The Lady Has a Past by Amanda Quick

Lyra Brazier is not going to attain her dreams. She knows that she could run the family business but she's a woman in the 1920s. Her father isn't going to hand it over to her and the man she thought she'd marry and then act as a puppetmaster for got into bed with one of her bridesmaids. Now, she's reinventing herself as an assistant investigator for Raina Kirk. Too bad her first assignment almost ends in her death. And then Raina disappears. Lyra immediately calls Raina's lover, Luther. He teams her up with the unassuming Simon Cage.
Simon has just come off a job of his own. It also went sideways so he's just looking for some down time. His friend Luther knows the owner of a posh spa and can get Simon a place. Except that Simon now needs to be on the trail of Raina Kirk and that means going to a different posh spa and pretending to be newlyweds with Lyra. What they find will uncover a blackmail scheme that spans years. But it will also lay bare a plot for revenge that comes unexpectedly from the past.
While you don't have to have read the first four books in this series, it would help with some of the backgrounds for the characters. Especially knowing that both Luther and Raina have been B characters up to this point but both have shadowy pasts. I really liked Lyra, how she was able to see that one dream wasn't going to be attainable and so she pivoted. It didn't mean that she wasn't hurt or that the transition was easy (although she seems to have a natural aptitude for investigative work) but she did it. Like others of Quick's books, this book has many places where it seems to end but then the reader notices that there are many pages left. I almost put the book down at one point thinking everything to be resolved (because not every author ties up every loose end) but there was almost 15% left in the book.

Four stars
Follows Close Up

Followed by When She Dreams
This book comes out May 4, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread October 2021, September 2022 as audiobook from Libby

April Rereads

As always, all opinions are my own.

The Girl from Summer Hill by Jude Deveraux

Summer Hill 1

Four stars

This book came out May 3rd, 2018

Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary

True Love by Jude Deveraux

Nantucket #1

Three stars

This book came out July 9th, 2013

On a re-read, I did not forgive Jared as fast as I did the first time. And I made my brain go numb trying to do the math from previous books in M/T timeline. Believe me, it's better to let it go.

A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase

Difficult Dukes #1

Four stars

Followed by Ten Things I Hate about the Duke

Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary

Ten Things I Hate about the Duke by Loretta Chase

Difficult Dukes #2

Four stars

Follows A Duke in Shining Armor

This book came out August 22nd, 2017

Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary

Last Chance Christmas Ball -- Anthology

Three stars

This book came out September 29th, 2015

Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes Thompson #1

Three stars
Followed by Blood Bound

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

This book came out January 31st, 2006

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes Thompson #3

Three stars
This book came out January 2nd, 2008
Follows Blood Bound
Followed by Bone Crossed
Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes Thompson #4

Four stars

This book came out February 3rd, 2009
Follows Iron Kissed
Followed by Silver Borne

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes Thompson #5

Three stars
This book came out March 30th, 2010
Follows Bone Crossed
Followed by River Marked
Borrowed from CloudLibrary

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes Thompson #6

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 2011
Follows Silver Borne
Followed by Frost Burned
Borrowed from library

Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Alpha & Omega #2

Four stars

Follows Cry Wolf

Followed by Fair Game

This book came out August 25th, 2009
Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary

America's Geekheart by Pippa Grant

Bro Code #2

Four stars

Follows Flirting with the Frenemy
Followed by Liar, Liar, Hearts on Fire
Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own

Liar Liar Hearts on Fire by Pippa Grant

Bro Code #3

Three stars

Follows America's Geekheart

Followed by Master Baker
This book came out March 24th, 2020
Borrowed this as a Kindle Unlimited book
Opinions are my own

Jock Blocked by Pippa Grant

Copper Valley Fireballs #1

Three stars

Followed by Real Fake Love
This book came out May 19th, 2020
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own

Real Fake Love by Pippa Grant

Three and a half stars

Follows Jock Blocked

This book came out September 3rd, 2020

Opinions are my own

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Lila Macapagal has moved home to help out at her aunt's Filipino restaurant. Well, and to get over a bad breakup. Too bad another of her exes, Derek, is such a jerk. Not only does Derek come in and continually give her aunt's restaurant bad reviews, his stepfather, Edward Long, owns the building her aunt's restaurant is in and he seems to be trying to kick her out. It's just rotten luck that Derek falls over dead while eating there. And Edward is quick to point the finger at her family. So now Lila has a a shady ex, her family restaurant is under an aura of suspicion, and they can't even try to earn enough money to make the next rent because the police had shut them down

This was a really fun story immersed in the Filipino culture. We get a glimpse of Lila's past and know that she's picking herself back up which will be fun to watch. I'm really hoping that the potential love triangle is wrapped up quickly because most series pull it out for far too long.

