Review: A Mischief of Rats

A Mischief of Rats by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dr Nell Ward's family is hosting its annual classic car event at their stately home. Nell is more invested than usual as she has an interest in a vintage car which has been restored and fitted with an electric engine. Unfortunately, the driver, Jack Rafferty, seems to be less invested than the rest of the team and more interested in partying and drinking and tabloid attention with his model wife. Meanwhile, Nell has invited Rav's family to the classic car show, hoping to to dispel their fears that she is a racy socialite (to be fair the two previous murders she has been involved in do give credence to their fears) who will lead their son astray.

Whilst multi-tasking helping out a friend take samples from a local pond, Nell makes a grisly discovery, Jack's flashy car has veered off the road and plunged into the pond. In addition, Nell notices Rav's younger sister's distinctive earrings on Jack's dashboard - was she in the car? Or was she somehow involved in the crash?

Nell's ex, DI James Clark, is also at the weekend car event with Nell's cousin and gets roped into investigating jack's death. But it seems he was universally disliked - its more like looking to see who didn't have a motive. Then James gets told that there is a separate investigation, centred around the car event, related to forgeries - do the two investigations overlap?

This series is growing on me, although I have some sympathy with the police suspecting Nell since she either finds the body or is closely connected with every case so far LOL. Also, Nel seems to be in mortal danger at least once (I think three times in this book) in every book which becomes a bit repetitious.

This series straddles the line between cosy mystery and police procedural. I will definitely look out for the next one.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Not in a Million Years: A totally hilarious and feel-good enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy

Not in a Million Years: A totally hilarious and feel-good enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy by Sophie Ranald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kate has a great job (Risk Management Consultant), great friends, and the possibility of a new boyfriend in the form of ex-colleague Claude. Okay, so their first date didn't go too well ... but he's still keen.

The only fly in the ointment is that Kate's best friend Andy seems to have gone AWOL, none of their friends have seen or spoken to him for weeks and he's not posted anything to social media either, something unheard of for Andy. Since Andy has struggled with addiction in the past his friends are worried that he may have started taking drugs again. Then Daniel, less of a friend and more of a frenemy, thinks he's found a clue to where Andy was last, Greece. Since Daniel is self-employed and Kate has five weeks between assignments it only makes sense for the two of them to go to Greece and try to find Andy. Even if they hate each other's guts, they've managed to keep it civil when out with their other friends, surely they can do the same to find Andy?

But travel niggles aside, Kate finds Daniel isn't the monster she thought he was, and as their search leads them to traipse around Greek hotels looking for Daniel there could be a spark of romance. But there is still the matter that led them to become sworn enemies ...

I was very much enjoying this while Kate, Andy and Daniel were in Greece. Unfortunately, once they got home to London I felt the novel started to drag, although the snarky banter between Kate and Daniel was awesome. Also the backstory about why Kate and Daniel fell out seemed weak. (view spoiler)[I felt that basically Kate and Daniel in their own different ways had enabled Andy's addiction, whilst also trying to help him get sober. Daniel gets all sanctimonious because Kate helps to keep Andy's secrets, which is against the Ten Steps, and Kate basically agrees that she was totally in the wrong. WTF? This is a big secret, one that no-one should ever reveal about someone else, something that people agonise over and he thinks Kate should just have told everyone? Not cool. (hide spoiler)] Basically, I felt the backstory with Andy kind of overshadowed the romance and was too much, the book would have been better without all that drama.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Riverside Murder: A Dorset Crime Story

The Riverside Murder: A Dorset Crime Story by Rachel McLean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A short story which Rachel McLean wrote to support people affected by the war in Ukraine.

A body found in the River Frome could be accidental death. But when DCI Lesley Clarke learns that the man went missing, presumed dead, over twelve years ago it seems that murder is more likely, especially since his body was found close to the family's old farm.

This was a fun read, but because of the shortness of the book it was over very quickly, no room for red herrings or dead-end investigations. Also, I have some questions about how the murderer perpetrated the crime ...

Anyway, it was nice to read about Lesley and the Dorset gang again.

Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

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Review: The Comeback

The Comeback by Lily Chu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Ariadne Hui is putting all her effort into making partner at her Canadian law firm. It doesn't matter if she works 14 hour days and weekends, just to see her father's pride in her achievement will be worthwhile. But it's an uphill battle, the law firm is snooty and old-fashioned. She's been offered more rewarding jobs by clients, jobs that appeal to her more than corporate law, jobs with a better workplace culture, but her father is old-fashioned and has set his heart on her making partner at the most prestigious firm in Toronto.

One night Ari gets home to the apartment she shares with her friend Hana only to find a strange man sleeping on their sofa. After the initial shock Hana tells Ari that the man, Choi Jihoon, is her cousin from Korea who has had a messy breakup and has escaped to Canada to get away from it all. Most importantly, no-one from the family can know he is in Toronto.

At first Ari is annoyed that she will have to act as hostess to a stranger, particularly when she is working so hard to get promoted, but over time she finds Jihoon to be a fun companion, thoughtful, as well as strikingly attractive. But just as the two of them start to fall in love, Ari makes a shocking discovery, Jihoon has a secret identity which will change everything.

Overall, I enjoyed this, but it did start to drag about two-thirds of the way through and I think that's because there was too much angst. Ari has sibling angst, parental angst, career angst, racism angst, and boyfriend angst. It seems to be a theme of the (admittedly small) sample of books I've read featuring Asian heroines that their parents have huge expectations of them, so I can understand that may be a cultural norm but the rest of it was too much. I think TBH the HEA could have come without the trip to Korea and the angst that ensued, there was enough work and family drama to sustain the plot.

I felt that all the other characters did a lot of psychoanalysing of Ari and her behaviour, but not in a kind way. Her sister, her 'friend' and even Jihoon on occasion berated her for her behaviour when IMHO Jihoon's behaviour was far more heinous and damaging to Ari both personally and professionally. Also, why do so many romances require the female MC to abandon high-flying jobs because the realise that actually they are more fulfilled doing something more creative (like organising walking tours)? It feels misogynistic as if we poor delicate little flowers are only good at creative things like cooking and sewing and should leave all the difficult stuff to the men (grrr).

I wanted to read The Stand-In but never got round to it. I understand this is the same author.

Anyway, I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the education about K-pop and Alex's staunch defence of the genre was an eye-opener (more Alex please), i wasn't so keen on the 'all white people are racists' undertone, but perhaps it was just 'all snooty lawyers are racists'. I would definitely read more books by Lily Chu.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Sing Me a Secret

Sing Me a Secret by Julie Houston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The four Sutherland sisters have gone on to brilliant careers. Juno is a GP, Lexia, the youngest, is a former popstar, Pandora was a barrister and Ariadne is a teacher, despite their father leaving when Lexia was a teenager and their mother Helen's subsequent mental health issues.

Lexia hasn't been home to Midhope for decades, pretty much ever since she was discovered on a talent show when she was just seventeen. But her footballer husband Theo Ryan has just been signed for Midhope Town so she is moving back. But her arrival uncovers a web of secrets that will rock the family to its core.

Meanwhile, Pandora has entered the village choir into an Andrew Lloyd Webber amateur singing competition and is organising the choir with ruthless efficiency, bringing her keen legal brain to producing the best version of Jesus Christ Superstar seen outside Broadway.

Juno is learning to cope with a part-time GP job and looking after her two children after her husband has accepted a twelve-month appointment in Boston, Massachusetts. But when a new GP starts at the practice she finds herself drawn to him. Is he a womaniser luring all nearby women with his charms, or is she falling for a colleague? Now I'm convinced that I've read another Julie Houston book featuring Juno but I can't for the life of me find it. I'm not sure if its because all her books are set in the same small town and the stories are interlinked or I'm just rubbish at googling!

Anyway, after a slow start this turned out to be a fun read.

Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

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Review: Blood Runs Cold

Blood Runs Cold by Neil Lancaster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Affi Smith was a victim of trafficking from Albania. Caught in a sting she has been rescued and fostered. After a rocky start she is thriving and hopes to represent Scotland in cross-country running. Then one day whilst out running she is kidnapped.

DS Max Craigie's wife has been personally involved in Affi's case and asks Max to look into her disappearance, worried that the local police will dismiss it as a problem teenager running away. When Max focuses on Affi's ex boyfriend, who made threats to her after they split, he discovers that the boy sent Affi's details to the local community police officer before she was abducted. A community officer who was shipped to the Highlands from Glasgow after being caught at a brothel. The more Max and his team dig into this, the worse it gets, especially when they discover that Affi isn't the first trafficked girl who has subsequently disappeared. The new names and addresses of these girls are supposed to be a secret so who is leaking this sensitive information? Is it someone at the Home Office?

