Golden in Death by Nora Roberts

On a clear April morning, a beloved pediatrician opens an unexpected package. Inside is a golden egg. When he opens the egg, a small cloud of gas erupts, killing him. Eve and Peabody are called in to investigate. But they can't find anyone with a grudge against the doctor. He truly was a man that everyone liked. A second death-by-egg helps them to find a thread and uncover a reason for the killing.
There wasn't as much character development in this book as usual, either for the killers or for our leads. It was a fine book but without some of the introspection that make the other books more fun.

Three stars
Follows Vendetta in Death
Followed by Shadows in Death
This book comes out February 4, 2020
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby August 2023

Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom by Louis Sachar

The Wayside school is back and strange things are happening. But normal things are too. The children in Mrs. Jewell's class on the thirtieth floor are learning about the number one million. To that end, they are collecting one million nails. They are also having recess and eating Mrs. Mush's food. But they are also operating under the Cloud of Doom. Kathy is... pleasant. Faces are freezing. Gusts of wind blow children all the way up to their floor.
I was obsessed with the Wayside books. I could understand the puns and the weirdness. Every time I read them there was something new to find. And all the old favorites are here. The Erics, Mr. Pickell, Louis... a great addition to the series, fans old and new will enjoy.

Four stars
This book comes out February 5th
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

The Body under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn

What happened if Agatha Christie grew up to be such a prolific writer because she solved mysteries as a girl? And what if she had a friend that was the prototype for Hercule Poirot? And a grandmother who strongly resembles Miss Jane Marple? You would get this series about Aggie Morton.
Aggie is sort of like Harriet the Spy but more focused on writing poetry than on spying on other people. She is supposed to be a part of a local fete welcoming refugees but she freezes and is saved by Rose. Rose is a beautiful local seventeen-year-old whose aunt is the local dance teacher and an all-around nice lady. Her mother, on the other hand, is known as being vituperative and mean. No surprise who ends up dead then. Aggie is the one to discover the body and becomes very curious, trying to solve the case with new friend Hector.
This book was a little too long but I think would be great for a reader who is ready for some more challenging material; the murder is off-screen (as it were) but the language is a bit higher than a lot of the middle-grade books I've read.

Four stars
This book comes out February 4th
ARC kindly provided by Penguin Random House and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne

Audrey Tate and Clarke West have been best friends for decades. All of their friends think there is  something more between them but both Audrey and Clarke know that there isn't. Although they have been engaged to each other at various points, usually to make their parents back off. This time, it's a little different. Audrey is in the news. As an influencer, that's not necessarily a bad thing except that her most recent boyfriend has spilled the fact that she was dating a married man. A married man who is now dead but he was also pretty prominent. He was also married to a woman who is now one of Audrey's dearest friends and Audrey doesn't want her to be hurt any more either. So Audrey and Clarke pretend to be engaged to get the mean gossip off her tail.
Then... the fake relationship starts to lead to a real relationship. At least physically. But will they find true love?
I loved most of this book. The ending did not seem like Audrey and Clarke though. Between the two of them there had been low drama. And the ending was not that.

Four stars
This book comes out January 28th
Follows Love on Lexington Avenue
ARC kindly provided by Gallery Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Best Man Problem by Mariah Ankenman

One time. Lilly Walsh slept with a client one time. And he wasn't even really a client, just a member of the bridal party that Lilly was a planner. But his wife (!) unexpectedly showed up and Lilly was taken aback. Then sued. So she's made a promise to herself never to do that again. But what is she supposed to do when the one-night-stand she had shows up as the best man at another wedding?
Lincoln Reid is toked to see Lilly again but he can't understand why she's so shy about keeping what they had going. But he's willing to go with it. And as he helps to plan his two best friends' wedding, he starts to fall more and more in love with this woman.
I did NOT like the Big Misunderstanding at the end of this book. I get that there were breadcrumbs leading to that moment but it didn't feel true to Lincoln's character up to that point. He went from being this dream boyfriend to a jerk and, while that may be something that happens in real life, the turn back to dream boyfriend didn't ring as true.

