Rocky Start by Bob Mayer, Jennifer Crusie with narrators Eric G. Dove, Cris Dukehart

This book is pure fluff and has Crusie's fingerprints all over it. If you know her writing, this book will feel very familiar. 
Rosalee "Rose" Malone has lived in Rocky Start for nineteen years. Ever since her 12-year relationship ended when she got pregnant and he threw her under the bus for fraud. Now her daughter is about to graduate high school and her mentor is dead. But there are weird things happening in Rocky Start including two gentleman. One who attacks her in her store and one who says he saved her (though she thinks she was doing a pretty good job herself, thankyouverymuch.)
Max Reddy and his dog Mags are in town to pick up a new pair of boots while he's out on the Appalachian Trail. This town is out of the way but this is where his old boss sent the package. It's an interesting little town, straddling the line of Tennessee and South Carolina. The people there remind him of the people he used to work with in his old job; lots of secrets to hide.
Rosalee bothered me a little; she sticks her head in the sand about a lot of things. But I still enjoyed the book quite a bit. 

Four stars

Rocky Start #1

Followed by A Very Nice Funeral

This book came out July 21, 2024

Borrowed as audiobook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Enter the Nightmare by Jayne Castle

The book opens with Alice Radstone returning to the Hotel of Dreams. Except this time, she's there on purpose. It's been ten months since she escaped a ward for the criminally insane after being dubbed "The Mad Bride." Everyone thought she had killed her husband, but she has no memory of that night. Nor has she any memory of that husband.

Owen March is feeling guilty. He helped a very wealthy man track down Alice, but he's beginning to thingk that the story he was told is a lie. He's going to make sure that Alice can return to her regular life a free woman. And to do that, he'll have to keep her safe by marrying her.

Is this book a little bonkers? Oh yeah. Did I still enjoy the ride? Mostly. It stretched my disbelief suspension to the max but I overall had fun.

Three and a half stars

Ghost Hunters #18

This book comes out June 30, 2026

Follows It Takes a Psychic

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Oh Susan Elizabeth Phillips, you do make me smile. In this book, Dean Robillard, quarterback for the Chicago Stars, picks up a woman on the side of the road dressed in a beaver suit. Blue Bailey hsd been dumped by her boyfriend and had her accounts cleaned out by her humanitarian mother, her car died and the woman who was supposed to pick her up from her recent roadside advertising gig never showed up. Instead, she gets picked up by a gorgeous man whose perfect body is splashed over billboards all around town. The two are not immediately attracted but definitely intrigued. Dean needs relief from boredom and Blue needs a ride to Nashville. She agrees to ride with him to his farm where he's resting up for the next football season. What neither of them knows is that Dean's estranged mother has been masquerading as a housekeeper in order to fix the house up for him. When his half-sister and estranged father also show up, a family special it is not. 

Love the book. Made me laugh. Witty banter and real family problems kept me interested. Will definitely read again (and again, and again...)

I wrote this in 2010 and have, indeed, read it again and again. Don't love it as much as I did in the beginning but still enjoyable.

Four stars

Chicago Stars #7

Follows Match Me if You Can

Followed by First Star I See Tonight

This book came out February 6, 2007

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

The Last Lady B by Eloisa James

Every girl dreams of marrying well, especially in the early 1800s. Not every girl would want to marry a man who is seventy years old, older than her father. But not every girl has a sister who also needs to marry and, while both are pretty enough and have a good lineage, their family cannot provide them with a dowry. And Genevieve would like to at least give her sister a chance at love. So she marries Lord Burnsby. And seven months later, she is visiting his hunting lodge in the Highlands. She will meet his heir and the heir's wife. She does not expect Lord Godric, boyhood friend of the heir, nor Lord Burnsby's seemingly mad illegitimate sister, and his daughter. Genevieve certainly doesn't expect to meet Sophonisba, Lord Burnsby's mistress of thirty years. And she certainly doesn't expect to find her own voice and start speaking up. Nor to find love while she's still married.

A Gothic novel in the best sense. I couldn't get past our heroine falling in love while still married but I enjoyed the ghosts, the drama, and, of course, the compulsory madwoman in the attic (although Mima is allowed to roam freely in this book.)

Four stars

This book comes out May 12, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Gallery Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Hexes Go Well with Tequila by LeAnna Ehrsam

This book felt like a cozy fiction book with a random sex scene thrown in for... reasons?

Ursula Cambridge's relationship is failing. When a mysterious invitation appears, she decides to take up the offer to live in The Lost Souls House. Pretty quickly, she makes friends. One night, they get drunk on margaritas and decide to "hex" the people that have wronged them. Except that the hexes turn out to be real. 

