Review: Not Part of the Plan

Not Part of the Plan by Lucy Score
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emma is Gia's middle sister and now runs the Pierce brothers' bar and restaurant. Having been burned by a player when younger she now has a plan: only sensible, reliable men who have the same goals, love is fleeting but a 401K is forever. After her mother abandoned her husband and children when Emma was a child she has had a fear of abandonment.

Nikolai is a famous fashion photographer who could grace a magazine cover himself (Summer Pierce's BFF from New York), but he's lost his mojo and has decamped to Blue Moon. When Nikolai runs into Emma at the restaurant she clocks him as a player and makes it clear that she wants none of what he's selling. Intrigued, and stimulated by Emma's quick wit and failure to fall at his feet, NIkolai suggests he proves his intentions are good - by being her friend, no strings attached. Guess how long that lasts ...

As with the previous books in this series, I was enjoying it until about halfway but then the pursuit ended, there was a whole lot of smexy filler, then a rather overblown 'conflict'. Nevertheless, I continue reading because this is catnip for me LOL/

Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription - I would post a review on Amazon but my reviewing rights have been suspended for 'repeatedly posting content that violates our Community Guidelines ... or Conditions of Use', although helpfully Amazon won't actually tell me what guideline(s) have been breached or in what review(s). LOL. I'm trying to decide if I'm petty and delusional enough to stop buying things from Amazon until they left the ban.

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Review: Fall into Temptation

Fall into Temptation by Lucy Score
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Beautification Committee turns its eye to Beckett Pierce, town mayor and lawyer.

Gia is a yoga teacher, she has recently moved to Blue Moon to be closer to her father (who happens to be dating Beckett's mother) after divorcing her charming but feckless husband. She brings with her her stepson Evan and her daughter Aurora.

Beckett and Gia have a bit of a meet-cute where he doesn't realise she is his new tenant for the summerhouse at the end of his garden and he insists on walking her home.

Although they both try to resist their attraction, because children and landlord (that's two separate reasons), they can't resist for long.

I liked this opposites attract small-town romance, but I didn't love it. I had to skim too many smexy scenes (just bored) and the inevitable misunderstanding felt too manufactured. I'm not going to read Jax and Joey's story but I've already started the fourth book which features Gia's sister Emma and Summer's BFF the photographer Nikolai.

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Review: A Deadly Flame

A Deadly Flame by Doug Sinclair
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

DS Malkie McCulloch's third outing, this time for a fire at a whisky bonded warehouse where a dead body was found in one of the offices and A firefighter lost his life. There are so many variables, was the fire arson? Was the firefighter's equipment faulty? Was the person dead before the fire was started? Did they start the fire? Why did one of the fire-fighters take the dead firefighters breathing apparatus away in contravention of standard procedure? Why was one firefighter shouting at another?

This was a gripping detective story, although the prologue made it obvious (to me) what had happened (although not necessarily why). However, ... I feel that in his attempts to create some personal lives for Malkie and Steph outside the cases Doug Sinclair draws with a very thick pen and is repetitious, very repetitious, to the point where, frankly, I no longer believed in the storyline. (view spoiler)[Steph has discovered that her she was a product of rape, by her step-father Dean's friend, a man she grew up calling 'uncle'. Now the timelines seemed off to me. Steph originally thought she was a last minute oversight from her mother's first husband, then it seems she was raped by her second husband's best friend Barry. But then why would she continue to happily allow him to visit the house and play with his biological daughter? And it also says her mother's attitude to Barry changed and she no longer wanted him around - why if the rape happened years earlier? Also Steph seems to have taken the news very, very badly. If she sobs into her Kahlua once about Barry and his rapist genes polluting her body she does it five or six times. (hide spoiler)]

I also find Doug Sinclair's depiction of women a bit problematic, you might argue that no-one comes out of this looking good and that would be a fair point, but I just feel that one way or another they are all victims. I said with the first book that maybe these were too dark and tortured for me and this has reinforced that view.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Queen of Trades

Queen of Trades by Dee Osah
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 30%.

Eden Kane is an immigration lawyer, the daughter of a very wealthy and powerful man who is trying to manoeuvre her into getting back together with her ex because he comes from the right family etc, no matter that he cheated on her repeatedly. Her ex is also trying to get back with her for his own reasons. I gather that Eden and her ex were in a physical relationship but Eden found god and has decided to save herself for marriage, this is conveyed in a mildly slut-shaming way (if one can do that mildly). Her father wants Eden to stop working as an immigration lawyer and join his firm, they make a ridiculous bargain where she has to repay him for her entire education (several million dollars)within in three months or bow to his wishes. He has also pulled lots of strings so she can't access her trust fund or borrow the money. Eden is described as exotic with men fetishising about sleeping with her, I think she has albinism but I could have misunderstood.

Daniel Keshi is Nigerian, a genius day trader, PhD student and he's writing a book, although he is looking for funding which makes me think if he's so good at trading why does he need funding? He is also having visa issues and could be facing deportation. Again, if he is making so much money day trading why can't he afford to pay a top-notch immigration lawyer to help him?

Eden and Daniel both attend the same fellowship hall (which again makes no sense, why wouldn't a billionaire's daughter attend services close to where she lives?). He is drawn to her looks but feels she could be trouble so has actively avoided her for over a year, even though they have several friends in common. Apparently, all their friends agree that the two of them love each other - now I ask you how on earth can you be in love with someone you never speak to/with? It makes no sense unless they just fell in love with each other's appearance.

So apparently (because it hasn't happened by the point I gave up), Eden will offer to make all of Daniel's visa problems go away if he can increase her investment in time to beat her dad at his own game. However, Daniel's strategy didn't seem to be very revolutionary from what I understood.

I read that the authors (a husband and wife team) like to bring part of their own lives into each story and I feel that maybe they did a bit too much? There is a LOT of christian messaging in the book, multiple references to praying to god etc which I found off-putting, I would not have requested it if I had known this.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Heart of Hope

Heart of Hope by Lucy Score
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bristol is a divorced mother of one. After the tragic death of her younger sister Hope a year ago, the entire family and town have been in mourning. Bristol's daughter has taken an interest in paying ice hockey for the local team (they are very bad) and Bristol feels she has to support her so when their hockey coach has a heart attack Bristol volunteers herself as replacement coach since all the other parents are somehow far too busy.

Beau has come to the small town of Hope Falls to check out Bristol for REASONS (I must admit I got the reason wrong but only slightly) and he happens to be a former professional ice hockey player so, while keeping his former profession and his actual name a secret, he starts to help Bristol and the team.

Sparks are flying, Beau wants to keep things platonic until he can tell Bristol the truth but Bristol wont take no for an answer.

This is a short sweet novella. I think the blurb could be misleading, most of the novella is about their developing relationship and resisting each other whereas I read the blurb to mean the novella pretty much started with Bristol waking up alone after they slept together.

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Review: No More Secrets

No More Secrets by Lucy Score
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summer Lentz is a workaholic aspiring editor for a New York glamour magazine (fashion, make-upp, etc) and she has come to the small town of Blue Moon Bend in upstate New York to write an article about Carter Pierce and his family who have created an organic farm, for a series she has been developing about healthy eating and living for REASONS.

Blue Moon Bend is one of those fictional small towns where all the residents are young and gorgeous/have successful off the wall businesses/are mad as a box of frogs. So in this case Carter's middle brother is also an attorney and the local mayor, and his youngest brother is a film screenwriter. There's a juice bar, a yoga studio, a great pizza place, etc, etc.

There's a fair amount of big city girl getting scared by farm animals but also impressing Carter with her determination to do what is asked of her without complaining eg harvesting lettuces. Soon the smouldering glances turn more carnal but Summer thinks Carter wouldn't want her if he knew the truth about her (which, now I know the truth is just silly) and Carter feels he is broken because he had PTSD after he came back from Afghanistan and still has nightmares sometimes. Oh and they also live miles apart and couldn't easily move to be with each other.

I enjoyed this, I don't think Summer's REASONS were a big surprise, I thought the catalyst for the change was a bit left field because there were no warning flags previously, but it didn't spoilt the story.

Overall, I was looking for something light and fun to read (my TBR pile of ARCs is bringing me down) and this fit the bill. I am already part way through the second book which features Carter's middle brother Beckett.

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Review: My Mother's Ridiculous Rules for Dating

My Mother's Ridiculous Rules for Dating by Philip William Stover
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sam Carmichael had dreams of becoming an author, he even won a prestigious writing prize when he was younger. Unfortunately, things didn't pan out, he spent many years ghostwriting for a female romance author who just couldn't be bothered to write any more, but when she retired none of the publishers wanted him to continue writing in her style. Now he's working part-time in an advertising agency, toying with the idea of completely giving up on his dreams and becoming a full-time corporate 'normal'.

Since his aunt Shug died a year ago, Sam's mother Gloria has really struggled to find joy in life, so when she unearths a 'contract' Sam signed years ago in which he promised his mother that if he wasn’t coupled up by thirty-five, he would do whatever she wanted to find a boyfriend. Well guess what, he's thirty-five and single (after his much older boyfriend Paul went back to his husband) and Gloria is coming to make good on his promise.

I really liked the premise of this story but to me it didn't quite work. Sam's ex, Paul, was just too obviously a creep, Gloria set Sam up on some truly horrendous dates with some ghastly people - why? Even Sam's love interest seemed to delight in telling Sam what to do - he was too similar to Paul in that respect.

OVerall, I suspect there is a bit too much autobiography in this and I didn't really find Sam a likeable character (although I did sympathise with him over the way everyone pushed him around 'for his own good').

