Review: Rock Hard

Rock Hard by Nalini Singh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After suffering in an abusive relationship Charlotte Baird is quiet, unassuming and introvert, something her boss takes shameless advantage of. When Gabriel Bishop, former rugby player turned entrepreneur slash business wunderkind takes over the company where Charlotte works she is terrified for her job, Gabriel might be a tad shouty and physically intimidating, but he has a good head for business and he can see who's doing most of the work. But when someone physically dominant works with someone timid and submissive things can get out of hand.

I suspect this was written in the FSoG time period, I just can't imagine that anyone would think it necessary to constantly grasp a woman around the neck, especially one who had been hospitalised and nearly killed by a psychotic ex. Maybe I'm over the BDSM-vibe, maybe I was never into it, but I just found the need for both of them to make her feel comfortable with him grasping the nape of her neck was problematic for me.

Overall, I was expecting either a rock-star or a rugby player romance and got neither, it felt more old-school 1980s romance with the dominant CEO pushing around his timid assistant.

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Review: The Girls of Heatherly Hall

The Girls of Heatherly Hall by Julie Houston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow this is getting complicated, why this isn't listed as a series I will never know.

Triplets Eva, Hannah and Rosa have inherited Heatherly Hall from their biological father (even though it turns out that He wasn't actually Eva's biological father due to their bohemian mother's running from one lover's bed to another).

Eva, a dentist by profession but frustrated artist, has separated from her husband and business partner. She is struggling to cope with juggling two small children, different religions, working with her ex, and determining what she wants for her future.

Rosa has left her high-flying investment manager life and retrained as a vicar after finding out she had cancer, just before she discovered the love of her life had cheated on her with her best friend and assistant. Although she has a new man in her life the reappearance of her ex has churned up lots of feelings that cannot be ignored.

Hannah left her very worthy job as a youth social worker to run the Hall full-time (alongside a board) but she's finding it hard to multitask and the continuous resistant from the head groundsman to any new ideas is pushing every button she has.

If it wasn't enough to create romances for singletons in the village, this book has romance for all three triplets. Whilst I did enjoy the book, when I came to write this review I struggled to remember what each sister did, who they fell in love with, and what happened - that's always the problem with ensemble romances. Whilst I also bemoan the linear series where the reader can clearly see the next romance being set up, I think this is maybe going too far the other way, it's hard to get invested in a couple when they only occupy approximately 33% of the book.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this. I love Westenbury, I love all the characters and I love how characters from previous novels drift in and out.

I think you could read this as a standalone, despite the history. A cosy, small town, romance.

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

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Review: The Norfolk Beach Murders

The Norfolk Beach Murders by Judi Daykin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fifth book in a series. I haven't read any of the previous books but this was easy to get into, although there are slight references to ongoing relationships they are very general and I wouldn't say you needed to read any of the other books to enjoy this one.

It's nearly Christmas, a young homeless girl and her dog witness an altercation between two men late at night which ends in one man falling off a cliff edge.

As DS Sara HIrst and her colleagues are winding down for the Christmas break a seal watcher reports a body on the beach. The body is so badly damaged that they can't tell if it was murder or accident that led to him being in the water. Just when it appears that the body could be that of a man reported washed overboard, there is a report of a boat washed ashore with blood stains on the hull and a yacht adrift in the sea.

Meanwhile, Danni, PA to London Italian crime boss Lisa London is concerned about her boss' recent behaviour and an upcoming meeting with one of her business partners. When she spots a police tail the group hightail to Norfolk to inspect their mutual business venture.

As the book progresses these three disparate threads start to weave together against the backdrop of one of the worst storms on record which batters the Norfolk coast.

I really enjoyed this, I would say it fits midway (writing-wise rather than geographically) between Rachel McLean and Marion Todd and I would recommend to fans of either author.

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

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Review: A Blind Eye

A Blind Eye by Marion Todd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

three and a half stars.

DI Clare Mackay and her team are called in when a ranger finds a car abandoned in the woods with what looks like a body inside. When they gain entry the detectives discover that the man has been murdered, his throat brutally slashed. The victim turns out to be a mild-mannered conveyancing solicitor called Harry Richards, whose wife had both reported him missing and complained about a stalker lurking outside recently.

