Diamonds of Death by Vivian Conroy

The book opens with a cat burglar (literally) stumbling upon a dead body. When the noise summons the household servants, they immediately jump to the conclusion that he is the killer. Jack Dubois feels differently and he enlists the help of Lady Alkmene since the dead man was married to Alkmene's aunt (her mother's half-sister.)
Alkmene is nervous about visiting a house of mourning, especially since she hasn't met Amy of her cousins before. And what she finds is astonishing. Her oldest cousin Albert is married to Helena, a woman who immediately resents Alkmene's arrival. His younger brother George is resentful of not being the heir and has a strange relationship with Helena. Her cousin Ann had written Alkmene several letters since the siblings and their father had returned to England but Alkmene wasn't sure what to do with them. Her father never discussed that side of the family and she gets the feeling that there is a reason why. She's worried it's because her aunt went insane before her death.
A nice addition to the Alkmene series. I like that both Jack and Alkmene are more fleshed out than they were in the first book. Still some slow places but overall a quick and fun read.

Four stars
This book comes out October 17
This book follows A Proposal to Die For
Followed by Deadly Treasures

To Love and to Cherish by Lauren Layne

Oof. After the last book, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this one. But it was everything I had hoped for Alexis and Logan. Didn't love the ending but the rest of the book... le sigh.
Alexis Morgan met Logan eight years ago when he invested in her elite wedding planning business, the Wedding Belles. Since then, she's come to rely on his friendship. Meanwhile, Logan has been waiting patiently for her to realize that they are meant to be together. But his timeline is suddenly contracted when his father calls to tell Logan that he is retiring three years before Logan thought he would. Both his father and mother would like him to move back to London and take over the family business.
Meanwhile, Alexis' family has some news for her. Her sister is pregnant by her boyfriend of nearly 10 years. The boyfriend being the man that Alexis thought she was going to marry until she saw them fall in love, breaking Alexis' heart. They did the right thing, waiting a year after Alexis and Adam broke up and then talking to her first, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Now Alexis is flying down to Florida for the wedding. And her friends know the perfect way to help her get through this hard time; send Logan down to be her pretend boyfriend.
The "pretend we're in a relationship" trope is not one of my favorites, but it's not my least favorite and I'm glad that Alexis and Logan got their HEA.

Four stars
This book comes out October 18
Follows For Better or Worse

Mistletoe Games by Jaci Burton

Holiday Games
A continuation of the Riley family, Liz and Gavin are back at it in this book. And are they at it alot. A lot. A LOT. Yes, they're trying to get pregnant so there's a lot of sex. About as much as a usual Burton book but compressed into a short story.
A good story if you've read the previous books (since most of the story centers around the prep for and Jenna and Tyler's wedding), I think, but otherwise, it's, like, 50% sex and not much else.
Three stars

Holiday on Ice
Stella is a dancer and Trick, a hocky player. They hooked up off and on for about a year but neither was serious and their relationship sort of fizzled when they both got busy. But now they're in the same bar at the same time and the sizzle is still there. Could it be that there's something more?
I love when romance short stories start with a previous relationship; that means that it's not as hard to believe that true love might happen that fast.
Four stars


Hot Holiday nights
Holy menage, Batman! Warn a woman, NetGalley! This part suffered for me because this is NOT one of my favorite romance tropes. I generally like Burton's writing, even if it does get a little more explicit than I like. For the rating, this is my personal opinion. Do I think that regular Burton readers will enjoy the story? Probably. Do I like that Victoria was the leader in initiating this triad? I gave it a whole extra star because of that. I liked that she was confident in herself and her men.
When Victoria Baldwin finally takes a vacation, little does she suspect that she'll be falling in love. And falling in love.
Three stars

Rounding up to three and a half stars

This book comes out October 18

Death Among Rubies by R. J. Koreto

Lady Frances is again caught up in murder. This time, she has been asked by two of her friends to attend a house party. The two ladies are fellow suffragettes and lesbian lovers who have just been threatened with death because of their lifestyle. Instead of the ladies ending up dead, it is the father of Gwen, Sir Calleford. Unlike most mysteries, it doesn't seem like he has a lot of enemies. Rather, it seems he had few and it will be a strain to find them. Another complicating issue is the fact that, though everyone was gathered together after dinner, they all left the room at varying points and no one seems to be able to provide a concrete timeline.
I like Lady Frances, she's charging ahead into the new century but isn't an anachronism. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out on October 11
Follows Death on the Sapphire

Deader Homes and Gardens by Angie Fox

Verity Long wasn't sure if she would ever get hired as a ghost hunter but the day has finally come, Lee Treadwell has asked for her house in ridding his family home of ghosts. The ghosts have been around long enough for even Frankie to remember having seen them. It seems Lee's grandfather was a famous Egyptologist and nearly his entire family died within a week, supposedly the work of a curse. First he died, then his daughter, his wife, and then his brother-in-law. The only person who seemed to have escaped the curse was the family's nanny. She drew protective signs on the house but then was horrendously injured by a fire. It is seemingly her life force that is haunting the house but there is also a little girl who seems to be running some pranks on Lee. But someone in that house seems adamant that everyone should be kept out. And when another person seemingly dies from the curse, it's up to Verity to finally put an end to the cycle.
A nice addition to the Verity Long series. LOVE that there are no love triangles cluttering up this contemporary cozy mystery series.

Four stars
This book comes out October 11
Follows The Haunted Heist
Followed by Sweet Tea and Spirits

Distilled Knowledge by By Brian D. Hoefling, Illustrations by Leandro Castelao

Yep. This is a very, very science-y book. And I am not great at science so it took some deep reading for me to be able to follow. The pictures made it a little easier. I honestly don't know how much I retained but I had fun reading. I think that people who have some knowledge about liquor may not find much in this book but others may find it a bit confusing. At least until the really fun chapters that start around chapter six. Overall, well-written, seems to be well-researched, and entertaining.

Four stars
This book came out October 4

A Christmas Day at the Office by Matt Dunn

This was everything that I wanted from a British Christmas novel. Though I wouldn't have minded a little more mayhem. I do love a nice, gentle novel that then ranges into mayhem. Anyway.
Everyone at Seek (a search engine company) is on tenterhooks. They've just been bought out by an American firm, iFeel, owned by an eccentric billionaire, Tony A. Wood, who has invited them all to a mystery Christmas party. No one knows what or where it is but it's pretty well spelled out that it's mandatory attendance. Probably so they can all find out that they've been fired.
The people from Seek include Juliet (about to be divorced) and her boss/bed partner Mark. She's just discovered that her divorce is about to go through which should delight Mark because they can finally bring their relationship out into the open. Too bad she also just discovered that she's pregnant. How are they going to deal with that.
Nathan is the firm's Technical Support Manager. He enjoys being a snazzy dresser and is fairly satisfied with his life. Other than still being a little hung up on his ex-girlfriend, Ellie. So why has she emailed him?
Sophie had a crush on Nathan, but he kindly and firmly rejected her. So she's been dating. Online and through apps. But it's been going horribly. Maybe she should just grab a chance with Tony A. Wood.
Calum is dating Mia. He's trying to figure out how to propose. He's worried not only about rejection, but about losing his job. Which is why the call from a headhunter is so enticing.
Just a wonderful peek at one day in the lives of many people with enough of a glimpse at each that you can get a sense of them and realize how it is that they've gotten here and where they're going.

Four stars
This book comes out October 11