Review: Murder at Christmas

Murder at Christmas by T.A. Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Christmas is approaching and Dan and his wife Anna are planning to spend it with her daughter in Northern Italy when Dan gets a call from an old friend inviting them to spend a few days at a luxurious Alpine chalet. The only catch, the host believes that his life is in danger and wants Dan to investigate.

When Dan and Anna arrive at the chalet they discover their host Bartolomeo is the CEO of a famous sports clothing and equipment company, Dan's friend Serena is a famous actress who he is trying to persuade to be the face of their sportwear. The other guests include Bartolomeo's brother and his wife, the finance director of the company and his wife, Bartolomeo's son and his wife, Bartolomeo's daughter, and the widow of Bartolomeo's partner. The staff consist of a husband and wife who cook and look after the chalet and Bartolomeo's assistant.

Bartolomeo believes his life is in danger because he does not believe that his partner's death only a few weeks earlier was an accident, despite the police ruling that way. He is concerned that someone wants to take control of the company by killing him as well. At dinner the first night it is clear that there are numerous tensions around the table and their host appears to be a bit of a letch.

When Dan finds Bartolomeo's dead body in the snow, killed by a blow to the head off a protruding rock it is unclear whether he fell (perhaps when drunk) and hit his head, committed suicide by jumping off a cliff and hitting his head on the way down, or was pushed. The more that Dan delves the murkier things get and it seems he and Anna might be the only ones without a motive for wanting Bartolomeo dead.

Yet another engrossing mystery featuring a former Met Police DCI and his trusty dog Oscar, enjoy the descriptions of the food and try to puzzle out what really happened.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Escape to Lighthouse Cove: The BRAND NEW romantic coastal escape from million-copy bestseller Kate Hewitt for 2026

Escape to Lighthouse Cove: The BRAND NEW romantic coastal escape from million-copy bestseller Kate Hewitt for 2026 by Kate Hewitt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Grace flees New York with her six year old son Jacob after her abusive ex-husband creates a big scandal about her that everyone believes, and takes an unpaid job as warden at a nature reserve on Lighthouse Cove Island in Maine (as an aside, I always have problems typing Kate Hewitt's series names - not sure why). Grace knew it was remote with only twelve inhabitants, but when she finally arrives it is to find that there are even fewer people as one family has left.

Nevertheless, she and Jacob (who has stopped speaking for some reason) settle down, the cottage set aside for the warden has been renovated and the old man who greets Grace, Isaiah, has filled it with food and drink - just as well since there is no shop on the island.

The island is owned by the Lawrence family, although none of the family has lived there for twenty years, or so they say. In fact, Noah Lawrence has been living as a recluse on the island for 18 months, ever since his brother died.

Although Noah has no desire to meet Grace or Jacob fate, and Isaiah, have other ideas and soon Noah is giving Jacob chess lessons. Grace is attracted to Noah, but he is far too similar to her ex-husband (a finance bro) for her to get involved. Noah on the other hand has his own demons and doesn't feel he can get involved with Grace. Can these two help to heal each other?

This was pleasant enough, there were no real surprises but it was an enjoyable read and I raced through it in less than a day. Fans of Kate Hewitt will not be disappointed.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Playing His Game

Playing His Game by Ashlyn Kane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Moritz 'Mo' Du Pont is a poor little rich guy. His absentee parents own the Arizona Canyons, an ice hockey team, and they have wilfully used his being gay to show how liberal they are, particularly when signing Adam Murphy the league's first openly gay player. While Mo embraces his inner queen and loves to camp it up, Adam is the opposite, even when he dyed his hair rainbow for pride it was muted colours. Mo nicknames Adam Captain Cardboard for looking like a superhero and always parroting the party line. For his part, Adam thinks Mo looks down on him. Every time they meet the animosity is palpable.

One night while out with them team celebrating a victory, Adam runs into Mo, very drunk, who blames Adam for Mo's friends going off clubbing with Adam's teammates instead of staying and celebrating Mo's birthday. In his drunken anger Mo stumbles and falls into Adam. The next day the internet is full of pictures of the two of them in what looks like an embrace. Called into his parents' office Mo panics and says they are dating ... surprisingly Adam backs him in the lie. Now the two of them must publish a statement and suffer a series of cute curated dates to help restore the team's reputation.

This is catnip I tell ya. Hot ice hockey players, opposites attract, enemies to love. fake dating? Just take all my money. And THIS DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I loved Mo and I loved Adam. I loved a cute Christmas. Also, there were kittens.

I haven't read anything by these authors before but I would definitely read more.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Twist of Fate

Twist of Fate by Sally Rigby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Sebastian Clifford and his partner Lucinda 'Birdie' Bird are called in by the local police to assist with a series of robberies which are confounding the detectives. Each household had a (different) state of the art security system and CCTV, yet none of the alarms were tripped. The thieves entered the houses when the owners were known to be away from home and only stole selected items, sometimes leaving more valuable pieces behind. Short of an invisibility pill, they can't work how the thieves managed it.

Obvious things like security systems, staff, suppliers etc have all been cross-checked and no similarities are emerging. Even worse, as they probe deeper it seems that several of the victims had hosted events at their homes in the weeks preceding the robberies, potentially widening the pool of suspects.

Meanwhile, Seb's daughter Keira is back from university, distraught because her boyfriend has ditched their travel plans for some work experience. Then she discovers an old school friend has had a social media makeover and is now an influencer - one who attended at least one of the events preceding the robbery. But is her gentle questioning about to get her in too deep?