Shortly afterwards, Harry's colleague's wife dies in a car accident - are the two deaths linked? Is there a vendetta against the law firm?

I do enjoy this series, the way the plot comes together, the mixture of personal lives and police investigations. However, in this case I did feel that solving the case relied very heavily on a Ta-Da moment rather than solid police legwork. but looking back at my review of the previous book in the series I can see that this is not a trend - and let's be honest sometimes it is just a stroke of luck that makes things happen - so I won't let it drag my review down.

Still an autobuy/request. What is it about Scottish crime books that is so addictive?

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

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Review: Game, Set, Match: Escape to the Spanish sunshine in this laugh-out-loud and feel-good romcom

Game, Set, Match: Escape to the Spanish sunshine in this laugh-out-loud and feel-good romcom by Heidi Stephens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After Hannah discovers her husband Graham has got his assistant pregnant she calls a halt to their fourteen-year marriage, has a make-over and flies to Spain with some new friends for a week of tennis school, after which she intends to drive around Spain, perhaps visiting her father. Having been raised in a repressive religious group Hannah is more restrained and less worldly than her thirty-two years would suggest.

Rob has always been the black sheep of the family, a dyslexic he struggles to match up to his parents and siblings who are all wealthy professionals. He has given up his job to spend the summer as a tennis professional in a smart club in Spain before taking up a tennis coaching job in Bristol. Despite his parents' blissfully happy marriage, Rob has never really felt the urge to settle down, in fact he's quite the player although he would say he never leads women on. But all that must take a backseat while he's in Spain, fraternising with the guests is a sackable offence and he isn't interested in taking part in the sexual bingo game the other professionals have got going.

Hannah and Rob are drawn to each other despite themselves, but the timing is wrong. Also Hannah is nothing but commitment and Rob is anything but. When a spiteful colleague gets Rob fired, Hannah spontaneously invites him to join her Spanish road trip which involves a stray dog, a tennis competition, a family reunion, and a few surprises along the way.

This was pleasant enough (indeed 100% PG) but it didn't really feel like the plot had been properly mapped out in advance. The book felt like a series of scenes strung together, as if the author had said well I need X to happen so I'll make my characters do Y. Characters pop in and out randomly and a lot happens in what feels like ten days. Also, Hannah had broken away from the church and been married for fourteen years (albeit to another former member of the same church) but remained very timid, rarely drinking, never swearing, wearing loose drab clothing etc. Then as soon as she kicks her husband out she's suddenly completely different (other than the swearing), it feels like too much of a change in such a short period of time.

Overall, it dragged a bit for me and smacked a bit of the 'Miss Jones you look so beautiful without your glasses' cliché.

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

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Review: Playing For Keeps

Playing For Keeps by Julie Hammerle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Bryce Barrett gets passed over for promotion to partner at her fancy Chicago law firm in favour of a snotty-nosed, know-nothing idiot who just happens to be the Mayor's nephew she doesn't take it well. In fact she may have incinerated her career. Now she's retreated to the house her ex-husband bought in the tiny midwestern town of Wackernagel he grew up in (she might have been petty enough to ask for it in the divorce) and is sticking it to The Man (assuming that this means watching every episode of The Gilmore Girls, wearing sweatpants and eating Cheetos - can I also say I've never eaten them but they sound vile).

On a visit to the local ice-cream parlour to buy essential ice-cream provisions, Bryce attracts the eye of a concerned citizen who calls the local security for the gated community in which she lives (cripes these are special snowflakes if they've never seen a woman in sweatpants and novelty slippers binge-eating ice-cream). Jake Warner was born and bred in Wackernagel (I apologise for all the asides, not sure what has come over me, but why do authors insist on having their towns called silly names (please don't tell me it's an actual town)) but he's spent the last decade as far away as possible roaming the US. Now he's back, but only until he's repaid his father, and then he'll be off far from home once again - because 'reasons'. His temporary job as security guard for a gated community is easy work, but when he's called to deal with a possibly violent vagrant woman scaring customers at the ice-cream parlour he feels compassion for the woman who is clearly dealing with some issues.

