25. The Hellion

By LaVyrle Spencer (293 pp)

I have developed a terrible habit of grabbing category romance when I'm out and about peeking into Little Free Libraries. This one is from 1984 -- how could I resist? Sadly, this book hasn't aged well and felt overly melodramatic. It's a second chane about Tommy Lee and Rachel, in small town Alabama, who grew up together and fell in love as teens. There was an unplanned pregnancy and the parents sent Rachel off to have the baby somewhere else and went to great lengths to keep them apart. The story opens 20 year later after Rachel is widowed. Tommy Lee has been the town hellraiser with a number of wives but when Rachel is free he is determined to win her back. It's hard to believe there was a time when a hero could be a heavy smoker. I loved the descriptions of the home furnishings and the clothes -- so 80s. The story had some great heart twisting moments but it a little much.

24. Love at First Fright

By Nadia El-Fassi (356 pp ebook)

Book club also talked about this one and since we're meeting next weekend we're going to talk about this, too. This one is about Rosemary a horror novelist and screenwriter who gots to a haunted country manor where one of her stories is being shot. There she connects with Ellis, a hugely famous action star and seemingly not a good fit for this small, historical horror movie. He and Rosemary hit it off. There are some ghosts. Didn't really work for me. The characterization felt flat and the tone was a little off.

23. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

By Ilona Andrews (470 pp)

This book was a gift from someone who really wanted me to read it because she loved it so much. I also loved it and we mentioned it in our small, informal book group. Now everyone has finished and we all have questions and comments so we are having an EMERGENCY book club meeting next weekend to talk about it. This book is about Maggie who has woken up in her favorite fantasy series. Books she loves so much she know them by heart. This book is Game of Thrones dangerous with betrayals and maneuvering and she has to use what she knows from the books and her own smarts to survive. Also, there are lots of sexy primary male characters who are interested. 10 stars. Loved it. Hope to read it again this weekend but I've been trying to tackle some projects instead.

22. The Deal

By Elle Kennedy (360 pp, ebook)

I went 2 months without finishing a book. I think I re-read some books and also DNF'd a book. Also I was going through a thing and instead of reading I was doing puzzles and listening to podcasts and not reading books. Then I watched Off Campus which was a TV series based on this book. I loved the show and wondered if I ever read anything by Elle Kennedy and searched my ereader and this very book was in my DNFs. (insert LMAO emoji) This seems to keep happening that I am intrigued about a book people are talking about and when I check my ereader, I learn that I shelved it. Oh well. This is set in college and is about a young woman who has an unrequited crush and some baggage she's dealing with. The big star hockey player needs some tutoring and manages to convince her to help him and in return he will help her connect with her crush. Except, oops, he falls for her. Cute romance.