Claim Me, Cowboy by Maisey Yates

It all started with an ad...
Joshua Grayson's father wants nothing more than for his son to fall in love, get married, and have babies. So he puts an ad out into the world and now Joshua is getting all sorts of unwanted attention from women he doesn't really want to connect with. So Joshua puts out his own ad. One for a thoroughly disreputable woman. One who will get his father off his back. And the woman who answers his ad is perfect. Danielle Kelly is too young, too poor, too hipster, and too-carrying-an-infant for his parents to attach. Except that Joshua seems to be ready to attach...
Danielle grew up the child of a teen mother. Her mother was dirt poor but would drag Danielle around as she moved from man to man, trying to find stability.
I never really connect with characters in the "New Adult" category, even ones who are super-mature for their age.  And I never really felt like Danielle and Joshua connected (well, beyond the sex). Would have loved to see more scenes where the two connected outside the bedroom. Regular Yates readers will probably be satisfied but I'm looking forward to a better story in the next book.

Two and a half stars.
This book comes out April 3
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Follows  Smooth-Talking Cowboy

Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston

I only got two chapters of this book as an ARC from NetGalley so I can't really review the whole book. There wasn't a great glimpse of either Charlotte (Charlie,a badger shifter) or Berg (grizzly shifter) so I'm not sure how the rest of the book is going to go. We know that Charlie has at least two sisters, one of which needs watching every moment of the day. Oh, and the book opens with men breaking into Charlotte's hotel room just as she gets a warning call. She drops down to the room below which just so happens to be the one where Cooper (famous pianist, jackal shifter) who we met in the last book is being guarded by Berg. 

I'm a little trepidatious about how this book is going to go but I trust Laurenston so I'll definitely read this book as soon as I can get my hands on it.

I did eventually get the full ARC and it was okay but there was a lot of setup for the rest of the series. I wished we had gotten to see more of Berg. It's interesting that Laurenston keeps introducing bear triplets (had been done in Bear meets Girl). Each of the characters seems to be full hilt stereotypes which is okay but I wish we had gotten a bit more nuance.

Three stars

This book comes out March 27, 2018

Follows Bite Me

Followed by In a Badger Way

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Reread May 2022, January 2024

A Magical Match by Juliet Blackwell

Tristan Dupree, a shadowy figure from Lily Ivory's past is in San Francisco and has given her 48 hours to return his... well, she doesn't exactly know what it is that she stole from him. Whatever it was, she doesn't have memories of that time in her life. She's also dealing with trying to put together a 1950s brunch to benefit the local woman's shelter as well as the evil owner of a cupcake store. Oh, and her whirlwind fiance is in jail for murder.
I don't know how but I missed a book or two in the series and that definitely lowered my enjoyment of reading this book. There was a lot of world-building in those books that made this story harder to follow. I'm guessing that people who have read the whole series will really like this book but I would not recommend it to readers new to the Witchcraft Mystery series.

Three stars
This book comes out April 3
Followed by Bewitched and Betrothed
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Peanut Butter and Jelly by Ben Clanton

I really enjoy the Narwhal and Jelly books and think that people will like this one as well. You definitely don't have to have read the other two books in the series to enjoy this one but it would help. Narwhal discovers that there is food other than waffles and becomes obsessed with peanut butter. Very cute but I felt like it was a lot shorter than previous Narwhal books.

Four stars

This book comes out March 27

Follows Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt

The Secret of Flirting by Sabrina Jeffries

Monique Servais knows who she is. She's a woman trying to put together a good life for the grandmother who raised her; the grandmother whose mental health is slipping away. She also knows she's a damn fine actress. So when an overbearing pair of gentleman push their way into her dressing room one night and one insults her, she's not taking any bull from him.
Gregory Fulkham is immediately to this actress and also immediately irritated by his attraction. But he sure as heck remembers her, even three years later when she's being passed off as a Belgian princess. Yes, it's a "Prince and the Pauper" type situation (but with more intrigue) and Gregory is Not Amused. But he's still attracted. And he's super-pissed that someone is taking potshots at the Monique, whether she's a fake or not.
This was an okay book but not as good as others in the series. This book also suffered from a surfeit of trying to introduce/catch up with other couples in the series.

Three stars
This book comes out March 27
Follows The Pleasures of Passion

The River House by Carla Neggers

Felicity MacGregor really enjoys her life. She's an event planner and, while there's not a ton of work for her in Knights Bridge, there's more than enough work in the surrounding areas. Enough that she's gotten herself out of the mountain of debt she was in three years ago plus be able to buy a house. She does have a slight hitch in her stride when she hears that Gabriel Flanagan is going to be back in town to help out with a business bootcamp that she's putting on. Gabe, the man that was her best friend for ears until he bluntly told her that she wasn't living her best life.
Gabe's not sorry he did it. He feels like he did what was best for Felicity and he feels hurt by the way she lashed out when she left after crashing on his couch for a week. So he decides that he's going to sleep on her couch, and maybe even deepen their relationship.
This wasn't one of Neggers' better stories. I never really got that Felicity and Gabe should be more than friends. They lashed out at each other, acted like children, then somehow, we're supposed to believe they're in love. And, just to create some more angst, there's a potential female stalker after Gabe. Just, ew. It wasn't horrible though, just waiting for the next one and hoping it will be better.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out March 27
Follows Red Clover Inn

Jagged by Lauren Dane

Rachel Dolan has a past. She was an FBI agent who got trapped by one of the men she was chasing and it changed her life. Leaving the bureau behind, Rachel was delighted to discover that her talent with art translated into a career as a tattoo artist. Yes, she has a routine and a LOT of locks on her doors. A state-of-the-art seucrity system isn't a bad thing either. It makes her feel safe. Also making her feel safe? Vicktor Orlov.
Vicktor knows Rachel's story but that only impresses him - it doesn't scare him off. He doesn't want to tame her or protect her, he just wants her to live her best life and to help her find a way to do that.
And that was my favorite part of this book, that Vicktor is impressed by Rachel's strength and doesn't down play it at all. I wish there had been more come-to-Jesus with her dad and that we had seen a little more courtship, but overall a pretty good read.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out March 27
This book follows Unraveled
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley