Mackenzie and Jackson are private investigators hired to investigate a missing person case. The first person to find the missing woman gets the reward. The two end up working together, a partnership with tension and plenty of sparks.
The book alternates between Jackson's and Mackenzie's point of view, allowing us to know how each is thinking and feeling about the case and about each other. Jackson is determined and can be charming, but is a bit sexist. He also makes at least one offensive joke, if nor more. A joke that could have been left out without any harming the plot or character development at all. Mackenzie is smart and headstrong. They make a good team.
The plot is a little over the top. We've got top-notch hackers, hired killers and a kidnapper, but it's fun in an action movie kind of way. The wrap-up to the mystery is a bit quick, but I honestly didn't see it coming....
I have to admit, A Murder to Remember was a bit silly and predictable, but I enjoyed it. It's a fun cross between rom com and murder mystery with a bunch of Austen references.
Amelia goes on a tour to England to clear her mind and enjoy all the Austen related tourist stops. She skips out of the official tour at a rather worse for wear manor house and while she's exploring on her own, she meets Tom, the current heir. Tom invites her to join him in drinking his way through the wine cellar and they have a fun evening together. But when morning comes around they have vague memories of having witnessed a murder.
Amelia and Tom are good characters. They've each been through a lot and it's affected how they look at the world. The audiobook has alternating narrators for their two points of view and it works well.
The mystery itself was fine. It turns out Amelia...
Enjoy the View is smart and funny and cute. It's the third in a series but works fine as a standalone. Come December, though, I might go back and read #2.
River Lane was a Hollywood starlet, determined to still make movies, she has agreed to make a documentary about the small town of Moose Springs, Alaska. Sounds like an easy light job, but the locals are not welcoming to tourists. Undeterred, River is determined to do what she set out to do - film a documentary. A chance meeting with a mountain guide, Easton Lockett, leads her in the direction of Mount Veil. Naturally, she along with Bree and Jessie (her staff helping her film her documentary) all have climbing experience, so instead of filming the town, they film the mountain climb.
Easton and River are adorable together. They're playful and joking but also have each other's backs, which is necessary on the mountain. The town has some quirky sweet characters...
I really wanted to like Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors. It's a gender-swapped retelling of Pride and Prejudice featuring a rich Indian-American family, which sounds really promising. I expected a fun, light read - a little wit, a little charm, a happy ending. I got the happy ending, but that's about it.
Trisha is a brilliant neurosurgeon, the only one in the world who can perform this life-saving surgery but is awkward and can come off as arrogant. She also puts up with her father being pretty terrible to her. DJ's a brilliant chef, Cordon Bleu-trained, who quit his job at a Michelin starred Parisian restaurant to take care of his sister but can come off as cold and a jerk. Clearly, these two dislike each other, but to be honest I had a hard time there were sparks underneath. I knew they would fall in love eventually, but I didn't enjoy the story getting there. Julia Wickham was maybe...
Holiday with a Twist is just a sweet, feel-good Christmas romance. It's light and fun and a perfect seasonal read for me. Leigh keeping her breakup and quitting her job a secret from her family is silly, but in all honesty I like when the "issue" between the two main characters in a romance isn't a big deal that takes a lot to overcome. Croy and Leigh were friends forever, even if they haven't talked to each other in years, and I like how they settle back in to the friendship. They're a good couple. They know each other well, good and bad, and still fall in love. This is a novella, so the attraction is almost instant and the relationship evolve quickly, but I bought it.
Holiday with a Twist is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you're looking for with an HEA/HFN. It's a promise! Love that! I don't have to worry if it'll work...
I've been having some good luck with light romances lately. Love in a Nutshell is just fun - and guess what, Kate and Matt are actually honest with each other, well more or less. They make a good couple - instant attraction but a few issues keeping them apart, like he's her boss and owns the mortgage on her house, the one he had been planning to foreclose on. Matt is another almost -perfect guy, good business sense, sexy, protective of the people he cares about. Kate is a bit down on herself, but is making a go at starting a new life.
Love in a Nutshell has funny moments, a slow courtship between Matt and Kate as far as romances go, and some danger. It's not a wonderful book, but it's enjoyable. It's definitely PG thanks to an overly possessive poodle, one of two dogs who are great characters in and of themselves.
The narrator does a good job differentiating the...
