An Ominous Explosion by Lynn Messina

The Beatrice Hyde-Clare books aren't super deep but they're usually pretty fun. It took me awhile to get through this one but I did get to the end eventually.

In this book, Beatrice, her uncle, and her cousins go to a demonstration of a new steam engine. During the demonstration something explodes and the inventor, Peter Huzza, is killed. Few people are surprised. After all, this is a new technology and things happen. But Beatrice isn't so sure. Something just doesn't feel right. And it's not just pregnancy hormones.

Three and a half stars

This book came out May 8, 2022

Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries #9

Follows A Malevolent Connection

Followed by An Extravagant Duplicity

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Bride's Runaway Billionaire by Pippa Grant

Both the hero and heroine have been side characters in previous Grant books. They've both also known the glare of the spotlight. Jonas Rutherford was a child star in his family's movies (and still is in movies.) Emma went viral as a bride who's wedding went off the rails when her fiance's misdeedsd came to light at the altar. The two meet each other at a low point in their lives and Emma ends up pregnant.

I didn't love the time jump but the after parts were pretty funny. Emma actually understood Jonah not contacting her after a relatively short amount of time (i.e. it didn't drag on too long.)

Three and a half stars

This book came out January 18, 2024

Three BFFs and a Wedding #2

Follows The Gossip and the Grump

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Until It Was Love by Pippa Grant

Fletcher Huxley was unceremoniously released from his English rugby sportsball contract. The man who let him go was a mentor to him and he is still licking his wounds. Just because he's in his mid-thirties, doesn't mean that he's out of the game. Rugby is his life. 

Jessica "Goldie" Collins is a trust fund baby but she works as a life coach and influencer. She knows about having a sports career end suddenly. She doesn't like Fletcher very much, especially since he has an obnoxious mustache (that plays just a little too much of a role in this book). But he is great for driving her brother absolutely crazy. Fletch is Silas's teammate and we know how (most) romance-novel-brothers feel about teammates dating their sisters.

This is a good Grant book. Fast, fun, and fluffy. 

Four stars

This book came out April 11, 2024

Followed by The Roommate Mistake

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Gossip and the Grump by Pippa Grant

At her best friend's wedding, Sabrina told a secret about her fiance. She thought Emma knew the secret so when their third best friend spilled said secret and Emma didn't know, Sabrina was wrecked. She immediately set out to balance her karma. One of her good deeds? Pretending to be the significant other of a man at a bar so that the scary woman hitting on him would go away. She ended up spending a significant amount of time with the man she only knew as "Duke". Imagine her surprise when he shows up in Snaggletooth later, the man who's bought her family coffee house.

Greyson is shocked to see his one night stand in the tiny mountain town. He's even more shocked to learn that she's the cousin of the man he's trying to get revenge on. But will their burgeoning relationship dreail his plans?

I didn't competely love their story but it was generally entertaining.

Four stars

This book came out October 5, 2023

Three BFFs and a Wedding #2

Follows The Worst Wedding Date

Followed by The Bride's Runaway Billionaire

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Crazy as a Loon by Hailey Edwards

I've read any number of books about young covens and thought this one looked interesting. I'm not sure how well it landed. You've got a cranky old lady (who is still working against the monsters) whose husband is in a Billy the Bass object. We are not told why in this particular book. 

Out of her coven, Ellie is the only one who is still out in the field but she still hangs out with her old group. One of them, Betty, adopted a number of shapeshifters when she was younger. It is the youngest who comes to Ellie's house asking for help. His young nephew has been sent home from camp. There is something terrorizing the campers. So it's up to Ellie to help.

I wish the book had been longer because there were so many things hinted out but never carried through in the narrative.

Three stars

Yard Birds #1

This book came out July 4, 2023

Followed by Dead as a Dodo

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Rich in Your Love by Pippa Grant

Octavia "Tavi" Lightly is a social media influencer. She's vegan, sugar-free, and exercises regularly. Except, she's a fake. Really, she's just trying to keep her head above water because she's spent her money on a cacao farm. And now that her grandmother has instructed her entire family to move to a tiny town called Tickled Pink, her entire house of cards might come tumbling down. 