Three stars
This book came out January 20th
ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Headliners by Lucy Parker

Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport were introduced in the previous book of this series but you really don't need to have read it to enjoy this book. When Nick broke the story about Sabrina's grandmother being a fraud, he destroyed her life. And it seemed like he did it fairly gleefully. The two have always butted heads while going after news stories but that was just... mean.
But Nick has his own problems; he was taped badmouthing the new owner of their network. Now both are relegated to the network's morning show. While neither is exactly excited about it, they're both just trying to hold on to their careers. Unfortunately, it seems like someone still wants them to fall even further than they already have. Malicious pranks are being pulled on both -- while the first few were written off as accidents, it's starting to be too many to be just that. The two decided to start working together to salvage what they can of their careers.
Parker is amazing at making you fall in love not only with her characters but their relationships. I have to admit that Sabrina and Nick annoyed me a little and I didn't have the bond that I did with the first book in the series but it was still an enjoyable read.

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 20th
ARC kindly provided by Harlequin Carina Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Arrangement -- Anthology

MISCHIEF AND THE MARQUESS by Sylvia Day
Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine, and Lady Sophie Milton-Riley are being brought together by their matchmaking mothers. Justin needs to get married and Sophie is eligible... well, not really. She's had a child out of wedlock. But Justin doesn't seem to mind; it's just Sophie. She would prefer to prove that they are incompatible. Except that they aren't...

I couldn't connect to either of these characters and it was even harder than the usual novella issues. Two and a half stars.

THE DUKE’S TREASURE by Minerva Spencer
Beaumont Halliwell, the Fifth Duke of Wroxton, needs a wealthy wife and fast. Josephine Loman's father is dying but he wants her to improve her station in life so he marries her off to Beau, telling Beau not to let her come back. Beau obeys but as he starts to get to know his wife, he realizes that he may have been hasty in assuming that a low-born woman would not be his perfect match and that he wants her to be happy in all things.

Better than the first story, this one still has a lot going on with back stories and current stories and it feels like the ending was a bit forced. Three stars.

THE INCONVENIENT COUNTESS by Kristin Vayden
Miss Diana Katherine Lambson is out of options. After her father's death, he left only debts. Her only choice is to marry Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington, who wants her family's land. While her father had strictly forbade it, Diana wants to take that chance in order to save her mother and sisters.

My favorite, this could have been a longer novel and I would have been perfectly content because it would have filled in the cracks. Three and a half stars.

Three stars
This book comes out January 28th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis

Piper Manning's parents died when she was young then her grandmother died when Piper was 18 leaving Piper in charge of her younger brother, Gavin, and her younger sister, Willow. Neither Gavin nor Willow gave Piper an easy time but she's gotten them both out of the house and on their way. She's just about to achieve her dream of selling her grandparents' property and going to school in Colorado when they both come home, needing family. Which Piper might need as well.
Trying to change their family rut is painful. Also painful? Opening her heart to the tall, dark, and handsome man she meets in a storm, Camden Reid. He's in Wildstone to reconnect with his father after his brother's death but it may be that Piper is the person to help him to stay.
Piper's brother Gavin also gets his HEA with an old flame.
A nice addition to the series. I wish Piper and Gavin had gotten separate stories because we didn't get to see the true development of either but it a good read.

Four stars
This book came out January 21st
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

In the Shadow of Vesuvius by Tasha Alexander

The book opens with a body. Emily and her husband Colin have traveled to Pompeii with their friend Ivy and they are the ones to discover that one of the bodes is from rather more recent times than nearly 1800 years ago. Their friend Jeremy also shows up as does someone from Colin's past, someone who will change the course of Emily's life.
Regular readers of the series will probably enjoy the book; we get alternating stories between Emily and a woman from before Vesuvius erupted. We also have the normal sort of mystery that you would expect from a Lady Emily story though the surprise that changes Emily's life will definitely be a sticking point for some readers (as it was for me.)

