Review: The Man I Didn’t Marry

The Man I Didn’t Marry by Anna Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ellie and Max are happily married, one little girl, another baby on the way, they have moved back to their home town and a dilapidated old house from London. Then Max loses his memories of the last five years. Suddenly his only memories of Ellie are as his little sister's geeky BFF, who he not so affectionately calls Spider. He doesn't remember that he's no longer talking to his father, or that his sister is gay.

The doctors say that Max could regain his memory any day now, but what if he doesn't? His parents don't want to rock the boat by telling him about their divorce, but Ellie has bigger problems, her reliable husband has now regressed to a guy more interested in chatting up other women and excess drinking, just what a woman wants when she is heavily pregnant!

Ellie tries to recreate their special moments, but as she and Max get to know one another again she finds this Max may be even better than the old one. But as she starts to uncover the reasons for Max's memory loss the secrets start to unravel. Is this the beginning of a new, better, marriage or the end?

I can totally see this as a zany British comedy, the sort of thing Hugh Grant would have been in back in the day. Ellie has always had Max on a pedestal, he was the school Adonis while she was the skinny nerd that the cool girls picked on and she had an almighty crush on him, so to be demoted from beloved wife to his sister's goofy friend is a horrible shock.

Overall, a cute romantic comedy that will make you laugh out loud, loved the yummy-mummies WhatsApp group and the breakfast swinging scene!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Playing With Trouble

Playing With Trouble by Amy Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What could be nicer than a cute but steamy romance between an injured Australian rugby player and a single mother?

Jane specialises in restoring old houses, she has a fantastic job working on restoring a room in a mansion in Credence ready for a prestigious photo shoot. Then her flaky ex gets a gig with his band and returns their four year old son to her, accompanied by a guilt present of a chameleon, as you do. Now Jane has a deadline and a four year old to entertain.

Cole had a horrific car accident which has ended his brilliant rugby career. Unable to cope with the constant scrutiny by fans and the press in Australia he has taken advantage of his friend Cole's offer of a vacation in his mansion in Credence, Colorado.

Cole is no stranger to single mums trying to raise kids single-handedly while holding down a job, heck his mother did it for him, so he finds himself offering to look after Jane's son Finn while she works.

It was only supposed to be a holiday romance, but is Cole really supposed to walk away?

Loved it! Cute moppets, rugby training for toddlers, role-reversals, steamy scenes and touching romance, this really has the lot.

Amy Andrews is one of my favourite authors, she writes funny romances with plenty of heat and all the feels.

I was invited to read this novel by the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: For Real

For Real by Alexis Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've never really enjoyed reading BDSM books, they always feel too much about a power trip for the Dom, but clearly I have just been reading the wrong books.

Laurie Dalziel is a 37 year old emergency hospital consultant, the sort they send to major incidents. He's feeling very lost, tired of the BDSM scene and heart-sick at seeing his ex with his new boyfriend at every turn. He's got a severe case of ennui, been there, done him, and everything feels fake. Then one night his long-suffering friends drag him to a club where he meets a young man, Toby Finch. Whilst Toby might be short, skinny and only 19 years old, he isn't a submissive, he wants to be a Dom, of course the sad thing is that everyone expects a Dom to be big and strong, possibly blindingly handsome, and a lot older.

At first Laurie is trying to help Toby, trying to stop him from being hurt in a club full of jaded middle-aged players, but soon he realises that Toby doesn't need saving.

This is a touching, heart-wrenching love story, about finding love in the strangest of places, about banishing pre-conceptions, about surrendering to love. It also taught me a lot about BDSM, I don't know how much is real, but it felt more truthful than all those m/f romances where the hero is 100% kink all the time, like there's never any spooning or snuggling or even plain old vanilla sex.

I just loved this, Alexi writes such different characters in each of his books, great to see a glimpse of Edwin, although I didn't recognise him at the time, and Marius was as much of an a-hole as I expected him to be.

On to the fourth book and I can't wait.

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Review: Scandalous

Scandalous by Minerva Spencer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The orphaned daughter of Christian missionaries in Africa, Sarah has been kidnapped, along with all the people in her village, by Dutch slave-traders. The slave trader is boarded by Martin, a former slave turned privateer on behalf of the English king, who loathes slavers with every iota of his being.

