September Rereads

As always, opinions on the books are my own

Murder With Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #1

Four and a half stars

This book came out February 7th, 2006

Followed by Murder with Puffins

Audible audiobook I bought

Murder With Puffins by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #2

Four stars

This book came out June 15th, 2001

Follows Murder with Peacocks

Followed by Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos

Audible audiobook I bought

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

Cecilia & Kate #1

Five stars
This book came out April 15th, 1988

Followed by The Grand Tour
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston

Call of Crows #1

Three and a half stars
This book came out March 31st, 2015

Followed by The Undoing

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

The Unyielding by Shelly Laurenston

Call of Crows #3

Threee and a half stars

Follows The Undoing
This book came out March 28, 2016

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Legacy by Nora Roberts

Four and a half stars

This book came out May 25th, 2021

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Prologue: Vivienne Jones has been dating a guy for three months. She finds out that he is actually betrothed to another woman. She takes a long bath and then hexes both he and his bloodline. But it's all in good fun. It wasn't even a real hex.

Nine year later Rhys Penhallow is back in town. He's only there to attend the town's 100th anniversary because his family founded the town. He's also there to reset the ley lines that his family set. Yes, he is a witch. To be fair, so is Vivienne though she didn't know that fact until later in life. And now it seems like the hex might be something more than a frivolous night of blowing off steam. And when Rhys resets the ley lines, his hex transfers from him directly into town.

Immediately, strange things start happening. Toy skulls surround customers in the shop Vivienne's cousin runs. A ghost is released from a binding. Basically, Rhys, Vivienne and her aunt and cousin are kept busy putting out both literal and metaphorical fires. But trying to solve the hex gives Rhys and Vivienne time to spend together.

This was a fun story and hopefully the start to a new series. I would love to see how Vivienne's cousin works things out with Mayor Jane. There are definitely a few things that threw me off including some pretty big time jumps where it seems like things were maybe settling down because there was no exposition but overall a fun, fast, and fluffy read.

Four stars

This book comes out October 5th, 2021

Followed by The Kiss Curse

ARC kindly provided by William Morrow and Custom House, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer

Cecy and Kate are off on another magical adventure. This time they're on their honeymoon traveling around Europe. What should be a relaxing trip turns into something more when Thomas' mother is roped back into helping her old friends. Somebody drops off a magical package that someone else promptly tries to steal. It turns out that there are forces that seem to be agitating for the return of Napoleon to the throne and they are turning to magical means to do it.

A nice addition to the series. I'd be interested to see how this was shelved/categorized because this is a series about Young People but there are some more adult themes. My own inclination would be more toward the young adult but who knows?

Four stars

This book came out September 1st, 2004

Follows Sorcery & Cecelia

Followed by The Mislaid Magician; or, Ten Years After

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

This is not the first meeting of Hastings and Poirot. They met in Belgium but this book takes place in England while Hastings is invalided out and Poirot is being hosted as a refugee of the Great War. But then, their hostess dies. The doctor does not seem worried but others think it may have been murder. Especially her children who were taken aback when their mother married someone 20 years younger than herself. All seems to point to the new husband but Poirot is not convinced. Even when the chemist points directly to the man as someone who bought strychnine recently. But was it him?

The story is narrated by Hastings who sees everything but rarely understands any of it.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 1920

Followed by The Murder on the Links

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

This is a perfectly lovely collection of various stories by Agatha Christie including a wide swathe of her detectives. There were a few stories that I didn't quite get the winter connection but... eh. From a wide swath of her series, her detectives include Tommy and Tuppence, Mr. Satterthwaite and Harley Quinn (two stories!), Mr. Parker Pyne, Hercule Poirot, and Jane Marple. It also includes the short story version of the longest running play of all time, "Three Blind Mice." 

If you've never read Christie, these are some of her best stories and give you a glimpse into many different series. If you have read Christie, these stories are old friends and remind you why she is often called the Queen of Mystery. 

