November Rereads

 As always, opinions are my own

Hotshot by Julie Garwood

Buchanan-Renard #11

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 6th, 2013

Follows Sweet Talk

Followed by Fast Track

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Deadlock Catherine Coulter

FBI Thriller #24

Three and a half stars
Follows Labyrinth

Followed by Vortex
This book came out July 28th, 2021
Hard copy borrowed from library

All the Colors of Night by Jayne Ann Krentz

Fogg Lake #2

This book came out January 7th, 2021

Follows The Vanishing

Followed by Lightning in a Mirror
Hard copy from library

Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz

This book came out December 8th, 2015

Hard copy from library

The Lion's Den by Katherine St. John

While Belle isn't an unreliable narrator in the fact that she doesn't lie to the reader. she definitely withholds information as she flips back and forth from the beginning of a trip with her friend's megarich boyfriend and the beginning of their friendship. We go along with her as she is invited on and attends an all-inclusive trip with Summer. Another friend, Wendy as well as an acquaintance, Cindy, are along as are Summer's mother and sister and friend of the sister. The last is someone who was not approved by Summer and she is initially not going to let her come along but she is persuaded to allow her to come along.

The women fly across the ocean and get on the yacht where they immediately have to surrender their passports. Belle is nervous but does so. The trip only gets weirder from there and not everyone is going to make it back home.

Fast, fun, and uber-fluffy but still a nice diversion on an autumn evening.

Four stars

This book came out May 19th, 2020

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh

Bertrand and Estelle are the twin children of Marcel Lamarr, Marquess of Dorchester , the hero of Someone to Care. Their father, griefstricken when their mother died, left them in the care of their aunt and uncle for seventeen years. Their aunt and uncle were rather strict and pious but they loved Estelle and Bertrand and gave them a good life. She is enjoying a perfect summer day (and straying a bit out of the bounds of propriety by wading in a stream) when a dog comes leaping in her direction only belatedly called off by the owner who doesn't even acknowledge Estelle's fright.

It turns out the owner is the brother of Estelle's friend, Maria, and he ends up inviting them both to join Maria in London. He hasn't been in Maria's life for a long time but he seems to be trying to make amends for the past and up for lost time.

His back story is a little melodramatic but I did enjoy seeing he and Estelle fall in love and I look forward to Bertrand's story.

Four half stars

Follows Someone to Cherish

This book comes out November 30th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts

The second in a trilogy about <shudder> vampires, this book has the warrior (Blair) and the shapeshifter, Larkin, (two of the six destined to defeat Lilith) hooking up. Blair is a demon-hunter from modern day New York, trained to kill vampires. Larkin is part of the royal family of Geall, a not-as-mythical-as-thought realm that is to be the battleground between humans and vampires. An evil queen named Lilian is trying to take over the world and thought that Geall would be a grand place to start. The gods decided that they needed to put a team together to stop her and this book is the mid-point of their training, when they have to convince the people of Geall that vampires exist and that the people need to be prepared to fight. 

We also get Larkin, who grew up in a happy home and is still pretty heart-whole, falling for Blair, who was never loved by her father and then dumped by her fiancé because of her demon hunting. It will take some work to get the two of them together, especially while planning for war.

I remembered this as my least favorite book in the series but on re-read, actually came ahead of the third book (too much sturm and drang) whereas these two, for the most part, see what they want and take it.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 3rd, 2006

Follows Morrigan's Cross

Followed by Valley of Silence

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Death from a Top Hat by Clayton Rawson

I grabbed this book because it was first in a series and I had read two other books and figured, "Why not?" Well. It took me a LONG time to read this book. I can usually finish a book this long in a week and it took me over 5 months. It just didn't hold my interest. I like the series because Merlini is a detective who comes with the background of being a magician. This book had too MANY performers (also a medium, an escape artist, and a ventriloquist) and it ended up being very confusing with some misconceptions about hypnotism. If you want to read a locked room mystery involving a two different dead magicians, I'd highly recommend reading it in as few sittings as possible. 

