A Death in Chelsea by Lynn Brittney

It's the first World War and most of the young men are off to war. That means that women are stepping into the roles traditionally held by men, even police work. There is a small group that has been authorized to work for the police. Their cases are assigned to them but so far, there's only been one and at least one person in the group is getting restless. Then, the daughter of a duchess is found dead, apparently suicide by hanging but her mother is convinced that that can't be the case. Indeed, though the woman was hated by many (she was a gossip columnist who reported on the upper classes and also stooped to blackmail), she was too self-involved to want to die.
As the group digs into the mystery, there are a lot of moving parts and they will need to pull in some outside help in order to figure out why this young woman died.
I would definitely begin this series with the first book. There is a large cast of characters in this book -- both the investigating group and the people who could have been the killers. The mystery was really involved with a lot of layers. If you are a person who likes guess the murderer, this book is not going to be the read for you; some of the clues are there but, in addition to the red herrings, some information is withheld until the end of the story.  Despite the confusing number of people and the occasional clunky sentence, this was a really fun read and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Three stars
Follows Murder in Belgravia (which I haven't read)
Followed by ????
This book came out March 14th, 2019
Borrowed as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

The Mésalliance by Stella Riley

At the beginning of the book, a young man meets an even younger woman and notes that she seems to be running wild. Eight years later, the man is the Duke of Rockcliffe and that young woman is the "spinster aunt" at her mother's sister. She isn't really any more beautiful but her acerbic wit catches his attention. So does the fact that her cousin is avidly chasing the duke. But when her cousin's schemes go horribly wrong, Adeline is the one who ends up being married to the duke.
I read a review of this book on Dear Author and thought it sounded good. And the first half was wonderful. But the second half suffered from So Much "if they had but talked to each other."

Three Stars
This book came out in 1990
Borrowed this book from Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

Ghosted in L.A. #1 by Sina Grace

After moving to LA to follow her boyfriend, Daphne Walters, like so many before her, has been summarily dumped. While moping about it, she wanders into a courtyard with a pool and decides to dip in. While underwater, she sees her first ghost. It seems that the courtyard is surrounded by an apartment building that houses ghosts from a number of decades. But not all of the ghosts are friendly and Daphney is about to find that out the hard way.
This was a short collection so we didn't get to know any of the characters very well. The idea is a good one, the pictures are fun, and people who are regular comic readers might not mind the shortness of this book. I do wish there had been more comics collected in this first volume so we could have gotten to know the characters more.

Three stars
This book come out April 14th
ARC kindly provided by BOOM! Studios and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

All He Ever Dreamed by Shannon Stacey

Another common romance trope (friends-to-lovers) with another common theme (Wha-huh? My best friend is a girl?) that Stacey manages to breathe some new life into.
Josh Kowalski is anxious to get out of town. He was the default caretaker for his family's lodge and finally admitted to them that he wants his own life, not the one that was left to him.
Katie Davis grew up alongside the Kowalskis. Her mother was their longtime housekeeper and default mother when their own died. She's been in love with Josh since they were kids. And everyone knows it. Except, of course, for Josh. But when Katie's mom falls ill and she moves back to the lodge, it might finally be time for Josh to open up his eyes and see what's been right in front of him all along.

Four stars
Follows All He Ever Desired
Followed by Love a Little Sideways
November 19th, 2012
Listened to on Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

Tide Dance by Danielle Garrett

It's the height of summer and lots of strangers are in town but only one is a silver-haired teen with purple eyes who is caught for stealing. But there's more to her than meets the eye....
REALLY short but just fine. Not sure if it's going to be significant in the series.

Three stars
Follows Lucky Witch
Followed by Tide Dance
This novella came out September 19th, 2018
Borrowed this book as an audiobook
Opinions are my own

All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey

I was on quite a Shannon Stacey roll and this book really helped to keep it going.
Mitch Kowalski is in town to help out at the family lodge while his brother recuperates from a broken leg. He left town to evade the gossip and the past that everyone thinks they know about him. But, as long as he's back, he might as well scout out the fresh meat (my terms, Stacey's words are much classier.)
Paige Sullivan has been in town for two years and has finally set down the roots that were missing during her nomadic youth. She's not really interested in a fling with Mitch (though most of the rest of town thinks that she should definitely go for it, and they tell her).
I liked the secondary characters in this book. Yes, they're almost all sequel bait, but their stories are in the background with just enough setup to get a feeling for who they are without taking away from Paige and Mitch's story.
I love the Stacey's books avoid the Big Misunderstanding. When Mitch or Paige has the feels, they tell each other. There is no drawn out, "Oh, he'll change his mind and love me soon..."

Three and a half stars
Follows Yours to Keep
Followed by All He Ever Desired
September 10th, 2012
Listened to on Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

Would you want your husband's ex-wife living with you? A wife who is known for manipulating the people around her? I sure wouldn't. But Mercy Thompson is a kind person who wants to help everyone, especially her stepdaughter's mother. Even if that means that she's made to feel uncomfortable in her own house as the ex hides from a recent bad breakup. Like, he killed her last boyfriend bad breakup.  And... it might be that he's a slightly crazy fire-godlike-creature. Oops.
It will take the might of the full wolf-pack as well as Mercy's vampire friend Stefan to make sure that everyone makes it out alive.
This was a nice, fast read and a good addition to the series. I didn't love seeing Christy getting to walk all over Mercy but at least we're finally starting to see the pack rally behind her.

Three stars
This book came out March 5th, 2013
Follows Frost Burned
Followed by Fire Touched
Borrowed from Library
Opinions are my own