Starlit Winter Nights by Nora Roberts

I hadn't read the Cordina series in awhile and this book reminded me of why. This series didn't age well and this book is definitely a product of its time with Hanna supposedly being a kickass secret undercover agent (we learn this pretty quickly) but she is helpless against Prince Bennett and his ... charms(?).

Bennett is worried about his family. An old enemy is about to be released from from prison and he knows that his family is going to be a target. He is even more worried about the fact that he seems to be falling for a woman who is not his normal type. He usually dates models and striking women but this one is... not. but she's captured his attention.

Lady Hannah Rothchild is drab and tends to be overlooked. That is because she has cultivated that personality. It allows her to melt into the background becoming the perfect bodyguard for people like Princess Eve. She has the background and she has the skills. Hannah is about to take down the Big Bad but is apparently distracted by Bennett and his forceful (emphasis on force...) ways.

Two stars

This book came out October 1, 1987

Follows Command Performance

Followed by Cordina's Crown Jewel

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp

I had read the second book in this series and for about forty percent of this book, I wondered whether I really needed to read this one (I didn't). But then, what made me enjoy the second book finally kicked in. I really like the narrator of this story, Daisy Ellery, who kills men but does so by a certain set of rules (usually.) 

We know that she makes pies and can imbue a little bit of magic. That magic, in a similar vein to "Like Water for Chocolate", can imbue different feelings in people. It can also kill. And she is trying to rid the world of men who don't treat women well. To that end, she has set up a business, "Pies before Guys," that works solely on referrals. Daisy will take care of the men in your life who you need not to be in your life. But she has someone who is not her normal client. It is someone who is closer to her than she ever would have guessed.

For as close as some people are to her in the second book, I don't see those relationships really building in this book but it was a good intro to a series.

Three stars

This book came out May 10, 2022

Followed by A Good Day to Pie

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn

We finally get to meet the elusive Caroline, the woman who done Stoker wrong. And with his best friend. Whom she then married. Who is now missing. Who is accused of stealing a valuable diadem from an Egyptian dig site. And Stoker and Veronica have been asked to investigate. Of course, Veronica is ready to charge toward danger and drag Stoker behind with her.

A lovely addition to the series. We get a great peek into Stoker's past and a bit of an explanation as to how his character has been built.

Four stars

This book came out January 16, 2018

Follows A Perilous Undertaking

Followed by A Dangerous Collaboration

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

This Spells Love by Kate Robb

I would love more romance stories where a guy and a girl could just be friends. No love or romance or simmering feelings, just friends. This is not that book. And I knew that going in but was still somehow disappointed because Gemma was so happy to have Dax as her friend. Their story was a good one, with a spell from a book and some magical hand waving having Gemma going back in time to not having dated the man who just broke her heart (or at least bruised her pride.) But that means that she and Dax never met. And, while it seems perfect at first, Gemma finds out toward the end that pulling on one thread might change the tapestry. And she has to make some decisions about what is going to be best not only for her, but for Dax as well.

Three and a half stars

This book came out December 5, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

For those of us who have seen Britney's Instagram, we can tell that this book has been heavily (HEAVILY) edited. Or the ghostwriter was really good at pulling together a coherent narrative from fractured stories. But it is an interesting glimpse into the life of a woman who, the world is slowly discovering, was done wrong by almost everyone around her. While she may not be completely on her feet, that is probably not completely her fault and what happened to her is given context by what was going on in her own mind versus the narrative being built by people who only wanted to make money off of her. We get stories from Star Search, the Mickey Mouse Club years, her marriages, some of her dating life, and her time being pregnant. Getting to see behind the curtain makes her so much more relatable.

Four stars

This book came out October 24, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead

It's a shame that the biggest stretch of my imagination that there was more than one librarian in the school that Alexis worked in because that shouldn't be the world we live in. Also, that a Democrat could get close to winning in Texas. But the man that Alexis tries to have a one night stand with turns out to be a man in politics. 

Logan knows that he needs to have a squeaky clean image to be able to have a chance to beat the incumbent. Having a picture taken of him and Alexis leaving a hotel is not part of the plan. But when fake dating gets put on the table, he is shocked that she says yes.

This was an okay book but more politics than I expected and so much that could have been solved with some communication.

Three stars

This book came out May 7, 2023

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari

Ugh. This book introduced one of my least favorite tropes: the love triangle. Saffron Everleigh didn't really make any promises to Alexander Ashton before he headed out to the Amazon, so should she really feel guilty for kissing Dr. Michael Lee in the course of an investigation? The man who supports her in her investigation of the deaths of three women, all of whom were sent bouquets of flowers that had messages. And often caused itching and more.

This time, Detective Inspector Green actually asks for her help. And Saffron wants to help. She may be in over her head though. Going undercover in the ton, it may be that her true identity will be exposed and the way of life she has chosen for herself will be threatened.

Three stars

This book came out June 6, 2023

Saffron Everleigh Mysteries #2

Follows A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

Followed by A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own