Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

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

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

Followed by Husband Material

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

My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding by Erin Nicholas

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

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

Love by Matt de la Pena, Loren Long

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

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

Cinders by Cara Malone

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

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

Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean

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

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

Murder at Blackwater Bend by Clara McKenna

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

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

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

The Last Curtain Call by Juliet Blackwell

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

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

Murder at the Car Rally by Sonia Parin

We all have them. That one person from our past that we can't stand but they somehow want to glom on to you. For Evie Parker, whose life has been pretty darn good lately, it's Isabel Fitzpatrick. They were school girls together and Isabel spent most of the time putting down everyone around her with insults disguised as compliments. And now she's back along with her racecar driver husband. She's invited herself to Evie's house. In defense, Evie decides to join a car rally which her young friend Phillipa is participating in. But, on the road with a flat tire, Evie and her chauffer/body guard/sweetheart (?) look up to see Isabel and her husband hurtling down the road with a car that's apparently out of control. But was Isabel's husband dead before the crash? And what does it have to do with the rash of drugs in the area?
This book didn't amuse me as much as the first two (was it less madcap? Maybe) but I am admiring how far ahead Parin starts building each story into previous books in the series.

Three and a half stars
Follows Murder at the Tea Party
Followed by Murder in the Cards
This book came out January 28th, 2019
Borrowed as audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

If you're a classic mystery fan, you'll probably figure out a couple of the twists in this book. The author very fairly clues most of the mystery but the twists do feel more modern.
Malcolm Kershaw (Goodreads has this at book #1 in a series which is odd given the end; but that could be worked around) is a bookstore owner. Many years ago, he published a blog about eight fictional mysteries that contained what could be argued were perfect murders. They weren't that perfect since detectives usually solved the case but there were often extenuating circumstances. In the present day, there is an FBI agent who thinks that someone is using Malcolm's list as a checklist for murder. Malcolm, as the co-owner of a store that specializes in mysteries, is intrigued and decides to help out where he can. But getting involved in this mystery only pulls to the present the demons of his past.
It was nice to know the stories (I had read or watched almost all of them) but I don't think you need to have in order to enjoy this book.

Three stars
This book came out March 3rd, 2020
Borrowed this as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Death on the Aisle by Frances and Richard Lockridge

Pam and Jerry North are at it again. They just happen to be at a pre-show of a new off-Broadway play when the angel (backer) of the show is murdered. The man is not very nice and there are several people (of course) with motives. Of course, it's not their fault that they are there when it happens but, now that they are, they're going to be involved in the mystery.
The mystery was maybe fairly clued but there was a lot of false information dropped in as well. I had heard about this case on the Classic Mysteries podcast.  He is a little more appreciative of this book but my favorite parts were the interactions between Acting Captain Bill Weigand and his fiancee Dorian as they try to get married.

Three stars
This book came out in1942
Hard copy checked out from the library
Opinions are my own

How to Find a Duke in Ten Days -- anthology

Three men decide to help a retiring mentor, Professor Peebles, prove that his life's work isn't a myth.

The Will to Love by Grace Burrowes
Philomena Peebles, the professor's daughter, decides to go out for a job helping Seton Avery, Earl of Ramsdale, decipher his uncle's will. His uncle was the professor's archnemesis and left a fairly convoluted will in Latin. The two quickly realize that they are just as interested in each other as unraveling the mystery.

Not a lot of time for relationship development even though the two have known each other before.
Three stars

How to Steal a Duke by Shana Galen
In the group, there is one person-duke (as opposed to the four folios also know as "dukes" or the Duke) and he is the one who intercepts a cat burglar one night. Well, she jumps on the roof of his carriage to evade the clerk in the jewelry store she was robbing. He decides she will be the perfect way to steal the Duke from it's rumored place in a house on top of a hill. Or something. This story didn't hang together very well but it was short.

Two and a half stars.

The Viscount's First Kiss by Carolyn Jewel
The longest of the three novellas, Viscount Daunt works with his country neighbor and long-time friend, Magdalene Carter to go through the contents of several libraries he bought just to look for the Duke. At one time, Magdalene's now-deceased husband had been accused of stealing one of the manuscripts so she is anxious to help and clear her name
A nice story but muddled by the introduction of a villain that was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the story.