I enjoyed this, it is only the second book I have read in the series but it is an enjoyable detective story of the cosy variety. I think in the previous book I felt he relied a bit too much on being a member of the aristocracy to gain him introductions, but while he used his father's name to get a meeting there was nothing jarring in this book. Also the fact that the police requested their assistance meant Seb and Birdie had access to forensics and CCTV camera footage.

Overall, a pleasant mystery that had enough red herrings and suspects to keep me guessing.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse

Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jade has lived with her Scottish grandmother and Italian Nonno since she was a baby. Her mother left immediately and her father Giovanni was always a free spirit, drifting here and there, so his parents looked after Jade. After her Nonno died, Jade and her grandmother ran a small four storey guesthouse in Como, Italy with the help of a few staff. Jade always assumed that she would inherit the guesthouse when her grandmother died, as her father (who his mother called Joey) had agreed to relinquish any claim he might have.

However, when her grandmother does die, Jade discovers that feckless Joey had two other daughters by two different women, her grandmother knew but Joey had forbidden her contacting them. Under Italian law, Jade's two hitherto unknown half-sisters are each entitled to one-third of the guesthouse.

Leo was Jade's first love, his parents run a larger hotel in Como, which they bought from Jade's grandparents. Jade always assumed the two of them would get married and live in Como but Leo felt stifled and wanted to travel, making a name for himself rather than taking over the family business, or working for his parents. Leo spent four years in the UK building up his own hotel with his girlfriend Isabella, until she brought her father Teddy into the business. Since Teddy's arrival Leo has been excluded and overruled two to one so often that in the end, his relationship in ruins, he agreed to let them buy him out and he has returned home to Italy to lick his wounds and figure out what to do next.

Will Jade lose the guesthouse? Will the two old flames rekindle? Will Leo stay in Como?

I have to confess I love Sue Moorcroft's UK-based novels but I am never that enthralled with the ones set overseas. Nevertheless, each time I request an ARC thinking maybe this one will be different. I don't know why I feel so meh about the overseas books ... maybe its that they lack the touch of grit?

Anyway, this was pleasant enough, there were numerous surprises/shocks along the way but overall I was just left with a vague feeling of lovely weather, lovely food, and an inevitable romance that was never in doubt. However, the less cynical will probably love it - recommended for a holiday read (or maybe dead of winter when you fancy reading about an Italian summer).

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: All You Had To Do Was Stay

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

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Conflict of Interest

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Hopeless Romantics

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

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Christmas In July

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

DNF at 51%.

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via BookSirens.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

View all my reviews

Review: A Fragile Mercy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Wild and Wanted

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

DNF at 51%.

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

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Wild and Wanted

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

DNF at 51%.

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

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: The Rebound

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

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

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

DNF at 68%.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Ask Me What I’m Reading

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley,

View all my reviews

Review: Murder at the Country Fair

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

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

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: From Blood and Ash

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

Three and a half stars.

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.


View all my reviews

Review: Fall for Me

Fall for Me by Camilla Isley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Peyton flees her wedding at the last minute, escaping in a corseted wedding dress with only her phone. She ends up in the small town of Blue Crescent Harbor where she is almost killed by a man driving a fancy motorbike too fast down the deserted main street. After a heated exchange of insults the man rides off leaving Peyton by the side of the road.

The rider was Liam Rockwood, running incredibly late to a cocktail party at his family's luxurious hotel. However, by the time he arrives, despite his injuries, he starts to feel sorry for the runaway bride and sends a town car to find her and take her wherever she wants to go - not realising that Peyton was in fact trying to reach the hotel to stay the night. When they run into each other in the lobby, while Peyton is trying to check in he puts her in the bridal suite to get rid of her - but the rumour mill goes crazy and Liam's father assumes that Peyton is Liam's new wife. Liam has been unfairly branded a playboy billionaire because an ex took a candid photo of him while sleeping and posted it on social media, since which Liam's father has never let him forget it. When his father is happy that Liam has decided to settle down Liam doesn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

Meanwhile, Peyton's fiancé has shown his controlling and manipulative streak. He threatens to sue Peyton's parents (who run a small CPA practice) for half the cost of the lavish wedding he and his parents insisted on, gets Peyton fired, and generally intends to make her life a misery. Can you see where this is going yet? Liam offers to rescue Peyton from her fiancé's vindictiveness if she will agree to marry him for maybe five years so that his father finally relinquishes control of the business to him.

I'm a sucker for a fake marriage, small-town billionaire romance complete with hay mazes and pumpkin carving. This was enjoyable, nothing I haven't read before but I would happily read it again.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Fall for Me

Fall for Me by Camilla Isley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Peyton flees her wedding at the last minute, escaping in a corseted wedding dress with only her phone. She ends up in the small town of Blue Crescent Harbor where she is almost killed by a man driving a fancy motorbike too fast down the deserted main street. After a heated exchange of insults the man rides off leaving Peyton by the side of the road.

The rider was Liam Rockwood, running incredibly late to a cocktail party at his family's luxurious hotel. However, by the time he arrives, despite his injuries, he starts to feel sorry for the runaway bride and sends a town car to find her and take her wherever she wants to go - not realising that Peyton was in fact trying to reach the hotel to stay the night. When they run into each other in the lobby, while Peyton is trying to check in he puts her in the bridal suite to get rid of her - but the rumour mill goes crazy and Liam's father assumes that Peyton is Liam's new wife. Liam has been unfairly branded a playboy billionaire because an ex took a candid photo of him while sleeping and posted it on social media, since which Liam's father has never let him forget it. When his father is happy that Liam has decided to settle down Liam doesn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

Meanwhile, Peyton's fiancé has shown his controlling and manipulative streak. He threatens to sue Peyton's parents (who run a small CPA practice) for half the cost of the lavish wedding he and his parents insisted on, gets Peyton fired, and generally intends to make her life a misery. Can you see where this is going yet? Liam offers to rescue Peyton from her fiancé's vindictiveness if she will agree to marry him for maybe five years so that his father finally relinquishes control of the business to him.