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Only Hard Problems

Only Hard Problems by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lord Zane Zimmer, new leader of the Arrows since Kyrion went off with Vespa, hides his keen mind and strong sense of duty behind a ready smile and a charming personality (think The Scarlet Pimpernel), the gossipcasts think he's as deep as a puddle. His grandmother Beatrice is head of House Zimmer and she is plotting to marry Zane off to Lady Asterin in order to secure her family's mineral wealth for their manufacturing processes, over both of their objections.

Since Zane learned that Vesper is actually his half-sister he has been struggling between his duty as an Arrow to capture and return her and Kyrion to a life of being psionic batteries for the Emperor (because they have a true bond), and his desire to meet and know his sister. Oh, and he's none to happy that neither his grandmother nor his father has yet mustered the courage to tell him Vesper is his sister ... so much for family first!

Forced to attend the Summer Solstice party by his grandmother, who is keen to cement the almost engagement with Lady Asterin by Zane presenting her with a beautiful necklace, Zane is being hounded by the Emperor to find out where Vesper and Kyrin fled, whilst also worrying about where the Techwave will strike next.

I was really enjoying this, think Bridgerton meets The Tomorrow People, meets every werewolf PNR you've ever read. Fancy clothes, aristocratic soirees, high-tech equipment, mental powers, and a true mate bond. And then it ended with no conclusion and lots of questions. I see the next book in the series reverts to focussing on Vesper and Kyrion so what happens? This should have been titled 'Only Questions' .


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Review: Murder in Verona

Murder in Verona by T.A. Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

The ninth outing for former Scotland Yard detective Dan Armstrong and his trusty labrador Oscar.

Dan's girlfriend Anna's daughter has gifted them tickets to the opera in Verona. It's something Anna loves but Dan doesn't know much about it and fears he may loathe it.

Whilst getting a light refreshment with Oscar in the village, Dan is introduced to one of his neighbours, an elderly lady called Violetta Argento who drives a vintage Bugatti with reckless abandon through the village. Violetta is intrigued when she discovers Dan is a private detective, her son Rudolfo, a famous opera singer died recently in a car crash. The police have concluded it was an accident or (whispers) suicide, but Violetta is convinced that it was murder and suspects his wife who she loathes.

The Argento family are extremely wealthy, and the family business is jointly owned by Rudolpho and his two cousins - could his death have been motivated by greed? Rudolpho was also notorious for his womanising - could his wife or maybe a spurned lover have tried to kill him? Was he upset in anyway to substantiate the allegation of suicide?

Dan, Anna, and Oscar travel to Verona to the Argento Opera Academy, close to the family business headquarters, which was generously founded and endowed by Rudolpho to interview Rudolpho's widow and his cousins. Dan's investigations reveal that Rudolpho was a man of contradictions, generous and friendly, but he left a trail of broken hearts behind him. Some women hint that he may have been pressing unwanted attentions on women. Did his womanising end when he married? Why does his mother hate her daughter-in-law?

This was yet another cosy mystery set in the wonderful Italian countryside. My only complaint is that I am on a diet and all the descriptions of the luscious Italian food was very distracting.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Caught Off Guard

Caught Off Guard by Catherine Cloud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Matthias Brandl is a German playing NHL hockey as the second goalie. After a game in Vegas he and his team mates go drinking, they meet up with some of the Vegas players and Mattias ends up hooking up with the Vegas leading goalie Casey Wallace, which wouldn't ordinarily be a problem, they both agreed it was a one-time thing. But then Matthias gets traded to Vegas and he's Casey's back-up. Whilst the Vegas guys agree that Casey can be a bit grumpy they think he's a good guy - but he seems to hate Matthias.

Matthias' new teammates seem good people, especially his neighbour and friend Oliver who looks after him and tries to avoid getting involved in the drama.

I first heard about this in a Dear Author review https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/o... and put it on my Kindle Wish List but an upcoming holiday and an Amazon gift card bumped it to the top of the list - I was not disappointed.

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Review: 1982: A Year in the Life of Wendy Wood

1982: A Year in the Life of Wendy Wood by Jason Ayres
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's New Years' Eve 2022 and Wendy Wood is 'enjoying' a karaoke night at the local British Legion Hall. A stroke two years ago has left her confined to a mobility scooter and she's regretting all the mistakes she made with her life. Then a stranger approaches Wendy with the opportunity of a lifetime. She has been selected to go back forty years to 1982 with the chance to put her life back on the right track with the help of a magical bracelet which will warn her if she is making bad choices.

Back in 1982 Wendy was the lead singer with a band called Velvet Temptation. They could have made it big, but egos, infidelity, bad luck, and artistic differences coincided to scupper their chances and Wendy has spent the last forty years working for minimal wage at local supermarkets.

Returned to 1982 Wendy must steer the band through shark-infested waters and change her future.

I enjoyed this, but I felt it was too straightforward, I understand that this is part of a series in which each book is set in a different year of the 1980s. For those of us who were young in the 1980s this is a trip down memory lane touching on the music, the TV, the celebrities, the news stories. However, I do wonder whether a younger reader would have the same enjoyment. I also worry how different the other books will be if they follow a similar premise.

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