Three stars

Three stars
This book came out October 3, 2017
Opinions are my own

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Short stories and comics tell the stories of the author's life. Most are funny but some are rather serious, documenting the author's struggle with depression. The book was well put together with different color pages for each of the stories. It is a fun read that includes stories about her dogs (one of which looks like a German Shepherd to me but I might be biased.) I wasn't expecting the mental health parts but should have guessed from the quote by Jenny Lawson (whose readers will enjoy this book and vice versa).

Four stars
This book came out October 29th, 2013
Hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own

Case for Three Detectives by Leo Bruce

The Classic Mysteries podcast has hooked me into reading many books. Some of which I enjoyed more than others. The thought that this author was playing off the stereotypes of other detectives intrigued me. And... it was fine. But I think the author spent a little too much time on the other detectives and not enough with the detective whose series this book starts.
A murder occurs in a locked room. The local policeman seem to have a person in mind but he has been told by his superiors that he must work with the local amateurs in the area because they are so adept at solving cases.
The mystery itself was fine enough but again, lost out to the large descriptions and "solutions" of the three detectives.

Three stars
This book came out
Borrowed this as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

What would make someone quit a steady job in journalism (even when the book was written, hard to do) and decide to take a year and a half to become a sommelier? It seems her journalistic curiosity has a lot to do with it. And this is definitely a well-written book but it did drag for me after awhile. I made it through to the end but reading about wine that much palled for me. I know that other readers have enjoyed it thoroughly, mainly because of the writing, because other people in my book group have said that's the part they like.
The best part about this book is that it cemented my decision to not learn more about wine that what I do like and what I don't.
p. 35 "But I hadn't quit my job to hang around normal, well-adjusted people any longer than I had to

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 2017
Borrowed as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Con Quest! by Sam Maggs

Just because your parents are cult favorites, it doesn't automatically mean that their kids will be nerds as well. Fiona sure isn't. In fact, she's been invited to the popular kids camp trip. But she's only going to get to attend if she can keep her brother and sister in line while her parents attend their panel.

But Cat and Alex aren't interested. Instead, they want to compete in the unauthorized Quest that runs in the Con every year. But just because something is fun, it doesn't mean it won't be stressful. By the end of the day, all three of them will have some of their preconceived notions upended.

It took me awhile to get into this book but I did like the way the characters grew over the course of the book.

Three stars

This book comes out June 23rd

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Actually, the Comma Goes Here by Lucy Cripps

I'm assuming that the errors that I saw in the book were fixed by the time they went to print but this was a fun book for being a) nonfiction and b) about punctuation. And I'm a huge dork who reads a lot of grammar and punctuation books.
Be warned that the author is VERY fond of the word "pedants" (which is odd because she does come across as one herself in places) but the sections on the history of each punctuation point are informative and brief. Another bonus? The book isn't very long but it doesn't have to be for the author to give good examples even while her tongue is in her cheek.

Four stars
This book came out June 2nd
ARC kindly provided by Callisto Media and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Curse the Day by Annabel Chase

Trying to find a client's house, Emma Hart accidentally goes into a lake. She's saved by a man with ... Wings? She discovers that Daniel is actually an angel. One who can't return her to the world she knew. Because of a ages old curse, only certain people can leave the town. And Emma isn't one of them. She adapts to that fact pretty quickly (which threw me off at first but then I was impressed because that's not the normal trope.) Emma is also assigned a job, a house, and some learning about her new town. When the town council found out Emma was a lawyer, they immediately assign her to take over for the last public defender who was murdered.
From there, it's a pretty standard cozy mystery with paranormal elements. Emma is engaging and shows signs of intelligence. She's (so far) not putting herself in dangerous situations because, why not. There are definitely signs of a romantic triangle (my least favorite trope) and some of the world building was a teeny bit forced but overall a nice start to a new-to-me series.

