Simply the Best by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Stepping out of her regular stories, Phillips adds a murder into this one. But, it doesn't detract from the romance, the genre she is really known for and trying to solve the mystery lets our two main characters get past their initial meeting which was both good... and not so good.

Rory Garrett (she uses the name Meadows so people are less likely to connect her to Clint Garrett, Chicago Stars football player) is used to things going wrong in her life. But her recent life is really taking the cake on that. A failed business, a bad attempt at a one-night-stand, and breaking up her best friend in Chicago and Clint are just some of the recent examples. But she's not prepared to find a body. Nor is she able to understand why Clint's agent is so darn hot, even if she knows there can never be a real relationship between them. 

Brett "The River" Rivers is used to being perfect. His life is built around being the best sports agent in the business. And that's about to be paid off with a promotion to Vice President at Champion Sports Management. But he's just made two massive mistakes and now he's not sure how to hang on to Cliff as a client. And it seems foolhardy to run around with the man's sister when Brett just can't help but be so darn attracted to her. 

I'm really not sure about the murder but it does create an external reason for Rory and Brett to be thrown together. Of course, there was a last Big Misunderstanding and a rather over-the-top end scene to the two being together but I overall enjoyed the book. 

Chicago Stars #10

Three and a half stars
This book comes out February 14, 2024

Follows When Stars Collide

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley

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

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

Vortex by Catherine Coulter

Like other recent books in the series, this one has parallel stories running through it. Dillon and Sherlock aren't actually in the same place or even working on the same case and, actually, aren't in the book as much as usual. But it was still a Coulter FBI Thriller. 

Mia Briscoe is a reporter working on a story related to a mayoral candidate for New York City. In no way did she expect it to lead to the story of a lifetime and the solving of her best friend's murder. But the man is seriously connected and all of a sudden, Mia is under attack. 

Meanwhile, Olivia Hildebrandt is under fire. The CIA operative has been attacked in her own home. She knows it has something to do with her boyfriend's disappearance. They had been on a mission to remove an undercover operative in Iran and now her boyfriend is gone. 

There was also sort of a throwaway story with Sherlock investigating a woman whose second husband has died mysteriously. I guess to reiterate what an awesome investigator she is?

Three and a half stars
Follows Deadlock

This book comes out August 10th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I'm having a hard time figure out what I think of this book. I was uncertain about the two characters in the beginning, didn't really like that the reveal of why Olivia doesn't like Thaddeus at first (and it's ridiculously quick resolution), and REALLY thought there was too much drama at the end and Thad was a jerk. This book could have been saved with the elimination of any of the 16 reasons the HEA doesn't happen or the streamlining any of the 212 storylines. If this had just been a forced proximity between an opera singer and a football player, this could have been an amazing book, especially by this author. However, all that being said, SEP is an amazing author and I eventually grew to like Olivia and liked Thad other than his (out of character) ridiculousness  at the end. 

Olivia Shore is a world-famous opera singer. She is the perfect choice for a luxury watch brand. Too bad the man they've chose to be her counterpart is such an amazing jerk. This tour is definitely just adding to the problems heaping on her life that are coming out as physical ailments.

Thaddeus Walker Bowman Owens is thirty-six. Not particularly old unless you're a football player. And not particularly galling unless a much younger, much more egotistical player is now the starting quarterback for the Chicago Stars while he is still second string. And now he has to travel with a woman who not only looks down on him, she seems terrified of him. What else is he to do except try to figure out why that is and whether he can't help her figure out her life. 

Three stars
This book comes out June 29th, 2021

Chicago Stars #9
Follows First Star I See

Followed by Simply the Best
ARC kindly provided by William Morrow and Custom House, and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Reread as ebook from Libby February 2023, as hard copy May 2024