Claim Me, Cowboy by Maisey Yates

It all started with an ad...
Joshua Grayson's father wants nothing more than for his son to fall in love, get married, and have babies. So he puts an ad out into the world and now Joshua is getting all sorts of unwanted attention from women he doesn't really want to connect with. So Joshua puts out his own ad. One for a thoroughly disreputable woman. One who will get his father off his back. And the woman who answers his ad is perfect. Danielle Kelly is too young, too poor, too hipster, and too-carrying-an-infant for his parents to attach. Except that Joshua seems to be ready to attach...
Danielle grew up the child of a teen mother. Her mother was dirt poor but would drag Danielle around as she moved from man to man, trying to find stability.
I never really connect with characters in the "New Adult" category, even ones who are super-mature for their age.  And I never really felt like Danielle and Joshua connected (well, beyond the sex). Would have loved to see more scenes where the two connected outside the bedroom. Regular Yates readers will probably be satisfied but I'm looking forward to a better story in the next book.

Two and a half stars.
This book comes out April 3
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Follows  Smooth-Talking Cowboy

Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston

I only got two chapters of this book as an ARC from NetGalley so I can't really review the whole book. There wasn't a great glimpse of either Charlotte (Charlie,a badger shifter) or Berg (grizzly shifter) so I'm not sure how the rest of the book is going to go. We know that Charlie has at least two sisters, one of which needs watching every moment of the day. Oh, and the book opens with men breaking into Charlotte's hotel room just as she gets a warning call. She drops down to the room below which just so happens to be the one where Cooper (famous pianist, jackal shifter) who we met in the last book is being guarded by Berg. 

I'm a little trepidatious about how this book is going to go but I trust Laurenston so I'll definitely read this book as soon as I can get my hands on it.

I did eventually get the full ARC and it was okay but there was a lot of setup for the rest of the series. I wished we had gotten to see more of Berg. It's interesting that Laurenston keeps introducing bear triplets (had been done in Bear meets Girl). Each of the characters seems to be full hilt stereotypes which is okay but I wish we had gotten a bit more nuance.

Three stars

This book comes out March 27, 2018

Follows Bite Me

Followed by In a Badger Way

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Reread May 2022, January 2024

A Magical Match by Juliet Blackwell

Tristan Dupree, a shadowy figure from Lily Ivory's past is in San Francisco and has given her 48 hours to return his... well, she doesn't exactly know what it is that she stole from him. Whatever it was, she doesn't have memories of that time in her life. She's also dealing with trying to put together a 1950s brunch to benefit the local woman's shelter as well as the evil owner of a cupcake store. Oh, and her whirlwind fiance is in jail for murder.
I don't know how but I missed a book or two in the series and that definitely lowered my enjoyment of reading this book. There was a lot of world-building in those books that made this story harder to follow. I'm guessing that people who have read the whole series will really like this book but I would not recommend it to readers new to the Witchcraft Mystery series.

Three stars
This book comes out April 3
Followed by Bewitched and Betrothed
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Peanut Butter and Jelly by Ben Clanton

I really enjoy the Narwhal and Jelly books and think that people will like this one as well. You definitely don't have to have read the other two books in the series to enjoy this one but it would help. Narwhal discovers that there is food other than waffles and becomes obsessed with peanut butter. Very cute but I felt like it was a lot shorter than previous Narwhal books.

Four stars

This book comes out March 27

Follows Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt

The Secret of Flirting by Sabrina Jeffries

Monique Servais knows who she is. She's a woman trying to put together a good life for the grandmother who raised her; the grandmother whose mental health is slipping away. She also knows she's a damn fine actress. So when an overbearing pair of gentleman push their way into her dressing room one night and one insults her, she's not taking any bull from him.
Gregory Fulkham is immediately to this actress and also immediately irritated by his attraction. But he sure as heck remembers her, even three years later when she's being passed off as a Belgian princess. Yes, it's a "Prince and the Pauper" type situation (but with more intrigue) and Gregory is Not Amused. But he's still attracted. And he's super-pissed that someone is taking potshots at the Monique, whether she's a fake or not.
This was an okay book but not as good as others in the series. This book also suffered from a surfeit of trying to introduce/catch up with other couples in the series.

Three stars
This book comes out March 27
Follows The Pleasures of Passion

The River House by Carla Neggers

Felicity MacGregor really enjoys her life. She's an event planner and, while there's not a ton of work for her in Knights Bridge, there's more than enough work in the surrounding areas. Enough that she's gotten herself out of the mountain of debt she was in three years ago plus be able to buy a house. She does have a slight hitch in her stride when she hears that Gabriel Flanagan is going to be back in town to help out with a business bootcamp that she's putting on. Gabe, the man that was her best friend for ears until he bluntly told her that she wasn't living her best life.
Gabe's not sorry he did it. He feels like he did what was best for Felicity and he feels hurt by the way she lashed out when she left after crashing on his couch for a week. So he decides that he's going to sleep on her couch, and maybe even deepen their relationship.
This wasn't one of Neggers' better stories. I never really got that Felicity and Gabe should be more than friends. They lashed out at each other, acted like children, then somehow, we're supposed to believe they're in love. And, just to create some more angst, there's a potential female stalker after Gabe. Just, ew. It wasn't horrible though, just waiting for the next one and hoping it will be better.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out March 27
Follows Red Clover Inn

