Review: Murder on the Royal Crescent

Murder on the Royal Crescent by Harriet F. Townson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

It is December 1936, Dora Wildwood is a junior librarian at the London Library and an aspiring detective. Her godmother Dreda asks her to go to Bath to see what is wrong with her (Dreda's) brother Lord Frank Meroe and his companion/servant Bridgend. Apparently Frank was recently attacked in the street and when Dreda saw him he looked terrified.

When Dora gets to Bath, specifically the Royal Crescent she discovers that Frank and his neighbours have been friends since childhood, many of them growing up on the Crescent. Bridgend and Frank grew up together, Bridgend actually saved Dreda from the fire which engulfed their ancestral home and between them Bridgend and Frank saved several items from the fire. Caroline and Evangeline Palmer were friends of Frank's and the older half-sisters of Frank's fiancée Daisy who was mysteriously killed on the Crescent in 1916. Pargeter Thicknesse was friends with Frank and his older brother Lord Dursley, an intrepid adventurer in his day, Pargeter was wounded in WW1 and now needs a stick to get around, assisted by his son Joseph. Gerald St John didn't live on the Crescent as a child but he was friends with Frank and Pargeter before the war and has recently moved back to Bath where is an antiques dealer and 'fixer' with his young and glamorous wife Leila.

When Dora gets to Frank's house all of the friends are gathered for the monthly Discussion Society meeting where they (naturally) discuss the work's of Bath's famous writer Jane Austen. Dora can feel the tension between the parties, but the evening is cut short when one of them is murdered in a way very similar to that of poor Daisy Palmer - exactly 20 years to the day before.

Dora recommends that the local police call in Scotland Yard, and in particular Detective Inspector Fox, someone she has had dealings with in the past, albeit they last parted under a cloud. But the more they investigate the more motives they uncover for both murders.

This is a difficult book to review. I honestly disliked the book intensely for at least the first third, maybe even half, of the book. It was all an info dump. Having finished the book and scanned the start for pertinent facts for the review I can see all the information was useful but should have been trickle-fed to the reader slowly, I felt like I was drowning in characters and names and back-story about Dora's ex-fiancée, her forbidden love, the spat with DI Fox etc. Then it suddenly started to get interesting as the threads started to pull together, even if sometimes they then pulled in a completely different direction. Leaving me at the end rather enjoying it overall. I also enjoyed reading the author's notes at the end about how much of the story is based on real events at the time, places and people.

Overall, although it could be read as a standalone I think the reader (ie me) would appreciate the info-dump at the start more if they had read the previous books in this series as it would act as a reminder of what occurred previously. I will definitely look out for the previous books and the next book in the series.

There are also hints of a new role for Dora in the future.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know by Sophia Holloway
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kitty's step-brother's fiancée doesn't want Kitty hanging around after they are married, so he gives her an ultimatum, be cast out without a penny or marry the Earl of Ledbury, a handsome but dissolute nobleman who needs a wealthy wife.

Married in haste, Kitty and Ledbury spark off one another, and not in a good way. But they do manage to find some common ground in their mutual love of horses. They could be on their way to becoming a couple for real if Ledbury's former lover wasn't stirring the pot.

This was pleasant enough, but it was too reminiscent of some of Georgette Heyer's novels - and nothing can compare (in my eyes) to her - to be anything more.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Review: Murder in Bologna: Read the BRAND NEW Italian cozy mystery for 2026 from bestselling author T.A. Williams, set in beautiful Bologna

Murder in Bologna: Read the BRAND NEW Italian cozy mystery for 2026 from bestselling author T.A. Williams, set in beautiful Bologna by T.A. Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of Anna's colleagues approaches Dan, his son has died at Bologna's prestigious Art Institute of a massive heroin overdose and he can't believe that his son took drugs at all or, as the police believe, committed suicide. He asks Dan to investigate his son's death and discover the truth.

Although there is nothing untoward and all the people Dan speaks to find it ridiculous that the boy could have been murdered, Dan just has an inkling that things don't add up.

Meanwhile, whilst he is in Bologna, Dan's friend Commissario Virgilio Pisano asks Dan to surreptitiously investigate a Florentine who has recently moved into a luxury apartment in an exclusive building in Bologna. The Florentine police suspect him of working with the US mafia, as well as drug dealing and other offences but have never been able to make charges stick.

This is yet another satisfying cosy mystery starring former UK police detective Dan and his canine sidekick Oscar. I swear every time I read one of these books I put on seven pounds!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Summer Between Us

The Summer Between Us by Jennifer Probst
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rowan was a promising surfer until she injured her knee in a wipe-out. Now she works in a surf shop and has stopped having anything to do with the sea.

Everett is a single father, balancing a high pressure job in hotel development with looking after he daughter Kelsey. They are in Waikiki for the summer to open a new eco-hotel before returning to New York.

When Kelsey enters Rowan's surf shop Rowan recognises a lonely little girl and despite her initial reservations she agrees to teach Kelsey to surf. However, Kelsey is less than honest with Everett about where she is taking lessons and he is horrified when he discovers she has been visiting a ramshackle surf shop on a different beach rather than the surf school at one of the hotels.

Can an uptight, career guy take a breath, reconnect with his daughter, and learn to enjoy life? Can a free-spirited surfer connect with a teenager and her suited and booted father?

This was pleasant enough but there wasn't any real tension and everything felt a little soft focus.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Secrets of a Winter Escape

Secrets of a Winter Escape by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Erin thought her only family was her mother Lisa until she received a letter from an Italian lawyer informing her that her paternal grandmother had died and that she had inherited one-third of a guest house in Como with her two half-sisters.

After an unplanned pregnancy and miscarriage Erin goes back to work as a media manager for a motor sports company too soon and ends up having an argument with her immediate supervisor which leads to her contract being terminated and her being put on gardening leave. After a disastrous birthday party that Lisa throws for Erin which is more of a speed dating job search, Erin escapes to the guest house to lick her wounds for a few weeks before Christmas.

Caleb is a professional footballer for an Italian Series A club. He went skiing for a friend's stag do and injured himself, putting his career in jeopardy. Anxious to avoid the paparazzi he is staying at the guest house while he recovers since it is close to the rehabilitation facility in San Sebastian. To avoid detection he has also shaved off his beard and grown out his distinctive haircut.

Being more interested in formula motor sport Erin doesn't recognise Caleb, although she does wonder why one Italian couple seem to ask him for his autograph at breakfast. When Caleb slips and falls in reception Erin rushes to help, and they seem to be getting on well, until she mentions that she is in media. Not only is Caleb hiding from the paparazzi, he has also been blasted in the tabloids after his ex-girlfriend claimed he dumped her out of the blue (when really she was at fault). But after this rocky start the two become close as Erin helps Caleb map out a social media strategy to rehabilitate his image using her contacts in the industry. Will business stray into pleasure? They've both come out of bad relationships, can they trust again? Do they have a future with Erin living in England and Caleb working in Italy?

I actually enjoyed this second book more than the first one, maybe I identified more with Erin? Perhaps it is just familiarity with the setting, the characters and the back story. Anyway, if you want a charming Christmassy romance set in beautiful Italy you'll love this.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Man with the Golden Compass

The Man with the Golden Compass by Vaseem Khan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

This is the second outing for James Bond's Q as a detective. I didn't read the first one but this can be read as a standalone.

Q has been called in by his local police force to assist in the investigation of the torture and murder of a local eccentric billionaire Lawrence Noble who made his money developing computer games. The only problem Q will be reporting to the woman he loved and left 30 years ago. Why was Noble tortured? Why was he wearing a suit used in gaming? Why were there three glasses of whisky beside him? Why was one hand left untethered?

The book is from the James Bond oeuvre so of course there are going to be shadowy billionaires plotting world domination with secret rooms and weird fetishes and it doesn't disappoint, yet at the same time its a cosy mystery set in a small village where the local librarians help with research.

A fun read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Trust Fall

Trust Fall by Lynn Painter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Julia's family inherit a fortune and a fabulous house in Manhattan from an elderly neighbour - a big difference from their mom and pop shop in Nebraska. There were two conditions to the inheritance the family must live in the New York house for six months, and Julia and her twin brother must attend an elite private school.

Julia's benefactor is the great-uncle of Damion, although he was more of a father to Damion than his own father. Damion's parents are already super-rich but believe that they should have inherited the wealth and are determined to prove that Julia's family somehow tricked them out of their inheritance. ON his own part, Damion and his uncle had made plans for Damion's future, which did not include going to the Ivy League university his father and grandfather intended - without the inheritance he may have to kow-tow to his father's wishes.

When given the opportunity to tutor Julia in maths Damion jumps on the chance, determined to uncover dirt on the family. Instead, they start falling for each other. But with a big secret between them do they have a future?