There are also a number of sub-plots with a grumpy bachelor and his wayward niece, a friend of a friend who is running for mayor, and the man who is running against her on "family values" who is, not surprisingly, someone who doesn't hold those same values to himself. 

Three stars

The Lost Souls #1

Followed by Curses Dance with Bourbon

This book came out September 24, 2024

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Witches of Honeysuckle House by Liz Parker

Everyone knows about the Caldwell curse and, knowing that this is the 13th year since a Caldwell has been claimed, the town is staying at arm's length. No one wants to get be caught in the splash zone because it's not just the Caldwell's that die, it's the people they love.

In different ways, both Evie and Florence have been trying to stop the curse. Florence has mostly given up magic. Evie is still living in Caldwell house and trying to work off of her mosther's notes. She's raising her daughter. 

We get flashes back to the 1960s when the curse began as well as snippets from the 70s and 90s. 

I liked the idea of this book but it didn't land for me. I made it through and it was fine but also felt like there was a little too much going on. 

Three stars

This book came out October 21, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

A satisfying end to a series about four women who work as bridal consultants.

Parker Brown is the organizer of the group. She books the weddings and plans the details. She is happy that her friends have found love but a little jealous as well. That doesn't mean she's going to jump into a relationship with Malcolm Kavanagh, just because he's part of the group. But that doesn't mean that she isn't attracted to him. He's not a part of the elegant world in which Parker grew up but he's a good man and fits in well with the group. Mal was a stuntman in Hollywood until an accident almost killed him. He took the money from the settlement and bought a mechanics shop which is how he met the rest of the gang. 

The two are seemingly opposites but they have enough in common to make a happily ever after.

Was a little leery about this one since the second book pissed me off so much but it ended up being okay.

Four stars

Bride Quartet #4

Follows Savor the Moment

This book came out November 2, 2010

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

Thank god this book was better than the second one in this series. There was no tempting me to toss my iPod across the room. 

Laurel McBain has been in love with her best friend's brother for... forever. She has recently gotten fed up with her own dating moratorium and one late night plants a kiss on Del.

He has always thought of Laurel as a sister. At least, that's what's he's forced himself to think. But, recently, he's begun to notice that Laurel is really an attractive woman. 

I like that they have a frank discussion about their starting to date. The description of their group as a tribe is pretty cute.

Very fluffy but amusing. I'm not sure if this book was really that good or so much better in comparison.

Four stars

Bride Quartet #3

Follows Bed of Roses

Followed by Happy Ever After

This book came out April 27, 2010

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts

Emmaline has always wanted to be a bride. She believes in romance and has more dates than the rest of her three friends/business partners combined. However, this florist never expected to fall in love with one of her best friend's-brother's-best friends. Jack is a part of the group. He's been a friend to the four ladies of Vows, a wedding planning company, for over a decade. He and Emma have always been attracted to each other but neither thought the other was interested and neither wanted to risk the group dynamic.

This book was not as bad to read; I had earlier listened to it as an Audiobook and wished I had a book so that I could toss it across the room.

Throughout the book, Emma keeps talking about how she knows Jack doesn't like entanglements and how she's not going to tie him down. When she tries to get all love-dovey and he gets pissed off, she acts startled. Seriously? This whole time she's a "modern woman" and then reverts to romance type? It was especially infuriating because the first book and the first three-quarters of this book were so enjoyable. Definitely the least favorite of this quartet of books, possibly of all of the Nora Roberts.

Two stars

Bride Quartet #2

Follows Vision in White

Followed by Savor the Moment

This book came out October 26, 2009

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

He's Not My Boyfriend by Jackie Lau

A fast, fun, and fluffy book that isn't very deep but is still a fun read. 

Iris Chin LIKES her life. She's a structural engineer who hangs out with her other perpetually single friend and hooks up with guys when she feels like it. But her landlord's daughter is coming back to town so Iris is moving in with her grandmother. Right before she moves in, she has a super hot one-night-stand with Alex Kwong. Does he turn out to be the lead on a project she's assigned to? Of course! This is a romance novel, after all. As they spend more time together at work, they spend more time together outside of work. Their eventual happily ever after is a little hand wavy (this is a short-ish read after all).

Three and a half stars

Chin-Williams #2

Follows Not Another Family Wedding

This book came out November 20, 2018

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

And the Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Dancy Flynn is a movie star, mostly known for being married to an even more famous movie star. At least, she was, until he dumped her for a younger model. It's just too bad that she drinks too much one night in a very public place. In the same public place her husband's new wife has just debuted her very pregnant belly. It is...  a debacle.

