The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder by Marla A. White

This book was not to my tastes. The main character, Mel O'Rourke, big city former beat cop moving to the small town was fine. She was smart and actually had a background that made sense for her being a murderer. But I am very much over love triangles (and one was definitely being set up) and with her asking about if any one in town is a man whore.... just.... ew. Especially coming from L.A., she should know better. 

Mel got badly injured on her job and is now running a B&B, the Babbling Brook. She is now in the South and, though an independent woman, finds herself intrigued by the old skewl politness (ew ew ew) of the southern gentlemen in town. Though Jackson is sort of upsetting her what with parking in front of her driveway while he's getting ready for the local Christmas festival and cookie baking competition. And dude is REALLY pushy about her confronting past issues. 

She's catering to a visiting yoga group but unfortunately, one of the few guests who isn't with that group dies in her lobby. It seems like a usual murder but then one of the yoginis dies as well. And just because the woman was rude and entitled doesn't mean she deserved to be murdered.

This was an okay story for being the first in a series. 

Three stars

This book comes out November 9th, 2021

ARC kindly provided by The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Ten Little Herrings by L.C. Tyler

At the ending of the last book, Elthelred Tressider had faked his own death. His stalwart publisher Elsie didn't believe a minute of it so she's not surprised to pick up his phone one day (she's still checking on his house) to hear a very badly accented voice that is that of her writer's. She quickly figures out where he is (in France) and chases him down. It's just too bad that a man is killed at their hotel and everyone is forced to stay on site. Well, that doesn't actually happen until after the second murder but it's still inconvenient. And it's not like the company is scintillating. After all, the hotel is mostly booked by stamp collectors there for a conference.

Elsie decides to get involved and stumbles over the French police at every angle. But she may not be able to solve the mystery because Elthelred is keeping something from her.

The ending was a little too much for me but the rest of the book was pretty good, developing both Elsie and Elthelred's characters. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 15th, 2015

Follows The Herring-Seller's Apprentice

Followed by The Herring in the Library

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Sizzle by Julie Garwood

Never really connected with Lyra. She's not so different from many other Garwood heroines, plucky, rich-but-lives-simply, career-driven until she meets her man. But she was just a little shallow.

Lyra is a graduate student (graduate? never really stated) who gets mixed up in something that has at least three different men trying to hunt her down and kill her. When the men break into her apartment and tie up her roommate Sidney, the Buchanan element is involved. Alec, one of Sidney's brothers, immediately sends in the man who saved his life, another FBI agent Sam, who we later learn is in line to be the Earl of Kincaid, a reference to one of Garwood's other series.

The relationship is... Garwood-esque--  young girl, older male in somewhat of a teacher/protector role.  I liked the new-age-Alpha-male Sam though not as much when I read it ten years ago. Subplot with Lyra's grandmother stealing holy water was also pretty fun. Not my favorite in this series.

Two and a half stars

Follows Fire and Ice

Followed by The Ideal Man

This book came out December 15th, 2009

Opinions are my own

A Yuletide Kiss -- Anthology

When We Finally Kiss Good Night by Sabrina Jeffries 

Konrad Juncker has been introduced in other books of the "Duke Dynasty" as the person posing as a playwright so that one of the dukes can be anonymous. We've also know that he had a romance with Flora Younger when they were in their teens (at least she was) but something happened and they did not marry. 

 In this story, Konrad and Flora are stuck in the same in the same inn during a snowstorm and truths about their past start to come out. Including that she would have waited for him and that he didn't think he was good enough for her. And both have identities they wouldn't want the rest of the world to know about. But they both are still attracted and have hope for a future together. And even though this is a short story, there is still room for a Big Misunderstanding (sigh). 

Fours stars 

The Unexpected Gift by Madeline Hunter 

Overlapping with the previous story, we see the viewpoint of the inn owner. Jenna Waverly is dealing with a snowstorm and is grateful that she doesn't have many mouths to feed when one of her team, Peter, brings in an unconcious man. One who is probably a lord based on his clothing. And this year is already not turning out as she had planned. Instead of her normal routine where she gets to relax with no people, she is forced to share the inn with a group of unexpected travelers. 

Lucas Avonwood is sick and Jenna feels as though she needs to tend him herself. It is his illness that allows them to be vulnerable with each other. He is searching for a broach to make sure that his cousin isn't caught out by a rogue and her brother mortgaged the inn (which is in both their names) without asking her. It may be that their problems are a shared one. Since it is a short story, we don't really get a sense of how the two will really get an HEA but okay nonetheless. 

Three stars 

When Strangers Meet by Mary Jo Putney 

Again overlapping with the other stories, we get the tale of two of the other people caught in the snowstorm at the White Rose, Kate Macleod and Daniel Faringdon. He is in line for a barony and she... she is his wife. 

It seems that seven years ago they were both in Bombay. Her uncle, an unscrupulous man, swooped in to pick at the coffers after her parents died. Since Kate was of a an age, he auctioned her off and Daniel was the lucky recipient of her hand. He never believed the marriage was legal but here she is, stating just the opposite. So he suggests that they use their time snowbound to determine whether or not they should remain married. Again, for a short story, there is not a lot of room to explore why an HEA would work for them but overall a nice story. 

Four stars

Four stars

This book came out September 28th, 2021

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

American Witch by Thea Harrison, narrator Sophie Eastlake

There have been weird things happening to Molly Sullivan for months. And it culminates on the night that she is putting together a party for her husband and finds another woman's panties in her bed. In her bed. First, she runs away, but then she confronts her husband in front of all of his business associates, including the new DA (her husband is a lawyer), and then she hightails it out of there taking clothes, jewelry, and everything in their shared safe. 

In the safety of a hotel, she discovers papers that show that not all of her husband's dealings were above board. She is also shocked to discover that the new DA, Josiah Riverdale, has followed her to the hotel. And he says that she is a powerful witch. 

While Molly is at first skeptical, she starts to realize that the past few months have all been pointing her in this direction. And that this opening to her own power coincides with a time when she might need it most.

The late middle got a little mushy with a lot of time skips but I overall really did enjoy this book. Sophie Eastlake, the narrator was top notch as well and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. Read about this on Dear Author.

Four stars

This book came out May 23rd, 2019

Followed by

Audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

Save the Date by Monica Murphy, Ava Lucas

Okay, the first maybe third of this book is about Caroline Abbott discovering that her newest bridezilla at the stationery store is engaged to Caroline's first kiss, then discovering that bridezilla is cheating on the hotel scion, and then telling Alexander. And that's all before they even decide to fake date so that Alexander's family can close a business deal in France. 

And it's all nuts but... somehow Murphy makes it work. And the narrators definitely add to the story.

Four stars

This book came out June 14th, 2019

Followed by Fake Date

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas

When Moriarty shows up on Charlotte Holmes's doorstep, she is immediately ready to put into place the safeguards she's put up and she gets ready to run. But Moriarty shocks her - he wants Holmes to find his daughter. They were not close but he still worries when he hasn't heard from her in a long while. 

Living as Miss Baxter, the daughter has good reasons not to contact her father. But is she safe behind the walls of the Garden of Hermopolis? Or is it a cult that has sucked her in and will not allow her to leave? And why, when Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to the remote locale, is everyone loathe to talk to Miss Baxter? Or even let them see her?

I enjoyed having the third person view focused on Mrs. Watson. It is definitely a throwback to the Doyle stories and made the story interesting, even if we had a narrator who might not be observing everything and decoding it like Charlotte did. 

Four stars

Follows Murder on Cold Street

Followed by A Tempest at Sea
This book comes out November 2nd, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Berkley and NetGalley
Opinions are my own