My bad, I didn't realise that this was a Mean Girls meets Gossip Girl type of novel and I found Damion's internal monologue in particular a bit whiney and his insistence that he wasn't a good guy a bit meh. I feel like I'd seen/read most of the characters before and I didn't think a lot of the plot really made sense - why did Damion's great-uncle leave New York and why didn't Damion ever go to visit him if they were so close?

Anyway, I'm probably too old for the target demographic for this book. An enjoyable, if predictable opposites attract YA/NA romance.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Victims of St Just

The Victims of St Just by Sally Rigby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't believe this is the eighth book in the series.

DI Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price are called to Tredown Manor, an upmarket country house owned by Lydia Yeoman, a celebrity chef famous for her molecular gastronomy who runs weekend cookery classes at the Manor. Her business partner Russell has been found dead in the walk-in freezer. But as the team investigate it seems that almost everyone has a motive to kill Russell. He was cheating on Lydia with one of the staff and negotiating behind her back with investors to franchise the cookery classes while Lydia was adamant that she wanted everything kept in her hands. The sous chef resented Russell for treating him like a dogsbody and because he was having an affair. Several of the guests are there under false pretences and the son of the former owners of the Manor has been turning up threatening legal action, claiming his parents were swindled by Russell.

Just to add to the pot, Lauren has started receiving threatening messages from a stalker.

The team have settled down nicely now, none of the issues I had in the earlier books with Lauren being too prickly and Matt being too perfect have been eliminated.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Way We Are Now

The Way We Are Now by Julie Houston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Present day, Anna Piasecki, single mother, daughter of a Jewish Polish miner from South Yorkshire, Women's Rights activist, and newly appointed Secretary of State for Justice is welcoming her son home to London from Oxford university for Christmas. Meanwhile, in North Yorkshire Lord Theo Mandeville is welcoming his daughter Immi home for Christmas when one of his sons jokingly comments about Immi spending a lot of time with the Justice Secretary's son...

Flash back forty years, its the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher is the Prime Minister and the Miners' Strikes are in full swing. Anna is a student at Leeds University, very militant, sharing a house with three other girls. Anna and one of her flatmates Fliss get a side hustle cleaning student accommodation, which is where Anna first meets Theo Mandeville when she surprises him naked in the bathroom.

This is an opposites-attract, star-crossed lovers story spanning forty years. It was very enjoyable but it reminded me of some of the sagas I used to read back in the 1980s so I have to say that the ending was not a surprise to me. However, this is a departure from the books Julie Houston normally writes.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: A Study in Murder

A Study in Murder by Faith Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is Val and Arbie's fourth outing. Arbie has been invited to stay at his old college in Oxford by his former tutor to investigate rumours of a ghost haunting the chapel ruins which could make an interesting chapter in Arbie's next book about ghost-hunting. However, when he arrives the head of the college also asks him to investigate an allegation of blackmail. an unwelcome surprise for Arbie who was anticipating a weekend of drinking and chatting.

However, on the first morning the body of the wife of one of the chemistry tutors is found in his rooms, there is a strong smell of gas but strangely all the gas taps are in the off position. The policeman in charge of the investigation Inspector Dunce initially refuses to talk to Arbie (much to Arbie's relief) but caves when the college principal speaks with the Chief Constable.

What follows is a twisted investigation with multiple suspects and a convoluted solution that would puzzle the best of us.

Once again a fun romp with Val and Arbie.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Death on the Pier

Death on the Pier by Pauline Rowson
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Its 1951 and DCI Ryga is sent to Southend-on-Sea to investigate the strange case of a disappearing body. Commander Cottinglea was walking back to his boarding house from the Southend Yacht Club when he saw a bloodied body close to the cliffs. He ran to find the nearest policeman, but when they returned only a few minutes later the body was gone and there was no evidence of any kind of disturbance. The local police are inclined to believe that the Commander was drunk (on one whisky and soda) or otherwise hallucinating, but the Commander is kicking up a stink and harassing the local police so Ryga is dispatched to do a bit of digging into the Commander and determine whether he was indeed imagining things.

When Ryga arrives in Southend, in a hot summer very similar to the one we are currently experiencing in the UK, eh quickly determines that Cottinglea is a cadger and starts to suspect some of his 'history' is sheer fabrication, the steward at the Yacht Club suggested the Commander's war record was a fiction and intimated that he didn't believe the Commander had ever sailed. Just as Ryga is close to dismissing the Commander's allegations the unthinkable happens, the Commander dies suddenly while sitting on a deckchair - practically in full view of Ryga. As Ryga digs deeper, his friend Eva arrives and together they discover a tangled web where nothing is as it seems.

I am enjoying this series set in post-WWII England where rationing is still in place and the country is trying to rebuild after the devastation. Ryga is a sensitive detective, a bit prone to wild speculations, many of which turn out to be wrong, but I like that he is testing theories and happy to discard them when they don't fit.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Comfort Read

Comfort Read by Dylan Morrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kit Forrest owns a quirky historic bookshop in Cedar Falls called Sawyer's Books, much used in tv and films as a backdrop. Unfortunately it needs far more work done on it than he ever imagined when he bought is as a surprise engagement present for his then boyfriend. The boyfriend not only rejected Kit's proposal, he broke up with him and left town. Leaving Kit broke, single, and homeless.

Eighteen months later, Kit is desperately trying to get a loan to cover the necessary repairs before the town condemns the property without success. Then, following an interview filmed at the bookshop, he receives a surprising offer from Hollywood superstar Sage Ballard - be his fake boyfriend to make a reluctant investor bankroll his adaptation of a much-loved fantasy book by proving that Sage is grounded, and in return Sage will pay for the necessary repairs to the bookshop. Fake boyfriend to one of the hottest men on the planet, who also happens to be Kit's childhood crush from when he starred in a tv sitcom? Sign him up stat, even if Sage does seem to be a bit of a drama llama!

Despite all the press coverage of Sage's recent bad-boy behaviour he turns out to be a charming guy, and maybe just a little bit shy. Once Kit gets over being star-struck he treats Sage just like any other guy. From red carpet dates, and dinners at Michelin starred restaurants, to Thanksgiving with Kit's out-there family the two are getting closer and closer.

I think we can all see where the conflict is going to arise and I have to confess it did irritate me a little bit but it was resolved really well and overall I loved the book so much. loved Kit, loved Sage that I am willing to let it go (big of me LOL).

Anyway, if you love a small-town bookshop fake romance with a film star then you'll love this. And now I see that I have also read and loved two other books by this author!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Day Our Lives Collided

The Day Our Lives Collided by Laura Pearson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Hayden, Tash, and Adam literally bump into each other at Fresher's week at university and become firm friends along with Leah, Nate, Jude, Ross, Johnnie, Caro, and Anisha. A bit like the film Four Weddings And A Funeral, we catch up with the group at various weddings where people variously Get married (obviously), split up, sleep together, or meet their future spouse. The group face heart-break, divorce, children, family illness. At the centre of everything are the original trio of friends, but even they have their trials and tribulations. Different chapters of the story are told from either Hayden, Adam, or Tash's POV.

I enjoyed this, until close to the end when for no apparent reason one of the characters starts addressing their child, as in 'you looked at your sister' which felty a bit odd - why?

I enjoyed this, but didn't love it, the three main characters' voices all sounded the same.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Storyteller's Secret: The ultimate FEELGOOD novel with characters you'll want as your new best friends

The Storyteller's Secret: The ultimate FEELGOOD novel with characters you'll want as your new best friends by Lucy Diamond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The story of four women, each of whom in their own way is a storyteller.

Nancy in 1929 is a kitchen maid int he big house. One day she is cleaning the young master's bedroom and sees the draft of a novel he is writing, totally engrossed she accidentally adds a few words, which leads to her helping Master Albert write his novel.

In 2001 cousins Pearl and Saffie were best of friends, united by sharing the same birthday, until a shocking betrayal separates them.

Present day, Maud, Pearl and Saffie's grandmother is rushed to hospital - an event which brings Pearl back from Canada - can her accident bring back the friendship between the two cousins? Who is the mysterious man who called the ambulance? What secret is her friend Ruby trying to hide?

In her own inimitable way Lucy Diamond draws the stories of these four women together as Pearl and Saffie uncover family secrets.

I really enjoyed this, I could see where things were going but the journey was fun to read as the strands started to knit together.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Her Game Plan

Her Game Plan by Emma Kate
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Charlotte Langford has been happily and successfully running the entertainment arm of her family's business, secure in the knowledge that when her father eventually retires she will be its CEO and her twin brother Chris will be the CEO of the pro football team, he has been managing for years. Then their father changes his mind, he thinks the business should be run by just one person and to help him decide the twins will swap roles for six months. To add insult to injury, her father is desperate for her to get married and start a family and feels that Chris is already ahead of Charlotte in that race, being married with one child and another on the way. What's a gal with no filter to do but make up a fake fiancé - since Chris saw her in the corridor with their quarterback Callan Devine's arms around her he leaps to a conclusion ... and Charlotte jumps on it. The only problem is, in real life Charlotte does not like Callan and deliberately misnames him every time they meet. She's going to have to eat a lot of humble pie to get him to pretend to date her until she's won this little game.

