Much Ado About You

 

Much Ado About You- Samantha Young

Berkley Publishing

Release Date: February 2, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling’s life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she’s passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There’s no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover.

Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she’s drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can’t deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love.

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Evie's impulsive decision to vacation in a tiny village in England and run a bookstore might seem crazy, but from day one it seems like she's found her real home.  She fits in with the people, she loves the delightful little bookstore, and her instant chemistry with hot farmer Roane Robson is the sort of discovery no woman should pass up.  Evie is determined not to be impulsive about jumping into more than friendship with Roane and his Great Dane, Shadow, but they are the perfect fit, instantly comfortable with each other in conversation and quiet.  The more happy she is in England, the more she wonders if she's putting off thinking about her life- or if she's finally living it.  It was really interesting and thought-provoking for me every time Evie wonders this, because she's voicing what it takes some of us our whole lives to acknowledge- we aren't supposed to live by anyone else's timelines or milestones, we aren't supposed to worry about other people in place of our own happiness.  We should live the life that makes us perfectly happy. And if we can meet and fall in love with our perfect match in only a matter of weeks- should we spend years worrying about what could go wrong or take the leap and discover all the things that can go right.

Evie is impulsive, caring, thoughtful, and always puts others before herself. She's a delightful person to spend a book with and I enjoyed every moment of her.  Roane, her amazing farmer, is intelligent, caring, thoughtful, and doesn't think twice when he meets Evie. He and his dog Shadow know she's the right one- but I loved how Roane doesn't push to get what he wants exactly as he wants it right away.  He convinces Evie they should be friends and through him, Evie finds village life much more layered and complex than she guessed.  Secrets, Romeo-and-Juliet-style tragedies, and more abound in a village of caring people, and Evie is instantly right at home. Inevitably, Roane's long game works and Evie sees him as more than a friend, but they've gotten to know each other so well it doesn't feel crazy to follow up on their feelings. I liked how they decided not to put an end date on the relationship, not to go into it thinking it would only be for while she's in England, but to see what happens as it happens. I was rather dreading the inevitable, when one of them makes a mistake that will cause the other a crisis of faith (things can't happen TOO perfectly for our characters after all!) but, spoiler alert, we get a perfect happy ending. 

Much Ado About You is a delightful, feel-good romance that had me smiling with every page. A wonderful, comfortable, magical book, this is definitely going to be one that I reread regularly.  I definitely recommend curling up with Much Ado About You this winter with a blanket, hot drink, and fuzzy pet, and let Samantha Young, Evie, and Roane sweep you away!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Someday My Duke Will Come

 

Someday My Duke Will Come (Island of Synne 2)-Christina Britton

Forever

Release Date: January 12, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Lady Clara Ashford had no intention of ever getting married. A rogue took advantage of her innocence when she was young, and she's spent her whole life trying to make sure no one finds out. But now that her sister is engaged, Clara's well-meaning aunt has set her sights on Clara. Desperate to avoid the matchmaking schemes, Clara's not sure what to do -- until her neighbor, the new Duke of Reigate, shows up on her doorstep in need of her help.

Quincy Nesbitt reluctantly accepted the dukedom after his brother's death, but he'll be damned if he accepts his brother's fiancée as well. The only polite way to decline is to become engaged to someone else -- quickly. Lady Clara has the right connections and happens to need him as much as he needs her. But he soon discovers she's also witty and selfless, and if he's not careful, he just might lose his heart.

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This was a book that had all my emotions invested in it: full of humor, heartache, tenderness, romantic love, and love for family. From the beginning you are invested in Clara, a woman who has devoted herself to being useful to her family because a secret from her past means she believes she cannot have a husband and family of her own. Her little sister is engaged and Clara is dealing with some up-coming empty nest panic- who is she when she doesn't have a sister to care for? She's so used to emotionally isolating herself from everyone, including her family, that she seems to have convinced herself that she has no worth outside of what she can do for others.  

Quincy lost his father when he was young, and ran away from home (and England) rather than deal with his cold and cruel mother.  Returning to England to visit friends, he decides to visit home and get some closure- only to discover his three older brothers are dead and he has inherited the dukedom he never expected or wanted! Taking over the estates means abandoning dreams of travel to try to repair the damage done by his brothers but worse, it means living near his mother.  Quincy may play the devil-may-care charmer to the outside world, but he is a man who cares about doing what is right, even if it means sacrificing his own dreams.

