Review: Scot’s Eggs

Scot’s Eggs by Catriona McPherson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Its Easter in Cuento, Lexy and Taylor are trying (unsuccessfully) to get pregnant. Todd is doing his best to help them (no, eugh, by offering advice).

A retired couple have gone missing, their rented Mustang has been found abandoned in a museum parking lot, liberally splattered with blood. It seems the couple, the improbably named Bill and Billie Miller, were on the trip of a lifetime, staying in five star hotels, but Bill got a migraine and they tried to find a room to stay in Cuento, not realising all the hotels were full.

Of course, this occurred when most of the regular residents of the Last Ditch Motel were away for some or all of the weekend and a pair of locums were supposed to be looking after the motel. Kathi and Noleen are desperate to prove that there is no way that the Millers could have stayed at the motel, but the generally chaotic way in which the locums appear to have left the place and the lack of record-keeping isn't making life easy.

As usual, this is a completely bonkers detective story featuring variously: a Scottish therapist; a germophobe who runs a cleaning company; an aesthetician on semi-permanent sick leave who is also a germ/creature-phobe; collectively known as Trinity who solve crimes, as well as a rag-tag assortment of lesser but no less bonkers characters.

Lexy is trying for her citizenship (as well as a baby), so expect lots of references to the constitution alongside the inevitable US/UK confusion of two countries speaking the same language with different cultural backgrounds.

I don't know whether its just me, but this book almost made sense to me, not quite, but nearly - its like always being just that one step behind everyone else ...

Anyway, it was funny, mad, silly, and an enjoyable read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Turns of Fate

Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Welcome to the Isle of Wyrd.

The Isle of Wyrd is ruled by the Arcana, humans are allowed to visit Destiny Park for entertainment, a brush with the uncanny, to have their palms read, or to eat at the restaurant or sleep at the hotel. Some come to make a bargain with the Arcana, out of love, fear, desperation, or hate. But a bargain with the Arcana doesn't always end up the way that you planned and their idea of justice can be brutal.

Detective Beth Fahey has recently joined the local police district responsible for incidents that occur on Wyrd, she has her own burdens having been abandoned by her parents as a child and brought up by an ultra-religious aunt with addiction, Beth is drawn to art featuring the uncanny and her aunt often berated her for her unnatural interests.

Beth's first case is to investigate the case of a thirty-five year old man who bought a gun from Wyrd to shoot his girlfriend, his ex, and his daughter. Unbelievably, despite shooting at point-blank range he didn't kill any of them, but himself died of what looks like extreme old age. Beth's boss wants her to ask the leader of Wyrd whether the weapon was a ghost gun, and whether it has returned to Wyrd. Such questions require her to pay the Ferryman his price in silver or gold coins and cross to Wyrd to meet the three sisters who will answer questions ... for a price.

Little does Beth know that she is one-quarter Arcana herself and the inhabitants of Wyrd are happy to share more information with her than they would with others, making her both the ideal liaison between the humans and the Arcana, but also ostracising her from her colleagues.

As an introduction to a new series we see variously: someone running from an abusive relationship seeking sanctuary on Wyrd; a bully getting his just desserts; a businessman trying to welch on an agreement and paying the price; a kidnapping; and what happens to visitors who don't remember that words and intentions have meaning.

I loved every page of this, couldn't get enough, can't wait for the next book.

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Review: Death of a Stranger

Death of a Stranger by John Pilkington
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Matthew Cutler is a constable in the parish of Spitalsfields in 1594. Widowed by the Plague, he lives with his two daughters and their aunt Margery.

Called upon to investigate the murder of an Italian perfumer Paulo Brisco, stabbed multiple times by a sword, Matthew is beset by well-meaning do-gooders keen to proclaim various people as the murderer. But Matthew's dogged pursuit of the truth leads him into darker secrets than he thought possible, and puts his own and his family's lives in danger.

I loved the historical details about this book. I work in the City of London, so mentions of place like Bishopsgate and Moorgate etc are places that I see all the time and made it doubly interesting, I even looked up a map of London at around this time to see how small London was and how areas that are now heavily built up were once fields. Loved the reference to Peckham Rye being in Surrey (I had to look that up to confirm that it would have been at that point).

However, historical detail aside, the mystery felt a little flat to me, Matthew's pursuit of potential culprits one after the other seemed to lack direction and although I know who killed Brisco there were so many motives flying around that I confess I don't really recall WHY.

This is only the first book in what looks to be a series, maybe Matthew's character will deepen and develop over time.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Let's Make a Scene

Let's Make a Scene by Laura Wood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thirteen years ago Cynthie Taylor made her acting debut in an historical romance, Lady of Quality, co-starring with acting royalty Jack Turner-Jones. They were enemies (with a fair amount of attraction being denied), forced to pretend to date to drum up publicity for the film.

Present day, Cynthie has been publicly shamed as the scarlet woman for trying to break up her director's marriage, with his wife four months pregnant! He told Cynthie they'd been separated for years and is now making gooey eyes at his wife in public. Cynthie has lost the action-hero film she was about to star in (morality clause) and her BFF/manager Hannah brings her a new script, Lady of Quality 2, same producers/directors/cast/crew. The film has been a Netflix staple for the last thirteen years and a new generation want to see the sequel.

Of course, to add insult to injury, there will be a Netflix documentary crew filming behind the scenes and the producers think it would be a great idea for all concerned if Cynthie and Jack reprised their fake romance, which would squash rumours that Cynthie is a drug addict or in despair etc.

Jack is now one of the stars of a hit Vampire series (think Vampire Diaries/Buffy/Angel) but the last season ended rather ambiguously for his character and he hopes being a hot property with the film could help his character return for the next season.

With both of them older and wiser could this film change enemies to lovers?

This was a one-day only 99p offer on Amazon Kindle and it had rave reviews from so many rom-com authors I had to give it a go - L.O.V.E.D. it. Funny, touching, I could totally see this being made into a great film.

I see now that it is the second in a series, I didn't know that and it can totally be read as a standalone.

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Review: A Cottage in the Country: The new heartwarming romance from the beloved #1 Sunday Times bestselling author

A Cottage in the Country: The new heartwarming romance from the beloved #1 Sunday Times bestselling author by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Hattie is a house-finder (nothing like an estate agent) in the Cotswolds, finding the perfect property for her clients. She also happens to have visions (inherited from her Irish grandmother) which show her romantic couples for good (or bad) and she does her best to honour those visions by either bringing the couples together, or helping them to split up. However, despite all her success for her clients, Hattie has been unable to find her own forever home and instead house-sits for various landlords on a temporary basis. The house she really loves belongs to an octogenarian friend of hers called Mary, a beautiful old Cotswolds cottage, but Hattie knows she could never afford it, even if Mary's nephew Clive has neglected basic maintenance for too long.

Her best friends are Rose who owns a local shop (who Hattie got together with her now-husband) and Luke, a restorer of old houses. Everyone thinks she and Luke should be more than friends, but Hattie has always shied away from that, what could be worse than losing a partner and a best friend in one?

When Hattie's bossy older sister gets a job in Switzerland she asks (demands) that Hattie look after her fifteen-year old son Xander who has been having some trouble at school and has been enrolled at a local school which specialises in helping troubled teens.

After Katie Fforde's recent books set in the 1960s this was a nice return to present day and I have to say for the first 75% of the book I was absolutely loving it, no shrinking virginal heroine, just a lovely friends to lovers (eventually) romance. Two things brought down what was a solid four star rating for me: Clive, and the 'secret'. Clive was too much of a pantomime villain, and the secret was totally unnecessary and I don't understand why it was a secret in the first place.

But other than those minor gripes (which is a bit like saying I wish Katie Fforde wasn't so Katie Fforde I know), this was a feel good, sweet romance - just what you would expect.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Murder in York

Murder in York by J.R. Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

DCI Oldroyd is in York attending a residential conference on modern policing. For a bit of light relief he decides to spend the evening in York town centre and join a walking ghost tour to dind out more about the history of this Roman settlement.

Unfortunately, the night turns rather more ghoulish than planned when the tour discovers a dead body in one of York's narrow alleyways. The victim, Henry Marlow, is a wealthy landlord in the area. A self-made man, Marlow is also a miser and has had numerous run-ins with his tenants, the council, and local charities about the way he fails to maintain his properties. Throw an ex-wife, her new boyfriend, and a disgruntled PA into the mix and there are plenty of suspects.

With DCI Oldroyd and Andy temporarily attached to York police station to help with the investigation (and get out of the seminar), things are progressing slowly, but as the body count starts mounting, was the motive hatred of Marlow, or is there a serial killer loose on the run-up to Christmas?

I thoroughly enjoyed this, Oldroyd's more irritating characteristics have been toned down (eg his habit of making up acronyms) and there was an impressive array of potential suspects paraded before the reader to muddy the waters.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Thrown for a Loop

Thrown for a Loop by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Ten years ago Zoe Carson was an Olympic hopeful figure skater and Chase Merritt was an ice hockey hopeful picking up some extra cash as the boys' dorm leader at skating summer camp. They met, they fell in love, they sneaked around, the got caught. Things went badly wrong and they've never spoken since.

Now newly divorced Olympic silver medalist Zoe has accepted a part-time job coaching the New York Legends ice hockey team. Its the only job she has managed to secure and she desperately needs it to become permanent to be able to actually afford to live and work in NYC, too bad if the boy who broke her heart a decade ago is one of their star players.

Its an uphill battle trying to coax NHL players to listen to a diminutive figure skater, even if she can help them improve speed and accuracy, especially when someone clearly wants to bully her out of her job.

This was fun, low on the scorch-o-meter, but a bit predictable. I guessed very early on who it was who wanted to get rid of Zoe - they just had to think about motive.

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Review: The Devil in Oxford

The Devil in Oxford by Jess Armstrong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ruby Vaughn travels from Exeter to Oxford to spend Christmas with her friend Leona and also accompany her (Ruby's) boss/companion the octogenarian Mr Owen aka the Viscount of Harwick to various of antiquarian society dinners and talks.

Ruby and Mr Owen arrive slap bang in the middle of a ding-dong between two Oxford scholars, the disgraced Julius Harker who now runs a curiosity museum and the illustrious lecturer on anthropology Frederick Reaver - apparently they were supposed to have a debate several days ago in public but Harker failed to show up. Now crowds have gathered for Harker's unveiling of his Napoleonic cache of Egyptian treasures. But the missing man makes an appearance in the most shocking way possible, his dead body stuffed inside a sarcophagus with his tongue cut out. When Harker's mild mannered business partner Herr Mueller is arrested for his murder Leona begs Ruby to investigate the case and prove Mueller innocent, but there seem to be multiple factors at work.

I didn't realise that this was the third book in a series when I requested the ARC and I have to say I found it difficult to keep track of all the different threads. As I said in my review of a very different book, there are too many overreaching arcs in this book: the romance with the witch Ruan; the women pretending to be Ruby's mother (who died when the Ruritania sank, along with Ruby's father and sister); the mystery about Ruby's 'powers'; her WW1 trauma which may or may not have caused a nervous breakdown, etc, etc.

Also, there were so many suspects for Harker's murder and in the end when the culprit is revealed I didn't feel that there was any evidence (other than the villain's convenient mea culpa) to suggest it was that person over any of the others. There were lots of hints at the supernatural but when it came down to it all the explanations were pretty prosaic.

Pleasant enough but not really what I was hoping for.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: A Cold Heart

A Cold Heart by Doug Sinclair
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

A small crime with potentially deadly consequences. Elizabeth Dunn is a care worker with a husband suffering from MS and a daughter with mental health issues. When she discovers her daughter is being bullied by the rich girls at her school for not having the latest designer jumper, Elizabeth will stop at nothing to help her daughter, even if it means shoplifting a £300 jumper.

Unfortunately, a security guard sees Elizabeth and chases after her, straight into traffic where he is hit by a car, with fatal consequences. Elizabeth scurries off into the night bumping into DS Malkie McCulloch on her way, he was on the way to meet his twenty-six year old daughter Jennifer for the first time until the RTA derailed his plans.

Although full of guilt, Elizabeth is happy to have made her daughter smile, until it transpires that the dead security guard was a member of the notorious Jessop family and Elizabeth is abducted from her home in broad daylight.

Can Malkie and his team find Elizabeth before Stevie Jessop returns to Scotland to extract his revenge?

Over and above the mystery we also have the overreaching arcs of Steph's rapist sperm donor and drug pushing step father (luckily Doug has toned down her constant harping on about it), Malkie's romance with the wounded former pilot Deborah, and the investigation into his mother's death, which Malkie now believes was murder, as well as Malkie meeting his daughter for the first time. TBH, I think these four overarching arcs are too much, at least one of them needs to fade away quickly because they detract from the current mystery in each book.

As always, this is on the high side of violence in what I like in my detective stories (ie one below serial killer in terms of violence and gore), I tend more towards the procedural and cosy but for others this is probably just right.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Something Blue

Something Blue by Emma Jameson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The third in the series featuring Anthony Hetheridge, chief superintendent for New Scotland Yard and ninth baron of Wellegrave, and his fiancée Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield as well as Detective Sergeant Deepal ('Paul') Bhar.

Its three weeks before Tony and Kate get married, then Michael Martin Hughes, disgraced CEO of Peerless Petrol Co which caused an ecological disaster, is found murdered (strychnine poisoning) at the exclusive Nonpareil Hotel, which just happens to be the current residence of Lady Isabel Bartlow and her brother, Sir Duncan Godington (Tony's arch-nemesis, he is believed to have murdered his father and brother in cold blood but got away on a technicality).

What with all the eco-warriors who considered Hughes the anti-Christ, his estranged wife and son, his fiancée, and girlfriend, there's no shortage of suspects and all of them were present on the evening as Hughes was hosting a fundraiser for Peerless Petrol.

Meanwhile, the gutter press are digging dirt on Kate and her less than squeaky-clean family, threatening to ruin the wedding.

As I believe I said in my last review, Godington is such a pantomime villain he taints everything. Allegedly so charismatic he can charm people into committing murder on his behalf he has apparently also developed a taste for bathing in his victims' blood whilst in South America.

Also, there are so many illegitimate children flying around (not literally you understand) that it seems that no-one is really the child of their parents (that got away from me a bit but you know what I mean).

This was okay, but I don't think I need to continue reading the series.

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Review: A Judgement of Powers

A Judgement of Powers by Benedict Jacka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 3 in the Inheritance of Magic series and looks like there are a few more to come.

Stephen Oakwood is just an ordinary young man living in Plaistow, London. He just happens to be one of the people who can use magic (Drucraft). His mother left when he was small, his father disappeared when he was a teenager. Since then he's been surviving on low-paying monotonous jobs, scraping enough to pay his rent and feed his cat.

