Unraveled by Julie Daines

 Bronwyn tries to avoid the stares and repulsion she sees in other's faces when they see her crippled legs. One day a fey creature called a gray lady comes to visit her and gives her a pair of shoes that make her legs straighten and appear whole. Her mother is so excited she arranges for her daughter to go to the capital city to be presented at court. At court she meets the handsome prince who is instantly taken by her beauty.  She also meets and old friend who knows she is normally crippled. He tries to discourage Bronwyn from accepting the Prince's advances, warning her that she can't keep her secret from the Prince forever,  but who can resist being courted by the most eligible man of the kingdom? Perhaps if the Prince comes to love her enough, he won't mind when he finds out she is not what she seems. Perhaps.

I need to look back at the other books I have read by Daines.  I must have liked them because I put her on my "clean romance writers" list.  This one, however, I could barely get through.  I almost quit several times, and only made it through so I could write this review and say how much I disliked the story. Bronwyn is a stupid, silly girl who keeps making bad decisions. She keeps stacking lies on lies even when she knows that once she tells the prince the truth it wouldn't go well. She is also not very nice to her other friends.  She lets them suffer so she can continue to enjoy her royal suitor's attentions and she's rude to everyone who is trying to help her. I think the premise of the story could have worked if she had tried to come clean earlier in the story but have been trapped into the lie by other circumstances, but she keeps coming back to a bad situation even after she has a chance to escape. I know stupidity is pretty common in the world, but I personally never want to read it. (192 p. 2014)

Sticks and Stones by Sarah Mlynowski, Laren Myracle and Emily Jenkins.

 In this second book in the Upside Down Magic series, things seem to be looking up for Nory.  She and Bax start having tutoring sessions with the Kitten Ball coach, and he recruits Nory for the team. She starts to make friends with some kids at school not in the Mixed-up Magic class. Meanwhile, strange rock centered magic keeps happening at the school, and everyone blames Bax. Bax knows he didn't do it, so the Mixed-up Magic kids work together to try to find out what is really happening.

I read the second book in this series because I wondered if it had the "Shadow" magic that shows up in the Net Flix series.  It doesn't. I think the Shadow Magic is a "made for TV" addition, to make the story more visually interesting. I enjoyed the book, though. There is a lot of humor, but also a few things to think about. It is a cute series for early novel readers. (208p., 2016)

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

 Hannah Swenson is busy whipping up treats for the county fair when she is asked to be a judge in the baked goods competition. She enjoys the challenge, but then one of the other judges ends up getting murdered.  Hannah can't resist getting involved in the investigation, even when her handsome police officer friend warns her away.  Her attentive dentist friend has fewer qualms and together with her sisters and mother, they try to discover the culprit. 

After reading the last Vampire Book Club I wanted to read book from the same genre that was better written.  The Hannah Swenson cozy mysteries are not great literature but they are certainly better than the Vampire Book Club series. There are actual clues and suspects that Hannah investigates with the help of family and friends. Of course, the final scene finds Hannah in mortal danger from which she is saved by one of her boyfriends. It is formulaic, but a fun read. (384 p. 2011)

Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown

 In 1942 there is a vibrant community in the Bethnal Green neighborhood of London despite the war and frequent bombing. When the bomb sirens go off Nellie, age 18 and her family go into the yet unfinished tube station which has been converted into a bomb shelter. One of her best friends, Billy is a air raid warden, and her other best friend is Billy's sister.  Billy would like a more serious relationship with Nellie, but his hopes are shattered when Nellie meets a handsome American airman, Ray. As their relationship progresses, Ray gives Nellie hope of fulfilling her dream to leave Bethnal Green and see the bigger world. But then a terrible tragedy strikes. Nellie is left reexamining her relationships and ambitions. With all that the war has taken from her, will Nellie every have the chance for a happy life?