The fake engagement between Clara and Quincy is the answer to both their problems- but of course it becomes far too real since both already had feelings for the other.  I enjoyed seeing how they supported each other in difficult times, always providing what the other needed to solve whatever problem there was, even if that problem was their own emotional turmoil.  They really are a perfect partnership and I was cheering all the way for them to finally realize it.

This was the first Christina Britton book I read, but I will definitely be reading others by her. The second in a series, but I didn't feel like I was lost for not having read the first book already. Though now I will certainly go back and find it.  "Someday My Duke Will Come" is a lovely story of friendship and partnership, discovering yourself and how sometimes another can see you better than you yourself can- and they can help you discover the best in yourself.  Well-written and emotionally captivating, a great read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

All the Colors of Night

 

All the Colors of Night (Fogg Lake #2)- Jayne Ann Krentz

Berkley Publishers

Release Date: January 5, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: North Chastain possesses a paranormal talent that gives him the ability to track down the most dangerous psychic criminals. When his father suddenly falls into a coma-like state, North is convinced it was caused by a deadly artifact that traces back to the days of a secret government program known only as the Bluestone Project. North knows his only hope of saving his father is to find the artifact. He is good when it comes to tracking down killers, but to locate the relic he’s going to need help from a psychic who knows the shadowy world of obsessive collectors, deceptive dealers and ruthless raiders.…

With her reputation in ruins after a false accusation, antiques expert Sierra Raines is looking for a fresh start. She turns to the murky backwaters of the paranormal artifacts trade, finding and transporting valuable objects with a psychic provenance. When North Chastain approaches her for help, Sierra takes him on as a client, though not without reservations. North represents the mysterious Foundation, the secretive organization established to police the underworld populated by psychic criminals and those, like Sierra, who make a living in the shadows of that world.
 
North and Sierra soon find themselves at the scene of the Incident, which occurred decades ago in Fogg Lake. The town and its residents were forever changed by the disaster in the nearby Bluestone Project labs. The pair unearths shocking truths about what happened that fateful night, but they are playing with fire—someone in town knows what they’ve discovered and will do anything to make sure the secrets stay buried.

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Jayne Ann Krentz continues her Fogg Lake series with Sierra Raines, a descendant of Fogg Lake residents effected by the Incident- a secret government lab experiment gone wrong that gave most of the town psychic abilities.  Sierra is a go-between in Seattle, assessing the provenance of paranormal artifacts and delivering them to collectors.  So when North Chastain arrives in town to find the artifact that put his father in a coma, she's the logical choice to help.  But they find themselves unravelling mysteries of the past, all seemingly connected to Fogg Lake and paranormal weapons that people died to protect, and killed to uncover.

This is a book about turning points, new beginnings, and closing the past. Sierra is floating through life, knowing what she does isn't her calling, but not yet sure what her calling is.  She wants to help people the way her parents do, but not in a corporate environment the way North does.  So the dangerous world of paranormal artifact collecting is as good as any in the mean time- crazy gun wielding collectors not withstanding.  North is losing his psychic abilities and has no idea what he'll do when they've gone. He is trying to figure out who he is without his talents, but saving his father comes first.  It was a really interesting and effective combination to have two strong characters who know how to handle themselves who are both also vulnerable and searching for their true path in life. 

Those who haven't read The Vanishing already won't have too much trouble coming in on book 2 of the series. While there are some overlapping characters and Fogg Lake and the Foundation remain at the center of the mysteries, All the Colors of Night can still stand on its own like any series Krentz has done.  Unusually, she gives us a bit of a teaser about what's coming up in her next Fogg Lake book, and the clues are both ominous and exciting.  It looks like I may have to recommend reading the first two books before book 3 comes out next year- which won't be a hardship to anyone! Krentz continues her easy style of writing, filling her book with light witty humor, dangerous power hungry villains, and enough psychic thrills to please any paranormal romance reader. Long time Krentz/Quick/Castle readers will be happy when the Arcane Society finally gets mentioned here, with a few clues that they are still running.  Will we see Arcane and the Jones family return to center stage in book three? Will Arcane and the Foundation have to work together to handle dangerous paranormal weapons and the remnants of Vortex? We have a year to wait and find out, but another Amanda Quick book this spring to help us fill the void.