Barking with the Stars by Sparkle Abbey

Caro Lamont, pet therapist to the stars, is helping to arrange a charity to raise money for a group that provides service dogs to wounded warriors. It's too bad that the charity's headliner, Purple, has been murdered. And it doesn't help that Caro's ex-husband is running around spreading rumors about her. And now he's a suspect in Purple's murder...I like Caro. She doesn't try to solve the murder herself, she calls the cops (well, her cop friend Detective Malone). She's smart, she's confident (mostly), and she believes in herself. I skipped a number of books in this series but was able to pick it up right away.

Four stars
This book came out November 17
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny with a Dashing Stranger by Victoria Alexander

Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe lived a carefree, somewhat wild life until her husband died. Then it all came crashing down. It wasn't that she truly loved her husband but she also didn't know how truly in debt they were. The only way she can dig herself out of the hole is to retrieve a priceless family artifact that her husband used as a lien on a loan. 
Her family friends arrange to have her lead a tour of mothers and daughters on the Continent. A cover that will help her hide her true purpose in going to Italy. Too bad one of the tour group's number is actually a man, one who is interested in the painting for his own purposes.

Three stars
This book comes out November 28
Follows The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright

This was a quiet mystery, moving back and forth between the past, when Ivy Thorpe is trying to discover who killed a young girl and shoved her body into a hollow tree, and the present, where Kaine Prescott has moved from California to Wisconsin to rehab a house in the town where her great-great-grandmother grew up.
The writing was not a style that I particularly enjoy and the story was still a bit rough in points. This read more like two half-formed novellas than one story. Still, it was readable and quick.

Three stars
This book came out November 21
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

Harriet Knight has always been the shy twin. She grew up with a stammer that got worse when her father would berate her. Her brother and sister always stuck up for her. It's a habit that has continued into adulthood. And it's annoying Harriet. She's ready to step out on her own and has started daily challenges to help build up her bravery. Too bad she's on the date from hell when the book opens. It ends with a badly sprained ankle. It's in the ER that she meets Doctor Ethan Black. He vaguely notices that she's more polite than most of his patients but then forgets her. He doesn't even recognize her when she comes over to help with his sister's dog; Ethan's taking care of the dog while his sister is taking care of his niece who has broken her leg. Unfortunately, he's doing a terrible job at it. Harriet can't stand to see a creature suffering so she moves in with the doctor while he is taking charge of Madi (the dog). 
This book was so much better than the last in this series. Ethan was fallible and even admitted it. The ending was a bit drawn out but I think that regular "From Manhattan..." readers will not be disappointed.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out November 28
Follows Holiday in the Hamptons
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Of Murder and Men by Lynn Cahoon

It's time for another writer's retreat at Cat Latimer's bed and breakfast. Too bad her business partner Shauna is so involved with her new fiance. Cat's worried about whether she's going to be there to help. She's also worried because Shauna's fiance is a bit of a jerk. But it's still a surprise when he ends up dead. Even more surprising when Shauna becomes the prime suspect. But Cat knows Shauna would never hurt a fly and, more logically, why would she kill the man before they were married?  Even if she was seen with rat poison before the man was killed by that same method.
There is a lot going on in this book including some movement in the storyline of Annie's now-deceased ex-husband. The ending wasn't particularly fairly clued though there were some hints here and there, especially right before the denouement.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out November 28
Follows Fatality by Firelight

The Actor's Life by Jenna Fischer

This was a nice cross between biography and honest advice from an actor who succeeded in Hollywood. Jenna Fischer outlines her eight-year journey to becoming an overnight sensation. She also gives concrete and (at least from my incredibly un-knowledgeable point of view) good advice on how to be an actor and what you can realistically expect when you move to LA to become a Big Star.

Four stars
This book came out November 14
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

A Husband by New Year's by Sean D. Young

Renee McClendon has been writing in her journal every since her mother gave her one when she was younger. One of the main things that she write and re-writes is her list of the qualities of a perfect man. When her frenemy challenges Renee to actually find a man who fits all of those qualities, she takes her up. Her dates aren't going well (though work is). Too bad the man that interests her most is the "lowly" chauffeur. But it obviously doesn't bother her that much since she starts dating the man.
Patrick Dunlap isn't a driver in real life; he's the son of the man who owns the very lucrative company. He's in town trying to figure out why the company seems to be hemorrhaging money under his older brother's care. Too bad older brother doesn't seem to want him around. Good thing Renee does.
There was a lot going on in this story; not just the romance but relationships between Renee and her friends, Renee and her family, Patrick and his brother, Patrick and his father... It's a lot to fit into one book. I might've marked this book a little lower but I really appreciated the deftness of the author in adding Christianity to the story. I've had a few books lately where it's been heavy-handed and unappreciated.

Three stars
This book comes out November 13