Rival's Break by Carla Neggers

I'm pretty sure I've never read a book that opens with a rash of seasickness, but this one does. Well, really it opens with Colin's brother, Andy, getting married to Julianne (Declan's Cross) but Colin and his marine patrol brother, Kevin, end up leaving the reception to investigate the illness. Colin is surprised to recognize one of the victims as an undercover agent.
From there, they get caught up in the world of nerve agents and mushrooms while Aoife Byrne's work becomes part of the story once again. Were the people on the boat targeted for some reason? Or is someone after the chef whose scientist father is even now in the throes of death?
The mystery was... very confusing. The story was fine but I had really no idea what this did to move anything in the Sharpe & Donovan universe forward.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out August 27th
Follows Impostor's Lure
ARC kindly provided by Harlequin-MIRA and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Stone Bridges by Carla Neggers

Adrienne Portale was introduced in one of the previous books in the series as the "surprise, I'm your daughter" character. She's back in Knightsbridge as the innkeeper for Maggie and Olivia's place. There was a cute conceit at the beginning of the book introducing her to all of the townspeople (and thus to the reader as well.) It was more than a little blatant but maybe slightly better than just throwing everyone in. And it makes sense since there are a lot of cast members that show up. Mainly because our hero, Adam Sloan, who is working on the stone wall at the inn has a lot of siblings who realistically will show up in the book.

This is a slow burn book. It makes it so that the ending was a bit rushed. A nice read but not much of a story.

Three stars
This book came out March 26
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Impostor's Lure by Carla Neggers

Tamara McDermott is supposed to meet her daughter for her 21st birthday. When Tamara doesn't show, her daughter isn't worried (as a federal prosecutor, she is often absent from family dinners), but Yank, Colin, and Emma are. Trying to find her leads to an increasingly odd puzzle as someone connected to her is found near death and another man has disappeared. Personal bonds are tested beyond all belief in this addition to Sharpe and Donovan.

A sad book (which marks it down for me at this point in my life) but most readers of the series will enjoy it.

Three stars
This book came out August 21
Followed by Rival's Break
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The River House by Carla Neggers

Felicity MacGregor really enjoys her life. She's an event planner and, while there's not a ton of work for her in Knights Bridge, there's more than enough work in the surrounding areas. Enough that she's gotten herself out of the mountain of debt she was in three years ago plus be able to buy a house. She does have a slight hitch in her stride when she hears that Gabriel Flanagan is going to be back in town to help out with a business bootcamp that she's putting on. Gabe, the man that was her best friend for ears until he bluntly told her that she wasn't living her best life.
Gabe's not sorry he did it. He feels like he did what was best for Felicity and he feels hurt by the way she lashed out when she left after crashing on his couch for a week. So he decides that he's going to sleep on her couch, and maybe even deepen their relationship.
This wasn't one of Neggers' better stories. I never really got that Felicity and Gabe should be more than friends. They lashed out at each other, acted like children, then somehow, we're supposed to believe they're in love. And, just to create some more angst, there's a potential female stalker after Gabe. Just, ew. It wasn't horrible though, just waiting for the next one and hoping it will be better.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out March 27
Follows Red Clover Inn

Thief's Mark by Carla Neggers

We've learned a lot about Oliver York in the previous 6 books in this series. In this book, he comes into even more focus when one of the man who kidnapped him as a boy, returns. And then dies in Oliver's arms. Oliver is the easy person to pick as prime suspect. But there is, of course, more to the story.
Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan are on the last day of their honeymoon when the call comes in that Oliver is once again embroiled in a mystery. Also on the scene, Oliver's gardener, Henrietta, (a former British secret service agent) and a man who has been with him since childhood, Martin.
 Weaving together the characters that Ms. Neggers has created in the Sharpe and Donovan universe, the dead man visited Father Finian the day before he died. I like that there is a concrete reason for previous characters to be woven in, they're not just plugged in willy-nilly to remind you that this is a series.
Books can always be read out of order in a series but I definitely wouldn't recommend it for this one. I think regular Neggers readers are going to be pleased with this addition to the series.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 29
Follows Liar's Key

Red Clover Inn by Carla Neggers

The meeting between Charlotte Bennett and Agent Greg Rawlings does not get off to an auspicious start. They're at a rehearsal dinner for Charlotte's cousin and Greg starts off by telling Charlotte she's too uptight. And it doesn't go uphill from there.
Greg is attracted to Charlotte and is delighted to learn that she is going to be at the Red Clover Inn in the Swift River Valley so he can spend more time with her. Well, Charlotte and his teenage children from a youthful first marriage.
I liked that this was a quiet story. Slow and steady, Charlotte and Greg built their relationship and fooled no one but themselves as they did so.

