Hold Her Again by Shannon Stacey

Five years ago, Ava Wright and Jace Morrow were in love and trying to make it in the music scene. When Jace got the chance to make it big, but without Ava, he took it. He's regretted it ever since. With his father's death, Jace has a chance to go back to the small town where he and Ava grew up.
Ava is still in town. She's working for her parents in the same cafe she worked in in high school. And the music, for her, is gone. She's not happy that Jace is back in town but she's... fair? or something? Stacey tries to paint her as a caring person who just can't stand Jace's suffering but she comes off a little... door mat-ish. It's not a horrible story but would have been a lot better as a full story.

Three stars
This novella comes out October 1

A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden

I didn't read the first book in this series but I didn't feel like I was missing anything. We learn from the beginning that Anthony Hamilton (he refuses to use his courtesy title) is something of a rake. Well, he's a giant rake. Or so the gossip says. But people have been gossiping about him since his birth (is he really his father's son?) so who knows the truth?
Celia Reece thinks she knows. He's a good man. But can she really tell? She made such a bad marriage the first time, it's hard to tell. But he seems to be different from her first husband in so many important ways. Then, they're caught in a compromising position and (somewhat) forced to pretend to be engaged.
And I didn't think the plot really needed this point. It seemed... out of place in the rest of the book. But it wasn't so jarring that I stopped reading. This was a fast, fun, and fluffy read and I generally enjoyed it.

Three and a half stars
This book came out August 29

Do Not Take your Dragon to Dinner by Julie Gassman

I am really enjoying Gassman/Elkerton collaborations. The stories are fun, the illustrations brightly colored and engaging. In a previous book, we learned why it was not a good idea to take your dragon to the library. Here, we find out why taking a dragon to dinner might not be a good idea. There is a nice suggestion of starting at home where the dragon can help cook dinner and practice manners before they can go out for dinner.

Five stars
This book come out September 1

Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan

Toward the end of New York, Actually, we learned that Felicity Knight had an ex-husband who had turned up in Manhattan. Felicity had married Seth Carlyle when they were both too young and divorced him soon after. She has tried to face the sexy vet but has been unable to do so. Instead, she grabs the chance to leave town and head to the Hamptons when her grandmother calls for help.
Unfortunately, (at least in Fliss's eyes) Seth was only in Manhattan for a short stint before he returned to the Hamptons where he immediately runs into Fliss who panics and claims to be her twin sister.
Seth still has feelings for Fliss and is delighted to have this chance to get to know her now. If only she'd cooperate...
And, ufda, was Seth a totally bland bulldozer. We know nothing about him except that he seems to be an all-forgiving saint who doesn't want to give up on their love. He's not an alpha-hole because he does give Fliss a little bit of space but other than the fact that he's missing his father, we really don't get to know him. Nor does he have any discernible flaws while Fliss is described as being just riddled with them (and not just in her own head). At the end, I'm really not sure that these two people are getting an HEA.
I am hoping for better in the next book because I know that Morgan can write in-depth characters and fun-to-read books.

Two stars
This book comes out August 29
Followed by Moonlight over Manhattan

Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules for Spying by Amanda Hosch

Mabel Opal Pear is not your ordinary almost-11-year-old. For one thing, her parents are spies. For another, she's a spy-in-training. She knows immediately that something is wrong when her parents disappear and her Aunt Stella, Uncle Frank, and Cousin Victoria show up. Victoria is mean, Frank is clueless and Stella is something else. Normally Aunt Gertie takes care of Mabel but she's in jail. So it's up to Mabel to not only run the family spoon museum but also figure out the mystery.
I couldn't quite get into Mabel's world. I'm not sure where the connection was missing. It seemed like a serviceable story with some interesting world-building but... not for me.

Three stars
This book comes out August 1

All or Nothing at All by Jennifer Probst

When she was younger, Sydney Green loved Tristan Pierce fiercely. She didn't have a lot of love in her life and she was able to find a little with Tristan until he unceremoniously dumped her. Now they've been working together at the Pierce Brothers Construction. And he's the only one standing between her and what she wants, a giant promotion. Well, she's damn good at her job so he doesn't stand in her way for long. It seems like a lot of their old hurts are being mended. Tristan is even taking some interest in Sydney's daughter, something he didn't seem to be able to do for a long time. Now there's just one more secret left to be told...
I didn't love how they resolved this secret. It was a bit... contrived. This was not my favorite Probst series though this actually was the best book in the bunch.

Three books
This book  comes out July 25

Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes; Jo Piazza

A book of our times: an obsession with weight, a plethora of today's trends in exercising, and the bruffin that starts it all. Janey Sweet had forgotten the codicil in her business agreement that forbid her from changing size but her partner sure didn't. In fact, he's invoking it. Janey will take three months to lose the weight or she'll be kicked out of the firm that she helped build.
And for whatever reason, Janey doesn't fight back. Of course, that would have shortened the story a LOT. Instead, she throws herself into a whirlwind of exercising and self-exploration. She meets men (one younger, one older) and gurus. Janey also gets involved with one of the "it" women of fitness, Sara Strong. 
This is overall a fun story but I wish we had seen more of Hugh and that the big denouement weren't quite so crazy.


Three stars
This book comes out July 11

Cutie and the Beast by E.J. Russell

David Evans is a temp who would love to work in the healing fields but so far, every opportunity has ended in disaster. In fact, he's been forbidden by his boss from helping in any doctor's office. But when she's out sick he jumps at the chance to work for Doctor Alun Kendrick, he of the hot voice, David jumps at the chance. Even if it means that he might never work again. He's just seduced by The Voice.
Alun Kendrick is only starting to get used to his hideous features. After 200 years with this curse, you'd think he'd be more at peace but every look in the mirror reminds him of the love he lost. The love to whom he brought death. Not only to the lover, but to the man's entire family. So Dr. Kendrick got some major guilt going on. Of course, that guilt leaks over to his love life. It's too darn bad he's so attracted to David. And, amazingly, David seems to feel the same attraction.
There are a lot of complicating factors. Like the fact that he has to go back to Seelie Court and swear fealty to his Queen. But only the most beautiful are allowed in and he is most certainly not that. 
A fun story that I mostly enjoyed. The writing was not my favorite but that is definitely a personal preference but I am still very much looking forward to the next book.

Four stars
This book comes out July 24
Followed by The Druid Next Door

Wired by Julie Garwood

Allison Trent is a college student. No, she's a computer hacker. No, she works for the FBI. No, she's a model. Oh wait? She's all of these things? And also, she's under fire from an aunt and uncle who want her to make money to keep her cousin out of jail? Oh, but there's also an FBI agent who's angry at her. Well, someone's trying to kill her but it could be anyone really. Good thing Liam Scott is there to keep her out of danger. Or put her in danger. Or... something?
There was a lot going on in this story. Which is not unusual for a Julie Garwood book. And the heroine is young. Really young. Not unusual for a Julie Garwood book. And she's TSTL. Like, really. She's this hotshot computer hacker but can't figure out how to block her aunt and uncle on the phone? Again, not unusual for a Garwood. But sad that this book seems like such a cookie cutter version of every book in the Buchanan-Renard series.
I have a lot of fond reminiscences of Garwood but I feel like her more recent books are intermittently rewarding. Allison drove me nuts, I never felt like we knew that much about Liam, and there was so much going on in this book it was hard to keep up and it felt like nothing was really wrapped up satisfactorily. I don't think I can ever really quit reading Garwood because when she's good she's very, VERY good but this is NOT one of those times. The only reason this didn't get one star is because I save those for DNFs and I waded my way through this whole damn book.

Two stars
This book comes out July 4, 2017

Follows Grace Under Fire

The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean

We met Seraphina in the first book when her sister, Sophie, pushed Sera's cheating husband, into a decorative pond. I was wondering how Ms. MacLean would let a blatantly philandering husband and his (at the time) pregnant wife find an HEA. Well, it's done in flashbacks. Going from when Malcolm and Sera fell in love, why they got married (is it true that she tricked him?), when he followed her to America, all interspersed with the present day when Sera is petitioning Parliament for a divorce. But is that what they both really want?
The problem with these two is that they really hurt each other. And we get to read about that hurt all throughout the book. There is some growth but I never really connected with either. Still an interesting trope to take on and I certainly won't quit reading MacLean because of it.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 27

The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner

Poor fox. He just can't seem to get it right. When he goes over to the farm he's expected, but not feared. No one is afraid of him, not the pig, not the rabbit, not the chickens. And the guard dog doesn't even work up a sweat about seeing him in the farmyard. Even help from the wolf doesn't work. Until the wolf helps him distract the farmyard dog so that the fox can steal some eggs. But then the wolf thinks that they should hatch the eggs to have something more substantial to eat. Too bad the chicks think that the fox is their mother.
A cute story that went on a bit long. I thought from the cover that this was a children's book but would put it at a slightly more advanced reader. The jokes/story went on a little long but this might be fun for a somewhat reluctant reader who would be able to understand the jokes and read the short snippets.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 20

The World's Greatest Chocolate-Covered Pork Chops by Ryan K. Sager

 Zoey Kate is twelve-years-old and she's an adventurous chef combining things like chocolate and pork chops. So she's decided to take on some debt. Fifty thousand dollars to be exact. Why does she want to do this at such a young age? In order to win a prestigious cooking award. Adventures and mayhem ensue.
There was a lot of pop culture in this book. A lot. I'm not sure what felt off about this book for me but I felt a hard time connecting. It's possible that I'm not in (in fact, way out of) the age range this book is meant for but that doesn't usually bother me. Zoey was just a little too annoying, too perky, too sure of herself.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out June 20

A French Wedding by Hannah Tunnicliffe

It took me awhile to get used to the rhythms and the writing of this book. For the first couple of pages, I really thought I was going to DNF this book. But then I got caught up in the story of Juliette (why the blurb seems to focus on Max, I'm not sure since the POV switches up and, really, I thought hers was really the story they all seemed to orbit around.)
Juliette is back in her hometown; rather than cooking in Paris at her own restaurant, she's the housekeeper for rocker Max who is just about to turn forty and has invited his six best friends to celebrate with him. Two are involved with each other and bring their rebellious teen daughter, but we're given hints that it is not a halcyon relationship. One of his friends, Rosie, is married to a man the rest of them hate. Eddie is bringing his very young girlfriend along. And Helen, the one that got away (from Max), is coming and bringing her sister.
It's a book that has it's issues, but it still drew me in and made me care about the characters. I wish we had learned more than the rather thin epilogue and that the beginning was a little less rough  but I overall thought three and a half stars.

This book comes out June 6

New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan

We've met the Knight siblings on the periphery of the other "From Manhattan with Love" books. Harriet and Fliss are dog walkers who have worked with the Urban Genie women. Their brother Daniel, the hero of this book, is Lucas Blade's friend and neighbor. Each of the siblings was scarred in different ways by their parent's explosive marriage. For Daniel, he became a divorce lawyer; a shark specializing in helping to make sure that parents who shouldn't be together don't stay together "for the kids." This is why he gets so upset when the advice of a popular blog has one of his clients (both of whose children are having emotional problems) getting back together with his ex. It's a good thing he has is finally making headway with the gorgeous brunette he sees running in the park. Yes, it involves borrowing a foster dog from his sisters and engaging in some deception but he doesn't have long-term relationships anyway, so what does it matter?
Molly fled England after her personal life imploded on national television and her friends deserted her. She's decided that, because she has never fallen in love, her mother's abandonment has left her unable to love. But as a psychologist, she knows she can help others and does so on her blog. Too bad the hot guy with the gorgeous dog keeps distracting her.
There are some awkward expositional moments so I don't think you'll need to have read the other books in this series to keep up. Other drawbacks of this book are the somewhat fast resolution to the big drama and a bit of a twee ending with Yet Another Thing. I did, however, enjoy the characters, most of the story, and the light touch of adding in previous characters from the series.

Four stars
This book came out May 30
Follows Miracle on 5th Avenue

No One but You by Brenda Novak

Novak continues the trend of taking some truly difficult characters, in this case a former prisoner (accused of a double murder) and an abused woman, and having them find themselves and each other.
Dawson Reed just wants to fix up his adoptive parents (the double murder) farm and live his life so that he can win custody of his sister.
Sadie Harris just wants to make enough money to feed and house herself and her son so that she can win custody from her sadistic husband. The husband who seems like a nice guy to everyone else. The guy who is a cop... Oh.
This poor book suffered in  part because I read the beginning of Until you Loved Me at the end of this story, realized I had the ARC and read it right after this. It is such an awesome story with characters I connected with so much more easily than these two. I also got a little overwhelmed with everything that was happening. I don't think that regular Novak readers will be disappointed, I just don't think you should read these two in quick succession.

Three Stars
This book comes out May 30
Follows Finding Our Forever
Followed by Until You Loved Me

Merely a Marriage by Jo Beverley

So bummed that this is the last new Jo Beverly we'll ever get. This book starts off strong with the introduction of the VERY tall Lady Ariana Boxstall. She is terrified that her brother will die before he gets an heir and that will leave she and her mother at the mercy of Ariana's drunkard uncle. She had a rather disastrous season eight years ago and has decided not to marry. Her brother says that if Ariana can get married by Christmas, he will marry in January. Ariana swallows her nerves and heads to London. She is staying at the house of Lady Cawle who has agreed to help her get started. Also at Lady Cawle's house? Her godson who unknowingly contributed to Ariana's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season. Too bad he's a drunkard. And seems to be interested Ariana's dowry because he lost his own fortune. Or so Ariana surmises.
And this is where the story starts to crumble. All of a sudden we get all these extra characters in addition to a story that becomes a little less focused. Ariana is trying to consider other men, but she's in love with Kynaston. Or is she? And then they're in a scandal. But it's okay. Or is it? And what the heck is the Big Drama in Kynaston's background? And how hard is it to read that name?
Not one of my faves, for sure, but the beginning of this book shows the very best of Beverly, in creating characters and a sense of space. I will miss her stories.

Three stars
This book comes out May 30

Four Bridesmaids and a White Wedding by Fiona Collins

Jojo is aghast. She's booked a hen's weekend (bachelorette party) for her friend Wendy, their two other friends from college, as well as Wendy's soon-to-be sister-in-law who none of the other ladies have ever met. Instead of a weekend of pampering, Jojo signed them all up for a boot camp run by none other than Wendy's serious boyfriend from college. The One That Got Away.
All of the women are struggling in their lives: Rose's marriage has become humdrum with three teen daughters and a husband who travels incessangly; Sal spent ten years in a bad relationship and has just started sleeping with the chef of the pub she owns and she isn't sure what to do about it; Jojo is so involved in her work that her personal life has fallen to the side; Wendy isn't sure six months is long enough to get to know the person you're marrying; and Tamsin... well, Tamsin is a little less developed than the four friends so we don't get to know her as well other than that she also seems to be a workaholic.
This was a fast and fun book. Because it was short and we got glimpses of four different women's lives, no one story was really well-developed. But if you go into it knowing that, this is an enjoyable book.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out April 28

Miss Feesenschneezen Is Ill by David Parmelee

I was really expecting this to be a picture book, something along the lines of the Miss Nelson series. But this was more of a chapter book. And it was definitely again about an unruly class in need of a substitute. But this time we get to see the varied substitutes that come in to teach our unnamed narrator's class. There's the teacher from overseas here on an exchange program, a woman who used to work in a juvenile detention center, and a host of others that try to come in and teach this class, and fail.
A nice book but without the fun of Viola Swamp.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out April 20

Miraculous Mysteries: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes -- anthology

A nice collection of mystery stories; a good reason why the Poisoned Pen Press anthologies are quickly becoming a must-read. Stories of murders that couldn't have happened, mostly because of locked rooms. There were several authors with stories I already knew but enjoyed visiting (Sayers,  Allingham, etc.) as well as some new-to-me authors and stories. Was every single one a winner? No, but enjoyed most of them.

Four stars
This book comes out June 6, 2017

Unicorn Crossing by Dana Simpson

I've heard about this series on several podcasts and at least a few blogs and there was a general amount of squee-age involved with every review. And now I know why.
The unicorn, Marigold, and her human friend Phoebe go through a lot in this book. Halloween, winter, reading books (discussion of ebook vs. physical vs. scroll), Marigold going on a trip, and many other adventures. It's fast, it's fun, it even imparts some moral lessons. A good read.

Four and a half stars
This book comes out March 28