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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Review: Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol by Allen Carr
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I read Allen Carr's How to Stop Smoking over 20 years ago - and did. So when I wanted to cut back on my alcohol I thought this would be the ideal book.

Unfortunately, I came to the conclusion that just repeating something in a domineering tone of voice does not make it true. I fundamentally disagreed with some of the things that were said which meant I didn't 'get' the message - and my only recourse is to keep rereading the book until I agree :(

Given this is not a new book I think I am safe to say the central premise of the book is that alcohol is poison. No-one in the history of the world has ever liked the taste of alcohol at first but we force ourselves to get used to it because 90% of people drink alcohol (which I am not sure is a valid statistic, but whatever). Either you are on the slippery slope to addiction and losing everything or you are only drinking to fit in with society (gran who only has a sherry at Christmas). AA is wrong to say you are an alcoholic for life but in fact everyone is addicted and we are just lying to ourselves - again the argument is that saying things like 'I can take it or leave it' means you are addicted because why wouldn't you leave it seems like a fallacy - I can take or leave fillet steak, my husband loves it so we eat it more often that I would choose but I don't hate it and on a rare occasion I do fancy a fillet steak and will order it/cook it. That doesn't mean I am addicted to fillet steak.

Also saying that we have to dilute the taste of neat alcohol to make it more palatable (because its poison) is like saying diluting anything concentrate is wrong.

Then he says that no-one can tell the difference between cheap and expensive alcohol (and we are all just pretending/snobs) fundamentally misses the point and suggests his taste buds are seriously deficient - like it or loathe it different wines/spirits taste different and can change again when paired with food. I think if you substitute the word pepper (or maybe chilli) for alcohol in this book you would see that many of his arguments would apply equally.

He seems to argue that if you don't drink all the time (eg when driving) then why would you drink at all - it must be because you are actually an alcoholic you just don't know it. Now I don't ascribe to the belief that alcoholics have something different in their make-up to so-called 'normal' people which makes them addicts and others not, but this argument seems equally as odd.

Finally, he seems to say this can completely cure you of ever wanting to drink alcohol again, immediately, you will no longer be an addict, no cravings (or if there are you are fooling yourself), yet you must never have another drink. Allen Carr references the tale of The Emperor's New Clothes in this book and for me this felt like a similar thing - if you don't believe then you are fooling yourself like the Emperor.

Overall, not convinced.

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Review: Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol by Allen Carr
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I read Allen Carr's How to Stop Smoking over 20 years ago - and did. So when I wanted to cut back on my alcohol I thought this would be the ideal book.

Unfortunately, I came to the conclusion that just repeating something in a domineering tone of voice does not make it true. I fundamentally disagreed with some of the things that were said which meant I didn't 'get' the message - and my only recourse is to keep rereading the book until I agree :(

Given this is not a new book I think I am safe to say the central premise of the book is that alcohol is poison. No-one in the history of the world has ever liked the taste of alcohol at first but we force ourselves to get used to it because 90% of people drink alcohol (which I am not sure is a valid statistic, but whatever). Either you are on the slippery slope to addiction and losing everything or you are only drinking to fit in with society (gran who only has a sherry at Christmas). AA is wrong to say you are an alcoholic for life but in fact everyone is addicted and we are just lying to ourselves - again the argument is that saying things like 'I can take it or leave it' means you are addicted because why wouldn't you leave it seems like a fallacy - I can take or leave fillet steak, my husband loves it so we eat it more often that I would choose but I don't hate it and on a rare occasion I do fancy a fillet steak and will order it/cook it. That doesn't mean I am addicted to fillet steak.

Also saying that we have to dilute the taste of neat alcohol to make it more palatable (because its poison) is like saying diluting anything concentrate is wrong.

Then he says that no-one can tell the difference between cheap and expensive alcohol (and we are all just pretending/snobs) fundamentally misses the point and suggests his taste buds are seriously deficient - like it or loathe it different wines/spirits taste different and can change again when paired with food. I think if you substitute the word pepper (or maybe chilli) for alcohol in this book you would see that many of his arguments would apply equally.

He seems to argue that if you don't drink all the time (eg when driving) then why would you drink at all - it must be because you are actually an alcoholic you just don't know it. Now I don't ascribe to the belief that alcoholics have something different in their make-up to so-called 'normal' people which makes them addicts and others not, but this argument seems equally as odd.

Finally, he seems to say this can completely cure you of ever wanting to drink alcohol again, immediately, you will no longer be an addict, no cravings (or if there are you are fooling yourself), yet you must never have another drink. Allen Carr references the tale of The Emperor's New Clothes in this book and for me this felt like a similar thing - if you don't believe then you are fooling yourself like the Emperor.

Overall, not convinced.

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Review: The Graham Effect

The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pretty formulaic college sports romance with all the YA/NA cliches.

Luke Ryder is the sexy handsome taciturn ice hockey player who gets the girl without even trying, his former college Eastwood has gone bust and the team has been transferred wholesale to their biggest rival Briar - now he and his teammates are fighting their rivals for their positions. To make things worse, his teammates have nominated him cocaptain just because he's their strongest player and he has no desire to lead. Even worse, he's late for his first day of official practice, in front of Garrett Graham, because his one-night stand switched off his alarm clock! Now everyone thinks he's a slacker when normally he's the first on the ice.

Gigi Graham is the daughter of former Briar legend Garrett Graham and she is determined to get a place on the Women's USA hockey team and play at the Olympics - its the only thing her dad hasn't done! But when she discovers that the new Team USA coach is the father of a girl who has gone scorched earth on her she knows it's going to be an uphill battle, especially when he cites her 'issues' behind the goal as being her weak spot.

Ryder and Gigi clashed a few years back, he thought she was a figure skater and ordered her off the ice (of the rink her father funded), when they meet up again she seems to be the only woman immune to his charms, especially when he points out that she's weak behind goal. But maybe the two of them can help each other out; he can coach Gigi on her weak spot and she can put in a good word for Ryder with her dad?

