Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins

 

The Frost family has always had their issues. Barb doted on older daughter Juliet while John connected more with their younger child Sadie. Now in their seventies, it sometimes seems like the Frost parents are living parallel but very separate lives. Then John suffers a catastrophic stroke while riding his bike and all of the family secrets are bubbling to the top of the pot as are the resentments of a lifetime. 
Juliet is struggling with a new up and comer at work who is gunning for her job. Sadie can’t make her family take her art seriously. And being back in her hometown means she’s in close contact with the boy (now very much a man) who she left behind. 
I cried so hard reading this book and it was a good cry. Family drama, lives changing, and a happily for at least right now made me happy. Maybe not all of the characters were fully developed and good characterization is usually what makes a book for me but the story was so good I just didn’t care.

Four stars

This book came out June 9th

Borrowed book from library

Opinions are my own

Barbecue & Brooms by Bella Falls

 Charli is finally getting out of the stupid love triangle that's been building in previous books. She and Mason are getting ever closer. To the point that, in the last book, they were sharing their powers. But that has come at a cost. Charli's powers seem to be gone. But that is only a small part of their concerns since the witch's council of Charleston

seems ready to take over Honeysuckle. What can prove that Honeysuckle can take care of itself? A barbecue cookoff! Add in some amateur broom racing who will get to compete against some of the biggest named pros in the business and it seems like fun. Except that local leprechaun Lucky's luck has been stolen. And then there's a death. It's no longer just fun and games.
Fast, fun, and fluffy though I'm super bummed that Falls seems determined to draw the love triangle out by hook crook and every other means.

Three stars

Follows Sweet Tea & Spells

Followed by Collards & Cauldrons

This book came out May 21st, 2019

Opinions are my own

The Werewolf Meets His Match by Kristen Painter

 Ivy Kincaid isn't exactly excited to be in Nocturne Falls. Getting arrested for a bar fight when she steps in to help an abused woman makes her even less excited. And then, she finds out that the sheriff is her intended fiance. Just great.Hank Merrow doesn't know that he's engaged but he finds out at the beginning of the book. It seems that the Kincaid pack helped to save his brother's life. To return the favor, the Kincaid Alpha wants Hank to marry his daughter. 
While neither want the marriage, there is a strong attraction that could turn to love and maybe even a pack bond. But only if they can get past the family secrets.
This is a fast, fun, and fluffy book. Even the domestic dispute is sort of glossed over quickly and never revisited. Not real deep and we don't get to know Ivy or Hank very well. The premise is thin but overall a fun story.

Three stars
Follows the The Vampire's Mail Order Bride

Followed by The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
This book came out July 1st, 2015
Borrowed from Audible Escape
Opinions are my own

60-Second Brain Teasers Crime Puzzles by Diane Capri

 I used to love books like this when I was younger - short stories where you solve the mystery - so I asked for this book from NetGalley and was delighted to have gotten an ARC. These stories are definitely short and make you think. Unfortunately about a quarter to a third of the stories are not solvable with the information given; you need to have specialized knowledge in order to guess the correct solution. 

I didn’t count this against the book in my review but I would highly suggest getting this book in the physical form since flipping back and forth between stories and solutions in the ebook format is a pain.

Three stars

This book came out September 15th

ARC kindly provided by Quarto Publishing Group

Opinions are my own

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