At first Martin thinks Sarah is a slaver, or a slaver's doxy, but soon comes to realise she is nothing of the sort and is a formidable woman as she enters into bargains for the lives of the slave trader and his crew. Martin tries to offload Sarah and the slavers in Freetown but the British Admiral in charge balks when he discovers that Martin's slaver is related to the Dutch King, suddenly Martin is forced to transport Sarah and the Dutchman Mies to England.

Rising sexual tension on board a small ship, jealousy and frustration create a does he/doesn't he vibe on board ship but this felt a bit samey-samey to me. I know the circumstances were different to Mia and Hugh but I just had the he was a slave, they did unspeakable things to him seen it all before vibe, which seems crushingly insensitive I know but I felt the idea had been done to death with the first two books. Also, Martin was supposed to be a ladies' man with women falling over themselves to both bed him and marry him but he seemed totally clueless about women.

Overall, if I hadn't read the two previous books I think I would have enjoyed this more.

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Review: Waiting for the Flood

Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

This is very different from the first novel in this series, no glitter pirates to be seen. Instead we meet Edwin an introspective man with a severe stutter, grieving the loss of his relationship with the outgoing Marius.

Edwin catalogues and restores old books in Oxford, he lives alone in the house he and Marius bought, trapped by his speech impediment and his inability to get over the end of their relationship. Then torrential rain and rising river levels put his home at risk of flood and introduce him to a man from the Environment Agency, Adam.

This was a sweet, gentle romance. more about Edwin learning that he is still lovable than about the burgeoning love between Adam and Edwin, full of imagery of glittering waters and peace. It felt so packed with emotion and imagery that I was amazed it was only just over 100 pages long, it felt like a full-length novel.

My love for Alexis Hall's writing continues.

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Review: Christmas at Willoughby Close

Christmas at Willoughby Close by Kate Hewitt
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 61%.

Lindy Jamison has moved from Manchester to Willoughby Chase to pursue her dream of opening a ballroom dancing school. Orphaned at a young age, Lindy has lots of friends and acquaintances in Manchester but no-one really close. She hopes that moving to a small town/village will help her to feel like she belongs.

Roger Wentworth is a stuffy accountant, his mother is dying of cancer and she wants to learn to dance ballroom (Ballroom dance?). Anyway, despite having two left feet Roger agrees to accompany his mother to her dance classes. Lindy and Roger have an instant attraction, but their natural reticence and Roger's formality mean that they are permanently too shy to make a move.

I have read and loved all the previous Willoughby Chase books, but I just couldn't get invested in these characters, also as I noted in my review of the previous book in this series, all the couples in these books have serious issues and I'm just a bit over it, it feels unrealistic and a bit forced. Also, why is it always accountants who are portrayed as being on the spectrum? Honestly, we're pretty normal people.

Overall, I just wasn't engaged by this story of two lonely people struggling to find love.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher Tule in return for an honest review.


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Review: Barbarous

Barbarous by Minerva Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Daphne Redvers was raped by her cousin Malcolm, who was also her legal guardian, eight years ago. Pregnant and alone she could have been disgraced but an elderly family friend, Lord Davenport was kind enough to marry her and claim her twin sons as his own. Now her husband is dead and her cousin has come sniffing around, trying to blackmail her into marrying him and handing over all her wealth.

Then a blast from the past arrives, Hugh Redvers, her husband's adopted son, has been thought dead for many years, in fact he was hidden in plain sight as the privateer One-Eyed Standish, a notorious pirate. Daphne and Hugh have an immediate physical attraction but Daphne is well aware that her son has inherited what rightfully belongs to Hugh, can she bring herself to disinherit her son?

Hugh might be a giant of a man, with good looks only enhanced by the patch over his blind eye. But the scars of his imprisonment and slavery at the hands of Sultan Babba Hussan haunt him still, leaving a pathological need to destroy each of the men who betrayed him and participated in his torture. He has returned to his old home reluctantly because he has received a number of anonymous letters warning that his step-mother (although he calls her auntie) is in danger.

There's pirates, cute twins, evil cousins, talented horses, faithful retainers, kidnapping, swords and delicious frocks - what more could you want from an historical romance?

Loved it.

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Review: Shrill Dusk

Shrill Dusk by Helen Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charley is a bit of a lost soul, haunted by a tragic event from her past she seems to be living a bit of a half-life, cleaner by day and moderately successful gambler by night. What happened in her past has probably given her a bit of a saviour complex which compels her to help others, even at risk to herself. Currently she is trying to repay a local villain £10,000 on behalf of a friend.

Then the city of Manchester is hit by a series of odd and cataclysmic events, plagues of rats, firestorms, weird blue lights and somehow Charley is stuck slap bang in the middle, courtesy of a chance encounter with a fae. Manchester is now a no-go zone, contaminated by high levels of magic, hunting ground for werewolves, vampires, dragons et al.

Now Charley and the remaining inhabitants of Manchester must reclaim their city from the fae, but also from the undesirable element who see this as an ideal opportunity to break into the big times.

I liked this, as with most urban fantasy novels, Charley soon turns out to be a special snowflake, the big difference is that she has very small ambitions, she just wants to protect her small area of Manchester and her friends. She's proud of being a cleaner and she cares about others, even those that might not deserve it.

There's humour, romance, drama and tension. I will definitely be reading more in this series.

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Review: Dangerous

Dangerous by Minerva Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Euphemia (Mia) Marlington has just returned to the UK after nearly two decades in the harem of Sultan Babba Hassan in Oran where she bore him a son. Now her father, the Duke of Carlisle, is trying to marry her off, but with her age and her murky unknown past the available men of the right pedigree are sparse and mainly consist of the bankrupt, the decrepit, the deviant and/or the insane.

Adam, the Marquess of Exley is an outcast from polite aristocratic society and is widely believed to have murdered both his two wives. He has three daughters by his first wife but needs an heir to secure the line. When he is invited by the Duke of Carlisle to a ball in honour of Mia he sees an opportunity for a marriage of convenience, they will conceive a male heir and then he will leave her alone.

Soon Mia's unconventional life makes Adam's plan a distant memory. She is sensual, open about her secual desires and far too tempting. But the newly-weds each have a secret, one that threatens to tear them apart just as they begin to fall in love.

I know that many thousands of Europeans were kidnapped, ransomed and/or forced into harems for several hundreds of years - it still makes a fantastic romantic read, with all those inferences about exotic sexual practices and blood-thirsty corsairs.

This was a rip-roaring romance with exotic locations, plenty of steamy encounters between the newly-weds, engaging characters and a fast-paced plot. Loved it.

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Review: All's Fair in Love and Chocolate

All's Fair in Love and Chocolate by Amy Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vivian Dawson works for the upmarket chocolate chain Delish, which sits midway between your chainstore (newsagent/drugstore/supermarket shelf) and high end, the sort of chocolate you can afford to eat every week. Having grown up in small town America her greatest desire was to travel, travel, travel, and as the manager responsible for opening new, small-town, branches that's exactly what she does. A new town every six months.

A steamy one-night stand while location shopping in Marietta becomes a tad awkward when the hottie turns out to be the local deputy sheriff Reuben Price. Reuben and Vivian are polar opposites, he left Marietta and saw the US, but chose to return to small-town Montana, she is a rolling stone with no intention of settling in a small town. but the sparks are flying and the sex is H.A.W.T.

I read the blurb and auto-clicked because I love Amy Andrews, but I have to say I was a bit worried about the cosy factor, Christmas, small-town, chocolate? It has Hallmark special written all over it. I needn't have worried, Amy Andrews brings to sizzle to all her books and this is no exception. It might be Christmas, there might be a hot chocolate town competition but whoo-whee there's spice and steam. Imagine Hallmark after the watershed ...

If you like your chocolate with a hint of chilli then this could be the book for you.

I received this book from the publisher Tule in return for an honest review.

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Review: Crownchasers

Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alyssa Farshot is living her best life, exploring the galaxy with her engineer Hell Monkey, for the Explorers' Society. Then her uncle, the emperor dies, but instead of naming a successor he instigates the centuries old tradition of a crown chae in which each of the imperial families nominates a candidate to enter a galactic scavenger hunt - the winner takes the crown. The one rule - anyone who kills another contestant is disqualified.

Alyssa doesn't want the crown, in fact early on she partners with another contestant, Nathalia Coy with the intention of making Nathalia the new empress. Then things take a sinister turn, there are unknown aliens interfering with the chase, and Alyssa is fighting for more than just bragging rights.

At its heart this is just a NA/YA sci-fi space opera romp, sort of like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in space. Others have drawn comparisons with The Hunger Games and Aurora Rising, both of which are valid comparisons. But it also has some interesting undertones, the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters, heck interspecies love, the themes of colonisation and privilege - the way that the Imperial families have their crown chase with no thought for the inhabitants of the planets they visit. Subtle, but discernible - the reader isn't hit over the head but these things are just left like breadcrumbs.

Just a warning, this is a duology, while I wouldn't say there's a cliffhanger, this is definitely part one. Can't wait for part two!

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Review: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Be swept back in time to the Cold War. Mrs Emily Pollifax is an unremarkable widow living an uneventful life, volunteering at the local hospital, garden club, book club etc. She's so bored that she almost, almost steps off the roof of her apartment building. Then a chance chat with her doctor reminds Mrs Pollifax that she once wanted to be a spy. Full of determination she walks into the CIA building and offers her services.

Of course Mrs Pollifax is almost the exact opposite of a spy, but that what makes her perfect for a simple assignment in Mexico City. Of course little old ladies (laugh that a woman a decade older than me is deemed a little old lady) are famous for not doing the expected and soon Mrs Pollifax finds herself captured and kidnapped.

If you like the sound of a book where a resourceful old lady outsmarts her kidnappers and rescues two fellow prisoners then I think you'll love this, I thought the 'twist' was obvious from the outset, but then I've seen a lot of spy films.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Deal with the Devil

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the near future the US is run by TechCorps. The Silver Devils were genetically altered super soldiers, led by Captain Garrett Knox, he may have done any number of unconscionable things for TechCorps but he always tried to do it with the least collateral damage. When he questions orders TechCorps ceased giving the Devils the drugs required to regulate their implants and Knox had to watch their medic, Mace, die in front of his eyes. Shortly after that the remaining Devils cut out their implants and disappeared into the ether, they may be living on borrowed time but at least they are free.

NIna, Maya and Gina were also genetically enhanced. Having escaped their lives, sometimes by faking their own deaths, they live in Atlanta printing books for local residents, desperate to preserve knowledge and freedom.

Knox approaches Nina with a deal, the location of a secret book storage site, but he has an ulterior motive that involves double-cross and betrayal.

If you're a sucker for a dystopian romance, super soldiers and enhanced females, fights and steamy encounters then I think I've found your next read. I'm sold, sign me up for the series. And oh, my, god the epilogue ...

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Review: The Flip Side: A Novel

The Flip Side: A Novel by James Bailey
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 43%, I should have realised when it was described as the laugh out loud comedy of the year.

Josh thinks he is living his best life, living and working with his girlfriend. Then he proposes and she says no. Suddenly his world falls apart, he's out of work and back living with his parents. Disappointed with his life choices Josh decides to live his life on the flip of a coin (like the Diceman).

I think this sort of novel works better in a bigger, American setting, or maybe with a more likeable MC, generally Josh's decisions are things like should he go on a blind date set up by his mum, or should he go to the pub quiz, or to his ten year school reunion - nothing earth-shattering or, frankly, interesting. He's jobless, clueless and more like a 13 year old than a 28 year old man. He meets a girl randomly in the National Gallery, fails to find out anything about her and lets down his friends. I just didn't like him and didn't care whether he turned his life around. I didn't find it funny, I think it's like Marmite or Father Ted, you either love it or loath it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Queen of Corvids

Queen of Corvids by J.C. McKenzie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having enjoyed the first two books in the series I was eager to get my hands on an ARC of the third book. I have to say, at first I was a bit disappointed. It was slow and seemed to have degenerated into some NA parody of how hot is my supernatural boyfriend. I even stopped reading for weeks/ months past the release date, but because I feel the need to finish a book, or at least give it a fair shot before I DNF it, I picked it up again last night for one last try. And blow me, I loved it. Take it as you will, was it a slow start? Or was I just not in the right reading mind?