Three stories
This book came out January 7th
ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own.

The Math of Life and Death by Kit Yates

Every one in awhile I like to try and stretch myself by reading a book that I don't completely understand. This was one such book. Did I understand everything about these math principles? Nope. Did this book keep me riveted? To be honest, not really; I kind of had to plow through a half chapter in a sitting before my eyes started crossing. But I finished it and found it very readable. As I was reading, I felt as though I understood what the author was saying though not enough to explain it to anyone else (which I would count as true understanding).

Four stars
This book came out January 7th
ARC kindly provided by Scribner and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

A fantasy story told through the letters of two cousins (fancy term-epistolary).
Generally speaking, it's London 1828. Only, this is a London with wizards. No, not like Harry Potter. These are wizards who are out and about in the world. But the story really focuses on two cousins, Kate and Cecelia. While Kate is in town for the London season with her very pretty younger sister, Georgy, Cecelia is staying in the country waiting to come out in the next year. Somehow, they both (separately) stumble into a wizards' feud and manage to get themselves involve.
I liked both Kate and Cecelia. They were pragmatic and strong-willed, brave, but not stupid. Each faced a powerful wizard and came out ahead. Yes, they each found their own true love but it was with the sense that it was icing on the cake for their HEA.

Five stars
This book came out April 15th, 1988

Followed by The Grand Tour
Borrowed as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby February 2023

Fatal Accusation by Marie Force

Sam and Nick are in the soup again. When the president lands himself in another scandal, this time of an affair he had while the First Lady was undergoing chemo. It just gets worse when the woman in question ends up dead. Once again, Sam and Nick will have to deal with the threat that he may have to step into the role of Commander in Chief if the president resigns  while Sam is having to hunt down a murderer.
I really liked how much Sam grew in this story. Nick is still as perfect as ever but we got to see more about how and why their marriage works.

Four stars

This book came out December 17th

Follows Fatal Reckoning

Followed by State of Affairs
ARC kindly provided by Harlequin and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Just for Now by Rosalind James

Is there a betrayal worse than finding your partner in your very own bed with someone else? Maybe, but Jenna McKnight can't think of that. It's been over a year and she's been traveling around New Zealand just trying to find herself. Normally she's a teacher but it's the middle of the school year and no one is hiring. Except there is a man who needs a nanny but he immediately insinuates that she's there to seduce him rather than be the nanny to his children.
Finn Douglas is tired of women throwing themselves at him. Yes, he's on the All Blacks but that doesn't mean he wants to live a high-flying life. He's content to stay at home and spend time with his kids. Jenna is a complication. She definitely loves his children but she's also incredibly tempting.
A nice story; we do get to see Jenna and Finn get closer and they are mainly very smart about starting a relationship while in the position of boss/employee which is what makes the ending sort of jarring.

Three stars
This book came out August 29th, 2012
Follows Just Good Friends
Followed by Just for Fun
Read on Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own

Just Good Friends by Rosalind James

Kate Lamonica moved from the United States to New Zealand in order to escape a stalker. She has zero interest in dating. But she does think that she can take Koti James down a peg. The man goes through women like most people drink water. So she makes a bet with him that he can't just be friends with a woman.
Koti isn't sure why he'd want to be friends with a woman but he figures it can't be that hard. Especially a woman like Kate who he has no interest in. She's not his type at all.
But forced proximity makes for some interesting romantic options and Kate and Koti soon fall in love. It's an interesting story and flows pretty well and we do get to see the two fall in love.

Three stars
This book came out August 30th, 2012
Follows Just This Once
Followed by Just for Now
Read on Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own

Without a Trace by Nora Roberts

Trace O'Hurley left his family behind many years ago but he still feels the bonds. Even so, when Gillian Fitzpatrick comes to him, asking for help to save her brother, he hesitates. He's mourning the death of his friend and doesn't really want to hop back into the spy world. But Gillian has the solution to an interesting scientific problem in her head and there are men who would like to extract it. So Trace takes on her case.
Not quite as good as the other books in the series but still entertaining. This book adds more suspense to the romance and, while it doesn't hold up extremely well, it is still fun to experience.

