Camping with Unicorns by Dana Simpson

Phoebe and Marigold are back and at their best. For most of the book, the timing is summer vacation. Phoebe re-learns how to manage her own time. Marigold learns about camping. Everyone gets to meet a unicorn who lives in the forest so he can be "away from it all" (not including video games).  And Phoebe starts to be something like friends with Dakota (since Phoebe is the only person she can talk to about the goblins).
It's impressive how much growth these characters can still have in book 11 yet stay true to themselves (little girl and narcissistic not-so-fictional character.) I thought it was really interesting that, while Dakota seems to have no one to talk to about unicorns, Phoebe and her parents as well as Max and his parents all accept unicorns with equanimity.

Five stars
This book comes out April 7th
Follows The Unicorn Whisperer
Followed by Virtual Unicorn Experience
ARC kindly provided by Andrew McMeel Publishing and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston

Gah. This book gave me so many feelings. Mostly a lot of confusion. Because there are so many things about this book that usually annoy me and... they just didn't. They might on a re-read but not this time. The first and most egregious was not enough focus on Max and Zé even though this is supposed toe their book. And this may sound odd but I'm not even sure that this was a romance because it seemed like it was on the back burner. Great character development and in depth relationship development are my numbers one and two catnip and we just didn't get either in this book. Second thing that usually bothers me is the introduction (and focus on) characters who are clearly sequel bait. Max's teammates? The shifter team that tries to recruit them? All sequel bait. And their introduction (their are, what, like 7 or 8 people total for all of them so there's a LOT of introducing) takes up most of the book that would be used for relationship development.  Third, parts of people being introduced that weren't present in any other book in the series just to fit a plot point in this book.
And yet. And YET. Even though all of these things were present (or not), I still finished the book wanting more pages. Laurenston is the queen of the screwball shifter comedy and this book just continues in that vein. Max needs a group of friends who are her ride or die but we've never seen them before? Well, we'll just throw it into the story! Make it a fault of another character who never remembers them but scares the hell out of them.
Do you love Laurenston and the Honey Badger Chronicles? Pre-order this book. Right now. Haven't read them? Start from the beginning and just own them all. I fully plan on re-reading this book soon and will see if my feelings change.

Four stars
This book comes out March 31st, 2020
Follows In a Badger Way

Followed by Breaking Badger
ARC kindly provided by Kensington and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Reread May 2022, January 2024

Anton (Chicago Blaze, #1) by Brenda Rothert (

A hockey player hero who's been celibate for a year (or two?) A heroine who is married for most of the book? To one of his teammates? Can Rothert make them work? Mostly.
I really enjoyed seeing Anton and Mia fall in love. He accidentally finds her working one night and realizes that her still waters might run even deeper than he originally thought. He slowly discovers that she might not be as attached to her husband as he thought. That does not make him automatically leap to the assumption that she is available or even going to be his but it does give him hope. And the more time he can get her to spend with him, the more she might see how perfect they are for each other.
This was definitely a slow burn book which I enjoyed but I actually wish it had been a bit longer so we could have seen more of their relationship after they were together.

Three stars
This book came out January 29th, 2019
Borrowed this from Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

The book opens on Black Friday with Jesse having talked Mercy into braving the midnight shopping options. While heading to the mall, she experiences a panic attack and plows into the car in front of her. And she has good reason to panic; the pack has been taken. The entire pack. Supposedly, the people that took them worked for the government but she has good reason to believe that is not the truth.
Her mate bond with Adam is tested and she learns more about who her allies are and what they can do. And it seems that there may be a Big Bad who is using the government for their own purposes.
And that link didn't quite make sense to me. Maybe it was because I was listening to the audiobook but I didn't quite get the link. Lots of action in this book, not as much character development.