Jagged by Lauren Dane

Rachel Dolan has a past. She was an FBI agent who got trapped by one of the men she was chasing and it changed her life. Leaving the bureau behind, Rachel was delighted to discover that her talent with art translated into a career as a tattoo artist. Yes, she has a routine and a LOT of locks on her doors. A state-of-the-art seucrity system isn't a bad thing either. It makes her feel safe. Also making her feel safe? Vicktor Orlov.
Vicktor knows Rachel's story but that only impresses him - it doesn't scare him off. He doesn't want to tame her or protect her, he just wants her to live her best life and to help her find a way to do that.
And that was my favorite part of this book, that Vicktor is impressed by Rachel's strength and doesn't down play it at all. I wish there had been more come-to-Jesus with her dad and that we had seen a little more courtship, but overall a pretty good read.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out March 27
This book follows Unraveled
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Ménage à 3 Volume 1 by David Lumsdon, Gisele Lagace

I read Ménage à 3 online and love it there. It is even better gathered all in one place. This is a body-positive, sexuality-positive comic that is easy to read and has entertained people for years. Starting when Gary's roommates falling in love and moving out leaving room for Zii and Didi and a whole series of antics. We find out that Gary is a virgin and Zii starts to make it her life mission to get him laid.
I can't wait for the next volume.

Five stars
This book came out March 13
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston

I only got two chapters of this book as an ARC from NetGalley so I can't really review the whole book. There wasn't a great glimpse of either Charlotte (Charlie,a badger shifter) or Berg (grizzly shifter) so I'm not sure how the rest of the book is going to go. We know that Charlie has at least two sisters (or that's the impression), one of which needs watching every moment of the day. Oh, and the book opens with men breaking into Charlotte's hotel room just as she gets a warning call. She drops down to the room below which just so happens to be the one where Cooper (famous pianist, jackal shifter) who we met in the last book is being guarded by Berg.
I'm a little trepidatious about how this book is going to go but I trust Laurenston so I'll definitely read this book as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Three stars
This book comes out March 27th
ARC of first two chapters provided by NetGalley

Unicorn of Many Hats by Dana Simpson

Phoebe and Marigold are off on a new set of adventures that capture Dana Simpson's incredible imagination and wit. Marigold learns to write fan letters (you can definitely assume you know who the first person she writes one to is). Phoebe finds a like-minded individual on the internet but then finds out she might not like the person so much IRL. And we get to see Marigold's house as well as learning about unicorn elections and how the friends spend their holidays (let's just say Marigold is not about to let a Christmas tree out-sparkle her.)
As usual, a highly entertaining read. Well worth picking up.

Four and a half stars
This book comes out March 20
Follows Phoebe and Her Unicorn in the Magic Storm
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Big Nate: Silent But Deadly by Lincoln Peirce

Another great entry to the Big Nate canon. We get a little bit more story about Gina with a brief crush as well as a trivia competition between her and Francis. We also get a little Christmas time that I don't remember seeing in previous Big Nate books.

Four stars
This book comes out March 20
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

I'm Not Your Sweet Babboo! by Charles M. Schulz

A good dose of nostalgia, this book introduced me to a few Peanuts storylines that I didn't know including Linus' potential girlfriend who lives in the country. When she and Sally come face-to-face, Linus is left hanging in the wind on the roof. We also see Snoopy on the verge of marriage and in long-running feud with the cat next door.
Not my favorite Peanuts book but fills that nostalgia-need.

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

I Know What You Bid Last Summer by Sherry Harris

Sarah Winston is running a little bit different sale; this time, she's helping a school raise some funds. Most of the items are used sports items but she also gets some high ticket items like a signed jersey. Too bad she's knocked over the head the night before the sale and most of the more highly priced items are stolen. And the day of the sale, Sarah finds the school's principal dead in a back room.There are enough layers to make this story interesting but not so many that any of the stories get lost. I really like that CJ is gone, the will-they-won't-they of that whole relationship is more annoying than intriguing. And there are parts of this story that get a little repetitive. Maybe it's the whole series but I feel like every other book gets good.

Three stars

This book comes out February 27
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Follows A Good Day to Buy
Followed by The Gun Also Rises

Chloe #3: "Frenemies" by Greg Tessier

Chloe is a freshman who has to do an internship because... I'm not sure why? But the original one she has set up falls through but there is an opening at the same place as her frenemy (though I don't see how the two are actually friends). At first, it seems that Chloe and a rather slovenly boy named Yanni aren't going to do well at the internship but Chloe helps to guide him. Too bad she won't be happy for long since she's going to hear some bad news about her boyfriend, Alex.
The cover of this book was interesting and so I requested it from NetGalley. This isn't a series you can jump into the middle of. And it was incredibly short. A fine story that would be worth buying if it were in a volume with others in the series.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out March 6

The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen

Switching between the present day and the late 1800s, Laura Andersen brings to life the story of the Darkling Bride (who we don't actually learn that much about), a woman who very much identified with her, and the contemporary researcher who is learning more about them both.
When Carragh Ryan gets the chance to help catalog the library of the Gallaghers before the current lord gives the castle to a public trust, she jumps. Though she is not Irish by blood, her adoptive and incredibly loving family was, her grandmother even leaving her Dublin house to Carragh. But the castle is dark and creepy and the family is not exactly welcoming. Great-aunt Nessa hires Carragh but continually looks down on her, the present lord's sister seems high-strung and passionately unhappy, and then there's the lord himself, Aidan. At ten, Aidan was the one who discovered his father dead in the library. And, though ruled a murder-suicide (his mother being found dead soon after), the investigation seemed rushed, to say the least.
This story is interspersed with that of Jenny Gallagher and the handsome writer, Evan Chase. Though Evan and Jenny seemed to have a great love, he never wrote another book after her death.
An interesting story that kept me reading. The romance between Carragh and Aidan didn't need to be there. It was almost tucked in at the end as if someone told the author it needed to be a love story. I didn't get a sense of them truly being in love.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out March 6