Three stars
Follows Skin Deep
This book came out October 1st, 1990
Listened to this book on Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

Skin Deep by Nora Roberts

From the outside, Chantal O'Hurley would seem to have it all. Blonde, beautiful, and a movie star, most people would trade places with her in an instance. Except then they would be the one being stalked; the ones being threatened with death. Chantal is over it.
Quinn Doran is willing to do a favor for his friend Matt, Chantal's agent. But he's sure he knows what's going on. An actress who needs drama in her personal life as well as on screen, Chantal O'Hurley may be beautiful but she's obviously a nut. Except that she really is getting notes. And phone calls. And flowers. The more time he spends with her the more he realizes that he may have misjudged her.
An interesting story but not a lot of character development. Some definite heat between the two characters. It's not aging very well with Chantal being a smoker (though maybe actresses still are) and Quinn being so very misogynistic.

This book came out September 1988
Follows Dance to the Piper
Followed by Without a Trace
Listened on Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

The Last Honest Woman (The O'Hurleys, #1) by Nora Roberts

Dylan Crosby is writing a book on Abby O'Hurley's late husband and he knows she's keeping secrets. He's bound and determined to ferret out every last one. Including why the widow of a man who was fabulously wealthy is out mucking stalls and cleaning houses.
Married young, Abby's marriage wasn't perfect but Abby consents to talk to Dylan because she needs money. Her boys are growing up fast and her farm needs work. But she has some secrets she doesn't ever want to see the light of day.
Of course, this is a romance so they'll fall in love but the development of the characters and the story-line are pretty good, especially considering this series started as a 90s Harlequin romance series.

Three stars
Followed by Dance to the Piper
This book came out May 1988
Listened to this book on Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

Dance to the Piper by Nora Roberts

Maddy O'Hurley is a recently broken out Broadway star. She left her last play in the middle of a very successful run because she felt she had given all she could. Now in rehearsals for a new play, this sparkling actress is surprised to meet her new angel (play backer) when he interrupts a mugging.
Reed Valentine isn't sure what to make of this intriguing woman. She's nothing like the society women that he's used to dating, but he's strongly drawn to her.
The push-and-pull of both their emotions and their relationship is a lovely story that I've enjoyed reading over and over again.

Four stars
Follows The Last Honest Woman
Followed by Skin Deep
This book came out July 1988
Listened on Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

What a Dragon Should Know by G.A. Aiken

Gwenvael the Handsome has been sent by his sister-in-law, Annwyl, to follow up on a rumor that people are plotting against her because she is about to give birth to half-human, half-dragon twins. But that means he has to go to the North and talk to the Reinhold. The man has an offspring that is known as the Beast. Gwenvael is shocked to discover that the Beast is actually a woman, Dagmar Reinhold. And she refuses to help him unless he helps her first. So they'll have to travel together to help to save not only the children but basically the world.
Gwenvael is beyond conceited but Aiken is amazing at making him very likable even through that. And Dagmar is intelligent. Definite shades of Laurenston at her best.

Three stars
This book came out September 1st, 2009
Follows About a Dragon
Followed by Last Dragon Standing
Audiobook from library
Opinions are my own

Connecting Rooms by Jayne Ann Krentz

Owen Sweet is the only private investigator on Misplaced Island so when Amy Comfort needs help looking at her aunt's beau (he started dating her suspiciously soon after Amy's uncle died), she goes to Owen for help. She also can admit that she had a crush on him after he was a client of her real estate business. The two go to visit but pretend to be in a relationship so that Amy can explain why Owen is with her. While there, the two get sucked into a blackmail scheme.
This is a novella so there's not a lot of room to develop characters or the story so it's fine and indicative of Krent's early works.