This was the usual gritty, fast-paced crime novel I've come to expect from Neil Lancaster. Yet again he manages to create a believable yet chilling mystery and uncover corruption without becoming repetitive. One of my new favourite authors he's an auto request for me.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: One Day With You

One Day With You by Shari Low
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

This novel takes place over the space of a single day. It concerns five people: Tress, who is heavily pregnant, and her Finance Director husband Max; Max's best friend ER doctor Noah and his wife Anya who works at Max's firm; and Tress' neighbour Nancy, a sixty-six year old widow who has been a friend and substitute mother to Tress since she moved to Glasgow after a whirlwind courtship. At the end of the 24 hours all their lives will be completely different.

Although the book blurb goes into a bit more detail I don't think I can say more without becoming spoilery. Suffice it to say that Tress goes into labour unexpectedly and Nancy goes to her school reunion to meet her childhood sweetheart who she hasn't seen for fifty years.

This was pleasant enough and a good read as you would expect from Shari Low. I guessed pretty early on what was happening, and to be honest there wasn't any attempt to prolong the suspense. My biggest issue is that I've read something very like this before, not totally but just similar. I'm not sure whether its another Shari Low book or someone else - okay I've looked at other Shari Low books I've read and it seems to be a motif of hers to bring together a group of people united by a situation in ways that only become clear later on, I've read One Last Day of Summer and that is probably what I was thinking of, although The Story of Our Secrets has a similar vibe.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Italian Job

The Italian Job by Kathryn Freeman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Anna Roberts' life is devastated when she catches her boyfriend (and boss) cheating on her with one of the staff. Now she's not only alone but also out of a job in a small town where everyone knows your business.

Jake Tucker lives next door to Anna and her father. A rebellious teenager he has not long come out of prison after serving six months for, ironically, hitting Anna's ex-boyfriend. He's found life in a small town hard after prison, his old job as a fireman is o longer available and he has resorted to doing odd jobs for judgemental people who think they can pay him less because he's an ex-con. He's always been the sinner to Anna's saint.

When Anna finds a dream job online spending a year being the chef in an Italian castle she can't believe her luck, but the advert stipulates the owners are only seeking applications from couples - one to cook and the other to manage the grounds.

Anna persuades Jake that they should pretend to be a couple, at least for the interview, and check out the lie of the land. This could give both of them the space they need to get away from the rumour-mill. But landing the job is the least of their troubles. Anna and Jake have very different styles and Jake has a big chip on his shoulder. The owners' son wants to sell the castle to a hotel chain and he's keen to find fault with everything they do. The local barmaid keeps flirting with Jake and he doesn't speak a word of Italian!

Can this pair get on long enough to act on the chemistry between them? Will the lies they told and Jake's prior conviction blow up in their faces?

This was pleasant enough, and easy read, just very predictable.

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Review: Death in Heels

Death in Heels by Kitty Murphy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fi is excited to see her best friend Robyn's drag debut as Mae B at drag club TRASH, but things soon go wrong. First, one of the other queens, Eve, borrows Mae's outfit and mocks her performance. Then Fi is given the cold shoulder by the other queens, the unspoken message being that Mae doesn't need her any more. Then finally, whilst walking home alone, Fi comes across Eve's dead body in an alleyway.

Everyone else, including the police, seems happy, if not keen, to rule Eve's death a tragic accident, claiming she was drunk or on drugs, slipped in Mae's skyscraper heels and drowned in the torrential rain which was pooling in the alley. Certainly, other than the bruise on her forehead, which could have been from a fall, there are no signs of foul play. But Fi isn't convinced. If Eve fell why are there no marks on her knees or hands? And claiming that Eve, who could drink a bottle of vodka and still dance in high heels on stage, was drunk enough to fall over seems implausible.

But the more Fi keeps digging the more she is ostracised by Mae and the other queens. Even when Robyn's new boyfriend is deliberately run over they seem determined to ignore the evidence. But Fi is convinced that someone is targeting the drag queens, perhaps Robyn in particular.

This is a hard book to review. The murder plot was god, with plenty of red herrings to keep me guessing along the way. The trouble is, I found almost all of the characters very unlikable which made it an uneasy book to read - obviously it helped that I didn't like any of the suspects but it also didn't make me particularly ill-disposed towards the murderer. In fact, I had some sympathy for the murderer in the end. I also feel that the book perpetrated many of the stereotypes about drag queens and gay men.

Overall, it was okay and different from my usual reading, but I wouldn't go out of my way to read another book by this author.