Four stars

This anthology came out October 1st, 2020

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Mistletoe Christmas -- Anthology

A Mistletoe Kiss by Eloisa James
Every year the most sought after invitation is to the Duke of Greystoke's Christmas Revelry. The invitation list is carefully curated and the amusements vast. But what no one knows is that his daughter, Cressida, is the one in charge. Now the Duke is dying and he wants his legacy to continue. As a means to the ends, he makes his heir (his nephew) promise to keep the revelry going for the next ten years. Val, the heir, has no interest. Neither, frankly, does Cressida. So Val suggests to his friend Elias that he should marry Cressie so she'd be close enough to help but he wouldn't have to take care of her. Elias figures it's about time to marry so why not? But then he takes a closer look at the women who everyone has ignored and discovers that she might be more precious than he originally knew.

Even as a short story, this could have lopped a few chapters off (they got redundant) and been a little bit better but James is a master and this story once again proves it.

Four stars

Wishing Under the Mistletoe by Christi Caldwell

Lady Isabelle Wilkshire has been engaged for three years but her fiance no longer looks at her the way he used to. Instead, Cyrus Hill is too busy working, trying to prove his worth because she is a duke's granddaughter and he is the son of a stablemaster. She breaks their engagement. While she loves him, she's no longer sure he really loves her. At least she can take some solace in being mentored by a playwright.  

Ten years later, she is at the Christmas Revelry, debuting a new play and Cyrus has been assigned as her partner. Old romantic feelings well up but so do old resentments. Will they be able to make it?

I do like short stories where protagonists knew each other because it makes it more likely that they are falling in love in 100 pages or less. This story could have used just a little more exposition on how the two were going to work now but was overall enjoyable.

Three and a half stars

Compromise Under the Mistletoe by Janna MacGregor

Caroline Whitmore loves her husband. And he probably cares for her but not to the extent that he loves the estate where he grew up and now cares for. But in order to get her inheritance, she needs to prove to her uncle, the Duke of Greystoke, that she and her husband are still in love. Based on other stories in this book, I'm not sure why he would do this other than to be an old fart but... it's a reason for a good fake romance. 

Caroline has it all planned out and even has a list of rules written out for Stephen. But he has different plans. This might be his last chance to win her heart.

Four stars

Mischief and Mistletoe by Erica Ridley

Louisa Harcourt's mother wants to marry her off to someone with a title. She just wants a quiet life to write. But Ewan Reid, a poet, intrigues her.

Ewan thinks Louisa is amazingly beautiful but he has a secret he's hiding. One that he doesn't want to pull her into. No matter how much she comes to him with her own secrets or how much she'll be hurt by the secrets he is hiding.

Three stars

Four stars

This book comes out September 28th, 2021

Ebook from NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Unicorn Playlist by Dana Simpson

When the book starts out, Phoebe is sad because she saw some of the recent news on her dad's computer. And, well, the world can be a scary place. Luckily, we all have Marigold Heavenly Nostrils who can distract us even for a little while with her charming narcissism and love of Phoebe.

We learn about when the mail used to have more than just credit card offers, we learn what Marigold wishes for, we learn about Phoebe and Marigold's favorite music, some of Marigold's family tree (Infernus, the Unicorn of Death (also known as "Ferny")). There is also an interesting twist between Dakota and the goblins that I did not see coming. Luckily, she still wants to be friends with Phoebe. Lots of little jokes in between with my favorite being Phoebe's father getting a call that says "Scam Likely" and Marigold thinks it's a unicorn with the same name. 

Four stars

This book comes out September 28, 2021

Follows Unicorn Famous

Followed by Unicorn Selfies

ARC kindly provided by Andrew McMeel Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis

Florrie Fox is happy managing Color Me Read. There have been some disconcerting incidents (read here: murder) in the store but that doesn't make her any more prepared to see that the latest package delivered to the store is a skull (apparently named Harry). It's sent to her boss, Professor John Maxwell, who is sort of like a modern day Indiana Jones, by oane of his compatriots, Ellis, who tends to take a lot of risks.  