I'm a sucker for a fake marriage, small-town billionaire romance complete with hay mazes and pumpkin carving. This was enjoyable, nothing I haven't read before but I would happily read it again.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: The Clew Bay Detective

The Clew Bay Detective by Pam Lecky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Ali Brennan left Dublin and her job in a thriving landscape gardening business to set up a satellite office in Westport on Ireland's west coast after she broke up with her boyfriend. He was a police officer and never home, but the final straw was when he decided to apply for a job abroad with Interpol without consulting her and just blithely assumed Ali would either be happy with a long-distance relationship or give up her career to move to a foreign country where she would presumably see even less of him than ever. Unfortunately Aidan had become part of the family and Ali's brother and sister are alternating between helicoptering her to make sure she is okay and bringing Aidan up in conversation as often as possible.

While Ali is trying to set up the business she is staying in a cottage in the grounds of her aunt's hotel free of charge in return for doing a bit of DIY. Whilst visiting her aunt at the hotel and getting a tour of the grounds Ali runs into John Clifford-Murphy, a wealthy Londoner who has recently moved to Westport, and his second wife, who Ali knew whilst she was at college.

Not long after their meeting, the small town is rocked by the news that John, a diabetic has gone missing and his wife is worried that without his insulin he could die. A few days later they discover the worst has happened, John's body has been found in a derelict shack on an uninhabited island in Clew Bay. John was an enthusiastic amateur photographer and had gone to the island to photograph seals, the police assume he either forgot his insulin or perhaps lost it alongside his phone and suffered a fatal hypo attack.

However, John's widow is not convinced. John had suffered a hypo once previously and it had made him ultra-vigilant about carrying his insulin, she claims he would never have forgotten to take it with him and he always put it in his camera bag when out photographing wildlife. So she turns to Ali and begs her to investigate John's death. Now here's the bit I don't understand, why Ali? True the local police have ruled it death by misadventure and the widow doesn't really know anyone in Westport very well but other than remembering Ali from a decade ago, what qualifications does Ali have?

Anyway, aside from that niggle there are plenty of suspects to choose from. John was not well-liked, not least because of his autocratic nature, his decision to withdraw fishing rights from the locals to sell as part of a plan to set up a fishing holiday business. He also had a reputation of being a letch. Then of course there is his first wife's mother, his son and daughter, and of course the widow - they possibly all had motives.

But just as Ali is getting stuck into detecting, aided by her nephew, who has been sent by Ali's sister to intern with Ali for the summer, and a local policewoman who used to work with Ali's ex, Aidan himself turns up ordering Ali back to Dublin and claiming that she has put her own life in danger by acting irresponsibly.

I enjoyed this, there were lots of suspects, a bit of suspense, but it also felt that there were too many plots, Aidan's investigation, their relationship, Ali's investigation, other secrets that emerged etc.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: A Morbid Passion

A Morbid Passion by Robert Holtom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Selby Bigge and his friend Theodora Smythe are invited to dinner with Doctor Fortescue, his wife Helena, and their two sons Percy and Lancelot. Doctor Fortescue believes he can 'cure' men of unnatural perversions and his first case was none other than his eldest son Lancelot who is now happily engaged to Jacqueline. However, there seem to be some tensions at the table and with the servants centring on the annual Servants Ball which is taking place that evening at the Royal Albert Hall. The ball has become a mecca for members of the LGBTQIA+ community (not just servants) to be themselves, whilst others wear fancy dress or even clothes borrowed from their master/mistress.

Later that evening, while Selby and Theo attend said ball they see Lancelot dressed as a Harlequin and clearly just as homosexual as he ever was. At various times during the evening Selby catches glimpses of Lance, arguing with another man in a Plague Doctor costume, and talking to one of his servants, Grace.

But the next morning there is shocking news, Lance has been found dead and his faithful servant Reginald is missing, along with Lance's car. It seems Selby and Theo have another murder to solve.

This was another enjoyable mystery interspersed with historical facts about life as a homosexual in 1930. The abuse, the secrecy, the fear - all represented as part of the story, as well as the bizarre societies promoting the sterilisation of 'unworthy' individuals!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Glow Job

Glow Job by Kristen Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ben is a chef in a London restaurant he and his three sisters own. His uncle Lorenzo dies and leaves Ben his villa in Ibiza. His uncle was a larger than life character who held hedonistic parties, although the villa has deteriorated over the past few years. Ben goes out to fix up the villa and his sisters suggest he should run it as a holiday destination, maybe offering spa treatments, or gastronomic tours.

Ben's first three guests are three very different women. Zara is a married mother of three teenagers, having just had a less than satisfactory family holiday in which she threw everyone's phones in the pool she is looking for a week of relaxation and pampering and wine. Chloe is an architect who bears the brunt of all the work in the department while her colleagues swan around and take the credit. She hasn't had a holiday for years and is almost at breaking point. She just wants to decompress. Finally Jess, a harassed mother of small twins, she also had a recent family holiday which was just the same as being at home (feeding babies, cleaning up after babies, etc) and she just needs a rest and to learn to love herself again.

Ben is winging it a bit, the villa is spectacular and he has brought it back to all its glory, he knows how to cook fantastic meals using local produce, everything else he will make up as he goes along.

