June 2023 Monthly Rereads

Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out January 3, 2023

Followed by The Night Island

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

The Resurrection Man by Charlotte MacLeod

Three stars
This book was re-released December 2016, originally published April 1, 1992

Follows The Gladstone Bag

Followed by The Odd Job

A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton

Narwhal loves Halloween but Jelly isn't so sure. There are a lot of scary costumes and he's just not on board. But when word comes that there's a terrifying monster and it might have gotten Narwhal, Jelly is ready to come to the rescue. He superfies himself and their friends and sets out to save his friend.

Adorable as always but could have been a little longer. 

Four stars
This book comes out July 4, 2023
Follows Narwhalicorn and Jelly 

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

Murder is a Piece of Cake by Valerie Burns

April’s not-quite-ex-husband is back in town and she is positively NOT happy to see him. CJ (Clayton Jackson Davenport) immediately provokes Maddy, our narrator, into a bet wherein, if he wins, she’ll shut down her bakery. And she’s not the only one he’s picking fights with having presented Mayor Rivers’ first wife with the news that the two were never divorced meaning Candy doesn’t own her store either. And right after she had told our narrator that there was a tunnel between the two stores. 

Of course, CJ is the one who ends up dead. Maddy is one of the immediate suspects since their arguments were so public. So she's going to investigate and try to clear her own name as well as that of her friends.

I enjoyed getting to know people in this book but didn't feel like there was much character growth and there were some parts of the story that felt like they were wedged in and not developed (the parts with Leroy.) Still a good story but am hoping for more in the next book. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out June 27, 2023

Follows Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder

Followed by A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

No Cooldown for Love by Aliyah Burke

Mitchell Anderson has an ex-wife who took half of his NBA money and a mother who thinks he should get back with said ex-wife. Luckily, he's got his two best friends to keep him grounded. Oh, and the lovely lady he just saved from a rollover.

Dr. Hope Roman was just in the northeast to attend her mentor's funeral. Growing up in the foster care system, he was the closest thing she had to a father and one of the few people who acknowledged that she had brains. Now a science journalist (I did have to do a web search and see if that was a real thing), she travels the world but doesn't have a set place for home. And she's fine with that.

The two are lucky to get the last room in a B&B during a major snowstorm. To Hope's amusement, the B&B is hosting a singles weekend. Now the two are trapped by a snowstorm and forced to share a bed as they both battle against the need to get to know each other better. 

The last Big Misunderstanding didn't need to be there. I didn't think that one of the characters who caused it had been in the book enough to just pop in nor had there been an overall impression of the character who blows up being of that temperament. Still, a fun read and I am going back to Kindle to read the book in the middle that I missed. 

Four stars

This book comes out June 26, 2023

Follows A Sweet Spot for Love

ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC. and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Newlywed's Guide to Fortune and Murder by Dianne Freeman

Frances has been asked by the Dowager Viscountess Winstead to introduce the woman's niece, Kate, into society. When she is about go go visit, she is stopped by the dowager's dear friend, Lady Edith, who is worried about her. Being somewhat afraid of the woman, Kate allows her to come along on her visit. Unfortunately, they don't stay long because the Dowager soon faints and she and Frances are whisked out of the.

Simultaneously, George has been asked to look for the late Viscount Winstead's journal which should go along with the collection he donated to a local museum. With Kate already helping the household, she is in a unique position to be able to help him look for it. 

Not only does Kate have two goals, it seems like everyone is either hiding things from her or actively lying to keep their own secrets. This was a fun addition to the series and I enjoyed the story though I wish we had gotten to see more of George. 

Countess of Harleigh #6

Four stars

This book comes out June 27, 2023

Follows A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder 

Followed by An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Remember Me by Mary Balogh

When she was eighteen, Lady Philippa "Pippa" Ware was getting ready to come out. She had just found out that her father was a bit of a disappointment and, when she overheard the Marquess of Roath make an uncouth comment about her. This led her to believe that all of London was talking about her family. 

Four years later, she is finally ready to head out into the world. She immediately makes a friend in Jenny, the granddaughter of the Duke of Wilby. Unfortunately, Jenny's brother is none other than Lucas, the odious marquess. He is being forced into town because his grandfather is in ill health and wants to ensure that Lucas has an heir. 

Lucas and Pippa are able to clear up old misunderstandings but they also both agree that, though they seem to rub along well together, there should be no offer of marriage. Too bad everyone else in their life disagrees.

I wish we had seen more of the two of them together but it was, as always with Balogh, a gentle, lovely book. 

Four stars

This book comes out June 20, 2023

Follows Remember Love

Followed by Always Remember

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Florida Woman by Deb Rogers

Jamie found herself in jail for... reasons. As a part of her release, she is wearing an ankle monitor and volunteering at Atlas. It's a shelter for rescue macaques. It's also a former midwife school. It's also the home of Flora whose daughter seems to be in charge of Atlas.

The longer Jamie stays, the more she finds herself drawn to the women running the program. But she is also confused by a number of strange things that are happening in the sanctuary. She doesn't want to mess up her chance at staying out of jail so she's sticking to the letter of the law. But things are starting to make a little less sense than usual.

I KNOW I've read a book with similar themes and beats. I knew what was going to happen even before the author started dropping broader and broader hints. It was an enjoyable book but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as the All the Books crew did.

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 5, 2022

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

Capture the Sun by Jessie Mihalik

We met both Lexie Bowen and Nilo Shoren in previous books in this series. And I do believe it would help to have read the other two books. I know I've read at least one of the two and still felt like I was missing some information. Besides, Mihalik is a fun writer and you might as well enjoy them all.

So, Nilo took a job from Lexie (and that is, frustratingly, never really talked about to clear up exactly why but maybe it was in the book I haven't read) and she's concerned he's about to do it again. Instead, he is on Valovia to save her from a trap. And they go from one adventure to the next. There is not a lot of relationship building in this story but it is still a fun read and I feel like there might be more coming in this series. 

Four stars

This book comes out June 20, 2023

Follows Eclipse the Moon

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyage and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Murdle by G. T. Karber

This is a really interesting idea, turning a number of logic puzzles into a series of short mysteries. And the logic puzzles are already built into the book which is wonderful, if you have the print book. 

Four stars (printed book)

This book comes out June 13, 2023

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Cornish Seaside Murder by Fiona Leitch

It's Jodie's first book back on the force and she's already got another murder to solve. At least it gets her out of being a mermaid... 

It's Merrymaid Week in Penstowan and the story goes that the ugly mermaid turns into a beautiful one as she runs through town with the children chasing her. While hypothetically a lot of fun, Jodie is set up to be the ugly mermaid but never completes her run; she's found a dead body, that of a local fisherman. It seems like someone may be trying to tie it into the legend because the statue of a mermaid usually stored in a church seems to be missing as well. 

As usual, Jodie eventually solves the mystery though there is a bit of a twist at the end of the story.

Four stars

This book comes out June 8, 2023

Follows A Cornish Recipe for Murder

Followed by The Cornish Campsite Murder

ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins UK and NetGalley

Opinions are my own