So Dancy make her way to a cabin. Her ex-boyfriend's cabin. Her HIGH SCHOOL ex-boyfriend's cabin. I mean, it's a very nice place to stay on the lake. It just doesn't help that her ex is Chicago Star's quarterback Clint Garrett. 

This one had a little too much drama for me and the ending was a little fast but it follows the Phillips formula and regular readers will enjoy.

Three and a half stars
Chicago Stars #12

Follows Simply the Best

This book comes out February 10, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver, Samantha Brentmoor, Robert Hatchet

Harper Starling is just trying to live her life. Sure, she's trying to cover up the crimes her elderly landlord committed. And she's trying to stop him from committing any more as he is battling dementia and forgetting which secrets he needs to keep. But she can help him keep them just fine. She just adds them onto her own. Like what she does to ensure her picturesque seaside town stays safe, even from tourists. 

Nolan Rhodes has been searching for Harper Starling, saving her for last. But what is a serial killer to do when he realizes he might be in love with his intended victim? Because she sure isn't acting how he would think she should when he leaves a dead body in her back yard. Well, part of a dead body anyway. 

I hadn't read this author before and didn't realize that the spice level on this one was pretty high. If I had read this as an ebook or hard copy, it probably woulnd't have hit as hard, but listening to it was a little too much for me. Not sure why the gore didn't hit the same way, but an overall fun read. 

Four stars

Seasons of Carnage #1

Followed by Harvest Season

This book came out September 23, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts

Closing out the trilogy, Sonya and her friends defeat the evil ghost of Hester who was disappointed in love and took it out on generations of Pooles (Sonya being the latest in line.) We get to visit some of the brides on whom Hester inflicted her revenge when Sonya walks through mirrors to view the past. There is also a lot of time devoted to Sonya turning the grand manor she inherited from her uncle into her own. This is done with the help of several helpful ghosts as well.

This was a fine story and has many hallmarks of Roberts writing but would have better been served as a duology. The second book felt like so much filler and the third book retread a lot of what the second laid out. They are a little dated at this point but the Key books felt similar in tone but served as a better example of how a trilogy should move a story in every book. 

Three stars

Lost Bride Trilogy #3

Follows The Mirror

This book came out November 18, 2025

Hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Grumpiest Billionaire by Pippa Grant

Oliver is trying to run away from his life. He's a billionaire so it should all be sunshine and roses, but he's tired of the responsibility, of the weight of bringing his family's company back from the brink of disaster. He wants to live like a normal person. Unfortunately, he has a stowaway in the back of his car. 

Daphne knows how Olivere feels. She rejected her own family's wealth and has figured out a way to live her life without being under their thumb. But it took her a long time to figure out how to do that. So she's been exactly where Oliver was, not really understanding how the real world works (he gets confused every time someone tests the hundred dollar bills he's throwing around.) Daphne was just trying to make sure he wasn't getting back with her sister, but now she's got a new mission; help Oliver learn how to make it through life on on his own. 

Three and a half stars

Small Town Sisterhood #1

Follows The Spite Date

Followed by Faking Cinderella

This book came out January 8, 2026

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

The Spite Date by Pippa Grant

After their parents died in a fire, Bea raised her three brothers. It wasn't easy since teenage boys are  going to teenage boy. But she's gotten the last one launched and would be focusing on her own dream (well, her father's) if her ex-boyfriend hadn't stolen it from her. And to make things worse, his brother has just arrested her because of a prank. And not even a prank she pulled! One that was pulled on her. Someone ordered a LOT of fish from her food truck (which is usually hamburgers), and then invited her to Simon Lockwood's house. Yes, the super-famous Simon Lockwood who wrote and acted on the television series about weed.

Simon is despairing. He's not sure what to do with his twin teen boys. He grew up with absent, disapproving parents and doesn't want to do the same with his kids. Their mother and he never got married but they are great co-parents. 

It's a convoluted and over-the-top story which is what Grant does best. 

Four stars

Small Town Sisterhood #1

Followed by The Grumpiest Billionaire

This book came out September 4, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

Vision in White by Nora Roberts

Mac has known she wanted to be a photographer since she was a little girl playing Wedding Day with her three best friends. One day, while changing her shirt, she runs into Carter Maguire, or, he sees her and then runs into a wall. Though he's clutzy, Mac is immediately attracted to this man who was a Yale professor but gave it up to come back and teach at his high school academy. Carter was just at Mac's studio because his sister is getting married at Vows, the wedding service that Mac opened up with her friends.
He's able to get past her defenses, past her distrust of men and relationships in general. Her mother is a complete bitch and a thorn in Mac's side which Carter is able to help her deal with.

