I had a hard time with this one. The story is good, very James Bond and black ops and all of that. The heroine was tough as nails and still vulnerable, likewise the hero. The villain was a dark as they come. But I had a really hard time getting into and sticking with the story. The writing was a little loosey-goosey in places and there was one spot where they were in a plane but "they were aware of the other people who might overhear them in the house." So maybe this is on the editor, but this book was only "OK" for me and not great. This is probably also a matter of subjectivity. It didn't hit me where I live.

Sweet Little Lies opens a new series for Jill Shalvis, switching from the mountains to San Francisco. Using the backdrop of this iconic city, she creates a tight-knit community for her quirky characters and provides everything you’d expect, and more.

I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book.

Pru is a selfless do-gooder, trying to erase the sins of her parents, whom she loved dearly, but who wreaked havoc when they died. Among those she seeks to make anonymous amends to is Finn O’Riley, but there’s something more to Finn. As self-appointed “Fun Whisperer,” she wants to erase the heartache of his past and wishes for a happily ever after for him. What she doesn’t count on is wanting to share it with him.

Filled with heart, humor and characters you want to be best friends with. Finn will make you swoon and Pru will tug at your heartstrings. This book made me laugh and made me cry. With each book Ms. Shalvis writes, she perfects the confusion of sex versus love, and in this book, she demonstrates the thoughtfulness and caring that go with the latter.

I don't know how to rate this book. Ms. Carr has a unique voice and style, and at the end of the day, this book was satisfying.

While I did enjoy this story, reading "medievel English" made it cumbersome. The story didn't really grab me until about 2/3 the way through. The plot was a little transparent, which isn't a bad thing. Yes, I guessed what was coming, but that's part of the fun - proving that you've worked it out. Would I recommend it? Yeah. Its worth the read.

The story was good in and of itself, but when I find myself correcting mistakes as I read rather than getting lost in the story, you know something's not quite right. I'll leave my review at that.

I received an advance reading copy of this book to review.

Willa is a product of the foster care system, a throwaway child who takes in strays so that they don't have to live the way she did. She's a champion of the underdog and she always has your back. When the boy who stood her up for the Sadie Hawkins dance in high school shows up at her pet store, old hurts are resurrected, and magnified when he doesn't remember Willa.

From the outside, Keane had a more traditional upbringing, although as the "extra" kid in his family, he acted out to garner the love and attention he was lacking. As such, he has an innate fear of attachment-to a home, to people. Except, like Willa, he tends to take care of the people around him, even the ones who have let him down.

In typical Shalvis fashion, the chemistry between these two is off the charts and they have to find a way to like each other, in spite of past hurts, in spite of their emotional baggage.

When I pick up a Jill Shalvis book, I always end up reading it through start to finish. Full of wit and steam, angst and the discovery of love, her writing style is fun and fluid. Why isn't this one five stars? She's venturing into more kink with this series, which I don't think is needed. Even though it's barely there, I'm not sure it needs to be there at all. I also had some trouble with Willa's characterization. She takes in strays, and Keane fits that mold, so her "I love him, I love him not" vacillating grew a little tiresome. Willa is shown to trust people, even when she probably shouldn't, so her struggle to trust Keane was a stretch. These are minor hiccups overall - I still loved the story and set against the backdrop of San Francisco, the author has captured the facets of the city beautifully.

Maggie Toussaint has done it again with her next in the Dreamwalkers Series. As a psychic consultant to the police department in coastal Georgia, Baxley Powell helps solve crime. She also struggles with raising her young daughter and the family responsibilities that go with sharing her with her missing husband's overbearing family. While a movie crew comes to town, one of the crew and a local are brutally murdered in a ritualistic ceremony, and Baxley is on the job to help solve the crime. While in a dreamwalk to talk to the victims, she trades favors with a demon to get back to the real world - the evil around these murders threatens to hold Bax on the wrong side of the veil between life and death.

I love the mysticism and the personal struggles Bax faces and the overwhelming sense of family that keeps Bax not only grounded, but protects her from the ultimate battles of good versus evil. I kept waiting for her demon helper to call in her marker, and I'm intrigued by the watcher in the woods, both of which I eagerly anticipate being outed in her next book(s) in this series.

I received an advance reading copy of this book.

What would you do if your ex-wife showed up on your doorstep and asked you to find her missing husband? Well, if your consummate nice guy, Seamus McCree, you grimace and step up to the plate. As he pursues clues, Seamus (and subsequently his son) uncover an intricate web of crimes that either point to his ex-wife's husband running away with laundered money or his ex-wife covering her tracks to account for a murder for hire. All scenarios put Seamus in a precarious position. Does he trust his ex-wife? Does he tell her the husband is a criminal and most likely running to escape prosecution? None of the clues line up the way they should. Seamus's journey is further complicated by his mother, a car accident, a mob boss, his son and the woman he loves. Set in Cincinnati, New Jersey, Savannah and the outerbanks, and Chicago, this top notch whodunit leaves you guessing to the bitter end (although yes, I did figure it out!). A mystery worthy of Agatha Christie and highly recommended.

Felicity Wilcox has a profligate uncle who has lost her home gambling, the home she promised her mother she'd take care of on her mother's death bed. With a scatterbrained father, she has had to grow up faster than most, managing the estate until the new owner arrives and scrimping to stretch their resources so they can survive.

James Collington is determined to rescue his family's estate and redeem the family name from the scandal his brother created. In so doing, he enters into a gamble and wins a country estate, which he plans to fix up and sell in order to pay off the debt on his own family home. What he doesn't plan on is the plucky young woman who appeals to his sense of honor and tries to talk him into refusing his prize, something he can't do.

Felicity embarks on several plans to drive the new owner away, unaware of his long-term plans to sell her family home, but James Collington is far too appealing, and in spite of her desire to thwart him at every move, she finds her feelings ensnared as he matches her game of wits, incident by incident.

I found Felicity to be endearing, mainly because she was unapologetically who she was. Not fashionable, not wealthy - ruined. Her playful spirit buoys her up through difficult times, along with her "I can do anything" attitude. And James is an alluring man who has issues of his own. A worthy foil, he isn't aware of his own faults until his aunt delicately points them out to him, and then he has to come to terms with them on his own.

I found this to be well written, well plotted, and a thoroughly enjoyable romp with secret passages inside a manor house, a hero and a heroine who play well off each other, both with strong personalities. Excellent characterizations. This is one I would read a second (and potentially more) times.

Another winner fro Kristan Higgins

The author knows just how to tug at your heart. She had me worried that I'd be brought to tears with an i surmountable issue, but the ending was sweet and satisying. Well done, once again