Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle

So good until the end.

Lyra Dore made the find of an amber prospector's life and was ecstatic until her boyfriend at the time, Cruz Sweetwater, claimed the find for his family company, Amber, Inc. She was understandably upset. 

So now she can't believe that he's on her doorstep wanting help to get some of his men out of a trap that's been sprung, keeping them locked in the jungle. Even after she's done, he just won't seem to leave. His entire family claims that he loves her, but can she trust the man who left her taking not only her find but her heart?

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 25, 2009

Ghost Hunters #6 

Follows Dark Hunter

Followed by Midnight Crystal

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

The Mapmaker's Apprentice by C.J Archer

The commissioner that helped Matt out in the last book needs help now. A mapmaking apprentice has gone missing and the commissioner would like Matt and India to help him out. In order to do so, they pretend to be a married couple. 

While visiting the guilds, they discover that the mapmaker's guild is also trying to suppress the knowledge that magicians exist. That leads to a very desperate situation where the pair barely survive. They also discover that their enemies may be more numerous than they thought.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 25, 2016

Glass and Steele #2

Follows The Watchmaker's Daughter

Followed by The Apothecary's Apprentice

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Regency Christmas by Leslie Lynn, Joan Smith, Barbara Metzger, Jennie Gallant

Greetings of the Season by Barbara Metzger

The Earl of Montraven fires his secretary when he discovers the man has been sleeping with the earl's mistress. As a last act, the secretary decides to mix up the cards going with the gifts to the earl's all-but-engaged-fiancée, the mistress he's dismissing, the woman he had hoped to replace her with, his mother,  his sister, and their companion. Of course, this leads to him discovering that the woman he should marry may have been under his nose all along.

Home for Christmas by Jennie Gallant

This short story is actually quite bemusing. A young woman, Elizabeth, is being pushed to marry an older, disreputable man, Baron Rathborne. He has sent her a necklace as a betrothal gift that is later stolen from her. Luckily, Lord Wyckholme is there to help her get out of that engagement and right into another. 

I originally read this book around the time it came out and her uncle infuriated me then... he still infuriates me now. I mean, I try to think the best of people but this man goes into willfully naive

Love a La Carte by Joan Smith

Cybele has put all of her money into a new restaurant, but it has been roundly panned by food critic, Monsieur Bongout. She is desperately trying to save her investment but is also trying to avoid the attentions of the man she may actually love, Lord Sinden. 

The Christmas Ball by Leslie Lynn

Persephone may not have the use of her legs but she has a bright mind. She knows that her sister Athena deserves love. It is Persephone who encourages Athena to attend a masked ball. And it is there that Lord Andrew Finchley falls in love with a mysterious woman.

Are these the best stories ever? Maybe not. And I may view them with a lot of nostalgia but they are quiet romances that hit a very sweet spot.

Four stars

This book came out October 1, 1994

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

The Watchmaker's Daughter by C.J. Archer

Down to her last penny, about to be thrown out of her lodgings, India Steele does the only thing she can think of. She goes to the shop of her former fiance (the one who dumped her after her father died) and tells the customers not to buy from him. While she makes a scene, it doesn't do much. Except that one man takes notice, Matthew Glass. He immediately hires her on to find a watchmaker known only to him as Kronos.

Matthew needs to find Kronos soon. We don't learn much about it in this book but it is a life-or-death situation tied to a watch that the man made for him. But is Matthew Glass all he seems to be? Or is he possibly the American fugitive known as the Dark Rider.

Three and a half stars

This book came out June 28, 2016

Glass and Steele #1

Followed by The Mapmaker's Apprentice

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

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

To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai

Simi and Chloe are ride-or-dies. The book opens with Chloe running to help Simi when there is a man who is mostly dead in Simi's aunt house. So when Chloe calls after a white hacking job turns out to be not so... white, Simi jumps into action. It's there that she meets Jack. 

Jack is a professional thief. A charming thief. One who knows a lot about plants. But he's willing to help Simi. Sort of.

In the best sort of heist, they assemble a team. One that includes Simi's Uber driver, a former suitor, her coworker, and her eighty-something aunt. I may be missing someone but it's a full crew. 

And it's a fun story. I'm glad I listened to it because, if I had been reading, I may have given up because it took a bit to get started.

Three and a half stars

This book came out 

Followed by 'Til Heist Do Us Part

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Mirror by Nora Roberts

We return to the same set of characters as Inheritance. Owen and Sonya had gone through a magic mirror and were in the past, when one of their ancestors was getting married. And they witnessed his bride's death. 

They are quickly brought back to the present day where Sonya's significant other/Owen's best friend, Trey, waits for them with Sony's best friend, Cleo. They are moving further along in finding out how to solve the curse of their family. Sonya's dreams continue but she and Cleo are trying to build good vibes in the house to combat the evil spirit.

