Review: A New Mantra

A New Mantra by Sapna Srinivasan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mira Sood has always been a dutiful Indian daughter, including an arranged marriage and moving to the US with her new husband. Now three years later, her husband Jay announces he wants a divorce, he's met someone else. No friends, no job, no money, no home, Mira is forced to move in with her rebellious cousin Laila and suffer the collective guilt trips of her mother and aunt - both of whom think she should move heaven and earth to get Jay to come back.

In a fit of madness Mira signs up to do a half-marathon, despite never having run a day in her life, and strikes up a friendship with Andy Fitzgerald, a seasoned runner who helps her train. Slowly Mira's life starts to come together, but is she willing to defy her family to achieve her own happiness?

I am always looking to broaden my reading so when I saw this book I thought this would be interesting, a novel about an Indian woman living in the US, written by an Indian woman living in the US. Unfortunately, I didn't really engage with the characters, maybe because it was written in the third person so it all felt a bit remote? Also, it all felt a bit repetitive, description of Mira's running three times a week, descriptions of the food Mira cooks, descriptions of Mira's guilt-laden conversations with her family, rinse-and-repeat. To me this sounded like the author had herself learned to run and was a bit evangelical about the process, wanting to share every milestone with the reader.

Overall, pleasant enough but I won't be requesting the second book.

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

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Review: The Toast of Time

The Toast of Time by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's time for the annual St Mary's Christmas novella, even if I am reading this in April.

Max and Markham have left St Mary's and it will be their first Christmas away from friends and family. Smallhope and Pennyroyal (or is it Pennyhope and Smallroyal?) have given them a mission, to attend a highly illegal sale of stolen objects from history and hopefully nab some time-travelling criminals in their roles as recovery agents for the Time Police. Of course the sale is taking place at St Mary's, albeit in the 1920s, there's great hilarity and the disaster magnets do their usual stuff.

I'll just randomly throw out some nuggets: smoking lady; faberge eggs; sword; the Parish Council; car theft; the security team as you never wish to see them again; more toast than you could ever imagine; a crowbar.

A lovely novella.

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Review: Elegy for Eddie

Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maisie is approached by several costers from her old home in Lambeth, anxious to get to the bottom of the death of a well-love but differently able man called Eddie. The case strikes close to home as Maisie remembers Eddie well, a man with a child's intellect but a savant when it comes to treating horses. As Maisie begins her investigation she discovers that Eddie's death may be linked to several other 'accidents'/ 'suicides' and behind it all may be something of grave national importance.

Possibly the least engaging of the Maisie Dobbs books to date, feels like treading water and re-opening closed books. Having dangled Sutton and MacFarlane as potential love interests in previous books we were settled on James, now it appears that is all up in the air for a host of reasons.

As prescient minds prepare for the inevitable WW2, Maisie must come to terms with her own faults and foibles, and an investigation that puts Billy in the hospital and may estrange her from the family.

Obviously I'm reading these books back-to-back when they were published annually but I have to confess I am heartily tired of the recapping of the previous characters/plots. By this time either have a dramatis personae or a 'previously in Maisie Dobbs' prologue because it is very tedious to have to read a dry summary of (say) Maisie and James' relationship when I recall it perfectly.

I am glad that this book avoids WW1, but I feel it is just as much 'filler' as the previous book.

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Review: The Muse of History

The Muse of History by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you ever wondered how Mrs Partridge (aka Kleio, Greek Goddess and daughter of Zeus) came to St Mary's, wonder no more.

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Review: The Muse of History

The Muse of History by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you ever wondered how Mrs Partridge (aka Kleio, Greek Goddess and daughter of Zeus) came to St Mary's, wonder no more.

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Review: The Girl With a Pearl in Her Nose

The Girl With a Pearl in Her Nose by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tiny snippet from Jodi Taylor about Max and something stuck up her nose.

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Review: The Girl With a Pearl in Her Nose

The Girl With a Pearl in Her Nose by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tiny snippet from Jodi Taylor about Max and something stuck up her nose.

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Review: St. Mary's and the Great Toilet Roll Crisis

St. Mary's and the Great Toilet Roll Crisis by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Written during the COVID lockdowns, a very short story about the government requisitioning toilet rolls and the entirely expected response by St Mary's.

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Review: A Lesson in Secrets

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maisie is coming to terms with the death of her mentor Maurice Blanche and her inheritance of his properties, papers and wealth. She's come a long way from the maid who used to work there. Her love affair with James is progressing well, although he's currently in Canada wrapping up his business interests. Then Maisie is approached by the Secret Service who want her to go undercover as a philosophy lecturer at a small, relatively new, Cambridge College to report on any activities "not in the interests of His Majesty's Government.". The college is founded on the idea of international peace and cooperation and encourages young people from all over the world to study together. The founder of the college, Greville Liddicote wrote a series of children's books, although three books written during WW1 were withdrawn from publication and all copies destroyed.