Harry is just the beginning of a number of mysterious circumstances. A local psychic is doing a reading but she comes in overexcited because she's seen a foot hanging out of a rug. But when Florrie goes to look, the rug (and the foot) are gone. Later, she has a vision of a murder being at her reading and a man tries to walk out with Harry. That man later ends up dead, wrapped in a rug. 

There are a LOT of people and red herrings in this book. If you can read this in one sitting, it might be easier to keep track but I had problems with putting the book down and picking it up again, even having read the other stories in this series. I am very grateful that Florrie is sticking with one guy and not getting involved in the love triangles that are so overdone in most cozy series. Also appreciated? The fact that they have differing opinions on a subject and each is able to see the other's side. Maybe not understand it, but at least appreciate it. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out September 28, 2021

Follows The Coloring Crook

Followed by A Colorful Scheme

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie

Though she is aging, Miss Marple doesn't feel like she really doesn't think she needs a keeper. But her nephew was worried about her after a recent illness. It means that Miss Marple now has Miss Knight to contend with. Miss Knight is the kind of nurse that thinks her clients are all senile, brimming over with enthusiasm and kindness, she doesn't actually listen to what Miss Marple has to say. Which is why Miss Marple tricks her into going shopping and then going out herself. Unfortunately, Miss Marple falls. Heather Badcock rushes to her rescue. Heather Badcock is similar to Miss Knight, kindness itself but the sort that runs over you like a train. That's why it's such a surprise that she ends up dead.

It's at a local party. Marina Gregg, the famous actress, and her husband have bought Gossington Manor. Colonel Bantry died and Dolly sold the house. It has changed hands a couple of times since then but she still comes back to St. Mary Mead to visit and she is also invited to the party as a former owner of the house. When Heather Badcock dies, it is immediately assumed that the poison was actually meant for Marina since she had given Heather her drink. But who would want her dead?

There is, as in many of Christie's early books, racism in this book. There is also a LOT of mention of Marina Gregg's baby who was born.

Three stars

This book came out in 1962

Follows 4:50 from Paddington

Followed by A Caribbean Mystery

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Poirot is on vacation when a newlywed, bright and golden Linnet Doyle nee Ridgeway, is murdered. Traveling in Egypt, he has also encountered the woman who perhaps has the most reason to kill Linnet, Jacqueline de Beaufort. Before Linnet got married, her husband, Simon, was engaged to Jackie. In fact, Jackie introduced the two of them. So, yes, she has a reason to hate Linnet. 

But there are other people on the boat who might have reasons to be upset with Linnet, including a trustee who has mismanaged her money, a jewel thief after her $50,000 pearl necklace, and a smuggler who doesn't want Linnet to reveal his game.

A fantastic story with Christie at the height of her game.

Four Stars

This book came out November 1st, 1937

Hercule Poirot #17

Follows Dumb Witness

Followed by Appointment with Death

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread August 2024

Snoopy: First Beagle in Space by Charles M. Schulz

This is mostly a collection of various strips where Snoopy goes to space. He variously visits the moon, space, and Mars. But the whole book is not just Snoopy (which I thought was a shame, the title sort of implies differently.) We also get an extended story about Snoopy and the Beagle Scouts getting lost in the woods, the children at school, playing sports, and other Peanuts activities. 

Four stars

This book came out March 17th, 2020

Ebook borrowed from Kindle and from NetGalley

Opinions are my own

That Perfect Someone by Johanna Lindsey

Part of the Malory series, this book tucks in nicely with the rest of the books. It is... dare I say it... much more like the first books in this series (which I adored) than some of the later ones (which were "meh").  Most of the story is fabulous! But not the use of exclamation points! There are a lot of them! It reads more like teen fan-fic sometimes than a Johanna Lindsey, well-respected, seasoned author! Especially the end!