There's not a ton that happens in this book that didn't happen in the first book. The plot moves, but a lot of it is the same thing we saw in book one. Cleo and Owen get together in this book and we get to see more interaction with Chef Bree who is a fun character. Nothing ever really drags but there's not a lot that's new either. 

Three stars

Lost Bride Trilogy #2

Follows Inheritance

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War

Khin Haymar is ecstatic to learn that she's being offered a story about Tyler Tun. She's excited for the job opportunity. The fact that Tyler is Hollywood's current Hottest movie star doesn't hurt. Soon she's getting to know this thoughtful, sexy many outside of his shiny star-ness but there's one night at a party when she's approached by a strange man. He attacks her and... well, she does something bad. And Tyler sees her and accidentally helps. They decide to cover it up for... reasons (?) I get that Khin is probably under some stress but her decisions don't really make sense. 

From there, the two are stressed but falling in love. Then there's the (I think unnecessary) late misunderstanding. And the ending felt a bit rushed. 

The marketing on this one is a bit off. The blurb I read said this made it feel like it would be a funny romance and, because of that, it took me a while to get into this book. 

Three stars

This book came out October 8, 2024

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley

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

A Kiss in the Dark by Suzanne Enoch

Sam has been asked to ask for some last minute security upgrades at a museum in New York so she heads up to help out. When she gets up there, it turns out that she was called because the curator got a note warning them that a thief was targeting this display specifically. When Sam sees the note, she realizes is that it is from one of her dad's old aliases. And she finds out that the reason this specific museum has been targeted is because the curator is connected to Sam's father. 

Of course, there are complications because the FBI is still trying to get Sam. And her father is ready to serve her up on a platter.

Not my favorite Sam and Rick story but it was fine and I really liked the reveal at the end. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 8, 2024

Sam and Rick #2

Follows Barefoot in the Dark

ARC kindly provided by Independent Publishers Group and NetGalley

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 

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling

Bowen Penhallow is a loner (except for his friend Declan who is, admittedly, a ghost). But he has been having a bit of back and forth with Tamsyn Bligh. She is a procurer of magical items. How does she get them? Eh. Maybe best not to ask. But she is a human who is not put off by magical things. She does enjoy meeting Bowen. 

But when she arrives at a house party and realizes that he is there too, she's a bit shocked. Even more shocking is a spell that sends them back in time where they will need to help his grandparents fall in love. They do adjust the course of history, but they also fall in love.

The plotlines don't quite all fit together but it's an overall fun story.

Three and a half stars

The Ex Hex #3

This book comes out October 8, 2024

Follows The Kiss Curse

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyage, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Deja Brew by Celestine Martin

Sirena is a kitchen witch and she has some strict rules for being a kitchen witch that were passed down by her grandmother. It's those abilities that allow her to brew a wish tea. Her wish allows her to re-live her October in the hopes that she'll get the job she wants. She's been out of the work force taking care of family and her last boss stole her recipes so she's not in a good place. Hopefully, allowing herself some more time will let her correct her mistakes. What she doesn't expect is that she gets to spend more time with Gus.

August Dearworth is a former reality show star. He was a showy magician and reveled in the spotlight. But he loved and lost. Now, he's a historian and surprisingly happy to be in the Grove. He's drawn to Sirena like no one else and the two are magic together. But it's an overwhelming magic and both of them are a little hesitant to jump into a relationship.

What I enjoyed about this book is that we go past the date of the first wish. Often, we get to the day of the wish and everything has worked itself out. Sirena and Gus are going to have an extra couple of months in this story. 

I heard about this book on a podcast and asked for it from NetGalley. I was lucky enough to get a copy and, while it didn't hit quite as nicely for me (not all of the story parts melded for me), I really did enjoy most of this book. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 1, 2024

ARC kindly provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley

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

A Family Reunion by Brenda Jackson

Ethan Bennett married off his children and now he's working on the younger generation. He's got four grandchildren who need to find love. In order to help pull them through, he's planning the first Bennett family reunion in fifteen years. Well, he's not, he's turning it over to a cousin or sister or some other woman (because why would he actually do the planning and she likes to do that stuff). 

We meet the grandchildren, Taye who was supposedly the smartest of them all but got pregnant young and disappointed the family (now has two daughters), Michael (adopted) who is a pilot with a teenage daughter who is running out of control, Alexia who is a rock idol, and Rae'Jean who is a doctor dating a man (who is white which is causing issues in the family.)

The first half or so of the book is at the reunion and the back half is over a series of months. This book is definitely an earlier Jackson with all sorts of racial and gender storylines that I don't think she would use now. I was honestly surprised it came out in the early 2000s. It's a fine enough book but she has better.

Three stars

This book came out September 17, 2001

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

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