With goats in the pool, a naturalist beach, a naked Spaniard in goggles and flippers, a fight, a wedding, inappropriate gift bags, and an unexpected guest the week is full of surprises, not least the fact that kindly Ben manages to help each of the women regain their natural glow.

This was a perfect summer beach read. Loved it.

I received a book from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Father Material

Father Material by Alexis Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oliver and Luc are still madly enough despite being polar opposites. But are they ready for the ultimate responsibility ... being parents?

I wont go into too many details. Suffice it to say Alex still doesn't understand the concept of a joke, Bridge and Ben are having a baby, the James Royce-Royces are 'those parents', Priya and her throuple are just as angry and bolshie as ever, CRAPP is (as ever) in dire need of funds and its patron has just died.

We may have waited a looooong time for this final book in the trilogy but it does not disappoint. Luc may be older but if he's wiser he's keeping it very quiet. And we may just have found something that Oliver isn't innately good at. We laugh, we cry, they swear a lot (despite the children), there's wanton violence, and a poo book (a log log if you will).

I adored every page.

View all my reviews

Review: The Castle in the Glen

The Castle in the Glen by Rhys Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emma Callander is a young Australian woman working in London for a publishing house, she has written one quite successful novel and is struggling to find a subject for the second. In fact, after her last relationship ended she has been thinking about returning to Australia, even if there is nothing/no-one there for her.

Then her boss takes her with him to see one of the publisher's biggest clients, fellow Australian Iris Blackburn. Iris has started writing a new book featuring her famous Scottish detective but she is suffering from dementia and can no longer finish it. Iris asks Emma if she will finish the book for her. At first Emma is horrified, she doesn't really like the books (too gritty) and for an unknown author to attempt to write about an iconic character feels like sacrilege. But once she starts reading the first few chapters Emma is hooked, this is very different to the other books, it is Inspector Melrose's first case, the murder of a young woman on the Isle of Skye.

Iris insists Emma goes to Skye to get a feel for the island, but there Emma discovers the case might not be fiction, because many of the events in Iris's draft took place, just in 1904 rather than in the 1930s. Yet the events were so disturbing that people still remember it.

Although I guessed what had happened, and why, fairly early on it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book or how the mystery unravelled.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Not His Girlfriend (Yet): 4 1/2 Dates and a Fracture

Not His Girlfriend (Yet): 4 1/2 Dates and a Fracture by M.T. Liu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nora Chen and Ethan Morin have been on four and a half dates when a freak accident lands Ethan in the hospital with a broken pelvis. Is she his girlfriend? They've only kissed twice and one of those was an accident.

Nora feels like she has to be perfect all the time. She spends hours before every date getting ready, plastering on make-up so she always looks pristine. Carefully schooling her features, her voice, even her breathing. Always scared that her authentic self is too much, too big, too loud.

Ethan is a firefighter who feels like he has to downplay everything and is afraid to ask anyone for anything (including help) because when he leans on someone they always leave.

Can forced proximity face these two lost souls to drop the façade and be real?

This is a difficult book to review, I see from NetGalley that it is a novella (although it didn't feel that way reading it) and it sort of makes sense because there's a whole lot of nothing much happening and not a lot of backstory as to why Nora and Ethan feel they have to behave the way they do. Also, I'm not sure on what grounds they fall in love. It was pleasant enough but I wasn't enthralled enough to download the free epilogue.

View all my reviews

Review: Echoes of Infamy

Echoes of Infamy by Shaina Steinberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Evelyn Bishop is the President of Bishop Aeronautical, whilst breaking ground on the site of her new factory a Japanese American man makes a fuss claiming that the land was stolen from his family. As a former WW2 spy for OSS, Evelyn and her husband Nick Gallagher (a former police detective turned PI) are keen to investigate - the last thing she needs is her company, which has many contracts with the US military, to be accused of shady dealing.

Nick and Evelyn's investigations uncover widespread fraud, while Japanese Americans were being rounded up and interned during WW2 someone was pretending to be the landowner and selling the land to an unscrupulous developer. The next thing they know the developer's dead body is found on their construction site. Could their client be responsible? Or given his business dealings could it be one of his other victims?

Meanwhile, Nick discovers a relative he never knew he had and Evelyn finds she may be nurturing a viper in her bosom at work.

I did not realise when I requested this ARC that it was the third in a series, I just loved the cover, however I don't think you need to have read the other two books to follow this one.

I liked the work politics aspects of this book, I also liked the murder investigation, and Nick's family troubles. I found the detail about the appalling behaviour towards the Japanese interns interesting, and similarly the witch hunts for homosexuals in the FBI. However, when all of this got put together it felt like too much and as a consequence I thought the discovery of the identity of the murderer was just too easy - almost as easy as if they had just confessed out of the blue. Also Evelyn and Nick felt too twenty-first century with their values (trying not to be specific because of 'things' that happen or try to suggest I don't 100% agree with those values - I just don't think it would have been the default back then).

This was sold as being for readers of Allison Montclair, Jacqueline Winspear, and Ashley Weaver, but I'm not sure its there yet. Anyway, it was pleasant enough and I would definitely read another book in the series.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Romantic Hero

Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Gertie Bickerstaff is a writer, she has written four successful books in a series about a small town in Texas, but since her boyfriend Henry said he wanted 'a break' she has had writer's block and her deadline is looming. Add that to the imminent anniversary of her sister Josie's death, and Gertie is at breaking point. In desperation she agrees to her neighbour's batty idea to perform a manifestation ceremony, in which Gertie wishes for help finishing her book, but also to get Henry back.

