Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh

Balogh just keeps hitting it out of the park with this series. If you've enjoyed this series so far, I can guarantee that this one will be a good pick.
We've met Flavian, Viscount Ponsonby, in other books. He was broken both physically and mentally during the war. When he got home, his fiancee married his best friend. Now that that friend is dead, his family (and hers) seem to expect that they will marry. But Flavian doesn't want to do that. He's not sure why, but his upcoming meeting with the Survivor's Club should help him relax.
Their meeting also brings him back in touch with Agatha Deering who he met on a previous visit. All of their meetings are just sweet and wonderful in ways that only Balogh can paint.
The character development is wonderful and the way the relationship builds between Agatha and Flavian is wonderful. They don't communicate completely from beginning to end but there aren't any Big Misunderstandings and it's wonderful.

Four stars

This book came out October 28, 2014

Survivors' Club #4

Follows The Escape

Followed by Only a Promise

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Audible Plus May 2024

First three Hope Street Church Mysteries by Ellery Adams

Image linked from Goodreads

Path of the Crooked
An interesting series from an author whose "Books by the Bay" and "Charmed Pie Shoppe." I was able to get all three from NetGalley. These are updated versions of the author's earlier books printed under the name Jennifer Stanley. Even with the updating though, the language seems stilted and not quite as well-edited as the other series. Oh, and it's religious. Very, very religious (I didn't see the series title "Hope Street Church Mysteries" until after I had downloaded the book. In retrospect, the title is something of a giveaway.)

Cooper Lee's boyfriend has just left her for a woman who bailed him out of jail and then made him go to church (this just struck me as odd). Cooper's family are all church goers (even if her sister goes more to be seen) but they're not pressuring her to join. When a client suggests that Cooper should come and try out the Hope Street Chruch, Cooper agrees to come. The client, Brooke Hughes, is a nice lady who seems to be having a hard day. One that should end better since her husband is coming to pick her up for their anniversary date. So it comes to a complete shock when Brooke ends up murdered and her husband is accused. Even her bible study  group doesn't believe that can be the case. It's the same bible study that Cooper ends up accidentally joining. A group that she helps to figure out who the true killer is.

Image linked from Goodreads

Way of the Wicked
The Hope Street Church bible study is at it again when they decide to help volunteer for a program similar to Meals-On-Wheels. Cooper is excited to help start but she starts to get nervous when she overhears the head of the program talking about some suspicious robberies from various program patrons. Add to that the fact that there have been some mysterious deaths and Cooper's friends have their work cut out for them.

Though I gave them the same rating, I enjoyed the first book slightly more. The ending of this one felt a bit muddled. Also, I didn't feel like the reader had a chance to guess at who the killer really was. Would still recommend the other two Ellery Adams series over this one.

Image linked from Goodreads

While I can't find myself warming to this series as much as the other Ellery Adams books, I think that people who enjoyed the first two books will enjoy this one as well. Do you need to read the first two? I don't think so. This seems to be a good standalone.
In this third book of the series, Cooper, and her family and friends, find themselves at a crossroads. Cooper is torn between two men, one dangerous and new, one comfortable but seeming to move away. Her sister's husband is moving further away than ever in this book. Cooper's friend Trish is going through chemo and another is fascinated by a new woman at their church.
There is, of course, a mystery, but it seems like this book is more about character development than the mystery. Not a bad thing, just something to note.

Make My Wish Come True by Fiona Harper

Image linked from Goodreads

Books about sibling interactions are always interesting to me and this book was no different. It's the typical story of an overachieving older sibling with a younger sibling who was always the "favored child."
Well, older sibling Juliet is tired of always being stuck with making things perfect for the family. Younger sibling, Gemma, was always the one adored and cosseted while Juliet had to make sure that the family stayed together. This year, Juliet's juggling a divorce as well as trying to create the picture-perfect Christmas. She really needs Gemma's help but her sister is too busy running around glamorous movie sets to be of any help. And now she's booked a fantasy vacation in the Caribbean. When Juliet freaks out, Gemma suggests (rather forcibly) that they switch Christmases.
During their time, each sister learns a little about the other. While the ending was a bit... more than I thought it needed to be, I overall came away with very good feels for this book. Liked the character development, liked the characters, and, even if this wasn't an entirely new take on sibling relationships, it was at least an entertaining one.