Three stars
This book came out March 11th, 2014
Follows River Marked
Followed by Night Broken
Borrowed from Library
Opinions are my own

The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren

Everyone (in general) is very aware that what is in front of the cameras on reality TV is often VERY different than what is happening behind the cameras. Carey Douglas, having worked for Melissa and Rusty Tripp, beloved renovation stars, since she was 16 knows their lives better than most. James McCann is newer to the team but he is beginning to understand that Melissa and Rusty may not actually be the characters that they play on TV. When Rusty and Melissa are going on a bus trip to promote their newest show, Carey and James are lassoed into helping make sure that no one sees the man behind the curtain. Neither especially likes the other but enforced time together might just make them see another side.
This wasn't exactly enemies-to-lovers, more indifference-to-lovers. And even the "lovers" part didn't really feel like there was enough time for me really to see how the two would work together. The rest of the story is, in general, fast, fun, and fluffy but I'm used to more relationship-building from the Christina Lauren team.

Three stars
This book comes out March 24th
ARC kindly provided by Gallery, Pocket Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

It is a truth universally acknowledged that, if a series is set in the late 1880s, at some point, they will introduce Jack the Ripper as an element. Does it always work successfully? No. And with this book it was... okay. It set off the series of events that lead to Veronica and Stoker meeting the crown prince of England at a... rather scandalous house. Coming face-to-face with a part of her past is jarring to Veronica. But that's not the only part of her past she'll have to face and this one might just be the thing that finally kills her.
Still a good book in the series but didn't feel as if it read as fast as other books in the series. I still think regular readers will not be disappointed.

Veronica Speedwell #5

Three stars

This book came out March 10th, 2020

Follows A Dangerous Collaboration

Followed by An Unexpected Peril
ARC kindly provided by Berkley
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby January 2024 (liked it better; three and a half stars)

Lucky Witch by Danielle Garrett

Someone is leaving cryptic clues around town on shamrock sticky notes that lead to gold coins. At the same time, there seems to be a leprechaun in town and someone is hunting werewolves on the night that Nick has his first change. There's a lot going on, even as Holly's business is taking off. And now Adam is pulling away leaving Holly wondering what is going on.
Regular readers will not find anything wanting. I would recommend new people start at the beginning of the series.

Three stars
Follows Along Came a Ghost
Followed by One Bad Witch
This book came out October 28th, 2017
Borrowed this book as an audiobook
Opinions are my own

Just like Family by Christophe Cazenove, William Maury

Wendy and Maureen are sisters so involved in their own world that we rarely even see their parents. They sometimes love each other, and sometimes they just don't agree. Wendy likes to read Maureen's diary, copy everything she does, and steal her clothes. Maureen likes to ditch Wendy when she can.

Three stars
This book came out June 14th, 2016
Borrowed as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Mercy has been dragging her feet on her marriage plans to Adam, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. Not because she doesn't want to marry him, but because the arrangements are getting so insanely out of hand. When her own hand is forced, it's not such a bad thing. At least she and Adam are getting to go on their honeymoon. Except that, even there, it seems that fate seems to intervene, making sure that their time together isn't going to go exactly as planned.
A nice addition to the series. More background on Mercy and her parentage is added which is nice but there is a lot of lore that can make it hard to follow.

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 2011
Follows Silver Borne
Followed by Frost Burned
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey

In her first two books, Shannon Stacey took some of the regular romance tropes and straightened out many of the problems most authors have when using those tropes. This book presents the well-trod "Fake Fiance" path. Is she again successful? It's an okay book, but not as good as the first two.
Sean Kowalski is just back from the war. And it appears that he's acquired a fiancee in the form of a woman he's never met. Apparently, Emma Shaw was trying to convince her grandmother that she was doing-just-fine-thank-you-very-much and decided a fake fiance was the way to go. Of course, Emma had just been talking to her best friend earlier in the day and Sean's name had come up so she just blurted it out. Since then, she's had pictures photoshopped of the two of them together and expanded on the storyline. Now her grandmother's coming back up to visit and Emma needs a savior. Sean isn't cool with that. But then his family sort of guilts him into it so he goes along.
Neither is interested in a complete relationship, but the more they fake it, the more they wonder if this thing could really work...

