Thursday, June 22, 2023

A Newlywed's Guide to Fortune and Murder by Dianne Freeman

Frances has been asked by the Dowager Viscountess Winstead to introduce the woman's niece, Kate, into society. When she is about go go visit, she is stopped by the dowager's dear friend, Lady Edith, who is worried about her. Being somewhat afraid of the woman, Kate allows her to come along on her visit. Unfortunately, they don't stay long because the Dowager soon faints and she and Frances are whisked out of the.
Simultaneously, George has been asked to look for the late Viscount Winstead's journal which should go along with the collection he donated to a local museum. With Kate already helping the household, she is in a unique position to be able to help him look for it. 
Not only does Kate have two goals, it seems like everyone is either hiding things from her or actively lying to keep their own secrets. This was a fun addition to the series and I enjoyed the story though I wish we had gotten to see more of George. 

Countess of Harleigh #6
Four stars
This book comes out June 27, 2023
Followed by An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own


Sunday, June 18, 2023

Remember Me by Mary Balogh

When she was eighteen, Lady Philippa "Pippa" Ware was getting ready to come out. She had just found out that her father was a bit of a disappointment and, when she overheard the Marquess of Roath make an uncouth comment about her. This led her to believe that all of London was talking about her family. 
Four years later, she is finally ready to head out into the world. She immediately makes a friend in Jenny, the granddaughter of the Duke of Wilby. Unfortunately, Jenny's brother is none other than Lucas, the odious marquess. He is being forced into town because his grandfather is in ill health and wants to ensure that Lucas has an heir. 
Lucas and Pippa are able to clear up old misunderstandings but they also both agree that, though they seem to rub along well together, there should be no offer of marriage. Too bad everyone else in their life disagrees.
I wish we had seen more of the two of them together but it was, as always with Balogh, a gentle, lovely book. 

Four stars
This book comes out June 20, 2023
Follows Remember Love
Followed by Always Remember
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own



Saturday, June 17, 2023

Florida Woman by Deb Rogers

Jamie found herself in jail for... reasons. As a part of her release, she is wearing an ankle monitor and volunteering at Atlas. It's a shelter for rescue macaques. It's also a former midwife school. It's also the home of Flora whose daughter seems to be in charge of Atlas.
The longer Jamie stays, the more she finds herself drawn to the women running the program. But she is also confused by a number of strange things that are happening in the sanctuary. She doesn't want to mess up her chance at staying out of jail so she's sticking to the letter of the law. But things are starting to make a little less sense than usual.
I KNOW I've read a book with similar themes and beats. I knew what was going to happen even before the author started dropping broader and broader hints. It was an enjoyable book but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as the All the Books crew did.


Three and a half stars
This book came out July 5, 2022
Hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own

Friday, June 16, 2023

Capture the Sun by Jessie Mihalik

We met both Lexie Bowen and Nilo Shoren in previous books in this series. And I do believe it would help to have read the other two books. I know I've read at least one of the two and still felt like I was missing some information. Besides, Mihalik is a fun writer and you might as well enjoy them all.
So, Nilo took a job from Lexie (and that is, frustratingly, never really talked about to clear up exactly why but maybe it was in the book I haven't read) and she's concerned he's about to do it again. Instead, he is on Valovia to save her from a trap. And they go from one adventure to the next. There is not a lot of relationship building in this story but it is still a fun read and I feel like there might be more coming in this series. 

Four stars
This book comes out June 20, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyage and NetGalley
Opinions are my own



Thursday, June 8, 2023

Murdle by G. T. Karber

This is a really interesting idea, turning a number of logic puzzles into a series of short mysteries. And the logic puzzles are already built into the book which is wonderful, if you have the print book. 

Four stars (printed book)
This book comes out June 13, 2023
ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Sunday, June 4, 2023

A Cornish Seaside Murder by Fiona Leitch

It's Jodie's first book back on the force and she's already got another murder to solve. At least it gets her out of being a mermaid... 
It's Merrymaid Week in Penstowan and the story goes that the ugly mermaid turns into a beautiful one as she runs through town with the children chasing her. While hypothetically a lot of fun, Jodie is set up to be the ugly mermaid but never completes her run; she's found a dead body, that of a local fisherman. It seems like someone may be trying to tie it into the legend because the statue of a mermaid usually stored in a church seems to be missing as well. 
As usual, Jodie eventually solves the mystery though there is a bit of a twist at the end of the story.

Four stars
This book comes out June 8, 2023
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins UK and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Monthly Rereads May 31, 2023

 No rereads this month! I'm not sure if that's ever happened. Too much fun in the sun, I guess.