Four stars
This book comes out March 28
Followed by The River House

Liar's Key by Carla Neggers

Colin and Emma are off on another adventure, one that is happening right before their wedding. A friend of Oliver (the infamous art thief from previous books) and Emma's grandfather (famous antiques dealer) is killed. Right after he brings up the suspicious theft of some mosaics. Also involved, a legend of the FBI, one who slipped up only once in his career, but it was with a confidential informant. A CI who is also in Heron's Cover. One who might have some information about what happened with the mosaics.
The mystery was easy enough to solve but it was rather shallow. Not a lot of information. There were so many people that were revisited and introduced (including Father Bracken's sister, Mary). Not my favorite Carla Neggers but not horrible either. Regular Sharpe & Donovan readers will enjoy.

Three stars
This book comes out August 30
Follows Keeper's Reach
Followed by Thief's Mark

The Spring at Moss Hill by Carla Neggers

Russ Colton is in Knight's Bridge because Daphne Stewart has an uneasy feeling about the master workshop she's going to be doing there. We met Daphne in previous books (she lived in Knight's Bridge for two years, but as the last surviving family member of the sawmill owners, she has ties to the town. She also had 40 years as a fabulous costume designer in Hollywood, even won Oscars) but Russ is brand new to KB, no ties. He's been assigned to an apartment across from reclusive children's book illustrator, Kylie Shaw.
And why is Kylie reclusive? It's never really explained. Oh, there are throw away sentences about the fact that she just doesn't want people to know, but never WHY. There was no trauma in her past, no wanting to stay out of the limelight. She just didn't feel like it. And then freaked out that the new PI in town was going to discover her identity. It felt like a tempest in a teacup.
Reading through the book, it felt like there were several story lines that ran parallel to each other, but that never really overlapped. As if there were a warp but no weave, if that makes sense. There was no reason for them all to be in the same book.
Overall, it was okay, but not one of the better Knight's Bridge books.
Three stars
Book comes out January 26, 2016

A Knights Bridge Christmas by Carla Neggers

Woot, woot! Another librarian book! Too bad this book suffers from the return of too much backstory. Every time a character is introduced, we're reminded of what happened in a previous. And, actually, it's not just when they're introduced. It's repetitively knocked over the reader's heads.
Clare Morgan is new to Knights Bridge. She's moved to replace the last librarian who is getting married. This is a change from her, from the hustle and bustle of Boston but she's trying to raise her six-year-old son by herself (she's a widow) and isn't interested in romance.
Neither is Dr. Logan Farrell. He loves his job as an ER doctor but, after meeting Clare, he's realizing there might be something more to life.
This was overall an okay story, but it felt so... shallow. Everything was on the surface. Where was more backstory about Logan's grandparents and great-uncle? What was with that limp last sentence before the epilogue? And what was supposed to be the tie-in with the Christmas Carol? It was started but never really followed through. Well, the characters kept bringing it up but... it felt unfinished.
Two and a half stars.

Keeper's Reach by Carla Neggers

A solid addition to the Sharpe & Donovan series.
This time the stories of Emma and Colin coincide with those of Colin's brother and his old flame, Naomi. Naomi is in England working. But she took a quick side trip to the Cotswolds where she interacts with Oliver's (big-time thief Colin and Emma were chasing in the first four books) handy man who has been hit on the head. But was it an accident or did someone knock him out? And for what reason?
Nothing spectacular but it is a solid addition to the series that longtime readers will enjoy. I would suggest that new readers start at the beginning. It's nice to see Emma and Colin progress but it does occur at the expense of Naomi and Mike's story.

Followed by Liar's Key

Echo Lake by Carla Neggers

The book opens with Knightsbridge hometown girl Heather Sloan slogging through the snow chasing a golden retriever puppy, Rohan (my favorite breed, I was hooked pretty fast). She isn't dressed for the weather but she can't let the puppy get away. He belongs to Vic Scarlatti, a newly retired diplomat who bought a house in Knightsbridge twenty years ago but has just moved in. He's hired Heather to do the renovations. He also called in Brody Hancock, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent. There have been some strange things going on and Vic is worried that someone might be after him. Brody isn't so sure, and he's not enamored of going back to a town he gladly left behind, but he sure is enchanted by the woman chasing a cute ball of fluff.

