Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean

Judging by the number of people exclaiming over this book, I am going to be in the minority in my opinion of this book because, while I believe that MacLean is an incredibly talented writer who once again wrote wonderfully and developed beautiful characters, I just don't think she was able to redeem Ewan. The man has been the Big Bad in both of the first two books in the series up to and including killing several people because his half-brothers told him that his Twu Lurv was dead. I also wished there had been more of an emotional connection that showed how Grace and Ewan connected "now."
When they were children, Grace and Ewan had an unbreakable bond. Or so she thought. But when Ewan tried to kill her, she fled from their abusive caretaker with his two half-brothers. The three ended up in the slums of London but they made their way bareknuckle fighting. And Grace was the best. It's how she started the empire she has today, including a club for women where they can enjoy the company of a young man for the evening. When Ewan, now a duke, discovers that Grace is not dead as had been reported to him, he decides to risk it all to win her back.

Three stars
This book comes out June 30th
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Murder at Blackwater Bend by Clara McKenna

If you can wade through the cavalcade of names and backgrounds thrown at you during the beginning of this book, it ends up being a decent read, even though the whirling mass of characters continues throughout the book. Even having read the first book didn't help untangle the crowd very much. The best part of this book is getting to see the relationship between Stella and Lyndy starting to unfold (and a little comeuppance for Lyndy's mother.)
Stella Kendrick and Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst started with an arranged marriage but found that they actually might like each other very much. As they are starting to get to know each other, one of the things they do is go fly fishing. And it's on the river that Stella discovers the body of Lord Fairbrother. Fairbrother is your typical mystery victim; people want him dead for a wide variety of reasons. His wife, a former flame of Lyndy's, didn't especially like the man. His neighbors knew that he accepted bribes for any number of votes on various community issues. His pony won the local best in breed seven years in a row though it was patently obvious that it was not an exemplar of the breed. So, all in all a bad sort who nobody misses.

Three stars
This book comes out June 30th
Follows Murder at Morrington Hall

Followed by Murder at Keyhaven Castle
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Last Curtain Call by Juliet Blackwell

Mel Turner's got a lot going on. Between being engaged, working on a renovation with her fiance, and avoiding actually setting a wedding date. And she's just discovered there's a ghost in her house. So why not take on renovating an old theater? With a shadowy investment group behind the wheel? And lots of ghosts? But that's what Mel does. And she's drawn into another mystery when one of the squatters who were in the theater ends up dead.
There was a lot going on in this book with a Kardashian-like family connection, murders in the past and present, and historical links going back three generations. There could have been some story parts cut out but was still a fast read.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 30th
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Murder at the Car Rally by Sonia Parin

We all have them. That one person from our past that we can't stand but they somehow want to glom on to you. For Evie Parker, whose life has been pretty darn good lately, it's Isabel Fitzpatrick. They were school girls together and Isabel spent most of the time putting down everyone around her with insults disguised as compliments. And now she's back along with her racecar driver husband. She's invited herself to Evie's house. In defense, Evie decides to join a car rally which her young friend Phillipa is participating in. But, on the road with a flat tire, Evie and her chauffer/body guard/sweetheart (?) look up to see Isabel and her husband hurtling down the road with a car that's apparently out of control. But was Isabel's husband dead before the crash? And what does it have to do with the rash of drugs in the area?
This book didn't amuse me as much as the first two (was it less madcap? Maybe) but I am admiring how far ahead Parin starts building each story into previous books in the series.

Three and a half stars
Follows Murder at the Tea Party
Followed by Murder in the Cards
This book came out January 28th, 2019
Borrowed as audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

If you're a classic mystery fan, you'll probably figure out a couple of the twists in this book. The author very fairly clues most of the mystery but the twists do feel more modern.
Malcolm Kershaw (Goodreads has this at book #1 in a series which is odd given the end; but that could be worked around) is a bookstore owner. Many years ago, he published a blog about eight fictional mysteries that contained what could be argued were perfect murders. They weren't that perfect since detectives usually solved the case but there were often extenuating circumstances. In the present day, there is an FBI agent who thinks that someone is using Malcolm's list as a checklist for murder. Malcolm, as the co-owner of a store that specializes in mysteries, is intrigued and decides to help out where he can. But getting involved in this mystery only pulls to the present the demons of his past.
It was nice to know the stories (I had read or watched almost all of them) but I don't think you need to have in order to enjoy this book.

Three stars
This book came out March 3rd, 2020
Borrowed this as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Death on the Aisle by Frances and Richard Lockridge

Pam and Jerry North are at it again. They just happen to be at a pre-show of a new off-Broadway play when the angel (backer) of the show is murdered. The man is not very nice and there are several people (of course) with motives. Of course, it's not their fault that they are there when it happens but, now that they are, they're going to be involved in the mystery.
The mystery was maybe fairly clued but there was a lot of false information dropped in as well. I had heard about this case on the Classic Mysteries podcast.  He is a little more appreciative of this book but my favorite parts were the interactions between Acting Captain Bill Weigand and his fiancee Dorian as they try to get married.

Three stars
This book came out in1942
Hard copy checked out from the library
Opinions are my own

How to Find a Duke in Ten Days -- anthology

Three men decide to help a retiring mentor, Professor Peebles, prove that his life's work isn't a myth.

The Will to Love by Grace Burrowes
Philomena Peebles, the professor's daughter, decides to go out for a job helping Seton Avery, Earl of Ramsdale, decipher his uncle's will. His uncle was the professor's archnemesis and left a fairly convoluted will in Latin. The two quickly realize that they are just as interested in each other as unraveling the mystery.

Not a lot of time for relationship development even though the two have known each other before.
Three stars

How to Steal a Duke by Shana Galen
In the group, there is one person-duke (as opposed to the four folios also know as "dukes" or the Duke) and he is the one who intercepts a cat burglar one night. Well, she jumps on the roof of his carriage to evade the clerk in the jewelry store she was robbing. He decides she will be the perfect way to steal the Duke from it's rumored place in a house on top of a hill. Or something. This story didn't hang together very well but it was short.

Two and a half stars.

The Viscount's First Kiss by Carolyn Jewel
The longest of the three novellas, Viscount Daunt works with his country neighbor and long-time friend, Magdalene Carter to go through the contents of several libraries he bought just to look for the Duke. At one time, Magdalene's now-deceased husband had been accused of stealing one of the manuscripts so she is anxious to help and clear her name
A nice story but muddled by the introduction of a villain that was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the story.

Three stars

Three stars
This book came out October 3, 2017
Opinions are my own