars
This book came out April 19th, 2016
Audiobook borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Thursday, December 5, 2019

A Clean Sweep by Sara Bourgeois

A Clean Sweep (Wicked Witches of Coventry Book Book 4)A ghost hunting team has come to Coventry. The local witches couldn't tell them not to come so they've hired Brighton to be their official minder. They give it a pretty name but she's going to make $3,000, more if she can get them to leave in a week. Brighton is fine with that but she soon learns that the team knows more about her house than she does. And then one of them ends up dead. She doesn't need this on top of the fact that Thorne is investigating the murder but somehow dodging her calls.
None of the Wicked Witches of Coventry books are very deep and this is no different. If you are looking for a well- or tightly-plotted mystery, this is not going to be the series for you. But fast, fun, and fluffy? Bourgeois has you covered!

Three books
This star came out June 28th, 2019
I got this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Epic Air Fryer Cookbook by Emily Paster

Epic Air Fryer Cookbook by Emily PasterWith a nice thorough introduction, this book sets up what we'll see in this book. To be honest, I didn't actually make any of the recipes yet but the instructions seemed clear and there were great tips, like using your sense of smell to tell when food was done. Pictures were clear and there were plenty of recipes that had five or fewer ingredients as well as more complicated ones.
I wish there had been page numbers on my ARC because the Index pages don't line up to the ebook pages but I didn't count my rating down because of that.

Four stars
This book come out December 10th
ARC kindly provided by Harvard Common Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Playing the Odds by Nora Roberts

Playing the Odds (The MacGregors, #1)
Having worked as a dealer in a cruise casino, Serena MacGregor is ready to take the next step in her life. She doesn't count on being thrown off course by a handsome passenger, Justin Blade. She's not sure she's interested but he is... 80's romance forceful about it. 
When one of Justin's investors suggests this cruise, he doesn't think anything of it. But when he figures out that the woman he's lusting after is the man's daughter, he's more bemused than anything else.
It is dated and I'm not sure that today's readers will enjoy it as much as those of us that have the nostalgia factor added in. 

Three stars
This book came out March 2, 1985
Followed by Tempting Fate
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Reread March 2023

Monday, December 2, 2019

Tempting Fate by Nora Roberts

Tempting Fate (The MacGregors, #2)Caine MacGregor has yet to be impressed by Diana Blade. She's the sister of the man who is about to marry Caine's sister but she sure doesn't act like it. Gorgeous, but cold, she acts nothing like anyone he's ever known.
Diana is nervous. She hasn't seen her brother since they were children. The aunt who raised her has her convinced that he is close to the devil himself. Not that her aunt was the best but Diana is still cautious, everyone in her life has left. And she knows Caine's reputation. Just a few years behind him at law school, she knows the swath he cut through not only the classes but the female students. But she's moving to be closer to her brother as she opens up her own law office and Caine has the space. But the more he gets to know Diana, the deeper he finds that she hides her feelings and he'll have to work to get her to admit that she might have feelings too.

Four Stars
This book came out May 1st, 1985
Followed by All the Possibilities
Book borrowed from Library
Opinions are my own

Sunday, December 1, 2019

A Fete Worse than Death by Dolores Gordon-Smith

Jack Haldean isn't necessarily looking forward to the local fete when he visits his uncle, aunt, and cousins but it goes downhill when he is recognized by a man who reported to Jack in the RFC during the Great War. The man was a thorn in Jack's side; Jack even comments that Boscombe caused more trouble than the Germans. And he seems to be continuing the trend, making oblique comments about other people at the fete. Then the man turns up dead in the fortune teller's tent.
Jack, being a mystery writer of some note and generally curious, inserts himself into the investigation (Gordon-Smith inserts that Jack had helped on a major case in the past and has used the police extensively to write his stories so he's not a complete n00b.) With drama circling around Jack's uncle's ward and a hero of the war, a ball in the neighborhood being thrown by a local, older femme fatale, and another body popping up, there is a lot going on in this book.
Gordon-Smith weaves together all of the stories into a book that slides into the life of a detective and lets us ride along with him.

Four stars
This book came out June 26, 2007
Book borrowed from library