Review: All You Had To Do Was Stay

All You Had To Do Was Stay by Laura Starkey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hannah is a wedding planner, not gifted academically like her twin brother Ed, she has built up a very successful business from scratch. Ed is dating Joe Gibson, a psychotherapist, successful podcaster, author and TV presenter. Joe and his brother Jude were brought up in the same road as Hannah and Ed, in fact when Jude transferred to their secondary school Hannah was given the task of looking after him - not easy when he was a ex-public school nerd. Over the years Hannah and Jude became BFFs, and even something more, then 'the thing' happened and Jude moved to Australia and blocked her on all social media.

Four years later, Hannah is dating other people, but the pain of being abandoned and ghosted by Jude has never truly left, so imagine her shock when she runs into him at a University of Sheffield seminar that she organised, as one of the guest speakers. Not only was it excruciatingly painful to run into Jude without warning, she also had to suffer him pretending he didn't know her when his former mentor introduced them.

Then Ed and Joe announce their engagement, they want Hannah to organise the wedding and for Jude to be Joe's Best Man - now there are several months where the former lovers will have to be in close proximity. Meanwhile, Hannah's ex-boyfriend, a former boyband member who now makes a living DJing weddings, isn't taking rejection well.

As is often the case with novels where 'a thing' happened in the past, the secrecy drags on far too long and becomes (for me) an irritant, then the eventual reveal is just a damp squib because it has been built up too much. Also both Jude and Hannah seemed to be labouring under the belief that they were more in love than the other and therefore they were just protecting themselves from heartbreak. I'm afraid Jane Austen holds the gold medal for this way of thinking (Persuasion) and unfortunately this was a modern day twist on a classic tale.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest by Zarah Detand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Finn Hayes moves to New York to start his training at Devon Memorial Hospital, trying to cheer himself up he goes to a gay bar, where one of the patrons mistakes him for an escort. Happy to play along because the guy is hot, Finn thinks a one-night stand might be just the thing to get him over his most recent break-up.

Imagine his surprise when Finn's hot one-night stand turns out to be Doctor Jesse Maddox - his new supervisor. If anyone finds out about the two of them it could be very problematic so they agree to forget it ever happened. But that's easier said than done.

This was okay, but it felt like the plot was laid out early on and pretty much nothing happened after that, they know they shouldn't be anything other than colleagues but the pull is too strong.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Hopeless Romantics

Hopeless Romantics by Mhairi McFarlane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tess and her best friend Carys are on the sleeper train from Euston to Inverness to attend the wedding of a college friend. On the train they befriend two guys, Spencer and Ryan. Spencer and Carys are two peas in a pod and hit it off immediately whereas Tess and Ryan are more reserved. Little do they realise that this weekend will change all of their lives in different ways, Tess in particular will make radical changes.

I don't want to say any more because the entire book is about the repercussions of what did and didn't happen that weekend, for better or worse.

I spent the entire book thinking it was written by a completely different author who is American and I kept thinking how odd this feels like it was written by a Brit! In addition, I am annoyed with myself because I have nine unread ARCs which have already been published and I chose an ARC of a book that won't be published for another seven months!

Anyway. I really enjoyed this, all of the characters were likeable and three dimensional, the plot was good, although I think I could see where it was going from the start, and kept me engrossed.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Christmas In July

Christmas In July by Kelsey Humphreys
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 51%.

Aiden is a ruthless property billionaire with plans for a upmarket ski resort in Juniper Falls, unfortunately in order to build the ski resort he is going to bulldoze half the main street.

Harper is your typical small-town homebody, she looks after her invalid father and runs a small bakery, she and most of the small businesses in town are slowly declining, but she is determined to oppose the destruction of her shop and half the town. She also has a speech impediment or a brain fart which means she often says the wrong word - people correct her all the time which is why she has rarely spoken to strangers. But when she hears Aiden's plans she has to speak up - and they agree a deal, if each of the shops due for demolition can make a profit by July Aiden will save them ... he knows they have no chance at all.

So Harper rallies the townsfolk to basically celebrate every possible high day and holiday. At first even that is a disaster, until Aiden steps in and points out some basic sales and marketing techniques. Meanwhile, Aiden has rented the house next door to Harper and her dad and has started helping Harper out in different ways. If she could just accept that she is going to lose their bet Aiden would be a happy man.

Ordinarily I love Kelsey Humphreys and I was stoked to get an advance copy to review. Unfortunately, there's suspension of disbelief for a Hallmark movie and then there's this which pushes me too far over the edge. I didn't really warm to Harper, I didn't see what Aiden saw in her, or what she saw in him and frankly reading any further felt like an effort. I prefer Kelsey's sassy heroines - the successful authors or businesswomen. However, this won't stop me from reading more of her books.

I received an ARC from the publisher via BookSirens.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Review: A Fragile Mercy

A Fragile Mercy by Doug Sinclair
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Malkie gets called in to a vicious murder, Sebastian Beauchamp, a high-ranking Special Advisor to a Scottish Minister, has been brutally stabbed multiple times in his own home with a broken wine bottle. It is clearly a personal murder.

Because it is high-profile, MIT gets involved which means the detested DCI McLeish is back in Livi, much to everyone's disgust. Then the team get a break forensics have matched prints on the wine bottle to someone in the system, a young man with severe mental health issues who is known to lash out when scared - can it be that easy?

As usual, Malkie doesn't go for the easiest option, he just keeps digging for the truth even if his superiors want this wrapped up quickly.

Meanwhile, Steph is on desk duty following the suspicious death of Lang who fell off the balcony of his flat onto the roof of a car. Finally, her story is coming to a close. May I also express my heartfelt thanks that she has stopped with the wailing and the whining about her biological father being a rapist - that got very tedious.

In previous books I have complained that there are too many ongoing story arcs which detract from the plot - this time Doug Sinclair wisely let Malkie's ongoing arcs go almost unmentioned which made for a better story (in my opinion).

Anyway, if you like you crime gritty and your detectives angsty then I recommend this series.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Wild and Wanted

Wild and Wanted by Amy Andrews
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 51%.

You know how every tenth Padron pepper is super spicy? Well I'm like that with Amy Andrews' books. Generally I love them, fun, sassy, spicy, but every so often there's one that just falls flat for me - and this unfortunately fell into that category.

Stevie is a famous country & Western singer, her sister and best friend died and she is struggling to cope alone, especially since their mother is pushing all her ambitions on Stevie. The latest issue is that Stevie can't ride a horse ... a fatal flaw in a C&W singer, so her mother has signed her up to a dude ranch for a crash course.

Clay was a successful rodeo rider until an accident ended his career, now he's back working on his family's dude ranch feeling morose. Until he claps eyes on Stevie.

There's a bit with a purity ring which I know other readers found off-putting, I wasn't bothered as it wasn't a big thing. However, a cowboy asking a learner rider to wear a skirt and no panties for a trail ride ramped up the ick factor for me. That girl would probably be saddle-sore even if she were wearing jeans but this was a no-no on several levels.

Again, I've decided not to force myself to finish a book I'm not enjoying so I gave up.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Wild and Wanted

Wild and Wanted by Amy Andrews
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 51%.

You know how every tenth Padron pepper is super spicy? Well I'm like that with Amy Andrews' books. Generally I love them, fun, sassy, spicy, but every so often there's one that just falls flat for me - and this unfortunately fell into that category.

Stevie is a famous country & Western singer, her sister and best friend died and she is struggling to cope alone, especially since their mother is pushing all her ambitions on Stevie. The latest issue is that Stevie can't ride a horse ... a fatal flaw in a C&W singer, so her mother has signed her up to a dude ranch for a crash course.

Clay was a successful rodeo rider until an accident ended his career, now he's back working on his family's dude ranch feeling morose. Until he claps eyes on Stevie.

There's a bit with a purity ring which I know other readers found off-putting, I wasn't bothered as it wasn't a big thing. However, a cowboy asking a learner rider to wear a skirt and no panties for a trail ride ramped up the ick factor for me. That girl would probably be saddle-sore even if she were wearing jeans but this was a no-no on several levels.

Again, I've decided not to force myself to finish a book I'm not enjoying so I gave up.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Rebound

The Rebound by Kelly Jamieson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Ayla and Carson lost their baby son in a car accident, unable to process their grief and feelings of guilt they split up. Then Ayla's grandmother is having a big birthday party, no-one has had the heart to tell her Ayla and Carson have split up, and she wants to see Carson ... the only solution is that Ayla and Carson pretend to be together. Since Ayla has been the one to organise the party she also has to arrive super early so they are forced to spend several days together with just one bed.

Frankly this was just too much sitting around talking about your feelings for me. There was zero hockey as far as I can recall, and precious little interactions with Ayla's family at the party, just lusting after each other and navel-gazing. I tried really hard to finish this but I'm throwing in the towel at 68%. Just not for me.

DNF at 68%.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Ask Me What I’m Reading

Ask Me What I’m Reading by Eleanor Goymer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two lost souls each make a resolution to shake off their funk - but can they do it together?

After Sophie lost her BFF Lucie while at University she felt lost, crashed out of her degree, and wound up in an admin job for the NHS, living in a poky one-bedroom flat. When her friend Anna suddenly reappears after spending years in Japan, Anna persuades Sophie to try and recapture some of the things she used to love doing ... like reading. To help her, Anna creates a bookstagram for Sophie called 'Ask Me What I'm Reading', which just happened to be the thing Lucie always said to Sophie every time they saw each other.

