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George and Gracie know that their family's Stockton Museum of Just About Everything in American History holds some amazing artifacts.  What they don't realize, until one fateful night, is that one of those objects is actually a time machine.  The exact same contraption their parents used to get themselves stuck somewhere in history.  Now, it's up to George and Gracie to figure out when their folks are and how to unstick them so they can finally come home.

The kids have a solid plan to find their parents in history, but that scheme goes horribly awry when they find themselves in the middle of the Revolutionary War.  Even worse, Gracie has turned into a horse!  Things can't possibly get worse ... until they do.  Suddenly, the twins are smack-dab in the middle of a wild race to save not just their own skin and that of their parents, but also the fate of the entire country.  Will they be successful?  Or will history—and their family—be changed forever?

Feb 18: Bloggin' Bout Books / Peggy Urry Writer

Feb 19: Min Reads and Reviews

Feb 20: LDS Writer Mom

Feb 21: My Book a Day

Feb 22: Literary Time Out / The Bibliophile Files

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Note:  I realized only after finishing In Dog We Trust that it is the fifth book in a series.  While the installments do not appear to need to be read in order, characters from earlier books do make cameo appearances in the newer ones.  In order to remain completely free from all possible spoilers, you may want to read the series in order. 

Jocelyn Hillier's mother always told her never to get personally involved with the summer people who flock to Black Dog Bay, Delaware, every summer.  Doing their laundry in order to pay your bills is one thing; canoodling with a tourist is quite another.  In the 27 years she's been alive and living in the resort town, Jocelyn has always obeyed her mother's rule.  Then, a chance meeting puts her in the middle of a squabble between two of them.  Before she knows it, Jocelyn is working as a dog walker for one Richie Rich and dating another.  

When Jocelyn's cantankerous boss dies unexpectedly, leaving his vast wealth to his three prize Labs, and naming Jocelyn as their legal guardian, she's stunned.  As the dogs' primary caregiver, she's suddenly living in the lap of luxury with access to millions of dollars.  Of course, some people—including her boss's estranged son, Liam Sheridan—are angered by Mr. Allardyce's ridiculous dying wishes and will do whatever it takes to get the money to which they believe they are entitled.  While persistent Liam starts out as a thorn in Jocelyn's side, it's not long before she's feeling a deep, unsettling attraction to the enemy.  Even as he schemes to take away every penny his father bequeathed to his pups and their spirited guardian, who isn't about to take Liam's duplicity lying down ...

I didn't realize until after I'd finished In Dog We Trust by Beth Kendrick that it is the fifth installment in a series.  The setting of the romantic comedy seemed familiar, which makes sense since apparently I read—and really enjoyed—the second book in the series, New Uses for Old Boyfriends, back in 2015.  Although In Dog We Trust is lighthearted and funny, I didn't end up liking it as much as I did its predecessor.  The situation in which Jocelyn finds herself just seems far-fetched, her antics silly and immature.  Because our heroine has no real story goal, the novel's plot seems episodic and meandering, with no real focus.  I get that it's a rom-com that's supposed to be light and diverting, but still, I would have appreciated a little substance from In Dog We Trust.  In the end, I enjoyed this cute romance enough to finish it, but I can't say I loved it.  It turned into just an okay read for me.

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Black Dog Bay series by Beth Kendrick.  Also reminds me of On the Same Page by N.D. Galland and a bit of other small town romances by Robyn Carr and RaeAnne Thayne)

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(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Crooked House, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Erica Coleman mysteries.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

When Megan Kemp calls Erica Coleman with a plea for help, Erica responds immediately.  She can't leave her best friend's daughter in the lurch, no matter how crazy Megan's story sounds.  And it does sound a little loony.  Megan, a sophomore at Delaware State University, is convinced someone is trying to kill her roommate, Liz Johnson.  After the deaths of her parents, Liz inherited a ramshackle old mansion aptly named Crooked House.  The recent victim of several "accidents," the young home owner seems to have become a target for someone with deadly intentions.  But why?  Has Liz's failure to restore her historic home finally pushed her impassioned neighbor over the top?  Is an angry ex-boyfriend out for revenge?  Or is Megan reading too much into a few unlucky mishaps?