Then he discovered his mother is the daughter of Charles Ashford, head of House Ashford. Charles can bequeath the House to whoever he chooses as his heir and there is fierce (deadly) competition between his grandchildren for that privilege. Apparently Stephen could be in the running, if Charles didn't seem to hate him.

Anyway, Stephen is perfecting his Drucraft, trying to get together a team of raiders to drain C+/B class magic wells without being caught, whilst also acting as quasi-bodyguard for the Ashford heir, his cousin Calhoun.

Meanwhile a group calling themselves the Winged are alternatively trying to recruit or kill Stephen.

It seems like Stephen might have three choices: join House Ashford; join the Winged; or go it alone ...

I am enjoying this series but I also feel it has very similar vibes to Benedict's Alex Verus series, where Alex started out as a nobody and gradually became inveigled into politics and warring factions, forced to pick a side (surprise he chose his own). But hey, this is clearly a middle book and they progress the arc while not resolving much.

I received an ARC from the publisher.

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Review: Blind Date with a Werewolf

Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anyone who has read any of the previous books featuring Asil knows that he is an ancient werewolf, deadly, barely holding on to his sanity, unable to speak with his wolf, beautiful, but deadly and very, very dangerous.

So what does Patricia Briggs give us? Why she gives us a light and fluffy Christmas story. Some of Asil's 'concerned friends' think he should start dating and they have set him up with five dates over three weeks in the run up to Christmas. Each date has been selected from a different dating website. There may, or may not, be betting amongst the pack as to whether Asil will fail. Failure being variously, not staying for at least two hours with the date in question, the date running screaming from Asil, or the date ending up dead.

Of course none of the dates go according to plan, although technically Asil doesn't fail. But there is a lot of bloodshed, there are also some encounters with other supernatural beings, and even a bit of romance.

What is galling is that I wrote a review, I thought it was a good one, and my internet/Goodreads swallowed it, leaving me just the first line, not even a sentence. Imagine it was the best review you've ever read :)

Anyway, loved it.

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Review: Big Nick Energy

Big Nick Energy by Kristen Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kay is a librarian in North London who also has a side business writing children's stories. Whilst browsing in Covent Garden antiques stalls for Christmas presents for her parents and Nana she runs into Nick, the boy she dated in college eight years ago, the boy who dumped during a pub quiz at Christmas out of the blue.

Despite initial misgivings, after Nick apologises profusely, Kay and Nick start sort of dating. They still have great chemistry, he's proper grown-up with a job in finance and a swanky flat, he still finds her funny. Everything is screaming that this could be a second-chance romance with potential, Nick is even saying long-term type things. He is too good to be true so Kay nicknames him Saint Nick.

Then when visiting her best friend at her temporary place of work (an upmarket Christmas tree farm) where she works as an elf, after a boozy party with Nick's work goes awry, Kay accidentally gets dragged into the Christmas tree netting machine and needs to be rescued by her friend's boss, the grumpy Nick North, who just happens to be dressed as Father Christmas. Santa Nick, as Kay refers to him, might be grumpy but there is also a frisson of something when he attends to the gash in her knee.

Now Kay has two Nicks in her life. Saint Nick wines and dines her, takes her on special dates, and talks about long-term plans. Santa Nick doesn't seem to understand any of Kay's jokes, but he is unfailingly kind to small children and the elderly. Saint Nick seems a little embarrassed that Kay works in a library and writes children's books, when he introduces her to his colleagues he says she works in publishing. Santa Nick might be breathtakingly beautiful but he hasn't done anything to suggest that is attracted to Kay.

How will she decide which Nick is right for her?

I generally love Kristen Bailey's books, although they can verge on the slapstick at times. After requesting this book, I got cold feet, mainly because of the title I think, and didn't get around to reading it. Also for some odd reason I thought there were three Nicks involved.

Anyway, loved it. Wonderful feel-good holiday romance. The love triangle is resolved carefully and kindly. No-one had to act out of character or throw a wobbly. All's well that ends well.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Death between the Vines

Death between the Vines by G.J. Bellamy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Brent Umber is a former thief turned private detective. After solving a tricky issue involving the stepson of a Police Chief, he is invited to assist local officers in solving the murder of Sheila Babbington, an apparently devoted wife and mother who was stabbed in the heart in her own vineyard in broad daylight. There are multiple suspects, but apparently no motives, or if people might have motives they have alibis.

Brent's methods may be unorthodox, he isn't interested in evidence so much as whether someone presents as innocent or guilty ... and guilty of what.

This is a hard one to review, I enjoyed reading it but I couldn't tell you what happened because it all got so convoluted and there were multiple conflicting motives and (frankly) the characters weren't distinct enough for me to be able to keep them straight in my own mind.

Accordingly, I am in two minds as to whether to read the second book, although the introduction does intrigue me.

Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.



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Review: The Mumbai School for Murder

The Mumbai School for Murder by Meeti Shroff Shah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The blurb

Writer and traveller Radhi Zaveri returns home to Mumbai’s posh Temple Hill after spending years living in New York City, in search of inspiration and a salve for her broken heart. To the world it seems she has it all. But little do they know that she hasn’t written a word in more than a year, that she is devastated at the sudden disappearance of her American lover and that she is still haunted by her parents’ death, which happened almost two decades ago and for which, she holds herself responsible.

Ms Venus is found dead at her desk, the school tries to claim it was natural causes, but Radhi isn't convinced. Ms Venus was a famous writer of poetry who had made enemies: a junior English teacher, the school's owners, the school's head, students that she had reported for misdemeanours, and parents of children who had misbehaved. Ms Venus had high moral standards and would not hesitate to report wrong-doing. In addition, the person who found Ms Venus' body reported that her face was bright - a sign of cyanide poisoning. Ms Venus also appears to have left Radhi a clue scrawled across a book of her poetry which Radhi had asked to sign.

Meanwhile, Soam Mehta, one of the students Ms Venus had reported for vaping in school, who subsequently lost his role as school sports captain as a result, has gone missing. Is this a sign of a guilty conscience? Or could Soam be so distraught he has taken his own life? Or, alternatively, could Soam have seen something on the night Ms Venus died?

Radhi almost has too many suspects as she investigates Ms Venus' death and Soam's disappearance. But she doggedly follows the truth, uncovering other secrets along the way.

This is the third book to feature Radhi, I hadn't read the others but this was very easy to read as a standalone. It was easy to read, engrossing, and shone a different light (yet again) on contemporary life in India for a modern woman. I would definitely read more in this series.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: A Touch of Magic at the Comfort Food Cafe

A Touch of Magic at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sarah is an author of grisly detective stories with a hint of the supernatural. Now fifty years old, she has bought a cottage in the village of Budbury, sight unseen, on a whim. Partially to escape a relationship gone wrong in London, partly for space to walkalong the beach, and partly to get away from her slightly annoying older twin sister Sally, and her parents. As a writer Sarah relies heavily on her imagination, but that also means that she can become prone to flights of fantasy where she imagines that every creak and groan from her cottage means she is being attacked by zombies, or vampires, or werewolves, or something.

Immediately Sarah is struck by the welcoming nature of the villagers (even though she actually would prefer to be left alone), and soon she has made friends with Cherie, the owner of the Comfort Food Café and the many women who congregate there. ON one such afternoon Sarah is initiated into what I refer to as the ladies' Diet Coke moment ... another newcomer to the village, a thirty-something man runs along the beach past the café most afternoons topless and the women shamelessly ogle him as he passes. The man keeps himself to himself, lives alone in the woods, and people have heard loud howls coming from his property, speculation is rife that he may be a werewolf.