Four stars

This book comes out May 4th, 2021

Followed by Homicide and Halo Halo

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

Anna and Charles were introduced in a short story and it would definitely help to have read it to understand a lot of this book but I don't think it's entirely necessary (edited: I have since read the short story and it helps a little but not necessary). There is some world building in this book as well, setting up the same rules we read in that story (how werewolves function, their packs work, etc.)
Anna has only been a werewolf for three years but her previous pack kept much of the knowledge of being a werewolf from her. Charles, on the other hand, has been a werewolf for almost two hundred years and his father is the Alpha of all Alphas. The book opens when Charles, having determined that Anna is his mate, has brought her to Montana. She is immediately soaked in pack politics as they are dealing with the funeral of a beloved townsperson. Plus, there appears to be a rogue wolf killing people in the nearby wilderness and Charles is the person who is best suited to figuring out what is going on, even though he is healing from being shot with silver bullets.
I generally enjoyed this story and am liking where Charles and Anna are going (no love triangles! Woot!).

Four stars

Follows Alpha & Omega

Followed by Hunting Ground

This book came out July 29th, 2008

Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary

Opinions are my own

Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs

For three years, Anna Latham has been a part of a living nightmare. At the bottom of a werewolf pack in Chicago, she is a monster who is trapped by circumstance. But she works up the nerve to call the Marrok, the head of all werewolves, and tell him that things are wrong where she is. 

The Marrok, Bram, has known that there is something wrong in Chicago so he sends his enforcer, his son Charles, to figure out what is going on. Bram directs Anna to pick up Charles.

It's immediately up on seeing Anna that Charles realizes that she is his mate. He also realizes that she is not a submissive wolf as she has been told, rather, she is an Omega. Omegas are a rare type of wolf who can bring peace to other wolves. And that is exactly the reason Anna has been treated the way she has... something is rotten in the state of Denmark and it will take both Anna and Charles to solve it.

For a short story, this is really good at introducing two strong characters as well as building a complete world.

Four stars

Followed by Cry Wolf

Published in On the Prowl, August 7th, 2007

Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary

Opinions are my own

Three Fates by Nora Roberts

I reread this book every so often and enjoy it every time. Some aspects haven't aged well as technology is changing but other parts, like the women kicking butt and taking names, have fared better. 

Malachi Sullivan is on a mission. A valuable heirloom has been stolen from him by the unscrupulous Anita and he believes that historian and author Tia Marsh can help him figure out how to get it back. She's quiet, shy, and sort of bland-looking so he figures he can seduce her into giving him information. Unfortunately, the person who wangled the heirloom, a small statue of one of the Fates, from him is keeping an eye on him because they trash Tia's hotel room causing her to retreat. Malachi goes back to Cobh, his hometown in Ireland, to retrench with his family. They decide to split up with his brother Gideon following the trail of a descendant of the man who owned another of the Fates. He ends up in a strip club in Prague trying to get Cleo Toliver to turn over the second Fate. She just wants a trip back to New York and is willing to use Gideon to get there. 

Meanwhile, Anita is working on security expert Jack Burdett, trying to get him on her side. He, being fairly canny, does some research and ends up in Cobh, meeting the Sullivan sister, Rebecca. And thus  several ties that started at the sinking of the Lusitania are closed. 

Four stars

This book came out 2002

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Northern Lights by Nora Roberts

Sometimes a move can be good for the soul. Ignatius "Nate" Burke is hoping that this will be true for him. After being shot, he's leaving most of his worldly means behind and moving from Boston to Alaska. He is weary and beaten down, not up for the no-nonsense attitude of Mayor Hopp much less the overt flirtation of Charlene Hidel, the owner of the local bar and his new landlord. The only thing he barely notices a red parka disappearing down the street as he is looking out the window.  
The red parka turns out to belong to bush pilot Meg Galloway, Charlene's daughter. Her quiet pragmatism is a balm to Nate's soul. He is also starting to get into the rhythm of living in a small town, both the good and the bad parts. Dealing with drunks and small thievery is right about what he wants to deal with right now. A mountain rescue is not something he is expecting. Nor is he expecting that the climbers will have taken refuge in a cave where a body had been hidden for decades.

Four stars

This book came out September 27th, 2005

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own