Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

 Having just gotten out of a relationship, Dani Brown is ready for some good old-fashioned no-strings sex. Zafir Ansari is not a good candidate for that. Yes, he is a great friend. Yes, he probably has a crush on her. And that’s why it wouldn’t work. They just couldn’t be no strings. But when Dani misses the memo about a fire drill and gets locked in to an elevator, Zafir rescues her and carries her out of the building. Because their electricity is so apparent and they work on a college campus, they immediately go viral. Zafir  would like to continue the relationship because it brings money to his nonprofit helping kids by teaching them rugby. Of course, they fall in love over the course of the relationship.
The ending is just a little too pat and both Zafire and Dani are just a little too perfect so this was more of a three and a half star book than tipping over into four stars for me but obviously quite enjoyable.

Three and a half stars

Followed by Act your Age, Evie Brown
This book came out June 23rd, 2020
Book borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Cast Away by Annabel Chase

Emma and her friends are working on an advanced spell that may help show that Emma's suspicions about Daniel's relationship are correct. On her way back from that mission, Emma stumbles across the body of a dead troll who seems frozen to death. She also has to defend a shifter who accidentally, um, showed his wares when he shifted on Allison's (Gareth's fiancee) lawn.
But the person she thought was her ally turns out not to be and all of her plans fall apart. Then her deeply held secret is exposed in front of the town and they react in the worst way.
Emma is very much becoming a Mary Sue. There is looking at the world through rose-colored glasses and then there is willful ignorance. This is the latter.

Three stars
Follows Better than Hex
Followed by A Touch of Magic
This book came out May 24th, 2017
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

I had heard this book reviewed on a couple of podcasts but when it became available at my library on the same day I listened to the Smart Bitches Trashy podcast episode with Alexis Daria, I considered it fate. Her explanation of the story as well as Sarah’s intense enjoyment got me really stoked.
And this is a wonderfully enjoyable story about two stars of a new series. The leading lady, Jasmine Lin Rodriguez, has just made it into the tabloids for all the wrong reasons. Her other big problem is that she doesn’t really speak Spanish. She understands it just fine and has the accent mostly down but it’s not a language she uses every day.
The leading man, Ashton Suárez, is aging and he knows it. He is definitely tending out of “hero” in the telenovelas he’s known for and into “villain.” He didn’t even make it to the finale of his latest series! This series is his last chance to break into American television. He has always avoided interviews because of a fairly valid but secret reason. And, even though he finds himself falling quickly for Jasmine, he doesn’t disclose this secret to her. That does cause a misunderstanding at the end but it is quickly cleared up when both come to their senses.
The melding of Jasmine and Ashton’s stories with the telenovela storyline was just wonderful. It took me a bit to get into the book but when I did get into it, it was just a fun ride.

Four stars

This book came out August 4th, 2020

Followed by A Lot like Adios

Borrowed from Overdrive

Opinions are my own

Reread June 2022

The Palace Guard by Charlotte MacLeod

Max and Sarah have been spending a lot of time together. He has a lot of free passes to various events (at least that's what he's telling Sarah) so they've been stepping out. Too bad an evening of music at Madam's (a building the Kellings have a fraught history with the building's original owner) is ruined when one of the security guards plummets off a balcony to the floor below. One of Sarah's many cousins is substituting in as another guard. He is able to tell them some of the behind the scenes information. When another guard dies though, this time by paint remover put into the alcohol bottle he kept hidden in his locker, it all starts to get very, very serious. 

A quick read - we get to learn more about Max and Sarah and the mystery is sound. Unfortunately, there is some casual racism in the book which made me uncomfortable and I'm hoping it doesn't continue in future books. 

Three stars
Follows The Withdrawing Room
Followed by The Bilbao Looking Glass
This book came out July 1st, 1981
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Happy Narwhalidays by Ben Clanton

Narwhal and Jelly books are always a little off-kilter but full of fun. And this book is joyous as usual. A little too short and somewhat less developed than usual but still fun.
It’s Christmas-time under the sea though that’s not exactly what it’s called. Again, mixing a fun story with some science facts, Clinton introduces the idea of the Merry Mermicorn who brings gifts to the underwater sea creatures. When a gift is left for Jelly that is just perfect, he knows that he will need to come up with something fantastic for Narwhal as well.

Four stars
This book comes out September 8th
Follows Narwhal's Otter Friend

Followed by Narwhal's School of Awesomeness
ARC kindly provided by Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Shadows in Death by J. D. Robb

After an evening out, Eve and Roarke are stopped by the murder of a young mother. But the night goes to absolute crap when Roarke sees a face from his past and realizes that this is the work of a contract killer. It will take all of our favorite characters to make sure that the killer is brought to justice.

And by all, I do mean all. We see almost every side character that has ever been introduce to the series in this book and that made it feel a little overcrowded to me. Regular readers will have all the feels as regular beats are hit (e.g. Eve becoming a little more human, more of Roarke's past uncovered, etc.) This is definitely not a standalone book because so much of the story depends on knowing what has happened in previous books.

Three stars

Follows Golden in Death

Followed by Faithless in Death

This book comes out September 8, 2020

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby August 2023

Don't Hex and Drive by Juliette Cross

In the last book in the series, we got a glimpse of Devraj Kumar. He was enlisted by another vampire to help get ahold of a precious book. We learned that he is a Stygorn, a particular type of vampire warrior, who roams the world helping others. Usually for a buttload of money. In this book, we find out pretty early that he is also a Bollywood star. A real people-person. The exact opposite of Isadora Savoie who prefers tending to her gardens and visiting the animals in a nearby shelter. There, she uses her powers as a witch, a Conduit who can convey healing and growth, to work with the animals, making them happy and sometimes extending their lives by a little here and there. So she wants nothing to do with Devraj after he accidentally hits her with his car while she’s on her bike. But he just keeps coming around. And he is so very hard to resist...
Devraj doesn’t want to settle down but a single interaction with Isadora has him struggling with that decision. He knows that he can use her help when a band of vampires start grabbing women off the streets and using them for their own nefarious purposes (almost all is off-page with some description of one woman’s injuries.)
This book, since it was dealing with a slight more realistic issue than the first book, didn’t have as much of the fun of that book. It was still a good book and I might have enjoyed it a bit more if I hadn’t liked the first one so much because of its playfulness. I am really enjoying seeing older heroines though (Isadora is (gasp!) thirty-seven).

Three stars
Follows Wolf Gone Wild

Followed by Witches Get Stitches
This book come out September 8th
ARC kindly provided by the author and NetGalley
Opinions are my own