Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh

Elizabeth, Lady Overfield had a horrible marriage. Her husband abused her to the point that her family actually not only took her in, they kept her. Something unheard of in their time. But she's relatively happy where she is. In her mid-thirties, she can't ask for much more.
Colin Handrich, Lord Hodges, is twenty-six. And he decides to use the holiday house party to start looking for a wife. He's known Elizabeth from previous parties and has always been inspired by her quite confidence. She may not be a raging beauty but she is striking and has a pull. When circumstances make it so that they are sort of forced into marriage, he's not upset.
In most Balogh stories, I feel like there is so much character development, which we do see here, and so much romance building, which I missed.

Three stars
This book came out November 27
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinions are my own

The Duke That I Marry by Cathy Maxwell

Willa Reverly won the most points in a game with her friends when the Duke of Camberly proposed marriage. But she hasn't seen the man since and she's ready to call off the marriage so she sends him a note.
That note sends Matthew Addison into a panic. He needs her money. The ducal estate should be very much more profitable than it is but it is actually deep in debt. In meeting with Willa again, Matthew realizes that there might be more to his soon-to-be-bride than he had thought, even more than he had hoped for.
A little thin on the "loss of money" plot line but otherwise a good book.

Four stars
This book came out November 27
ARC kindly provided by Edelweiss; Opinions are my own

Killalot by Cindy Brown

Ivy Meadows is in the audience for a Renaissance Faire with her boyfriend, her brother, and her brother's girlfriend. She's delighted to learn that her friend Riley is also there; he's participating in the jousting tournament against the man who used to be his mentor. But the time comes for the bout, Riley is not the opponent who walks onto the field and his mentor is the one who ends up dead.
An okay addition to the series but didn't capture me as much as earlier books. Still looking forward to the next one in the series.

Three stars
This book came out November 6
ARC kindly provided by Edelweiss; Opinion is my own

'Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost

We're back with Holly White at her family's Christmas Tree Farm one year after the last book. She's settled into town nicely and is still dating the local law man. It's too bad her best friend Caroline's life isn't so settled. She went out with a jerk in order to make her parents happy then very publicly argued with the man. The day before he turned up dead outside Caroline's store.
Now Holly's trying to figure out who killed the man (it's a mystery, he had no shortage of enemies) before they can get to her.
At the beginning of the story, we learn that it's a year later. That makes sense for the series but the time jump was rough. There was a lot that went on in the year that wasn't explained. The end also went a bit off the rails for me. If you don't mind an unexpected burst of magical realism, you won't mind it though.

Three stars (barely)
This book came out November 23
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinions are my own

Merrily Ever After: A Novella by Jenny Holiday

Elise and Jay are perfect for each other. He doesn't want kids and she can't have any. Except, despite all the odds, Elise is pregnant. And she's terrified about what that's going to mean for their relationship.
Jay doesn't know what's going on but he knows that something is up. His normally loving wife isn't responding the way she normally does. How will he react to the news?
I wish that this had been longer. Elise and Jay were presented as a couple at the beginning of the series so we don't know either's back story very well (maybe they were in a different series?) and that would have helped tremendously with this story. I'm still very much looking forward to finding out what is going on with their model friend, Gia.

Three stars
This novella comes out December 4
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; opinion is my own

The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl by Victoria Alexander

Sidney Honeywell has become known as the Queen of the Desert from her writings about traveling in Egypt. Too bad she's never been. But Harry Armstrong has and he's not impressed. He believes that she is just out to trick everyone in the ton. So he challenges her to a trip in a series of letter using his

newly minted title. However, he says that he's going to send his "nephew" Harry along. Also going, a reporter to make sure that everything is on the up and up as well as the founders of the Lady Travelers Society. And, dang, do those old ladies make the book fun. Yes, they're a little plot-moppet-ish but overall just a fun read and a wonderful addition to the series.

Four stars
This book came out November 20
Followed by The Lady Travelers Guide to Happily Ever After
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinions are my own

The Laws of Brand Storytelling by Ekaterina Walter and Jessica Gioglio

This book walks you through how you can develop your own brand and then use that brand to make sure that your customers know who you are so they can be satisfied.
I requested this book from NetGalley because, even though I don't have a company, I feel like building my personal brand will help me in my day-to-day. And this book really delivered.

Four Stars
This book came out November 2
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinions are my own