Bonnie and the Beast by Alexa Black

At 26 pages, this was a really, really short book that was mostly... well, it wasn't character development, that's for sure. It would have made a nice first chapter for a book but since it was set up as being an entire book... not as enjoyable.
This is a twist on Beauty and the Beast where the Beast is a woman who actually seems to have grown to enjoy her beast-hood. Bonnie (our erstwhile Beauty), meanwhile, has a few more tricks up her sleeve than just looking good.

Three stars
This book comes out July 19

Killer Party by Lynn Cahoon

Jill Gardner is getting used to living with her sheriff boyfriend Greg and now she's joining him and his  high school friends at a local museum/historical site/hotel-ish type thing. Levi, it seems, is about to get married and he wants a bachelor party weekend. But Jill is not amused when it seems like the men's needs come first while the women are left to fend for themselves. And Greg's high school friends seem stuck in the past and that includes a lot of juvenile behavior. Don't even get her started on the groom-to-be. When he ends up dead in a pool, there are a number of suspects. The friend who invested with Levi and lost his life savings is one. Then there's Levi's fiancee who seems to be hiding something. There's a mysterious disappearance from the men's past that might be coming up again.
One of my frustrations with this book is that there are a lot of well-developed possibilities for the killer but the end comes out of left field. Mid-left field because I saw it coming but I really hoped that it wasn't so. And that ending? Ufda.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out July 18
Followed by Memories and Murder

Spellbinder by Thea Harrison

How do you take the villain from the first book, and not just the villain, but, like, a super bad no good horrible very bad villain, and make him the hero of your second book? Well, somehow Thea Harrison manages.
In  Moonshadow, a gender-flipped, slightly differently spelled Morgan le Fae is a wicked wizard/lycanthrope. In this book he's revealed to be a slave to the evil Isabeau, bound to follow her every command. So when she commands him not to come into her sight until he's healed, Morgan takes full advantage and makes plans to stay injured for as long as possible. While he's "on vacation," he hears about Sidonie Martel. She is a fabulous violinist and Morgan has always been drawn to music even if he doesn't play anymore. He, like many of her audience, is completely entranced. Too bad his interest brings Sidonie to the attention of Robin/Puck who kidnaps Sidonie and delivers her to Isabeau in an effort to get even with Morgan.
Sidonie has no idea what's going on. One minute she's on the road after a concert, the next she's in Avalon, the prisoner of vindictive queen who has her hands broken. But then, a mysterious force comes to heal her and protect her. Over time, she learns to trust this man she doesn't see, but isn't sure how they can ever be together.
A lovely story that continues the world-building I enjoyed in the first book.

Four stars
This book comes out July 18

Follows Moonshadow
Followed by Lionheart

Some Kind of Hero by Suzanne Brockmann

Suzanne Brockmann, in the past, has been at the forefront of contemporary authors; revamping tired cliches, showing that protection is sexy, and creating stories for the current day. And this book continues that trend. A diverse (but not forced) cast of characters come together in a story that is on the lighter end (sometimes there are some DARK themes) of the Brockmann spectrum.
I missed the novella that introduced Lieutenant Peter Greene so I did feel a little behind on the story, but that may have been because I'm used to having so much history on previous heroes and  heroines. He's struggling. Like, a lot. This isn't a secret-baby story because he knew he had a daughter, he just didn't get to spend a lot of time with her until her mother died. She's sullen and withdrawn but he doesn't realize that might be out of the ordinary until she disappears.
Shayla Whitman is a divorced romance writer (LOVE THIS CHARACTER) who is sort of peripherally aware of her SEAL neighbor but doesn't really connect with him until he's standing in the middle of the road trying to get someone to pull over and help him.
A lot of action and sexy times. A REALLY fast story and an epilogue that didn't need to happen. Overall, a highly enjoyable book that Brockmann fans will adore.

Four stars
This book comes out July 11, 2017

Follows Headed for Trouble

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread in June 2022

Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery

Griffith Burnett knows why tulip farmer Kelly Murphy is avoiding him. After he insulted her fairly cruelly in high school, he deserves a little bit of a cold shoulder. But also wants her to get over it because he wants to get with her.
Kelly has more issues that just an overzealous suitor. Her sister is home for the first time years and Kelly has to admit that she had a large part in helping to have her sister sent to boarding school. Also in town as a surprise? The mother who had a number of embarrassingly public affairs and then walked out on them all. And then there's her best friend who's harboring a secret crush on Kelly's father....
Olivia Murphy isn't exactly loving her life either. Her father sent her away as a teenager and, though Olivia has built a life for herself, she's not really sure it's a life that she wants. Maybe going home will help her clear her head.
I didn't love the main hero, Griffith. I think he was supposed to be forceful but was mostly sort of a jerk. And Kelly has an issue that I felt was not handled well. Olivia was a nice addition but she had too many problems that got solved way too quickly without any build or tension.

Three Stars
This book comes out July 11

Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes; Jo Piazza

A book of our times: an obsession with weight, a plethora of today's trends in exercising, and the bruffin that starts it all. Janey Sweet had forgotten the codicil in her business agreement that forbid her from changing size but her partner sure didn't. In fact, he's invoking it. Janey will take three months to lose the weight or she'll be kicked out of the firm that she helped build.
And for whatever reason, Janey doesn't fight back. Of course, that would have shortened the story a LOT. Instead, she throws herself into a whirlwind of exercising and self-exploration. She meets men (one younger, one older) and gurus. Janey also gets involved with one of the "it" women of fitness, Sara Strong. 
This is overall a fun story but I wish we had seen more of Hugh and that the big denouement weren't quite so crazy.


Three stars
This book comes out July 11

Instant Pot® Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook (An Authorized Instant Pot® Cookbook) by Sara Quessenberry, Kate Merker

I love my Instant Pot and was excited to see this book come up as an option in NetGalley. I was immediately disappointed by the length (75 pages). I was further disappointed by the recipes. Who has millet in their cupboards on a regular basis? There are some with ingredients that I would consider standard but there were enough with some slightly odd ingredients as to make it not worth reading. Also, the large pages made loading on the ereader very, very slow.

Two stars
This book came out April 15