Unfortunately, what Gerties gets is a half-naked cowboy with an attitude appearing in her flat. The impossible thing is, he's the stock villain in her book series River Oakley, ridiculously good-looking lothario who tries to thwart Gertie's heroine at every turn.

Whilst River's appearance isn't exactly what Gertie was expecting, she assumes that he must have been manifested to help her win back Henry, after which her writer's block will presumably vanish and so will River. The trouble is the more Gertie gets to know River, the more she discovers he is not the two-dimensional character she wrote, he's funny, and kind, and muscular, with fabulous hair, and the cutest dimple. But he needs to return to his life, before a developer buys up land near his farm so romance is off the cards, or is it?

This took a while for me to get into and I could have done without Gertie's neighbour, but it was an enjoyable escapist read. I may have a question about travel between Texas and London but overall I would say a solid summer feel-good read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Osric Mordaunt is an assassin, a member of the Fyren Order. A lifetime of blows has damaged his seith (a magical ability which is enhanced through study and initiation into a magical order and the bestowing of a brand on the palm once the student graduates), the only person who might (and only might) be able to cure him before he loses his ability and is culled by his own Order, is Aurienne Fairhrim, a member of the Haelen Order - sworn enemies of the Fyren Order.

Aurienne's Order is one of healing, and she is one of their best, they are currently battling a pox which is spreading quickly and only seems to affect children, particularly the poor. They have petitioned the various rulers of the Kingdoms but they have so far received little help in funding a vaccination to prevent the pox. Osric tries to persuade, trick, and threaten Aurienne to look for a cure for his sickness without success so in desperation he offers to fund the full twenty million thrymsas required to fund the vaccine.

Two sworn enemies forced to deal with each other in pursuit of a mystical cure (which may not exist), cue plenty of smutty innuendo, witty sniping, many many violent deaths, and a begrudging attraction.

I absolutely loved this, funny, engaging, with great characters. Just be aware that this is part one (of two) and therefore not everything is resolved. I have already requested the second book from NetGalley.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Murder on the Pilgrims Way

Murder on the Pilgrims Way by Julie Wassmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Dolly is taking Pearl on holiday - but it's a surprise. They are staying at a recently renovated manor house owned by an Italian woman called Simona. She previously owned a similar establishment in Italy but had to sell it to pay off her ne'er-do-well husband Jake. Dolly and Pearl are two of the first guests of the Villa Pellegrini as it has been renamed, alongside several of Simona's close friends and her godfather Marshall, who happens to be an old friend of Dolly's. There's the rather brash Australian Lydia and her English fiancé Steve, former model Georgina, Dolly and Pearl, Simona's friend the slightly fey Anemone, close friend and wine buff Frank, and the staff Robert and his wife Maria.

Although initially charmed by the fabulous manor house on the banks of the river, Pearl is annoyed to discover that the weekend is billed as a weekend with celebrity chef Nico Caruso, as an instinctive chef herself, Pearl has no desire to be 'taught' recipes, especially by someone whose restaurant chain disintegrated in bankruptcy.

First impressions do not change Pearl's mind, Nico sweeps in and dismisses the dinner which Maria has spent all afternoon preparing, insisting that the guests eat something he has brought from Italy. Then later that evening after sparks fly (and not in a good way) across the dinner table the guests are interrupted by a very drunk Jake threatening to haunt Simona and never let her get away from him. After breaking a bottle of liqueur and hitting one of the guests Jake is laid out by Marshall's walking stick and left to sleep it off in the study over night. Unfortunately, the next morning Jake's body is found in the walk-in cold room, beaten around the head with a meat mallet he froze to death.

I enjoyed this until Pearl started her Columbo moment and decided that reading tea leaves would be a good method of identifying the murderer! Also I feel there was an unexplained conversation (or two) about not involving/telling the police that was never addressed or explained.

Anyway, I don't recall seeing this one as part of the tv series, maybe because of the spectacular leap of imagination that is required to identify the murderer based on the 'clues'.

View all my reviews

Review: The Shadow Step: A Detective Miller Novel

The Shadow Step: A Detective Miller Novel by Mark Billingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

DS Declan Miller is a widower, his wife (also a copper) having been murdered. His step-daughter is a drug addict, not unusual in Blackpool, living rough and only occasionally deigning to call or meet Declan.

When a chance meeting in the park between a small-time drug dealer and a mild-mannered former squaddie just walking his dachshund ends up with the drug dealer tripping over his dog and falling into the pond he thinks nothing of it ... until the drug dealer turns out to be dead. Then a series of unfortunate events unfolds. Everyone thinks he killed the drug dealer, including the woman who controls all the drugs in Blackpool, and when his ex-wife's boyfriend is murdered in the front garden of their marital home it seems like he can't surely be innocent again?

This is the third DS Miller book, I haven't read the other two but I did read the final book in the Tom Thorne series (and my review upset my work BFF enormously) and I knew I enjoyed his writing so I jumped at the chance to read this ARC. Totally different, although also a detective who fights for justice - even if it means going against the establishment.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: May Day Murder

May Day Murder by Julie Wassmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Faye Marlow used to be a famous Hollywood actress, but not many people know she came from Whitstable and her real name is Frankie Marshall. Although her fame has waned that doesn't stop Pearl's friend Nathan from inviting her to open the town's May Day festivities, complete with a showing of one of her most famous films. But Faye's appearance has ruffled a lot of feathers, she was a bit of a heartbreaker when she lived in Whitstable and some of her former paramours appear to be falling under her spell again.

