Wrong Question, Right Answer by Elle Casey

Oof. I was so looking forward to this book (and not just because the "lithping" plot moppet would have a smaller role.)  Toni was such an interesting character in the first two books. Strong, independent woman who had killed a man. And then, right away, she's sidelined by an unexpected pregnancy. The description of this story says that she's thrown for a loop, more than that, I'd say that she's caught up in one. One that we have to read about, her making bad decision after bad decision. I get that she is supposed to be growing but I'd rather not see that growth come about as as a result of such rampant stupidity.
Antoinette “Toni” Delacourte is a kickass operative of the Bourbon Street Boys. She's always had the hots for Lucky, the computer specialist. Like, always-always. Since they were kids. But she didn't think he liked her so she got involved with a bad guy. A really bad guy.
Too bad she didn't know that Lucky also had the hots for her. Because he did. And one drunken night leads them to that realization.
I so wish that their romance had been more to the forefront of this story. Instead we got one hookup, a pregnancy, a lot of Toni looping in her own head, and then an HEA. I just didn't feel it. Unfortunately, I just read the first book within the last week and comparing the fun of that book with the angst of this book just made this book seem so much... angstier. I will read Thibault's story but I'm worried about whether I will enjoy it.
Two and a half stars
This book comes out August 23

Run to You by Rachel Lacey

Another small-town romance? Gimme. Fake relationship? Eh. Not my favorite. In fact, I was super-stoked that Gabby said no at first when Ethan first proposed the plan. I get that the former Olympic swimmer wanted to make his dying grandmother happy, but that just doesn't seem like a great way to do it. But then, Gabby's abusive ex is in town so....
I did love that Gabby wanted to stand up for herself. Oh, and that she's a video game designer. Loved it. And Ethan is beyond romantic in letting her figure out their relationship steps. She sets boundaries and he <gasp> sticks to them. Does this happen in other romance novels? Certainly. But I haven't gotten to read too many of them and we definitely need more out there.
There were some clunky parts of the story but overall it was a fast and fun read with a hero who was an alpha male but NOT an alphahole and thus a delight to read. I really wish that Gabby hadn't been so gung-ho about not using condoms. Just not smart but Ethan did stick to his guns (mostly).
I hadn't read Rachel Lacey before (at least not in my memory or according to Goodreads) but I am very much looking forward to her next Risking It All novel. I think fans of Susan Mallery and Rachel Gibson should do the same.

Four stars
This book comes out August 23

Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak

Oh man. Novak is good at the feels. Very good. And when she turns her mind to a thriller. Oofta.
I read the prequel to this book and it was bad enough. I was going to say "scary" but this is something deeper.
Doctor Evelyn Talbot has opened up a unique facility in the Alaskan wilderness, a house for psychopaths, killers who she and her team study (Hanover House). There are supposedly 250 inmates (which has to be twice the number of a lot of small Alaskan towns). Dr. Talbot is no stranger to killer psychopaths since she was almost killed by one when she was 16. Now she's trying to figure out why they do what they do so that she can prevent more murders in the future.
Sergeant Amarok is seven years Evelyn's junior, but that doesn't mean that he's not wildly attracted to her. And he knows the trauma of her past and is ridiculously romantic in being patient with her. They went their separate ways after the first novella because Evelyn has issues but a massive snow storm in the beginning of the book means that he's given a second chance when Evelyn's car goes out and she's forced to stay at his house for the night. But that same night, there's a murder. Is an escapee from the Hanover House or something more sinister.
The beginning of the book was so great plotting-wise and world building. We get to meet so many of the characters and start the suspense. But the middle started to get a little whirligig-ish and by the end, there was just Too Much going on. This was a solid four star book most of the way through but the last third was definitely a two.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 23

Follows Hanover House (novella)
Followed by Hello Again

Insidious by Catherine Coulter

I know some readers will disagree but I was so relieved that this book broke just a bit from the more recent formula. You know, Sherlock and Savich bring in a new investigator who falls in love with someone l, there's paranormal, crazy-pants antics and everyone ends up with an HEA. Some of that happens in "Insidious," but it's not the absolute same well-worn path.
Sherlock and Savich are called in when Venus Rasmussen, famous eighty-year-old billionaire entrepreneur, suspects that she's being poisoned by one of her family members. We get to meet all of the family members, including the black sheep who has some insta-love of his own with Delsey, a character we met in a previous FBI Thriller.
There is, of course, a B story with Special Agent Cam Wittier who is traveling to Los Angeles to help deal with a serial killer who has been slicing the throat of young actresses.
I'm really hoping that we get to see more of Cam Wittier and a bit more of Coulter straying just a bit from the FBI Thriller formula that was starting to get a bit tedious.
Four stars
This book comes out August 9

Friday Barnes Under Suspicion by R.A. Spratt

This book picks up right where the last one left off. Friday has been carted off to the police station having been accused of terrorism. There is a man there who has been accused of stealing a sapphire bracelet (though it is referred to as a necklace as well.)
It follows the same format as the first book with Friday solving smaller crimes at her school and eventually solving one overarching crime. A fun read, I can't wait for the next.

Four stars

This book comes out August 9

The Club by AL Brooks

I've been trying to branch out on my romance reading lately and thought this might be an interesting read. And it certainly was. Not a ton of buildup to romance even though there is a lot of sex. Instead of really getting to know a couple of characters, there is a rotating cast of women falling in love (or further in love) based around one place: a lesbian sex club. It's a safe place for women to come and enjoy anonymous sex but safely, with a lot of rules. Not my usual read but not a bad book, especially for one that essentially wove together several novellas in less than 200 pages.

Three stars

This Earl is on Fire by Vivienne Lorret

Left for dead on the doorstep of one of his properties, Liam Cavanaugh, the Earl of Wolford, is sure that he has wronged some jealous husband. And that he's definitely going to die. But his renters might have something to say about that.
The Pimm family is like no one he's ever met before. They're open, they're trusting, and they're managing to live without their servants. And their daughter Adeline is lovely. Too bad he doesn't want to marry for thirty years.
Adeline has issues. Her leg was broken when she was born, making it so that it is much shorter than her other leg. She knows how much a deformity like hers can make her a pariah, her parents used to bribe the children of their small town to come and pretend to be her friend. So she's sure that she's not going to like being in the ton; she's just in London to have adventures.
While this was a perfectly nice story, the side characters felt a bit flat, especially since at least a few of them (Julia and the Marquess of Thayne, Liam's cousin Gemma, and I'm guessing even the Earl that Thayne borrowed a horse from at the end of the story) seemed like sequel bait. The ending was also a bit rushed. Though she wasn't as well developed in this book, I remember Julia from the second book in this series and can't wait for her to get her HEA.

Three stars
This book comes out August 2