Julia Miller's family is not haute ton. They're not even ton, just fabulously wealthy. However, Julia has been accepted by the ton because she has been engaged since she was a child to the son of an earl. She is therefore not only going to be ton one day, she is no threat to any of their eligible daughters. One teeny problem though, she hates her fiancé. Plus, he took off nine years ago and she is ready to get out of her contract. Unfortunately, the reason he took off is his thoroughly despicable father who has steadily refused to break the betrothal. Julia has also had family problems since her father and mother were in a horrible carriage accident which killed her mother and left her father mentally incapacitated, though with moments of clarity. Julia is starting to put together a case to declare Richard (her intended) dead... when the infuriating man shows up in England. It seems he's been hanging out in the Caribbean, working as a pirate or a "treasure hunter." Unfortunately, their childhood animosity hasn't faded though their attraction has definitely grown. There are a LOT of incredible situations (Richard's father has him sent to a penal colony when he still refuses to marry Julia) but, if you've read Lindsey, this is not out of the ordinary.

Four stars

This book came out June 15th, 2010

Follows No Choice but Seduction

Followed by Stormy Persuasion

Hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Golden Ball And Other Stories by Agatha Christie

Every once in awhile Agatha Christie, Queen of the Mystery, would write stories that just had a happy ending. Often they had a twist, but are not mysteries. And they are all delightful. she also wrote some books that were more supernatural in bent. These are not as good but somewhat interesting. 

The first story has a widowed mother who wants the best for her children and a cheap house to let might just find it -- and some happiness for herself as well. A couple of stories feature young men throwing away a sure thing only to find something better. One has a young man reading fanciful stories that make him a strong man in his own life. 

Three stars

This book came out in 1971

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Queen of Ieflaria by Effie Calvin

Princess Esofi of Rhodia has been engaged to the heir of Ieflaria since she was three years now. But when they were both of marriageable age the Crown Prince Albion died, about three months ago when the story opens. But Ieflaria needs help and Esofi can't go home so she offers to marry the new heir. Who turns out to be the Crown Princess Adale. Generally, royalty is not allowed same sex marriage (the dynasty, you know) but this situation seems to be different. And Adale seems to be... different as well. Albion was gentle and being reared to be king, taking interest in politics and the happenings around the country. Adale is more concerned with riding horses and drinking than she is of the affairs of rulers and gods. But she's going to need to care because the dragons which had been beaten back for centuries are growing more bold. And she needs to move quickly because her cousins have traveled far to try and convince Esofi that either of them would be a better mate than Adale.

An interesting world in a first story. I had heard about it from several different podcasts and was intrigued. I wish there had been a little more romance and a lot fewer names but it's a nice start to a new series.

Four stars

This book came out February 19th, 2018

Followed by Daughter of the Sun

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The Wedding Date Disaster by Avery Flynn

Hadley Donavan can't believe that this is her life. She is handling a big event, one that will help her keep her job with an event company, when she is ambushed by her best friend's twin. While Web is a perfectly nice man, Will seems hell-bent on ruining her life. Their anger explodes into a passionate kiss in a coat closet which is interrupted by Will's ex who immediately steps out to start spreading rumors. And that's the end of Hadley's job. Now she's going home for her sister's wedding with no boyfriend, no job, and her dreams of making it in the Big City shattered. But she doesn't want her family to know so she's lined up Web to come and be in a fake relationship.

Will knows that Hadley is a gold digger. She is Just Like his ex pretending to be interested in Web until she can get her hooks into the family billions. When Web gets food poisoning the night before he's supposed to leave, Will takes his place - this will be the perfect chance to see what she is really like. 

The last Big Misunderstanding should have been left out. The rest of the story was perfectly fine, maybe the relationship was a little fast but otherwise a good story. And then.... blergh. 

I do hope that Web gets a story one day because he seems like a good dude. 