Three and a half stars
Followed by Doom and Broom
This book came out January 7th, 2017
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Bait N' Witch by Abigail Owen

In the first book of this series, Rowan McAuliffe was forced to do some pretty horrible things for a werewolf including trying to kill the main characters of that book and the second. So the Mage High Council has sent a Witch Hunter after her. The mysterious Delilah sends Rowan to the witch hunter's house so that she can hide right under his nose while she plays nanny to his magical triplets.
For a shorter book (novella-sized?) there was a lot packed in. This book could have been better served by making it a bit longer and writing more about some of the connections. There are a lot of things that are explained by "Well... because magic." Why Rowan was tied to the werewolf in the first place, more about the triplet's magic. Major parts of the story were explained with one or two sentences instead of paragraphs or even chapters. It was fast, fun, and fluffy and can be enjoyable if you don't mind major plot points being skipped over. If you can get it for the advertised price of $0.99 it is definitely worth it.

Two and a half stars
Follows Shift out of Luck
This book comes out June 15th
ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Marquesses at the Masquerade -- anthology

Once Upon a Ball by Emily Greenwood
Rosamund Shufflebottom has been relegated to being the seamstress for her aunt and cousins. The night before a big ball held by the Marquess of Boxham, they force her to stay up almost all night. But her uncle presents her with a ball gown and her own pearl necklace which her aunt demanded as payment for taking Rosamund in. And Rosamund gets to attend the ball where she meets the Marquess but also loses the pearl necklace. Her aunt finds out and casts her out of the house.

Two and a half stars - Rosamund was described as a firebrand but we never really see it or the reasons why the Marquess would fall in love with her. Yes, it's a Cinderella story but so short that there's not much built out from that bare bones beginning.

Only Unto Him by Susanna Ives
Lord Exmore knows that Miss Annalise Van Der Keer is not right for his cousin. And he tells her so in no uncertain terms, sending her from London. Three years later, she is back but the circumstances have changed. She is no longer so silly, having nursed her parents while they were dying and he is no longer held in regard, having gone off the rails after his wife died.
But then he sees Annalise in a print shop and realizes that she's changed. And with his own changes, maybe something they could work on.

The first part of the story, Annalise and Exmore moving from enemies to friends was captivating. It sort of fell apart when they got married and the Big Misunderstanding but the first three quarters was quite delightful.

Three and a half stars


The Governess and the Norse God by Grace Burrowes
Darien St. Ives,  Marquess of Tyne, loves his daughters and is grateful that his newest nanny, Lucy, has been able to help cheer them since the death of their mother. Lucy is forthright and humble, the perfect nanny. And when they both attend the same masquerade, it opens his eyes to the fact that she may just be his perfect woman.
There was a subplot of a love triangle that didn't need to be there in such a short story but overall an enjoyable read.

Three and a half stars


This book came out April 17th, 2018
Hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own

Nine Times Nine by Anthony Boucher

The Classic Mystery podcast again describes this better than I ever could. The biggest drawback was the fact that this book was written in a time where political correctness didn't exist so there are some discordant notes and the mystery is a little out there.
Sister Ursula's first mystery doesn't have her in it very much. Instead, a lot of the story is focused on Matt Duncan. Through a series of odd events, he ends up the protege of Wolfe Harrigan, a journalist who thrives on exposing cults. When the latest cult he's researching heaps the curse of nine times nine on his head, Wolfe is not worried. But then he is killed behind locked doors with Matt as one of the witnesses. The leader of the cult was distinctive in his yellow robes but was also on stage at the same time.

Three stars
This book came out 1940

Followed by Rocket to the Morgue

Borrowed as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

See the Light by Kate McMurray

Jeremy and Max are best friends and used to be roommates. And now that Jeremy's been dumped, they're roommates again. Well, Jeremy is crashing on Max's couch. Both work on Broadway, Jeremy as a dancer, Max as a makeup artist. Both seem on the brink of success but can they achieve it both in their personal lives and professionally.
This was a really good story but, and I rarely say this, could have benefitted from being a little bit shorter. There was a last Big Misunderstanding that really made me think less of both characters and didn't exactly feel true to the story. But McMurray's writing was fun and I liked them both up until then and will definitely read more of her stories.

