Golden in Death by Nora Roberts

On a clear April morning, a beloved pediatrician opens an unexpected package. Inside is a golden egg. When he opens the egg, a small cloud of gas erupts, killing him. Eve and Peabody are called in to investigate. But they can't find anyone with a grudge against the doctor. He truly was a man that everyone liked. A second death-by-egg helps them to find a thread and uncover a reason for the killing.
There wasn't as much character development in this book as usual, either for the killers or for our leads. It was a fine book but without some of the introspection that make the other books more fun.

Three stars
Follows Vendetta in Death
Followed by Shadows in Death
This book comes out February 4, 2020
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby August 2023

Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom by Louis Sachar

The Wayside school is back and strange things are happening. But normal things are too. The children in Mrs. Jewell's class on the thirtieth floor are learning about the number one million. To that end, they are collecting one million nails. They are also having recess and eating Mrs. Mush's food. But they are also operating under the Cloud of Doom. Kathy is... pleasant. Faces are freezing. Gusts of wind blow children all the way up to their floor.
I was obsessed with the Wayside books. I could understand the puns and the weirdness. Every time I read them there was something new to find. And all the old favorites are here. The Erics, Mr. Pickell, Louis... a great addition to the series, fans old and new will enjoy.

Four stars
This book comes out February 5th
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

The Body under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn

What happened if Agatha Christie grew up to be such a prolific writer because she solved mysteries as a girl? And what if she had a friend that was the prototype for Hercule Poirot? And a grandmother who strongly resembles Miss Jane Marple? You would get this series about Aggie Morton.
Aggie is sort of like Harriet the Spy but more focused on writing poetry than on spying on other people. She is supposed to be a part of a local fete welcoming refugees but she freezes and is saved by Rose. Rose is a beautiful local seventeen-year-old whose aunt is the local dance teacher and an all-around nice lady. Her mother, on the other hand, is known as being vituperative and mean. No surprise who ends up dead then. Aggie is the one to discover the body and becomes very curious, trying to solve the case with new friend Hector.
This book was a little too long but I think would be great for a reader who is ready for some more challenging material; the murder is off-screen (as it were) but the language is a bit higher than a lot of the middle-grade books I've read.

Four stars
This book comes out February 4th
ARC kindly provided by Penguin Random House and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne

Audrey Tate and Clarke West have been best friends for decades. All of their friends think there is  something more between them but both Audrey and Clarke know that there isn't. Although they have been engaged to each other at various points, usually to make their parents back off. This time, it's a little different. Audrey is in the news. As an influencer, that's not necessarily a bad thing except that her most recent boyfriend has spilled the fact that she was dating a married man. A married man who is now dead but he was also pretty prominent. He was also married to a woman who is now one of Audrey's dearest friends and Audrey doesn't want her to be hurt any more either. So Audrey and Clarke pretend to be engaged to get the mean gossip off her tail.
Then... the fake relationship starts to lead to a real relationship. At least physically. But will they find true love?
I loved most of this book. The ending did not seem like Audrey and Clarke though. Between the two of them there had been low drama. And the ending was not that.

Four stars
This book comes out January 28th
Follows Love on Lexington Avenue
ARC kindly provided by Gallery Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Best Man Problem by Mariah Ankenman

One time. Lilly Walsh slept with a client one time. And he wasn't even really a client, just a member of the bridal party that Lilly was a planner. But his wife (!) unexpectedly showed up and Lilly was taken aback. Then sued. So she's made a promise to herself never to do that again. But what is she supposed to do when the one-night-stand she had shows up as the best man at another wedding?
Lincoln Reid is toked to see Lilly again but he can't understand why she's so shy about keeping what they had going. But he's willing to go with it. And as he helps to plan his two best friends' wedding, he starts to fall more and more in love with this woman.
I did NOT like the Big Misunderstanding at the end of this book. I get that there were breadcrumbs leading to that moment but it didn't feel true to Lincoln's character up to that point. He went from being this dream boyfriend to a jerk and, while that may be something that happens in real life, the turn back to dream boyfriend didn't ring as true.

Three stars
This book came out January 20th
ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Headliners by Lucy Parker

Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport were introduced in the previous book of this series but you really don't need to have read it to enjoy this book. When Nick broke the story about Sabrina's grandmother being a fraud, he destroyed her life. And it seemed like he did it fairly gleefully. The two have always butted heads while going after news stories but that was just... mean.
But Nick has his own problems; he was taped badmouthing the new owner of their network. Now both are relegated to the network's morning show. While neither is exactly excited about it, they're both just trying to hold on to their careers. Unfortunately, it seems like someone still wants them to fall even further than they already have. Malicious pranks are being pulled on both -- while the first few were written off as accidents, it's starting to be too many to be just that. The two decided to start working together to salvage what they can of their careers.
Parker is amazing at making you fall in love not only with her characters but their relationships. I have to admit that Sabrina and Nick annoyed me a little and I didn't have the bond that I did with the first book in the series but it was still an enjoyable read.

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 20th
ARC kindly provided by Harlequin Carina Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Arrangement -- Anthology

MISCHIEF AND THE MARQUESS by Sylvia Day
Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine, and Lady Sophie Milton-Riley are being brought together by their matchmaking mothers. Justin needs to get married and Sophie is eligible... well, not really. She's had a child out of wedlock. But Justin doesn't seem to mind; it's just Sophie. She would prefer to prove that they are incompatible. Except that they aren't...

I couldn't connect to either of these characters and it was even harder than the usual novella issues. Two and a half stars.

THE DUKE’S TREASURE by Minerva Spencer
Beaumont Halliwell, the Fifth Duke of Wroxton, needs a wealthy wife and fast. Josephine Loman's father is dying but he wants her to improve her station in life so he marries her off to Beau, telling Beau not to let her come back. Beau obeys but as he starts to get to know his wife, he realizes that he may have been hasty in assuming that a low-born woman would not be his perfect match and that he wants her to be happy in all things.

Better than the first story, this one still has a lot going on with back stories and current stories and it feels like the ending was a bit forced. Three stars.

THE INCONVENIENT COUNTESS by Kristin Vayden
Miss Diana Katherine Lambson is out of options. After her father's death, he left only debts. Her only choice is to marry Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington, who wants her family's land. While her father had strictly forbade it, Diana wants to take that chance in order to save her mother and sisters.

My favorite, this could have been a longer novel and I would have been perfectly content because it would have filled in the cracks. Three and a half stars.

Three stars
This book comes out January 28th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own