The Pedestriennes: America's Forgotten Superstars by Harry Hall

Endurance races seem to be growing in popularity as your "Tough Mudders" and 100 mile races get into the news more and more. But this is not a new phenomenon. In the 1800s,  endurance/fast walking was great entertainment. People used to pay good money for people like Robert Barclay Allardice, Captain Barclay, to walk for up to 6 day with little to no respite. In fact, Barclay managed the feat of 1,000 miles in ~1,000 hours, an astonishing thought at the time (and even now quite frankly.)
By the mid-1800s, women were looking to cash in on similar feats. And there were some big names who did some amazing things. Most of the book is taken up with Ada "Madame" Anderson who walked 4,000 quarter miles in 4,000 hours (1,000 miles in just over 166 days). When she succeeded, pedestrianism exploded. But then, as always seems to happen, the tide turned.
This book could have used some better editing (words misspelled and even missing) but it was an interesting look at an early endurance sport.

Made for Us by Samantha Chase

Who-ee. I got a pre-pub version of this book and I can only hope that the editors they get to review this deal with the POV issue. Good God. I counted up to three different points of view on single pages. We jumped around to each character so much I had trouble keeping up with who was thinking what and what was going on. It made me as seasick as Zoe ostensibly was by the wavy painting in the entryway closet. Better editing would have bumped this up to at least a two-and-a-half book for me. Probably more but it was so bad in the beginning of the book... hopefully this gets straightened out before it goes into print.
Anyway, Zoe has moved to North Carolina to get away from Arizona and to live by the beach. She's just had all of her clients summarily taken away so that she could work with the firm's big client, Aiden Shaughnessy. See, he's the kind of man who wants things done his way and only his way. Good thing that Zoe's able to stand up to him. Except when she's not. Zoe never  really became a full character. I think she was supposed to be this strong business woman, a match for Aidan, but she was mostly fairly wishy-washy. And Aidan. Well, Aidan was a jerk. A big one. And I didn't see any indication that that was really going to change.
If this were my first Samantha Chase book, I probably wouldn't read any others in the series. But, luckily, I have read Wait for Me. Also, the friends-to-lovers trope is like catnip and I really want to see what it takes for Aidan's brother, Quinn, to realize that his best friend, Anna, is in love with him.

The Earl Claims a Bride by Amelia Grey

Harrison Thornwick is given a choice by the Prince, marriage or prison. He's only just come into the earldom. As a fourth son, he was far, far down the family line to inherit. Now his only focus is rebuilding the family manse (locals burned it down as a superstitious measure after Harrison's family died of a fever).

Angelina is dreaming of the man she wants to marry, a captain in the army. Not some rogue who is more known for his exploits than his heroic attempts. But her father will be put in debtor's prison if she doesn't marry Harrison.
Blergh. I generally like Amelia Grey but this was not one of her better books. I rounded up to three stars but it was really more like a two and a half. There were so many story threads but none were really developed. And I never got why Harrison loved Angelina. He just sees her across a ballroom? I almost felt like it was more about the competition with her other beau. And the whole subplot of Angelina trying to save her father... what was the resolution? It just felt underdeveloped. A disappointing follow-up to a book I thoroughly enjoyed.
This book is coming out on August 4.

Followed by (novella) The Duke and Miss Christmas

Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews

Meg is back and this time... it's Halloween. And Caerphilly has banded together to put together a holiday festival. Only, there's something deeper going on. First, the break-ins at the haunted house. Then the fake body parts at the zoo. And the bodies that start turning up. Once again, Meg is up to her eyebrows, trying to get her now six-year-old twins ready for Halloween, try to avoid/help the newly hired festival coordinator, and figure out what is once again going on in her small town.

A very good addition to the Meg Langslow series. Readers definitely won't be disappointed.

Thrill Me by Susan Mallery

It’s possible that “Thrill Me” suffered in comparison to the sheer joy and weepiness that was “Kiss Me”. It’s a return to the regular Mallery “Fool’s Gold” series, but with a little less shoehorning in of returning characters.
This time, Zane’s former step-sister, Maya, is up on the chopping block of love. When she was young, she lived with her mother and was dragged around as her mother went from relationship to relationship. She didn’t think she could understand how to live in a normal, loving relationship so she took off, leaving her wounded fiancé behind. Now she’s back in town to help promote tourism in Fool’s Gold.
Del, the wounded fiancé, has also returned to Fool’s Gold after an exciting career traveling around the globe and participating in extreme sports. He sold his company for a bazillionty dollars (okay, it’s never really said, but it’s implied that he’ll never, ever, ever have to ride in coach again.)
Del and Maya are okay together, I guess. I never really got the idea that the “we’re still hot, hot, hot” for each other vibe. And the B plot… I didn’t love. Will I stop reading the series? If I haven’t yet, probably not. Will regular Mallery readers love it? Probably.

Hell or High Water by Julie Ann Walker

Leo Anderson used to be in the Navy. He used to be a SEAL. But when one of the seven men under his command died in a mission gone really wrong, he got out of the life. Now, he's searching for sunken treasure and dreaming of the woman who was with them on that last mission.
Olivia Mortier has never forgotten Leo either. So when a capsule of enriched uranium from one of her missions is lost on the bottom floor, Leo is is the perfect person to help with the cleanup.
I have a bunch of Julie Ann Walker's books but still haven't cracked them. So when a new series was mentioned on the Smart Bitches podcast, I was excited to snap this book up. And while it was a little surface-y on the romance, the action was fast and furious. I didn't feel like I got to know Leo or Olivia particularly well but I will definitely be continuing the series to see if I'll get to learn more about them.

Followed by Devil and the Deep

Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich

I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars. Is definitely 3 1/2. Went higher because this is just a fun book. Is it deep literature? No. But that's not what fans of Janet Evanovich are looking for. If you are a fan of the Lizzy & Diesel series, this book is exactly like the others. If you haven't started reading Lizzy & Diesel, I wouldn't recommend starting with this book. There's a lot going on in the series and it's best to start at the beginning.
Lizzy and Diesel are on track to discover the third stone, Avarice (greed). I wish a little had been more to develop this theme and was also disappointed by the lack of Wulf. And I was really sad that one of the larger threats of the book never materialized. Throw in some pirates, appearances by Carl (the monkey) and Cat (the cat), a spell by Glo, and luscious descriptions of Lizzy's cupcakes and you've got a book that's a fun ride with a mostly satisfying end but still leaves you ready for the next book.

Also reviewed: Book #1 Wicked Appetite