Three stars

This book came out in 1938

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts

Vampires. This series has vampires. Not my favorite Roberts series but still by her so they're pretty good. In this trilogy, a circle of six, the one who is dead, the witch, the sorcerer, the shapeshifter, the scholar and the warrior, must form in order to stop the evil Lilian from turning the world into vampires. Of course, since this is a Nora Roberts book, the six start pairing up. This book highlights the love of modern day witch, Glenna, and twelfth-century sorcerer, Hoyt. We learn the beginning of the circle when Hoyt watches his twin brother Cian be "turned" by Lilith. He is then instructed by the goddess Morrigan to go to modern day New York to begin gathering the circle. Hoyt finds his brother immediately. Cian has used the past 900 years to build an empire including a nightclub where Glenna is drawn to Hoyt. Once Glenna and Hoyt convince Cian that he is a necessary part of the group, they, along with Cian's friend King, fly to Ireland where they are joined by two more people, these from the thought-to-be-mythical land of Geall. The six must learn to fight, even through heartache, in order to even begin to learn how they might be able to take down Lilith.

This book didn't get too dated because much of the action is in another realm. With being the first book and having a LOT of world building to do, Hoyt and Glenna's romance takes a bit of a back seat but this is overall a nice enough story to start a series.

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 29th, 2006

Followed by Dance of the Gods

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Plus One Pact by Portia MacIntosh

I live in a small town and have definitely hit the page on dating apps where they say, "Sorry, no men left." Cara is in the same place but she has also just discovered that her cousin, bride in The Wedding of the Century, has retaliated against Cara by inviting her ex to the wedding. Cara is now officially desperate. Luckily, her last match has actually answered her. Unluckily, he doesn't show up. Instead, Cara is sitting at a restaurant alone when a man approaches her. He is downright beautiful. And fit. But he seems to feel bad for her so she agrees to meet him at the local It place. From there, the two exchange commiserations. He, it seems, has a series of family events to attend and has been told he can't just bring his flavor-of-the-month. Bringing someone like Cara, an erudite woman with a real job (escape room designer) would get him off the family's black books.

Things do not go smoothly. In this book, both of the main characters are the klutzy but oh-so-sweet ones. And, yes, that is a little annoying and repetitive but I really liked that Millsy liked Cara even before her makeover and that Cara was actually upfront with Millsy about something that she did later in the book. A quick listen on a Sunday afternoon that I enjoyed quite a bit. 

Four stars

This book came out May 21st, 2020

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

The Wintringham Mystery by Anthony Berkeley

Stephen Munro has recently come down in the world. After the war, he came back to a small inheritance from his uncle. While it was enough for him to be a gentleman of leisure for some time, it has now run out. He has only enough money to pay off his manservant and get himself to a new position as a footman to Lady Susan Carey. She hasn't had one lately but would thinks that she would like to have one for her upcoming weekend party. It's just hard luck that Stephen is recognized by not one but two of Lady Susan's guests. Even harder luck that one, Pauline, of them is the fiancee of a prominent business man when earlier she was a particular friend of Stephens. 

There are many other people who are joining Lady Susan for the weekend and the sheer number of characters was more than a little confusing but one one disappears after a seance and another is killed, it does get a little easier to follow. 

I would call this a typical mystery of the time with a solution that was a little convoluted. A nice read on an autumnal afternoon.

Three and a half stars

This book came out 1921 (as Lady Cicely Disappears)

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery

This is a two-for-one romance which means that both relationships are a bit short-changed. In this book are two sister. Reggie Somerville got engaged last year on Friday, party on Saturday, dumped on Sunday. We read about it a lot. But she's back in Wishing Tree to help her parents plan their vow renewal (not enough time spent on this either.) Also back in town? Her high school boyfriend, Toby, who is now the father of an eight-year old. 

Said son is in Reggie's sister's class. Dena, at the ripe old age of 32 has given up on love and has gotten impregnated. She is also the owner of a B&B where Micah Ruiz, a famous musician is staying. He is in town to visit an old bandmate who now owns a Christmas tree farm. Micah is healing from the loss of his wife and unborn child just over a year ago. 

There is so much going on with everyone and their stories that, while this is a fine story, it's not one of Mallery's best since all of the story lines are crammed into one book.

Three stars

This book came out September 28th, 2021

Follows novella Say You'll Stay

Followed by Home Sweet Christmas

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

A Secret Never Told by Shelley Noble

It's June of 1908 and Philomena Amesbery, Countess of Dunbridge, is enjoying the diversions of Coney Island. Well, she should be. But there's a distressing lack of murders or dangerous situations. She hasn't had anything like that since the previous year. But a phone call from the fabulously wealthy Godfrey Bennington recalls her to New York. At last! Adventure!