This is a charming and heartfelt historical fiction based on an actual event in the history of London's WWII days.  It is written and read by Millie, Bobby Brown, the actress who played Enola Holmes on Netflix, and also stared in Stranger Things. You always wonder if a book by a celebrity author will be any good, but this one was.  The writing isn't going to win a Pulitzer, but it was good enough.  The story deals grief and loss during war times, but emphasizes that love and community is what gets you through tragedy. Brown states that the story is "inspired" by her own great grandmother's experience, but doesn't go into detail about how much of the story is biographical. I think that probably her grandmother was in the tragic experience featured in the book, but I am guessing the rest is fiction. I am also guessing that a ghost writer helped Brown with the prose.  Still, this is a book I will be recommending to my friends who like WWII fiction. (320 p. 2023)

In Want of a Knife by Nancy Warren

 In this fifth installment of the Vampire Book Club series, a movie producer has come to Ballydehag wanting to make a porno version of Pride and Prejudice. At the same time Jane Austen, now one of the undead, shows up in town and asks for help to stop the production. Quinn Callahan is at first start-struck by meeting her favorite author and determined to help her any way she can, but when the producer of the film turns up dead, can she be sure that her literary idol was not the killer?  Of course there are other suspects and motives, and it takes all Quinn's supernatural friend's help to discover the truth.

I keep reading these, and they just aren't very good. I knew who the killer was going to be in the first chapter, but the author didn't have Quinn even consider the true culprit until the last two chapters.  It was an entire book of red herrings. The only redeeming quality about books in this series is that listening to them takes absolutely not emotional or intellectual effort on my part. It is about as engaging as elevator music in a department store.  Still, sometimes that is exactly what I am looking for in a book, so I will probably read more. (226 p. 2023)

More Than Words Can Say by Karen Witemeyer

I was a little disappointed by the 
cover.  She is supposed to be 
more plump than this. 

 Zacharias Hamilton is happy to be free from family responsibilities. He has a good job, a good friend, and good sticky buns for breakfast each morning. When his favorite female baker's shop is threatened, the only way to save it is for her to get married, and Zach can't imagine her marrying anyone but him. In Abigail Kemp's mind, the marriage is just a business deal, allowing her to keep her bakery, and giving Zach free room and board. She considers herself--plump and independent--as not worthy of the romantic attentions of a tall, strong, handsome man like Zach. He sees it differently. It doesn't take long before convincing her to be his wife in reality is his highest priority, but first he needs to find out who is trying to ruin Abby's life, and stop them.

It is a common trope in historical romance, for a couple to get married first and then gradually fall in love.  It is a sweet theme and Witemeyer does it well here. There is good chemistry between Zach, the strong silent type, and Abby, who is delightful, but doesn't know it. One thing I appreciate about Witemeyer, is that when the main characters have a misunderstanding she doesn't let it draw out for chapters and chapters.  They resolve it quickly by actually talking to each other, and most the the time is spent with them confronting exterior threats together rather than bickering between themselves. If you had told me 10 years ago if I would be a regular reader of Texas cowboy historical romances, I wouldn't have believed you.  But, there it is. (358 p. 2019)

A Study in Death by Anna Lee Huber

 This is the fourth in the Lady Darby Mystery series. Lady Kiera Darby is preparing for her upcoming marriage to inspector Sebastian Gage. The wedding preparations are stressful, as is her commission to paint a portrait of Lady Drummond. She suspects that Lady Drummond is the victim of spouse abuse, but doesn't know what she can do about it. Then Lady Drummond is found dead in her home. The physician rules her death as natural, but Lady Darby suspects that she was murder. Her husband's family is not pleased as she jumps into the case, trying to find justice for her fallen friend. When the number of possible suspects grows, so does the tension between herself and Sebastian. Is she willing to pursue the case to the end, even if it costs her own future happiness?

This is another well crafted mystery by Ms. Huber.  She is good at creating both clues and red herrings so that the final solution is not obvious.  The relationship between Kiera and Sebastian vacillates between being steamy and cold.  I guess the author has to write it this way to maintain a dramatic tension, but it made me feel a little frustrated. If they can't even get along while they are engaged and still enjoying the first flower of their amore, how will they ever survive marriage?  Still, it was entertaining enough that I finished it, even though I was reading it instead of just listening to it (I checked out the print version to take on a vacation.)  (336 p. 2015)