Throw in a few cliches like a cheating boyfriend (yep, the other cocaptain) who her father adores, a secret family, rich girl/poor boy, a reputation for a bad temper that isn't deserved, in-team aggro, and exhibitionist behaviour and you have a steamy YA/NA romance.

Could have done with more hockey TBH.

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Review: Out of Time

Out of Time by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book opens with a terrible crime, one that has been covered up for years ... until now!

Meanwhile, a (recently) dead dinosaur has been found washed up beside a river in Wales and the Time Police have been sent to investigate, and a routine St Mary's expedition to discover what really happened to Romulus (founder of Rome) uncovers a kidnapping by a member of the Time Police. Throw in rogue AI, some bad-ass librarians, the Princes in the Tower, an evil villain and Team Weird and this is yet another fabulous Time Police romp featuring all our favourite characters.

I only wish I was disciplined enough to reread the previous books so I could remember all the details.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Ordeals

The Ordeals by Rachel Greenlaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sophia DeWinter wants to escape her blood oath to her cruel uncle The Collector and reasons the only way to do so is to be accepted into Killmarth, an elite academy for magic users, entry to which severs any other magical ties.

Entry into the academy requires passing a brutal entrance Ordeal, followed by a series of equally harrowing challenges to narrow down the field before final acceptance. In addition, someone is clearly trying to improve their odds by brutally murdering other hopefuls.

Pitted against third or fourth generation hopefuls, some of whose families founded Killmarth, Sophia will need all the cunning she learned on the streets to even the odds.

Can Sophia survive the Ordeals?

This is The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter meets Fourth Wing. I loved it, devoured it in a day. Yes, it's pretty obvious where this is heading almost from the start, but what a ride!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: All of Us Murderers

All of Us Murderers by K.J. Charles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zeb Wyckham is persuaded by his cousin Wynn to visit him at his country estate Lackaday House on Dartmoor, hoping that this cousin will be less horrible than the rest of his relatives. But on arrival the stately home looks like a gothic nightmare, the staff are surly, Zeb's ex Gideon (who loathes him) is Cousin Wynn's assistant, and the icing on the cake is that Zeb's obnoxious older brother Bram and his supercilious wife Elise, and his tiresome cousin Hawley are also guests.

Then cousin Wynn drops a bombshell, he has discovered a hitherto unknown cousin, Jessamine, an unfortunate girl who was the culmination of several girls having illegitimate babies, and he is determined to do right by her, by giving his home and fortune to the Wyckham cousin she marries [cue duh, duh, duh music].

Trapped with a group of people he detests, first by a promise to his cousin, and then by the treacherous Dartmoor mists, Zeb is increasingly bewildered by the talk of a curse on the Wyckham men and claims of mysterious monks roaming the corridors. None of his relatives will believe him when he says he has no intention of marrying Jessamine and greed is making everyone paranoid.

When people start disappearing and dying can Zeb escape alive?

This was wonderful, totally OTT and evocative of all those gothic romances with crypts and dungeons and hooded faceless spooks gliding around. Loved every page of it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Life She Could Have Lived: A heartwarming, life-affirming love story about fate, friendship and the power of one little word – perfect for fans of One Day and Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Life She Could Have Lived: A heartwarming, life-affirming love story about fate, friendship and the power of one little word – perfect for fans of One Day and Taylor Jenkins Reid by Laura Pearson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Anna goes on a wonderful date with a guy called James, then never hears from him again. On 5 June 1992, her best friend Mia takes her to a fortune teller who tells Mia she will have one love and one child, and Anna that she will be with a man whose name begins with J who works in the food industry.

Fast forward eight years, it's Anna's first wedding anniversary to Edward, an investment banker and he suggests they have a baby. This is where Anna's life splits, in one universe she agrees, in the other she says no. We catch up with each version of Anna on her anniversary each year to see how her life changes based on that one decision. But not just hers, those around her too.

This is billed as One Day meets Sliding Doors, which it totally is. The downside is that so many things happen from year to year that you don't see, marriages, deaths, divorces, affairs, and because you are seeing two Annas it feels like you are skimming the surface, never really connecting properly.

Trying not to be spoilery, I don't know what the message was supposed to be, that your one true love might just be a matter of the time and the circumstances?

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Christmas at Hollybush Farm

Christmas at Hollybush Farm by Jo Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jemima Jones works for a chain of hotels, planning events and holiday celebrations alongside her boyfriend Matthew who manages one of the hotels. The two of them have been given the opportunity to open and run the latest hotel in Seattle, so they have popped home to see Jemima's father on his farm to celebrate an early Christmas before the season kicks in properly. But when they arrive Jemima's father has had some sort of episode and the farm is in dire straits. Jemima has no choice but to pull on her (pink) wellies and muck in, she might have left the farm behind but she loves it too much to let it go.

But it's not just Hollybush Farm, the entire community is struggling, local shops have closed, people are on zero hours contracts, or unemployed. Jemima's father has been supplying potatoes from the farm cash-in-hand to the local café, which does a black-market trade in jacket potatoes rather than the microwave burgers and fries the new owner has put on the menu.

Frustrated that her family could have to give up the farm, or at least sell the land to developers for solar panels, and horrified that she was guilty of perpetuating the cheap food at any cost ethos, Jemima vents her frustration with a reel on social media. Soon she has accumulated a following, they call her the Social Shepherdess, and when the landlord closes the local café because he has sold it to a chain only a few weeks before Christmas the community comes together in protest.

This was sweet, heart-warming, and a perfect cosy Christmas small-town story. Very Jo Thomas. I must admit cynical me did wonder how someone could afford to run a generator but not be able to pay for a jacket potato for lunch, and wonder who was buying the ingredients for all the fillings, but that's a minor point.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Revolve

Revolve by Bal Khabra
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two and a half stars.

Sierra Romanova is an Olympic hopeful whose figure skating dreams were crushed after a lift went wrong and left her in a coma, with scarring, and PTSD. She's trying to get back on the ice but she keeps getting flashbacks, added to which her boyfriend/skating partner not only dropped her literally but also figuratively personally AND professionally. Also, this late in the season there are no male skaters available to partner with.

Dylan Donovan is the good-looking party frat boy of the hockey team, but a weak moment after he hears some family news has led to a failed drugs test which gets him kicked off the team and puts his career in the NHL in jeopardy. A little known fact about Dylan is that he and his little sister Ada used to compete in figure skating, until they realised the person they were trying to impress never bothered to show up.

A deal is done, Dylan can skate ... if he agrees to partner Sierra.

This is a riff on the 1990s classic film The Cutting Edge and subsequent spin-offs. Its an opposites attract, enemies from the get-go, YA/NA romance. There was nothing wrong with the story, although I'm guessing this is part of a series as there seemed to be a lot of things that happened 'off stage', presumably in previous books, other than a lack of skating.

However, as the book went on I became more disturbed by the intimate scenes. I 'get' that possessiveness and being unable to keep your hands off someone is meant to be attractive but it just screamed red flag to me. Dylan tells her what to wear (and what not), not to answer her phone, he talks about breaking through anything to get to her, ruining her pussy (ouch), he slaps her thighs, pulling her fistful of her hair and yanking her back, saying she fucks like a porn star, and talks about stuffing her full of his cock - and a lot of this happens in just one scene! I 100% accept I am not the target demographic for this novel but this sort of thing worries me because it excuses abusive and controlling behaviour as 'love' and places unrealistic expectations on women.

So what would have been a pleasant enough three and a half stars got downgraded to two and a half stars because of the red flags and also because there was too much angst. She's got PTSD and doesn't think anyone would like her if they knew what she was really like. His parents are in an abusive relationship and he doesn't feel that anyone would like him unless he plays the class clown.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Revolve

Revolve by Bal Khabra
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two and a half stars.

Sierra Romanova is an Olympic hopeful whose figure skating dreams were crushed after a lift went wrong and left her in a coma, with scarring, and PTSD. She's trying to get back on the ice but she keeps getting flashbacks, added to which her boyfriend/skating partner not only dropped her literally but also figuratively personally AND professionally. Also, this late in the season there are no male skaters available to partner with.

Dylan Donovan is the good-looking party frat boy of the hockey team, but a weak moment after he hears some family news has led to a failed drugs test which gets him kicked off the team and puts his career in the NHL in jeopardy. A little known fact about Dylan is that he and his little sister Ada used to compete in figure skating, until they realised the person they were trying to impress never bothered to show up.

A deal is done, Dylan can skate ... if he agrees to partner Sierra.

This is a riff on the 1990s classic film The Cutting Edge and subsequent spin-offs. Its an opposites attract, enemies from the get-go, YA/NA romance. There was nothing wrong with the story, although I'm guessing this is part of a series as there seemed to be a lot of things that happened 'off stage', presumably in previous books, other than a lack of skating.

However, as the book went on I became more disturbed by the intimate scenes. I 'get' that possessiveness and being unable to keep your hands off someone is meant to be attractive but it just screamed red flag to me. Dylan tells her what to wear (and what not), not to answer her phone, he talks about breaking through anything to get to her, ruining her pussy (ouch), he slaps her thighs, pulling her fistful of her hair and yanking her back, saying she fucks like a porn star, and talks about stuffing her full of his cock - and a lot of this happens in just one scene! I 100% accept I am not the target demographic for this novel but this sort of thing worries me because it excuses abusive and controlling behaviour as 'love' and places unrealistic expectations on women.

So what would have been a pleasant enough three and a half stars got downgraded to two and a half stars because of the red flags and also because there was too much angst. She's got PTSD and doesn't think anyone would like her if they knew what she was really like. His parents are in an abusive relationship and he doesn't feel that anyone would like him unless he plays the class clown.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: A Very Merry Murder

A Very Merry Murder by Kate Wells
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jude Gray runs Malvern Farm, she has rented out her land for a beloved tv show (think Countryfile meets Richard and Judy) to do a live broadcast over a week just before Christmas. However charming the husband and wife who present the show may seem on the small screen, in real life they seem to be at odds with each other, and he may be having an affair with one of the camera operators. The director is a sleaze who tries to take advantage of women on the crew, the assistant director is a bully, and there is clearly tension between the wife in the presenting couple and the rest of the crew.

While Jude is being interviewed live on the first day one of the presenters nearly dies from anaphylactic shock after being given a cup of coffee which contains peanuts. Days later the camerawoman is dead. Was the death a tragic accident? Was she the intended victim, or was she mistaken for the female lead whose caravan she was using?

This is the sixth book in the series, but the first one I have read. It was the epitome of a cosy read, with Jude working hand-in-glove with two local detectives to solve the case whilst also taking her nephew sledging in the snow and helping her sister plan her Boxing Day wedding. I'd say I guessed the murderer but TBH everyone came under suspicion one way or another so there was an open field.

Pleasant, cosy, small town murder mystery.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club: The compelling mystery series set at the dawn of the Cold War

Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club: The compelling mystery series set at the dawn of the Cold War by Mary-Jane Riley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Its 1948. After a war spent in the Resistance with the Secret Operations Executive, Beattie Cavendish has joined GCHQ and her first mission is to cosy up to Ashley Bowen, son of the Conservative politician and cabinet minister Ralph Bowen, because Ralph is suspected of being a communist sympathiser and could be passing secrets to Moscow.

When looking for clues in the Bowen's London house, Beattie stumbles across the body of the Bowen's young housekeeper Sofia in the study, with her throat cut.

Patrick Corrigan was special forces in the war and has the scars, a missing eye, and a limp to prove it. Now, an Irishman living in London, he's scratching a living as a private detective, following errant husbands and the like. Edwina Bowen hired Patrick to follow her husband Ralph for several nights, where he was seen to enter a club (The White Pearl Club) owned by a pair of Russians and known for prostitutes and homosexuals, then Edwina calls off the case, she no longer wants Ralph followed, turning up at the Bowen's mansion for an explanation Corrigan is narrowly stopped from being a convenient scapegoat for a detective who clearly wants to clear this up as quietly as possible.

In their own ways Beattie and Corrigan are incensed that a powerful family can just hush-up the death of an employee and are determined to uncover who killed this young Jewish woman who had escaped Nazi Germany with her younger brother while only a child herself and was trying to build a new life in England.

This started slow for me, nut it picked up speed and I enjoyed the to and fro as Beattie and Corrigan tried to understand how Sofia and the White Pearl club are connected, who is trying to hush things up, and who is trying to put them off the scent.

I would definitely be interested in reading more if this were a series.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.


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Review: Stranger in the Village

Stranger in the Village by H.L. Marsay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At the end of the first book (view spoiler)[the body of Lucy's husband Rupert has been found in a cave, and the local MP had been arrested for stalking and threatening Lucy. Former London detective Jo, who is desperate to get back to the Big Smoke has evidence that Lucy hit Rupert with a spade on the night he disappeared, but she and Rachel swear he was alive when she left him, he was certainly gone when Rachel went back to retrieve the spade (hide spoiler)].

Meera and Rob return from their holiday in Scotland more loved up than ever, until Meera hears that a strange man has been hanging around the school asking about her son. Meera has an unexpected visitor.

Lucy seems to be making headway with booking weddings and filming at the Hall, until she finds out about the Inheritance Tax due following Rupert's official death, and gets a nasty surprise about their expenditure and also has an unexpected visitor.

Rachel is over her crush on Lucy and is loved up with the archaeologist Sarah, unfortunately Sarah has gone to Peru for the summer on a dig, but Rachel can't leave her mother, who seems to be getting increasingly forgetful.

Jo and Jack, the local publican, are getting friendly, he definitely wants more but he is just so nice (not her usual type) and she doesn't plan to stay in Hartwell so she is keeping him at arm's length, until an unexpected visitor makes her reassess her decisions.

This is the second book in a trilogy but so much happens you don't really notice its progressing lots of stories but not necessarily resolving any of them. Almost everyone has an unexpected visitor (aka stranger), some good, some not so much, but all of which are a catalyst for change.

Very enjoyable, might have to reread the third book to find out what happens - especially the secret behind Jo's necklace.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Bookfunnel.

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Review: One More Time

One More Time by Emily S. Morris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lucy is a professor at a small town university, on track for tenure. She is in Las Vegas for her daughter's week-long wedding extravaganza. Lucy's first ex-husband (yep, there are three) is a hedge fund millionaire who has bankrolled the entire wedding - hence why Lucy and her daughter (and most of the guests) are staying in a super high-end Vegas hotel in the sort of suite usually only for the mega rich. Despite the money being thrown at the party and the hiring of a wedding planner, Lucy is juggling willy toys and trying to find her room key when she literally bumps into Nicky Broome, lead singer of global rock band Super, who also happens to be her high school crush, who ghosted her after one incredible night together. Despite it being 28 years since they last spoke, and there is a 'thing' about that, Nicky and Lucy immediately recognise each other and are just as madly in love/lust as they were when they were teenagers.

Cue lots of flashbacks to discover how Lucy and Nicky broke up and the big secret they are keeping. There is some good stuff about the 1990s (mixtapes and the like) and also a lot of references to music/musicians - which may or may not appeal to readers.

Lucy has a sassy straight-talking BFF (since high school) who likes to give her advice at every opportunity, and her daughter isn't averse to putting Lucy into awkward situations eg inviting all three ex-husbands to be at the wedding!

Nicky didn't really get any character, he was a bit of a cardboard cut-out and because of that, of course he can't have any personal growth or change of heart it all has to come from Lucy. There is a reason why Lucy has three ex-husbands but it gave me the ick. Overall, I think there were lots of things that only seemed to be in the book to make a scene/plot device work rather than being integral to the plot (eg Lucy's ex-husband being so rich).

I found my biggest bugbear with this book was it wasn't really sure what it wanted to be. The cover gave off Annabel Monaghan vibes, but Lucy wasn't like one of her heroines. It sort of went down a 1990s music nostalgia route, like Nick Hornby, then dropped it. It wasn't spicy or sweet enough to fall into one category or another. There was a lot of personality dissection as if it were women's fiction, but then it had the rockstar romance in Vegas rom-com vibe.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: One More Time

One More Time by Emily S. Morris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lucy is a professor at a small town university, on track for tenure. She is in Las Vegas for her daughter's week-long wedding extravaganza. Lucy's first ex-husband (yep, there are three) is a hedge fund millionaire who has bankrolled the entire wedding - hence why Lucy and her daughter (and most of the guests) are staying in a super high-end Vegas hotel in the sort of suite usually only for the mega rich. Despite the money being thrown at the party and the hiring of a wedding planner, Lucy is juggling willy toys and trying to find her room key when she literally bumps into Nicky Broome, lead singer of global rock band Super, who also happens to be her high school crush, who ghosted her after one incredible night together. Despite it being 28 years since they last spoke, and there is a 'thing' about that, Nicky and Lucy immediately recognise each other and are just as madly in love/lust as they were when they were teenagers.

Cue lots of flashbacks to discover how Lucy and Nicky broke up and the big secret they are keeping. There is some good stuff about the 1990s (mixtapes and the like) and also a lot of references to music/musicians - which may or may not appeal to readers.

Lucy has a sassy straight-talking BFF (since high school) who likes to give her advice at every opportunity, and her daughter isn't averse to putting Lucy into awkward situations eg inviting all three ex-husbands to be at the wedding!

Nicky didn't really get any character, he was a bit of a cardboard cut-out and because of that, of course he can't have any personal growth or change of heart it all has to come from Lucy. There is a reason why Lucy has three ex-husbands but it gave me the ick. Overall, I think there were lots of things that only seemed to be in the book to make a scene/plot device work rather than being integral to the plot (eg Lucy's ex-husband being so rich).

I found my biggest bugbear with this book was it wasn't really sure what it wanted to be. The cover gave off Annabel Monaghan vibes, but Lucy wasn't like one of her heroines. It sort of went down a 1990s music nostalgia route, like Nick Hornby, then dropped it. It wasn't spicy or sweet enough to fall into one category or another. There was a lot of personality dissection as if it were women's fiction, but then it had the rockstar romance in Vegas rom-com vibe.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Inheritance

The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where to start?

In a universe very similar to this one, a decade ago Earth suddenly starting spouting interdimensional breaches from which fantastical alien creatures were let loose creating havoc and killing indiscriminately. At the same time, in some kind of symbiotic yin yang situation, humans started developing new talents. They discovered that the breaches could be entered and mined for exotic minerals and plants to use against the creatures, they could also close the breach by destroying the thing which locked onto the earth.

Adaline is one of those new talented people, her marriage broke down after the first breach, her husband couldn't hack it and left her with two small children, now she works for the government, her new Talent' is that she can identify substances like metals and plants which are of use to Earth - she is one of the most valuable people who enters a breach.

But on what should have been a routine mission everything goes wrong, and the 'Tank' who was supposed to protect her with his life traps her in the breach in his haste to escape vicious creatures that kill the other team members. Alone, with only a German Shepherd puppy as company, Ada must find a way to leave the breach and get home to her children.

Meanwhile, the head of the Guild which was awarded the breach by the government must investigate how all but two team members were killed and how to recover the bodies of the other team members. They also need to understand how the Tank could have left behind the most important member of the team.

This started as a free serial on Ilona Andrews' webpage, but like everything else they do it snowballed and became a whole book, and the start of a series LOL. If you read the weekly instalments as I did then there is very little new here, but I can't wait for the next book - bet this turns into a six book series!

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Review: The Best of All

The Best of All by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zoe Valentine is an accountant, after divorcing her narcissistic lawyer husband she bought a house next door to her best friend Amie and her husband Chris. Chris and Amie have recently died in a car crash and she is looking after their two-year old daughter Mira.

Liam Davies is an Englishman playing American football. Little does he know that his best friend Chris has awarded him joint custody of Mira with Zoe in his will. Liam has never wanted a family, he hated his own father, who played football (or soccer) for a Premier League club, and hates that he looks the spitting image of his father. I notice that in this and the previous book both men have Daddy issues BTW. At first Liam refuses to have anything to do with Mira, he just wants to write Zoe a check, but eventually he agrees to help and moves into Chris and Amie's spare room.

Liam and Zoe met over a decade ago at Chris and Amie's house, Liam was instantly smitten but pulled away the minute he saw her engagement ring, then when he met her fiancé he instantly realised the guy was a tool and made some very rude comments to Zoe which he couldn't walk back. Since then whenever they meet it has been antagonistic, even after her divorce, because Liam still has feelings for her.

Another belter, with a cute moppet thrown in for good measure.

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Review: The Best Laid Plans

The Best Laid Plans by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Burke Barrett was a football player for Dallas until his knee blew out. He really only played to keep his father happy and is secretly relieved that his father's death and his own injury have meant he can stop living someone else's dream. He intends to move to Florida, where he's just bought his sister and her twins a house, and figure out what to do with the rest of his life.

Then life deals him a bitter blow. His best friend, possibly his only friend, Chris and his wife Amie die in a car accident and he discovers that they have left him a dilapidated house in Michigan. The house belonged to Chris's grandparents, Burke even visited it once with Chris for his grandfather's funeral, and it had been a lifelong wish that he could buy it back for the family. Chris and his wife had embarked on a long project of renovating the house prior to their deaths.

Burke can't believe that his best friend would put him in this position, Chris knew how much Burke hated living someone else's dreams and now he is forcing Burke to put off his own plans and take on Chris' plans for the house.

Charlotte Cunningham is an expert in managing the restoration of old houses, but after Chris and Amie's deaths the money dried up and her contractor went to another job. When she hears that Burke has inherited the house she is desperate to get him on board with her passion project.

Burke might delight in pushing Charlotte's buttons at every opportunity but he can't deny the sparks that fly between them - maybe a fling with an expiry date is in order?

Loved it. Sassy romance, just the right amount of smoulder to plot balance, love a tortured man and a woman who knows what she wants.

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Review: Murder by Firelight

Murder by Firelight by Merryn Allingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Flora and Jack are living in Lewes several days a week while he is lecturing at the college, but Flora is keen to get back to Abbeymead and her book shop, All's Well' which is being looked after in her absence by her assistant Rose. It's Bonfire Night, a very special night in Lewes where different societies compete to build effigies of current or historical characters which they place on top of floats and parade around the town before setting them alight.

However, this Bonfire Night in 1959 one of the people standing and waving on top of the floats suddenly falls off right in front of Flora and Jack, as they struggle to help him Jack discovers that the victim, Trevor French, is bleeding heavily and may have been stabbed. When Mr French dies in hospital Flora tries to distance them from the investigation. but Jack feels a certain responsibility, especially when he discovers that his friend Detective Inspector Alan Ridley is on leave and his replacement seems determined to arrest Jack's neighbour Leo Nelson, who is renting Jack's old cottage.

I have read the first two books in this series and found them pleasant, cosy, historical mysteries, I may have complained about the pair's detection being more following up notions and jumping to conclusions previously and there is some of that here, although they do both acknowledge that they got everything wrong this time. Also, last time I complained about Flora racing in to find evidence at a suspect's house and putting herself in danger - this time it's Jack who does something stupid!