Except that Godfrey asks her to be his hostess at a party. Is there anything to be on the lookout for? Godfrey says no but he could literally ask any number of women to be his hostess and he has particularly asked her. At least Phil's return to the city reunites her with her butler Preswick and maid Lily. 

On the way to the dinner, two women who were not originally invited, join the group. Dr. Georgina Nash and Rose. While Georgina seems oddly belligerent toward other guests (a smattering of scientists and psychoanalysts with some of whom Georgina has an obvious history), delicate and beautiful Rose seems to not know what is going on.

It is a mystery that once again pulls in Detective Sergeant Atkins into Phil's sphere. And it is interesting to note that one of the doctors has a fill-in secretary who is none other than Phil's Mr. X. Just what exactly is going on?

Four stars 

This book comes out November 23rd, 2021

Follows A Resolution at Midnight

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Jane Ellsworth knows that she's plain, with an overlong nose and a gorgeous sister, and she is, indeed, a spinster but she still has quiet hopes about their neighbor who seems to be impressed by her talents with glamour, the magic that Kowal has introduced into this Austen-era England parallel universe. Unfortunately, it seems like the neighbor might be more interested in her sister. And, being a good Austen-era heroine, Jane is ready to step aside if she needs to, for the sake of her sister. 

But the big news in the neighborhood is that the glamural artist, David Vincent is in town. And Jane is delighted to have the chance to learn more about his craft, but manages to offend him almost immediately. 

I wish we had seen a little bit more of the love story but this book was a fantastic look about how world-building can be done right.

Four stars

This book came out August 3rd, 2010

Followed by Glamour in Glass

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Reread September 2022 as audiobook from Libby

Some Die Eloquent by Catherine Aird

When a rich old lady dies in a mystery, there is often a rush to figure out how she was murdered and by whom. In the case of Miss Beatrice Wansdyke, it comes as surprise that the woman was actually rich. I mean, she was a chemistry teacher in a girls' school, where did the money come from? She had managed her diabetes for years but her autopsy shows that she is distinctly lacking insulin. Plus there's the weird thing that her dog has disappeared as well. 

Inspector Sloan is sort of distracted as his wife is about to give birth and we get a lot of details related to that miraculous happening. But that also takes up a lot of the book leaving less room for Aird to show on page how the mystery actually gets solved. 

An interesting story but maybe a little too short.

Three stars

This book came out in 1979

Follows Parting Breath

Followed by Passing Strange

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh, Wanda McCaddon

Agatha Troy is on site, painting a picture of Hilary Bill-Tasman ahead of the holiday season. His family and friends and the local villagers are getting ready for the upcoming Christmas season. There is an eccentric group of people joining them at the manor, Halberds, and that includes the servants who are all reformed murderers. There is Hilary's fiancee, a beautiful woman but maybe not much more than her elegance to add to the depth. Also attending are his (honorary) uncle Bert who likes to keep his low-origins accent on full display even though he has made his fortune as well as Hilary's aunt and uncle, Mrs. and Colonel Forrester, the latter of whom is very deaf and the former who has a tendency of not only talking loud but repeating herself. 

Troy is bemused by the servants and amused by the family. On the night of the big celebration, Forrester has a spell and is unable to play the druid around whom the festivities revolve. The Forrester's manservant, Moult, steps in but then disappears. Hilary works to make sure that Roderick Alleyn is the one called in to the case. What the heck, his wife is already on site.

I liked this one and a lot had to do with the narrator. There are a few red herrings but the clues are fairly obvious and the murderer is easy to guess. This is the best of the Troy/Alleyn relationship though the clues are a bit heavy-handed at points.

Four stars

This book came out in 1972

Follows When in Rome

Followed by Black as He's Painted

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Charms & Witchdemeanors by Amanda M. Lee

Once again, it's something in Aunt Tillie's past that is coming to haunt Bay Winchester. This time, Patty Grimes has been poisoned and Mrs. Little has called in the FBI. Normally, that would be fine because Bay would get to see her boyfriend, Landon, but this time a new FBI agent, Noah Grimes, is sent as well. And Noah seems bound and determined to put Tillie behind bars.

Unfortunately, that means that Bay and her cousins are going to have to prove Tillie's innocence. That becomes a problem when more of Mrs. Little's friends start dying.