First Pearl gets asked to close the restaurant for Faye and her entourage to eat lunch, then to change the venue to the house she has rented for the festivities, then to make special canapes for the evening drinks event. Later Nathan calls Pearl, Faye's diamond ring went missing from the safe, then was found behind a cushion, then Faye herself goes missing ... only to wind up dead, murdered and tied to the Maypole.

These early books are difficult to review because I have seen them on tv so there aren't many surprises. However, I still feel the murderer had a very poor motive and I think others had a much better reason.

Also, I am getting a little irritated by how much Julie Wassmer loves Pearl. I thought the choice of actors for the tv series was strange having read the first book because both Kerry Godliman and Nigel Lindsay are almost exactly the opposite looks wise of the characters in the books but I think it was probably to make them feel more relatable and 'normal'.

Anyway, even knowing the vague story I struggled to see the clues that would lead me to the murderer.



View all my reviews

Review: Just a Highland Fling

Just a Highland Fling by Naina Kumar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Neelu and her mother moved to LA when Neelu was just a child and she has had limited contact with her father, a doctor in Aberdeen ever since a disastrous trip to Scotland when she was ten years old. But for some reason she's travelled to Scotland to attend his wedding, something she knew nothing about only a few weeks ago.

Stopping off at a pub after failing to find her hotel in the pouring rain Neelu encounters a charming desi man, the attraction is instantaneous and mutual, but they agree it can only be one night, no names, no pack drill right? Until they meet the next day at the rehearsal dinner and it turns out that Jacob knows her father and his bride-to-be very well indeed.

When things go wrong at the wedding Jacob blames Neelu, and the two of them end up chauffeuring Neelu's father around the Highlands looking for his runaway bride. Can a one-night stand change your life? Can family forgive the mistakes of the past? Is it too late to start again?

Loved this, loved Jacob and I loved Neelu too, wonderful romantic read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: The Call-Up

The Call-Up by K.C. Carmichael
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Brandon Bouchard is living in the shadow of his gregarious older brother Ander who is the goalie for the Buffalo Blizzards, the team that have already won the Stanley Cup once, while Brandon is still playing college hockey. Then his big chance comes, six weeks before the end of the NHL season he's called up to play for the St Louis Mules. Only problem is ... its the team where Ryan Christianson plays, Brandon's crush when he was fourteen years old and Ryan was billeted with Brandon's parents.

Already apprehensive and scared that he will be sent back to the college team before he's even played a game, or worse that he screws up so badly that he's sent down in disgrace, things don't go well when the first thing out of Ryan's mouth is 'Baby Bouchard' - now he's got an embarrassing nickname straight from day one.

For his part, Ryan has worked hard to hide the fact that he is gay from his teammates and the attraction he feels to Baby Bouchard should be avoided at all costs ... shouldn't it? But with Anders telling Brandon to call Ryan, and telling Ryan to look after his baby brother it seems like family and the fates are bringing them together.

I enjoyed this, but not as much as The Kennedy Effect, maybe I subconsciously felt that calling him 'Baby' Brandon gave too much of a older guy/younger guy vibe when they are only a few years apart in age?

Anyway, lots of hockey stuff that went right over my head, a chance to see Connor and Gavin again, and the Mules are a great team. Can't wait to see what the hints at the end of the book could mean for the next book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Caller Unknown

Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 52%.

Simone is a successful London chef, her daughter Lucy is about to take a position at RADA and they have planned a road-trip/camping trip in Texas before she goes (Lucy was at a singing camp prior to this in Texas for a few weeks). However, in the middle of the first night Lucy is kidnapped. The next morning Lucy's kidnapper has some very explicit instructions for Simone to follow if she ever wants to see her daughter again. The bond between Simone and Lucy is strong, perhaps too strong on Simone's side, there is NOTHING she wouldn't do for her daughter, and that love is about to be tested. Despite her husband Damian's urging to call the police Simone decides to obey the kidnapper ...

I won't spoil what happens next but Simone ends up on the run.

I have absolutely adored Gillian McAllister's previous books and this was an auto request for me when I saw the ARC on NetGalley but despite several attempts I just can't get into it. Maybe because her previous books have had so many twists and turns I was anticipating either Lucy or Damian being behind the kidnapping (not a spoiler as I have no idea who the kidnapper was) and yet halfway in nothing much has grabbed my attention, other than thinking that Simone is actively making a bad situation worse.

So, with reluctance, and recognising that the book has already been published, I am giving up.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Just Watch Me: A Rugby Romance

Just Watch Me: A Rugby Romance by Rosalind James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kane Mahuta, New Zealand Rugby Captain of the Blues and All Black is a widower with three children, his grandmother Maureen lives with him to help with the children.

Skylar Fairburn is a teacher (five year olds), she is a widow with three children and a cat, her grandfather Geoffrey lives with her to help with the children. Skylar (Miss Fairburn) is Kane's youngest daughter Georgia's teacher. When a distressing situation happens with a school rat at Kane's house he calls Miss Fairburn to explain the situation. Little does he know, shortly afterwards he meets Miss Fairburn at a speed-dating night he was dragged to by his sister, a journalist who wants to use him as a 'What Not To Do' humorous article.

When the two of them meet again, this time with Georgia in tow, the attraction is obvious, but relationships between teachers and the parents of children in their class are frowned upon. However, the two families are once more thrust together when it turns out Geoffrey and Maureen have been dating on the sly (having met while dropping off/collecting Kane and Skylar's children), and are now determined to both make it official and offload some of their responsibilities to have some fun.

If you ever watched the Brady Bunch, or the various films titled Yours, Mine, Ours, you can imagine the chaos and bickering that takes place when six children, two grandparents, two parents plus several of Kane's siblings are thrown into the mix.