When Sarah finally meets the clothing challenged hunk, Aidan, the truth is more prosaic. As a man fourteen years or so younger than Sarah, Aidan is definitely a toy boy, although his air of assurance makes him seem much older, and he seems to be interested in Sarah romantically. But after her last two relationships crashed and burned Sarah is not willing to take chance on something that clearly won't last the distance.

Then, when Sally yet again disparages Sarah's ability to attract a man and laughingly says at least she won't have to worry about Sarah asking to invite a plus one to Sally's daughters' eighteenth birthday party, Sarah may just have snapped and told a little white lie ... that Aidan would be accompanying her.

This was cute, cosy and perfect for a gentle romantic read cuddled up under a blanket.

Special offer at 99p when bought.

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Review: Murder in Venice: A BRAND NEW instalment in the cozy mystery series from T A Williams

Murder in Venice: A BRAND NEW instalment in the cozy mystery series from T A Williams by T.A. Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Dan Armstrong, a retired detective from Scotland Yard, now living in Italy and acting as a private investigator, when he isn’t writing crime novels, receives a request from a world-famous actress Alice Graceland to meet her in Venice. Excited that she might want to make one of his novels into a film, Dan travels to Venice, where Alice has bought and renovated an ancient fortification on an island. Sadly for Dan, Alice isn’t interested in making one of his novels into a film, instead she is hosting a murder mystery evening for a small group of influential Hollywood movers and shakers and wants Dan to play the role of the detective. As one would expect from someone rich and famous, the murder mystery evening will involve costumes, paid actors, and a sumptuous feast prepared by Alice’s staff. Alice herself will play the role of the Doge’s wife, the real power behind the throne and she will be the victim. Dan will encourage the guests to discuss their theories as to who murdered Alice’s character and then reveal the murderer’s identity.

However, when Dan returns to Venice two weeks later for the party it appears that the other guests are not Alice’s friends, in fact the atmosphere could be cut with a knife. The guests are even arguing amongst themselves. Alice’s PA tells Dan that she suspects Alice is writing a reveal-all memoir, and that the guests all feature heavily. Indeed, Alice admits as much to Dan, confiding that she wants to confront each of the guests with what they did and give them a chance to apologise/confess as appropriate, if they do she will temper what she has written in her draft memoir.

I think we can all guess what happens, there is a real murder and Dan will have to use his knowledge of the individuals and the crimes exposed in Alice’s memoirs to determine the murderer and the reason.

This was another enjoyable detective story featuring Dan and his trusty Labrador Oscar, the only issue I have is that if Oscar trusts/likes a human I know they can’t be the murderer – unless T.A. Williams mixes it up in the next book.

Anyway, if you like the idea of a cosy mystery set on an island in the Venice lagoon with descriptions of food that will have you salivating, look no further.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.


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Review: The Burning Grounds

The Burning Grounds by Abir Mukherjee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

The book opens with Sam Wyndham investigating the body of a man left at the burning ghats, which ordinarily would be perfectly normal, it is after all where the Bengalis of Calcutta bring their dead. However, the man has had his throat slit and Sam can already tell that the body is that of none other than JP Mullick, Indian entrepreneur and industrialist. Sam is in disgrace at work for various reasons, so he is astonished when his boss allows him to investigate JP’s murder.

Meanwhile, Sam’s friend/former partner Suren Banerjee, who has spent the last three years in Europe, has recently returned at his father’s request/command. Suren had fallen in love with a French girl, Elise, while in Paris and is feeling rather love-sick but he must honour his father’s wishes. Suren is ordered by his father to investigate the disappearance of his cousin Dolly. Dolly has always trodden an unusual path for an unmarried Indian woman, setting up her own photography business for women only. However, her reputation has been besmirched by rumours that she has been associating with beggars and street women (and taking their photos). Dolly has gone missing, and her family are concerned.

Despite their mutual prickliness after not having spoken in three years, especially when Sam discovers Suren has been back in India for over a month without contacting him, Sam and Suren agree to work together to try to discover who murdered JP and where Dolly has gone. Perhaps inevitably, it turns out that the two investigations are linked.

This is apparently the sixth book in a series featuring an Indian policeman and a British detective, Suren Banerjee and Sam Wyndham set in 1920s Calcutta. I had read a book featuring an Indian female police officer and a British Scotland Yard criminalist by Vaseem Khan about a year ago and without paying much attention thought this was the same series. However, this was reasonably easy to read as a standalone novel.

I liked it, but I didn’t love it. Sam wasn’t a particularly likable character, in fact I don’t think any of the characters were likable, there was both too much politics and not enough at the same time. By which I mean that, for all his feelings of British superiority, Sam speaks in a very modern way about the tyranny of the British occupation of India which I don’t think a man of his time would have done. Similarly, Suren is apparently pro-independence and yet doesn’t actually seem to be doing anything about it, just wandering around with no purpose (although that’s just me judging him for abandoning the love of his life with no farewell just because his father decreed it.

The plot itself was good, but I have read something similar before (without spoilering the why) and so it was nothing new.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Law Maker

Law Maker by Susie Tate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Clara Morris has a big secret. She tries to keep under the radar and has accepted a job as a teacher's assistant at the exclusive Molton Prep, even though with her qualifications she should be a teacher in her own right. She guards her privacy fiercely, and has it written into her employment contract that she doesn't have to meet any parents EVER. Her one indulgence is lusting after the impossibly handsome Lord Sterling when he comes to collect his sone Ozzie from school.

Unfortunately, Lord Rafe Sterling, criminal barrister and tipped to be the UK's youngest ever Judge, isn't good at taking no for an answer. Ozzie is dyslexic and spends his evenings lauding the wonderful Miss Clara to the skies, but Ozzie tells his father that Miss Clara said his brain works differently Rafe is on the warpath.

Although initial impressions aren't good, Rafe is surprised that this mousy young woman (who looks like a child) who barely spoke above a mumble becomes incredibly fierce when she thinks someone is labelling Ozzie as stupid. First Rafe is intrigued and then fascinated and, because he's from an aristocratic family used to bending others to his will, he soon makes Clara an offer she can't refuse to tutor/nanny Ozzie for a few hours every evening after school.

But Clara isn't hiding any old secrets, making the wrong move has landed her in the hospital more than once and what she is hiding could have massive repercussions for her, Rafe, and her beloved brother.

I love Susie Tate, she nearly always includes characters with real issues, and as a UK General Practitioner she knows first hand the problems, diagnoses, symptoms, and feelings that come with them. This book is no exception, in this case domestic violence - there are trigger warnings in the blurb so this isn't a spoiler. I thought she did this really well, not doing a Hollywood lite version of violence, this was shocking and frightening.

Rafe was a true alpha male, his breeding, education, money, and job make him authoritative, but strangely Clara finds it comforting and it makes her feel safe. Especially when she's behind electronic gates and driven to work in a bullet proof car by a close security officer.

If you fancy a romance between a bossy billionaire lawyer single dad and his son's teacher, laughs, tears, extreme bravery, and a lot of swearing - well you're in luck!

I received an ARC from the author via BookFunnel.

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Review: Fire Must Burn

Fire Must Burn by Allison Montclair
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sparks and Bainbridge are inveigled into setting up an old friend of Sparks' with a planted girlfriend.

Back in the 1930s when Iris was at Cambridge University she met Tony Danforth, they were good friends for a while, even dated a little, but he joined the Socialists (and perhaps the Communist Party) and went off to fight in Spain, later he went to Singapore for the duration of the war. Apparently he's back working at the Foreign Office but MI5 has suspicions that he may be a spy for the Russians or the Chinese and want him vetted - which is where The Right Sort marriage agency comes in. Iris will 'accidentally' bump into him, get reacquainted and offer their services - Tony has already been advised that a married man is viewed more favourably than one who is single - they will then introduce him to an MI5 spy who will clear or condemn him.