A chance encounter with Bryce's ex and his new girlfriend leads Bryce to claim that she and Jake are dating, which he goes along with because he can see where she's coming from. When Bryce's power gets cut off because she's not been paying her bills (or opening her mail - see, I'm doing it again), they come to an agreement, Jake will help her renovate the house to sell and in return Bryce will pay him the realtor's fee which will help him repay his father. United in their desire to get out of Wackernagel as soon as possible the two of them become friends - or maybe more.

I've read a few of Julie Hammerle's novels before and I've always appreciated the way she portrays more mature women with real problems and grown-up reactions, which is why I requested this book. Unfortunately, this didn't really work well for me for several reasons. First, Jake blames himself/his father for something that happened - it is this that has kept him away from home for a decade, but frankly his logic is that of an eight-year-old, not a grown man. Second, Jake's family are so irritating I would have left town as soon as possible to get away from them. Third, Bryce's slob phase was too extreme - closer to mental breakdown territory - and I've read better.

Overall, it was okay, a pleasant enough read but after only a few days I could barely remember the plot.

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


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Review: Playing It Tough

Playing It Tough by Amy Andrews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ronan Dempsey is an American rugby player who has joined the Sydney Smoke to hopefully get more experience and get selected for the US Olympic team. However, his partying hasn't gone unnoticed and could jeopardise his career, so he makes a bet with his teammates that he can remain celibate for the rest of the season. When his apartment block develops subsidence problems one of his mum's friends offers the use of her (luxurious) pool house as a temporary home.

Orla Stewart used to be a big party girl, then a cancer scare pushed her the other way. Now she's a walking talking celibate advert for clean living in all its forms and she uses her skills as a cosmetic tattoo artist to cover up scars. She is house-sitting for a wealthy Sydney resident while they are travelling.

When Ronan and Orla first meet he doesn't make a good impression, especially because Orla didn't know the pool house had been lent out. But the chemistry was palpable, if it wasn't for those pesky celibacy vows. Orla gets quite creative about her definition of celibacy (move over Bill Clinton you have a new contender), but can she let herself out of the box she has put herself in?

Amy Andrews and I have a love-hate relationship, and I'm afraid this one tipped the wrong way. I know Amy is all about the steamy smexy times, but I feel she may have over-compensated for the serious topic under discussion by throwing more sex scenes at it. For me, it just felt like the balance between plot and steam was off. Others will no doubt love it.

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

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Review: Blood and Money

Blood and Money by Rachel McLean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A new series featuring DI Jade Tanner who has been tasked with managing a new investing team Scotland's Complex Crimes Unit. Alongside her are Dr Petra McBride (who we know from previous Rachel McLean series) and DS Mo Uddin (ditto).

Jade is a single mother whose husband died recently - I suspect there is more to uncover in future books on this point. Petra has a girlfriend in America but fears for her it is out of sight and out of mind, is she capable of a relationship? She is also receiving silent phone calls and believes someone is stalking her. Mo has trepidations about working for a new superior officer, he got on so well with Zoe, and moving to the countryside when he's used to be a city detective.

Their first case is a doozy. An American internet billionaire is shot and left to bleed to death on his remote country estate in Scotland which he visits once a year for his detox from devices. There are striking similarities to the murder of a millionaire property developer, another of Jade's cases which remains unsolved.

Obviously with a new series there is a fair amount of scene-setting and laying the foundations for what could be overarching story arcs (I really must find a better way of describing them I hate the 'arching' 'arc' proximity). However, I have to say I was left with a curious sense that not all the loose ends had been tied up, more importantly the breakthrough only occurred because one of the detectives overheard someone making an incriminating phone call. It felt like the crime was solved without actually understanding the motives until later - maybe that's the case in real life but it felt off.

Anyway, first in a new series and I'm keen to see where it goes.

Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

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Review: Kiss Hard

Kiss Hard by Nalini Singh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Danny Esera and Catie Rivers have been frenemies practically all their lives. Danny's older half-brother is married to Catie's older half-sister and so they are practically family, especially since Catie's father is an unreliable gambler and her mother is a cold career woman without a maternal bone in her body.

