Considering Kate by Nora Roberts

Kate Kimball has been on the greatest stages of the world. But she is done with the world of ballet; she just wants to retire home in West Virginia and open up a school. First, she will need to have her building renovated. But Brody O'Connell, her contractor, is infuriating. And handsome. And a good dad to his son.
Brody doesn't want to deal with a stuck-up woman like Kate. His wife was a woman from that world and her family turned their backs on her when she married Brody. But she is different. Decisive as well as beautiful and she fits so perfectly into his life.
This book very much mirrors the first book in the series down to the misunderstandings that occur when our protagonists meet. The frills are different and Katie is much more forward than her mother was but quite a bit of overlap that some readers may not enjoy.

Three stars
This book came out February 1st, 2001
Follows Waiting for Nick
Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary
Opinions are my own

The Vineyard at Painted Moon by Susan Mallery

 If you looked at it from the outside, Mackenzie Dienes really does seem to have it all. A job she adores, a handsome husband, and a family that has welcomed this orphan into their ranks. But if you look a little harder, you'll see that there are cracks in the perfection. Yes, she has been working her ass off to develop the family's wines but there always seems to be something keeping her from truly becoming a part of the family legacy. Then there's the fact that she and her husband haven't really been together in years. And she is somewhat doubting whether it was ever truly a love match. 

When she has the chance to reach for her dreams, it threatens to upend her entire life.  

Like many of Mallery's non-series books of late, this book is a little lighter on the romance and more on the plot development. Even with the plot development, the book was a slooooooow build and I kept putting the book down and picking it up again trying to figure out why we needed exactly so much back story. I wish we could have learned more about some of the other characters - the main focus was on Mackenzie with a bit more about her best friend/sister-in-law Stephanie. It did eventually pay off with a satisfying ending.

Three stars
This book comes out February 9th

ARC kindly provided by HQN and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Lucky Ride by Deborah Coonts

Lucky is barely back from China when she is dumped into another mystery, one that is tied to her mother's past. Could it be that Mona had another child at some point? Too bad the girl that is claiming that relationship is under suspicion for murder. Without a rest, Lucky is thrown into the world of rodeo.
I keep going back and forth on finishing this series. There are only three more books after this one but the fluff is really starting to outweigh the parts that I enjoy. This is starting to feel like the same ol' same ol' with Lucky having a case, being stonewalled by her parents, and having to blunder around until a solution presents itself. I still enjoyed parts of the book, mostly Lucky herself who, excepting around her parent, is a shining example of a character who excels competency-porn in the confines of her work life.

Three stars
Follows Luck the Hard Way
Followed by Lucky Score
This book came out June 21st, 2017
Borrowed as an ebook from Hoopla
Opinions are my own

Last Stand: Ted Turner's Quest to Save a Troubled Planet by Todd Wilkinson

One of the ladies in my general book club recommended this book about 8 or 9 years ago and I'm sort of wishing I had read the book then; it would have resonated more deeply closer to the time it was written. 
I live near Bozeman (at least by Montana standards) and so knew that Ted Turner's ranch was nearby and was interested in learning more. Wilkinson certainly provided it. He is a very good writer who has written a lot about the Yellowstone area and honed his craft nicely. His talent shows through in the book even if the topic of Ted Turner gets a little stale after awhile.

Three stars

This book came out April 2nd, 2013
Hard copy from library
Opinions are my own

Love on Beach Avenue by Jennifer Probst

Avery Sunshine is delighted to help her best friend get married. As an in-demand wedding planner, she is wedging Ally in but she is happy to do it. She is not so happy that Ally's older brother has decided that he's going to take the summer off and "make sure" that Ally's day is perfect. Too bad he still believes Avery is the wild-child who led his sister astray in college. And two brides fighting on her doorstep the first day he sees her doesn't give the best impression. Then he completely takes over the planning for Ally's day and really could have shaken Avery's confidence if he hadn't owned up to what he was doing. I really wish we had seen him put a bit more in his place but it was nice to see him realize that he was being a jerk. 
While the two work together, they start to acknowledge that there is an attraction between them. Avery is wiling to work on a relationship but Carter is hesitant. He has A Past that makes him wary of love. They eventually work it out and I liked that there wasn't a Big Misunderstanding and, in fact, there was a rather pointed remark by one character that love can be lost through little misunderstandings as well.

Three stars
Followed by Temptation on Ocean Drive
This book came out May 1st, 2020
Ebook from Kindle
Opinions are my own

The Plain Old Man by Charlotte MacLeod

I didn't like the last book in the series very much because there was a decided lack of Sarah. This book balanced that with a decided lack of Max. It was an interesting premise but I have to admit, I missed the other person in each book. Though Sarah's family is always a nice mix that keeps the story moving. Overall, this was a fun book that, once you got through the beginning chapters, kept things moving right along.
In this book, her cousin Emma is the spearhead of the local community theater. Sarah has been called down to help out painting the scenes and doing other work. The regular players are all in attendance including the fresh-faced ingenue whose father is an aging roue and whose mother has mostly resigned herself to her lot in life. Then there is the slightly-older-than-the ingenue who is seemingly involved with the roue. There is also a plain old man who has been out with gout but has recently been able to rejoin the group. Too bad he dies in a bathroom fall shortly thereafter. But his childhood friend suspects that it wasn't quite the accident it seems. And since that friend is another of Sarah's relatives, she is pulled in to investigate that case as well as the disappearance of a family portrait worth a lot of money.

Three stars
Follows The Convivial Codfish
Followed by The Recycled Citizen
This book came out October 28th, 1986
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Waiting for Nick by Nora Roberts

I think this book might have been a bit better in the nineties but it has always been the least favorite of the series. Freddie is fairly single-minded in chasing Nick denying that he might have a say in their relationship (consent goes both ways, people.) And the end that brings Nick's past in is overwrought. I read it to complete the series but am otherwise not searching it out.

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 1997
Follows Convincing Alex
Followed by Convincing Kate
Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary
Opinions are my own