An interesting story, this one involves Edith, the ghost from the newspaper office. Did all of the pieces fit together neatly? Maybe, maybe not but this is a fun series and they don't really need to in order to enjoy the books.

Four stars

This book came out 

Follows Life's a Witch

Followed by The Trouble with Witches

Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

No Words by Meg Cabot

Jo Wright thought that she had had a moment with Will Price but she discovered she was wrong when the best-selling author dissed her (also best-selling) children's series. Now the man responsible for her writer's block is her numero uno enemy. So why would she want to go down to the Keys, more specifically to Little Bridge Island which is close to the man's own private island? Well, a ten thousand dollar writer's speaking fee does help. Plus, it doesn't look like the man himself will be there so she should be safe.

Except that, when she gets to the island, she realizes that the man will be there. In fact, he arrives at the airport at the same time she does. And is greeted by a young woman while she is greeted by a very pregnant librarian (Molly from book 2 in the series.) At first, Jo wants to avoid all of the activities involved with the book festival but her friend Bernie convinces her that it is wiser to attend rather than to let Will drive her off. And, interestingly, in her first interaction with the man, he apologizes (!) Jo is thrown off her game but the more they interact, the more her creative juices start flowing.

Is there a lot of depth in this novel? Actually, a lot in regards to writers (e.g. a discussion on feminist characters in children's literature) but maybe not in Will and Jo's relationship. Is the book still delightful? Oh most definitely. I am so excited that Cabot is starting to recapture the fun and the sense of what is going on in the contemporary world that was a part of the "Boy" series. 

Four stars

This book came out October 12th, 2021

Follows No Offense

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Murder List by Julie Garwood

Regan Madison is a part of the Hamilton family, as in Hamilton hotels. She has a soft heart and a drop-dead-gorgeous exterior. She also has a stalker. While she doesn't recognize it at first, when the realization hits (via a rather graphic photograph of a murdered man that is emailed to her,) she lets the Chicago police know immediately.

Assigned to Regan's case as a punishment for leaving the squad, Alec Buchanan figures at least it's better than answering phones for his last three weeks. What he doesn't expect is to fall in love with this woman. Or that he may have to put his life on the line to protect her. 

I remember liking this book more when it first came out. It is getting pretty dated (one character asks if everyone has started carrying cell phones), and Regan is a little TSTL but still a readable book.

Three stars

This book came out August, 2004

Follows Killjoy

Followed by Slow Burn

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Love, Accidentally by Jaime Clevenger; Aurora Rey

Amelia Stone is not having a great day. She's moving in with a woman she just met, Veronica, and Veronica isn't even in town to help her move. That's okay, she'll make it work. Until a dump truck hits her moving rental and Amelia ends up in the hospital with all number of injuries. Sure, the EMT is cute but her whole world is now upside down. 

Finn Douglas was burned by love, spent a lot of time playing the field, and now is just sort of stagnant. Her EMT partner teases her pretty incessantly. Especially after Finn seems so smitten with Amelia. And then Finn takes charge of Amelia's cat. When she tries to return the cat, Finn meets Amelia's grandmother and they immediately strike up a friendship. Amelia notices this especially since it is in such contrast to how Veronica and her grandmother interact. Eventually, Amelia realizes that Veronica isn't the woman for her but Finn is leery of being a rebound. 

This is a fun love story though there is a lot of drama at the end that wasn't necessarily needed and the relationship does move fairly quickly. 

Four stars

This book come out November 16th, 2021

ARC kindly provided by Bella Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Killer Content by Olivia Blacke

I'm not sure about this series yet but I've got the second one queued up from the library so I finished it and I'm glad I stuck with it because I almost put it down after the first chapter. It was a really big info dump. But it could be an interesting series. 

Odessa Dean is living the high life in New York. Or, sort of. She's housesitting and cat sitting for her aunt who has a VERY nice apartment. But she's also working at a bookstore/cafe and learning about NYC. Before she came to the big city, she lived in the bayou. And boy was that different. (I did appreciate that the drawl wasn't "spelled out".)

One of Dessa's coworkers leaves work one day but then ends up dead. And Dessa starts to investigate because she listens to a lot of true-crime podcasts (cue internal eye roll). Granted, the detective in charge doesn't actually believe it was a murder but Dessa is more on the end of clueless detective and I do really more enjoy the professional but I liked that this was a unique take on a contemporary cozy.

