Dig Deep My Grave by Cheryl Honigford

Charlie is going to the big house. To meet his love's, Vivian Witchell, wealthy family. It's touted as a cottage but... it is not as small as it sounds. Plus, her first lover is there on the scene and seems to be making a play for her. Is that why he apparently ends up dead, stabbed, with Charlie holding the murder weapon?
Viv doesn't even hesitate. Even knowing that her tryout for a Hollywood screenplay is on the line, she's going to stick around and make sure that Charlie's proved innocent.
Regular readers will really enjoy this addition to the series.

Four stars
This book comes out August 7
ARC kindly provided by Edelweiss
Follows Homicide for the Holidays

Paradox by Catherine Coulter

The Savich and Sherlock books can be a little uneven for me. But I set my expectations low for the romance on this one (why even include them, they're so glossed over, at this point?) But they're once more drawn into a mystery and that is the more enjoyable part of the story, seeing the two of them work together. This time, it's to thwart someone who seems to be trying to destroy their lives, starting with trying to kidnap their son.
The A story overlaps with a sheriff who happens to witness the murder of the person who sets off the Sherlock/Savich chain of events and the FBI lover of the woman who is murdered. There is also a story about a serial killer that is glossed on.

Four stars
This book comes out July 31st
Followed by Paradox
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Born to Be Wilde by Eloisa James

At the end of the last book in this series, Lavinia Gray discovered that she was not the heiress she thought. In fact, her mother hasy been stealing to supplement their lifestyle for the last few years. Stealing from friends. With nothing left to lose, Lavinia goes to the bedchamber of Parth Sterling, wealthy (adopted) member of the Wilde family, to propose marriage. When he says no, she realizes that she had more to lose as it chips away at her ego.
Parth Sterling doesn't actually believe that Lavinia is as shallow as puddle, but he sure deflects his feelings for her by claiming to believe it. He offers to help find her suitors but quickly realizes that he wants her for himself.
Arrrrgggh. I really enjoyed so much of this book; Lavinia growing into herself, Parth figuring out what he wanted early... but there were so many things that were annoying; Parth being a bit of an alphahole and the Big Misunderstanding. The last felt like it was just tacked on to add pages. But overall an enjoyable read.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out July 31
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Follows Too Wilde to Wed
Followed by Say No to the Duke

Reread as copy I own May 2024

Love You by Stacy Finz

Win Garner and Darcy Wallace have both been introduced in this series before. Win is the playboy of his family, the one who wines and dines women but never gets serious. In fact, he tries not to get too serious about anything. Or that's the perception; there have been glimpses of a deeper Win.
Darcy doesn't want Win to be deep. She just wants to break her dry spell. So she's fairly astonished when she crawls into his bed one night but gets rebuffed. Because her mother has been wearing on her self-confidence her whole life, she assumes that it's her. But Win is just trying to stay on the straight and narrow. He suggests they be friends but can't stop flirting.
The two are thrown together in order to help bring in a corporate account for their family business, Garner Adventures. It lets them both shine as well as spend some more time together.
This is a fast,fun, and fluffy with some toe-dips into the serious but nothing deep. Perfect reading for a summer's day.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out July 31
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Follows Want You

What Ales the Earl by Sally MacKenzie

Ten years ago Penelope Barnes was kicked out of her father's house because she was pregnant. She was able to go to her aunt's for a whort while but eventually found her way to Puddleton and the Benevolent Home there. Her daughter has the distinctive stripe of white hair that all of the Grahams have. But no one knows that her daughter is a Graham. Penelope has been claiming to be a widow. But now there's a new mother/daughter duo at the home and they've identified Harriet as a bastard. Of course, they think she's the earl's daughter.
And she is. Well, not the former earl who was an incorrigible rake and left bastards all around the countryside. No, she's the daughter of the current earl. The one who left Penelope before she knew she was pregnant. The one who has just wandered into Puddleton...
A nice world-building book that suffers a little from so much introduction (I wish we had seen more of the brewery if that's what the series is based around) but I'm definitely looking forward to more in the series.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out July 31st
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

A Bite-Sized History of France by Stéphane Henaut; Jeni Mitchell

Told in very-readable chapters, this book delves into the history of France. I like the way that the history was divvied up into portions. It still took me a long time to read but was overall pretty enjoyable.

This book came out July 10
Four stars
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne

The subtitle for this book is "Once. A pun. A time." I think that give fair warning that this book is not going to be a very traditional fairy tale nor is it going to be very serious.
When the book opens, we are treated to a glimpse of a fairy castle that is under a spell that has made everyone (except one troubadour) fall into a deep sleep. They are waiting for someone to rescue the princess. It is possible that it might be the farm boy, Worstley (his brother Bestley was killed for being too handsome). At least, the pixie, Staph, tells him that he is the Chosen One. But is he?
Filled with puns and plays on the most popular fairy tale tropes; this was an interesting story that dragged in a few places and got a little long in others but was overall a pretty enjoyable read.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out July 17
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Rose by Elle Casey

Rose Lancaster is running her animal clinic in Maine on a wing and a prayer. She doesn't have a lot (or any) funding and the only veterinarian who was willing to help her has just bowed out. Now her clinic has been robbed. It is NOT the time for a new romance. Too bad her fathers' lawyer, Greg Lister, is so dang cute.
Greg doesn't plan on falling in love with Rose, especially since he can't give her anything but bad news (at least he feels like it.) But their chemistry is just too strong (and her sisters are just too eager to put them together.
This book was not as disjointed as the previous book but still didn't flow smoothly. It felt like the ending didn't wrap up the loose ends (maybe there'll be a book for Smitty? But he wasn't portrayed well in this book).

Three stars
This book comes out today
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Blood on the Tracks Martin Edwards (Edited by)

The collections put together by Mr. Edwards can sometimes be hit or miss for me. This one was more on the hit side. With a number of familiar names like Baroness Orczy, Lord Peter Wimsey, Doctor Thorndyke, this book hits the spot for a good collection of favorite reads.

This book came out July 3
Four stars
ARC kindly provided by Edelweiss

How to Keep a Secret by Sarah Morgan

Sisters know how to keep a secret. Lauren and Jenna learned that when they were young. Even if htat secret still haunts them, they know not to let it out. It's 24 (ish) years later and they're now adults. Adults who are in the middle of crises. Jenna has the perfect husband, the perfect job but can't seem to get pregnant. Neither can turn to the mother, except when Lauren's husband dies and her whole world implodes. Lauren and her daughter, Mack, move back to the States to stay with her mother. But Nancy has problems, and secrets, of her own.
At the end of the book, Morgan mentions that this book is a departure for her. This is true and it is one I most heartily enjoyed. Her last two fast, fun, and fluffies were a little too shallow for me. This book was a welcome change. Did I love all the characters? No. And we didn't get to see enough of Lauren and Scott's new romance to feel like this was anew love not just echoes of their puppy love. But I really enjoyed this book.

Four stars
This book comes out July 10
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley