The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1) by Freida McFadden

 The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1) by Freida McFadden-325 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

Thoughts: Another good Freida McFadden thriller. I somewhat guessed some of the twists, but it's still a good read and I definitely didn't see everything coming that happened.

Once Upon a Christmas Carol by Melody Carlson

 Once upon a Christmas Carol by Melody Carlson - 176 pages

True to Melody Carlson's style, this is a heartwarming, uplifting Christmas story.

Although Carol Langstrom works in the design industry where she manages seasonal decor for the wealthy, she does not like Christmas.  She grew up in a dysfunctional family.  Carol at best tolerates her mother's narcissistic personality.

This Christmas Carol just wants to get away.  She books herself a trip to the Bahamas.  She can't wait to get away, but as fate would have it, her flight is redirected to snowy Michigan.  She is desperate to find a place to stay until she can get a new flight.  All hotels in the area are booked so she contacts her mother's estranged sister that just so happens to live on a farm in the area.  

Her aunt is overjoyed to finally meet Carol and have her stay with her.  What starts out to be a short overnight layover with her Aunt turns into a longer stay and a Christmas that Carol has never had the joy of experiencing.  Carol finds all kinds of blessings in this unexpected stay; along with love and some family mendings.

A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire by Sarah Hawley

A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire by Sarah Hawley -- 444 pages

Werewolf Ben Rosewood is happy with his life. One hundred percent. Everything is fine. His business, Ben’s Plant Emporium, is thriving, and he’s even expanding the shop. His anxiety disorder is…well, it’s been better, but that comes with the territory of running a business and having beastly urges every full moon, right? As for romance—who has the time? Though his family is desperate to see him settled, Ben is fine approaching forty as a single werewolf. But after drunkenly bidding on and winning a supposedly-possessed crystal on eBay one night, he finds himself face-to-face with a beautiful but angry vampire.

Eleonore Bettencourt-Devereux is a rare breed—a vampire succubus born from two elite European bloodlines during medieval times. But thanks to an evil witch, she’s been stuck in a crystal since she was thirty, forced to obey orders from the possessor of the rock. Eleonore’s been dreaming of breaking the spell and severing the witch’s head for centuries. But did this witch really sell her to someone new, and for only ninety-nine cents? Eleonore would claw this werewolf’s heart out and eat it, if only the binding spell would allow her to. But Eleonore and Ben soon realize they can help each other with both vengeful and less hostile needs. And why not have a little fun along the way?

Lambert the Sheepish Lion by Bill Peet

Lambert the Sheepish Lion by Bill Peet, 42 pages

When the stork mistakenly delivers Lambert the lion cub to a ewe, Lambert realizes very quickly he is not like the other little lambs. Ostracized for his differences but bolstered by his loving mother, Lambert looks to fit in but just can't manage it. When a wolf threatens the flock, Lambert finally finds his place.

Lambert the Lion is a retelling of the classic Ugly Duckling that I read dozens of times as a child. Before I could read, I made my poor mother read it to me over and over. It's a beloved touchstone I am grateful hasn't lost its luster. 

 

So Long and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams

 So Long and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams, 204 pages

TL;DR: Arthur Dent appears on an apparently reatomized Earth, gets a girlfriend, and together they quest to find out why the dolphins are all gone. 

Batman, Volume 1: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder

Batman, Volume 1: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder

Batman (2011, #1-7), 176 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

After a series of brutal murders rocks Gotham City, Batman begins to realize that perhaps these crimes go far deeper than appearances suggest. As the Caped Crusader begins to unravel this deadly mystery, he discovers a conspiracy going back to his youth and beyond to the origins of the city he’s sworn to protect.

Batman has heard tales of Gotham City’s Court of Owls: that the members of this powerful cabal are the true rulers of Gotham. The Dark Knight dismissed the stories as rumors and old wives’ tales. Gotham was his city. Until now.

A brutal assassin is sinking his razor-sharp talons into the city’s best and brightest, as well as its most dangerous and deadly. If the dark legends are true, his masters are more powerful predators than the Batman could ever imagine.

Review

A really cool story! I love a secret society, and I really liked this characterization of Batman. The maze sequence where you have to physically move the book was also super fun.

Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey

Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey -- 336 pages

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He’s made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate is his roomie—and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet. That is, until he meets Skylar Paige, division 1 softball pitcher, girl least likely to take anyone’s bull…and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Robbie might be dazzled by the badass pitcher, but Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him.

When he discovers she’s carrying a serious torch for her brother’s best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can’t seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he’s agreed to be Skylar’s fake boyfriend/love coach at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?

Through a series of contests that require them to trust each other, Robbie and Skylar grow closer and closer until their fake relationship starts to feel like the realest thing they’ve ever known and the sizzling lessons in sensuality burn out of control. But it’s all just pretend…right?