The Welsh-Nationalist elements to this story elevates this historical romance from the masses. I enjoyed Juliana's spirit, smarts, and determination, but found Rhys to be a bit unbearable. Also, the ending came together way to neatly for such an intense story.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

My very first [ai:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1321738793p2/123715.jpg], and what a blast! I sort of figured it out, but was still completely surprised by the ending which I love. I believe this is being made into a Lifetime Movie event, so I'll be tuning in for sure!

I enjoyed the small airport setting, which felt authentic, and loved pilot Mel who despite having to struggle to keep her business and employees going, genuinely enjoys her job and isn't ready to let any one take it from her. The chemistry between Mel and Bo was great, and I also enjoyed the side romance. The mystery of Sally was also a fun addition. Good times.

I think I read this, but I can't really remember...

It was nice to see a Scottish romance set in a different time period than I'm normally used to - the 1860s to be precise - as most are generally set much earlier. Our heroine Rose is feeling the harsh effects of the Civil War to beg her brother-in-law's family to purchase the cotton she has stored and is unable to sell via normal ways due to the conflict, but a bit of a misunderstanding leads the Scottish MacIain's to believe she is the widow of their relative.

Deciding to risk it for the fiery red haired lass, Duncan MacIain takes on task of running the blockade and smuggling the cotton from the South back to Scotland for his mill. Rose and Duncan fall in love along the way, and various horrors of Rose's past rise up to threaten their union and their cargo.

Fun, but a bit heavy on the lies and deceptions for my personal taste.

Oh my. Hot indeed. Actor Molly Cade spent a week having an anonymous fling with former Marine Wyatt Fox. Names not included. Five years later, when Molly's production company decides to film a female-led firefighter movie, she is shocked to find out Wyatt is the film's consultant from the Chicago Fire Department.

Molly is trying to keep her life scandal free after a devastating year of betrayal by her ex-husband who released nude photos of her, without her permission, and Wyatt is trying to earn his niece's mother's trust by keeping his family out of the spotlight, but both can't help their attraction. Can Molly and Wyatt both overcome their hesitation at bringing their relationship into the open?

Super duper sexy. I love a good reunited lovers romance, and this one doesn't disappoint. I also enjoyed how mature both characters were. This wasn't a plot revolving around lies and misconstrued feelings, just realistic issues a Hollywood star could possibly face. Molly had a ton of license, and she is a wonderfully strong lead.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Prince meets sassy highland miss when they have to work together to rescue the Prince's feisty grandmother from a kidnapping. A fun caper, but the overall story arc wasn't my favorite. The dilemmas holding back the couple from their HEA weren't the ones that I thought should really matter. Also, Mairi's Scottish accent was stuck on just a few key vocabulary words, which took me out of the story at times.

A scrappy little tale about some dogs. Unfortunately Coraline ruined button eyes for me, so the dogs were a bit creepy. I did enjoy the end where Ehlert showed all of the dogs, their names, and what they learned at dog school.

Dr. Tuteur holds no punches back as she systematically breaks down the misconceptions fueling the "natural" birth movement. I found this book utterly refreshing. Romanticizing how women birthed babies before the advent of modern medicine is dangerous and elitist. My favorite point that Dr. Tuteur hammered home after each chapter is that the most important thing for a baby is love, not how the baby came out of your body (if at all), how you feed your baby, or if you let your baby sleep in your bed until they are grown.

Other points I especially enjoyed:
-natural parenting is just as much about consumerism as any other "style" of parenting
-breastfeeding is NOT free
-women are more than their vaginas and breasts.
-breastfeeding is not demonstrably healthier for babies in first world countries than formula feeding.
-"natural" parenting is not feminist, especially if "natural" birth and parenting is the only approved choice.
-No other medical condition asks you to suffer through pain. Pain in childbirth is not necessary for bonding to a baby.

So many more - great read. I also appreciated that the book was fully cited, had a bibliography, and was fully indexed. I'll be keeping up with Dr. Tuteur's blog.

Weird and oddly Seuss-ian poems by a local Milwaukee figure. My favorite was the haiku about Godzilla.