Iris is torn, she hates lying to an old friend, but if he is a spy then she wants that uncovered.

Meanwhile, Gwen discovers from her boyfriend that Tony was involved in a scandal at Cambridge - something that may have precipitated his departure to Spain - could the past shed light on the present?

Yet another wonderful mystery featuring our redoubtable heroines, loved it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The High Tide Murder

The High Tide Murder by Emylia Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cat and Jayden are having a weekend alone in The High Tide hotel overlooking Trebaron Cove. But things aren’t going to plan. First Cat meets Summer, a girl she went to school with who is now a social media influencer, at the hotel to post some content with her surfer boyfriend and they agree to meet for drinks (and maybe dinner), instead of a romantic dinner at deux.

Then two couples arrive, Kathy and Drew Schofield and Steve Bradshaw with his girlfriend Mae. Ostensibly the couples have come to celebrate Drew’s retirement from the Police and their wedding anniversary, but there seem to be undercurrents between the two couples, Steve having been recently let go from the same police force. At dinner, the foursome are loud and obnoxious, resulting in the hotel owner, Elliott King having to intervene when they made a waitress cry.

Late that night during a storm there was a power cut and in the morning, Summer finds Drew’s dead body below his bedroom balcony. Was it a drunken accident or was it deliberate? Steve is convinced its murder, then Jayden notices that the Instagram post Summer made of the storm shows two men arguing on Drew’s balcony.

But there seems to be a plethora of suspects, let’s face it Drew was not liked in the police force (old-school copper seems to be the kindest epitaph). But as Ally and Jaden dig deeper it seems like Drew’s death may relate to something that happened many years ago, which may involve someone else who was at the hotel that night.

Another great yarn from the Shell House Detectives, although Gus is off-stage for most of the action.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Happy Christmas: A Hilarious Holiday Marriage of Convenience Romance

Happy Christmas: A Hilarious Holiday Marriage of Convenience Romance by Kelsey Humphreys
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Janie Rowland is down on her luck. Her no-good brother has got in debt and she has literally had to liquidate all her savings, sell all her possessions, and move home to live in her granny's dilapidated house in Juniper Falls to try to get by, even now she's getting threatening emails and texts for the balance of the funds owed. She's a genius accountant (allegedly) and has taken a job working for a cutesy mayonnaise subsidiary of the global Clark Industries empire.

One day, while dressed as a hot dog at an expo in Vegas Janie is unlucky enough to run into Benedict Clark, a British trust fund fun-loving guy who she has met on numerous occasions at various family and friends' parties. Benedict is the sort of guy who is seen in gossip magazines with models and actresses hanging off his arm, he's a terrible flirt and a thrill-seeker.

Benedict pulls rank and gets Janie to spend the afternoon with him, life is becoming difficult, his father has laid down an ultimatum - get serious or he'll lose his trust fund and rumours will be spread that will make him unemployable.

Benedict comes up with a plan, they already know each other so its not impossible that they might have fallen in love. Get married before Christmas, attend a few events as a couple in the first year, then stay loosely married for another four years before getting divorced. In return, Benedict will pay Janie an obscene amount of money.

Janie has had terrible luck with men, her ex dumped her at their engagement party then got back with her, only to dump her again - in a small town that sort of thing is never forgotten.

Juniper Falls is one of those hokey towns that goes big for the Autumn/Winter holidays (it also brings in plenty of tourist dollars which helps the town stay afloat for the rest of the year) and Janie and Benedict agree to participate in a weekly event to give enough photo opportunities to give credence to their fake relationship.

Of course the chemistry is off the charts, but neither of them wants to be the first to say they've caught feels ... until the inevitable misunderstanding.

A lovely opposites attract, billionaire romance.

Free on Kindle Unlimited.

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Review: Let the Bells Ring Out

Let the Bells Ring Out by Milly Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Seven people on their way to 'celebrate' very different Christmases get stuck in a snow storm in Yorkshire.

Frank and Gracie, a middle-aged couple who run a pub, this Christmas was supposed to be his last chance to rescue their marriage but everything has gone wrong from the start.

Elizabeth, a young woman on her way to spend Christmas with her fiancé (who also happens to be a director in her father's business), his family, her father, and various relatives, being driven by Vincent.

Jane, a widowed octogenarian en route to spend Christmas with her stepson and his wife.

Roo, an orphan in a dead-end job, who was expecting to spend Christmas alone after her fiancé and best friend had an affair, got pregnant and are planning a Christmas wedding.

And finally Tim, a retired businessman who was going to play Father Christmas at a corporate event.

They all meet at a small train station, some of them awaiting a replacement train service, Tim because his car breaks down, and Elizabeth and Vincent because the snow is making driving conditions too difficult. When a train arrives to take them to the next main station where they can get connections it is not just a normal train. This is the Yorkshire Belle, an American millionaire's pet project en route to Scotland for him and his family to spend the holidays travelling in style - think the Orient Express but fancier. When the brakes seize up due to ice on the tracks the guard and driver go off to get the engineer, leaving the seven passengers on the train.

In their own ways each of the passengers is feeling unhappy or unfulfilled, but spending a few days together, trapped on a train, with only the dulcet tones of Brian 'the real BBC' on the radio to keep them company, friendships develop and they may even make some life-changing decisions.

If you like a bit of fantasy with your cosy Christmas stories then this is the one for you. Although I could see the twist I still enjoyed it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Recipe for Trouble: A grumpy/sunshine queer MM romantic comedy

Recipe for Trouble: A grumpy/sunshine queer MM romantic comedy by Dylan Morrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Ben Blumenthal is a video editor working in a fairly soul destroying job for a big corporate. He night have a lovely apartment, but his only friend is his eighty year old agoraphobic neighbour, even his cat doesn't seem to like him much, and she might only like him because he feeds her regularly. Ben's trouble is that he is cynical and people get offended at his snarkiness.

Then Vince, an acquaintance who works for a sister publication, the food magazine Gastronomic, asks Ben to edit a video for him. The powers that be want the magazine to publish video content on the website and have told one of the test chefs that he *MUST* make the videos. Vince freely acknowledges that the raw footage is absolute carnage but wants Ben to have a go and cobbling it together into something okay - the idea is to force management to rethink things and bring in professionals.

When Ben reviews the footage he can't believe it, this guy, Pete Bailey is a disaster. If he doesn't drop it he burns it, he forgets what he is saying, he says things wrong over and over. Full of indignant fury Ben edits the footage into a comedy montage with his own voice-over - along the lines of 'if this bozo can do it so could your pet hamster' and of course it is an instant hit, people love the slapstick humour and voiceovers. So management commission (aka command) a further series of videos leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Prepared to loath Pete, a good-looking guy with the job of his dreams, Ben is pleasantly surprised to discover that Pete not only enjoys Ben's humour, but off-camera he's an extremely competent chef - he seems to have an extreme version of camera shyness. As their friendship develops Ben comes to know Pete a bit better, but is there something he's not sharing?

TBH I was in two minds whether to request an ARC, I wasn't sure about the premise and I didn't love the cover art, but decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did, I rally enjoyed the developing relationship between Ben and Pete, the way in which they really 'saw' each other. What reduced the rating for me was the cause of the 'conflict', it felt unrealistic - like that would ever happen - and too mwah ha ha to be believable - yes it was clearly signalled from the beginning but that didn't make it any more realistic for me (maybe its different in the US).