Anyway, an enjoyable mystery set in a part of the world I know quite well.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.


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Review: Betrayal at the Old Hall

Betrayal at the Old Hall by H.L. Marsay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lady Lucy Hanley's errant husband Rupert went missing on the first day of the COVID lockdowns and hasn't been seen since. She's been trying to manage a crumbling stately home and her son alone ever since. Her husband's estate manager, Max, a local boy with pretensions, is helping her to find new tenants for two cottages on the estate which may help with cashflow.

Lucy's best friend is Rachel, the local primary schoolteacher and Max's sister-in-law. She's been madly in love with Lucy for years, but Lucy is oblivious.

Dr Meera Kumar and her young son move into one cottage, her husband is back in India and they have separated, although her family have trouble believing it.

The other cottage is taken by Detective Sergeant Jo Ormond, a former London detective she made a big mistake and rather than be demoted she accepted a sideways move, not realising it would send her to a small Yorkshire town where nothing much happens.

Despite their different backgrounds the four women become friends, but they each have secrets and when Rupert's body is discovered Jo has to decide between what could be her ticket back to London and her friends.

I received an ARC of the third book in the series and really enjoyed it, so when I saw that this was free (sadly no longer), I picked it up. Despite knowing what really happened the night Rupert disappeared I enjoyed the build up and seeing the characters get to know each other. On to the second book now!

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Review: Murder at Cottonwood Creek

Murder at Cottonwood Creek by Clara McKenna
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two and a half stars.

Stella and Viscount 'Lyndy' Lyndhurst go to Montana to visit her mother Katherine whose husband Ned is hosting Lyndy's father, Lord Atherly on a paleoethological dig for fossils of long extinct creatures. Although theirs was a love match it can't be denied that Stella's fortune rescued Lyndy's family from the brink that his father's mismanagement of the estate had brought them, now the estate is in Lady Atherly's hands and Lord Atherly is happy as a pig in clover.

Then one night the man that was guarding the dig is found dead in a creek bed, was it an accident as the town coroner insists, or was it murder? Throw in professional rivalries with another palaeontologist, a journalist desperate for a scoop, an unscrupulous coroner who is looking to sell a parcel of land, a gold mine, and horse rustling and you've got yourself a good old fashioned cowboy mystery.

Except you haven't. This was really odd, it was as if all the interesting things happened off stage (Lord Atherly disappears twice and *bang* he's found - what was the point?). It felt like the real story was in another book. Also, I've only read two of the seven books, but their family lives are getting VERY complicated. Overall a lot of detection which led nowhere, other than red herrings, and a disappointing discovery of the murderer by chance.

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Review: Looking for Group

Looking for Group by Alexis Hall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Drew is in college studying design, he hopes to be a game designer one day. Although he loves playing MMORPG he also loves sports and hanging out with his diverse group of friends playing board games and talking trash. Then he realises that he is no longer enjoying playing his favourite game Heroes of Legend (HoL) with his current team after he loses his rag at a teammate taking a weapon that he needed. By chance he comes across a very different team, one who enjoy the game for its own sake and not just for climbing the rankings and racing through the levels.

Drew is particularly taken with Kit, a healer in his new team and starts to fall for her online, only to discover than 'she' is in real life (IRL) a shy guy who lives much of his life online. Shock over, Drew and Kit start to fall for each other IRL but they are so different, can they make it work?

This didn't really work for me - I think part of the problem is that there are a ton of footnotes which just do not work well on a Kindle so 50% of the time I had no idea what people were doing/saying. I would say this would go over the head of anyone who hasn't done at least a little MMORPG and the in-game chat became a little irritating. I loved Drew and Kit and I found their 'tiff' very easy to understand from both sides but as a non-gamer the rest was lost on me.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The More Deceived

The More Deceived by David Roberts
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Its 1937 and Lord Edward Corinth is asked by his friend in the Secret Service to investigate how Winston Churchill is getting access to top secret information about Britain's defensive capabilities, possibly from a sympathiser in the Foreign Office.

Invited to dine with Churchill and some friends, Edward soon comes to believe that Churchill is right about how unprepared Britain is for war, although he doesn't 100% trust him, or his cronies, but then one of the men in the Foreign Office department which collates data about arms sales in the UK is found hanged under one of London's bridges, the body is a parody of a suicide, with the man's umbrella hanging jauntily from his arm - who would kill him and why?

Meanwhile, Verity is still in Spain and Edward can't help but be terrified for her safety.

I struggled with this book, there was sooo much history/politics and the mystery sort of got buried underneath it all. Sitting here a day later I honestly don't understand how Edward got a clue to solve the murder and I feel this is my issue with the series as a whole, the detection isn't Sherlock Holmes levels of deviousness, or piecing together several innocuous pieces of evidence so that the reader mentally slaps their head and says 'why didn't I get that?', its just 'hunh? How did he come to that conclusion?'.

Also, Edward's thoughts about Verity are very odd - not sure if its David Roberts' thoughts or him trying to imagine what an aristocrat would think in the 1930s about a free spirited woman but it just jars (and no I can't think of an example - will highlight in the next book if it happens).

I have been seduced by the new covers (they are gorgeous) but with this one I am wondering - where was the train in the story?

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Review: The Wishing Game

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lucy Hart had a very unhappy childhood and fell into a relationship with her college professor which also ended under a cloud. Now, saddled with debt, she is working as a teaching assistant in California. She cares deeply for one of her charges, a little seven year old boy called Christopher who has also had a traumatic childhood, and she is desperate to foster him but with poor housing, no car, and huge debts the odds are stacked against her.

