Holiday Review Thursday: Heart of Christmas

* Book 7 in the Whiskey Creek series * 

Eve had her heart broken and recently all her friends have found their happily ever afters. Now as she's turning 35, Eve's starting to feel depressed.

On her birthday, her friends are busy, so she decides to go to a bar for her own celebration. There she meets a stranger. When she wakes up the next morning, she discovers that she's not alone.

He's just traveling through the area and isn't interested in sharing details. The more Eve sees him, the more curious she gets.  Can she find her own happy evening or will she end up looking outside Whiskey Creek?

My Thoughts: I love this series and I'm happy to be reading about Eve - she's had a hard couple of years. I liked learning more about the B and B and especially more about the ghost who haunts it. I liked the moments between Ted and Eve and how they're working on their friendship after what happened. I liked Rex and how Eve learns more about this past. I like how she attempts to take care of him. I love how this town supports each other and leans on each other. I think Baxter needs a book soon. A great addition to the series and a book that shows the true meaning of Christmas. 

Cover Thoughts: Love it - but it doesn't exactly match the book

Source: ARC sent for review 

What's On My Hold List (92)

My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea.  It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have 20-40 items checked out at the library and another 20 items on hold. 

I love food - reading about food in fiction or looking for new recipes to test out or laughing about eating habits (mine are the worst).

Food: A love story - I love Jim Gaffigan - his stand-up routines always talk about food and he always makes me laugh.

The Taste of Home Cookbook: I really love Taste of Homes cookbooks, excited to see what new recipes this one has. 

Picked to Die: Cozy mystery series set in an apple orchard and winter is coming (couldn't resist)

What are you waiting to read?

Tween Tuesday Review: Jessica Darling's It List #2

* Second book in the Jessica Darling prequels * 

Jessica Darling barely survived her first weeks of junior high. She's trying to fit in with her friends - but Bridget only talks about her boyfriend, Hope's acting strange, and Manda and Sara are more interested in spreading gossip.

Luckily, Bethany has a new list geared for surviving friendships. If only the list came with instructions. After a disastrous slumber party, it's clear that once again Jessica Darling is in way over her head.

My Thoughts: Friendships are hard, especially in Middle School -so it's easy to sympathize with Jessica Darling. It's hard navigating true friendships among gossip, discovering boys, sharing your true thoughts, and going through puberty. It's hard choosing if you want to be popular or be your true self. It's hard when your friends gravitate towards boys and you're stuck behind. Jessica Darling handles these situations horribly, but in the best sort of way. I love that Jessica Darling's super smart (and proud of it) but also a little clueless when it comes to the social world. I'm looking forward to reading about Jessica's next attempt at following her sister's lists. 

Cover Thoughts: Great
Source: ARC for review

Review: Maid of Deception

* Companion novel to Maid of Honor *

Lady Beatrice's wedding day comes to a halt at the hands of her frenemy Queen Elizabeth. The Queen's worried about the Scottish Rebellion - and more important the possibility of Scotland siding with France against England.

The Queen needs Lady Beatrice to flirt with Alasdair MacLeod and learn what she can.  At first Lady Beatrice is furious at the interruption of her wedding, but when she learns that her betrothed has secrets of his own, she realizes that she might have made a lucky escape.

Now she must figure out what she can about the rebellion and the heart of Scotland, before her future lies in shambles.

My Thoughts: The 2nd book in this companion series has the maids growing closer than ever - even starting to trust one another. I love the new camaraderie. I like learning more about Queen Elizabeth and her court - and the inner workings of it. I enjoy the deceptions and the double crossings as everyone's trying to please her without always telling the Queen the truth. I like learning more about the players at court and what's acceptable behavior for them. I felt for Lady Beatrice - first in her broken engagement, then in her dealing with the Queen delighting to make her miserable, and her concerns about her future.  While certainly Lady Beatrice can take care of herself, it's nice to know she has friends. A great follow up book filled with romance, friendship, family, danger, and intrigue. 

Cover Thoughts: I liked the first cover better than this Reign inspired one.
Source: My Library

Mysterious Saturday Review: Engaged in Murder

Pepper lost her job due to downsizing, so after she helps her sister's boyfriend plan the perfect proposal, Warren tells her she should open her own business for boyfriends everywhere.  After some thought, Pepper thinks it's a great idea; she loves planning parties and making other people happy.

Unfortunately, finding a body in the bathroom at the airport during her sister's proposal weighs on her mind. The police believe that Warren could be guilty of murder. After a few moments of doubt, Pepper believes in his innocence.

She's too busy planning her new business, her sister's engagement party, and trying to solve a murder to waste any time crying over the end of her long term relationship. She wants someone to love her the way Warren loves her sister - which is why she won't rest until the real murderer is caught.

My Thoughts: A great start to a new cozy mystery series. I really liked Pepper and her perspective on life. I really liked Felicity and Warren.  I like how her sister's happy relationship made her take a long hard look at her own relationship to discover what's missing. I liked her zest for life and her ability to throw herself into a new business. I loved reading about the details of her parties and how she tries to make the couple have the perfect moment. She's sweet, smart, and creative - which makes for a winning combination as a heroine.  I'm looking forward to reading more about her and her new adventure as a business woman - not to mention a new potential romance. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My Library

Review: Runaways

No one understands Kaylee and Mason's relationship - she's a girl from a wealthy and powerful family and he's from the wrong sides of the tracks.  But they love each other.

One day, they don't show up for school. It's also the same day that Kaylee's father's body is found.

As the police question her closet friends as school, it's clear that something major happened at the party last night. Could one of them have murdered Mr. Abernathy?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book and here's why
1. Multiple Perspectives
2. Short chapters
3. Relationships - friends, dating, enemies - it all comes out.
4. Flashbacks: how everything started
5. Blackmail: learning secrets and spying on people
6. Rich kids who felt entitled (doesn't everyone want to see them fall?)
7. Forbidden romance
8. Sisters
9. Smart characters - especially the kind that everyone overlooks
10. A Murder mystery

All these things kept me turning the pages to figure out what happened.

Cover Thoughts: Not a huge fan
Source: Sent for review

Holiday Review Thursday: Santa's (Zany, Wacky, Just Not Right!) Night Before Christmas

With Mrs Claus not feeling well, Santa has a hard time getting ready for his big trip this year. He even washes his suit in purple paint. This accident has a rippling effect on Christmas - and not in a good way. How ever will he fix it?

My Thoughts: It's an entertaining story and I think kids will really enjoy it - especially all the changes to Christmas. As an adult reader, I wasn't crazy about the message of whose job is should be to do the laundry. I wish that the changes to Christmas happened for a different reason, not a sexist one. The illustrations are great, showcasing all the differences - much to Santa's horror.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: Sent for Review