Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis

Damn it Jill Shalvis. Another book that I loved so much I read it too darn fast. And even a day later, thinking about the things I didn't like, this book still gives me warm fuzzies.
Sophie Marren knows she isn't perfect. And she's too impulsive. Why else would she have asked for her husband's boat in the divorce proceedings rather than some money. Or her car. Or something that didn't make her seasick. And it's just her luck not to have thought about the fact that she'd need both day and night permits on this darn lake. Oh. And that a sexy ranger seems to have stumbled upon her latest "secret spot."
Readers will probably know Jacob Kincaid as the absent brother from the first two books in the series. He ran away from the family, including his own twin brother, when he was eighteen and hasn't really checked in since. But now his best friend from the army is dead and he needs to be home. Even if that means going back to Cedar Ridge without really letting his family know. Thank goodness there's a spunky redhead out on his boat dock, distracting him.
The first 3/4 of the book were a definite four-and-a-half-stars for me. Then came the last Big Misunderstanding. And it wasn't really as dramatic as your regular BM, but for these characters, it seemed out of proportion to how they had been set up in the rest of the book. A discordant note that threw me off for the rest of the book. Especially since it seemed like it was such a Big Deal but was resolved super-quickly.
And I really didn't like the epilogue for a couple of reasons but mainly because it makes me suspect we're not going to get Kenna's story. What's going on between her and Mitch? What gets her from grumpy ex-ski star to happy in love?

This book comes out March 29, 2016

Follows: My Kind of Wonderful

Stop the Presses by Robert Goldsborough

This was an ARC so I didn't count against it that there was a really weird back and forth of whether  contractions are used. On one page, you'd have "you are" and a few pages later it would be "you're" with no rhyme or reason. Very distracting.
I requested this book because a)I love Nero Wolfe and b)I was excited that Lon Cohen, our favorite press junkie, is featured. Specifically, he's very worried that one of their more... contentious reporters seems to be getting increasingly threatening letters. Muddling the issue is the fact that Clay has pissed off so MANY people. But he's narrowed it down to five people who are the most likely to want him dead.
And then... Cameron is found shot to death. The police say it's suicide but the newspaper's owners aren't so sure.
Close to the Rex Stout voice and certainly better than "Black Coffee" but the mystery was a bit week and the characters didn't... seem like themselves (can you say that about fictional characters?) I did  really like page 35 ,the juxtaposition of loath and loathe.

This book came out March 8
Three stars

Raiders of the Lost Bark by Sparkle Abbey

I requested this book from NetGalley with the vague remembrance that I had enjoyed the Pampered Pets Mysteries. I couldn't remember any of them but started into Raiders of the Last Bark anyway. About halfway through, I sort of remembered pieces of the earlier books and went to check out my reviews. It's been about three years since I last read a PPM which explains why it's a little foggy in my memory. I've also skipped three of the books apparently which was fine. A lot of the back story, like Mel's feud with her cousin Caro over their grandmother's broach, was inserted neatly into this story without too much fanfare or over-explaining. I'm not sure if I'll go back and read the three I've missed but it was nice to be able to jump back in without too much trouble.
Mel is the first-person narrator of this book (my reviews reminded me that the books switch between her and Caro). This time she's heading out to a glamping event. One that she's been blackmailed into attending by the resident pet chef (is this a thing? Good lord I'm glad I live in a small town in the back of beyond). When said pet chef turns up with a fork sticking out of the side of her neck, somehow Mel ends up as the main suspect. I say "somehow" because it seems very odd that the police would immediately zone in on her and not let up. Maybe not in real life but at least in this kind of series mystery.

This book comes out March 25
Three stars

Snoopy: Party Animal by Charles Schulz

In this book, the strips gathered mainly feature Snoopy. There are an inordinate number with just Snoopy on his doghouse. It's absolutely amazing how much Schulz was able to do with so little, just a dog on a small building. And LOTS of strips with birds. I knew Snoopy and Woodstock were good friends but I didn't realize that he liked ALL birds. At least, what look like blue birds.
As with other Snoopy/Peanuts books I've enjoyed, a nice blast of nostalgia. Great for Shulz fans and neophytes alike.

Four stars
Book comes out March 22, 2016

The Jewelled Snuff Box by Alice Chetwynd Ley

Somebody compared this book to Georgette Heyer and I can sort of see it. The WTFery is a little lower (a little) but it is a historical with very little physical interaction but a story that is continuously on the go.
We start with a poor, but moral, young woman, Jane Spencer. She is on her way to London via public conveyance when the stage is stopped by snow. Lo and behold, she stumbles over a body in the snow. It's a man who has lost his memory. When she finally gets him to London, he apparently wanders off again without even a thank you. So Jane goes on her way, becoming a companion to the same girl that used to torture her in boarding school. Oh, but that same girl is now married, but seems to be having an affair with... bum bum BUM... Jane's amnesiac. Who doesn't remember her.
A fun story full of classic romance tropes that regular romance readers will love.

This book came out on March 4
Three and a half stars

The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries

It's time for the man with the crusty exterior and marshmallow insides (Edwin Barlow, the Earl of Blakeborough) to meet his match. Well, technically, he's already met her. Clarissa Lindsey, described on the book cover as his friend Warren's ward, is under Warren's protection, but more because she's being stalked, not really because he's her guardian.
So, while Warren goes to check on Clarissa's exiled brother, Niall, Edwin's going to hang around and make sure that Count Durand (of the French embassy) doesn't get handsy with her again (the Count is obsessed with Clarissa and seems like he will do anything, ANYTHING to get her to marry him, even assault her).
Since they're thrown together, Edwin and Clarissa have no choice but to get to know more about each other. A happenstance that helps them see past the prejudices that they have built up toward each other over the years.
Those that love Sabrina Jeffries will definitely enjoy this book.
I wish I had seen more of their relationship growing and a little more at the end but generally a good book.

Book comes out March 22, 2016
Three and a half stars
Follows The Art of Sinning

Loving the Odds by Stefanie London

This was a novella so it's hard to connect to the characters, especially when they fall into bed so fast. But there was some quick world-building and the sketches of the characters made them fairly believable. A risk analyst (Bailey Reuben) who decides to throw caution to the wind and chase after her grandfather's watch. A watch she had given to her ex only because he implied they were getting married (what a smarmster!) Then she meets a playboy PR guru who decides to through his woman-loving ways aside to help Bailey. And, yeah, she's sort of helping him too but it's mostly about her.
Would I read another book in the series? Yes. In fact, I have both her "Behind the Bar" books in my TBR and I'm looking forward to them both.

Three stars
Comes out March 14