Max is a poor little rich boy. His mother left him suddenly while he was at boarding school and his father was more interested in making money than his son. Then, when his father died, as a condition of the will, Max had to give up his job as a teacher and run his father's Private Equity investment house for six months in order to inherit. In those six months Max lost his girlfriend, the job he loved, and his self-respect. Eighteen months later, Max is living a dissolute life of late night drinking and one-night stands. Until one News Years Eve he decides enough is enough, he'll start taking control of his life and what better way to start than getting up early and catching the train to work instead of getting a taxi.

When Max spots Sophie across the crowded carriage she has her nose buried in a book and charming, quick-witted Max can't seem to find a way to get to know her, which has never happened to him before. So in desperation he remembers that he has a book by the same author on his bookshelf, so the next time he manages to get up early he brings along the book. But by that time Sophie has moved on to another book, each one recommended by a local bookshop owner who is trying to help her find her reading mojo.

As time goes on Max and Sophie are engaged in a game of book tag, which only they know, meanwhile photos of Max's hands holding a book have featured prominently on Sophie's Instagram page, in fact her followers have nicknamed him Buff Book Boy.

Will these two ever speak? And if they do, can they overcome their baggage?

This was a sweet book with the added bonus of some interesting book recommendations and a host of loveable side characters who I wouldn't mind seeing again.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley,

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Review: Murder at the Country Fair

Murder at the Country Fair by Merryn Allingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Flora and Jack Carrington are husband and wife, she owns and runs a bookshop in their little town of Abbeymead while Jack writes detective novels, they also one way or another assist the local Police in solving what have been an astonishing number of murders for a sleepy area of West Sussex.

Gilbert Barrow gave up a lucrative, if frenetic, career in the City for the life of a rural cheesemaker and had some considerable success, winning several awards, until his life was tragically cut short, killed by one of his own cheeses when his van crashes on the way to the country fair. After getting over the shock of seeing a dead man slumped over the steering wheel, Flora notices that the webbing which should have held the giant cheese wheel in place seems to have been cut ... which makes it murder.

Despite Gilbert apparently being a lovely chap, always willing to help out other people, it seems as though there could be any number of people who would benefit from his death, including his estranged wife Vivienne, his current girlfriend Lily, the representative of a rival dairy conglomerate, Reginald, and his cousin Bea who thinks Gilbert cheated her out of an inheritance.

Jack's solicitor friend Sam had known Gilbert for years and begs jack to investigate, particularly because it seems that Inspector Ridley is a close golfing buddy of Gilbert's rival.

I think this series has found its feet, the historical references are more organic (eg the reference to the new traffic wardens). Whilst still behaving with gay abandon while investigating, Flora and Jack do seem to follow the clues and use deductive reasoning. I can't wait to see where the next book is set.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: From Blood and Ash

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Poppy is an orphan, her parents were murdered in an ambush by the Craven (a kind of cross between a werewolf and a vampire overcome by bloodlust which were allegedly created by the Atlantians before they were defeated in battle), an incident in which she too came close to dying and still bears the scars of a Craven's claws on her face. She is now the Maiden, required to be chaste and kept from fraternising with others, apart from the Duke and Duchess, only her personal body guards and her maid are allowed to see her face. Poppy is waiting for her Ascension, a ceremony of which she knows very little, although her brother recently moved to the capital and underwent his own ceremony.

Seeking adventure Poppy escapes from the castle and goes to a local tavern in disguise where she meets Hawke, the newest member of the Guards and gets her very first kiss. As Polly and Hawke become close, and he is appointed one of her bodyguards, there is growing unrest in the town, with protests by the Descenders threatening the Rite ceremony. Meanwhile, the Duke and his evil sidekick take pleasure in 'punishing' Poppy for any perceived infraction.

I haven't read any fantasy in ages (other than Ilona Andrews who transcend mere genres) and I'm afraid I felt all of this was a bit obvious (since the book was published six years ago I feel okay about sharing spoilers), of course Hawke is hiding a very big secret, could he be the mysterious bad man everyone fears? Of course he is. How come he's so fast? Ah, not entirely human, got it. Colour me shocked that the evil Duke is actually one of the baddies and the poor Atlantians have been misrepresented. And of course Poppy is able to hold her own against trained guardsmen even though she is so small they have to give her children's clothes and she spends most of her time sequestered indoors.

Anyway, I enjoyed it but it was nothing new, I am however intrigued to discover that there are seven books in this series and would definitely read more.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.


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