Dylan Wright was a wild teen. Now he's the town's only plumber and Tavi's assigned project. Gigi wants her to help Dylan get onto social media to raise the town's profile.

There's some pull and push. It's over the top. Not my favorite Grant story but fine. 

Three stars

This book came out July 12, 2022

Tickled Pink #2

Follows The One who Loves You

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The One Who Loves You by Pippa Grant

Phoebe Lightly's life is turned upside down when her grandmother chokes on dinner and nearly dies. After a minute in hell, Gigi has decided that the whole family needs to turn their lives around. To do that, they're going to mimic an old move and move to a tiny town called Tickled Pink.

This... is not in Phoebe's life plan. She has been climbing the family's corporate ladder pretty steadily with the aim of one day running everything. She did make a recent misstep but she's still sure she can figure out how to make Gigi proud of her.

Teague is a local resident. His life turned upside down about twenty years ago when he ran away from his family. These days, he's living in a tiny house and coparenting his daughter with his ex-wife and her new wife. When the Lightlys come to town, he's not impressed. But there's something about Phoebe that is intriguing.

The two might have more in common than it seems at first sight but it will take some time for them to figure out what that is and how to be together. 

I'm not loving this new series but my joy in the Thrusters and Fireballs is more in the whole coterie rather than the single books so I'm hoping that will prove to be the case for these as well.

Three stars

This book came out July 12, 2022

Tickled Pink #1

Followed by Rich in Your Love

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Irresistible Trouble by Pippa Grant

Cooper Rock is a baseball god. But his game is in the toilet. His superstition is that he does better when he's having sex. And he hasn't been having sex. Mostly because he's run in to Waverly again.
We've seen Waverly peripherally in previous books. She's a rock star at the Taylor Swift level. But she's got issues. And Cooper Rock is one of them. Eight years ago, they slept together and she never heard from him again. She doesn't know that her aunt Zinnia (also her manager) scared him away.
Now that they've met again, they know that the attraction is still there. But can two incredibly busy people make a real connection?

Three stars

This book came out September 29, 2022

Copper Valley Fireballs #4

Follows The Grumpy Player Next Door

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Secret Hook-Up by Pippa Grant

Both Addie and Duncan have appeared in previous books by Pippa Grant. Addie is the batting coach for the Copper Valley Fireballs, a major league team. Of course, she's experienced her fair share of sexism. Not only do people not acknowledge that she might know how to do her job, they also seem surprised when she shows up to an auction in a dress.
Duncan isn't thrilled that Addie is doing the auction. But he at least knows that her bosses asked if she wanted to do it. But that doesn't mean that he's happy hearing how men are talking about her. And not just because the two of them used to hook up.
I really enjoyed this story. Duncan was a little too perfect but Addie got to grow quite a bit. You could really see how the two fit together. That being said, for all that the two had a relationship before, it took a long time for them to get together and figure it out

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 1, 2024

The Copper Valley Thrusters, #6

Follows I Pucking Love You

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own 

A Royally Inconvenient Marriage by Pippa Grant

Peach needs a husband. She lives in Alabama and wants to adopt her sister, Papaya. But the old-timey (and incredibly old) judge seems to think she needs a husband. 

Viktor needs a wife. He's heir to a throne in the kingdom of Honoria (I listened to this so some spellings may be suspect). It's known as the country of love so the monarch must be married in order to ascend the throne. 

Well, it seems like there's an easy solution here. So, the two get hitched and move to Europe taking Papaya and Peach's MeeMaw with them. But all is not smooth. Papaya is still causing problems and the country needs a lot.

I really do enjoy Grant's books. They're usually just the right amount of crazy but this one did have a little more crazy than usual and it made it just slightly less enjoyable.

Three stars

This book came out August 31, 2018

The Royals #3

Follows Rockaway Bride

Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Mister McHottie by Pippa Grant

After the "bratwurst incident", Ambrosia Berger stopped going by "Bro" and asked people to start calling her "Sia." She didn't have the life she expected to live after the incident but she's carved out a pretty could niche on the social media team of Crunchy, an organic food store. Too bad her nemesis (and the other person involved) has just bought the store. 

