Hard Sell by Lauren Layne

Both Sabrina and Matt were in the first book of the series. They have a somewhat contentious relationship. Only it's not just somewhat, it's just contentious. We learn in this book that that has also included some naked time but that doesn't prevent the animosity. But Matt needs Sabrina's help. He's been featured in the Wall Street Journal as a hard partier and it is tanking his reputation, taking him to the brink of being fired. Sabrina would be a safe bet as a fake girlfriend, making him look good, but she won't actually fall in love with him. Probably. Except that this is a romance so...
Layne is one of the few authors whose first person narration doesn't set my teeth on edge. I haven't quite figured out why that is but maybe it's because the narrators are so adult (about most things, there was a little too much "I love him but he can't love me" and vice versa). They talk about their pasts frankly and (mostly) deal with it.
I cannot wait for the next book in the series when we finally get to see Kate and Kennedy figure it out.

Four stars
This book came out September 4
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The Personality Brokers by Merve Emre

I requested this book from NetGalley not only because of my interest in the Myers-Briggs but also the title. "The Personality Brokers" conjured up for me the image of two women making their livelihood from the  personalities of others. Sort of vampiric. And Emre sort of sets Katherine up that way, feeding off the life of her daughter, becoming incredibly entangled.
This was an interesting look at the women behind the still-popular personality tests. Emre sometimes feels like she veers into historical fiction more than nonfiction and, while she tried to seem impartial, sometimes she seems a bit contemptuous of Katherine. And that could be somewhat my reading as Katherine was definitely a strange figure, especially seen through the lens of today's restrictions on psychology/psychiatry.
It was a bit hard to plow through this book in places but it seemed well-researched and I did finish. The most astonishing to me was the absolute lack of scientific testing involved in this test that so many people use.

Three stars
This book came out September 11
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Unleashed by Donna Kauffman

Emma Lafferty is trying to get her fledgling pet sitting business off the ground. Sitting for for Lionel Hamilton of THE Hamiltons is going to get her into some posh circles. The house is supposed to be completely deserted, not even any of the servants would be there but, out of the storm comes a man. Trevor Hamilton, Lionel's great-nephew to be exact. And he is immediately smitten. The two are trapped in a house, alone, and the power goes out. But why was Trevor there in the first place.
As a novella, the story is restricted by the number of pages. And, ufda, believing that Emma is going to uproot her life for a man she's known for less than 24 hours? Not exactly the movements of a sane person. But it's an okay story nonetheless. If you're a Kaufman fan, you'll enjoy this story.

Three stars
This book comes out September 25th
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The Lady Is Daring by Megan Frampton

Lady Ida Howlett has worked hard to create the image of an opinionated bluestocking. She doesn't want to be married just for her heritage. And her main goal in life isn't marriage, it's finding the sister who was compromised and bringing her, and her daughter, back to the bosom of her family.
Looking for a sweet and biddable wife, Lord Carson isn't even considering his friend's sister-in-law, Ida. At least, not until he's kidnapped on her adventure. Getting to meet Ida outside of the ton, he gets to know the true woman inside.
I didn't read either book that came before this one and didn't feel like I was missing anything. I wish we had seen more of the "on the road" action between these two- their story suffered a little from reaching Ida's sister so soon. But I am still looking forward to the next book in the series.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out September 25
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan

Three sisters, each thinking that the other has the perfect life but each with their own secrets.
Hannah, the oldest, is high up in a management consultant, flying all over the world helping companies work better. She's a genius but, of the three, the most scarred by their parents' death twenty-five years ago. It's led her to a life that is peripatetic with few relationships, even with her sisters. So now that she's got a man who's lasted longer than two months,  she's starting to panic.
Middle sister Beth is a stay-at-home mom with two darling girls. But she's tired. She just wants to go back to work. When she gets that option, she's blindsided that her husband is thinking they should have a third child.
Posy, the youngest, just wants to leave home. But after the way her bio-parents died, she feels guilty for not wanting to stay and take over her adoptive parents' coffeehouse. She's getting just aa little taste of freedom with her current renter. But is he telling her everything about his past?
This was a heart-warming story that I sped through, not the usual Morgan fun and flighty contemporary romance. Yes, the stories suffered because of having three different characters in the book but this was overall just a lovely read and I look forward to seeing more like this from Morgan.

Four stars
This book comes out Septemeber 25
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The Customers Always Write by C. DeAndré Smith

The author wasn't doing well as a writer so he moved from San Diego to Los Angeles. There, he got a job in a porn shop. These, are stories from the shop.
The introduction was confusing. The stories were written well enough but got a little repetitive. I started skimming about halfway through the book so I could just get through it. Okay as a behind the scenes but best consumed in small bites.

Three stars
This book came out July 6
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Going Down Easy by Erin Nicholas

Gabe and Addison have been conducting a series of one-and two-night stands. She's in New York and he's in New Orleans, there's never going to be a real relationship. Until Gabe finds out that Addison is now living in New Orleans. And when he finds out that she's a single-mom, his single-dad heart just falls a little deeper. The story follows their relationship as it progresses into being an Actual Relationship.
I did not connect with Gabe in any way. He was pretty manipulative and pushy. Addison had her reasons for not wanting to be in a relationship and he just trampled them. He was a little redeemed at the end but not really enough for me to like him any better.

Two and a half stars
This book came out August 28
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley