Waiting for the Flood (2018) Alexis Hall (Spires) I got into another funk–nothing was working for me. Everything was meh and nothing drew me in. So I dove back into a favorite, and (as happens every single time I reread this) was shocked by how good and how beautiful it is. Edwin repairs and restores […]
Lady Odelia’s Secret (2022) Jane Steen (Lady Helena Investigates) Set in England in 1882. I read the first book, Lady Helena Investigates, soon after it came out, and was disgruntled when there wasn’t a sequel. Until a couple weeks ago I stumbled across the second book in the series. HUZZAH! Lady Helena is a widow, […]
Not So Cookie Cutter (2019) Aidan Wayne This is a sideways sequel to Making Love, in that Jerrell is Carla’s target at the end of that book. It’s also about a baker. Maybe he could try some for tomorrow. And it would take way less time than cheesecake. Pumpkin-cheesecake inspired mousse, though? Or trifle cups! […]
Loud and Clear (2016) Aidan Wayne Jaxon is a cab drive–and a good one, despite the fact he can’t read. He turned on the light in his car and squinted. Those were letters, all right. Probably there was even a sentence. Caleb had written something on the receipt. Huh. Curious, Jaxon bent over the words, […]
Play It Again (2019) Aidan Wayne Dovid had been a pretty typical child. Just that, thanks to medulloepithelioma— a type of incredibly invasive cancer— he grew up missing two parts a typical child possessed, after they were removed in order to get rid of the cancer entirely. But he kept bumping into chairs. The tables […]
Not So Cookie Cutter (2019) Aidan Wayne He clasped his hands behind his back, at-ease stance so he wouldn’t cross his arms. He’d been told enough times that it made him look like a thug, so he tried to avoid doing it. He tended to hyper focus when it came to certain subjects, and to […]
Waiting for the Flood (2018) Alexis Hall (Spires) If you’ve read Alexis Hall, you may think you know what to expect from this story. Chances are you are completely wrong. It has been two years since Marius decided he was no longer in love with Edwin, and moved out of the house they had bought […]
Not So Cookie Cutter (2019) Aidan Wayne Jerrell is content being second baker, but he doesn’t mind taking over the kitchen when his co-worker is out sick. What he doesn’t expect is to be called out front so a customer can talk to him. He clasped his hands behind his back, at-ease stance so he […]
Loud and Clear (2016) Aidan Wayne Let me state first that the cover may be innocuous, but it also gives you completely the wrong idea about the book. There are no car chases are action scenes, it’s just that one character is a cab driver in the city. Jaxon may be a high school drop […]
Requiem for Mr. Busybody (2020) Josh Lanyon Michael misses his days as a crime reporter. His life now consists mostly of his apartment building and his research. But when his elderly neighbor disappears, Michael reaches out to his ex, Detective Leonard Drake with his concerns. Here’s the thing about Josh Lanyon: She’s really good at […]
Blind Faith (2013) N.R. Walker (Blind Faith) Carter Reece has moved to Boston to take a position a veterinary clinic. One of the unexpected things is that the clinic still does house calls for a few people–one of whom is Isaac Brannigan–a man who uses brashness and arrogance to hide his fear of losing those […]
Waiting for the Flood (2018) Alexis Hall (Spires) The last book I finished wasn’t at all for me. This book was perfect for me. The waters are rising, and Edwin Tully worries more about his elderly neighbor than his own home–the home he bought with his ex. The home he thought was going to be […]
A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in the mid 1870s. Miss Jane Ballenger is a recluse. She’s tried going out in society, but it went very badly, so she remains at home, hiding her problems from the world. Sir Gabriel Arkwright is a famous thief-taker who now works as a […]
Destined To Last (2010) Alissa Johnson (The Providence Series) Set in England ~1815. Lady Kate Cole was, by most accounts, a young woman of exceptional beauty, extraordinary talent, and notable charm. She was also, by all accounts, a woman so remarkably prone to accidents that it was generally considered wise to back away if she […]
McAlistair’s Fortune (2009) Alissa Johnson (Providence) Set in England in 1814. After the death of her father and the subsequent neglect by her mother, Evie Cole was taken in my her aunt and it was there she truly healed from the carriage accident that left her with scars and a limp. Gritting her teeth, she […]
Play It Again (2019) Aidan Wayne Dovid and his sister Rachel are YouTube stars. They actually make their living from it, first becoming famous after Rachel recorded Dovid ranting about how he hated it when people didn’t pronounce his name correctly. But he also spends time going to schools and talking abut bullying because that’s […]
The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky (2019) Mackenzi Lee This is not a boinking book, although it is a book about boinking. Henry “Monty” Montague and Percy Newton are mostly over the events of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, and are beginning their lives together, except that they haven’t yet done it yet, […]
Southernmost Murder (2018) C.S. Poe I’m beginning to think I should just go ahead and read everything CS Poe has written, because I’ve really liked everything I’ve read so far. Aubrey Grant runs an historical property in Key West–a job he does well, despite the regular inconveniences of his narcolepsy. He’s also looking forward to […]
Play It Again: A Slow Burn Romance (2019) Aidan Wayne Dovid Rosenstein and his sister Rachel run the popular YouTube channel Don’t Look Now, with Rachel behind the camera and Dovid starring in the videos–many of which focus on accessibility and anti-bullying, since Dovid has spent most of his life navigating a sighted world. Dontlooknowdovid: […]
Can’t Escape Love (2019) Alyssa Cole First things first: I LOVE THIS COVER. This is an AMAZING cover and I completely cannot believe it came from Avon. So the story. This is a novella that apparently takes place at the same time as the book about the main character’s twin sister. This become important later […]
A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson Miss Jane Ballenger is a spinster and a recluse. This is due to the fact she has difficulty hearing, and so avoids going out in public. At one point, he related a story involving three turnips and a brick. She was fairly certain she had misheard that bit, but […]
Destined To Last (2010) Alissa Johnson Set in England in ~1814 Lady Kate Cole is a stunning beauty. She also, unfortunately, has a reputation. She was also, by all accounts, a woman so remarkably prone to accidents that it was generally considered wise to back away if she happened to be standing next to a […]
McAlistair’s Fortune (2009) Alissa Johnson Set in England in 1814. Evie Cole may have a reputation as a wall-flower, but she is strong-willed and independent, using what power she has to help others. She also believes that the scars of her past make her unacceptable on the marriage mart. The trouble with having a limp […]
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (2017) Mackenzi Lee Set in Europe in the 1700s Henry “Monty” Montague is a rake. He was kicked out of Eton, is constantly in drunk, and is the despair of his parents. He is also in love with his best friend, Percy. In a last ditch attempt at […]
Lady Helena Investigates (2018) Jane Steen Set in Sussex in 1881 Lady Helena Whitcombe survived the death of her first love, and now she must get past the accidental death of her husband. Except that her husband’s doctor doesn’t think the drowning was an accident, but a murder. Helena’s is the youngest of her siblings, […]