Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Duke

The Good, the Bad, and the Duke by Janna MacGregor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved the earlier books in Janna MacGregor's Cavensham Heiresses series, so I was pleased to be chosen by the publisher to read and review an advanced copy of the latest installment, "The Good, the Bad, and the Duke."

While this was not my favorite entry in the series, it was charming in its own way. I have been intrigued by the hero, Lord Paul Barstowe, ever since his first appearance as the villain in book 1, so I was glad to see him featured here. It's not an easy thing to redeem a villain and turn him into a worthy hero, but Ms. MacGregor manages to do so superbly with Paul. Learning his side of the story as well as more about his childhood certainly explains his actions in earlier books, though it does not excuse them. His heartfelt apologies to Claire and Emma made it clear that he had turned a corner and become the true gentleman he was always capable of being.

The heroine of this story, Lady Daphne Hallworth, also appeared in earlier books as Alex, Lord Pembrooke's, younger sister. I must admit to not remembering much about her from earlier stories, but perhaps that is the point since much of her character development hinges on her feelings of invisibility in the wake of her sister Alice's death and her brother's subsequent marriage to Lady Claire Cavensham. Her relationship with Paul helps her come out of her shell and learn to reach for the things she wants in life.

While the characters were mostly likeable, there were a few things that bothered me as I read. The story revolved around two main quests: first, to find Daphne's stolen journal, and second, to mend fences between Paul, Daphne's brother Alex, and their mutual friend Nick. Most of the first half of the book was focused on Daphne and Paul's search for the journal, which still hadn't been found when that quest was basically set aside in favor of exploring the book's second theme, the men's strained relationship. It bothered me that Daphne, especially, could seemingly stop worrying about the journal to focus on matters between Paul and her brother after the loss of the journal had caused her so much heartache in the beginning. When the search for the journal finally came back into play near the end of the book, it felt a bit like an afterthought solely designed to keep Paul invested in his relationship with Daphne after he had decided to break things off with her in the wake of the revelation of his family's painful secret.

Daphne's seeming recklessness also bothered me throughout the book. She was very worried about someone finding her journal and having it cause a scandal, as well as renewed pain for her brother and mother if her private thoughts about her sister's death became public. However, she didn't seem to be at all worried about the potential scandal of repeatedly visiting an infamous gambling den or spending time unchaperoned with a gentleman whom she had no intention of marrying - and one who was her brother's sworn enemy, to boot! I can't quite understand why she continued to compound her initial mistake of losing the journal in the first place by doing things that she knew were dangerous to her and her family's reputation.

At any rate, these annoyances were relatively minor, and overall I enjoyed this book. I very much look forward to the next installment in the Cavensham Heiresses series!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: First Grave on the Right

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not usually a fan of paranormals (other than time travel), but I've been hearing about this book for years and was in the mood for something different from what I usually read, so when I saw that the first book in Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson series was available through Net Galley, I decided to take a chance and try it out. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed "First Grave on the Right." Granted, it had its share of cheesy one liners (a few of which became repetitious and therefore kind of annoying by the end of the book), but overall, it was a fairly light and humorous read. The characters were mostly likeable, and surprisingly enough, the ghosts didn't creep me out as much as I thought they would.

I plan to read at least the next book in this series in the near future. Charley's story is certainly very unique and engaging, and I am interested in learning more about her abilities and how they affect those around her.

*Ebook provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. 

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Review: Rising Star

Rising Star by Susannah Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored all three of the books in Ms. Nix's previous "Chemistry Lessons" series, so I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of her latest effort, "Rising Star," ever since the day it was announced. (To say that I was thrilled to be chosen to read and review an advance copy is something of an understatement.) Thankfully, "Rising Star" not only lived up to my expectations, it exceeded them.

I loved this book and its characters. Griffin, the hero, was super likeable and down to Earth, despite the fact that he was well on his way to becoming a major movie star. I liked that Ms. Nix gave us the "behind the scenes" view of what his life as an actor was really like, with the strict diet and workouts necessary to maintain his muscular physique as well as glimpses of the downsides of fame, such as the loss of privacy in his relationships and the struggles with difficult directors and co-stars. She was able to show that acting really is a job like any other, despite its glamorous reputation, and requires sacrifice from those who want to be successful. It was easy to understand Alice's misgivings about entering into a relationship with Griffin based on the challenges associated with his job.

Alice's story arc was also very well-written and timely given the emergence of the #metoo movement. I particularly liked that it wasn't all wrapped up neatly at the end of the story. Unfortunately, I think that's a sad reflection of our current reality, and I really related with Alice's struggle to decide how to handle the situation and its potential implications for others.

Overall, I highly recommend "Rising Star" and hope to see several of the secondary characters featured in future books (particularly Kimberleigh and Griffin's actor friend who visited from Vancouver). Griffin and Alice were an incredibly likeable couple and I loved rooting them on to an HEA!

*Ebook provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Kiss Me at Christmas

Kiss Me at Christmas by Valerie Bowman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was pleased to be chosen to review an ARC of this book because (1) I'm a sucker for a good Christmas story and (2) I recently read and enjoyed the previous book in Ms. Bowman's "Playful Brides" series, "A Duke Like No Other." Happily, I enjoyed "Kiss Me at Christmas" just as much as its predecessor. The main characters, Lady Regina and Daffin Oakleaf, played important roles in the previous book and made for very likeable secondary characters. I found myself rooting for them to get a happy ending of their own during Mark and Nicole's story, so it was wonderful to be able to watch their story play out here. I also enjoyed the chance to check in on Mark and Nicole and meet some of the characters from earlier books in the series, which I haven't yet read.

The central mystery of the book, involving a mysterious assassin's plot to hurt Regina, was well-written and engaging, though things did seem to drag a bit towards the middle of the book. The pace picked up at around 60% on the Kindle edition, and I found myself anxious to discover the culprit. The author dropped a couple of clues as to the identity of the plot's ringleader along the way, but still managed to fool me right up until the big reveal. (That's unusual since I can usually guess the bad guy's identity pretty early on in a story, so good job, Ms. Bowman!)

Overall, this was a relatively light, sweet romance, despite the focus on the assassin's pursuit of Regina. I would definitely recommend this book to friends and look forward to reading more of Ms. Bowman's work myself. In fact, I plan to go back and catch up on the earlier books in the "Playful Brides" series in the near future; the Cavendish twins, in particular, are very intriguing! Also, is it too much to hope that the Duke of Huntley and Delilah will be featured in the next book in the series? (I have a feeling their love story would be quite something, with a number of laughs along the way!)

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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