Will Work for Shoes by Susan J. Ashbrook

I had originally requested this book from NetGalley but didn't download it before it expired. I later bought the book on Kindle and it was interesting. Especially since I was reading it almost ten years after it came out and during a global pandemic so the red carpets have more or less disappeared. It is an interesting look behind the scenes of how much getting people dressed just to go to an awards show could become a big business. On the other hand, it actually could have been a little bit shorter with a lot of the padding coming from some name dropping and the author's actual experience in dealing with celebrities and tracing how particular trends were started by their red carpet wears.
Three stars
This book came out September 1st, 2011
Ebook from Kindle
Opinions are my own

Getting Lucky by A.R. Casella

Was this the greatest love story of all time? Maybe not. But I enjoyed reading about how Maisie (who we know from previous books is in love with one of our previous heroes) and Jack (burned by the relationships (existent or not) with his mother and father) finally figured out that they could be good for each other. For much of the book, Maisie wonders if Jack is just a stand-in for her previous love. He has similar coloring and his background is similarly tragic. Just as she's figuring out that he's not, he starts to wonder the same thing. 

And Jack has other things to worry about. He's finally wrested his sister, Iris, away from their mother but Iris seems continually pissed off that he's moved her from Chicago to Asheville. He's relieved when she finally starts engaging with Maisie at the dog rescue Maisie runs.

Casella has sort of been telegraphing that Maisie's friend Blue and Jack's half-brother Lee would be in the last book and it should be interesting to see since their first meeting involved Lee puking drunkenly on Blue's shoes.

Three and a half stars

Follows Better Luck Next Time

Followed by Bad Luck Club

This book came out January 12th, 2021

Ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie

This is a great book that really holds up! (published in '93) I just have to point out that Crusie actually addressed the use of protection. It doesn't bother me when it's skipped over (I can suspend disbelief) but it really bothers me when the characters discuss and then dismiss it. 

Kate Svenson is a high-powered business woman who discovers true love while on vacation in Kentucky. This is not one of those "oh she changes her whole life to suit the hero. Kate is already not loving her high-powered job. She doesn't like the rat race and she thinks that getting married might help. She has a plan.

Jake Templeton doesn't fit that plan. He was a high powered accountant who moved back home and helped save the town. But he doesn't want any acknowledgement. Nor does he particularly want to do any work. He sees Kate as a danger. Not only does she take out several men who take her out on dates, she reminds him way too much of his ex-wife. Besides, they're buddies. 

Fun story. Fast read. Loved.

I apparently read this in 2012 and only have the vaguest memories of it in 2021 but I still agree with my assessment.

Four stars

This book came out January 1st, 1993

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Off the Record by Dolores Gordon-Smith

The mystery in this one felt very much rooted in character development which was fairly interesting. There was a lot going on in showing the many facets of each of the characters. The solution ended up being fairly complex and I didn't really understand one of the character's motivations and there were other loose ends but it was a good story and a nice addition to the series. I really liked and appreciated Gordon-Smith's note at the beginning explaining the history. 

Jack Haldean is at the center of a new mystery where a man whose invention could revolutionize the way music is played. But why would the professor seemingly murder the man who could make his ambition even bigger? Could it be that the entrepreneur had secrets of his own.

Three stars
This book came out March 1, 2011
Follows A Hundred Thousand Dragons
Followed by Trouble Brewing
Hard copy borrowed from Library
Opinions are my own

Game On by Kelly Jamieson

Hockey player is resistant to love. Heiress has been burned before. His teammates bet him that he can't spend time with her and NOT fall in love (it's the end of the series so "everyone else" is coupled up.) Refreshingly, Cam tells Olivia about the bet. And she's willing to go along because she needs a boyfriend to bring home to what appears to be a somewhat dysfunctional family (that is sort of fixed at the end but it's glossed over and I love a good family figuring it out story.)
A nice, easy read, not particularly deep but I was able to dive in without having read any other book of the series.

Three stars

Follows Big Stick

This book came out January 15th, 2019

 Ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

The Return of Rafe MacKade by Nora Roberts

This book was originally written in the nineties and doesn't wear very well but isn't as bad as the last book in the series in terms of where romance has come since then. This is a Harlequin romance so it reads quickly so it skips over some big details but is still kind of fun.
Regan Jones has enjoyed living in Antietam, opening her antiques store, and making friends. She's heard all of the rumors about the MacKade boys' pasts but one of them is the sheriff, one is her lawyer, and the other is a hardworking farmer. But then Rafe comes back. And he immediately sets his sights on her. Well, first on the old Barlow place and then on Regan. He hires her to decorate the house he is rehabbing into a B&B. And, of course, there's all that proximity that leads to lust and then love.
I really liked reading about Regan. She really is an early example of competence porn knowing her job well and kicking ass when she needs to. Rafe skims the outer edges of alphahole but manages to stay mainly on the side of a liberated 90s-kind of guy.

Three stars

Followed by The Pride of Jared MacKade

This book came out April 1st, 1995

Ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton, Robert K. Oermann

Dolly Parton is an acknowledged angel on earth and this is a fascinating look at how she comes up with her songs. Interspersed with the stories are snippets from the a. Not only a talented songwriter, Dolly is an acclaimed actress whose work spans decades. Her stories are fascinating, her spirit uplifting. I love hearing about her life in her own words. Is she unrelentingly nice about everyone she's ever worked with? Yes. Is it a breath of fresh air? Yes, it is.

Five stars

This book came out November 17th, 2020

Borrowed as an audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own