A very surface-level romance between Brody and Heather as the stay-at-home girl and traveling man work through their attraction. They were both nice enough characters but I didn't really feel  like we got to know either of them very well. And while the lust was slow burning, the insta-love was there.
Also includes a sub-plot with Vic and his house sitter, Adrienne Portale. Both felt like sequel bait. Well see them again.
Not my favorite in this series but certainly not bad enough to make me quit reading.

Christmas at Carriage Hill by Carla Neggers

Image linked from Goodreads

Designer Alexandra Rankin Hunt is going to Knights Bridge, Massachusetts to bring Olivia Frost her wedding gown. The fact that she gets to simultaneously avoid Ian Mabry is just a bonus. The handsome RAF pilot was nothing more than a fling, no matter what her heart says.
Except... Ian is in Knights Bridge when she gets there. And he seems
pretty serious about making sure that her heart wins out over her head...
A lovely addition to the Swift River Valley series.

Harbor Island by Carla Neggers

Image linked from Goodreads

I would most definitely read this series in order. There's a mystery that's been building since book one and, while you can maybe drop in, I wouldn't recommend it.
The story starts off with Emma Sharpe getting a phone call from filmmaker Rachel Bristol, saying that she (Rachel) has information that can help solve a decades-old art theft. But when Emma gets to the meet site, Rachel has been killed. We then spin into one of Neggers books, neither better nor worse than the previous books in the series. If you've read the first three in this series, you're well-prepared for this book.
We get new insight into old characters as well as meeting new people. The cast of characters is getting a bit unwieldy but it's not as bad as some other series. At least the people all fit in with out being shoehorned.

Cider Brook by Carla Neggers

Samantha (Sam) Bennett comes from a long line of explorers. In fact, her grandfather was well-

Image linked from Goodreads

known for his travels. Sam was cleaning out his Boston apartment when she discovers a picture of the Cider Brook mill among his records, along with a handwritten manuscript,The Adventures of Captain Farraday and Lady Elizabeth.
She decides to return to Knights Bridge. The last time she was there, it ended up getting her fired from her job. And Justin Sloan was one of the reasons she got fired.
This visit? He saves her from a fiery death. Sam had taken shelter in the mill during a huge thunderstorm and barely avoids being hit by lightning.
The two do a cautious, fun-to-read dance around each other. Justin's family and friends get involved, including Olivia and Duncan from the first book in this series.
A fun read. One where the majority of the story is Sam and Justin falling in love, not just falling into bed. A nice change from most of the insta-lust books that seem to be around lately.

Declan's Cross by Carl Neggers

STOP! Do NOT read this book if you haven't read the other two in this series. You will not understand most of what is happening. You might still get some enjoyment but really, not as much has having the more extensive background of earlier books in the series.
Julianne is one such character we met in Saint's Gate and Heron's Cove. She dated Colin's brother Andy for awhile before he inevitably broke her heart. When offered a chance to study marine life in Ireland, Julianne jumps at the offer, even though she just met Lindsey. One problem, Lindsey isn't there to pick her up. Well, Julianne is a big girl who can get herself up to the cottage where she's staying. But Lindsey never shows up. At least, not alive.
Luckily, Emma and Colin are in Ireland and on their way down. Not to check up on Julianne, at least not ostensibly, but it is quite the coincidence that she ended up in the same small village where a spectacular art theft (a running theme in the books) took place decades earlier. 
Like the other Sharpe and Donovan (and really, any of Neggers' books) series, this book is a tangled series of intersecting stories. I sometimes have to put these books down and just think for a little bit and read something less complicated. But don't put it down for too long or you'll have to start back at the beginning.
I probably would really rate this at a two and a half but bonus points for the grand descriptions of Ireland. There are too many rehashings in this books, not just from the other two books but from this story as well (Andy's love her/don't love her, Father Finn's past) and also some story leaps (Lindsey's father might be connected to the art theft?) that just strech a little too much.
Will I stop reading this series? Probably not. I loved the first book too much and hope that I can find that level of enjoyment again.