This was just lovely, I loved Kane, I loved Skylar, the kids were appropriately sulky and delightful in equal measures, it was funny, there were some wonderful romantic scenes, there was drama and danger, a lot of toilet scrubbing (LOL), and some gorgeous holiday homes.

Another winner from the lovely Rosalind James.

I was fortunate enough to be sent an ARC by the author.

View all my reviews

Review: Be My Endgame

Be My Endgame by Zarah Detand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alex Beaufort plays for Liverpool Rovers as a midfielder, son of a Lord he is handsome and charming with a posh accent. He and his parents are at odds, his father thinks Alex should forget playing soccer, which isn't a suitable game for an aristocrat, and get involved in politics. Oh and his father thinks Alex's bisexuality is just a phase (probably to be interesting) and wants him to settle down with a suitable woman from their circles. Alex hasn't told anyone he is bisexual, not even his BFF Jeff, another Liverpool Rovers player, despite Jeff having a gay brother.

Lee Taylor, is Manchester Athletic's top striker, two years older than Alex, the son of a woman with mental health issues, he has had to step up and act as father to his two younger sisters from a very early age after their father walked out on them and his mother couldn't cope. While he was playing football in Italy he was in a relationship with a man, but since returning to the UK he hasn't felt comfortable divulging his sexuality to anyone other than his BFF Oliver, Manchester Athletic's goalkeeper.

The two men met at training camp just before Lee got called up to Manchester Athletic (BTW I guess for legal reasons they can't use the real club names but it really jars) and a chance remark was misinterpreted. Since then they have been adversaries.

When Lee, Oliver, Jeff, and Alex get called up to England's World Cup team for training, the coach's ethos is clear, the players must become a team and resolve all differences, so he forces Lee and Alex to room together and pair up for all one-on-one training sessions.

I have to say I really enjoyed this enemies to love sports romance. Great characters, good pace, lovely love story. I just loved Lee and Alex. Can't wait to read more by Zara Detand.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

View all my reviews

Review: International Relations

International Relations by Zac Hammett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Max is in the running for a promotion to an overseas role as an ambassador (at least ambassador adjacent), but he has been advised that candidates with a stable relationship will fare better. Since Max hasn't had time to date, devoting all his time to his job, his dog, and his dad, this could be a deal-breaker, especially since his closest rival is posh and has the perfect girlfriend.

Hunter is an American actor. His last relationship exploded so spectacularly, due to his boyfriend's jealousy of Hunter's success, that he had to move to the UK to find work. But now his visa is expiring and unless he can find someone to marry him pronto, he'll be deported.

Max approaches Hunter's agent to find him a fake boyfriend to get him through the interviews and she suggests Hunter. The next thing you know, there's a wedding, a weekend at Chevening where candidates are put through their paces, and interviews whilst simultaneously trying to convince the authorities that this is a genuine marriage.

This was pleasant enough but it didn't really grab me, it felt like it wanted to be funnier than it was. Also there were so many characters (eg Hunter's agent Doily and even Max's dad) that in comparison Max and Hunter felt a bit two-dimensional.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: A Perfect Summer in Starshine Cove

A Perfect Summer in Starshine Cove by Debbie Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Suzie never really fit in at home she takes after her mother who wandered Europe in a camper van before finding her true love in Starshine Cove, all she wanted to do was leave while her big brother and little sister loved it there and made a home. The last time Suzie came home was to nurse her mother through her terminal cancer, but after that she couldn't go back, not even for the funerals of her siblings.

But now, at forty-three she's coming home, or at least she thinks she is, presently she's stuck up a tree thinking this used to be easier and procrastinating, because what will her father George say? What about her brother-in-law Aiden? Her sister-in-law Connie? Her nieces and nephews? Will they blame her for staying away so long, for not being there at the time of unimaginable tragedy? In the midst of her procrastination a voice calls up asking if she needs help.

Guy is also procrastinating, he's come to meet someone at Starshine Cove he hasn't seen for many years and he has no idea what reception he will receive. He is very similar to Suzie, first the army then volunteering for NGOs all over the world, he gets itchy feet and doesn't like to stay in one place for long. These two wanderers really want to stay in Starshine Cove this time, but fate might have other ideas and a few surprises up her sleeve.

This is standard Debbie Johnson/Starshine Cove, a small village where everyone pulls together and is in everyone's business, some tragedy and some laughter, lots of cake, a fair amount of booze, and love. If you liked the others, you'll like this one. If you haven't read any before you can start here and if you enjoy small-town romances with quirky characters this is right up your street.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: The Paris Match

The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Since her divorce, Layla has immersed herself in her job as an itinerant medicalist (nope, not a scooby) covering sick and parental leave for months on end in different parts of the USA, the other thing she's done is avoid her former in-laws, and sister-in-law as much as possible, but when her former sister-in-law begs her to come to Paris for her destination wedding, citing 'you promised', she knows she can't avoid them any longer. She meticulously plans which activities she will attend (max 50%) and which outfits she will wear, erring on the bland and beige part of the colour spectrum.

But after the first night out with the bride to be and her chaotic BFF she learns from the cold and snooty Best Man that 'apparently' something Layla said has caused the bride to have cold feet ... and Layla needs to fix this STAT.