Three stars

This book came out February 2nd, 2021

Followed by No Memes of Escape

Borowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Guild Boss by Jayne Castle

The Vortex saga continues... on another planet in the future. This time, the Jones family is brought in through Gabriel. He's a special sort of Hunter, one who is after a specific person in the book's beginning, Lucy Bell. It seems like she wandered away drunk from a wedding and got lost in the underground tunnels. Her family has put out a big bounty for her and Gabriel is the one to notice that there is a dust bunny showing up to get a free pizza every night. He follows the bunny, Otto, and finds the girl.

BUT, that is just the beginning of the story. Lucy objects to the fact that everyone blames her; in fact, she was drugged. But that's not what makes a good story and she loses her clientele. And she blames Gabriel for that fact because... he left? I guess fiction doesn't have to make sense but this seemed odd for a character who otherwise was fairly level-headed.

Gabriel does come back though. He needs someone with Lucy's particular set of talents and he knows what she can do underground. Plus, he just wants to see her again.

There is a lot going on in this story which, even though it's number 14 in a series, seems to be setting up some new storylines. With all of Krentz's books lately, the endings seem to go on and on as in, you think this is the end of the book but then there's another chapter. And another. I also wish we had seen more interactions with Lucy's family. However, Gabriel and Lucy were both great characters and I liked seeing how their relationship went from rescuer/rescued to equal partners. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out November 16th, 2021

Ghost Hunters #14

Follows Illusion Town

Followed by Sweetwater and the Witch

ARC kindly provided by Berkley and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Audible May 2024

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten, Marlaine Delargy

I would definitely read the first book in this series before reading this one. There is some information about both the stories and the character that are important to this book. 

After the events of the last book, Maud decides to head back to South Africa and get away from the police for a little bit. While on the plane, she has some dreams about some of the first times she (maybe) committed murder or at least set out on a path that some people wouldn't call so very nice.

This is such an odd set of stories and yet I still enjoyed them. 

Four stars

This book came out October 5th, 2021

Follows An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Fast Track by Julie Garwood

Cordie and Aidan got their HEA!

I have really been looking forward to this book and can say that if you have been enjoying Garwood lately, you'll like this book.

Cordie has been in love with Aidan since she was five years old. But he's always looked at her as a sister. When her father dies, Cordie decides it's time for her to get over Aidan, move away, and get on with her life.

Her friends are conspiring not to let her leave and, while helping her to search for the mother that she never even knew was alive, Aidan starts to realize that Cordie might just be the woman he's been looking for....

I recently read "Change of Heart" by Jude Deveraux and have been struggling to figure out why that alpha male annoyed me so much more than Aidan. Both were supremely confident and autocratic, but I think that Aidan was more receptive to Cordie and her demands. Also, I think their shared history helped to create more of a bond than what I saw in the other story. Where Eli really did seem to be just a jerk, Aidan actually cared and had a (current) connection to Cordie. 

While this book shows a slightly softer Cordie than I had gotten from previous books in the series, I still enjoyed the ride. And hearing my friend laugh out loud as she read it also opened me up I some of the more hilarious parts of the story.

Four stars

This book came out July 29th, 2014

Follows Hotshot

Followed by Wired

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Nobody Does it Better by Samantha Chase narrated by Carly Robins

Oh man. I generally enjoy Chase but this book was basically a "no" for me though other regular readers may not mind it as much.  Carly Robins is a fantastic narrator though and I enjoyed her interpretation of the story. I will be looking for more books that she is involved in. 

There was so much about this book that was cringe-y. Yes, there is an age gap between Parker and Ryder. How do we know? It's brought up. A lot. And Ryder sure does treat Parker like she is a little girl even though she is in her mid-twenties and is running a successful business. the two have seen each other at her family's events but they haven't interacted until he buys a business that she's been saving up for for years. And then she throws a fit. Which, okay. That makes sense. You're going in to cross the line of a goal you've had for years and someone has swooped in and taken it. So she runs and yells and then somehow falls in love after a near-death experience which culminates in a night with one bed. And, boom, relationship. One where every single male in her family seems to feel like they need to issue a warning and Ryder feels like he needs to rebuff (Patriachal Ew) instead of... maybe all of these males trusting Parker to know her own mind and stand up for what she wants. 

Then Ryder reverted to treating her like a child which is very much at odds with how he is treating her otherwise. And Parker is acting more like a New Adult character than one in a Chase romance. 