Callan has some issues from being dumped by his parents on his paternal grandmother, he always thinks he has to say yes, be nice to everyone, and bend over backwards in order to keep them on his side. Heck he even buys ridiculously expensive presents for the old folk in his nan's up-market nursing home, even though they and their families are easily able to buy these things for themselves. So when a woman who doesn't seem to even remember his name asks him to fake date her (and let her move in) he doesn't hesitate for one second.

As Callan gives her a crash course in football the two become close, but what happens when the team make a decision which could adversely affect Callan's life?

This was enjoyable. A bit predictable. Started to drag a bit in the middle, but its hard to do a fake-dating your boss story that is different to all the others.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Game On

Game On by Zarah Detand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stellan is good-looking, charming, and a professional honey-trap for husbands and wives - he gets an incriminating photograph and their spouse gets a divorce. Then in Chicago on a job he realises too late that his mark is actually a very famous NHL star, Matt Harkins, he tries to stop things. He knows the photograph was completely innocent, even though there were definitely vibes between them, but his employers won't listen and fire him.

Seven months later, Stellan is working as an assistant in a high-end menswear shop in Seattle when Matt walks in for a suit. One thing leads to another but can there be any future between a closeted NHL captain and an openly queer man?

I am so angry with myself. I read this days if not weeks ago. Loved it. Totally forgot to write a review. Now I can't remember the nuances, just the vibe. Stellan is so sweet, Matt is trying hard and their friends are awesome.

I can't wait to read the next book - I think I know who it will feature ...

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Pinnacle: A Novel

The Pinnacle: A Novel by Abir Mukherjee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

George Abercrombie is a Hollywood actor living in Mumbai with his younger wife, the acclaimed Bollywood actress Sweety Sahota. They have an apartment in the swanky Pinnacle, a new high-rise whose multi-million dollar apartments are owned by Mumbai's rich and famous. Whilst her career is on the rise, his is in decline and he has stooped to making commercials advertising a rotgut whisky. When Sweety ducks out of accompanying George to an interview with the BBC at the last minute words are spoken. George does the interview alone and then goes out and gets ridiculously drunk.

The next morning George wakes up on the sofa, stumbles into the bedroom and finds his wife dead in a pool of her own blood on the bed. Panicked, with no real idea of what happened last night, George calls his agent for help and sends the maid out to buy a new coffee machine to get her out the apartment.

Sweety's PA Gemma is missing, so is George's man servant Amit, Sweety's laptop, and some of her jewellery. Everyone has a secret, who killed Sweety?

Yet again I have confused Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee - although in my defence they have both written novels this year which are not part of their ongoing series (and I have requested ARCs of both). Anyway, this was well-plotted and managed to make a few pointed jabs about corruption and 'eveteasing' without turning the book into a political statement. My biggest disappointment was that I guessed the murderer right from the start (although not the motive) so it just felt like a slow journey to the obvious.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: A Family Affair

A Family Affair by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book takes place moments after the last book ended, when Lady Amelia Smallhope suggested to Pennyroyal that they steal the Crown Jewels (and replace them 24 hours later). As a recap(view spoiler)[, Smallhope was shot by an assassin paid for by her sister-in-law Caroline, the Dowager Countess of Goodrich, in an attempt to get all of Amelia's wealth. Pennyroyal has avenged her shooting and allegedly infected Caroline with a rare futuristic drug which means if she strays more than a short distance from her villa in Italy she will die a horrible death, and he's also stolen all her money and put it into the assassin's bank account to make sure the police know who is responsible (hide spoiler)].

So, they are planning their next heist, whilst denying any and all knowledge of the identity of the person who tied to kill Smallhope when questioned by the police, when Pennyroyal gets a call which changes everything for both of them. Could this be the end of the dream team?

Argh! I read this, didn't write a review. Skim-read it again, half-wrote the review and then pondered what to say about spoilers etc and gave up.

Anyway, another great outing for our two deadly time-hopping assassins with all their trademark charms, sass, danger, and deadly weapons. Loved it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Oxford Detective Society

The Oxford Detective Society by Faith Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alyssa 'Lyssa' Moore is a widowed Oxford literature scholar turned biographer. She is approached out of the blue with a request to set the record straight about an infamous relative, Amelia 'Monty' Montrose who drowned in her own ornamental fish pond at just twenty-four years old, only a few months after the death by overdose of her famous lover Glen Bannister, lead singer of the Lucky Cuckoos, in 1966. Although not as well known as the Beatles etc, the Lucky Cuckoos had four chart hits and were expected to do even better until Glen's death. Tragically, most of the other band members also died young.

