Love at First by Kate Clayborn

Will Sterling isn't sure why his uncle left Will his apartment. The only memory he has of his Uncle Donny is of a day when Will was fifteen and his mother had gone to Donny for help. He had refused. So... not exactly good memories. But he can't sell the apartment for one year. His mentor, Dr. Gerald Abraham, suggests  that Will talk to Gerald's ex-wife who seems to be making a lot of money by doing Airbnb-type rentals. Will figures he might as well.
Eleanora "Nora" Clarke loves the apartment building in which she lives. Almost everyone has lived there for decades and they are pretty much an extended family at this point. She does not like the idea of having strangers in the building. So she does her best to thwart Will's plans. It's too bad that he's so good looking. And such a good guy. And so willing to help her break out of the stasis she's been in both in her home and her life.
This book was really enjoyable. We get to see Nora and Will at a point in their lives where both are growing up a little bit. We also get to see how they fall in love and why they work as a couple. It might take a little bit but each is willing to fight for the other and to compromise when they need to.

Four stars

This book came out February 23rd, 2021

Ebook borrowed from Libby

Opinions are my own

Styx & Stone by James W. Ziskin

Ellie Stone is a "girl reporter". Not in her own mind but that how she's thought of in the 1960s. However, now the story is about her, or at least, her father. He's been attacked in his own home so she goes back to her childhood home to figure out what is going on. It seems that her father's attack might be related to another death of one of his colleagues.
I didn't love the solution to the mystery because it was a little bit out there but I did like the character development of Ellie and the writing. Very Golden Age of Mystery with lots of references to classics and classical music. A bit noir with some darkness and the protagonist sleeping around.

Three stars

Followed by No Stone Unturned

This book came out October 15th, 2013

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Kate and Curran are worried about their Pack's children. Too many of them are going Loup. There is a cure in Europe but the Europeans aren't sharing. Well, unless the American Beasts come and protect a woman who is being used as a pawn by several European shifter factions. She's pregnant by two men (it happens) and which ever twin is born first will inherit a good chunk of land.

This is going to be a slog anyway but then it turns out that Kate's father's right hand, Hugh D'Ambry, is hosting the entire mess.

I liked this one, but it did make me sad in places,which is fine but I'm not a good place in my life to deal with the deaths of even fictional characters. (Even on re-read, this one hurts.)

Three and a half stars

Follows Magic Slays

Followed by Magic Breaks

This book came out July 30th, 2013

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews

Kate is no longer working for the Order; she's set out on her own. She's not had any clients so far but then there's an unmanned vampire, the PAD is in her yard, and all hell is breaking loose. Her best friend Andrea has just showed up after eight weeks of no word and Kate finally gets her first client. And then she gets two new employees (Derrick and a 15-year-old Bouda). And she is going to get ready to go to battle (again). Just in time for her adopted daughter Julie to show up.

Lots of action in this book but I wish we had seen more character development. Still a good book in the series.

Three stars

Follows Magic Bleeds

Followed by Magic Rises

This book came out April 25th, 2011

Hard copy borrowed from library

Opinions are my own

Broken (in the best possible way) Jenny Lawson

 

If you haven't read Jenny Lawson before, you may want to start with her other books but only because they are so amazingly awesome and worth reading as well. This book had me laughing out loud so hard it hurt my throat. It also had me crying. 

Lawson tells stories from her own life that cross topics from her childhood to her marriage to her mental illness. And it is really the last that has garnered her the most attention. She honestly describes her (at times crippling) depression. She doesn't whitewash the pain it has caused her or her family. But she also highlights the hysterical parts of life (the Twitter thread she accidentally started about people's most embarrassing moments makes me feel better about how I people) as well as those parts that are amazingly poignant (her grandmother's dementia.) 

Four and a half stars

This book comes out April 6th

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

The Bargain by Mary Jo Putney

Lady Jocelyn Kendal needs a man. Preferably one not long for this earth. Her father's convoluted will left her all of his money but only if she married by the time she turned 25... and that birthday is fast approaching. She needs more time to convince a certain duke that she could be his perfect woman. 

While visiting the local veteran's hospital, she meets Major David Lancaster, a very nice man who is on his deathbed. And it seems that the major has a sister that he is worried about. In exchange for an immediate marriage, Jocelyn will support his sister. It's a win-win situation. At least, it is until David doesn't die. 

I liked that David and Jocelyn were both perfectly decent people, each caught up in circumstances that were not of their own making. Their romance is fine but I REALLY liked the B romance between David's managing sister and the surgeon who saves his life. A little bland in places but overall an enjoyable read. 

Three stars

Followed by Petals in the Storm

This book came out October 1st, 1999

Borrowed as an ebook from CloudLibrary

Opinions are my own

The Sweet Taste of Sin by Ember Casey

This might be an interesting series later but this book needed just a little more character growth for me to believe that this was going to be an HEA.
Ashlyn is happy (more or less) running her bakery and avoiding her one and only True Love Dante Fontaine, yes, of the Hollywood Fontaines. But then she runs into him (in a situation that is one that pops up in romance novels but isn't one of my favorites.) And he realizes that she is still his True Love and he might have a chance (or something like that). Then he keeps running after her because he wants her even though she repeatedly says "No, nope, nopity nope." Usually I would DNF after about the third instance of this but I was tired and somehow kept going. 
They eventually do end up together but there was not near enough groveling and I'm not exactly sure why she took him back other than her lady bits kept telling her to.

Two stars

Followed by The Lies Between the Lines
This book came out February 5th, 2019

Ebook of mine on Kindle

Opinions are my own