Toucan Keep a Secret by Donna Andrews

Title: Toucan Keep a Secret
Author: Donna Andrews
Type: Fiction
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 5 STARS
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I cannot help it. I love Meg Langslow and her crazy family!

We find Meg assisting at her church, Trinity Episcopal, as Robin is on bedrest. While the entire church community seems to be helping out, Meg is the one locking up after an event and inadvertently discovers that one of the parishioners has been killed. While the man has been a devoted parishioner, he is not friends with many. As Meg soon discovers, there are a few suspects in his death, as well as a decades old mystery that has come to light. As usual, she has her family "helping" her solve the crime, and they add humor to the story.

What I love about Meg is the fact that she is a working mom of twins (like me), and balances both her work and family life while keeping a great attitude about things.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Broken Promise by Tara Thomas

Title: Broken Promise
Author: Tara Thomas
Type: Fiction
Genre: Romance, Suspense
Rating: 5 stars
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Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is book three of the Sons of Broad series.  While I haven't read the other books in the series, I only hope that they are as good as this one!

Officer Alyssa Adams has never gotten over the fact that her sister had gone missing years before.   Kipling Benedict has a secret sibling who has now been kidnapped. When this twist of fate causes her to team up with Kipling, she's forced to work with the man she's always tried to avoid.

The chemistry between these two characters is palpable and full of fire.  You can tell from the first few pages of the book how Kipling feels for Alyssa, although he's been burned in the past and has no desire to ever be romantically involved with someone again.  I enjoy books that combine romance and suspense in such a way that you are drawn in almost immediately.  I highly recommend this book.

Encounters with a Rogue by Deb Marlowe

Title: Encounters with a Rogue
Author: Deb Marlowe
Type: Fiction
Genre: Romance, Historical
Rating: 5 stars
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Both of these stories are part of the Half Moon House series, which I highly recommend!

An Unexpected Encounter
This is a sweet story intertwining the lives of Lisbeth, a young lady determined to make her own fate; Edmund, a bachelor, and Aurelia, an orphan.
Lisbeth, through a chance meeting with Hestia (the character that binds the Half Moon House series together), becomes the governess for Aurelia, but also finds herself falling in love with Edmund.

A Waltz in the Park
This is a fun read! Adelaide Stockton struggles with the scandal of her parents' past, as she grieves her mother's death. Sent to her father's family to find a suitable husband, she must walk a fine line of being prim and proper. She meets James Vickers, a man with his own family agenda. What I love about the two of them is their banter. Adelaide doesn't seem afraid of him, and that's what seems to intrigue him.

Beloved Poison (Jem Flockhart #1)

Title: Beloved Poison (Jem Flockhart #1)
Author: E.S Thomson
Type: Fiction
Genre: Crime, Historical, Mystery
Rating: 5 stars
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This isn't the kind of book I'd normally pick up these days. But while I was at my library on Sunday, I saw this book with a card sticking out that said "Pick Me!"  Intrigued, I looked at the rest of the card.  "Riveting historical detail along with horrifying anecdotes create an almost dismal, yet strangely fascinating tale that will have many readers glad to be living in the 21st century." (This is also attributed to the library's review of the book found on Goodreads.)

I checked out the book, despite the book flap that read: "And then six tiny coffins are uncovered..." because I don't care for books where children have been murdered. But this book... wow. It's not at all what it seems. In fact, this book is addicting.

Apothecary Jem Flockhart has been raised inside the walls of St. Saviour's Infirmary. However, it's been slated to be demolished.  The doctors live in the past, using crude surgeries and uncleanly conditions as a normal part of their workday.  Young architect, Will Quartermain, has been sent to St. Saviour's to prepare for it's destruction. He's been given the awful task of cleaning out the mass graves that reside inside the infirmary's walls.

Jem, with a secret of her own, gives Will a tour and together they find those six tiny coffins as mentioned above.  When one of the coffins gives a clue about Jem's own mother, she cannot help but dig deeper to find the meaning of it all.  However, opening the locked doors to the past causes great pain - murder of her friends and allies, as well as her own heartbreak as she watches her father slowly slip into the madness that has haunted her family for generations.

19th century London is described with fog, pollution, brothels, slums and antiquated medical practices that really do make me glad I did not live during that time. The author does a fantastic job of describing it all - and allows the reader to feel as though she is right there with Jem and Will in their dangerous task of finding a murderer.