Amor Actually -- anthology

A collection of short stories by various Latinx authors that takes the various story lines of Love Actually and turns them into stories with happy endings. I appreciated getting to read some new authors and those stories were fine but I ended up liking the authors which I had already read a little bit more, probably because I already know their voices and read them because I like them.

Three and a half stars 

This book came out December 7, 2021

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Art of Deception by Nora Roberts

Ufda. This book really did not age well. The hero leans close to alphahole and our heroine tends toward an early manic pixie dream girl. She and her father veer from arch and loving to over the top in a sort of annoying way.
All Adam Hastings wants to do is figure out what is going on with some art forgeries. He has a mysterious friend he's talking to while he's staying at Phillip Fairchild's house because... somehow they know Phillip is connected? But he doesn't realize that Phillip has a daughter and is shocked by her. But attracted! Because Kirby, an accomplished sculptor, screams sex. Well, her body does. Her personality is also attractive, so why not? But the plot is more twisted than it appears and becomes more and more convoluted.

Two stars

This book came out February 28th, 1986

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Beware of Low-Flying Corn Muffins by Lincoln Peirce

I love the Big Nate books. Peirce does such a good job of creating a kid who would like to believe that he is smooth and worldly but he is actually usually short of the mark. In this collection, we get to see that in a series of stories including the low-flying corn muffin incident where Nate gets the coach in the head. We also find out that Nate and his nemesis Mrs. Godfrey share a surprising interest. Nate almost loses his status as the king of gossip around school. 

Four stars

This book comes out March 8, 2022

Follows Aloha!

Followed by Release the Hounds

ARC kindly provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper

Leaving Thistle Grove was hard but for the current scion of the Harlow family, Emmy, returning is even harder. She left after a painful breakup with another witch, Gareth Blackmoore. She's finally back in town and learns that Gareth has cut quite the swath through town, seducing two of her friends. Well, one is her best friend and one is about to be something more... But can she get back at her ex and also fall in love? Yes, yes she can.

This is an interesting world that Harper built but the ending was a little too much wrapped up in Emmy's ego for me to really enjoy the book. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Four stars

This book came out October 5, 2021

Followed by From Bad to Cursed

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers

What happens when a doctor suspects murder but has no way to prove it? If he's overheard by Lord Peter Wimsey and his friend Charles Parker, police detective extraordinaire, he might have a chance.  A doctor believes that a niece has killed her aunt but can't prove it. The local village rallies around her and he is forced to leave town. But he still believes that the death was not accidental. Lord Peter helps him prove that the niece is not as innocent as she appears to be but not before a couple more murders.

Love, love, love Ian Carmichael as the narrator. He is simply amazing.

Four stars

This book came out in 1927

Follows Clouds of Witness

Followed by The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus

Opinions are my own

February Rereads

Everything's Coming up Rosie by Kasey Michaels

Four stars

This book came out September 1, 2006

Opinions are my own

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

Hidden Legacy #1

Followed by White Hot
Audiobook from Overdrive
This book came out October 28th, 2014
Opinions are my own

White Hot by Ilona Andrews

Hidden Legacy #2

Follows Burn for Me
Followed by Wildfire
Audiobook from Libby
This book came out October 28th, 2014
Opinions are my own

Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews

Hidden Legacy #3.5
Four stars
Followed by Sapphire Flames
This novella came out November 6th, 2018
Audiobook from Libby

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

Hidden Legacy #4
This book came out August 27th, 2019

Four stars
Followed by Emerald Blaze
Audiobook from Libby

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

Hidden Legacy #5

This book came out August 25, 2020
Follows Sapphire Flames

Followed by Ruby Fever

Audiobook from Libby

The Chapel in the Woods by Dolores Gordon-Smith

Jack Haldean, detective story writer, returns in a new mystery that brings a little murder close to home, at least, his cousin's small village. A very rich Canadian and his wife have just bought Birchen Bower. The property has a very interesting history with a family that was descended from pirates. There are also stories about jaguars and ghosts that haunt the area. But the Jagos bring bad luck of their own with stories of Mr. Tom Jago's secretary, Derek Martin (a local boy), running off with twenty thousand dollars worth of diamonds.  

However, they stick around for a bit, even enjoying the village fete. It's just too bad that a body turns up in the chapel on their property. And then there's another.  And another. All appear to have been clawed by a big cat. It will be up to the local constable and Inspector Edward Ashley, with some help from Jack, to figure out what exactly is going on.

Four stars

This book comes out March 1, 2022

Follows Forgotten Murder

ARC provided by Severn House and NetGalley

Opinions are my own