Holiday House Call by Jen Doyle

Six years ago, neurosurgeon Dr. Karen Carmichael acted completely out of character and had a wild one-night stand with a man she met in a bar. She has an incredibly stressful job and is cruising down one of the back roads on a Tuesday night (the night she's allowed to cry) when she encounters that man again.
He may not remember her name, but Tuck sure remembers the encounter. When it turns out the car he pulls over for weaving is the woman he hasn't forgotten, Tuck is ecstatic to have a second chance. He's not thrilled that she's a doctor since he spent a LOT of his childhood in hospitals. He can see forever with this woman, if only she'd give them a chance.
This is the second book I've read in this series and I'm really enjoying it. The characters are somewhat undeveloped (we only get a glossing of why Karen and Tuck dislike each others professions) but the series seems to be a fast, fun, and fluffy series that works beautifully if your looking for an HEA without too much angst.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out October 1, 2017

Follows Called Out

Hold Her Again by Shannon Stacey

Five years ago, Ava Wright and Jace Morrow were in love and trying to make it in the music scene. When Jace got the chance to make it big, but without Ava, he took it. He's regretted it ever since. With his father's death, Jace has a chance to go back to the small town where he and Ava grew up.
Ava is still in town. She's working for her parents in the same cafe she worked in in high school. And the music, for her, is gone. She's not happy that Jace is back in town but she's... fair? or something? Stacey tries to paint her as a caring person who just can't stand Jace's suffering but she comes off a little... door mat-ish. It's not a horrible story but would have been a lot better as a full story.

Three stars
This novella comes out October 1

Halloween at the Graff by Sinclair Jayne

Walker Wilder has retreated to Marietta, Montana, home of the cousins she's never met, to lick her wounds. Her boyfriend was schtupping an intern and her high-powered job fell apart so she felt lucky to get a job trying to boost the visitation to the historic Montana Graff Hotel. And, when she's spooked by a moving chair in the hotel's attic, she thinks she has the perfect hook.
Calum Quest is visiting his old friend Logan Wilder in Montana when he gets the message that there might be a haunted hotel in the area. He's not super stoked about it because he really would rather not be a ghost chaser any more. But Walker's hot and she has an interesting story. So, what the heck, he'll at least check it out.
The timing of this story was very odd. I couldn't figure out if the search for decorations, the chair, and Calum's arrival were all on one day? Her first day at work?
I also wish that we had gotten to see a little more of the characters' development. Their changes of heart were incredibly sudden. Calum's deep and understanding but then he gets pissed that Walker, who he's known for less than a week?, doesn't share one of her deepest secrets, but then he's okay.
It's a nice story but I wish there had been more.

Three stars
This book comes out September 25

Death Makes a Prophet John Bude

Some mysteries start with a murder and then build in the backstory of how the murder came to be. In this Inspector Meredith story, the story starts with a buildup of the cult known as the Coo (Children of Osiris). We meet the current leader, his controlling patron, and the man who would take his place. Tensions are built until the middle of the book when the murders (yes, more than one) finally occur.
Though firmly set contemporary to the time it was written (1947), the story could definitely be set in the current day. A fast read, it will delight any classic mystery reader.

Four stars
This book comes out January 3

Please Don't Do Coke in the Bathroom by Sami Christianson

This reminded me of Subversive Cross-stitch; taking a craft and then updating (?) it with bad language. In this case, it's with calligraphy. There are suggestions for signs that you can make yourself. They start with words starting with each letter of the alphabet then a few other suggestions. A nice novelty book.

Three stars
This book comes out September 26

Head over Heels by Jennifer Dawson

Sophie Kincaid is just the PR girl. At least, that's what she tries to tell the FBI when they come to arrest her bosses. But it's too late, her reputation is in tatters. She retreats to Revival, IL where her best friends have helped to get her a job and a rental. A rental that is owned by an uber-hot man. One that is tatted and dangerous. Sophie's catnip. The type of man she is trying to avoid.
Ryder Moore is looking for a woman to settle down with. Someone who will create a home and be a mother. Not a disgraced city girl who is only in his town biding her time. Too bad she's not only hot, but brainy, sassy, and the kind of sexy that calls to Ryder.
I didn't love the angst that was the last quarter of this book. It was just a little too much over the top for me. But I really enjoyed the book and liked that I could jump in without having (remembered reading?; while creating tags for my blog post, I discovered I had read the third book in this series but didn't remember it as the H/H from that book didn't figure prominently in this one) read the previous four books in the series.

Three stars
This book comes out September 26

Bad Boy's Bard by E.J. Russell

We've seen Gareth Kendrick in the last two Fae Out of Water books. The last true bard of Faerie, he's had kind of a crappy life. First his brother sent him to be trained by dead bards (since there weren't any live ones around to do the training. Then his human lover was killed by an Unseelie Fae. And not just any Unseelie, it was none other than the new king!
Niall O’Tierney's life hasn't been any better. He's the son of the last king, half-brother of the new king and he's spent the last two hundred years avoiding his one true love so that he wouldn't be forced to kill the man. Well, to kill Gareth. So when he sees Gareth's shock his first instinct is to fake amnesia. Uh huh. But that's not their biggest problem, there's a threat to all of Faerie that only Gareth and Niall can contain.
Probably my least favorite of the three books. Both Gareth and Niall were just a little too much in their own heads. That being said, I enjoyed this whole series overall and look forward to more from Russell.

Three stars
This book comes out September 11
Follows The Druid Next Door