Review: A Death in Chelsea

A Death in Chelsea by H.L. Marsay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set against the backdrop of WW1 and the very real story of a group of women who acted as volunteer police officers both to cope with the additional crimes caused by soldiers marauding around towns looking for a good time and the lack of able-bodied men to do the job. I read the first book and enjoyed it, but I found the historical political aspects overshadowed the detection. Accordingly, although I requested an ARC I left this on my TBR shelf until after publication day (Bad reviewer). And then, typically I picked it up and tore through it in a day because I enjoyed it so much.

This book starts very much like one of my beloved Lord Peter Wimsey novels (albeit the plot is very different). Dorothy is woken by one of her fellow volunteers Margaret calling to ask for help, her next door neighbour Mr Gaskell is dead in his garden. When Dorothy arrives she concludes he has been murdered, based on the blood on his forehead. The victim, a parsimonious man, lived alone with a butler, cook, and maid. On the night before his body was found, he dined with his nephew, a dissolute young man called Gervase, who is married to Mr Gaskell's former ward Emily.

Apparently, on the afternoon before he died Mr Gaskell received a letter from his grandson Paul, a soldier serving at the Front, following which he called his solicitor Mr Pearson and changed his will, a will that no-one can now find.

This felt like a good old-fashioned mystery. Who murdered Mr Gaskell? Is it the alcoholic Butler with a gambling problem? Was it the deaf cook who quarrelled with Mr Gaskell after he refused her request for a payrise? What about the maid Connie who apparently didn't sleep in her bed on the night he died? Dorothy favours the nephew Gervase who shows no sadness at the news of his uncle's death and immediately starts planning a party. Could it be the grandson, was he about to be written out of the will? Or what about the gardener who had easy access to the gardens? Even the saintly Emily and Mr Pearson come under suspicion.

In the background the Women's Police Volunteers are splintering over the Defence of the Realm Act which sought to combat the rise in drunken disorder and venereal diseases by effectively placing women under curfew. Some of the women, particularly Dorothy's friend NIna, feel they should not enforce such laws while others, notably Margaret and her lover Mary, argue that the WPV agreed to uphold all laws when they took office, not just the ones they agreed with.

Overall, this was an intriguing and satisfying historical detective story which also taught me some things about WW1 of which I was previously unaware.

I received an ARC from the publisher Tule for an honest review.

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Review: The Other Side of Disappearing

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Ten years ago Jess' mother waltzed off with her boyfriend leaving twenty-one year old jess to look after her eight year old step-sister Tegan. It later transpired that her mother's boyfriend was a conman called Lynton Baltimore who made a habit of seducing women and taking their money. Lynton was made famous/infamous by one of the first true-crime podcasts and jess and Tegan have been flying beneath the radar ever since. To protect Tegan Jess rarely dates and has no social media presence, she can only imagine how they would be hounded by the press if anyone discovered their mother had run off with Lynton.

Now Tegan is only a few weeks away from going to college when she drops a bombshell, she has been in contact with the podcaster, Salem, and her assistant, former American football player Adam about finding her mother, based on five postcards which their mother sent Jess (which she had hidden).

Desperately wanting to avoid anything to do with finding her mother, Jess nevertheless can't allow Tegan to go off with Salem and Adam alone, who knows what they might get her to say. So the four of them reluctantly agree to go on a road trip, visiting each of the cities from which Jess' mother sent a postcard, trying to track down her and Lynton.

As soon as he sets eyes on Jess Adam is a gonner, but he has made a deal with Salem that he will help her, specifically get Jess to talk on the record, and in return she will produce a podcast very dear to his heart about the death of his best friend.

Jess has never had anyone to depend on. Her mother left her not once but twice, her father and stepmother looked after her the first time her mother took off, but they made it clear it was only while her mother was away. Similarly, when her mother left the second time, Jess' boyfriend only lasted a few weeks before bailing on her. Since then Jess has been big sister and quasi-mother to Tegan. However, Adam seems instinctively to offer Jess a shoulder to lean on almost from the very beginning.

