A Royal Christmas Wish by Lizzie Shane

Jenny is the prototypical romance heroine. She's clumsy; she doesn't know her own beauty (inner or outer); she has not one but two overachieving siblings; she believes in twu lurv; and she doesn't recognize someone who is arguably super-famous.
When she runs into Dominic, the prince of San Noelle (have we yet identified this as a Hallmark book? No? I'm guessing you did after this name), Jenny is just doing your normal thing you do in New York, walking her favorite rescue dog, Prince Harry (I like this author's sense of humor), in Central Park. Then, she slams into a super handsome guy. A guy that she later sees at a fancy party where she is dressed as an elf. She wishes that she could have gotten Dom's number but a lost snowflake bracelet leads to something almost as good, her wish to have a fairy tale Christmas is granted. It's a chance to see what her life would be like if she were actually married to Dom.  But she only has until midnight on Christmas.
This is just like a Hallmark movie, comforting and low-key. It didn't trip all my joy triggers but I finished it and, other than having to plow through all the generic romance tropes, enjoyed it.

Three and a half stars
This book came out September 10th
ARC kindly provided by Hallmark Publishing and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

First Time Embroidery and Cross Stitch: The Absolute Beginner’s Guide by Linda Wyszynski

I have both cross-stitched and embroidered for quite a long time but I am self-taught and thought this book might give me some insight into new stitches or better techniques. There weren't a lot of either but this was a I liked that there were both pictures and drawings of what the stitches would look like. The ideas for projects were unique but easy enough for a beginner.

Four stars
This book came out September 3rd
ARC kindly provided by Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Mr. Maybe by M. Kate Quinn

Kit Baxter's life has been somewhat...complicated lately. At Christmas, she caught her cousin and her (Kit's) boyfriend kissing under the mistletoe. Now the two are getting married and her cousin wants the bridal shop Kit works at, Kit specifically, to alter their grandmother's dress. The dress that Kit has always wanted to wear at her own wedding. But she can't complain or she'll be accused of being petty. And the shop needs the word-of-mouth anyway. The one bright spot, the fact that she's been able to buy her house on the water. Of course, it's a fixer-upper. And that dead tree did just fall and crush the car she doesn't have comprehensive insurance for. So, she needs a way to make some money.
Shane Dugan needs a place to live. In order to get his dream job as a paid fire fighter, he needs to prove residence in the area. And the apartment he had locked down isn't going to be ready for 3 months. So Kit's neighbor comes up with a plan, Shane lives at Kit's and pays rent; Kit gets money.
Kit isn't so sure it will work, but when she accidentally lies to her aunt and cousin to get them off her back, she decides that, if Shane will pretend to be her boyfriend, he can live with her.
I do like a fake relationship story and this was an interesting setup with Shane already having a girlfriend. Kit and Shane have some low level vibes but absolutely nothing happens before he breaks up with his girlfriend (which I appreciated... there were some glances and feelings but nothing else.)

Three and a half stars
This book came out August 21st
ARC kindly provided by The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern

Swashbuckler Lucy loves to kill vampires.  And maybe people. But using her sword is awesome. So when she meets Lord Byron (yes, that Lord Byron,) who is also hunting vampires,  she hops right on board his giant, psychic eagle, Napoleon. Granted, her first choice would have been to be inducted into the secret vampire society but Byron keeps interrupting her interludes with Lady Violet (who may be a secret vampire cult leader....or a great pretender, if you believe Gladys De Harridan, an EXTREMELY old vampire.)
As Lucy adventures, she and Byron meet a strange cast of characters most of whom have secrets. Except Virginia. Well, she has a secret but she's also pretty inept so.... There is also Sham who, dressed as a lady, is the person Lucy is most interested in.
I was pretty bemused by this book in general (I could mostly follow but got lost a couple times.) I think fans of McGovern's "My Life as a Background Slytherin" will enjoy this book immensely as the wit and drawings are very similar.

Three stars
This book comes out September 17th, 2019
ARC kindly provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Reread as hard copy from library November 2024

A Question of Us by Mary Jayne Baker

Clarrie Midwinter may not have the most posh life but it's a good one. She's got her mates, she's got her trivia nights, and she's got her best friend, Simon. Except that one of their teammates has been pushed off the team since she cheated on another one of their teammates.
Simon's very serious about getting together with Clarrie but every time he brings it up, she acts like he's joking. Finally, Fate and a bet step in to force Clarrie to move past her anxiety and finally accept that Si might be her lobster.
This was a VERY British book and I'm not usually affected by that but this time... it was a lot. If I had known it going in, it might have been easier to get through. I liked that this was a group book, just as much about the friendships as the romance.

Three Stars
This book came out September 5th
ARC kindly provided by Aria and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Met Her Match by Jude Deveraux

Ever since her mother supposedly left town with a lover, Terri Rayburn has been painted with the same brush. It doesn't help that she's "from the lake" which is definitely not the same as being from "in town." You know who's from town? Stacy, the mayor's daughter. She's also the one engaged to Nate Taggert. Of course, she doesn't know that Nate Taggert is living in Terri's house... and so is Terri.
Of course, like all Deveraux novels, Terri and Nate are perfectly matched. They may not realize it yet but they are. Both tall and muscular and incredibly handy -- perfect. This is unusual for a Deveraux novel in that the hero is engaged to another woman for 3/4 of the book. And there's sort of a mystery but it's in the background and then quickly wrapped up.  Regular Deveraux readers and people looking for a fluffy beach read with no character development will enjoy this book.

Three stars
This book comes out September 17th
ARC kindly provided by HARLEQUIN - MIRA and NeGalley
Opinions are my own

Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman

Leesa Oliver is on a flight, on December 23rd, closing out a contract with the incredibly demanding Cary Anderson who is emailing her from first class, already trying to get her to make updates to a video project. Her employee who does the actual editing stayed behind in Australia to hang out with a woman he's met so she's feeling a little frustrated. And learning that there is a storm that is making it difficult to land and impossible to leave the airport leaves her frustrated. But Cary notices her frustration and offers her a ride to his grandmother's, less than a mile away. He has a ride.

Leesa, decides to take him up on it. And it's then that the misunderstandings start. Cary's grandmother, a famous romance novelist immediately assumes that they are dating. Cary would like to encourage her because it makes her worry about him less. When he hears Leesa's story of how she'll be spending Christmas (with her ex-husband's family after the death of his mother's mother), he bets her that she'll call him before he calls her, needing a fake significant other. It turns out she needs the help first and then they just... keep not dating. 

Fake relationships are one of my favorite tropes. And this one starts so well. And I did appreciate that this relationship took place over the course of a year.. it gave Leesa and Cary time to get to know each other. But there were pieces that felt undone and parts that ended rather abruptly. It was an okay story but I wish it had ended a little more smoothly.

Three stars

Book comes out September 5th

ARC kindly provided by Aria and NetGalley

Opinions are my own