Four stars

Bride Quartet #1

Followed by Bed of Roses

This book came out April 28, 2009

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Alice Scott was sent an intriguing email. Margaret Ives, the heiress whose family was known for tragic deaths and over the top scandals, is supposedly living on a small island and selling artwork. When Alice tracks her down, she asks to write Margaret's biography. But it turns out that she's not the only writer in the running. As she's leaving, Pulitzer prize winning Hayden Anderson is walking in. It turns out the two will be in town for a month long audition. 

The town is small and super-sunshine Alice keeps running into grumpy Hayden and the two start spending time together. While we see the two of them getting to know each other, we also get a history of the Ives family. The story with Alice and Hayden was lovely.  The Ives instersitials were... fine but broke up the main story more than I would have liked. Overall a very nice story, though. 

Four stars

This book came out April 22, 2025

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

A Holiday of Love by Judith McNaught, Jude Deveraux, Arnette Lamb, Jill Barnett

This book is over 30 (!) years old at this point and the stories definitely feel a little dated. I still have some nostalgia for this book, but I'm not sure I would read all of these today if

Change of Heart by Jude Devereaux

Two very smart children, Eli and Chelsea, decide to set up Eli's mother with his mentor so that he can go to college. This ties into the Taggert/Montgomery series. Very nineties with Randy and Frank falling in love. 

Miracles by Judith McNaught

Nicholas "Nikki" DuVille was in previous books in the Judith McNaught series. In this short story, he is forced into marriage with Julianna Skeffington. The two have an unhappy marriage until the Christmas. Nikki wants to convince his family that he is happy. But he doesn't really believe it until letters Julianna wrote to her grandmother are relieved. 

Daniel and the Angel by Jill Barnett

An angel falls from heaven right into the lap of a very rich man. She softens his heart and returns to heaven, but is that what she wants anymore?

Hark! The Herald by Annette Lamb

A female herald? Who even thought of such a thing? But there is one man who will do everything to claim her as his own. But she'll have to save him first. 

A Christmas Delight by Lois Stewart, Tracy Grant, Elizabeth Morgan, Sara Blayne, Dawn Aldridge Poore, Anthea Malcolm, Jo Beverley

I've had this book for a long time and I've gone from loving these stories to having a certain nostalgia for them. They are rather twee and, because of the brevity, not really well-developed in plot or character. They are also very much romances of the nineties. Good for a visit back in time and for people who like a closed-door romance.  

Twelfth Night by Jo Beverly

Lady Alice Conyngham jilted a man six years ago. This year, her brother has just informed her that the same man, as well as the reason for the jilting, will be under their roof. 

The Lords of Misrule by Sara Blayne

Maggie's cousin is delighted that an eligible bacheor and his twin brother are going to be at their family Christmas. Maggie really couldn't care less until she sprains her ankle and gets to spend some more time with... one of the twins. But which one? And can she save his brother from her cousin's clutches

The Christmas Knight by Anthea Malcolm

Owen and Amanda are in a conundrum with two men claiming to be the rightful owner of a centuries old book. But which one is the true owner? And what is Owen doing spending so much time with Lady Pamela?

Eugenia's Miracle by Elizabeth Morgan

Eugenia Foxworth is popular despinte the fact that she's told people over and over that she is not going to marry anyone. The man she loved died in the war. Unless he didn't. Can she convince him that she loves him only?

The Yuletide Wish by Dawn Aldridge Poore

Anthea's engagement was broken off four years go and she is still somewhat salty about it. However, it seems like her former fiance might be looking to get back together... and have some reasons of his own for breaking off the engagement. Can they meet in the middle?

A Holiday Betrothal by Lois Stewart

Charlotte wasn't sure about her fiance but her father is dying and wants to make sure that she will be taken care of. Now that her father is dead, she is visiting her fiance's home... along with his dead wife's family. Discomfort cranked to level 11. Will she be able to connect with him or are they doomed to be strangers forever?

Three stars

This book came out in 1991

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup

This was an interesting premise and I think Bearup did a fine job at having a story within a story but having so many characters started to weigh down the actual progress of any of them DOING anything.

Caroline Lindley just wants to finish her book. If only her characters would do what they are supposed to. But her characters don't really understand their motivations and they tell her so. Especially Lady Rosamund Hawkhurst. 

As the widow of a prominent nobleman killed in war, Rosamund us used to holding her family together. A new threat has come to the kingdom and she is required to go back to her home country to try and broker peace. She's to travel with one knight who most definitely is not going to be a love interest. No matter what Caroline tries.

Three stars

This book came out February 5, 2024

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own