Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

OMG. This book was... everything. In general, I don't like first person narration. It's usually better if it is alternating but Hall stuck with Lucien "Luc" O'Donnell and he was just so perfectly imperfect. Growing up the child of two people who were music stars in the '80s, he's famous for being the child of famous people. His one and only long-term relationship ended when his boyfriend sold their story fifty grand sending Luc's life into a spiral And since then, the paparazzi loves to follow him around like in the opening scene. He meets a cute guy while dressed as a rabbit but accidentally chases the guy off. While Luc is leaving the club, he trips on the sidewalk and is in the papers once again for allegedly being drunk/high/whatever. That's bad enough but, as a manager of donors for a nonprofit helping the dung beetles, Luc's job is now in jeopardy because donors don't believe that someone as out of control as Luc could reasonably be trusted with their funds. And with their biggest fundraising opportunity happening soon, Luc needs to fix his reputation fast. Is it the best plot point? Maybe. I worked for a nonprofit and there are definitely donors who will pull their money based on the stupidest of reasons. But it makes a good impetus for Luc to start dating someone who is looks like a grown-up steady person. And his best friend Bridget just happens to have the guy.
Oliver Blackwood is also perfectly imperfect. Even as Luc's white knight, the vegetarian barrister needs saving as well.
There could have been more resolution with Oliver's parents but the parts with Luc's dad and mom were perfect. Yes they were big stars but his mother loves Luc for who he is and Luc is able to make peace with who his father is and their relationship.

Four and a half stars.
This book comes out July 7, 2020

Followed by Husband Material

ARC kindly provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding by Erin Nicholas

It's been a year since Josh Landry and Victoria (Tori) Kramer hooked up at Mardi Gras. They had made a pact to meet again at the same bar. Josh is there but Tori... isn't. He goes back to Autre to work at his family's swamp tour business... where Tori shows up the next day. She had been at the bar but, when Josh didn't show up, she kissed the man that she thought was him. Only it was her best friend who is getting married this weekend. The same man whose fiancee hates Tori because she thinks Tori is trying to talk her best friend, Andrew out of the marriage. Which Tori totally is. But not because Tori is In Love with Andrew but because she thinks the fiancee is all wrong for him. So Tori invites Josh to the wedding. That way she can prove that she's trying to break up the wedding for all the right reasons. Plus, fun make out times with Josh.
Josh is all in. Tori is his woman. Yes, the folks back in Iowa think she's a little nuts but she fits right in with the Landry family. He's determined to take this weekend to prove to Tori that he is the one for her.
This book was a fun twist on some familiar tropes. There was no fake relationship (there could have been) and the best friends didn't fall in love. I hope that Andrew gets his own book as well as Josh's siblings, the surly Sawyer and goth-ish Kennedy.

April 9th, 2019
Four stars
Hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own

Love by Matt de la Pena, Loren Long

The description of this book on the 2018 NPR Book Concierge is pretty darn close. There aren't a "zillion" ways depicted to show love but there are many and (almost) all of them are lovely. All of the pictures are absolutely amazing though.

This book came out January 9th, 2018
Four stars
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Cinders by Cara Malone

Cynthia “Cyn” Robinson, firefighter,  has loved Marigold "Mari" Grimm, the princess of Grimm Falls, since Cyn moved into town. But her stepbrother, Drew, told Cyn that she was bothering Mari so she backed off. In the present day, Cyn is called to Mari's house when a firebug sets the gardens of the Grimm Estate on fire. Unfortunately, this is the third instance of fire that we read about in this book so that means there is an arsonist running around. This is the weakest part of the story but I did like that we learned who the firebug was early in the book. When the person was revealed, I thought it couldn't be that person because almost any other book would have saved the identity until the end. I also really liked that Cyn talked to Mari; there was no Big Misunderstanding.
There definitely could have been more development of the relationship between the two women but it was an okay start to the series (but it's actually the second book...? still okay).

Three stars
This book came out Setember 10th, 2018
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean

Judging by the number of people exclaiming over this book, I am going to be in the minority in my opinion of this book because, while I believe that MacLean is an incredibly talented writer who once again wrote wonderfully and developed beautiful characters, I just don't think she was able to redeem Ewan. The man has been the Big Bad in both of the first two books in the series up to and including killing several people because his half-brothers told him that his Twu Lurv was dead. I also wished there had been more of an emotional connection that showed how Grace and Ewan connected "now."
When they were children, Grace and Ewan had an unbreakable bond. Or so she thought. But when Ewan tried to kill her, she fled from their abusive caretaker with his two half-brothers. The three ended up in the slums of London but they made their way bareknuckle fighting. And Grace was the best. It's how she started the empire she has today, including a club for women where they can enjoy the company of a young man for the evening. When Ewan, now a duke, discovers that Grace is not dead as had been reported to him, he decides to risk it all to win her back.

Three stars
This book comes out June 30th
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Murder at Blackwater Bend by Clara McKenna

If you can wade through the cavalcade of names and backgrounds thrown at you during the beginning of this book, it ends up being a decent read, even though the whirling mass of characters continues throughout the book. Even having read the first book didn't help untangle the crowd very much. The best part of this book is getting to see the relationship between Stella and Lyndy starting to unfold (and a little comeuppance for Lyndy's mother.)
Stella Kendrick and Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst started with an arranged marriage but found that they actually might like each other very much. As they are starting to get to know each other, one of the things they do is go fly fishing. And it's on the river that Stella discovers the body of Lord Fairbrother. Fairbrother is your typical mystery victim; people want him dead for a wide variety of reasons. His wife, a former flame of Lyndy's, didn't especially like the man. His neighbors knew that he accepted bribes for any number of votes on various community issues. His pony won the local best in breed seven years in a row though it was patently obvious that it was not an exemplar of the breed. So, all in all a bad sort who nobody misses.

Three stars
This book comes out June 30th
Follows Murder at Morrington Hall

Followed by Murder at Keyhaven Castle
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Last Curtain Call by Juliet Blackwell

Mel Turner's got a lot going on. Between being engaged, working on a renovation with her fiance, and avoiding actually setting a wedding date. And she's just discovered there's a ghost in her house. So why not take on renovating an old theater? With a shadowy investment group behind the wheel? And lots of ghosts? But that's what Mel does. And she's drawn into another mystery when one of the squatters who were in the theater ends up dead.
There was a lot going on in this book with a Kardashian-like family connection, murders in the past and present, and historical links going back three generations. There could have been some story parts cut out but was still a fast read.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 30th
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own