Brief recap, Raven Crawford and her twin brother Bear are actually the product of their mother's (a fox shifter) love affair with Odin's creation, Huginn Muninn. Raven defeated the former Queen of Corvids, Lloth, with the help of Bane, Lord of War, and won her throne by default. However, as someone with little knowledge of the Others or her powers there is a long line of Corvid Others lining up to kill her and seize the throne. Oh, and she is also a Private Eye with her sleazy ex-boyfriend's medical school bills a millstone around her neck and a soul-destroying job as a waitress in a grubby diner.

It all starts when Pepe, Raven Crawford’s father’s revenge goat, goes missing. Then there’s the obligation to Bane, Raven’s friendship with Meghan to resolve, the Closers to investigate, and being blackmailed by the hyenas! And lest we forget, her budding romance with Cole, Lord of Shadows.

I don't know if this is the end of the series, it certainly feels like it as the plot builds to a crescendo and Raven totally owns her powers. Go, girl power! Raven draws on all her powers/strengths to solve the mysteries and confound her enemies.

Once I got over the slow start (for me), this was fast paced and Raven bounces from resolving one problem to another, we hobnob with the gods of myth, militant human groups, shifters and sleazy bosses.

A triumphant climax to the trilogy, with enough loose ends to suggest that this is not the last we've heard of Raven Crawford, so HFN not HFE.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review, even if it is months late.

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Review: Real Men Knit

Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 23%.

Mama Joy ran a knitting shop in Harlem, famed just as much for giving a home to four wayward boys as for its knitting classes and community gathering place. Now she's died and her part-time employee Kerry is facing the fact that Mama Joy's adopted sons will probably sell the shop, and with it a piece of Harlem's history.

Damien, the eldest, overcame his inauspicious beginnings to become a high flying financial adviser, Lucas is a fireman, Noah is a dancer and Jesse, the youngest, is a bit of a playboy and a drifter. But when the boys sit down to discuss the future it's Jesse who steps up and insists they keep the shop open, even if its only for another six months.

Jesse and Kerry grew up together, the two of them silently hiding away in the back of the shop, for their own reasons. But now they are both grown up, and following different paths, can their relationship change? Will the playboy and the wallflower ever be a thing?

I was intrigued by the blurb, four hot men who knit, but 23% into the book and frankly I've seen very little knitting. There's a lot of the characters 'telling' the reader their every thought and recounting their childhood and not a lot of showing. The four adoptive brothers are just too different, as a reader I can see the sequel books featuring each of the brothers being set up and it grates.

Overall, when I start to promise myself I will continue reading to 25% I know it's time to give up gracefully.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Infernal Enchantment

Infernal Enchantment by Helen Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great second book in this new series.

Emma Bellamy is the only detective in the Supe Squad, the branch of the London police force that deals with crimes involving supernaturals and humans. She always thought she was 100% human until she was murdered one night in a church graveyard and woke up 12 hours later in the morgue. She's trying to keep her mysterious power a secret but already the vampire Lord, her DSI and the local vicar know she rose from the dead.

In this latest instalment, Emma is asked to investigate the death of a young werewolf by his distraught parents who cannot accept that he chose to be made a werewolf and are blaming the pack for his subsequent death (hit by a car). At first Emma's role is comfort and getting rid of the parents, but when the werewolf's remains are not in his coffin it introduces Emma to the world of ghouls!!!

Then the vampire Lord comes to Emma with a problem, an opportunist human thief has killed one of his vampires Emma's investigations lead her to a modern day Fagin and uncover the truth about her powers.

I really like this series. It's light-hearted, I didn't (correctly) predict what kind of Supe Emma is, the characters are engaging and I like the contemporary London spin on PNR, kind of Buffy-esque but also a smidge of Peter Grant in the Rivers of London series.

Eagerly awaiting the third book in the series.

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Review: Intrigue in Capri

Intrigue in Capri by Ashley Weaver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amory and Milo are holidaying on the island of Capri when Amory thinks she recognises a fellow guest at the hotel, a beautiful woman who mutters about needing help.

Amory can't help herself, she is soon tailing the woman and witnessing secret meetings with strange men, could the mysterious woman be none other than the missing opera singer alleged to have disappeared with her manager's priceless pearl headdress?

A short but enjoyable detective novella.

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Review: The Essence of Malice

The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amory and Milo are holidaying in Italy, Milo is being his usual daredevil self and has taken up flying with his new friend Andre Duveau. Then he receives a disturbing letter from his former nanny, Madame Nanette, her new employer, Helios Belanger, has recently died of a heart attack only days after surviving a plane crash. Not only that, the formula for his new perfume has gone missing just days before the big launch party.

Mr Belanger was the founder of the Belanger perfume business and was on the verge of launching a new fragrance. He is survived by three children, Anton the eldest who has the business brains, Cecile the middle child who inherited her father's skills with perfume, and Michel the wayward youngest child, always getting into trouble with married women, drinking and gambling. Of course Michel and Milo know each other, they've hung about together before! Helios had also married a much younger woman and they had a young daughter together.

Can Amory and Milo uncover the truth about Helios' death and find the missing formula?

This is book 4 in the series and Milo and Amory's marriage is still on a see-saw. It seems like every book starts with them being blissfully happy and then Milo starts going out and comes back at 4 am reeking of alcohol, smoke and stale perfume. He is evasive and refuses to give Amory straight answers about what he's doing , which always turns out to be totally innocent and related to the mystery. At this stage I feel it's getting a bit rinse and repeat, especially since it seems that Milo does more of the real detective work than Amory - or is it just that he always uncovers the clue that finds the murderer?

Final gripe, and I'll try to be non-spoilery, Amory totally hits the TSTL button in the final chapters, just totally stupid behaviour.

I still enjoyed reading this and I will read the rest of the books in the series but I am starting to feel that these are becoming a bit formulaic.

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Review: Cathy's Christmas Kitchen

Cathy's Christmas Kitchen by Tilly Tennant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was pleasant enough but it didn't blow me away.

Cathy has spent the last few years looking after her terminally ill mother, it cost her practically everything, her friends, her career, and her fiancé. Now her mother has died, Cathy is facing her first Christmas alone, her only solace the baking she used to do with her mother. Then a chance meeting leads to her agreeing to host baking classes at the local Church hall. Her students are a motley crew of OAPs, single men, married women and one truculent teenager, Tansy, who seems determined to antagonise everyone else.

Cathy meets a man walking his dog along the path she takes to her part-time job assisting the local florist and they hit it off straight away, but then her ex-fiancé starts hanging around the florist's stall, buying flowers for his wife - what will she choose old love or new?

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of the shy, retiring heroine with zero life-experience and no friends who somehow suddenly becomes popular, its a little too twee and cosy for me. If you like cosy romances then I guess you would love this. Also I thought Cathy was a little clueless and unsympathetic about Tansy - has she never met a teenage girl before? Most of them are toxic.

Anyway, pleasant enough but a bit gingerbread when I'm more banana bread.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: A Pretty Deceit

A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Verity and her husband Sidney are still trying to discover why the previous Lord Hyde was murdered, presumably on Lord Ardmore's orders and the connection to the smuggling of opium on the Zebrina during the war, with the help of the new Lord Hyde and Verity's old war secret service colleague Alec. However, Verity's father insists they visit his sister in Wiltshire to investigate various issues, including a missing maid.

At first I found the split focus of this novel a bit distracting, one minute Verity is in Wiltshire comforting her very annoying aunt and her cousin Reg who was blinded in the war, the next minute she's careering around the countryside following a series of cryptic clues around Roman ruins. I am not a fan of the overarching Lord Ardmore plot, although I have a secret hope that he turns out to be a good guy working deep undercover to unmask traitors, and the treasure hunt that leads Verity and her gang around the country seemed a bit overblown - does anyone in real life go to the trouble of burying a series of cryptic clues all over the country? I also have issues with the way that all of Verity's investigations seem to be linked - is Lord Ardmore a one-man crimewave. And don't even get me started on Verity's use of slang, most of which seems to be either anachronistic and/or wrong for an uppercrust woman to use, or the use of the word 'elite' when it should be aristocracy.