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 28th, 2019
This was a hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own

The Virgin and the Rogue by Sophie Jordan

Heavy cramps aren't fun and Charlotte Langley sure knows that. Her sister, Nora, has potions that work but this month's potion tastes different. It turns out that Nora has been experimenting. And this experiment? It makes Charlotte horny. Which is a problem because the man she finds is not her fiance but the illegitimate stepbrother of her sister's husband.
Samuel Kingston is considered lucky by some because his father, though never married to his mother, has acknowledged him. And that has allowed him to participate in his father and stepmother's rather dissolute lifestyle . But since he has seen what that lifestyle did to his mother, he has rejected it. Even if he hasn't participated in that lifestyle for quite some time, that doesn't mean he's good enough for a woman like Charlotte. When she throws herself at him, he's shocked but not prepared to take of all that she's seeming to offer. However, that doesn't mean that he believes that her fiance is the right one for her either.
I wasn't going to read this book but then I heard Sophie Jordan talking about it on the Fated Mates podcast. Love potions? Phhttt. No interest. But then she talked about the issues surrounding have a character under the influence and how you build a love story around that and I reconsidered, "hm, this might not be what I thought."
Great character building; subtle building on a previous book (that I hadn't read) and following books; nice relationship growth. Still some cringe-y moments that prevented a five star book but was still three and a half stars for me.

Three and a half stars
This book came out April 28th, 2020

Followed by The Duke Effect
Borrowed this as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

Ada von Hasenberg is a child of one of the three head houses of the High Council but, as a younger child, she is of little value unless she marries. And her father did contract a marriage for her to Richard Rockhurst. Ada decided she didn't want to get married and fled. She's got a bounty on her head and, two year later, has finally been captured by a merc ship. But she's not their only bounty. The ship also has the notorious Marcus Loch, the man who was rumored to have killed his entire troop during the Fornax Rebellion. If Ada wants to escape, she's going to need to team up with Marcus so that she can figure out why she has suddenly become so valuable to the Rockhurst house. What she uncovers will shake the entire High Council and lead to a house war.
Great world building and an introduction to a world that is just fun to read. I like the second book in the series just a little bit more but this is second in my heart.

Four stars
This book came out February 5th, 2019
Followed by Aurora Blazing
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Murder at the Tea Party by Sonia Parin

While the mystery is better in this book than the first in the series, the character development is what continues to delight.
Evie Parker has returned to the estate of her husband's family. Both her mother-in-law and her grandmother-in-law are still living but have inexplicably moved to the dower house. Evie thinks that Sarah and Henrietta may be sending her a message. She's not quite figured out what it is but they are distracted by the fact that a band of local ladies seem determined to wrest the Hunt Ball from the Woodbridges who have always hosted it. During the war, Woodbridge Hall was turned into a convalescent home and the dowager countesses were busy helping so the location moved. Now, the ladies want to take it back over but a newly relocated matron has decided that the local villagers should stay in charge. Unfortunately, this is the same matron who falls dead after visiting Evie for tea.
Evie is viewed with some suspicion but it gets worse when another woman from the same committee dies after another tea party at Evie's. Working again with Tom Winchester, as well as Phillipa, an Australian motorist who has been staying at the house since her motorcar broke down right outside the house, Evie is going to solve this murder to prove her own innocence.

Four stars
Follows House Party Murder
Followed by Murder in the Cards
This book came out March 19th, 2019
Borrowed as audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

Not everyone wants to go viral. Samiah Brooks is one of those people. And yet, when she along with two other women all learn they're dating the same man and confront him, the all become famous. Samiah especially since she works in the tech industry. And as a Woman of Color, she usually tries to keep her head low and just do a stellar job.
Daniel Collins admires Samiah and the way that she is handling the situation. He also admires the way she works. And the way she looks. She's just all-around an amazing woman who anyone should be delighted to be with. Too bad that he's not exactly telling her the truth about who he is.
I cannot WAIT for Taylor and London's stories though the excerpt for Taylor's story makes me a little nervous. There is definitely some set up in this book getting ready for their stories but it isn't intrusive. I got a little checked out in the middle of the book but I can't tell if that was the story or me so I erred on the side of me since I generally enjoyed the book.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 9th

Followed by The Dating Playbook
ARC kindly provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

And Then One Day by Samantha Chase

Courtney Baker doesn't necessarily want to leave Magnolia Sound but there's not a lot keeping her there. Her job has been made redundant, she can't find another one, there are no good men who are looking at her, and her best friend is caught up in a whirlwind romance and pregnancy, leaving Courtney in the dust. It's at that friend's rehearsal dinner that Courtney finally gets a kiss from the man she's been dreaming of for years, her best friend's oldest brother.
Dean Jones didn't know that Courtney thought of him as anything other than a pseudo-brother. But when she lays one on him, he's all in. Her plans to leave town are stalled when her car runs through some water and her trailer comes unhitched. They're further stalled when Dean's sister asks him to take his time fixing the vehicle so Courtney will stay in town longer...
This was fast, fun, and fluffy. Not a lot of depth but nothing to slow the read.

