The Friends We Keep by Susan Mallery

THESE books are the reasons I keep reading Susan Mallery. The Fool's Gold series is okay in my opinion but it's the books outside of that series that I want to read as soon as possible.
While we get Nicole from The Girls of Mischief Bay, there isn't really anyone else from that series (blissful!) Instead, while Nicole is exploring dating after being divorced, we also learn more about Gabby Schaefer, a stay-at-home mom who has less than 60 days until she gets to go back to work, and Hayley Batchelor who desperately wants a child but is aware that another pregnancy might kill her.
While the Fool's Gold series is a little lighter, these other books are more along the lines of Kristan Higgins' non-series books having all the feels. Gabby's stepdaughter is petulant and a bit spoiled and.. well, there's more there. Hayley's husband isn't happy that she's sacrificing so much to have a child, even to the extant of threatening her own life. And Nicole isn't sure that she's ready to risk her heart again, even for an attractive children's book author.
Some of the stories were a little too broad, but that was minor in a very good book.

Followed by A Million Little Things

Fully Ignited by Shannon Stacey

Jamie Rutherford is used to being the new girl on the block. Well, since she's in her mid-thirties, really she's used to being the new woman in the firehouse. Some times are easier than others, depending on how the crew feels about working with a female. Luckily, Engine 59 seems to be be very accepting. Even the crew's Romeo, Shawn Kincaid.
Shawn is super-attracted to Jamie the minute he sees her. Yes, she's a lieutenant and therefore outranks him but he doesn't see that as an issue, because why?
As someone who's experienced sexism in the past, Jamie knows that there will be repercussions if she and Shawn even start hooking up and she explains that part . But then she decides to go for it anyway. Well, they decide to go for it.
And... well, I didn't love the ending. But I did love that Jamie was older than Shawn and it was never mentioned as the issue.

Three stars
Book comes out February 23
Follows Controlled Burn
Followed by Hot Response

Murder with a Twist by Tracy Kiely

I got the second book in this series, made it half-way through and realized I wanted to start from the beginning. Even with the nausea-inducing reading caused by an ebook that wasn't well-edited (nothing I did would make all of the font stay on one page so I had to keep flipping back and forth), this was a decent story. I misjudged the murderer because I relied too much on the "Thin Man" movies that the characters are based off of.
In this case, it was Nicole "Nic" Martini who is the former detective (NYPD rather than private) and Nigel who is the offspring of a wealthy family. Nic is still the fearless detective who solves the case, however, it is still the male (Nigel) that retains much of the humor and the borderline alcoholism.
Nic has been asked to track down the profligate husband of Nigel's cousin Audrey (shades of the second movie in the series). When he ends up dead in the men's room of the Ritz, a lot of people would be relieved except that Audrey is found standing over him with the knife in her hand.
A fun story and worth reading.
Three and a half stars
Followed by Killer Cocktail

Death and the Brewmaster’s Widow by Loretta Ross

Death and Wren are back in a slightly soap opera-y (one of the characters even acknowledges that it's a bit far-fetched) book that is no less delightful for the high drama.
Death has gone to St. Louis to pack up his brother's house. At the end of the last book, we learned that Randy had died in a fire. Wren eventually joins him and the two, with Randy's friends, start to discover that this so-called "accident" may be anything but.
The solution to the mystery is easy to guess but doesn't detract from the joy of reading this story. The book doesn't come out until February 8, 2016 which is distressing because I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

A Gentleman's Game by Theresa Romain

Nathaniel Chandler, prodigal son (as he self-styles himself), has reluctantly returned to Chandler Hall where he discovers that his father's horses are mysteriously falling ill and his father's (female!) secretary has become even more alluring since he's been gone.
Rosalind Agate knows there is more to Nate than meets the eye. She herself is covering up many secrets while trying to uncover others.
When the two are sent on a mission to make sure that a neighbor's horse makes it safely to his next race, the interest between them sparks into passion.
A nice, steady book. Regular Romain readers will quite enjoy as will regular historical romance readers.
Three and a half stars
Comes out February 2, 2016

Follows The Sport of Baronets

A Fighting Chance by Shannon Stacey

I'm not really an MMA fan but I did like this book. Even if I'm confused why a novella that ends at Christmas is coming out in February.
Seven years ago, Brendan Quinn loved Adeline Kendrick. But when her father pointed out the disparity in their positions (her family was white collar, his father owned a roofing company), he decided that the best thing would be for them to break up. But he didn't ever exactly explain it to Adeline. So when she goes to a casino resort for a bachelorette weekend with her two best friends and sees giant posters  of Brendan's face, she's not well pleased. Especially when Brendan himself walks off the elevator and sees her. And then they talk and reconnect. Well, not reconnect so much as fall back into bed. But over the whole weekend, they do take time to sit down and talk about their futures as well as what went wrong in the past (one person making decisions without really talking to the other...)
As usual, it's hard to really make you care about the characters in such a short story but this one does better than average.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out Feb. 1

Hannah Mary Tabbs and the Disembodied Torso by Kali Nicole Gross

In 1887, a man out for a walk in his neighborhood noticed some unusual packages. When he opened them up, he discovered a torso; no head, no limbs.  It stymied the Philadelphia police force. They couldn't tell even what race the torso was. And race factors into and is woven throughout this entire story. I wish there more about the wider world. The story just dives right in  with little build up or an explanation of what is going on in the wider world.
I got this as an ARC from NetGalley on a whim. I enjoy micro-histories and thought this might provide a nice look at race relations nearing the turn of the century. It was a disappointment to me that there wasn't more of a discussion there, it was mainly "whites were intimidated by the new freedoms black people enjoyed" which is true, but awfully brief. But that may not be an issue for readers who are more interested in the macabre story of a woman who killed in a manner that (according to popular culture at least) isn't usually a female purview.
Three stars
This book comes out Jan. 28, 2016