Chase Jett grew up with the Berger twins and spent a lot of time with their sister. They had a history of pranking each other but their time together is still in his memory. He doesn't think they can pick up where they left off but he knows that the spark they had is still there.

This is barely a three star for me because there is just So Much Misunderstanding in this book.

Three stars

This book came out October 30, 2017

Girl Band #1

Followed by Stud in the Stacks

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

High Intensity by Dara Joy

I remember enjoying the first of the Tyber and Zanita books but not the second. I couldn't really remember why. I now know. It's because Zanita was charming and whimsical in the first book while Tyber was bemused and enchanted (this was well before manic pixie dream girls became oversaturated in our culture.) The second book, she's a nut and he's a prankster know-it-all.
Zanita proposed to Tyber but then tells him she doesn't want to get married because they'll become boring. He decides to prove her wrong by whisking her off to an island adventure where there may be ghosts. Blooey (cook) and Hambone (cat), of course, are going to come along. Zanita's Auntie shows up as well. We even see Mills and Gregor (and his son Cody) a couple of times though the conversation is basically the same in both.

Two stars

This book came out October 1, 1998 

Tyber and Zanita #2

Follows High Energy

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Royally Pucked by Pippa Grant

What do you do with a spare royal heir when he's acting up? Manning Frey's family moves him to the United States where he is on a professional hockey team. He doesn't mean to knock up Gracie Diamonte but he's not exactly upset about it. Except that he's technically sort of engaged. 

Gracie isn't thrilled to be pregnant but that's what life is. She finds Manning incredibly charming but isn't ready to believe that he is read to settle down with a woman like her, she barely graduated high school and is from nowheresville Alabama.

Not as fun as other books from Pippa Grant but still a fast read and enjoyable enough to finish.

Three stars

This book came out April 6, 2018

The Copper Valley Thrusters #2

Follows Pilot & the Puck-up

Followed by Beauty & the Beefcake

Royals #1

Followed by Rockaway Bride

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Dirty Talking Rival (formerly Master Baker) by Pippa Grant

Some Pippa Grant books I love and some are fine. I can't tell you where the line is because they are all a little crazy and over the top but some are just more fun. I'm currently doing a timeline re-read and figured I'd include some of the ones I'd skipped before. This was one of them and it's fun. It's fast. It's fluffy. It's just a little annoying and I think it's because the reason Grady and Annika can't be together is more of a "reason." 

Annika is on leave from the Army to help her mom and her thirteen-year-old sister get set after her mom had some rapid onset blindness. Some of the getting set is opening a bakery, her mother's dream. Not Annika's; she can burn water. Luckily, her sister is good at baking and is holding them up. Unluckily, they live in a small town and it may not have enough people to support their business. There is a next town over though.

Too bad, in the next town over, her former best friend Grady already has a bakery. And he's actually good at baking. And really enjoys it. But he's barely breaking even himself. So they get talking long enough for them to decide to ride the storylines of rival bakeries (it works because their two towns have been rivals for generations anyway.)

So, in public they are trash talking each other while falling in love behind the scenes.

Three stars

This book came out June 27, 2019

Part of the Bro Code universe

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own 

Flirting with the Frenemy by Pippa Grant

Ellie and Wyatt have been at each others throats since they were kids. They had one frantic night together but, when he expressed regrets, she ran out. Then she was in a car crash.
Eighteen months later, he's staying at his friend's house in a small town called Shipwreck. When he walks in with his son, they find Ellie in the tub. Well, Wyatt does. And he's intrigued.
Ellie, on the other hand, is not so intrigued. Not only is Wyatt now walking in to her week at her brother's house, he's messing up her plan for the week. Her best friend is getting married to the brother of Ellie's ex. To make things less awkward, Ellie has lied about having a boyfriend. Through... circumstances... her best friend comes to believe that Wyatt is the new boyfriend. So now they have to spend time together.
Grant's writing is good in this one, I just don't love the storyline. I would say there's too much drama but that is sort of usual for a Grant book, this one is just TOO over the top for me.