When Mr Liddicote is found dead at his desk, his secretary calls Maisie who immediately realises this is not a heart attack, but murrrrderrrrr. While MacFarlane and Stratton are brought in from Special Branch to investigate the murder, Maisie is embroiled in yet more fall-out from WW1, including alleged mutinies, the murder of conscientious objectors, and the use of women in espionage. Add to which the rise of politics and admiration of Germany's National Socialism Party and Cambridge is fast becoming a hotbed of political intrigue.

This feels like a readjustment book. I feel Maisie/Jacqueline Winspear is finally letting go of WW1 and anticipating WW2, similarly Maisie's new wealth and lover have changed her from the young woman suffering from (I suspect) PTSD of the earlier books. Also, Maisie has gone from police procedural to assisting the Secret Service, what is next spying in Germany (I've seen the later covers so I assume yes). Whether this change will get her out of the WW1 rut I don't know.

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Review: Kiwi Gold

Kiwi Gold by Rosalind James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lachlan grew up helping his mother care for her quadruplet daughters after both his father and then her husband left her. After spending his formative years in a house with five women he is very sure that marriage and children are not something he aspires to. His job as an exploration geologist searching for precious metals is an adrenaline rush and he is happy with random hook-ups when he does go back to civilisation.

Laila is a widowed mother of twin girls. SHe is barely making ends meet as a new-born photographer after her husband's death and subsequent fall from grace. As the daughter of a red-haired Norwegian explorer and a Kuwaiti muslim woman she has always felt conflicted, not least because although she is no longer a practising muslim, her mother's teaching about modesty are always ringing in her ears. Laila can't imagine ever wanting another man, but even if she did it could only be after marriage.

Laila and Lachlan meet by accident at a Shakespeare-themed masked New Years Eve party when Lachlan rescues Laila from the unwanted attentions of an inebriated Romeo-wannabee. Unbeknownst to each other, Laila and Lachlan live in adjoining apartments. When Laila's daughter mistakes a hangover the next day for appendicitis (mainly because she wants to ride in the ambulance) she knocks next door to use Lachlan's phone.

So can a man who is firmly against marriage and children find it in his heart to fall in love with a traditional woman with children?

Sorry, wasn't very keen on this book, every so often there's got to be one that doesn't grab you and this is it for me. Since it has only just been released I won't spoiler it, but there are A LOT of coincidences, living next door to each other being, frankly, the most plausible. Secondly, considering Laila's stance on sex before marriage the entire book feels like one long extended sex scene with a few sob-fests in the middle, also I felt that when Laila and Lachlan did make love it all went from zero to sexcapades very fast. Overall, I felt that Laila's upbringing and former religion were brushed under the carpet when it didn't suit the plot.

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Review: Part of Your World

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Alexis Montgomery's family are all renowned surgeons, for 125 years a Montgomery has worked at Royaume Northwestern Hospital, her father has always considered her a disappointment because she chose to be an ER doctor rather than a prestigious surgeon. When her brother Derek announces he is never returning home, Alexis realises that the burden of being the next generation of Montgomery to run the hospital has fallen squarely on her shoulders, whether she wants it or not. To make matters worse, Alexis has just broken up with Neil, the Chief of Surgery at the hospital and one of her father's favourites. Awkward!

Returning home from her Aunt Lil's funeral, Alexis accidentally runs her car off the road and is rescued by a tattooed, bearded local. Later that same night she spots him in the local VFW where he is playing pool with his friends and she is trying to get something to eat before resuming her journey. One thing leads to another and, much to her surprise, Alexis has a one-night stand with the guy, Daniel Grant, the local Mayor, who runs a B&B at the local historical house and is a talented carpenter on the side. Did I mention he's nearly ten years her junior?

Daniel's family have an almost magical connection to the small town of Wakan, he could no more leave it than give up the beautiful B&B that his great, great something grandfather built with his own two hands. Through flood and famine, fire and disaster the Grants have saved the town time and again. Daniel knows that Alexis is wealthy and used to far finer things than he can give her, but their connection is magical and he will do whatever is necessary to make it work. But Alexis knows Daniel would never be accepted in her snobby society, or by her father who is lobbying hard for her to take Neil back, despite his cheating.

This is an opposites attract, older woman/younger man, romance worthy of the Hallmark Channel. The mystical element to the B&B at Wakan was a bit woo-woo for me, and Daniel didn't really have enough depth but it was a fun, feel-good read.

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

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