Three stars
Follows Undeniably Yours
Followed by All He Ever Needed
This book came out June 6th, 2011

ould really work...

Royal Darling by Kylie Gilmore

At the end of the last book in the series, Princess Emma was fleeing her arranged marriage. She didn't leave the Prince at the altar but it was darn close. While fleeing, she hops on board a houseboat and hides not realizing the boat belongs to Jackson Walker, rock star extraordinaire. She recognizes him from a charity they did together and he also recognizes her.
And major props to Gilmore for getting that out of the way fast.  I also liked that Emma told her family where she was pretty fast rather than letting them sweat. I didn't love how interfering they all were but some might argue it was because Emma is a royal. The flow of this book was much better than the second and makes me want to listen to the fourth.

Three and a half stars
This book came out May 10th, 2019
Follows Royal Hottie
Followed by Royal Charmer
Borrowed audiobook from library
Opinions are my own

Along Came a Ghost by Danielle Garrett

There's a new ghost at the manor and he's causing problems. Holly is going to need help and she reaches out to Scarlet, the new florist who can see ghosts (and the protagonist of another of Garrett's series). Together, they reunite Posy with a very important person from her past.
A cute novella and a neat way to introduce a new series.

Three Stars
This book came out May 31st, 2017
Follows Witch Way Home
Followed by Lucky Witch
Listened to this book from the library

The Ultimate Pi Day Party by Jackie Lau

Josh has tried a lot of things to get his father to forgive him for a youthful indiscretion. He even named his successful app company Hazelnut Tech because it is his father's favorite food. Finally, Josh comes up with an idea. His father is a math teacher and there is no way he'll be able to resist the Ultimate Pi Day Party which Josh is going to throw with the catering help of Sarah.
Sarah has thought Josh was cute for awhile. So when he asks her to cater a Pi Day party, she's excited she'll get to spend more time with the CEO (and nice tie-in to the Harlequin categories that all start with CEO.)
Did I wish there was more in depth exploration of how the two were going to fit together? Yes. Overall, though, a very nice story about two people falling in love.

Four stars
This book came out March 5th, 2019
Read this book from my Kindle Library
Opinions are my own

Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey

We met Kevin Kowalski in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/799823901">Exclusively Yours</a> as the brother of the hero. In this book, he gets his own HEA. Beth Hansen is a floater. She moves through life on her own terms, not setting down roots anywhere. Which is why it is a shock to come up pregnant after a one-night stand where protection was used. A one-night stand where she believed he was a player.
Kevin immediately jumps into protective mode. He just wants to make sure that Beth is taken care of. None of her jobs provide insurance and her apartment has... issues. So she moves in across from Kevin.
I loved that this story took place over a year. Kevin learned from his brother's mistake. Don't marry just because of the baby. Insurance wouldn't cover it anyway. But he thinks he's falling in love. It's sort of insta-love but we actually get to see that it sticks around.

Four stars
Follows Exclusively Yours
Followed by Yours to Keep
This book came out November 1st, 2010

Witch Way Home by Danielle Garrett

Holly ended the last book in the series with hope. She's got a court date that may mean she will be licensed to practice potions again. Unfortunately, her court date doesn't go as planned. First, there is a witch on the council who seems way to delighted to turn her down; it almost seems personal.  Also an issue? Her SPA agent, Harvey, who promised to speak up in her favor, is nowhere to be found. Is it because he doesn't want her? Is he wrapped up in the major trial that is happening across the way? Or is he dead? Holly didn't particularly like the guy but that doesn't mean she wishes him gone.
This book will end in a final battle that will change the lives of everyone at the manor forever.
I am really hoping that Holly's relationship with Adam will be resolved soon. I still am not at all seeing why he is her OTL based on anything other than the author assuring of it often. The mystery was okay but I was dragged down by this relationship.