Anyway, glad I took a chance on a new-to-me author and I would definitely read more.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Christmas on Fifth Avenue

Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Evie Green has become a social media icon - but not in a good way. Despite being a financial journalist she fell for a scam offering a holiday in New York and used her flatmates' money to pay the deposit. Then when her boss finds out she gets suspended. The only upside is that the Plaza in New York has offered her a holiday in New York all expenses paid if she will post photos and videos of her time there. It was a dream of Evie's late mother to spend Christmas in New York, since her death Evie hasn't really celebrated Christmas so this trip will be a first.

Noah Sanderson is an American playing football in England, he got a bit of a bad boy reputation, which he was trying to clear up, until trying too hard he went in for a strong tackle which ended up breaking both his opponent's legs and potentially ending his career. His agent has banished him to New York until the fuss dies down with the instruction to stay away from controversy.

Of course they end up sitting next to each other on the plane and having adjoining rooms in the Plaza. The two of them are like chalk and cheese, Evie throws herself into things with abandon, but never gets too close whereas Noah plans everything carefully (one tackle aside) and is super close with his family.

When the inevitable happens and the hotel shares a video of Evie dressed up as an elf giving out candy canes to diners in the hotel's restaurant and teasing Noah about being a bad boy Noah's agent decides a fake wholesome romance is just the ticket to rehabilitate Noah's image. The video has the highest engagement of any of the posts to date so Evie agrees to the fake dating.

What follows is Noah and Evie ticking off every Hallmark New York experience, from ice-skating to Tiffany's, Bloomingdales, Christmas lights etc, etc. Along the way Evie discovers that Christmas might not be as bad as she thinks and Noah sees the virtue in a bit of spontaneity.

Then comes the inevitable conflict, TBH it felt manufactured and a trifle silly.

Overall, if you love a Hallmark Christmas movie I think you'll love this, its cute, cosy, and choc full of meet-cute experiences.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Food Noise: How weight loss medications & smart nutrition can silence your cravings

Food Noise: How weight loss medications & smart nutrition can silence your cravings by Jack Mosley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

I have long been a fan of the Fast 800 cookbooks, particularly the Easy (blue) and recipe (red) books which contain a lot of what I would call 'normal' dishes eg chicken curry, traybakes, tuna salad, etc. I did the Fast 800 diet and lost quite a lot of weight but once the initial 12 weeks ended I couldn't sustain the switch to 5:2 and slipped back into my old habits, albeit still often cooking/making recipes from the books because they are relatively simple and generally delicious.

In late May 2025 I started my GLP-1 journey with (realistically) six stones (38 kg) to lose. I had already bought this book, mainly for the recipes because I didn't even clock that it was about using weight loss medication LOL, but got put off because there are no pictures with the recipes - I tend to like the look of a dish and then decide to make it. Anyway, nearly four months later I decide to start reading the book and found a lot of the things Jack Mosley says make sense. Obviously if obesity leads to a myriad of other health problems then losing the weight will reduce the risk and/or stop you getting them in the first place. These weight loss jabs were originally designed to treat Type 2 diabetes after all. Yes there are side effects, although there is some evidence to suggest that they are worse if you eat junk food or UPF and don't drink enough water. Upping your protein, water, and fibre intake can relieve the side effects and is a good idea generally anyway. I finished the book thinking that it had confirmed (with science) what I had already heard from various other sources, that these jabs can be a real game changer BUT you also have to change your eating habits otherwise there is a danger that you will either have to stay on the jabs for life or risk regaining all the weight lost - and the real kicker is that you regain fat and the healthy muscle lost doesn't come back.

So overall, science is good and explained simply with cross-references to the sources if required. When I flicked through the recipes they didn't look too bad either.

My one gripe is the number of times he mentioned the Fast 800 diet - by the end it felt like I'd paid for an advertorial or he was trying to sell me a Timeshare. I don't recall him ever saying there were other ways to eat with a calorie deficit whilst also eating healthily - the Fast 800 was just plugged over and over again.

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Review: Hell to Pay

Hell to Pay by Rosalind James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This follows on from Hell Bent but can totally be read as a standalone.

Marguerite and her granddaughter Alix, together with Alix's boyfriend Sebastian and Sebastian's nephew have travelled from the US to Germany. Marguerite is actually the daughter of the former King of Saxony who died during the bombing of Dresden in 1945 during WW2. Marguerite escaped Dresden as a sixteen year old with most of her mother's emerald parure (basically just a set of jewels meant to be worn together eg tiara, necklace, ring, bracelet etc) sewn into the sleeves of an old coat. However, she was forced to leave the tiara behind, hidden in a cellar, because it was too bulky to conceal. Now, over 90 years old, she wants to try to retrieve the tiara from the newly restored Dresden Castle because the parure has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations.

Told partially in present day and partially through Marguerite recounting the story to her family, and later a history vlogger, together with letters from Marguerite's late husband Joe to his father in the USA, and Marguerite's own journal we see how Marguerite led a relatively charmed life, even during WW2, with the family being supplied with food by a loyal farmer from outside Dresden, but her father's refusal to fly the Swastika or support the Nazis has not gone unnoticed and her comfortable way of life is drawing to a close.

I must confess I was a tad sceptical about how this would work, after all we already know that Marguerite survived, married Joe and had a daughter and granddaughter - where's the suspense? I needn't have worried (or doubted Rosalind James), this was a cracking story with all the drama and suspense I could possibly ask for. I can't wait for the next one.

I received an ARC from the author.

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Review: Ice Blue

Ice Blue by Emma Jameson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

First in a series featuring the aristocratic police officer Chief Superintendent Anthony Hetheridge, ninth baron of Wellegrave and his dynamic duo Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield and Detective Sergeant Deepal 'Paul' Bhar. They might face racial and sexual slurs from 'colleagues' and suspects but the urbane sixty-year old Anthony Hetheridge has taken them under his wing.

This series opener features the murder of an outspoken financier after a dinner party at his mansion in Belgravia where he managed to comprehensively insult practically every other person at the table. The victim, Malcolm Comfrey was married to an old flame of Anthony's which makes things even more complicated.

Pleasant enough police procedural with a May to September romance brewing.

Currently free on Kindle.

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Review: Ice Blue

Ice Blue by Emma Jameson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

First in a series featuring the aristocratic police officer Chief Superintendent Anthony Hetheridge, ninth baron of Wellegrave and his dynamic duo Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield and Detective Sergeant Deepal 'Paul' Bhar. They might face racial and sexual slurs from 'colleagues' and suspects but the urbane sixty-year old Anthony Hetheridge has taken them under his wing.

This series opener features the murder of an outspoken financier after a dinner party at his mansion in Belgravia where he managed to comprehensively insult practically every other person at the table. The victim, Malcolm Comfrey was married to an old flame of Anthony's which makes things even more complicated.

Pleasant enough police procedural with a May to September romance brewing.

Currently free on Kindle.

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Review: The Lost Husband

The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Libby Moran's husband Danny died in a car crash, picking their daughter up from school. After his death she discovers he has lost all their money on bad investments and she loses the house and is forced to move together with her two children back in with her narcissistic mother. Three years later she receives a letter out of the blue from her aunt Jean offering her a home on her farm in Texas - Libby has no recollection of ever meeting Jean, who her mother describes as a crazy hippy, but anything has to be better than living with her mother so she packs them up and leaves.