Two stars

This audiobook comes out November 11, 2021

Followed by Since You've Been Gone

ARC kindly provided by Dreamscape Media and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall

I liked this book based on the cover and even more based on the author. The chapter titles? Adorable. The blend of "Clue" and "Murder By Death"? Laugh out loud funny. The relationship between our two heroines? Rocky but we really get to see how they are working on repairing it and why their relationship of ten years will last at least that much longer. 

Hanna and Liza are floundering. Neither feels like their relationship is sustaining them any longer. Hannah has peremptorily gotten them a weekend in Scotland. It's a castle, but a castle in the middle of a snowstorm. And a castle with murders. Six of them to be exact. 

With characters like Emmeline Wright, Ruby, a man dressed in green, etc., this is a contemporary take on a locked room mystery with the characters of Clue. Only better. The deft flourishes of language add little tidbits of delight and it takes a writer of great skill to show us two characters finding their love in the middle of a murder-filled vacation.

Four and a half stars

This book comes out November 9th, 2021

ARC kindly provided by Kobo Original and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby September 2023

The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder by Marla A. White

This book was not to my tastes. The main character, Mel O'Rourke, big city former beat cop moving to the small town was fine. She was smart and actually had a background that made sense for her being a murderer. But I am very much over love triangles (and one was definitely being set up) and with her asking about if any one in town is a man whore.... just.... ew. Especially coming from L.A., she should know better. 

Mel got badly injured on her job and is now running a B&B, the Babbling Brook. She is now in the South and, though an independent woman, finds herself intrigued by the old skewl politness (ew ew ew) of the southern gentlemen in town. Though Jackson is sort of upsetting her what with parking in front of her driveway while he's getting ready for the local Christmas festival and cookie baking competition. And dude is REALLY pushy about her confronting past issues. 

She's catering to a visiting yoga group but unfortunately, one of the few guests who isn't with that group dies in her lobby. It seems like a usual murder but then one of the yoginis dies as well. And just because the woman was rude and entitled doesn't mean she deserved to be murdered.

This was an okay story for being the first in a series. 

Three stars

This book comes out November 9th, 2021

ARC kindly provided by The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Ten Little Herrings by L.C. Tyler

At the ending of the last book, Elthelred Tressider had faked his own death. His stalwart publisher Elsie didn't believe a minute of it so she's not surprised to pick up his phone one day (she's still checking on his house) to hear a very badly accented voice that is that of her writer's. She quickly figures out where he is (in France) and chases him down. It's just too bad that a man is killed at their hotel and everyone is forced to stay on site. Well, that doesn't actually happen until after the second murder but it's still inconvenient. And it's not like the company is scintillating. After all, the hotel is mostly booked by stamp collectors there for a conference.

Elsie decides to get involved and stumbles over the French police at every angle. But she may not be able to solve the mystery because Elthelred is keeping something from her.

The ending was a little too much for me but the rest of the book was pretty good, developing both Elsie and Elthelred's characters. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 15th, 2015

Follows The Herring-Seller's Apprentice

Followed by The Herring in the Library

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Sizzle by Julie Garwood

Never really connected with Lyra. She's not so different from many other Garwood heroines, plucky, rich-but-lives-simply, career-driven until she meets her man. But she was just a little shallow.

Lyra is a graduate student (graduate? never really stated) who gets mixed up in something that has at least three different men trying to hunt her down and kill her. When the men break into her apartment and tie up her roommate Sidney, the Buchanan element is involved. Alec, one of Sidney's brothers, immediately sends in the man who saved his life, another FBI agent Sam, who we later learn is in line to be the Earl of Kincaid, a reference to one of Garwood's other series.

The relationship is... Garwood-esque--  young girl, older male in somewhat of a teacher/protector role.  I liked the new-age-Alpha-male Sam though not as much when I read it ten years ago. Subplot with Lyra's grandmother stealing holy water was also pretty fun. Not my favorite in this series.

Two and a half stars

Follows Fire and Ice

Followed by The Ideal Man

This book came out December 15th, 2009

Opinions are my own

A Yuletide Kiss -- Anthology

When We Finally Kiss Good Night by Sabrina Jeffries 

Konrad Juncker has been introduced in other books of the "Duke Dynasty" as the person posing as a playwright so that one of the dukes can be anonymous. We've also know that he had a romance with Flora Younger when they were in their teens (at least she was) but something happened and they did not marry. 

