Last Resort by Angie Williams

Every six months, a popular matchmaking resort has a week for women only. This time, Katie Fausch’s mother and sister, eager for her to find love, have signed her up. Luckily, she meets Rhys Morgan right after checkin. In fact, she really, really like Rhys. But her last relationship left Katie feeling pretty burned on ever finding love again. 

Rhys is just as attracted to Katie but she respects the fact that Katie doesn’t want to be in a relationship. So she stays on the friend side, no matter what. I really wanted to like Rhys more but she needed just a little more development. 

I didn’t really connect with either heroine but I did like the premise. The big overture was also a bit too much for me but I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Williams.

Three stars
This book came out September 15th
ARC kindly provided by Bold Strokes Books, Inc. and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Bilbao Looking Glass by Charlotte MacLeod

Sarah and Max are still trying to finalize their relationship. Sarah's cousin and his new wife have taken over running her boarding house so she's at the summer home and Max has come with her (but he is staying circumspectly in the carriage house.)  Too bad the "summer folks" have decied to stick their noses in Sarah's business even to the point of convincing her rather flighty and flittering aunt to show up early so the pair don't get the alone time they were hoping for. Max and Sarah go to a party where Alice B., the companion of one of the wealthiest women, drops a remark designed to put a wedge between Max and Sarah. And it works, temporarily, but then Alice B. is found dead, killed by an ax, and a Kelling & Bittersohn mystery starts in earnest.

There is a LOT of anti-Semitism from the "summer folks" in this book; it was in line with the characters that MacLeod created and starts off slow but builds to some truly reprehensible remarks. If you are a regular reader of classic mysteries, the "bad guy" isn't hard to guess but MacLeod does drop in some really good red herrings. And for such a short book, the characters, including those we may never see again (flight Aunt Appie, her grasping son Lionel and his four wild sons, Lionel's wife Vaney who is experimenting with lesbianism (a slur about this is also used by one of the sons), the groundskeeper Lomax and his shiftless nephew Peter.)

Three stars
Follows The Palace Guard
Followed by The Convivial Codfish
This book came out 1983
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Flea Market Magic by Bella Falls

 

I had been listening to the Southern Charms Mysteries and thought I would try this series. I made it through about two chapters but the narrator (who is absolutely lovely) is the same and there wasn’t much difference in the voice of either the narrator or the series so I switched to Kindle Unlimited. 

This first book is a set up for Ruby Mae Jewell. Even from the beginning we know that she is being set up for a knock to the ego as she first takes down an arrogant flea market seller and then the grandson of another seller who had accidentally gotten ahold of a magical object that allowed her to channel magic. The prediction Ruby Mae get says that she needs to be ready for a fall.
I have to say that, especially after the Southern Charms Mysteries, Ruby was fairly unlikable. She has literally every other "good guy" character in the book telling her not to use the crystal ball but she defies them all and uses it anyway because she is just smarter (and more stubborn) than anyone else. I had hoped that after she was proven wrong she might mellow out a bit but it doesn't seem like it. I will probably give this series one more chance just to see if she changes but I have a feeling she's not going to.

Three stars

This book came out October 30th, 2019

Book borrowed from library

Opinions are my own

The Origin of Evil by Ellery Queen

 Ellery is in Hollywood. When he’s sunbathing in the nude one afternoon, he is interrupted by

 a young girl who is convinced her father was murdered. The means? A threat in the form of a dead dog. Now the man’s business partner is being threatened as well. Roger Priam, the business partner, is in a wheel chair and his wife, Delia, is running around with his private secretary, Alfred Wallace. Delia has a son who is living in trees and has a crush on the girl who came to Ellery in the first place. 
The mystery ends up being incredibly convoluted and Ellery comes off as a major asshole (he lusts after Delia who does nothing to encourage him then gets pissed off when he finds out that she’s sleeping with the secretary - why? He wanted to sleep with her too. Boo, Ellery, boo).
I heard about this book on the Classic Mysteries podcast.

Two stars
This book came out 1951
Borrowed from the library
Opinions are my own

Lucky the Hard Way by Deborah Coonts

 At the end of the last book, Lucky’s best friend and former lover, Teddie, was in trouble. In 

Macau no less. So, even though she’s just about to open her own casino, Lucky flies to China to go to Macau and figure out exactly what is going on. It doesn’t help that someone just tried to murder Miss Minnie and someone else is putting enough pressure on her recently shot father that he is worried that their entire family fortune is about to be lost.

Lots of action, not a lot of depth. I do like that the love triangle that could exist, doesn’t. Other authors would draw out Lucky’s love for Teddie but Coonts allows her to feel a nostalgic love rather than a back and forth.

Three stars

Follows Lucky Break

Followed by Lucky Ride

This book came out November 18th, 2016

Book borrowed from library

Opinions are my own

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