Trying to discover the truth about someone sixty years after their death is hard. Most of their contemporaries are also dead. Contemporaneous records of the time like photographs and videos are hard to find. Nevertheless, Lyssa sets to the task with a vengeance and manages to uncover some interesting facts, but she can't help but feel that her client isn't being entirely honest with her. As the investigation continues Lyssa starts to feel paranoid, as if someone is following her. Then she returns to her flat to find nothing missing but a few things out of place - has someone broken into her flat?

This was very enjoyable, I have commented before that Faith Martin has a weird obsession with constantly harping on about her main character's hair - I don't think it was necessary to mention Lyssa's high ponytail six times for example.

Anyway I digress, although they didn't play much of a part in the investigation, Lyssa's neighbours, a gay couple, and her BFF Frieda lend moral support and dub themselves the Oxford Detective Society. There is (I think) a little hint that there is something either odd about her husband's death, or maybe he had a secret ... I could be reading into things too much.

I can't wait to read the second book in the series.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Review: The Shadows of Kensington Gore

The Shadows of Kensington Gore by Ross Montgomery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book in the series featuring former Borstal boy Stephen Pike and Miss Decima Stockingham, an elderly and infirm aristocrat with a foul mouth, recently released from a form of house imprisonment by her cousin.

Stephen and Miss Stockingham are now living in an apartment in Kensington Gore, a very up-market area close to the Royal Albert Hall in London. Its 1911 and London is preparing for the coronation of King George V, but the Suffragette movement is planning disruption. Stephen escorts Miss Stockingham to a Suffragette rally at the Royal Albert Hall, whilst getting some air high up in the gallery he sees three Suffragettes congregating around the statue of Prince Albert in what he thinks is a suspicious manner when all the other Suffragettes are inside the hall. When a policeman shouts at them and starts running towards them with his truncheon out Stephen is afraid that the policeman will beat the women and runs down into the street, only to find the policeman dying in his own blood.

At first it seems obvious that one or all of the three women must have killed the policeman, but Miss Stockingham raises doubts. Then Mrs Pankhurst herself asks Miss Stockingham to investigate the murder and exonerate the Suffragettes by the end of the week - otherwise the government will use the murder as an excuse to declare the Suffragettes an illegal army. What ensues is a convoluted time-pressured investigation where no-one is who they seem, everyone comes under suspicion, and sadly more people will die.

I really enjoyed this, very different to the first book, lots of clues, and also lots of detailed facts expertly woven into the story about how the establishment treated the Suffragettes - and indeed the different treatment meted out to the aristocracy versus commoners.

I can't wait for the next one.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Death by Noir

Death by Noir by Olly Smith
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 27%.

I really wanted to like this book. I love Olly Smith on tv and I was excited about a cosy mystery centred on wine in England. Unfortunately, what I love about watching Olly does not (for me) translate well into writing. This was just too flowery, very much like a wine description, everything was over-described - do I really need to know the year, make, model, and registration number of someone's car? It could have been done more organically, eg Barclay loved his vintage car, even called it the Duke because his number plate started DUK, but not just a turgid recital of "1970 Rover P5B coupe in silver birch with the contrasting roof in burnt grey. DUK 922J has been Barclay's pride and joy ...". Also the book was written from the viewpoint of the omniscient narrator which is, I think, a tricky style to carry off, it comes across as too remote and you don't get to know any of the characters. And everything seemed to be about wine, a wine shop, vineyards etc - even I said too much wine!

Anyway, I should have known after the debacle with the Rev Richard Coles' book which I did at least finish, but wish I hadn't.

One for wine aficionado's I suggest.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Review: All You Had To Do Was Stay

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

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Conflict of Interest

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Hopeless Romantics

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

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Christmas In July

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

DNF at 51%.

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via BookSirens.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Review: A Fragile Mercy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Wild and Wanted

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

DNF at 51%.

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

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Wild and Wanted

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

DNF at 51%.

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

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

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

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

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

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: The Rebound

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

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

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

DNF at 68%.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: Ask Me What I’m Reading

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley,

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Review: Murder at the Country Fair

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

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

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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Review: From Blood and Ash

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

Three and a half stars.

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

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

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

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

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.


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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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