Three stars

This book came out August 26th, 2020

Follows The Schemer

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus

Opinions are my own

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

A village vicar may be privy to some of the community's juiciest secrets. In this case, Reverend Leonard Clement at least seems to know everyone in town. He is a little bit older and believes himself to have a good grasp on humanity (at least better than his wife, Griselda, who is younger than him). He describes the goings on in St. Mary Mead which is generally a quiet village, still regrouping after the war. Into town has come a new artist, Lawrence Redding. He is very handsome and is painting several of the women in town which causes some of the gossip mongers to be all atwitter. One of those women is Lettice Protheroe, the daughter of the local Magistrate, Colonel Protheroe. He practically explodes. But that is no surprise as the Colonel is known to have quite the nasty temper. He  has sentenced many men to jail and is currently on the hunt to find out why the church's offering plate is short. It is a surprise that the man is killed in the vicar's study, shot with Lawrence Redding's gun. Redding immediately admits to the murder. So does the Colonel's wife, Anne, who the vicar found in a torrid embrace with Redding.

But Miss Marple, a spinster in town doesn't quite believe that that can be true and she sets out to find out what really happened.

The first Marple story and it's a humdinger. It sets up Jane Marple as a student of human nature who is able to take her observations of living in a small village and extrapolate the information to the world at large. 

Four stars

This book came out in October 1930

Followed by The Thirteen Problems

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Life's a Witch by Amanda M. Lee

As usual, there's a lot going on in Bay Winchester's world. First, her great aunt Tillie's sister is in town stirring up trouble. There's always been bad blood between the two and time doesn't seem to have diminished their animosity toward each other. Bay and her cousins are doing all they can to avoid their family and all of the fighting.

Getting out of the house is easier when there's a dead body and the local sheriff and the FBI (well, Bay's boyfriend, Landon) are asking Bay for help. The body is that of a local teen who leaves behind a mother and sister. His sister seems especially miffed at him. 

As usual, there are some shortcuts in this story and things that don't necessarily make sense but still a fun story and regular readers will enjoy.

Three stars

This book came out November 1st, 2015

Follows Witch Me Luck

Followed by Charms & Witchdemeanors

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Hot Zone by Jayne Castle

When the book opens, Sedona Snow is being rescued by a dust bunny from a hidden underground lair. While pushing past the armed guards, Sedona discovers she has a new talent and a new pet (now named Lyle). Thank goodness since when she gets out, she finds that she's been gone for six weeks. And her MC husband has moved on. Rumors abound and that she is unable to find work until moving out to Rainshadow island. I loved that previous characters weren't shoehorned into the story. Sedona and Cyrus were able to find their own way. 

For his part, Cyrus is the Guild boss of the newly formed Rainshadow Guild. He's something of an unknown quantity. He's part of the powerful Jones family and, of course, has an off-the-charts, unusual talent. And he falls into insta-lust with our heroine. 

This book moved so past and had so many parts, I feel like I should have been irritated. But most of Castle's books move like that that it wasn't completely unexpected. It was part of the formula, even the "bad guy" was easily identifiable and probably will be for other regular Castle readers. And to be honest, I wouldn't read this book out of order in the series.

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 26th, 2014

Rain Shadow #3, Ghosthunters #11

Follows Deception Cove

Followed by Siren's Call

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus May 2024

At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple is on vacation in London. Her nephew Raymond has provided her with two weeks at Bertram's Hotel. When she was a girl, Miss Marple had spent a week there and she wanted to see if it were the same. Curiously, it is. It is just the same. But there is something wrong here, if only she could put her finger on it. 

Also at the hotel is the well-known Bess Sedgwick. She's survived a plane crash, a car crash (or two), being thrown from a horse twice. She's been married several times and had one daughter. Feeling that her love of danger would be detrimental to the child, Bess left her daughter with the girl's father who subsequently died. The daughter, Elvira, was then raised by a guardian. She is now nineteen years old and also staying at Bertram's Hotel. While her guardian believes she is naive and innocent, readers find out that that may not actually be the case.

I kept thinking of the 2007 BBC version of this story . It did not completely align with this story so I kept getting the storylines confused. The original was better and made more sense.