As a former police officer and current private eye, Erica is in a unique position to help Megan and her roommates get to the bottom of Liz's recent misfortunes.  Leaving her police officer husband in charge of the kids at their home in Farmington, Utah, Erica moves in with the college girls at Crooked House.  Living with the roommates (while spoiling them with her scrumptious baking and obsessive cleaning rituals) gives Erica a chance to observe their goings-on firsthand.  Something fishy is definitely going on.  As Liz's "accidents" escalate in severity, Erica knows she must find out who's responsible for them—and quickly.  One person has already died.  Any one of the women at Crooked House could be next.  

While I'm not huge on cozy mysteries, I do appreciate a story that's both entertaining and clean.  So, when I read the plot summary for Crooked House, a new mystery by Marlene Bateman (Sullivan), I thought, why not?  Not realizing it's actually the third book in a series, I dove right in.  Maybe it's because I "met" Erica Coleman mid-series, but I didn't feel much of a connection to the obsessive-compulsive private investigator.  She struck me as a pushy, overbearing, annoying know-it-all.  I just didn't like her that much.  Plot-wise, Crooked House moves along fairly quickly, offering a few surprises here and there.  Prose-wise, however, the storytelling feels sluggish because of Bateman's over-reliance on telling rather than showing.  The inclusion of LDS doctrine in the story gives it a unique slant.  Although it's dropped in rather abruptly at times, the religious aspect never gets preachy, keeping the novel accessible to non-LDS readers.  Another fun element is the recipes included in the book; they sound different and delicious.  A winning combination, for sure.  Overall, then, I found Crooked House entertaining, if not wholly satisfying.  While I appreciated its PG-ness, its uncommon setting (not many novels are set in Delaware), and its yummy-sounding recipes, I would have liked tighter plotting, more dynamic writing, and a warmer, more likable heroine.  Crooked House can definitely be read as a stand-alone, but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I started with the first book in the series.  

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of the Sadie Hoffmiller culinary mysteries by Josi S. Kilpack [Lemon Tart; Pumpkin Roll; English Trifle; etc.])

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Lila Alders has it all: a steady job as the host of a late-night television program, a large, lavish home, the perfect husband, and a loving set of parents who dote on their only child.  Then, in the blink of an eye, most of it vanishes.  Grieving the loss of her father, the collapse of her marriage, and the end of her career, the 29-year-old has no idea what to do with herself.  Her sudden cash flow problem leaves Lila little choice but to move in with her widowed mother.

Hoping to lay low and lick her wounds under the guise of helping her mom, Lila soon realizes that there is no hiding for the former golden girl of Black Dog Bay, Delaware.  Everywhere she looks, she sees old friends, former classmates, and a small army of ex-boyfriends.  Lila longs to start fresh, but how can she when her old life is staring her in the face every single day?

When Lila discovers her parents' fortune has disappeared, forcing the sale of  their beloved seaside home, she knows it's time to take drastic action.  Money has to start flowing—and soon—or the Alders women will be living on the street.  Lila has no idea how to manage a business, but opening a vintage clothing store seems to be an answer to their problems.  Although the plan leads to some major challenges, it also teaches Lila some of the biggest, most surprising lessons of her life.  It also guides her toward a boy whose existence she barely registered in high school who's somehow becoming the man she can't forget—not even for a minute.

Lila knows the time is ripe for taking chances, but is she willing to risk everything, even her fragile heart, for a life she never imagined?  Even if it might be the one she's been after all along?

I don't read a lot of romance novels, but I do find something alluring about a good shattered-woman- returns-to-her-hometown-to-start-over story.  Sure, they're cliché and overdone and, yet, apparently, I'm a fan.  Which explains why the premise of New Uses for Old Boyfriends by Beth Kendrick appealed to me.  Not surprisingly, I enjoyed the book.  It's warm, funny, upbeat, and just a fun, fluffy read.  Yes, it's predictable.  Yes, things go too smoothly for our heroine.  Yes, it's unrealistic.  No, I don't care.  When it comes to easy, breezy chick lit, I just want an entertaining story.  New Uses for Old Boyfriends fits the bill quite nicely, thank you very much.

(Readalikes:  the first Black Dog Bay book, Cure for the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick; also reminds me of Robyn Carr's Virgin River and Thunder Point books)

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