Three stars
This novella originally came out in the 90s
Book borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

About a Dragon by G.A. Aiken

Taliath is in a loveless marriage. And she was sent there by a goddess. A goddess who would know exactly how much the people of the town she's in would hate her. Her skin is different, her ways are different, and, well, she's a witch. That has made them especially grumpy. Grumpy enough that they are going to hang her.
Briec the Mighty is strangely drawn to this... human. She has magic but that isn't why he wants her. At least, he doesn't think so. It's the fact that she argues with him. It makes her intriguing. And not a little hot. So he saves her from the villagers and claims her life. But then she disappears and his heart hurts. Luckily, this is a romance and he will find her again.

Three stars
This book came out December 1st, 2008
Follows Dragon Actually
Followed by What a Dragon Should Know
Audiobook from library
Opinions are my own

Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken

Sibling rivalry can be deadly and never more so than between Annwyl the Bloody and the brother who has tried to kill her since her father brought her to their home when her mother died. Annwyl is one of the few who is willing to stand up against her brother's tyranny.

Dragons have little use for the affairs of humans. Fearghus the Destroyer is one such dragon. He hasn't been seen for years for just that reason. But when he sees Annwyl being attacked by a group of men, and fending them off, he decides to step in. Nursing her back to health, this dragon is intrigued by the human. But she isn't quite as enamored as he is. Well, she is intrigued by his brain. But her body is more in love with the warrior who is teaching her how to fight.

When I found out that this author is Shelly Laurenston, I immediately grabbed this book. And it is the same- kooky, a little loose with details, but an overall fun ride.

Three stars

This book came out September 1st, 2008

Followed by About a Dragon

Audiobook from library

Opinions are my own

Reread as as hard copy of mine March 2021, Audible Plus January 2024

Love Me by Bella Andre

The first book of this series featured the siblings of this book. Janica has known that she loved Travis and was perfectly willing to have a relationship but he wasn't. He's also her sister's best friend and doesn't want to rock any boats. But his Type A personality is pushing this surgeon to the breaking point. When he's told to take a vacation, Janica follows him to make sure he's okay and lust explodes.
I didn't see how this relationship was deeper than the physical but it was a fast and easy read and much better edited than the first book.

Three stars
Follows Take Me
This book came out June 28th, 2010
I borrowed this ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own

Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler

My mother encouraged me to read this book that in turns made me laugh and cry. Can you be irreverent about cancer? Especially if you are a "good Christian" and the diagnosis makes you question so many things? Yes. But not everyone does it with the grace and truth that Bowler writes with. A dip into "Prosperity Christianity" is included; the belief that, if you believe in God enough, if you are a good person, you will be blessed with whatever you want whether it is health or wealth or anything else. Her look at death made me cry so many times but this is the kind of glimpse into Christianity that I adore; brutally honest about the failings but steadfast nonetheless. This is the glimpse into death that I adore; brutally honest about how much it sucks and not just because you have lost or are losing someone but because of how inadequate our culture is in dealing with it.

Four and a half stars
This book came out February 6th, 2018
Hard copy I passed on
Opinions are my own

Iron Kissed by Patricia Biggs

Mercy's mentor Zee has called her in to help solve a series of murders. The victims were all fae so the human police haven't been brought it. Mercy quickly determines the killer but is shocked when Zee is arrested for the man's death. He is obviously not the killer but the Gray Lords are willing to let him take the fall in order to have it cleaned up quickly. The acceptance of fae by the humans is imperative and having one person go down is not beyond their plans.
But Zee belongs to Mercy. Whether or not he wants her to investigate, she's going to. And this book ends with a rather graphic seen and some discussion of what happens in the aftermath of rape. I am so glad that I read this book even though I listened to the rest of the series because there is at least a bit of space between the book and the brain that sometimes isn't there if you are absorbing a book through your ears. I haven't personally had the experience but, from the outside, it seemed like an eloquent description of what a victim has to wrestle with.