Three and a half stars

This book came out in 1965

Follows A Caribbean Mystery

Followed by Nemesis

Borowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

No Choice But Seduction by Johanna Lindsey

Katey Tyler has lived in a small town filled with older people her whole life. Both of her parents have passed away and, having some money, she has taken a maid and decided to travel the world. On her voyage to England, she catches the notice of Boyd Anderson but tells him that she is married. She certainly doesn't want to tie herself down at the beginning of her adventure! So, they get to England and she doesn't expect to see him again. However, she hears an odd noise one night and discovers a girl, Judith Malory, tied up. Katey releases her and is on her way to London to return Judith to the Malory family when Boyd bursts in (being the girl's uncle) and immediately decides that Katey must be the kidnapper.

It goes on from there but most of the story is Judith begin kidnapped and then Katey discovering a surprising connection to the Malorys. I wish there had been more of a relationship built between Katie and Boyd especially since the age gap is so wide.

Three stars

This book came out June 17th, 2008

Follows Captive of My Desires

Followed by That Perfect Someone

Hard copy borrowed from library

Opinions are my own

Reread November 2022

The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers

I hesitated to read this series because the movies were so racist and I just didn’t want to read the books. However, an episode of the Classic Mystery Podcast where the author explicitly stated that the books were actually written to try and counteract the racist Chinese characters of other books. This didn’t end up being the first book I read in the Charlie Chan series (series purists shudder here) but the other one I read wasn’t horrible so I decided to start at the beginning and see how it went. 

We don’t actually see Charlie Chan until we are already well into the book. Instead, the Winterslip family is the focus. Minerva Winterslip has been traveling for too long (according to her New England family) so they’ve sent her “puritanical” nephew, James, to Hawaii to come and gather her. This, of course, was back when traveling to Hawaii meant going by boat.

Minerva has been staying with her cousin Dan and, while she gets along with him well enough, the reader gets hints that he might not be an altogether “good guy.” For instance, he hasn’t spoken to his brother for over 30 years. He’s also seeing a woman he’s not really going to marry (not so bad these days). And another cousin hints to James that Dan has a dark past and that his money might not all be from legitimate means. Then, Dan is murdered and there is not an immediate reason why which means that the police, and Charlie Chan, are called in to investigate. 

It did take me a REALLY long time to get into the book. Not sure why as it was an enjoyable read and the mystery, while a little unbelievable in places, was fairly clued.

Four stars

This book came out in 1925

Followed by The Chinese Parrot

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

A Lot Like Adiós by Alexis Daria

I started this book thinking I'd read a chapter and then get on with the chores I needed to do today. Hours later, I am left with a happy book hangover. Daria has knocked this book out of the park. Not quite friends-to-lovers (it's been too long since Michelle and Gabe were truly friends), not quite a fake relationship (they do sort of adopt one for "reasons" but they both acknowledge it is already something more) but it sort of still is both. More, it's two people who have always had simmering feelings for each other and the time apart allows them to jump right into the space they may not have found had they stayed together. And they TALK to each other. Gabe is a little bit of a butthead at the end but he figures it out quickly and gets the girl in the end. I only wish we had seen just a little bit more of Zack and Riva, the space show fanfic written by our main characters that is interspersed throughout the book.

Gabriel Aguilar knows that you can never go home and he doesn't want to. Except that's where his business is taking him. Back to New York and back to his childhood best friend, Michelle Amato. He had basically ghosted her nine years ago and he's not sure of the reception he's going to get but his gym is expanding to NYC and she is a marketing genius whose help they need to grow. 

Michelle is pissed. And curious. Why is Gabe getting in touch now? It's been almost a decade. But she once loved him; both as a friend and almost as something more. And when she makes a list, the pros of working with him outweigh the cons. Besides, maybe she can finally get some resolution about what happened so many years ago.

Five stars

This book comes out September 14th, 2021

Follows You Had Me at Hola

ARC kindly provided by William Morrow and Custom House, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread June 2022

Narwhal's School of Awesomeness by Ben Clanton

This book is amazing, awesome, entertaining, and educational. Narwhal and Jelly come upon a school of fish who are on their way to school. Unfortunately, their teacher is sick. But Narwhal steps in to teach (wearing sunglasses because teachers are cool) and Jelly serves as the teacher to the teacher since Narwhal doesn't actually know how to teach. There is a lot of knowledge imparted in this short book including the names of different groups of animals, some math, and lots of synonyms.

