Huntington Public Library Adult Reading Challenge

  A short book, about a summer vacation on Cape Cod with adult family. There are revelations about life, and secrets are exposed. It was a very good beach read!

  I really liked this book for a quick summer read! The main character (Anna Green) marries a very wealthy man (Liam Weston) just to help with housing. She comes from a low income family and struggles to get by. Years later, he needs her help to go to his sister's wedding with him and play the role of wife. Anna signs on, knowing she will be getting paid (after losing her job). They fly to a private island and she sees how exactly wealthy Liam's family is. Liam has many issues with his family (particularly his dad) and tries to protect Anna and keep the peace for the sake of his sister's special trip. As time goes on, Anna and Liam start actually falling for each other and are hiding their secret (that they didn't actually marry for love). Cute, fun read.

  This book was darker than I thought it would be. Pacing was kind of an issue, and the ending wrapped up really fast. But I felt a lot of tension in several scenes, which kept me invested. This book reads more like a thriller.

 This book was a fun and quick read blending murder mystery, comedy, and a little romance. The story follows Meddy and her relationship with her meddlesome aunts, providing plenty of laughs. However, the plot felt a little far-fetched at time. Overall, it's a decent read, but might not be everyone's cup of tea.

 Somewhat disappointing: I like character-driven novels: in this case, I found the Stockton family boring, manipulative with their wealth and status and totally oblivious to the real world around them. Their treatment of the sister-in-law (from a lower middle background) was horrid.

  Vivi, a young witch living in a magical town in Georgia has her heart broken and in a drunken attempt to get over it, curses the boy who broke her heart. Nine years later, the boy, Rhys, reappears in her town- as handsome and magically capable as ever. Despite the shakeup, things appear to be status quo until the magic of the town starts to go haywire. Vivi begins to realize that the curse she placed on Rhys may actually be real, and the two have to work together to lift the curse, restore the magic to rights, and maybe reconcile along the way? Cute and cozy, but still steamy, The Ex Hex is a whimsical, witchy journey into a town you wished you lived in, with a leading man you also wish was your boyfriend.

  Another amusing cozy mystery from Donna Andrews. Meg and her family are working at the Renaissance Faire being held at her grandmother's craft center. Meg's husband Michael has organized a band of actors to act out a running medieval storyline to entertain the tourists (think Elizabethan soap opera). Meanwhile family friend Faulke is facing a health crisis, And a big time director is trying to poach several of Michael's actors for an over-the-top production of Hamlet. When one of the actors is murdered Meg steps in to help identify the murderer before it ruins the Faire and her grandmother's finances.

  This book is a funny beach-read sort featuring kooky characters and some hilarious one-liners. I wouldn't say the characters felt real per se - this book feels like the print version of a sitcom. But it was enjoyable, if a little long in the tooth. Some of the plot threads felt too conveniently wrapped up, and also not wrapped up at all. So, don't read if you like things neat and clean. But a good lighthearted vacation read that I'm glad I picked up.