Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Genre: Romance
Source: Entangled: Amara ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: Aspiring artist Misty Delaney is not about to let her parents’ beloved café go under. Not when she can just merge the company by entering a quick marriage of convenience with the rich son of their family’s rival. But her sisters aren’t having it. They all made a they each get one month to find true love. She can’t just fold. To make sure Misty gives finding love a chance, they post a “Marry Misty!” billboard outside town. Surely that’ll give her options?

Watching Misty field marriage proposals from strangers, that she clearly doesn’t want, is a big cup of nope for café manager Lucas Reyes. He and Misty have been friends for years, but it’s time to step up and make his romantic feelings for her known. And what better way to start than by sending her unwanted suitors packing with an announcement that she’s already in a relationship. With him.

Lucas’s little stunt buys an extremely grateful Misty one week to come up with a solution that saves the café and keeps her sisters happy. A week during which she and Lucas need to act like they’re in love. Except, between late-night stargazing, crashed mopeds, and dancing in the rain, their pretend romance feels almost perfect. But it’s one thing to start falling. It’s another entirely to turn one week into forever…

Ope’s Opinion: This is the second in the Majestic Maine series. I did read the first one a while ago. It certainly can stand alone, but it was better to see the first brides story before reading this one.

Misty is the focus of this story. The other two sisters are involved in most of the book as well. I found Misty a bit whiney and woe is me. I did like that she and Lucas talked things out – they didn’t run away from their difficulties. They had a mature relationship. I liked that this is a clean, closed door romance. I also enjoyed the fact that Lucas and Misty knew each other and were friends for some time before the romance of their relationship started.

There is one more book – Last Bride Standing. I will be reading it soon.

Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Romance
Source: HQN Books ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: Running a bookstore on a quaint Chesapeake island is exactly the life Deena Clark would have chosen for herself–but helping billionaire businessman Luis Dominguez figure out fatherhood is part of the package. Can bonding over books and one little girl help them open their hearts to each other?

Ope’s Opinion: The romance in this book is predictable. It is mostly closed door. The characters are fine, but not outstanding or unique.

The unique part is Luis and his relationship to his daughter Willow. How he found out about Willow is unusual. Willow has a disability – that was handled really well and informative. This was my favorite part of the book.

Carol is a flat character. I did not like her from the beginning. The things she did at the bookshop would have caused me to fire her at the start of it. She did not seem intelligent to me. She was very self centered and could only see things from her perspective.

This book did not make me want to go back and read the other ones in the series.

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Thriller
Source: G.P. Putnam’s Sons ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: The latest twisty psychological thriller from internationally-bestselling author Lucy Clarke, One of the Girls is the delicious story of a bachelorette trip on a stunning Greek island… that ends in murder.

It was supposed to be the perfect weekend away. Six very different women travel to a sun-soaked Greek island for a bachelorette trip, to celebrate Lexi’s upcoming wedding. From the glorious ocean views to the quaint tavernas and whitewashed streets, the vacation seems too good to be true. But dangerous undercurrents run beneath the sunset swims and midnight cocktails – because each of the women is hiding a secret. Someone is determined to make sure that Lexi’s marriage never happens – and that one of them doesn’t leave the island alive.

Gripping, twisty, and full of sun-soaked suspense, this timely thriller examines the joys of female friendship…as well as the deadly consequences when a relationship goes wrong.

Ope’s Opinion: When you are first reading this story, I suggest a little note pad to keep all the characters, relationship to each other and personalities straight. It will be worth it.

There were so many twists and turns to this story. I thought it was great how connected they all were to each other. The lies and half truths came out slowly – everyone had their own secrets. The chapters were short, which kept me reading just one more!

Who dies? Why? All questions are answered and the ending is a good one too. I highly recommend this book.

Publisher: The Dial Press
Genre: Romance
Source: The Dial Press ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not

Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of… a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again” list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.

Ope’s Opinion: This story started out very weird. Miles walks in Lenny starts day dreaming strange dreams about him. Then he hangs around while she is babysitting. Why didn’t Reese just have Miles babysit. I don’t know I found the whole story just odd.

I read Ready or Not by this author and really enjoyed it, so it was not the writing. I just think it was the story that never grabbed me.