Three Stars
This book came out May 5th, 2017
Follows Witch Slapped
Followed by Along Came a Ghost (novella)
Listened to this book from the library

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

I've read the excerpt for this book several times and thought, "I might like this." And I was right.
Keri Daniels had a forever-kind-of-love with her high school boyfriend Joe Kowalski. These days, she's a Hollywood gossip reporter and he's a famously reclusive horror/mystery writer. When her boss finds out that Keri knows Joe, like KNOWS Joe, she's given an ultimatum, get a story on Joe or else.
Joe pretty much figures out that Keri is doing this story under duress but he decides to screw with her anyway. Loved that there was no deception. He's just up front about the fact that he wants to mess with her and that's why she'll be spending two weeks with his family on their "Kowalski Vacation of Doom" (or something close to that) without electronics of any kind and, in return, she'll get one question a day which he will answer.
There are several subplots, most prominent is with Joe's twin sister, Terry, who is having some serious issues with her husband and taking them out on her former BFF, Keri.

Four stars
This book came out January 1st, 2012
Followed by Undeniably Yours
Borrowed this book from Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

How to Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer

I quite enjoy the By the Book podcast. Greenberg and Meinzer take two weeks and live strictly (sometimes not so strictly) by various self-help books. For those people who aren't avid self-help readers, they might wonder if there are really that many books out there. Oh yes, there are. Books that range from really useful to downright ridiculous and the authors of this book have read over 50 at this point. If you have ever wondered about self-help books, listening to the podcast is definitely worth it. If you have ever wondered more about the authors, this is a great book. In alternating chapters, Greenberg and Meinzer talk about the books that they have read and what has really helped them. They also answer letters that listeners of the podcast have sent regarding  particular episodes, books, and whether the authors were "right" in their assessments of books.
A lot of this was information that I had already heard on the podcast but it was fun to relearn a lot of it. I liked the honesty about the things that worked and the things that didn't. And both authors are up front about why things worked for them and why they might not work for other people.

Four stars
This book comes out March 17th, 2019
ARC provided by HarperCollins and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

The Marriage Effect by Karla Sorensen

There are some books that I prefer to read with my eyes rather than my ears and the second book in the series was one of them. But I didn't give up on the series because this book interested me. A former model and a football player marry so that he can keep his sisters and she can inherit $3 million? Okay. I'm in. And I liked this book. I didn't think Logan's urgency was set up as much as it could have been but Paige's sure was. And I liked that they were upfront with each other about the reasons for marriage. I didn't think the last Big Misunderstanding was needed and I definitely did not like the  apology scene (I really don't like public declarations) but this was overall a nice read.

Three stars
This book came out June 12th, 2019
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Royal Hottie by Kylie Gilmore

Known as the Royal Hottie, Phillip Roarke is the second oldest in the royal family of Villeroy, an island kingdom off the coast of France. He is not at all amused to be conscripted into a mad scheme of his new sister-in-law to help bring commerce to their island. She wants to open up a high-end spa and to get the word out as well as raise some money, she has put together a bachelor auction made up of Phillip and his other unmarried brothers and puts the word out to some of her wealthy former hair clients.
So it's no surprise that Phillip is rude to a woman that he assumes is there for the auction. He's surprised to find out that Ruby is actually a friend of his sister-in-law's, there to help redecorate the castle ahead of having her clients come in. She is sort of star-struck to meet the Royal Hottie but it turns into annoyance when he seems to be a big ol' jerk. However, he decides to pitch in and help her get everything together so that the auction will be a success. While working together, they start to realize that there may be an attraction there after all. Too bad Ruby doesn't have enough to bid...
This one was really inconsistent and the timeline just made me feel like I had whiplash. Ruby was a schemer but she wasn't but she is. And we're going to jump forward in time but Phillip is a jerk but two sentences later realizes it. I liked both Ruby and Phillip but wish the story could have been smoothed out a bit more.