After Danny's death, Libby has become terrified of anything happening to her children, especially since her daughter was injured in the crash and still walks with a limp. But Jean and her farm hand O'Connor gradually teach her to relax and let the kids run free. TBH I found this a bit irritating, why is it always the city mom who is neurotic and the childless man and woman who know better?

But just as Libby and her children are beginning to find their feet there are bombshell surprises.

This was okay, but it was a very slow burn, and the surprises were a bit obvious. I am not surprised that this is an old book that has got a new cover.

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Review: Blue Murder

Blue Murder by Emma Jameson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two people are murdered at a Halloween party in fashionable Chelsea - both by an axe to the head. Scotland Yard sends in Chief Superintendent Anthony Hetheridge, AKA Lord Hetheridge, ninth baron of Wellegrave. Anthony is sixty years old, fabulously wealthy, and the cop they wheel in when anyone involved is wealthy and/or titled. His trusty side kicks are Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield and Detective Sergeant Deepal “Paul” Bhar (can I just say that I really hate that people call him Paul Deepal isn't a hard word to pronounce FFS). Despite being half his age and well below his social and economic status, Kate and Anthony have a budding romance.

To add to the mix, the party took place in the mansion next door to Sir Duncan Godington, an acquitted suspect in the macabre murder of his father, brother, and devoted butler, something that hurts both Anthony and 'Paul' quite badly.

Deepal is a sharp dresser who lives with his devoted mother. Kate looks after her brother who has an intellectual disability and her nephew because her sister is in a mental health facility. They encounter sexism and racism from both other cops and people they interview.

This was okay, I hope (but doubt) that Sir Duncan is going to be a recurring theme as I find him a bit too cartoon villain (twirling moustache-type).

Anyway, I the murderer's identity was quite obvious, maybe I've read something quite similar before? So the fact that it took them half a book to find their identity was a bit tiresome.


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Review: The Odds of You: The irresistible new opposites attract rom-com from the Sunday Times bestselling author

The Odds of You: The irresistible new opposites attract rom-com from the Sunday Times bestselling author by Kate Dramis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sage Collins had a job as a data analyst until she wrote a best-selling fantasy novel. Now she's got a big enough advance on her next book to give up her job and pursue her dreams of being a writer. In fact, she's flying from LA to New York to Comic Con where she is signing books and taking part in a panel discussion.

Theo Sharpe is a British guy sitting across the aisle on the same flight to New York. He keeps striking up a conversation with Sage, which is fun and everything, but a bit odd. Then when they disembark the plane the paparazzi snap pictures of the two of them. Theo is an up-and-coming actor and his rabid fans jump on the pictures fuelling speculation and rumours - but mainly making ugly comments about Sage and accusing her of trying to hang on Theo's coattails.

The backlash fuels Sage's insecurities, she's lagging behind on writing the second book with a deadline looming, her parents both treat her writing as an aberration, and she's officially run out of ideas. So, when the vitriol sees no sign of abating she decides to book an Airbnb on the Scottish island of Skye, somewhere away from everything where she can just concentrate on writing.

What Sage has forgotten is that Theo was the one to mention Skye to her in the first place, his family has a holiday home on the island, and it isn't long before they run into each other. Love might blossom, but for how long, Theo lives in London and Sage lives in LA?

I did enjoy this but it was very angsty. If I tell you that Theo seemed well-balanced and calm yet he is the one who was mourning the deaths of his brother and mother, his father is his agent and is controlling his life, and he wants to take his career in a whole new direction I think you can get an idea of how much angst Sage carries around ... it felt a bit too much and a bit repetitive. Also the 'conflict' was pretty obvious.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Kennedy Rule: An addictive rivals-to-lovers MM hockey romance

The Kennedy Rule: An addictive rivals-to-lovers MM hockey romance by K.C. Carmichael
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Connor Kennedy is the golden boy of ice hockey, son of a living legend, Captain of his team, the Chicago Broad Wings (where his father, Connor Kennedy Sr is the general manager) his path has been cleared all the way and he's a natural shoe-in for the USA men's Olympic team.

Gavin Marshal has had a hard life, his local town in Alaska scrimped and saved to send him to hockey camp with second-hand equipment, but he's made something of himself as enforcer for the Buffalo Blizzards and he has helped his team to the playoffs, even if he does have the dubious honour of being dubbed king of penalty minutes as the player who has racked up the most time in the sin bin.

As opposing team members they should hate each other, but when they first met at that infamous training camp they could have been friends, if Connor's father hadn't tried to have Gavin thrown off the team.

As a surprise no-one saw coming Gavin and Connor have both been named for Team USA, and after Gavin's cool head gains the coach's eye, Connor is named captain and Gavin alternate captain.

Whilst the tension mounts they are going to have to make some tough decisions, because while they might be able to have a romance on the DL while at training camp and at the Olympics, when they go back to their teams they are mortal enemies.

I really enjoyed this, okay Connor Kennedy Sr was a bit of a cartoon villain but I loved Connor and Gavin and Bouchard and Gavin's dad and would happily read more in this series or by this author.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.



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Review: It's Not Me, It's You

It's Not Me, It's You by Jo Lovett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

When Freya meets Jake back stage at a breakfast TV show sparks flow - but not in a good way. She's a romance writer who doesn't believe in a happy ever after for herself, he's a divorce lawyer who still believes in true love but thinks romances should be banned. When they start arguing on national TV social media goes wild and the tv host sees a quick way to make hay while the sun shines. She forces Freya and Jake to agree to arrange a series of dates for each other, each of them trying to prove themselves right. Neither of them can afford the backlash if they back out so with ill grace they agree.

What follows are a series of dates, then the tv production company decides it is more amusing if the pair double date, and the dates get sillier as the tv show chooses the activities.

I did enjoy this, but it requires the reader to suspend disbelief ... at a certain point I would have just said no, sod being a good sport about things.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Monday Night Heartbreak Club: A BRAND NEW heart‑warming novel of heartbreak, friendship & second chances from Jane Lovering

The Monday Night Heartbreak Club: A BRAND NEW heart‑warming novel of heartbreak, friendship & second chances from Jane Lovering by Jane Lovering
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Phoebe (Fee) is drowning her sorrows in her local wine bar after her loser boyfriend left her (again) when she spots a flyer for a club for those disappointed by Valentine's Day. She pitches up the next Monday to meet Margot, a frighteningly efficient lawyer whose husband has filed for divorce, Annie who thinks her husband of forty years is having an affair, and Wren who has left her partner because they didn't pay her enough attention. Fee feels a bit embarrassed that she is the only one glad that her relationship has ended ... she wants the club to help her from caving in and taking him back. The a late-comer to the club, Fraser a pretty gormless young man whose friend told him it would be a great place to meet women.

What started out as a bit of a moaning session becomes a group of found friends and after one session Fee messages Margot and suggests the club tail Annie's husband to find out if he is having an affair.

This was peak Jo Lovett, funny, sad, touching, surprising, full of normal people being ordinary but special at the same time.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: How to Write a Love Story

How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Sam Avery is a hot-shot New York book editor with ambitions to run the agency one day. He first got into editing (and books) through the novels of Frank Sheridan (think high fantasy David Eddings/G.R.R Martin), which his firm publishes. He was the original fan-boy, even has a tattoo on his arm like the hero. One day his boss calls him into the office, following Frank's death fans thought the series would never be completed but Frank's daughter Ciara has agreed to write the final novel but she is having a wobbly and his boss wants Sam to travel to Ireland and coax her through the process.