Griffin is the groom's best man, it has taken a lot to get him to leave the house and board a plane to France, but he would do anything for his childhood BFF, including paying for most of this wedding, and he is determined that the wedding will go ahead, he's not going to let some bitter ex-wife mess things up. But that might be easier said than done, especially when Layla's ex-husband turns up with his much younger new girlfriend, the groom's parents clearly dislike the Best Man, the bride's mother is passive-aggressive commenting on everyone's clothes, hair, make-up, and need for plastic surgery, the Maid of Honour is getting off with the limo driver, and all the guests are looking pityingly at Layla, wondering how she's coping.

Together Griff and Layla run interference, smoothing over issues, removing awkward moments, and generally getting things on track. But there are plenty of secrets bubbling under and everyone knows a wedding is a time for copious alcohol and regrets.

OMG the angst, it just rolled on and on and on. Why does Griffin feel he needs to do everything for the groom? Why does Layla feel she has to appease her ex-husband's family? Why are they both so pathetic? Other reviews have commented that this is an homage to Paris but I beg to differ, it's just pain and guilt and angst and DRA-MA, it put me off ever wanting to visit Paris.

If you like your romance angst-ridden, dripping with pain and guilt where everyone else is remarkably self-centred and obtuse then this is definitely one for you.


View all my reviews

Review: And Then There Was You

And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Chloe Fairway had high hopes when she was a student at Oxford, an aspiring actress and writer she dreamed of a career in Hollywood, or at least TV. Instead she is a PA in a small publishing house for a boss who seems to think she's a dogsbody. Also, since finally leaving her controlling boyfriend of two years, Chloe is stuck back living with her parents.

When she gets an invitation to the ten year college reunion Chloe doesn't want to go. Her contemporaries seem to all live charmed lives, one married to a professional tennis player, another with two million followers on Insta, another a famous Hollywood director, and yet another a famous musician. Then she runs into an old acquaintance that she barely recognises, the woman has turned from a frumpy dowd into a vibrant attractive woman, and she owes it al to a mysterious exclusive dating agency. In desperation Chloe agrees to join the agency and meets Rob, the man of her dreams, he couldn't be any more perfect for Chloe - everything she ever wanted in a man. Except one thing.

This was fun, an off-the-wall concept, and a cute romance. I'll say no more.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: Murder in Rome

Murder in Rome by T.A. Williams
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Dan Armstrong, former Met police detective turned Private Eye and aspiring author of detective novels, is approached by an English actress, her wealthy uncle has fallen to his death from the tower of his holiday castle just outside Rome, the local police suspect an accident or suicide but she is convinced he was murdered. Dan agrees to travel to Rome with his trusty side-kick Oscar (the Labrador) to investigate, but no sooner has he arrived than a second body is discovered, and this time there can be no doubt that he was murdered.

This appears to be an inside job, the castle is too well secured for a random stranger to be able to walk in and attack someone, moreover since neither victim seems to have defensive wounds it suggests the murderer is someone they know. The castle only had 13 occupants at the time of the first death. The deceased three sons, their three wives and one granddaughter, his only daughter and her boyfriend, his PA, the chef, the housekeeper, and the part-time gardener. But what could be the motive? Could the missing will have something to do with it?

Mr Williams does well to suggest two likely suspects and he kept me guessing right to the end, but once explained the clues were there, dropped like little breadcrumbs for the reader to spot.

Anyway, another lovely cosy mystery complete with marvellous descriptions of the fabulous meals served at the castle.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Review: The Bones of Logan Rock

The Bones of Logan Rock by Sally Rigby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An archaeological dig in Cornwall finds human bones, unfortunately they aren't ancient Roman remains, these bones are only 30 years old.

Detective Inspector Lauren Pengelly and Detective Sergeant Matt Price soon discover the bones belong to a sixteen year old girl, who the Police previously believed had run away from home. Instead, she died at a Summer Solstice beach party in 1996.

What is even stranger is that several of the archaeologists working on the site were also at that party in 1996, being students at the nearby university. Then another body is found. Coincidence? Suicide? Murder?

This was yet another enjoyable mystery for Lauren and Matt, my niggles about her abrasiveness and his too-good-to-be trueness are assuaged - none of that here.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

View all my reviews

Review: Wedding Manner

Wedding Manner by C.G. Macington
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Ice King and the Trauma Cowboy are getting married but Mommie Dearest is determined to make the whole thing a production, despite Max and Jax wanting a small, quiet affair.

Watch as Catherine buys an airline to stop them eloping (and that is just the start), discover what Alistair has been hiding, laugh at the hen weekend group, marvel at the lengths Preston will go to in order to protect Max.

Pleasant enough finale that wraps up the stories. I wouldn't read as a stand-alone, it's madcap and totally bonkers.

Read on mu Kindle Unlimited subscription.

View all my reviews

Review: Second Helpings

Second Helpings by Dylan Morrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Sam Adelson is struggling to keep his family-owned restaurant, Silverman's Deli, open after a vicious review by a famous restaurant critic. more known for bringing down Michelin-starred restaurants than 75 year-old delis in Cleveland. The worst of it is that Sam knows most, if not all, of the review is lies, he's scoured the receipts and there is no record of anyone ordering the particular combination of dishes that were reviewed. Furthermore, he knows there aren't rats or cockroaches.

Then one day a blast from Sam's past walks in the door. Jake Thompson. Sam's childhood sweetheart. A man Sam hasn't seen or heard from in over ten years, although Sam may have cyber-stalked Jake a little in that time. But rather than attack Sam for what happened all those years ago Jake seems more inclined to want to be friends ... or maybe more.

Gradually the reader learns what happened all those years ago, can this couple get over the events of the past and make a life together?

I really enjoyed this, I liked Sam and Jake, but I felt the inevitable conflict was obvious from the start which is why this is a three and a half star review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

View all my reviews