Twelve Dates of Christmas by Susan Meier

Image linked from Goodreads

Eloise Vaughn needs a job. Badly.
Ricky Langley needs a date. Badly
He's rich and desperate, she's poor(ish) and willing to help out. I don't generally like or gravitate toward category romance (too short for a real story) but this one wasn't bad. It's a trope that's been used before but with a twist that I hadn't read before. There were issues

He just wouldn't TALK. Oh my god, the wallowing. And then a slightly sudden change of heart? It's too short a story to do any real growth, and we did see some, but I was sort of shocked how quickly his brain finally got it all together.

The ending was a little too over the top. But this was overall a pretty good book. I'm glad to have gotten this book from NetGalley and will keep a look out for Laura Beth's story (how slimy was the guy she was dating? Eww.)

Her Holiday Man by Shannon Stacey

Image linked from Goodreads

I hesitate to call this a novella; it feels more like a story taken out of a romance anthology. In it, we meet single-mother Christina and her hunky new neighbor, Will. Christina's husband cheated his friends out of a lot of money and left Christina with no money and no discernible skills. She was lucky to find a job at a convenience store and a neighbor kind enough to watch her son when he came home from school. Then, Gail's son comes home from his travels. He left after his wife and unborn child were hit by a drunk driver.
They both have their issues. Can they get beyond their pasts to find a new future together?

Christmas with a Billionaire: Anthology

Image linked from Goodreads

I really need to stop reading books with "Billionaire" in the title. I know these stories aren't my cup of tea but every once in awhile, I try to read them again. Alpha males, helpless females (who are supposedly super-capable but we don't actually see that in the stories), hot sex. Basically, if you like the more old-skewl-romances, you'll enjoy this book (Skip my review and read his review tfrom Veena at "The Good, The Bad, and The Unread." She gave it an overall "B"). But if you're not a fan, skip this one.
Billionaire under the Mistletoe by Carole Mortimer
I know that I'm under no obligation to read and review the books I get as ARCs, but I DNF very few books (my one-star Goodreads reviews), and somehow having gotten the books this way gives me a little extra impetus. Plus, in an anthology, there's always the chance that one of the stories might be to my liking.
It wasn't this one.
Sophie overhears her cousin Sally's boss ordering Christmas. She decides that, since Sally and her parents aren't going to be in town and she has nothing better to do, she might as well get the money that Max Hamilton is offering up. Besides, she's smarter than Sally's last friend. Sophie's not going to fall in love with Max.
Except that, as soon as he shows any interest, she falls into his arms and offers no resistance when he starts ordering her around. Blergh.

Snowed in with her boss by Maisey Yates
Amelia has just found out that her long-time boyfriend isn't really going to be making their marriage a done-thing. Now that she's more or less single, and snowed in with her boss, she's ready to mingle. With her boss. Yep. A man she knows has a bad past but she jumps into bed and into love. Luckily for her, this is a romance novel.

A Diamond for Christmas by Joss Wood
Another boss/employee relationship. But -- not a direct boss and between two people who have a relationship that pre-dates their work relationship. Riley is also James' sister's best friend. So they have a past history that really makes this book more interesting. Best of the three stories. Bumped the entire book up a star.

Heart of Christmas by Brenda Novak

Image linked from Goodreads

Eve isn’t the kind of woman to wake up next to a stranger, and yet, on the morning of her 35th birthday, she does just that. It’s embarrassing enough but she has the complicating factors of Noelle Arnold (vindictive gossip) dropping them off at her house and the man staying at her B&B. Rex isn’t in a place to create relationships. He really just wanted a night to forget about his problems. But Whiskey Creek seems like a place that he can not only hide out from his own problems, but also protect Scarlet Jones, a photographer with a stalker. I liked Eve. She was aware of the fact that her parents might hear about her escapade, and rather than create some kooky plan to prevent them ever hearing it, she ‘fesses up immediately. Rex... was a little more mysterious and hard to nail down. He was a nice enough guy "with a past" One minor comment. I liked the name Brent. I wish that had been his real name and Rex the alias. It makes more sense in my head. But I did have some larger issues

I like Novak's books so much better when everything isn't SUCH A BIG DEAL. And how many times could she point out that Cheyenne's baby was her husband's brother but she wasn't going to tell and only four people knew? Good freaking lord. Maybe that will change before the book goes into print. I certainly hope so. And what was up with the Scarlet Jones subplot? Was it there to get Rex back to his house? It made no sense for this long build up and then nothing actually happens.