Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

The book opens on Black Friday with Jesse having talked Mercy into braving the midnight shopping options. While heading to the mall, she experiences a panic attack and plows into the car in front of her. And she has good reason to panic; the pack has been taken. The entire pack. Supposedly, the people that took them worked for the government but she has good reason to believe that is not the truth.
Her mate bond with Adam is tested and she learns more about who her allies are and what they can do. And it seems that there may be a Big Bad who is using the government for their own purposes.
And that link didn't quite make sense to me. Maybe it was because I was listening to the audiobook but I didn't quite get the link. Lots of action in this book, not as much character development.

Three stars
This book came out March 11th, 2014
Follows River Marked
Followed by Night Broken
Borrowed from Library
Opinions are my own

The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren

Everyone (in general) is very aware that what is in front of the cameras on reality TV is often VERY different than what is happening behind the cameras. Carey Douglas, having worked for Melissa and Rusty Tripp, beloved renovation stars, since she was 16 knows their lives better than most. James McCann is newer to the team but he is beginning to understand that Melissa and Rusty may not actually be the characters that they play on TV. When Rusty and Melissa are going on a bus trip to promote their newest show, Carey and James are lassoed into helping make sure that no one sees the man behind the curtain. Neither especially likes the other but enforced time together might just make them see another side.
This wasn't exactly enemies-to-lovers, more indifference-to-lovers. And even the "lovers" part didn't really feel like there was enough time for me really to see how the two would work together. The rest of the story is, in general, fast, fun, and fluffy but I'm used to more relationship-building from the Christina Lauren team.

Three stars
This book comes out March 24th
ARC kindly provided by Gallery, Pocket Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

It is a truth universally acknowledged that, if a series is set in the late 1880s, at some point, they will introduce Jack the Ripper as an element. Does it always work successfully? No. And with this book it was... okay. It set off the series of events that lead to Veronica and Stoker meeting the crown prince of England at a... rather scandalous house. Coming face-to-face with a part of her past is jarring to Veronica. But that's not the only part of her past she'll have to face and this one might just be the thing that finally kills her.
Still a good book in the series but didn't feel as if it read as fast as other books in the series. I still think regular readers will not be disappointed.

Veronica Speedwell #5

Three stars

This book came out March 10th, 2020

Follows A Dangerous Collaboration

Followed by An Unexpected Peril
ARC kindly provided by Berkley
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby January 2024 (liked it better; three and a half stars)

Lucky Witch by Danielle Garrett

Someone is leaving cryptic clues around town on shamrock sticky notes that lead to gold coins. At the same time, there seems to be a leprechaun in town and someone is hunting werewolves on the night that Nick has his first change. There's a lot going on, even as Holly's business is taking off. And now Adam is pulling away leaving Holly wondering what is going on.
Regular readers will not find anything wanting. I would recommend new people start at the beginning of the series.

Three stars
Follows Along Came a Ghost
Followed by One Bad Witch
This book came out October 28th, 2017
Borrowed this book as an audiobook
Opinions are my own

Just like Family by Christophe Cazenove, William Maury

Wendy and Maureen are sisters so involved in their own world that we rarely even see their parents. They sometimes love each other, and sometimes they just don't agree. Wendy likes to read Maureen's diary, copy everything she does, and steal her clothes. Maureen likes to ditch Wendy when she can.

Three stars
This book came out June 14th, 2016
Borrowed as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Mercy has been dragging her feet on her marriage plans to Adam, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. Not because she doesn't want to marry him, but because the arrangements are getting so insanely out of hand. When her own hand is forced, it's not such a bad thing. At least she and Adam are getting to go on their honeymoon. Except that, even there, it seems that fate seems to intervene, making sure that their time together isn't going to go exactly as planned.
A nice addition to the series. More background on Mercy and her parentage is added which is nice but there is a lot of lore that can make it hard to follow.

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 2011
Follows Silver Borne
Followed by Frost Burned
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey

In her first two books, Shannon Stacey took some of the regular romance tropes and straightened out many of the problems most authors have when using those tropes. This book presents the well-trod "Fake Fiance" path. Is she again successful? It's an okay book, but not as good as the first two.
Sean Kowalski is just back from the war. And it appears that he's acquired a fiancee in the form of a woman he's never met. Apparently, Emma Shaw was trying to convince her grandmother that she was doing-just-fine-thank-you-very-much and decided a fake fiance was the way to go. Of course, Emma had just been talking to her best friend earlier in the day and Sean's name had come up so she just blurted it out. Since then, she's had pictures photoshopped of the two of them together and expanded on the storyline. Now her grandmother's coming back up to visit and Emma needs a savior. Sean isn't cool with that. But then his family sort of guilts him into it so he goes along.
Neither is interested in a complete relationship, but the more they fake it, the more they wonder if this thing could really work...

Three stars
Follows Undeniably Yours
Followed by All He Ever Needed
This book came out June 6th, 2011

ould really work...