Three stars

This book came out March 1, 2019

Bro Code #1

Followed by America's Geekheart

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

Sharp Edges by Jayne Ann Krentz

Eugenia Swift is the director of the Leabrook Glass Museum. She's big into glass sculptures, not unlike an artist who just died and left his collection to the museum. As such, she's going to Frog Cove Island to take a look at the collection. However, the collector died under... mysterious circumstances so her boss decrees that Eugenia must take along a bodyguard, Cyrus Colfax.

Colfax doesn't know much about glass art, outside of a cup (chalice) that was stolen from him by a former partner who ended up wanting Colfax dead. He does know he likes beer and Hawaiian shirts, both of which seem to irritate the classy Eugenia. But the two are going to pose as a couple in order to give him an excuse to come to the island.

I remember enjoying this book more when it first came out. As you might expect nearly 20 years later, some of the attitudes are a bit grating but the story is still good and Krentz's style holds up. 

Three stars

This book came out February 1, 1998

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

High Energy by Dara Joy

I used to have a copy of this book and I remember LOVING it. You've got a prototypical manic pixie dream girl matched up with a richer than rich physicist who can do no wrong. In the reread, that did bug me more that poor Zanita couldn't seem to do anything right but I still felt some of the joy that Joy's deft prose brought. It's really more of a three and a half star review but rounded up for Goodreads.

Zanita just wants her big break. She KNOWS she could be an amazing hard-hitting journalist (even if it's for her grandfather's small town paper) but she just needs the chance. So she'll find her own story. Even if that means hunting down a visiting psychic. Except... Tyberius Evans is a tall, incredibly handsome man and she feels like she knows his name from something else...

In a crowd of men (this was the 90s), Zanita stands out. Tyber is instantly entranced. He knows he'll do anything to keep this pretty lady around. Including some things that are a little shady in this day and age but were terribly romantic when I was younger and dumb.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 1, 1998 

Tyber and Zanita #1

Followed by High Intensity

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Death Comes to London by Catherine Lloyd

What a perfectly lovely story. It's a romance with a slow burn. We actually get to see Major Kurland and Miss Harrington interact even as they're solving a mystery. I didn't read the first book but didn't feel like I missed much. There was no major info dump; instead, we learned about their past slowly. 

Lucy Harrington is going to London to accompany her younger (lovelier?) sister to attend the Season. Major Kurland is about to be given a baronetcy for bravery on the field so he also goes to town. There, they meet the Broughton family. The elder son, a lieutenant, served with Major Kurland. He is also a scientist. His younger brother is something of a loose canon as is his grandmother. The grandmother who falls dead in the middle of Almack's while she's ranting. But it's not her heart, they soon discover, it was poison. 

I can't wait to get the next book in the series.

Kurland St. Mary Mystery #2

Four stars

This book came out November 25, 2014

Follows Death comes to the Village

Followed by Death comes to Kurland Hall

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren

This novella is written mostly in emails. It starts when one high school student accidentally emails another instead of a teacher. The train of Valentine's emails continue for years with either one of the other of the two trying to be the first to say hello. They also start to learn more about each other and discover they might just be made for each other.

A really quick, enjoyable read.

The Improbable Meet-Cute #1

Four stars

This book came out January 23, 2024

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

A Date to Die For by E.V. Hunter

Alexi Ellis is leaving London to hang out with her best friend and she's bringing along her feline with an attitude, Cosmo. She just got cut from the journalism job that she loves, her ex knowing about it and not telling her was just icing on the cake. So, now she's in a small town, living in a hotel, and wondering about a local woman who has disappeared.
While looking into it, she runs into a private investigator, Jack Maddox. The two team up to try and figure out exactly what happened to Natalie.
The characters were a little flat and I feel like there is going to be a build up to Jack and Alexi having Twu Lurv but there was something that just didn't quite fit for me. Will probably read the next book in the series but may wait a bit to do so.

The Hopgood Hall Murder Mysteries

Three stars

This book came out February 3, 2023

Followed by A Contest to Kill For

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own