Decoy Date by Mira Lyn Kelly

Gwen Davis has been in love with her best friend Ted since they were teenagers. But he doesn't even seem to notice that she's there.
Brody O'Donnel doesn't think that Ted is half the man that Gwen believes him to be. And he's sick of watching her woebegone face in his bar. He suggests a bet. The two of them pretend to be hot and heavy and see if Ted reacts how Brody predicts therefore showing Gwen that he's never been in love with her. After some arguing, Gwen agrees. But will being in a pretend relationship with Brody show her exactly how much she'd be missing in a real relationship with Ted?
The first half of the book was exactly as I expected from Ms. Kelly. The second half... was not as good as usual. It was still okay but she was trying to twist a trope and it didn't quite work for me. I'm not sure if there are any more books in the Wedding Date series but I will be on the look out for those and other books by Kelly.

Three stars
This book came out December 11
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and publisher

Slay in Character by Lynn Cahoon

Another Cat Latimer book, another group of writers at her B&B writer's retreat. This time, it's historical romance writers and they're ready for a day out at the local tourist town set in the Old West. When they go, they meet the roommate of the current student writer at Cat's retreat. Like Jessica Ball, the student, her roommate works at the town as a saloon girl. But it's the roommate, rather than the wealthy and "connected" Jess who ends up murdered.
Was she killed because of something she did? Or because someone mistook her for Jess?
I think you will definitely want to have read previous books in the series because a few of the plot points build on previous books. I wish we had seen a bit more of the "series regulars" and the ending was somewhat fairly clued but I wish there had been a little bit more for background.

Three stars
This book came out November 27
ARC provided by NetGalley; Opinion is my own

The Coloring Crook by Krista Davis

Florrie Fox and the Color Me Read characters are dealing with another murder. This time, it's one of their own. Coloring club member Dolly Cavanaugh loves to attend garage sales and she has an eye for a bargain. At the latest sale, she snaps up a rare book infuriating the previous owner, the man who was directing the estate sale, and any number of people who read about her find when she posted it on various social media platforms.
When Dolly turns up dead, it appears to be a heart attack. But Florrie knows better. And she's going to make sure that her friend gets justice.
I wish we could have seen more of Dolly's life and even had more development of some of the other suspects. It felt like we glance off of all of them.

Three stars
This book came out November 27

Followed by Murder Outside the Lines
ARC provided by NetGalley; Opinions are my own

Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh

Elizabeth, Lady Overfield had a horrible marriage. Her husband abused her to the point that her family actually not only took her in, they kept her. Something unheard of in their time. But she's relatively happy where she is. In her mid-thirties, she can't ask for much more.
Colin Handrich, Lord Hodges, is twenty-six. And he decides to use the holiday house party to start looking for a wife. He's known Elizabeth from previous parties and has always been inspired by her quite confidence. She may not be a raging beauty but she is striking and has a pull. When circumstances make it so that they are sort of forced into marriage, he's not upset.
In most Balogh stories, I feel like there is so much character development, which we do see here, and so much romance building, which I missed.

Three stars
This book came out November 27
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinions are my own

The Duke That I Marry by Cathy Maxwell

Willa Reverly won the most points in a game with her friends when the Duke of Camberly proposed marriage. But she hasn't seen the man since and she's ready to call off the marriage so she sends him a note.
That note sends Matthew Addison into a panic. He needs her money. The ducal estate should be very much more profitable than it is but it is actually deep in debt. In meeting with Willa again, Matthew realizes that there might be more to his soon-to-be-bride than he had thought, even more than he had hoped for.
A little thin on the "loss of money" plot line but otherwise a good book.

Four stars
This book came out November 27
ARC kindly provided by Edelweiss; Opinions are my own

Killalot by Cindy Brown

Ivy Meadows is in the audience for a Renaissance Faire with her boyfriend, her brother, and her brother's girlfriend. She's delighted to learn that her friend Riley is also there; he's participating in the jousting tournament against the man who used to be his mentor. But the time comes for the bout, Riley is not the opponent who walks onto the field and his mentor is the one who ends up dead.
An okay addition to the series but didn't capture me as much as earlier books. Still looking forward to the next one in the series.

Three stars
This book came out November 6
ARC kindly provided by Edelweiss; Opinion is my own

'Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost

We're back with Holly White at her family's Christmas Tree Farm one year after the last book. She's settled into town nicely and is still dating the local law man. It's too bad her best friend Caroline's life isn't so settled. She went out with a jerk in order to make her parents happy then very publicly argued with the man. The day before he turned up dead outside Caroline's store.
Now Holly's trying to figure out who killed the man (it's a mystery, he had no shortage of enemies) before they can get to her.
At the beginning of the story, we learn that it's a year later. That makes sense for the series but the time jump was rough. There was a lot that went on in the year that wasn't explained. The end also went a bit off the rails for me. If you don't mind an unexpected burst of magical realism, you won't mind it though.

Three stars (barely)
This book came out November 23
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinions are my own