Blazing Midsummer Nights by Leslie Kelly

Mimi works hard at her job in her father's company in hopes that he will recognize her hard work and eventually give her the company. Her father is a chauvanist. Rather than promote her or assure her that she'll inherit the company from him when he retires - he tries to hook her up with one of his golden boy executives. Mimi thinks he's ok, but there is no spark with him. However, when firefighter Xander moves in the apartment next to hers - they have sparks and generate heat from first sight. Xander is very sexy, & very sweet. He gives Mimi everything she really needs in a partner. The main conflict in the story was how/when Mimi would tell her father that Xander was the man she was dating and actually interested in. The story was cute & very sexy. The supporting characters were fun and lended interest to the story. Another great story by Leslie Kelly!

Midnight in Austenland: A Novel by Shannon Hale

I read the previous book and enjoyed it, but I really loved this one. I thought that the main character - Charlotte - was a little more easy-going and likable. I thought that was also true of the guy who ends up being Charlotte's real romantic interest. I also liked the mystery element of this book that the first book didn't have. The "hero" that Charlotte is first paired with is supposed to be kind of a Mr. Rochester character (even though that's not Jane Austen). She's attracted to him but she has a more easy and flirty relationship with the character who is supposed to be her brother. I liked him. He was supposed to be a kind of Henry Tilney type of character.

I think the re-curring characters in this series were fleshed out a little more and made the book more enjoyable. Lizzie was more likable in this book than she was in the last book - more fun. And I liked how her story resolved at the end of the book. I would love to read more books with this setting and these recurring characters.

Forever A Lady by Delilah Marvelle

For some reason, as I was reading this book, I felt as though the book description gave me the wrong impression.

For about 70% of the book (or so my Kindle tells me) everything was very "Gangs of New York". Not a traditional romance at all. You meet the hero first and he is such a tender-hearted, yet strong character. I loved the hero. I felt more sympathetic to the hero right away, while I just couldn't relate to the heroine at all and she came off as being a little cold. The hero was very upfront w/ the heroine right away, letting her know he was seriously into her and wanted a serious comittment with her. This was understandable given his background and yet her sense of panic was a little understandable given her background.

There was a little sub-story near the end about a child killer on the loose & I thought that would be a major plot point, tie in with the characters, and maybe be resolved at the end but nothing comes of it.

I gave it the 3 stars because I did find it very engrossing and couldn't stop reading it.

Blame It On Bath by Caroline Linden

This is book 3 in this series but only the 2nd book I've read by this author.

This is the basic story arc - The old Duke of Durham died. Somebody was trying to blackmail/upset the family by stating that they know the details of the Duke's 1st (and never terminated) marriage when he was younger. If proof was revealed, his 2nd marriage would be proven bigamous thereby making his three children bastards and losing their inheritance. The three children are Charlie (oldest), Edward, and Gerard (youngest). This book is about Gerard, the youngest and soldier of the family. His plan was to try and search out the blackmailer. Even if they solidified their claim on their inheritance, he would still only be a third son so his other current purpose is to find a rich wife. He is not totally mercenary. He wants to find somebody who he can talk to and have a satisfying marriage with as well as get a fortune in the bargain. Katherine Howe is a widow with a large bank account. However, she is getting pressure to marry her late husband's heir (somebody she finds thoroughly disagreeable for many reasons) but also......she had a tendre for Gerard when they were younger, even though he doesn't remember her.

I like this book for a few reasons. I like the characters. I like the women Linden creates. Usually they are not total knockouts, but neither are they hags - they are real. Which means a heroine who might be considered "plain" but who has beautiful blue eyes, or a fantastic smile, or any number of things that make them stand out. The interactions between the hero & heroine were interesting & good (you got things from both point of views). Enough sizzle balanced with enough good story. Although I personally would have liked it if a piano would have dropped on Katherine's mother.

Buried In Buttercream by G.A. McKevett

It can be difficult nowadays to find an author w/ consistently good stories. At some point a series starts to lose steam & you start to lose interest. NOT SO with this mystery series. I have read all the previous books in this series and this one is just as enjoyable as the others before it. If anything, it's made slightly more enjoyable after having read the others in the series and getting to know the characters. This is such a great series for anybody who likes cozies, strong female characters, good supporting secondary characters, and little bit of funny and a little dash of romance in their mystery.

The victim in this story is a wedding planner extraordinaire. There are many possible suspects because the victim did not have a huge fan club. I enjoyed the travel to different locales to hunt down clues and pry info out of people. The teamwork involved & relationships between all the detective agency members always makes me smile.

Satisfying ending for longtime fans of the series. Can't wait until the next book comes out! :)

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

I got a copy of this book as an advanced reader copy through Net Galley. I don’t usually read Young Adult novels. I don’t for a few reasons – I’m not a young adult, but I also find that authors sometimes try too hard to make the characters “typical” teenagers and they come out sounding like stereotypes. That is not the case with this book. The teenage characters are interesting, quirky, non-stereotypical characters.

The main character in this book is 17yr old Kami Glass. She lives with her father, mother and two younger brothers Ten & Tom. I enjoyed the author’s exploration of the Glass family. Her brothers are a trip. I loved how three-dimensional all the characters were. I enjoyed reading the parts where Kami & her friends were playing detective and hunting down clues. She and her friends are working for the school newspaper and looking into the strange goings-on around town.

Since Kami can remember she’s had a voice in her head sharing her thoughts, her “imaginary friend” Jared. Eventually Jared & Kami meet – surprising each other by turning out to both be real people and not just the “imaginary friends” they had thought. The “how” and “why” of their special relationship is revealed near the end of the book. I love how the author has Kami & Jared deal with their relationship – it seemed very real and not forced to me. There are some very funny parts in the book, even though the tone of the story gets a little heavier and intense as the end nears. I loved Kami’s best friend Angela – very beautiful, not a people-person, and perpetually lazy like her older brother Rusty. One of my favorite lines from the book is:

“Oh my God, Jared. Don't tough-talk the lambs.” I still smile when I read that.

I was frustrated that the book ended on a cliffhanger. This book captured my interest from the moment I started it and I read it straight through until the end. I cannot wait until the second book comes out so I can see what happens next. I’m dying to know.

A SEAL In Wolf's Clothing by Terry Spear

This is not the first wolf book I've read by Terry Spear. I love the books in this series for a few reasons: I love werewolf books, the world is very layered & well-created, you like & care about the characters, the chemistry between the hero & heroine is fab, & the story keeps you guesing & interested. Normally I don't care for a lot of action in my romances, but the romance balances out the action.

Finn (the hero) is a Navy SEAL & a werewolf. He is part of Meara (the heroine)'s brother's SEAL group. Sparks fly between the two right from the beginning. But other than some serious teasing, there is no nastiness in their verbal sparring, which I appreciated. It was fun guessing throughout the story who the evil mastermind was. Some new interesting characters were introduced: Bjornolf (deep undercover good guy operative), Anna (part of Finn's SEAL team), & Paul. Rourke (a character from a previous book) was re-introduced and his character was made more interesting throughout the story - making the reader hoping that the author will give him a book of his own in the future. Great book & series!