Four stars
Follows Blood Bound
Followed by Bone Crossed
This book came out January 82 2008
Ebook borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Mercy agrees to help her vampire friend Stefan by being a witness when he goes to warn a vampire that he is encroaching on the local seed (not sure of spelling). But what they find is something far worse than a regular vampire. Shut out from the investigation at first, Mercy suddenly becomes the only one that can save the world.
I don't love love triangles. And to throw in someone else is just even more frustrating. And there still aren't a lot of women in this series which makes it hard to identify with (basically there's Mercy, then a bitchy werewolf named Honey and the head of the vampires, Marsilia -- not exactly shining examples of womanhood.) I'm giving the series a couple more books but am not interested in a series that drags out the will-they-won't-they.

Three stars
Follows Moon Called
Followed by Iron Kissed
This book came out January 30th, 2007
Opinions are my own

Just This Once by Rosalind James

Hannah Montgomery is a hardworking marketing director for a women's athletic clothing company. She also raised both her sister and her brother. Who could be more deserving of a break? And her vacation to New Zealand is fantastic. At least until she gets sucked into a riptide and starts to tire.
Drew Callahan sees her swimming and is able to come up by her in a kayak and get her to shore. He's immediately intrigued and asks her out. Hannah is surprised at first but soon takes him  up on his offer. They do all sorts of fun things like hiking and going for coffee astonishing Drew because mostly the women he dates just want him to buy them things. See, Drew is a big time rugby star and makes so much money, he should pay for them (is what they think anyway.)
This was a really interesting story because it is part whirlwind romance but then turns into long distance and they make it work. There were parts of the story that dragged a bit but mostly a fun story.

Three and a half stars
Followed by Just Good Friends
This book came out August 29th, 2012
I read this book through Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz

The book opens with Catalina Lark and Olivia Dayton, teenagers spending the night in the local cave, witnessing a murder. They save themselves but it's a near thing and they spend the night trapped in a nightmare. When they come out, the townspeople are happy to believe that it was a hallucination. After all, Fogg Lake was the site of a paranormal disaster fifty years ago and the people of the town have been dealing with psychic repercussions ever since.
In the present day, Catalina and Olivia are private investigators, using their psychic powers to help their clients. One the same night that Catalina goes to save a client, Olivia is kidnapped. Luckily, Slate Arganbright has already come to town looking for her. He is also psychic but is still getting over being locked in his uncles' "attic" after being dosed with an unknown chemical that they thought might be driving him crazy. He might've been for a little bit but now he's here to help Catalina find her friend as well as trying to figure out why collectors of psychic items are dying.
There is some overlap with the Arcane Society novels (Vortex is a "bad guy" in that series as well) but I think this might actually be a similar, but new, world. Because it is so very similar, it took some time to adjust to the fact that this is a new series but there is a LOT of world building so we don't really get to see the relationshp between Catalina and Slate develop.

Three stars

Followed by All the Colors of the Night
This book came out January 7th

ARC kindly provided by Berkley and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Reread November 2020 as audiobook from Overdrive, August 2022, January 2024 as audiobook from Libby

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

Meg Mackworth has made enough of a name for herself to be able to support living in New York... NEW YORK. Her hand lettering has even netted her an opportunity to have her own line for a larger stationary (something to do with paper) line of her own. But her secret (putting codes into the designs she makes) is about to be uncovered.
Reid Sutherland was astonished to see the word Mistake spelled out on his wedding programs. It made him rethink the whole marriage. Now he's in the shop where Meg used to work (and is coincidentally filling in) asking her why she thought that it would have been bad for him to follow through.
The two opposites (Meg is into words; Reid works with numbers) start to lean on each other to see the world through a new lens which gives each time to relax.
A lot of people are loving this book and I can see why. It is a book that is going to make you start to notice things. However, there were two distinct points where I thought, "Wow, this is wrapping up to be a satisfying ending" and looked down to see that there were 50-150 pages left in the book. It felt as if there were chunks just pasted on to the end. Otherwise a lovely read.

