Unscripted by Nicole Kronzer

Zelda is seventeen.  She's really happy to be going to improv camp.  She hopes her jokes will get her on a program she admires.  Then she finds her teacher is a really good-looking guy.  She hasn't had a boyfriend before.

Abrams Books sent me a ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It will be published in April.

This book has gay boys and lesbian girls in it but it's done very tastefully.Her brother is gay and a pair of her roommates are lesbian.

There are very few women there and she's the only one on the varsity team.  Her instructor seems interested in her and she likes that.  Her brother warns her against doing things separately with him.  He manages to kiss her but she doesn't know how.  When they go on a walk together and he pins her against a tree.  She tells him no but he won't stop.  So she knees him in the crotch.

In the meantime he picks on her in improv.  He has her portray a prostitute or she's the dead body.  When it's time for her to write a script, he takes it away from her and rewrites it.  He still wants her to go on a walk with him but she's trying to not be alone with him.

In the meantime, she runs into some boy scouts.  They have a camp up there, too.  She develops a relationship with one of them.  When Ben finds out he calls her a whore.  She tries to report him to the management but Ben got there first and they don't believe her.

They end up having a public fight.  They tell her she must leave the school.  She tells them it was self-defense, but they don't care.  The nurse st the facility is from the boy scout camp and she takes her back there.

It's an awful situation to be in but she's not alone...

Murder on Pleasant Avenue by Victoria Thompson

Two men who used to be cops have become private eyes.  They will take the cases the police shrug aside.  They work in the areas of town that are dangerous.  It's common for people with money to suddenly have a wife or child kidnapped and they must pay a ransom to get them back.  If they go to the police, they will kill them...

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 28th.

They are asked to find a young woman who went missing.  She just disappeared one afternoon and has been gone a few days.  The man asking them to look has hopes of marrying her.  They begin the search by asking a lot of questions.  Then they find out she has returned but won't speak to anyone.

When they discover where she was held, Gino goes to brace the man he knew took her.  He finds him in the room, dead.  And a cop comes in right behind him and arrests him for the murder.

His partner gets him out of jail and now they have to find the murderer to clear Gino.  They don't have a large staff.  There are the two detectives, a secretary, and the wife of the other detective.  But they accomplish a lot.

The man in love confesses to the crime but they know he didn't do it.  He's afraid his girlfriend might have done it.  So are the detectives...

Rebel in the Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander

Lenora finally finds her way back to the magical library which has every book ever written on its shelves.  But she's shocked.  The library is dark, there are empty shelves, the librarians she knew from her first visit are being fired!

Imprint and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 28th.

This book is full of fantasy.  There is a creature that looks like an octopus but is from outer space.  Her name is Rosa and she has tools of all kinds.  She can clean them up easily and she gives them a transporter to get around the library quickly.

It seems the Dark Ones have taken over the library and brainwashed the director.  Lenora is always fleeing from the Dark Ones since they want to eat her.

Can she outsmart the Dark Ones and save the library or will they win and destroy the library?

Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay Series: CUPCAKE BAKERY MYSTERY (#12)

Melanie is engaged to Joe and things are good in her life.  Her partner in the cupcake shop, Angie, has just found out she's pregnant and she's all hormonal.  One of their employees is thinking of leaving to become a chef.  And their regular customer, Peter doesn't show up his cupcakes he buys every week.  Then she learns Peter's wife is dead...

Berkley and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 28th.

Melanie was friends with Rene and her husband.  She can't believe she's gone.  What's worse is that the autopsy shows she's died of poison and one of the last things she ate was one of Melanie's cupcakes.

The police chief lets  Melanie know that she's a suspect.  Melanie has found so many bodies, the chief thinks maybe she's the one killing them...

Melanie starts her own investigation.  She knows Rene was acting odd but thought it was from overwork.  She was getting a large exhibit put together for display to the town.

She checks everyone out with no suspects jumping out at her.  Then Rene's assistant almost dies and she has her suspect.  But can she prove it?

The Girl in White Gloves: A Novel of Grace Kelly by Kerri Maher

All I knew about Grace Kelly was that she was the Princess of Monaco and lived a fairy tale life.  Reading the fictionalized account of her life let's you know it wasn't like a fairy tale.

Berkley Publishing and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published today.

She lived a quiet life at home but when she went away to college things changed.  She found she enjoyed acting and she also enjoyed men.  She pursued an acting career and got one.  She had several casual affairs that usually ended when she found out they were still married.  When she found one she really loved, her parents wouldn't let her marry him.  So she moved on.

She had quite a few acting roles with older established male actors.  She enjoyed acting but her family didn't approve of that either.  Then she met Prince Rainier.  He's good looking, charming, and gentle with her.  She doesn't expect to be asked to be his bride, but she says yes.

Life is different for her now.  She's Royalty and has no privacy.  She finds he wants to tell her what to do. The first unfortunate thing is that he doesn't want her to act anymore.  She has three children with him and they are her life.

The longer they are married, the more they disagree.  She'd leave him but the contract she signed said the children would remain with him.  She bides her time.  She plans to move when the children are old enough to visit without his permission and she has another movie she will audition for.  She's found a happy ending but it's not meant to be...

The Space Between Lost and Found by Sandy Stark-Mcginnis

What if you were still a child and your mother got Alzheimer's?  That's the main story line and it tugs at your heartstrings...

Bloomsbury Children's Books and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 28th.

Cassie remembers how her mother was and it makes her sad to see her forget things and get confused.  She does unusual things, like eat three potato chips at a time.  She didn't do that before.

Cassie's father has made new rules about what her mother can do.  He doesn't want her to go outside because she might not find her way home again or she might act funny and draw attention they don't need.  But when Cassie goes in the kitchen to get her a root beer, she finds the front door open.  She rushes out after her and they go for a walk.  It's not too bad.  It's so pleasant, Cassie falls asleep where they were admiring the clouds.  Her mother is gone again but this time she's sitting in a lawn chair a ways away.  Cassie sits with her a bit and then they wander home.  She better understands her father's point now.

More than anything she wants to take her mother to see some dolphins.  Her mother might not be able to remember her name but she'll never forget swimming withe dolphins in the ocean.  She has some money she saved and after her dad goes to work, Cassie sneaks her mom down to the bus depot and they head for San Diego to take in a dolphin show  It doesn't turn out like she planned.  Her mom swims with the dolphins and then wants to do it again when they put on their performance for the audience.  It takes both Cassie and the trainer to keep her out of the pool.

If your child is around anyone with Alzheimer's or Dementia, this story will give them an idea of what happens and what to expect.  It's harder to understand when you're young.

This is a good honest story but you can feel the sadness of the situation.  All you can do is love them and protect them as best you can.

Spark and the League of Ursus by Robert Repino

This is a fantasy novel in which teddy bears come to life and do all they can to protect their human.  There are monsters out at night, you know.  I still have my teddy bear I was given as a child and that was a long time ago.  I'm sure he protected me from monsters...

Quirk Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 21st.

As children age, some think they don't need their teddy bear any longer.  That's a mistake.  When Loretta lets hers sleep with her, a monster opens a portal and tries to take her.  Her bear fights him off.  But then they hear another girl in town is missing and no one can find her.

Then Loretta's brother is taken and the bears know he will come back to get her.  So they work on weapons they can use against him.  They also hope to get her brother back.

When the portal opens the monster is huge.  He's grown with each kidnapping.  Will the bears be able to beat him?  They will fight and if necessary they will die...