Jack Masterson was a children's author who wrote a best-selling series of novels called Clock Island, a real island in Maine. But suddenly after writing over forty books he stopped and hasn't written anything for years. His books were a lifeline to Lucy and she has read them to young Christopher. The books feature children who venture to the island and have to solve a series of riddles and puzzles to get their wishes to come true.

Then one day Jack announces (very Willy Wonka) that he has written a new book, but there is only one copy, to be won by someone from a small group of personally invited guests. Each one of his books sells tens of millions of copies so this prize could make the winner rich beyond their wildest dreams.

Knowing that her only realistic chance of being able to foster Christopher is to win the prize (and also being beyond excited that there is a new book to read), Lucy is ecstatic when she receives an invitation, but the game will test her to the limit.

I loved this, miles too short, should have been at least 1,000 pages longer, wonderful, whimsical, charming, and sad. Currently only 99p on Amazon UK.

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Review: Outlier

Outlier by Susie Tate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book we've all been waiting for, Vicky and Mike.

Vicky is neurally diverse, a genius who makes millions for her clients, she has no understanding of social skills. It didn't help that she was the product of an affair between the late Duke of Buckingham and (obviously) Vicky's mother who hoped to trap him into marriage. Deemed 'difficult' by her mother, Vicky was dumped on Margot (Lady Harding) for the summer when she was only six years old, already barely speaking a word. Obviously her half-siblings were appalled and Margot wasn't thrilled to have the evidence of her husband's infidelity staring her right in the face. Now, as an adult people think she's weird, too intense, and too beautiful. Her beauty intimidates both men and women and they interpret her shyness as being too good for the rest of them and call her the Ice Princess. What no-one realises is that Vicky agrees with everyone that she is weird, she doesn't think she's loveable, and she remains convinced that her 'friends' are just being kind and/or have to be friendly because they work for her or are related in some way.

The only man Vicky has ever been attracted to is Mike Mayweather, a skilled artisan carpenter who makes bespoke furniture, his sister Lucy is married to Vicky's half-brother Ollie. He is aware of Vicky's interest in him but assumes she is posh totty looking for a bit of rough. Accordingly, he is rude to Vicky and turns down her tentative request for a date, thinking it was far more sordid.

If you've read the two previous books in the series (and if you haven't, do it now), you'll know what happens, Ollie and his on/off girlfriend Lottie get distracted at a party and fail to get Vicky out before the fireworks go off. Vicky reacts like she's at the Battle of the Somme and Mike is the only one there to protect/help her which brings out his protective instincts. Then Margot lets slip that she is the secret investor in Mike's business and if he doesn't 'woo' Vicky she will pull the plug, she does it for all the right reasons but we just know it's going to bite Mike on the bum LOL.

Once Mike starts to understand where Vicky is coming from he is intrigued, he is a bit obsessive about things too so the way she can talk about hedgehogs for hours on end is interesting to him.

I did enjoy this but it was very sad, my heart broke for Vicky, and so I would say I didn't like it as much as Gold Digger (mind you I did stay reading it (and the bonus epilogue) all night until I'd finished).

I received an ARC from the author via BookFunnel.




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Review: Not Quite a Wife

Not Quite a Wife by Mary Jo Putney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Laurel Herbert fell in love with her brother's best friend when they first met and they married in a whirlwind shortly afterwards. After a fairy-tale honeymoon of a year travelling Europe they returned to England where the romance turned to dust after her husband, James, Lord Kirkland, killed a man who had broken into their house with his bare hands.

Laurel fled London and returned to Bristol where she and her brother set up a charitable clinic helping the poor. Despite being a spy master and knowing where Laurel is living, James refrains from seeking her out. Then one day, a decade after their short-lived marriage, while in Bristol on business James is taken ill with a bout of malaria and, whilst incapacitated, beaten and robbed in the street. Two passers-by charitably carry him to Laurel's clinic where she is astonished to see her husband's face. For his part, James thinks he is hallucinating, one thing leads to another and of course Laurel ends up pregnant. James is determined to be involved in his son or daughter's life and proposes a reconciliation, but Laurel initially resists and insists she intends to spend the majority of her time in Bristol while James is in London. But the passion between them can't be ignored and soon they are as much in love as they ever were. But can Laurel get over the fact that James has killed a man?

Honestly, I love MJP as an author but this was a hard read. Laurel is a Methodist but even that doesn't really explain why she ran away from her husband when he killed an intruder. Frankly she was just irritating and poor James had the patience of a saint. Also, this is the sixth book in the series (I've only read one other) and there is a really dire bit in the middle where James introduces Laurel to all his friends and their wives and then one by one each of the wives admits that they too have killed a man - totally ridiculous.

Most definitely not one of her better books IMHO.

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Review: Lessons in Heartbreak

Lessons in Heartbreak by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ruby is a small town librarian. As an only child, from a young age she was always the responsible one, the one who stayed home at weekends, always handed her homework in on time, commuted to college, never had a one-night stand. After a massive health scare she has resigned herself to living alone but lately she has felt as though she is missing out on something ... not love, marriage, and children but at least some sort of love affair at least. Her best friend Lauren (who is one of those obnoxious BFFs that seem only to exist in romantic comedy novels) is trying to force Ruby out of her comfort zone (because a huge dildo as a birthday present is 100% the way to gently ease someone into trying romance LOL) and persuades her to try an escort service.

Griffin King is a pro football player, after speaking rather too candidly to a journalist about his feelings for his twin brother Barrett (who is a football coach) his agent has sent him to spend a few weeks away from the spotlight at his house in Welling Springs, Colorado before the announcement that he has signed for Denver. Griffin and Barrett were always rivals, something their father encouraged, but they fell into good boy/bad boy stereotypes, Barrett was always (like Ruby) the one who worked hard, studied hard, listened to the coaches and his teachers, while Griffin played hard and leant into every stereotype of the college football hero.