Two and a half stars
This book came out May 10th, 2019
Follows Royal Catch
Followed by Royal Darling
Borrowed audiobook from library
Opinions are my own

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

In a previous book of the series, Mercy had borrowed a book from a man named Phin. She has been very busy in the mean time and has been reading it off and on because it has very interesting handwritten stories about the fae. But there is something more about this book because Phin is gone after leaving a cryptic message to protect the book and there are strange fae hanging around his shop trying to get her to give them the book.
There is also something going on with her BFF Samuel and it's bad enough that she can't tell anyone else. And even worse, there are still members of Adam's pack that resent Mercy and they're going to have to figure it out before the pack falls apart.
Great build up until the end and then a lot was resolved in the last 15 pages and that felt rushed.

Three stars
This book came out March 30th, 2010
Follows Bone Crossed
Followed by River Marked
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Big Nate: Blow the Roof Off! by Lincoln Peirce

Big Nate has a girlfriend! And she's a seventh grader! I wish there had been a little more repercussions for Nate being a little gross about Trudy- or at least some more realization on Nate's part that she might not want to be talked about like she was around just for Nate's pleasure but there is little that pierces Nate's shield of obliviousness.
Overall a fun book.

Four stars
This book came out March 3
ARC kindly provided by Andrew McMeel Publishing and NetGalley
Also downloaded from library
Opinions are my own

The Bombshell Effect by Karla Sorensen

Even though she did not particularly spend a lot of time with her father, Allie Sutton is still sad that he died, though he did leave her a butt-load of money. She's not staying in his house though, instead opting to go to a house that passed to her through her mother. Too bad the guy next door is such a jerk. Yes, he has an adorable child but she's not falling for either of them. Even when her father drops a from-the-grave bombshell leaving Allie as the owner of a football team. The same football team that the guy next door, Luke Pierson is the quarterback for.
Their initial animosity turns into lust which is definitely a problem since she is his boss (definitely a problematic trope somewhat mitigated by the fact that they saw each other and were (somewhat) attracted to each other before they knew.))

Three stars

This book came out June 14th, 2018

Borrowed as audiobook from the library

Opinions are my own

A Forgotten Murder by Jude Deveraux

Kate, Jack, and Sara need a break after two books of solving murders. Sara decides to fly them all to England, to an estate that her book earning help to reinvigorate. To an estate where a couple ran away twenty years ago and the heir killed himself, maybe because of the couple who disappeared. Now, Sara has invited the group who was there when the two young adults vanished in an attempt to either figure out what happened, or to gather information for the book that she claimed she wasn't writing. Neither Kate nor Jack is amused. Especially when it seems that someone doesn't want the truth of two decades ago uncovered.
If you enjoyed the first two books, you will probably find this one about the same. I find Deveraux to be often uneven, ranging from 2 to 4 stars in my opinion but this one is very much like the first two in this series.

Three stars
This book comes out March 10th
ARC kindly provided by Harlequin-Mira and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Love Hard by Nalini Singh

Jacob Esera and Juliet Nelisi have known each other since they were teenagers. And they hated each other then. Or, maybe not hate but a strong dislike. But they were in each other's lives because Juliet's best friend was Jacob's girlfriend. At least until the day Juliet suddenly disappeared from school. She had been an indifferent student anyway. And her reputation wasn't the best. Which made Jacob confused as to why his sweet, intelligent girlfriend had kept in touch with her, even after Juliet left. But then his sweet, intelligent girlfriend got pregnant. And they were planning on being young parents together when she suddenly died. Six years later, he's a single dad raising their daughter. And he's shocked to find out that Juliet is back in town, the friend of the woman who's about to become his sister-in-law. A close enough friend that they're paired up in the wedding party. The old animosity explodes. But so does... lust?
Juliet feels the same. Jacob isn't her favorite person but there must be something redeeming about him. And when work throws them into close proximity, they decide to give their relationship a dry run.
This book was So. Good. Regular Singh readers will enjoy that Jacob and Juliet actually talk to each other. They discuss whether their relationship is even "okay" given the context that he once loved her best friend. The flow is steady and the reading was easy. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Four stars

Follows Rebel Hard

Followed by Kiss Hard
This book comes out March 10th
ARC kindly provided by Independent Publishers Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Reread as ebook from Libby January 2022

Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Anne Latham is still getting used to being a werewolf. Never mind throwing into the mix the fact that she's an Omega (outside the normal pack structure with powers of her own). And she just was mated to Charles Cornick who is the son of the most powerful werewolf in the Americas. And Charles, his father's enforcer, is no slouch. That's the reason why Charles, instead of his father, is the one to attend a meeting of Alphas from around the globe to discuss whether or not werewolves should make themselves known to the human population.
Also attending is a man known as "The Butcher," a long-loved werewolf from France who loves to kill. Innocents are his favorites and he may have set his eyes on Anne. Someone certainly has since she's set upon by six vampires while shopping. It all gets hairier when the wife of a werewolf who believes he's King Arthur reincarnated is attacked. Through in a fae who used to be Charles' lover and it all gets very, very complicated.

A fine story that does a lot to advance what's going on in the larger Mercy Thompson universe.

Three stars

Follows Cry Wolf

Followed by Fair Game
This book came out August 25th, 2009
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Yours In Scandal by Lauren Layne

After eight years, Robert Davenport has to step aside from being the mayor of New York City, a job he has loved. The next logical step (at least as far as what his advisers are telling him) is to run for governor. But the man who is currently governor will be hard to unseat. But the man does have an Achilles heel; his daughter was a wild child and her name was splashed across the gossip columns for a long time. Five years ago, she abruptly disappeared. Robert's team has tracked her down and think that she might be convinced to release some of her father's secrets.
Adeline Blake changed her name, changed her hair color, and dropped out of sight. She did not have an easy childhood living with a man who was so dedicated to appearing like the perfect candidate to the world while living a completely different life behind the scenes. She just wants to plan events and stay out from under the microscope of public opinion. She definitely doesn't want to hop back into the political realm that burned her before. Working with Robert is starting to teach her that maybe not every politician is the same.
It's definitely smart to release a book about politics in the 2020 election cycle, especially with a politician everyone can connect to. Except I never really connected to either Robert or Addie. Even so, I don't think regular Layne readers will be disappointed.

Three stars
This book comes out March 10th
Followed by Yours to Keep
ARC kindly provided by Montlake Romance and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Clearer, Closer, Better by Emily Balcetis

There are so many books out there in the world that are related to help meeting goals, what really makes this one stand out? The focus on visual perception which I had not read a lot about before. I am a visual learner so narrowing my focus, widening my bracket, materializing my plans and progress, and controlling my frame of reference make a lot of sense. I loved that she mentions making To Do lists for the week.
Balcetis is a social scientist and she does use a lot of examples of "success" but weight/body image are mentioned in almost every chapter and that is more than any other theme which makes it less like a book that I can connect with and also makes it seem more focused on one goal than I think the author meant it to be. Like any self-help book, I'd read this one, try the suggestions (e.g. I'm running a 10k in a couple of weeks and going to use the "pass the next person" theory), keep what works for you, and forget the rest.

Three stars
This book came out February 25th
ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Run to the Finish by Amanda Brooks

I liked the title of this book. There are a ton of books out there that talk about how to increase speed or run long distances. There are fewer that just talk about how to love the run and how to keep doing the thing you love. I wish there had been a little bit more on the love of running or some descriptions of the author's run but I did enjoy the inclusion of lists of possible causes of injuries, exercises, and training. The inclusion of cross-training, especially the off days (restorative yoga was a nice touch), was also nice. While informative, some of this information was a little dry but overall a nice book for those of us who aren't elite athletes but just can't seem to quit the sport.

Three and a half stars
This book came out March 3rd
ARC kindly provided by Hachette Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Felicity Carrol and the Murderous Menace by Patricia Marcantonio

It's the time of Jack the Ripper and, even though the man is mainly working in England, Inspector Jackson Davies has heard of a similar murder in Placer, Montana. So Felicity Carrol, heiress, scientist, and mystery-solver (as we are told in a giant info dump and repeatedly) decides to go to America to see if she can discover anything more about the murder there. And, in fact, she does discover who Jack the Ripper is but she is also injured. She also has a bit of romance with the local sheriff.
This was an okay story and I think that most readers of Sherlock Holmes will not quibble with a woman who knows all and can solve all. It took me a long time to get into this story that I think wouldn't've happened had I read the first book.