I enjoyed this but ... OMG the angst and also I found it irritating that there was a lot of things alluded to which weren't explained (deliberately) until much later, its like tell me now or say nothing don't keep being cryptic because when the truth is revealed its been built up too much and ends up being an anti-climax. I felt like the book could have been a lot shorter, and the plot a lot tighter, without all of that.

So ... (three, two, one) I liked but I didn't love it.

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

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Review: The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Rockpool Murder

The Rockpool Murder by Emylia Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

The third outing for our unlikely detectives, consisting of Jayden West, a former PC turned campsite manager, Ally Bright, the widow of a former detective, and Gus, a retired geography teacher turned author.

Baz Carson, legendary rock star, is turning seventy and has invited his ex-wife, remaining band mates, manager, children, grandchild, the son of the love of his life, and a former lover to his new mansion Rockpool House in Cornwall for a birthday bash. Meanwhile, Ally meets Baz' former lover Tallulah at the gallery where she is about to exhibit some of her artwork. The two women form a bond, so when Baz is found dead floating in his pool just hours after he and Tallulah meet for the first time in thirty years she begs Ally for help in discovering who killed him, even if the police think that there is no foul play. Then a second person at the party is killed, and everyone is arrested, including Saffron who has been hired to cater the party.

There are lots of tensions between the guests which only intensify after the second death.

In my review of the last book in this series I complained that there was too much personal history, but that wasn't a problem with this novel. In fact, I love that PC Mullins is starting to become a more rounded character (and indeed person) as the series progresses.

However, I did feel that in the attempt to keep the reader guessing about whether Baz was murdered, and if so by whom, and whether there is a link to the murder of the second person there were too many red herrings. It may of course just be sour grapes because I thought *someone* was clearly the guilty person almost from the start and turned out to be totally wrong. Also, even after the event, I have trouble in recalling who did what and why.

Final shout out to the covers of these books, I love them.

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

Also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Review: Sisters of Fortune

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

A story based on the three Fortune sisters, daughters of a self-made Canadian real estate millionaire. Having spent a month travelling, the family board the Titanic at Southampton for the journey back to New York. Flora, the eldest at twenty-eight is engaged to a Canadian banker called Crawford, although her sisters have noted that she has only received one letter from him the entire time they have been away. Now this is where I got confused because I just didn't feel any real distinction between the sisters, but I think the next daughter is Alice, aged twenty-four she was very sickly as a child and so now she is coddled and wrapped in cotton wool. Engaged to a man called Holden, she loves him dearly but feels stifled by his letters which talk of a quiet life in Winnipeg, rather that the life of travel and adventure she craves. The youngest daughter Mabel at twenty-three has been associating with a Jazz musician back home, although its not serious on her side she has played up the romance, hoping it will soften her father to her real wish, which is to attend university. Accompanying them on their journey are their parents and youngest brother Charlie, their older brother and sister are married and chose not to travel.

The trouble with stories about the Titanic is that everyone knows what happened and this proved true with this book. All the time I was reading it I was just waiting for the sinking. Also, because this was based on a real family there was a temptation to google, particularly for pictures of what the girls looked like.

I enjoyed this, Anna Lee Huber has clearly done a lot of research, although she is at pains to point out that she has created a fictional account, particularly in relation to Flora (whose real name was Ethel Flora), but I didn't love it. Honestly, its probably because I'm not a fan of stories about the Titanic, but I requested an ARC because I have read and enjoyed other books by Ms Huber.

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



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Review: A Wedding at Heatherly Hall

A Wedding at Heatherly Hall by Julie Houston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The trials and tribulations of the triplets Rosa, Hannah, and Eva continue. Not only do they have to organise the wedding of a famous Bollywood actress and a rock star at short notice, but they are also producing a play about the night a set of jade jewellery intended as a gift for Wallis Simpson went missing in the Hall the following day!

