Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis

The relationship between Elle and Archer has been mysterious throughout the other two books and I've looked forward to learning more about their past.
The book opens with Archer asking (sort of) Elle to help them with a honey pot scheme. Apparently she has done so in the past and this is no different. During this exchange, we see a bit into where they are now. As the book progresses, we get to see a bit more of her history and their history together.
Of course, the road to HEA won't be easy. Elle's sister come back into town bringing up a lot of Elle's issues again.
And the ending. Oh. The Shalvis endings lately have been depressingly similar. Public. So Public. Always with the public. And the overwrought. This was not my favorite book in the series.

Three stars

This book comes out January 24

Follows One Snowy Night

Pirates in the Library by Nadia Ali

What happens when pirates find a treasure map that points to the library as having treasure? Well, there's a lot of explaining by the librarian for one!
The lesson learned is the expected one (books are treasures). There are a lot of words for a kids book. It reminded me a little of the Polar Express, might be a longer read-aloud. An interesting book and obviously a labor of love by some librarian.

Three stars
This book came out October 2016

The Resurrection Man by Charlotte MacLeod

When I saw this book was available as an ARC, I sort of recognized the author's name. I had read the previous book in this series last year and had had little problem jumping into the story. That was not so with this book. There are a lot of characters. A LOT. And while there is some background given for each, knowing the characters ahead of time would have been very beneficial.
Unlike the previous book, this book actually focuses on the titular series characters. Max is somewhat restricted because of a broken leg but that doesn't stop him from getting interested when a flighty artist friend mentions that she's working for a group that does restorations. Then he further discovers that almost of the restored items are being stolen.
This was generally an okay story but the ending got weird. Really, really weird.

Three stars
This book was re-released December 2016, originally published April 1, 1992

Follows The Gladstone Bag

Followed by The Odd Job

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread June 2023 (Hard copy I didn't keep)

Tangled Up by Erin Nicholas

Max has loved Bree for almost all of the twenty-five years that he's known her. But he knows that they can never be anything more than friends. She's made that abundantly clear. Literally, she's told him that she just wants to be friends. And, practically, he knows that she changes her mind about things all the time, moving from job to job. She can't even keep a favorite ice cream. So no, they're better just being friends. Even if a near-miss with a tornado made for some adrenaline-pumping moments where they hooked up. Well, mostly.
For her part, Bree isn't sure where these feelings are coming from. She loves adrenaline and getting the feeling of a nice rush. So why is Max so against it? Yes, her feelings for Max are sort of out of the blue but why not have some fun?

Three stars
This book come out January 17

The Jolly Regina by Kara LaReau

Jaundice and Kale Bland are living in Dullsville, waiting for their parents to return from the errand that they left to do years ago. Neither sister really remembers their parents but they are content with the life they have, darning socks, eating cheese sandwiches, and reading from Dr. Snoote's Dictionary. They live utterly uniteresting lives and are happy to do so. That's why it's shocking when there's a knock on the door and somebody tells the girls that they are about to get a surprise.
Little do they know that their bland lives are about to get a lot more colorful.
I enjoyed the story and liked the added vocabulary lessons. I also really liked that the sisters felt most comfortable at home and that adventure was not necessarily their end goal. So many kid books are about going on great adventures and I wasn't that kid and it's so nice to read about someone more like myself.

Four stars
This book comes out January 10

Ready Set Rogue by Manda Collins

Torquil "Quill" Beauchamp, Marquess of Kerr, is very upset that his aunt left her property to four unmarried bluestocking spinsters. He is racing down to find out what is going on (and possibly block his aunt's will) when his carriage breaks down and he has to stop at an inn. There he sees a young woman, obviously a governess, trying to get on the mailcoach but she refuses to leave her bags and the coach driver says that they are too full to take them with. When Quill finds out she is Aphrodite "Ivy" Wareham, one of the heiresses, he reluctantly offers her  a ride. On the way, they get to know each other better (even though he starts off as a pompous jerk). Once they get to the property, they not only meet the other heiresses, they discover that Quill's cousin is there as well to act as chaperone. Oh, and Ivy gets a note that the aunt thinks she was murdered and Ivy should work with Quill to figure out what's going on.
The romance for me was just a little too fast. Happy Ever After in just a couple of days? Meh. I like to see a relationship unfold. And the whole book went just a little too fast for me, glossing over several parts. But overall this is an enjoyable read that regular Collins readers will enjoy. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 3
Followed by Duke with Benefits

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

The first book in this series was fabulous. Ms. Raybourn's interview with the Smart Bitches was fantastic. And this book continues a streak.
Veronica Speedwell is back. And bored. She's very bored. Just spending her days training with Revelestoke "Stoker" Templeton-Vane is not how she wanted to be spending her life. But their friend Lord Rosemorran who was going to finance an expedition for all of them tripped over his pet tortoise (yes!) and broke his femur. So when Lord Rosemorran's sister asks Veronica if she wants to go to the Curiosity Club, Veronica doesn't hesitate. Curiosity is the theme of this book and mentioned quite often in conjunction with our heroine.
It's what springs to the fore when she realizes that she has actually been tricked into meeting with one of her aunts. One of her father's sisters. The father who has never been able to publicly acknowledge her. This aunt wants her to help clear up the name of Miles Ramsforth, a man who is about to hang for murdering his pregnant mistress.
The mystery is well developed, we get to learn a lot more about the characters of both Stoker and Veronica (what they have in common, a little bit more about Stoker's past with his soul-sucking wife), and we get to meet the shadowy figure behind Sir Hugo Montgomerie, the head of Special Branch, Scotland Yard.

Four stars
This book comes out January 10, 2017
Follows A Curious Beginning

Followed by A Treacherous Curse

Opinions are my own

Reread as an audiobook from Libby December 2023