Ciara Sheridan is living in the house immortalised by her father, complete with secret doors and various iconic settings from his books. Grief has paralysed her, the incessant intrusions by fans who leave cards, flowers, and gifts and try to get into the house have made her a recluse. The backlash she received when the fans discovered that she had written three books under a pseudonym has made her wary of fans altogether. She just can't get herself into writing this book, the expectations of fans worldwide is stopping her from writing. All of this is why she's insisted on total secrecy about the book, no mentions that it is being written, and definitely no hints that she is the author.

Although they clash at first, particularly because Ciara is wary of fans, eventually they find a way to work together and the book starts to take shape, and as they bring together the hero and heroine could these two find their own HEA?

I was really enjoying this book until maybe three-quarters of the way through, when there was a series of plot devices designed to cause tension, just piled on one after the other, it was completely at odds with the sleepy small-town Summer vibes of the rest of the book and required both Ciara and Sam to do things which (to me) didn't feel authentic. I felt the ending was rushed and resolved by another plot device. Would have been a four star review otherwise.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.


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Review: Clown Town

Clown Town by Mick Herron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Separately. first River Cartwright is recovering from Novichok poisoning, he hopes to be allowed back into Regents Park, little does he know First Desk Diana Taverner intends to have him kicked out of the service completely. Second, someone is trying to blackmail Diana with proof that the then government and First Desk aided and abetted a known sociopath during the Troubles in Ireland, and then gave him a large pension when peace was brokered. Third, someone has lodged a complaint with HR about Diana's behaviour. Fourth, Roddy Ho has got a tattoo. Fifth, the curator has discovered that a book from River's grandfather's library, which he donated to the Spooks College at Oxford, is missing ... not only that it isn't a real book. Diana Taverner tries to play chess on a global scale and things don't go well.

We are out of the COVID era and there is a new government. Peter Judd is as oily and obnoxious as (I actually mistyped ass but it did seem appropriate) ever, despite having no ostensible power, and his (and his paymasters') grip on Diana is tightening.

This didn't seem to have the humour and bite of the previous novels. It is difficult to distinguish the Slow Horses when they get murdered with such monotonous regularity, I didn't even remember that there was a new girl in the last book. The farting has abated, but sadly it has been replaced by a bad case of (deliberate) malapropisms which feels weak.

Maybe its me. I was super excited to see an ARC on NetGalley and 'wished for it', was stoked to get my wish granted and then ... nada, couldn't bring myself to start the book. Don't get me wrong, I started reading it last night and finished this afternoon, its a good read, but it doesn't have the vicious caricatures of the earlier books where Mick Herron skewered political figures, all we get are some side swipes at Liz Truss (who?) and Nigel Far(ight)age.

After the gut-wrencher that was The Secret Hours, probably my favourite book so far, Jackson Lamb felt less like a prize-winning racehorse hiding his talents and more like a blunt instrument.

Still love the series.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: A Moment's Shadow

A Moment's Shadow by Anna Lee Huber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Verity and Sidney are still pursuing the stolen phosgene cylinders that Lord Ardmore had stolen three years ago. They are also still in Dublin as hostilities between the Black and Tans and the IRA continue to escalate with murders, beatings, and retaliations.

Verity and Sidney are in a precarious situation, she is working unofficially for the secret service, whilst concealing the fact that their friend Alec Xavier has gone to work for Michael Collins. Ardmore and his minions are everywhere and could easily spot them together and have her arrested (or worse).

At one of the parties they attend they discover that there has been a series of jewellery robberies, which the victims are refusing to report to the police because their insurance companies believe they have a chance of recovering the jewellery themselves. The establishment ask Verity and Sidney to investigate the robberies. convinced the IRA are using the jewellery to fund their rebellion, although Verity isn't so sure.

Whilst I didn't feel like this was a a lot of historical research being regurgitated (as I complained about for the last book) this did feel very history-heavy, totally overshadowing the jewellery thefts

TBH Lord Ardmore has been Verity's sworn adversary for so long I've totally forgotten why he stole the phosgene in the first place and what is motivation is.

I know I say this every time I review one of these books, but I think this may be the last for me - what I loved was the little historical details not the big picture political stuff and that seems to have been overwhelmed in the most recent books. However, if you are looking for an easy-to-read explanation of the events as they unfolded then this could be a good place to start.

Also, I was surprised (because her use of British English is usually very good) to see Verity frequently referring to 'circling the block', or being a 'few blocks' away from something.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Weight's Over - Take Back Control: Break free from dieting, transform your mindset and change your life. The Top 5 Sunday Times Bestseller 2025

The Weight's Over - Take Back Control: Break free from dieting, transform your mindset and change your life. The Top 5 Sunday Times Bestseller 2025 by Sandra Roycroft-Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was one of those Facebook adverts (yes I know), I was looking for a way to lose weight (yet again) and was put off by the high prices charged by things like Noom and Zoe - when I saw that Slimpod was much cheaper and had a ten day trial period I decided to give it a go. Its like no other weight loss journey (because you are not on a diet) and so when I heard that Sandra had written a book I thought I would buy it.

First, the content is very similar to the coaching videos that you get if you subscribe so it is reinforcing those messages for me rather than new ideas. However, you do get a personal story from someone who has used the techniques to reclaim their health, happiness and/or weight at the end of practically every chapter which is nice (and they aren't all twenty-somethings who wanted to lose seven pounds).

I'm sure lots of people will read the book and feel empowered without needing to subscribe to the pods. However, for me it was an add-on to the subscription (and the lovely pods from our Trevor). It helps you think about why you 'fall off the wagon' on diets, why you binge eat, why you are drawn to sweet foods, alcohol, and chocolate instead of (say) a carrot and the impact of all those failed diets on your subconscious.

Very easy to read with x-refs to the technical studies.

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Review: Hell Bent

Hell Bent by Rosalind James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Anastasia Alexandra Glucksburg-Thompkins (Alix) is a descendant of royalty, an ersatz princess as she describes it, her grandmother was a princess and she is distantly related (and named after) members of the Russian royal family. Living and working in the Bay Area as an intern financial adviser for a P/E firm while studying for a degree at Stanford, engaged to the CFO of a tech company.

Sebastian Robillard is (probably) the oldest rookie in American football, After starting his career playing soccer in England, he is now a kicker in American football and has just been traded to the Portland Devils - starting over once more.

Sebastian and Alix first meet at a swanky restaurant where Alix's fiancé Ned's boss creates a scene, gets drunk and tries to drive his girlfriend home. Sebastian offers to get her an Uber, and after she slips and sprains an ankle he offers to take her to a pharmacy to get bandages.

The second time they meet is ten miles outside Portland in a convenience store. Alix has just walked out of her wedding, her internship, and Stanford. She's got a job as an electrician in Portland where she'll be living in a caravan (her own, which is called a Fifth Wheel?) and she is buying food whilst dressed in her reception dress. Sebastian is driving to his new accommodation but has rescued a dog that its owner just abandoned at a petrol station.

The third time they meet Sebastian is accompanying his new teammate (our old friend Harlan) to inspect a data centre (which Alix is helping to build) in which he has invested. Deciding this is fate, Sebastian asks Alix out, but they don't even get to go on a first date before life throws a spanner in the works, Sebastian's sister is dying and she has asked Sebastian to take on her teenage son Ben so he doesn't have to nurse her while she's dying.

Between them Alix and Sebastian have more baggage than Louis Vuitton but at heart they are good people. They weather family issues, work issues, and health issues stronger than ever.

Loved this so much I went back and re-read the first three books in the series.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

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