5 stars

What Happened at Midnight by Courtney Milan (historical romance)

4.0 - 4.5 stars

The Face in the Mirror (Molly Murphy Mysteries novella) by Rhys Bowen (cozy mystery)

Through The Window (Molly Murphy Mysteries novella) by Rhy Bowen (cozy mystery)

The Blood Stained Pavement (A Miss Marples short story) by Agatha Christie (mystery)

Red at Night (Harlequin's More Than Words Series) by Katie McGarry (YA contemporary)

Possessed by the Devil by Dr. Andrew Sneddon (historical non-fiction)

3.0 - 3.5 stars

Just A Kiss by Ally Broadfield (historical romance)

You Are Here (Harlequin's More Than Words series) by Liz Fichera (YA contemporary)

A Slight Miscalculation (A Half-Moon House novella) by Deb Marlowe (historical romance)

A Place in her Heart (Harlequin's More Than Words series) by Trish Milburn (contemporary romance)

A Fat Cat (A Catitude Short Story) by Edie Ramer (paranormal/chick lit/cozy mystery)

The Lady Always Wins by Courtney Milan (historical romance)

2.0 - 2.5 stars

Never Too Late (Harlequin's More Than Words series) by Christi Barth (contemporary romance)

Tempest in the White City (Prelude to It Happened at the Fair) by Deanne Gist (inspirational historical romance)

1.0 - 1.5 stars

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (classic)

The Amersham Rubies (Molly Murphy Mysteries short story) by Rhys Bowen (cozy mystery)

Ember (Darkest London #0.5) by Kristin Callihan (steampunk)

Laundry Day by Stacey Juba (cozy mystery)

.5 - 0 stars

Carpe diEmily (Part I) by Riley Ford (chick lit)

A Wing and a Prayer (Harlequin's More Than Words series) by Andrea Laurence (contemporary romance)

All's Fair in Love and Seduction (The Elusive Lords #2.5) by Beverly Kendall

DNFs/Hate Reads

Carpe diEmily by Riley Ford

Continuing Reads

None. Decided not to bother trying to push myself to read books that are not holding my interest in the present but still have the potential to be a great read after my degree is done and I can devote serious reading time to those books. Trying to clear the slate so no hold overs!

1. A book that is more than 100 years old - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (classic)

2. A book with an one-word title: Ember (Darkest London series #.05) by Kristin Callihan (steampunk)

3. A book set in high school: You are Here (Harlequin's More Than Words Series) by Liz Fichera (YA contemporary)

4. A book with a color in the title: Red at Night (Harlequin's More Than Words Series) by Katie McGarry

5. A non-fiction book: Possessed by the Devil by Dr. Andrew Sneddon

Summary:

When John Mason discovers that his fiancée's father has embezzled thousands of pounds from their mutual business, he's furious. When his betrothed, Miss Mary Chartley, flees, taking the money and all the evidence with her, he's outraged. He plans to bring the woman he once loved to account--and he’ll shed no tears when he does.

But when he finds Mary, she's not living a life of luxury. Instead, she's serving as a companion in exchange for a pittance. The more he attempts to untangle the truth, the more he remembers why he first loved Mary...and how much he wishes he could do so again.

What Happened at Midnight was previously published in the anthology Midnight Scandals. It is a novella of about 35,000 words.

Review:

This novella (about 250 pages) felt like a fully fleshed out story and I could not put it down. It took me about four hours to knock this one out. The h/H, Marry and John were so wonderful both as individuals and as a couple. And the plot was engrossing without being overly complicated. (virtual) Keeper shelf material. My only issue is that nothing "happened at midnight" - the clandestine meetings between Marry and John happened at 10pm and lasted about 30-45 minutes. 5 stars.

Summary:

Railway financier Simon Davenant has waited seven years for a second chance with his childhood sweetheart and best friend. He's not about to let his impending financial ruin destroy the opportunity.

This time, he'll do anything he can to secure her hand in marriage--even if it means losing her heart for good.

The Lady Always Wins is a short story of 18,500 words (about 60 print pages). It was previously published in the anthology "Three Weddings and a Murder."

Review:

This was a Courtney Milan book, ergo I had higher than usual standards going into this book. Unfortunately, a douchebag hero brought this book down a star. I really loved Ginny (the heroine), especially as she was a widow so I didn't have to deal with "omg! her purity must be intact no matter what!" motivation. Ginny was also whip-smart and funny. She could do so much better than Simon. But the story and the writing also made me root for them as a couple despite my dislike of the hero. Ms. Milan threw down some tasty, chewy bits about class and poverty that was central to the internal conflict between Ginny and Simon. 3 solid stars, but maybe more hardcore Milan fans would rate it higher.

Summary:

She hopes to gain his affections

For Miss Elizabeth Smith, sharing her first kiss with the charming Lord Derek Creswell is nothing short of a dream come true...that is, until she is spotted by one of the most influential gossips of the ton. With scandal nipping at her heels, to avoid total social ruin, Elizabeth must present a fiancé by the end of the Season. But when the viscount proves reluctant, Elizabeth is forced to employ a seduction of a different sort...

He is determined to ruin her

Viscount Derek Creswell believes Elizabeth set out to trap him into marriage. After all, her sister attempted the very same thing with his brother six years before. Now the delectable Miss Smith expects a betrothal and a ring, while Derek finds her ruination infinitely more appealing...

But as Derek sets out to seduce only her body, Elizabeth is intent on claiming his jaded heart.

Review:

TSTL heroine has held onto a teenage infatuation/obsession with the older brother of the guy who ruined her older sister. Heroine does stupid shit that makes her look conniving in the hopes of trapping said hero into marriage. She isn't conniving, just stupid and a liar. The author thinks that a lot of overly purple prose filled sexy times will somehow equate with a real love and HEA in the readers' minds. I think not. There is so much lying and game playing that when the couple do the "I love you" exchange, I don't buy any of it.

This book also has a prologue and three chapter excerpt of the next book. More lies (this time about a secret love child!) and more game playing. Luckily, the hero was smarter than the last hero and saw by looking at the child and the child's age that it was his son. Hero confronted heroine about her lies. I felt that I had read more than enough from this author to avoid her works in the future. 0 stars for everything I read.