Three stars
This book came out February 11th
ARC kindly provided by Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A Cowboy for All Seasons by Caitlin Crews, Nicole Helm, Maisey Yates, Jackie Ashenden

Spring by Caitlin Crews
After the death of their grandmother, four women are tasked with staying at her house, each of them for one season. The first is Keira Long. Keira was raised by a con man father and a mother who thought that he was everything leaving no room for anyone else. The only place Keira felt loved was at her grandmother's. And then with Remy West. But his parents didn't approve and Keira felt like she needed to find out who she was on her own so she left when he proposed. That was five years ago. And now she's back, living in her grandmother's house on the same land the Remy lives on, helping with the cattle. Could it be that both of them of matured into people who can be together?

This was the best story of the four. We got to know both Keira and Remy. Was Keira a little bit more adult about them being together? Yes. But we got to see that both were human. Four stars

Summer by Nicole Helm
JJ is back for the summer and has promised to fill in for her grandmother, caring for Cade Mathewson's two girls. She remembers Cade from visiting her grandmother in the summer; he was the only boy that didn't get upset when she beat him at footraces. She is falling in love with the girls but can't deny that their situation (their mother decided to leave and hasn't seen them since) mirrors her own. It brings up a well of emotions that help her heal and maybe bring her to the life she wants to have.
I wish we had seen more of Cade realizing why JJ was so good for him. Of course, this is a short story so we don't get to see a lot but it was an okay story. Three stars.

Fall by Maisey Yates
Lila isn't sure why she's sticking around. It's not like she's organized enough to help run the Red Sled Holiday Bazaar but for some reason, that's what her grandmother asked her to do. And it's being run on Everett McCall's land. Yes, the same Everett that Lila confessed her love to when she was 17. At his engagement party. He's the whole reason she hesitated coming back to Jasper Creek, even ten years later. But working on this together might be a way to finally show the man that she's loved for so long that she is worth loving too.
I never did connect to Lila. She didn't get the closure with her mother that I was hoping for. An okay story but not one of Yates' best. Three stars

Winter by Jackie Ashenden
Bella is the last of the four cousins. She stopped coming back to Jasper Creek when her mother decided that it wasn't worth going. Now, after having all of her money stolen (and why wasn't there more follow-up on this? The bank can't just tell her that they won't replace her money), selling her grandmother's house is her last hope for opening up a cafe. But she has no money, no clothes, and little hope when she comes to the house. Luckily, her ex-stepbrother, Noah is keeping an eye on her. The same stepbrother she always loved. And he offers to help her get the house ready for sale while she... draws her cafe ideas? I guess that was supposed to show that he was helpful and dedicated but it would have been nice to see Bella make more of an effort. There are definitely going to be readers who want to read about a man taking care of a woman like that but I prefer more of a equal relationship. Two and a half stars'

Three stars
This book came out February 25th
ARC kindly provided by Harlequin and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

My Life in Thirty Seven Therapies by Kay Hutchison

I'm going to start this review with saying that Hutchison is a very good writer in terms of putting together sentences and creating a good flow. But this book was not what the blurb made it out to be. It is a "memoir" in the sense that the author talks about her life and going through some hard times. It is not a memoir in the sense that we never get to see anything more than what the author actually did. Yes, she went through 37 therapies but we don't get any sense of why those therapies were picked or what she learned from any of them. And without that connection, this is an okay book but mostly feels self-indulgent and definitely nothing that makes me want to pick up anything else by the author. What could have made this book better? Mix the Glossary in with the actual therapies. Get more into the history. Tell us more about which therapies actually worked and why it worked for her.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out March 3
ARC kindly provided by Belle Media and NetGalley
Opinions are my own