Three stars
This book came out December 31st

Winter Takes All by M. L. Erdahl

Crystal Rainey starts every year with a list of new resolutions. This year, she creates her list and then accidentally opens her list from the year before. They are eerily similar. A year ago, she was in the exact same place. So she pulls a Jerry Maguire and quits everything. Too bad she actually needs money to live. So she bluffs her way into a job with an outdoor company. And her first trip's co-guide, Connor is pretty cute. Too bad the guests are fairly unpleasant and then, of course, one of them dies from means that seem less than natural. Crystal inexplicably decides that she should investigate the death and inserts herself right in, almost getting killed.
I could not get sympathetic to Crystal. She lies about her experience as an outdoor guide and, having worked with outdoor guides and knowing how easy it is for things to go wrong, it made me very hard for me to suspend my disbelief that everything would be "just fine." For other readers, this may not be a problem but it dropped my reading experience down a star. I also have less patience than I used to for well-meaning characters bumbling into an investigation but thinking that they are "helping."There are too many crime TV and podcast shows out there that mention that you should never mess with evidence and Crystal seemed like the type of character that would devour those shows.

Two and a half stars
This book came out October 23rd, 2019
ARC kindly provided by The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

F*ck No! by Sarah Knight

What a fun book! I never would have thought that there were that many examples of ways to say no. And that is the bulk of the book. There is a lot in the beginning about why saying no is good and how to divorce yourself from assuming that you need to help with everything. This was a little redundant to other books I had read but just enough difference to make it a fun read.

Four stars
This book came out December 31st
ARC kindly provided by Voracious and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

To Night Owl from Dog Fish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

What would happen if you were raised by a single parent and suddenly discovered that your parent was dating? What if it was serious? What if the other person was also a single parent? Would you want the other kid to know? Bett does. It's why she starts emailing Avery. Their dads are dating and it looks like lurv. Enough that the two men are planning on sending the girls to the same camp in the hopes that they will learn to like each other. But Avery and Bett aren't so sure about that and through the course of a year (plus a little), Bett, Avery, and readers will get to learn what it means to be family.

Four and a half stars
This book came out February 12th, 2019
Book from library
Opinions are my own

Panic Broom by Sara Bourgeois

Brighton is ecstatic. Six months (or so) after the last book and she's dating the man of her dreams, in fact, he's just proposed. Too bad there are shenanigans afoot. Well, if you can classify zombies as shenanigans. It seems that her fiance's family has been dabbling in dark magics and have caused a worldwide epidemic (is that the word for zombies?).
This book, like the others in this series, is short so it's light on story and character development but it's pretty fluffy and fast to read.

Three books
Follows A Clean Sweep
Followed by Sweep-Stakes
This book came out July 10th, 2019
Audiobook from library

Catch Me if You Can by Donna Kauffman

Tag Morgan is the oldest of four boys whose emotionally and physically abusive father has just died. He discovers that his father has been sending money to a woman in Scotland and it has something to do with the Morgan family history, the one his father tried to beat out of he and his brothers. But something about the letters the woman caring for the castle, Maura Sinclair, sent to his father draws Tag to Scotland. In a wild snowstorm, he meets a woman who takes his breath away but she leaves without him learning her name. He is shocked to find her again at the Sinclair castle; she is, of course, the woman who has so intrigued him.

The whole time I was reading this book, I was really trying not to judge Maura for stepping out of one man's bed into another. The ex was a complete scumbag anyway and she had just had a near death experience as well as dealing with the crushing responsibilities of being the laird of a clan that had little interest in staying put. And I think what kept confusing me the most was that this seemed so out of line with the Kauffman books that I had been reading recently.  Finally, I figured out that this was a reissue from 2003 and it explained So Much. If you have only read recent books by this author, please note that her style has changed a bit. Other than that, the relationship development is a bit thin (a lot of heat with some off-page talks but nothing that let us see why they would stay together) but it is a perfectly fun read.

Three stars

This book came out December 31st

ARC kindly provided by Kensington and NetGalley

Opinions are my own