 In this story, Konrad and Flora are stuck in the same in the same inn during a snowstorm and truths about their past start to come out. Including that she would have waited for him and that he didn't think he was good enough for her. And both have identities they wouldn't want the rest of the world to know about. But they both are still attracted and have hope for a future together. And even though this is a short story, there is still room for a Big Misunderstanding (sigh). 

Fours stars 

The Unexpected Gift by Madeline Hunter 

Overlapping with the previous story, we see the viewpoint of the inn owner. Jenna Waverly is dealing with a snowstorm and is grateful that she doesn't have many mouths to feed when one of her team, Peter, brings in an unconcious man. One who is probably a lord based on his clothing. And this year is already not turning out as she had planned. Instead of her normal routine where she gets to relax with no people, she is forced to share the inn with a group of unexpected travelers. 

Lucas Avonwood is sick and Jenna feels as though she needs to tend him herself. It is his illness that allows them to be vulnerable with each other. He is searching for a broach to make sure that his cousin isn't caught out by a rogue and her brother mortgaged the inn (which is in both their names) without asking her. It may be that their problems are a shared one. Since it is a short story, we don't really get a sense of how the two will really get an HEA but okay nonetheless. 

Three stars 

When Strangers Meet by Mary Jo Putney 

Again overlapping with the other stories, we get the tale of two of the other people caught in the snowstorm at the White Rose, Kate Macleod and Daniel Faringdon. He is in line for a barony and she... she is his wife. 

It seems that seven years ago they were both in Bombay. Her uncle, an unscrupulous man, swooped in to pick at the coffers after her parents died. Since Kate was of a an age, he auctioned her off and Daniel was the lucky recipient of her hand. He never believed the marriage was legal but here she is, stating just the opposite. So he suggests that they use their time snowbound to determine whether or not they should remain married. Again, for a short story, there is not a lot of room to explore why an HEA would work for them but overall a nice story. 

Four stars

Four stars

This book came out September 28th, 2021

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

American Witch by Thea Harrison, narrator Sophie Eastlake

There have been weird things happening to Molly Sullivan for months. And it culminates on the night that she is putting together a party for her husband and finds another woman's panties in her bed. In her bed. First, she runs away, but then she confronts her husband in front of all of his business associates, including the new DA (her husband is a lawyer), and then she hightails it out of there taking clothes, jewelry, and everything in their shared safe. 

In the safety of a hotel, she discovers papers that show that not all of her husband's dealings were above board. She is also shocked to discover that the new DA, Josiah Riverdale, has followed her to the hotel. And he says that she is a powerful witch. 

While Molly is at first skeptical, she starts to realize that the past few months have all been pointing her in this direction. And that this opening to her own power coincides with a time when she might need it most.

The late middle got a little mushy with a lot of time skips but I overall really did enjoy this book. Sophie Eastlake, the narrator was top notch as well and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. Read about this on Dear Author.

Four stars

This book came out May 23rd, 2019

Followed by

Audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

Save the Date by Monica Murphy, Ava Lucas

Okay, the first maybe third of this book is about Caroline Abbott discovering that her newest bridezilla at the stationery store is engaged to Caroline's first kiss, then discovering that bridezilla is cheating on the hotel scion, and then telling Alexander. And that's all before they even decide to fake date so that Alexander's family can close a business deal in France. 

And it's all nuts but... somehow Murphy makes it work. And the narrators definitely add to the story.

Four stars

This book came out June 14th, 2019

Followed by Fake Date

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas

When Moriarty shows up on Charlotte Holmes's doorstep, she is immediately ready to put into place the safeguards she's put up and she gets ready to run. But Moriarty shocks her - he wants Holmes to find his daughter. They were not close but he still worries when he hasn't heard from her in a long while. 

Living as Miss Baxter, the daughter has good reasons not to contact her father. But is she safe behind the walls of the Garden of Hermopolis? Or is it a cult that has sucked her in and will not allow her to leave? And why, when Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to the remote locale, is everyone loathe to talk to Miss Baxter? Or even let them see her?

I enjoyed having the third person view focused on Mrs. Watson. It is definitely a throwback to the Doyle stories and made the story interesting, even if we had a narrator who might not be observing everything and decoding it like Charlotte did. 

Four stars

Follows Murder on Cold Street

Followed by A Tempest at Sea
This book comes out November 2nd, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Berkley and NetGalley
Opinions are my own