Happy Place by Emily Henry

Breakups are hard. Breakups are especially hard when you're part of a tight-knit group of friends. Friends who get together often at the place that Harriet considers her happy place. But now she's going to ruin their happy place because Harriet and Wyn are no longer together. They actually broke up six months ago but didn't tell anyone. Now she's on vacation with their friends alone. But hers isn't the only big news; the cottage is for sale and their weeks of halcyon vacation days are about to be over. 

There was a lot of anxiety built into this book: Am I enough for the other person? For my group of friends? And, while we saw a bit of "past Wyn," I would have liked to see more of "present time Wyn;" just a little more romance. Or maybe more of the friendships. Henry has beautiful writing but also strong character connections and this book revolved more around Harriet than anything else. 

Three stars

This book comes out April 25, 2023

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

It all started with a song. Or maybe it was a smell. Maybe it was the twinges and her lower back becoming pangs. But whatever it was, Viv had become dissatisfied with the life she was leading And she thinks she's discovered a way to get out. It involves a leap of faith on her part, trusting that she's interpreted a song correctly. It also means leaving her old group, some of whom she'll miss. 

Following her intuition and a set of bones that sense ley lines, Viv ends up at a rundown livery. She searches out the owner and starts building her new life. 

I play D&D so a lot of this felt very familiar. I liked the way that Baldree flipped the script on what a succubus looks like. He made it more of a power and less an unending search for sex. There were a few places that dragged just a bit but I liked the characters and I look forward to more in this series. 

Four and a half stars

Legends & Lattes #1

This book came out February 22, 2022

Followed by Bookshops & Bonedust

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby December 2025

Dread and Buried by Angie Fox

Ugh! A whole weekend with Alec Duranja? Not on Verity's top ten list of things she wants to do with her life. But her boyfriend Ellis and her sister Melody just want everyone to get along. I mean, it's a fabulous weekend on an island. What could go wrong?

Ghost pirates. Ghost pirates could contribute to things going wrong. And a murder mystery weekend that gets all too real. Especially when Verity and Alec, who most decidedly does not believe that Verity can see ghosts, have to work together. But the ghosts are out and Verity doesn't want to join them in the afterlife. 

An okay story but there was too much Alec and Verity in this book. Reading about so much fighting just got tiring after a while.

Three stars

This book comes out April 18, 2023

Follows Give Up the Ghost

Followed by Death at the Drive-In

ARC kindly provided by Moose Island Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

I read about this book on Smart Bitches Trashy Books. Carrie S was absolutely right when she said that people would either get this book or they didn't. I didn't; not the first three times I tried to read this book. I finally made it past the first section and did enjoy the book but I don't think I'm the exact right audience for this series. 

Cinnamon is living a life she enjoys in her small village. This is the year that a group of heroes will be chosen to fight the demons that rise up every so often. Luckily, her world is protected by a benevolent goddess. At least, that's the story until Cinnamon runs into a demon and accidentally throws a bundle of spice into his face breaking him of the spell he's under. Then her whole world turns completely upside down as everything she thought she knew turns out to have been false. Good thing that bad news is balanced out by her falling in love with the demon.

Three stars
This book came out July 22, 2021

Followed by That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson

I am a sucker for autobiographies narrated by their authors. This book is no different. Painted as a blonde bombshell from her youth, Anderson tells her side of the story. Even though this designation has brought her great heartache at times, Anderson is matter-of-fact in telling her stories. She weaves in some information that isn't available as part of her public persona, mainly how she grew up and stories from her youth. The stories are short and sometimes rather shallow but it is an interesting book and worth a listen.

Four stars
This book came out January 31, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Odd Job by Charlotte MacLeod

Another book in the series where we don't see much of Max since he is away on a trip to Argentina. Instead, Sarah is left at home to uncover what happened to Dolores Tawne. In life, she was (unofficially) the person who ran the Wilkins Museum. She was also a former art forger who Max had uncovered. In fact, the Bittersohn/Kelling family has had many ties with the Wilkins over the years which allow Sarah to find out what actually happened to Dolores which she feels some urge to do because Dolores set Sarah up as her executrix. Sarah didn't think Dolores had much but she finds the keys to two bank boxes, one of which has six hat pins which look startlingly familiar, mostly because Dolores was killed by a similar object, one that was mailed to Sarah. And it seems that the hatpins have a history of their own, one linked to the Wicket Widows.

This book was a wild ride. This death was rooted in the past which allowed MacLeod to bring back Uncle Jeremy but the timelines didn't quite make sense and I couldn't figure out the ages of some of the characters which would have made this story a little more fairly clued. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out in 1996

Follows The Resurrection Man

Followed by The Balloon Man

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

Amelia Rose, known to the world as the pop star Rae, just needs a break. Her manager, her support, the person who helped make her who she is, is not listening to her. So she runs away. And, based on her love of Audrey Hepburn movies, decides to take her own holiday and she heads to the closest Rome. Which happens to be in Kentucky. Too bad her car craps out in the yard of a very tall, very grumpy man.
Noah Walker is sort of startled to find a pop star on his lawn. He definitely understands the need to get away for awhile but he doesn't want her sleeping in his house. He ends up bending enough for her to stay for the weekend. His sisters would like her to stay for longer because she makes him smile. But can a big star and a small town guy really make it work?
This was a cute story but it took me awhile to get into it and I can't quite put my finger own why.

Three and a half stars
This book came out September 20, 2022

Followed by Practice Makes Perfect

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own