October Rereads

As always, opinions are my own

 The Lady Has a Past by Amanda Quick

Burning Cove #5

Four stars

Follows Close Up

This book comes out May 4th

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

Four stars
This book came out February 5th, 2019
Followed by Aurora Blazing
Borrowed this book from the library

Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik

Four stars
Follows Polaris Rising
Followed by Chaos Reigning
This book came out October 1st, 2019

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

Leda Foley has sort of always considered herself sort of a minor psychic. She gets flashes but they are mainly small things like preventing someone from spilling a coffee. Heck, she doesn't even have any information about her fiance's death three years ago. But then she gets a big flash and, in the course of her job as a travel agent, reroutes an LA detective off of a plane that blows up on the tarmac. It's a good thing that she's been slowly building her psychic muscles by holding objects for people and then picking a karaoke song because she's going to need all the skill she can get in order to help the detective solve a cold case. A cold case that might help her find some closure for herself.

The connection between the two cases was a bit tenuous and there were a lot of people introduced in the story but I liked that Leda actually acted like she had some brains and didn't rush into dangerous situations like is so common for amateur detectives in contemporary novels. A bit quirky but fairly fun. 

Three and a half stars

This book cam out October 26th, 2021

Followed by Flight Risk

ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas by Jackie Lau

If you can get a grunt out of Greg Wong, you should consider yourself lucky. But he would talk with Tasha Edwards. And he was probably her last good boyfriend which is sort of sad considering that was high school and they are now in their thirties. Now they are both living in the big city and Tasha needs a ride to Mosquito Bay for the holidays so Greg's mother has volunteered him. Too bad they are caught in a snowstorm. They are just lucky to get a room, even if it doesn't have heat and only has one bed...

A cute story though not as good as the first book in the series and awfully short. I wasn't quite sure how the two of them would stay together but... eh. As a part of the larger series, I would bump the rating up a bit. 

Three stars

This book came out November 12th, 2019

Follows A Match Made for Thanksgiving

Followed by A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

A donut baker and a movie star fall in love? Sure! I'll read that book. And it's by Jackie Lau... I'm all in. And Lau didn't disappoint. With well-developed characters and a relationship arc that made sense, this was a book that I adored.

Lindsay McLeod can be forgiven for not recognizing Ryan Kwok when he ducks into her bakery. After all, his most recent fame is for his abs and he's wearing a shirt. But when he calls later to ask her for some help learning how to bake for when he's on a celebrity baking fails show, she's hesitant. The man is hot but way out of her league (as she sees it).

Ryan is reeling from his mother's death. He was never as close to his father and now the man is practically only talking to him in grunts. When he answers the phone; which isn't often. Ryan goes on the baking show as a way to be closer to his mother though it doesn't hurt that Lindsay is a woman at whom he'd definitely look twice.

I loved the way the two fell in love and can't wait to read the next book that Lau puts out.

Four and a half stars

This book came out October 26th, 2021

Followed by The Stand-Up Groomsman

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Book and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven

Another book that has been adapted from a commencement speech. Most of what you will read is contained in the speech which is widely available on the web. A lot of what you read is common sense but McRaven manages to wrap in compelling stories from his days as a Navy SEAL. There are things like never leaving a friend behind, making sure that you are taking some risks, standing your ground, and, of course, making your bed (because then you have done at least one thing well in the day.)

Four stars

This April 4th, 2017

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, Frederick Davidson

The audiobook of an inauspicious Catholic priest who goes up against some of the most criminally minded men in the world (and comes out on top) is just as good as reading the stories. I've read these stories several times now and each reading is better than the last. You have Father Brown thwarting the notorious Flambeau by creating chaos in his wake. Then Flambeau changes sides and becomes a detective, one who Father Brown often assists such as in the case of the man who worships Apollo and a headless body at a dinner party. Interesting stories that are often fairly clued.

Four stars

This book came out 1911

Followed by The Wisdom of Father Brown

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

As good as the rest of the Buchanan,etc. books. Not sure how the main characters fit in except that Max is FBI. My biggest beef with this book was the two sets of people trying to kill Ellie. Neither story got developed as well as it could have been done. I know Garwood needed a reason for Max to follow Ellie home (to her sister's wedding, the one that's marrying Ellie's ex-fiancee, the fiancee who cheated with said sister one night after meeting her, which Ellie is having trouble forgiving), but it seems like a little bit of a rehash of Theo's story with protecting the super-smart prodigy doctor. I really enjoyed the book and skimmed through it a lot faster than a lot of the other books I've been reading lately.

Three stars

This book came out January 1st, 2011

Follows Sizzle

Followed by Sweet Talk

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own