Danny is a star rugby player from a dynasty of New Zealand rugby players, Catie is a paralympic sprinter. The two of them are forever snarking on each other's social media, although never in a mean way.

When Catie sees Danny clearly under the influence at a bar in Auckland she knows something is wrong, Danny wouldn't drink that much he's very conscious of his public image and maintaining his personal fitness. It turns out that someone at the bar has slipped drugs into Danny's drink and Catie has to get him to the hospital with the help of one of his teammates. In order to misdirect people, particularly the press, Danny's friend pretends that Danny and Catie went off on their own to hook up, which normally wouldn't be a problem but with Danny being rugby's golden boy, if the two of them are thought to have had a one-night stand it would reflect badly on Catie and could cost her some of her sponsorships (double standards are still alive and well). Also, Danny has an ultra-conservative sponsor who might not view a one-night stand favourably. So the two of them agree to a fake relationship for six months, be seen publicly, attend a few events, post a few pictures on the socials, job done. Very close friends and family are told that its fake.

But of course, what they intend isn't what happens and soon the fakery becomes real. But can they make it all the way and how will love impact their career ambitions?

Loved it. Intelligent characters with integrity. None of the rinse-and-repeat angst of other authors. Going back to read the other books featuring the Esera brothers.

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Review: Going Dark

Going Dark by Neil Lancaster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Tom Novak is a former Royal Marine, and member of the elite Special Reconnaissance Regiment turned police officer. Originally from Bosnia, he and his mother fled the country when he was a child after his father's death in the Yugoslav wars. After his mother's death he was brought up by a foster family in the Cairngorns of Scotland. Tom is finding piloting a desk unfulfilling so when he gets approached to go undercover to infiltrate a gang of Bosnian Serb people smugglers he is delighted. His role is to collect evidence to convict the people smugglers themselves, the Branko family, who bring girls over from Sarajevo promising them good jobs in the UK then force them into working in their brothels and the corrupt solicitor Michael Adebayo who gives them fake Slovenian passports and then forces them to marry men who want to stay in the EU (this is pre-Brexit) to falsely obtain visas.

Things are going well until he is compelled to break cover to prevent the solicitor from raping a young woman, luckily he gets it all on camera but mysteriously both his written report and the camera footage disappear in police hands, when the girl is too scared to testify it looks like the case is dead in the water. Tom had saved another copy of the footage to his phone, but there is obviously at least one person in the police who is in the pay of Adebayo and/or the Brankos and he doesn't know who to trust on the taskforce. On the run with a CIA freelancer supplied by an old friend Tom must uncover the traitors before they succeed in having him killed.

I don't normally like the Jack Reacher type of character or the SAS style hero, all stunted emotionally and skilled in every known way to kill a person. But, I do like Neil Lancaster's police novels and this was available as part of my Prime Reading (and also now available on Kindle Unlimited) so I thought I'd give it a try. I really enjoyed it, obviously there were a few cliches/lucky coincidences such as the fact that Tom had saved the life of a man who had since gone on to be a senior person in the CIA with the ability to furnish Tom with guns and surveillance equipment, a freelance operative, and a plane at short notice. My only negative was that I thought the identity of the traitor was too obvious.

I have already downloaded the second book in the series - let's see whether Tom is more than a one-trick pony.

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Review: Murder in the Parish

Murder in the Parish by Faith Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

DI Hillary Greene is retired but has returned to the police to help solve cold cases. She has a remarkable solve rate. Her latest case is the thirty-year old murder of the Reverend Keith Coltrane in his own church in the Oxfordshire village of Lower Barton.

There were two suspects at the time, a businessman who was in dispute with the Reverend over a plot of land which the Reverend wanted to use as a cemetery and the businessman wanted to use as a glamping site, and the husband of a woman who was known to be chasing after the good-looking Reverend. Someone seems to think these two know more than they are letting on.

Was he a ladies man? Was he too friendly with the village youths? Was he hiding a secret?

This is the twentieth book in the series but the first one I have read. I found it easy enough to get into, Hillary's past was alluded to but you don't need to have read the other books to enjoy this police procedural. Having said that, the plot seemed quite familiar, but then there are only a few real motives for murder.

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

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