The Chocolate Rose by Laura Florand

** 2 stars

Oh, what happened to this series! I was just enchanted by the first two books in the Amour et Chocolat series; this was a terrible let-down.  I had to force myself to finish it.  It was just so....meh.  I didn't really feel connected to the characters and the whole conflict was sort of false and the romance rushed and unbelievable.

I'll probably continue with the next book with the premise that this title may be a bit of misfit in the series.

Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer's Life by Pamela Smith Hill

*** 3 star

An interesting, if somewhat dry, read on how Wilder's books were created and published. It's quite academic and therefore, skim-worthy but as a big fan of the books, I found myself rather interested. I'm not sure I learned much new but it's always fun to spend time in Laura's world.

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler

**** 4 stars

I really enjoyed this quick and easy read.  Quality-wise it is probably closer to a 3 but I found myself quite engaged.  The story does strain credibility in spots and drives the book closer to a soap opera than a literary read but it was interesting and entertaining.

Done in One by Grant Jerkins

**** 4 stars

Once again, Jerkins is the best writer you aren't reading.  I will say this turned out to be my least favorite of his books so far, but I still really enjoyed it. A thoughtful and yet tricky study of the private life of a police sharpshooter.

A Few for the Life is Far Too Short Shelf

A collection of recent attempts that I abandoned at various points in the book and for various reasons....

Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper

This was a disappointment as it held such promise and sounded so quirky/cute.  Sadly, I think it's too easy for quirky to devolve into twee and this crossed the line for me.  The stylistic nonsense (no quotation marks) is something I can sometimes overlook if the story is strong enough. This was just a big yawn.

Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch

Boy, I got quite a way into this one before it fell apart for me.  Started out with a really intriguing premise and then got way too weird.  I'll pass on this and the series.

Fifty Mice by Daniel Pyne

It's books like this that make me cynical about the publishing world.  It's got a great concept but it's not well-written and it reads like a novelization of a movie.  Rather flat and contrived, so I moved on.  

Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko

Picked this up in the bargain bin; seems to be a business classic but one I'd never heard of.  Was far less interesting than you'd think and far less profound.  Felt like nothing new to me, so I didn't finish it.