Clanton's N&J books are always fun but this one made me giggle out loud. Every page is perfection.

Five stars
This book comes out September 7, 2021
Follows Happy Narwhalidays

Followed by Narwhalicorn and Jelly

ARC kindly provided by Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

Can romance be crunched by data? According to a new app, they can look at your DNA and calculate who in their database is going to be your soulmate. Jessica "Jess" Davis probably wouldn't have been interested if she hadn't been dragged along by her best friend, Felicity "Fizzy", to the headquarters. Even then, they probably wouldn't have even gone if the app hadn't been run by "Americano," the man who comes into their favorite coffee shop every morning at 8:24. Jess might be a statistician but that doesn't mean she's going to be playing by the numbers, even if she matches with none other than her coffee nemesis, Dr. River Pena. A 98% match though is not only going to be good for Jess's potential future but also for the company so she agrees to at least test the relationship waters with the man. Lord knows he's amazingly hot. But she's trying not to drag her daughter into the mess; Jess grew up with a mother like that and she doesn't want to do that to Juno.

This was a really fun book and I liked that the relationship took a bit of time. A little insta-lust but a lot of getting-to-know-you. I didn't love the Big Misunderstanding at the end nor how it was resolved but if you love Christina Lauren or even just contemporary romance, you will really enjoy this book.

Four stars

This book came out May 18th, 2021

DNADuos #1

Followed by The True Love Experiment

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as hard copy from library September 2024

While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory

Brother to Theo Stephens from The Wedding Party, Stephen is the eternal playboy. He loves 'em but he makes sure that they understand that there is nothing there before he leaves 'em. Picked to join a pitch to a big company, he knows that he is the token minority thrown in to impress the clients. Especially since this latest client's commercials are featuring Anna Gardiner a prominent Black actress. When all of the higher ups in Ben's company are stuck at the airport, he steps in for the pitch and impresses Anna so much (yes, she decided to attend the pitches), she picks their company to continue the campaign.

Anna's not too hot on relationships either. Her goal in life is to get to the top of the Hollywood elite. Her recent panic attacks not to mention some pictures that didn't do so well aren't helping her. But she's got an amazing team, including an agent, Simon (who, can we vote for future books? He needs one) and her best friend. And her relationship with the bestie is a great reason to read this book. But her relationship with Ben isn't supposed to be real. Well, they are for sure hot for each other but she needs some newspaper print and dating an ex-backup dancer with a heart of gold is just the way to go.

I really appreciated that there was honesty in how these two treated each other. A little misunderstanding in whether feelings can change but overall they were up front with where they thought the "relationship" was going. Guillory writes amazing characters whose HEA I can definitely believe and this book makes me want to start the series over again just so I can enjoy Ben's character growth. The addition of a secret sibling, honestly, could have been cut for me but I guess it did add some to that same growth. 

Four stars

This book came out July 13th, 2021

Follows Party of Two

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Silhouette in Scarlet by Elizabeth Peters

One of my favorite heroines is back again. Vicky Bliss is on the case once again as she's searching for a lost cache of Scandinavian treasure. One perfect rose (not, alas, a limousine for either she or Dorothy Parker) sends her off on a trip to the land of her ancestors. A trip where she encounters a lost love, a bad guy who does silhouettes, and an extended stay on a millionaire's island. 

Another great story and very enjoyable as an audiobook, not as good when I reread as a physical copy. Rosenblat makes the angst fun but it was a little overwrought in the written word. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out in 1983

Follows Street of the Five Moons

Followed by Trojan Horse

Borrowed as an ebook from the CloudLibrary

Opinions are my own

The Undoing by Shelly Laurenston

This was a hard one to grade because it was a good story, just not as good as the first. I enjoyed the addition to the world building. 