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

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Review: Coming Home to Holly Close Farm

Coming Home to Holly Close Farm by Julie Houston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Charlie Maddison's boyfriend Dominic turns out to be married with children she not only loses a boyfriend but also her home (his wife's flat) and her job (Dominic's wife and father-in-law are majority shareholders in the architectural practice where Charlie and Dominic work. So she returns home to Yorkshire with five bin bags full of her belongings to stay with her parents.

Charlie's great-grandmother Madge has had a fall and is temporarily in a retirement home to convalesce. When a young couple approach her about buying her home it transpires that Madge has secretly owned a property called Holly Close Farm, but no-one has lived there for over sixty years.
Told through flashbacks, this is the story of Madge's wartime romance, lies, and betrayal.

The blurb makes this sound like its about Charlie's romance, but that is very muted and almost an afterthought. The main focus is on the slowly unfolding story of how Madge came to own Holly Close Farm and why it remained empty for so long. The trouble is, wartime romances are a bit cliched, I've already read several books with similar romances and therefore there wasn't enough to keep me interested without a stronger romance for Charlie.

I read this book through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

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Review: Loathe to Love You

Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three novella featuring STEM heroines who happen to be BFFs.

Under One Roof
Mara is left a beautiful house by her mentor, Helen. But when she goes to claim it she discovers she has only inherited part of the house and it is already occupied by one of Helen's distant relatives, Liam. Not only that, the occupant is a lawyer for a big-oil company and Mara's personal nemesis. When his attempts to buy Mara out with obscene amounts of money fail the two of them settle into a hostile cohabitation arrangement, each doing everything they can to annoy the other (playing Disney tunes very loud, washing up at 3am, etc).
Things start to change when Mara discovers that Liam did not (as she previously assumed) hate his aunt, indeed she was witness to a call he made to Helen shortly before she died. As the two of them bond over their love for her, they begin to fall for each other.
Three stars. Pleasant enough but I'm not sure what motivated Liam to be such a jerk at the outset.

Stuck With You
Sadie is an engineer. Her worst nightmare is realised when she gets stuck in the smallest elevator at work with non-other than her former lover, turned enemy, Erik who works for a rival engineering company, big-engineering if such a thing existed.
Sadie and Erik met over a stale croissant and spent a wonderful day together, until Erik betrayed her terribly and broke her heart. Can these two crazy kids uncover the truth about what really happened while in forced proximity?
I kind of liked this. However, having read some other reviews I can see the recurring motifs more clearly in this novella. Yes, apparently all her heroines are five feet tall while all the men are over six feet tall and generally described as 'mountains' or similar. So far both heroes have been outwardly successful and confident but hidden insecurities which didn't really gel with their hard-hitting, go-getting jobs. Also, so far both women have been firmly employed on the side of environmentally-friendly, independent organisations whereas both men have been employed by, if not the Dark Side then close.
Three stars.
Below Zero
Hannah was failing High School, a true rebel without a cause, until a pathetic chat-up line from another student piques her interest in space (specifically, why would sunsets be blue on Mars, aka the Red Planet?). From then on Hannah was fascinated by space and dreamed of joining NASA.
Hannah is in a remote area of Norway testing out equipment for the next Mars expedition in an environment as close as to that of Mars as can be achieved on Earth, but she has slipped and fallen down a crevasse, twisted her ankle, and her only hope of rescue is the man who vetoed the funding for her invention in the first place.
I think this could have worked better as a full length novella as Hannah appeared to have a lot of backstory which was never properly explored, like why she only does one-night stands and feels that people would get bored of her/disgusted by her if they got to know her - I think this would have worked better if perhaps we had seen this rather than being told it.
Ian, a distant relative of Mara's, was an infant prodigy, a member of the Mars Curiosity Rover team at the tender age of eighteen. Mara pulls a few family strings to get Ian to agree to be interviewed by Hannah for a paper she has to write for college (interview someone who has your dream job) and it's instalurve. Like all the other men in this anthology Ian is significantly larger than Hannah but also totally smitten, despite Hannah giving him the brush-off after their first encounter.
Also three stars.

I have to say I don't think this works as an anthology because it just highlights the same-same nature of the novellas even to the fact that every one of them is told in alternating present day and flashbacks, which always makes me suspicious that the story wouldn't hold together if told in chronological order. As previously noted, all the male characters are pretty much the same; outwardly successful and stunningly good-looking but not very self-confident. Also, Ali Hazelwood does tend to write her female characters just a bit too out there. Someone else commented that they have to use big words to show how clever they are, and I get that. I am also shocked that at least one of them isn't a vegan (and that probably tells you a lot abut the way they are written).

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

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