That in itself would have been sufficient plot for a novel, especially when it seems many people believe the jewellery is still hidden somewhere in the Hall and are keen to find it. However, Julie Houston also introduces love tribulations for two of the triplets *and* brings Joe's ex-wife back from Australia to claim their daughter. I'm sure I've griped about this before, but there is just too much going on what with a wedding, a treasure hunt, a play, two love triangles, IVF, an ex-wife, and Virginia deciding to play lady of the manor. It felt a bit like things had been deliberately disrupted (having only just been settled in the previous book) only to be resolved almost instantaneously at the end of the book.

Overall, a pleasant enough read, although I think anyone who hadn't read the previous books might have struggled with the dynamics and relationships.

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

Also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Review: The Little Teashop in Tokyo

The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fiona has won the prize of an all-expenses paid trip to Japan followed by a chance to exhibit her photographs of Japan at the Japan Centre in London. I haven't read all the previous books in this series and/or can't recall FIona in those I have read, but she is a tall blonde, quite shy, home-schooled after being bullied, and writes quite a successful blog in which people challenge her to do different things.

However, when she gets to Tokyo she discovers that her photography mentor has suffered a bereavement in the family and has been replaced by Gabriel Burnett, multi-award winning photographer, and the man who (as her mother rather dramatically describes it) ruined Fiona's life.

At first Fiona is totally overwhelmed by the foreignness of Japan, always conscious of her size she feels like a huge clumsy giant compared to all the petit Japanese woman around her, which isn't helped when she gets separated from Gabriel, swept away by a tide of people, and thoroughly lost. However, the Japanese family, three generations of women, who she is staying with help to feel more at home, sharing the intricacies of Japanese life with Fiona in their home above an authentic Tea Shop (of the title).

Gabriel is a lost man. His muse and model girlfriend abruptly left him to marry a bilionaire and he has lost his mojo. Although he has (mostly) stopped the heavy drinking and sitting around in his sweatpants he has no joie de vivre and is frankly coasting by on uninspiring commercial contracts. The last thing he wants to do is mentor Fiona and show her all the tiresome tourist traps, faking enthusiasm for her trite ideas, things that have been done a million times over.

But as Gabriel reluctantly escorts Fiona around the city he starts to find her enthusiasm infectious, not annoying. The way her every emotions shows on her face, her frank enjoyment of all things Japanese sparks some shadow of his former artistic inspiration.

You know where you are with a Julie Caplin novel, not least that you will desperately want to visit the country/city she features in her book. As an aside, what a cunning wheeze, to set each book in a different country/city so you *just have* to spend a month or two there on research LOL. Anyway, after ploughing through a pile of ARCs that were past their release date I wanted something comforting, with a charming romance, gorgeous food, and stunning landscapes and Julie Caplin delivered on all fronts.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Review: The Love Interest

The Love Interest by Victoria Walters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Liv Jones is a university librarian with a passion for romance and Mr Darcy in particular. After an unfortunate incident at a party when they were much younger, she and her brother's best friend Aidan Rivers are practically sworn enemies. So when her brother invites Aidan to share their flat when he moves to London Liv is furious, especially when she discovers that he is going to be a lecturer at her university! The trouble is, with his entrancing Irish accent, his dashing good looks and his ridiculous charm Aidan is the spitting image of Mr Darcy and just happens to be the (unknowing) model for the hero in Liv's very own attempt at writing a romance novel.

When her brother is injured in a road accident, Liv and Aidan are left alone in the flat, and soon the needling seems less like dislike and more like sparks, but since Aidan is so much more experienced than Liv is she reading too much into things?

I started reading this and left off about halfway through. When I picked it up again a few weeks later I couldn't remember anything about the plot and I think that probably sums up my feelings about this novel. It was pleasant and I can imagine reading it lying beside a pool on my summer holidays, but nothing really sang to me.

Just read my notes from when I broke off reading, apparently Liv is only working part-time but apparently has an amazing wardrobe and walks to work in four inch heels - in London? Is she mad?