Three stars
Follows In Case You Didn't Know

Followed by Can’t Help Falling in Love
This book came out January 28th, 2020
Borrowed as ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Three at Wolfe's Door by Rex Stout

Poison a la Carte
One of the stories pulled for the 90s TV series, this story was not told beat by beat but the idea was there. A group of men like to eat the finest foods and they wish to borrow Fritz for this year's occasion. It's just too bad that one of the men dies. It had to be one of the twelve actresses hired as servers but which one?
  Method Three for Murder 
Archie has quit but as he's walking out of Nero's house, there's a woman walking up. She had a bet with a friend concerning women taxi drivers but wasn't expecting a dead body to show up in the cab she was driving. Especially not the woman her husband was having an affair with.
  The Rodeo Murder
This one was hard to read because of all of the "western speak." Basically, there's a rodeo in town and one of the backers, a man who was known to be handsy with the ladies, is killed.

Read this one because of the review on Classic Mysteries podcast. It was fine but not my favorite collection.

Three stars
This book came out April 29th, 1960
Bought on Nook
Opinions are my own

Dance Away with Me by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

If you like a Man Who Steps Up, this might be a book for you. It takes awhile but Ian North eventually falls in line. Tess Hartsong is emotionally brittle. Her husband died young and, two years later, she is still working through her grief (because grief really, really sucks.) But she decides that a rural area is going to be the place to heal. Also healing? 2 am dance parties. But her neighbor isn't into that. At least the male half isn't. But he ends up as a single father and Tess steps in. Well, "steps" might be a soft word for it. She is sort of barreling her way through life, undirected and decides to take on an orphan as well as teaching all of the teens in an abstinence only town all about prophylactics.
I have to admit, I was hoping for another Natural Born Charmer or Breathing Room. Both start with female characters on a journey (okay, it's a common plot device,) and we get to see them move through the book. And it took me several days to figure out why this book didn't quite hit that button for me and I finally figured out that the amount of resolution nowhere nears the amount of angst. Tess is so bottled up for most of the book, then sort of nuts, but then, poof!, she's all good. In both of the other books I mentioned, we get to see more healing and getting to see that depth of character is part of what makes those books so good. Also missing in this book? Relationship development. At least between Tess and Ian. It all felt so surface and SEP is usually so good at creating the kind of relationship that I sigh over.

Three stars
This book comes out June 9th
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers, NetGalley, and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

In Case You Didn't Know by Samantha Chase

Mason Bishop's mother has been more than a little overbearing in the first two books of this series. In this book, he's finally making his bid for freedom by moving out. What he doesn't expect to find is a woman who fascinates him.
Scarlett Jones knows all about Mason. He's the golden boy, the only son of the reigning family of Magnolia Sound. He was also her lab partner in middle school but their lives diverged quickly. She was the only daughter of a father who didn't know how to deal with her (which we are told A LOT in this fairly short story). Now she... I'm not actually sure. I think her main job is as a social media manager for several places in town but we mostly hear that she helps out at her father's garage and build houses for dogs that need to be adopted. Even though she's resentful of Mason's seemingly perfect life, she is attracted to him.
I wish there had been more about how the two start to build a relationship but there was a lot built into the story.

Three stars
Follows A Girl Like You
Followed by And Then One Day
This book came out June 23rd, 2019
Borrowed as ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Love Lies by Amanda Lamb

I really think that narrator Chloe Cannon is what made this a four-star read for me. Lamb is a good writer but there are a lot of details and phrases that are repeated that would have become annoying had I been reading the book in print rather than listening to it.It sort of let me skim over the repetitions.
A woman disappears while jogging in North Carolina. The spouse is always the first suspect and in this case, it's no different. Lamb had a peripheral relationship with the victim and (while it's not explicitly said) that seems to be what has her following this case so closely. We get lists of evidence as well as long transcripts about events around her death and the trials afterward.

Four stars
This book came out December 6th, 2011
Borrowed this as an audibook from the library
Opinions are my own