Griffin and Barrett used to live next door to Ruby as children, until her family moved away. Bored of being stuck in a mansion alone, he wanders into the local coffee shop where Ruby has arranged to meet her escort. Griffin is dressed the same way as her escort and Ruby jumps to wrong conclusion, particularly because Griffin recognises her and greets her by name.

However, once the snafu is revealed Ruby decides that she feels more comfortable with Griffin that with the escort she chose and asked Griffin to teach her the ways of seduction. He's only in town for a few weeks so it is perfect for both of them.

Navigating the code words for romance novels is a nightmare. The latest one is 'spicy' which, based on this book, I would guess means a cosy small-town romance with a few smexy scenes but nothing raunchy.

Anyway, I liked this, nothing earth-shatteringly different but everything was well done and a fun read.

Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

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Review: The Murder at World’s End

The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephen Pike has been invited to take a position as second footman at Tithe Hall, a remote stately home on a Cornish island. He has just been released from Borstal after serving two years for a gang fight in a Bow pub. An orphan whose only living relative died while he was in Borstal, he knows that this is his last chance to redeem himself.

When Stephen arrives he finds that the house is boarded up, yet there are family, guests and staff inside. The owner, Lord Conrad Stockingham-Welt firmly believes that Halley's Comet will bring death and destruction to the World and the only way to survive is to seal everyone inside the house until it has passed over.

Stephen is immediately set to boarding up fireplaces, locking people in their rooms, sealing locks with wax and stuffing wadding around door frames etc (although thinking about it, if the house is sealed from the outside why do they also need to seal people up individually as well?). Then he his handed the poison chalice of being forced to look after Miss Decima Stockingham, a foul-mouthed elderly woman who resides in a separate wing of the house and has terrorised all the maids.

Much to his surprise, Miss Decima pooh-poohs Conrad's fears and instead insists that Stephen take her outside so that she can chart the comet's progress across the sky.

The next morning when Stephen, the first footman Lowen, and the butler Mr Stokes start unsealing the rooms Stephen makes a grisly discovery. Conrad has been murdered by a crossbolt through the eye ... in a sealed room (duh duh duh). Stephen is terrified, as the newest member of staff, with a criminal record he is obviously going to be the primary suspect, something which is borne out when the police inspector arrives from the mainland. Only Miss Decima believes him and together they set out to discover who killed Conrad and why. Was it his cousin Edwin Welt, MP, who expects to inherit the money and the house on Conrad's death? Or his cousin Read Admiral Jolyon Welt, the alcoholic? Of Lettice Welt, who has allegedly seen off her husband, daughter and son-in-law? Or Lettice's grandson the foul Gilbert? What about Conrad's German friend and co-founder of his Halley's Comet society Professor Wolf Muller? What about one of the servants?

This is a good old-fashioned, locked-room mystery. Loved it. Plenty of obnoxious suspects. Plenty of red herrings. Lots of accusations, dead fish, a suit of armour, a maze, missing laundry, a change of will.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Well, This Is Awkward: A story of Family Misunderstandings, Midlife Malaise, and Mildly Terrifying Teenagers

Well, This Is Awkward: A story of Family Misunderstandings, Midlife Malaise, and Mildly Terrifying Teenagers by Esther Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mairéad is living her best life, head of a influencer talent agency which she sold to a US group for a pile of money, single, her own immaculate flat, impeccable hair, make-up and clothes.

Then she receives a call, her estranged elder sister has been hospitalised and there is no-one to look after her eleven year old daughter Sunny. As her daughter's name suggests, Mairéad's sister is a bit of a hippy, living off-grid, eschewing modern medicines as poison, protesting pretty much everything, and home-schooling Sunny. Mairéad's mother Helen is more interested in her lodgers than either of her daughters or her granddaughter, plus to Mairéad's knowledge she hasn't left her house in years.

So reluctantly, Mairéad agrees to take charge of her niece. Sunny still sucks her thumb, hates being touched, rarely wears shoes, and frankly smells. Her arrival completely throws Mairéad through a loop (hoop?) and necessitates huge changes to her life.

I really enjoyed this, although I thought Mairéad was incredibly dense at some points, it was heart warming and life affirming without the misogynist undertones that successful single women are all really deeply unhappy and would feel happier if they became full-time mothers which I see/feel in many books/films where a career woman suddenly acquires a child. My only gripe(s) was that the end felt a little rushed - there was an issue, it got solved in a few pages, there were some seeds of new beginnings and BOOM the end. I could have read on and on and on.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The White Octopus Hotel

The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Its 2015, Eve Shaw lives a lonely existence, she is haunted by the death of her younger sister Bella at only two years of age, a death for which she feels responsible. She is nicknamed the Black Widow by her colleagues at the Auction House where she works because of her propensity for wearing black clothing at all times, usually a polo-neck jumper, little do they know it is to hide her octopus tattoo which has an unusual habit of crawling around her body and sometimes peeking over her clothing.

Then a mysterious old man, who happens to share the name of her favourite composer Max Everly, who died decades ago, visits her at the auction house, presses a gift of a ceramic octopus into her hand, makes some cryptic remarks and later dies on the steps of the building.

After purchasing an antique tea-set with an octopus motif at a flea market, Eve shows it to a colleague who hazards a guess that it may have come from the fabled White Octopus Hotel in Switzerland, which closed suddenly in 1935. Owned by the reclusive painter Victor Roth, the hotel was claimed to contain numerous magical items, including writing paper which would allow the writer to send a letter to the past.

When Eve enters the derelict hotel a magical key whisks her back to 1935, when the hotel was in its art deco heyday, where she meets a young Max Everly who had convalesced at the hotel in 1918 after developing a septic wound. Whilst staying at the hotel he fell in love with a young British nurse called ... Eve Shaw.

This book took me on a wonderful, fantastical journey, from 2015 to 1935 and 1918, a doomed cross time romance, historical traumas that can't be undone, a scavenger hunt, and a magical hotel with hidden rooms.

I loved it and I could totally see it as a film.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.


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