Okay, so that's a whole bunch of niggles but overall I really enjoy these amateur detective mysteries. I didn't guess the identity of the murderer, but the clues were there, which I really like - I am definitely not a fan of the detective story where no-one knows the clues. I also appreciate that this mystery did not get solved by Sidney talking to one of his acquaintances in order to get the clue that unlocks the mystery. And, despite myself, I am getting enthralled in the Ardmore mystery and the secret Verity uncovers about her war service. Now I can't wait for the next book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Queen’s Advantage

The Queen’s Advantage by Jessie Mihalik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Argh, can it really be two months since I read this novella?

Queen Samara Rani, the Rogue Queen visits Emperor Valentin Kos to discover the traitors within his court. There are kidnappings, explosions, double-crossings and romance all in just 210 pages.

I know I loved this, light-hearted, fast-paced and funny with a good plot, just wish I could give you more details!

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Review: Guardian's Grace

Guardian's Grace by Rebecca Zanetti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How can a 346 page novel feel too short?

Fancy the sound of a PNR featuring a Demon-Vampire hybrid Highlander warrior, a member of a secret society called the Seven and the amnesiac photographer he mated five years ago, as a favour to her sister's mate, to bring her out of a coma? Me too!

The Seven are a band of warriors who defied the laws of physics to defeat and imprison their sworn enemy Ulric in a different physical plane, but the barriers keeping Ulric imprisoned are weakening and a day of reckoning is fast approaching. Ulric's people are the Kurjans, a violent race who kidnap, rape and kill enhanced human women.

Adare O’Cearbhaill has kept a careful watch over his mate Grace Cooper since his bite and mating mark brought her out of a coma, all without her knowing, but it's gone too far when she starts meeting other men in bars to buy vampire blood. It seems that their mating of convenience five years ago hasn't taken, Grace can no longer heal herself and she is suffering from crippling headaches. She has consulted numerous Realm physicians and they believe she may be allergic to Adare's blood cells. Could her only hope be to take the vaccine and hope it breaks the mating bond?

Adare and Benny have devised a risky plan to infiltrate one of their enemy's strongholds and rescue the enhanced women that the Kurjans have kidnapped. It will probably end in death for one or both of them but if it means his mate can be free to find love with another ale Adare will make that sacrifice.

This series reminds me of the best of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, but with humour and more fallible heroes, completely OTT these are fast-paced, humorous and well-plotted. I dread to think how many of the Seven's secret lairs have been blown up over the course of this series.

If you like your PNR with a dash of humour, big explosions and overarching plot arcs then this series is the one for you. It just gets more fun as the books go on.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Christmas for Beginners

Christmas for Beginners by Carole Matthews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Happiness for Beginners, so I jumped at the chance of a second visit to Hope Farm.

Molly is an unlikely heroine, more likely to be covered in manure than smelling of perfume, she lives in a caravan on the grounds of Hope Farm, a place which rescues both animals and children (albeit the children are only day-visitors). In the previous book she meets the TV actor Shelby and his recalcitrant son Lucas. Molly and Lucas get on well and he has come to live with her in the caravan, despite Shelby owning a large manor house nearby. Shelby and Lucas do not get on and there is a constant battle between them.

We join Hope Farm on the run up to Christmas. Shelby is about to leave his soap opera and has accepted the opportunity to play the villain in a Birmingham pantomime show and Molly's assistant Bev has persuaded the anti-social Molly to put on a Christmas open day to raise funds for the farm, a prospect that fills Molly with dread.

This is such a feel-good, cheery, holiday novel, despite some sadness and some big issues. Molly and her motley crew of animals, most of which have issues, her students, most of which have behavioural or family issues, and the characters around the farm will make you laugh and make you cry

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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