Jace Berisha used to be married to the leader of a cult, a cult her mother still belongs to. Jace was subservient, meek, and never spoke back. All that changed when he killed her. She was granted special powers by a goddess and became a part of the Crows. Now she's part of a group of women that work to serve the goddess. And they're going up against a Big Bad. One they thought they had defeated. And one that they'll have to get their traditional enemies to buy in and work together in order to defeat for real.

Three and a half stars

This book came out March 29th, 2016

Follows the Unleashing
Followed by The Undoing
Opinions are my own

What the Hex by Alexis Daria

It's been five years since Catalina Cartagena left Isla Bruja. She was a clothing bewitching whiz and burned out early. She's been in New York and hasn't used her magic since then. Now she's back for her oldest sister's wedding. But something is amiss on the magical island and the only other person who seems to realize that something is wrong is Diego Paz, Cat's high school nemesis and brother of the groom. Not wanting to alarm anyone over the fact that the groom seems possessed, Cat and Diego work together to make sure that their respective families' power isn't overtaken and they don't have niblings that are literal demon spawn. 

A short story but richly woven. Alexis Daria creates a magic world with deft strokes and minimal description. The characters have a depth that is surprising in such a short story. My only complaint is really how short it is. With Daria's skill, this would have been an amazing full-length novel. I really hope this isn't the only book set in this world. 

Four and a half stars

This audionovella came out July 1st, 2021

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

The Grumpy Player Next Door by Pippa Grant

Tillie Jean Rock is the sister of baseball superstar (well, at least he's really well known in Copper Valley) Cooper Rock. She got involved with one of his teammates ONCE and now her brother is paranoid about her seeing anyone else. Sure, she flirts with most of them but they all know it's not serious. The only one who might reasonably hold her interest is Max Cole but he's avoiding her because Cooper is his best friend on the team and he doesn't want to screw up that relationship. Plus, he had a really complicated childhood and doesn't want to inflict his angst on to anyone else. 

But Max has moved next door to Tillie Jean in the off season and suddenly the close proximity means all bets are off...

One of my least favorite tropes is the "we can't date because you're my sibling's friend." And this book leans hard into Cooper not taking their relationship well. Grant tries to turn it around and make the prank war between Tillie Jean and her siblings amp up because of it but it didn't really click for me. Also, I never really saw that Max was trying to work through his issues with romance. In a romance novel. I wish we had seen more introspection and working toward healing from his crappy childhood but it mostly seemed magically resolved. 

Three stars

This book came out July 8th, 2021

Copper Valley Fireballs #3

Follows Real Fake Love

Followed by Irresistible Trouble

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Herring-Seller's Apprentice by L.C. Tyler

What is a mystery writer but someone who sells red herrings? And Ethelred Tressider certainly counts as a writer. In fact, he counts as three of them -- two mystery series and one romance. His publisher, Elsie Thirkettle doesn't think much of any of them but they earn him enough to live on so he keeps churning them out. Until his life is derailed by a real-life mystery, the murder of his ex-wife, Geraldine. It seems she left him for his best friend about a decade ago but never really changed her will so Ethelred is still in charge of her estate. 

Elsie is immediately suspicious because she is immediately suspicious of anything having to do with Geraldine. The woman was a menace and she still kept Ethelred flopping on a line. And apparently he wasn't the only one. Geraldine was building some sort of scheme and had bilked a large number of people out of money so there were lots of reasons for someone to want her dead.

Told in alternating viewpoints between Ethelred and Elsie, this book is an interesting introduction to a new series. Rather than have a stellar author with all bestsellers, the main protagonist (we have far more Ethelred chapters than Elsie chapters) is middling at best. His "partner" looks down on him with some scorn, some affection and she too sort of bumbles into the solution in the end. 

The book occasionally got bogged down and, even with this being my second Ethelred and Elsie book, I'm not sure I like either of them but I'm definitely going to still read the next book. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out in 2007

Followed by Ten Little Herrings

Kindle ebook

Opinions are my own