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

Also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Review: Heroic Hearts

Heroic Hearts by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought this anthology because it featured short stories by Anne Bishop and Patricia Briggs, and also because it is dedicated to the memory of Rachel Caine. I will review each short story as I pick and choose. Some of these authors I love (see above), some I have read in the past, but have gone off in recent years, and some are totally new to me.

Little Things by Jim Butcher - did not read

The Dark Ship by Anne Bishop - four stars
Set in the world of The Others, this is the story of a young girl in a small village called Pyetra on a Mediterranean island which is being terrorised by Captain Starr and his crew who provide 'protection' to the islanders in return for doing whatever they want.

Dett has a sort of second sense when it comes to ships and the sea, not that she would ever tell anyone after a sailor beat a woman with similar skills to death for correctly warning him of an incoming storm, a warning he failed to heed. So when she 'feels' the need to go to the beach which Captain Starr and his men have baited as a trap for anyone or thing foolish or desperate enough to try to claim what is on the beach, Dett doesn't hesitate. There she finds an unusual blue horse, trapped in one of the nets. Dett frees the horse, which of course turns out to be one of the terra indigene.

I won't go on further but I loved this. How Anne Bishop can cram so much into such a short story amazes me. It may be hard for someone who is not familiar with the series to understand the references to the different kinds of Others, but this is very much a standalone story.

Comfort Zone by Kelley Armstrong - three and a half stars
A short story featuring Necromancer Chloe and werewolf Derek. After their adventures Chloe and Derek are trying really hard to be normal, going to college, living together etc. Chloe does her best to ignore the ghosts that regularly accost her asking for help. Until a young man claims he has been murdered and his half-sister is in mortal danger.

Another great short story in the Darkest Powers YA series which I really enjoyed.

Train to Last Hope by Annie Bellet - did not read

Fire Hazard by Kevin Hearne - did not read

Grave Gambles by R.R. Virdi - did not read

Silverspell by Chloe Neill - three stars
I read the Dark Elite and Chicago Vampires series about a decade ago (that makes me feel old) and failed to write reviews so I have no idea why I gave up on CV at book 5. Anyway, this novella features Merit and Ethan's daughter Elisa, the only born vampire, in her role as a Chicago ombudsman alongside her boyfriend Connor, son of the North American Central Pack's Apex wolf.

Elisa and Connor are called to investigate when the body of a shifter is found, stabbed in the heart by a silver dagger and surrounded by a circle of salt. The murder weapon and the salt suggest black magic of some description. Then they discover that a human was killed in a similar fashion a few nights earlier, can they stop the killer(s) before any others are killed?

I liked it but I didn't love it. I struggled to understand the fight scene and to connect with two characters from a five book series that I haven't read.

Troll Life by Kerrie L. Hughes - 4 stars
A new to me author, I loved the world-building in this story. A troll is hoping to be promoted to station master on the Liminal Subway system and is awaiting a 'surprise' inspection when he comes across a pair of runaways. Harzl has to decide what is more important, his career or saving a small gargoyle child.

I don't know if this is part of a series but I would definitely be interested in reading more books set in this world.

The Return of the Mage by Charlaine Harris - 3 1/2 stars
At one time I couldn't get enough of Charlaine Harris' books and must have reread the Sookie Stackhouse books four or five times, although apparently I didn't like the way the series was heading because I didn't read the final book!

Apparently this short story is part of the same universe as the Sookie Stackhouse series, but it concerns The Britlingen Collective, a society from another dimension divided into Mechs, Mercs, and Mages. An old rescue beacon has been activated and a team of Mercs is sent off-world to rescue whoever set off the beacon.

I liked this, there was a lot of plot conveyed well in a short story and I would read other stories about The Collective.

The Vampires Karamazov by Nancy Holder - did not read
The Necessity of Pragmatic Magic by Jennifer Brozek - did not read

Dating Terrors by Patricia Briggs - 4 stars
Oh, how I wish that this had been a full-length novel. Asil's 'friends' have set him up on a series of blind dates/ For those who don't know him, Asil is a very old, very dangerous wolf. His latest blind date is a group activity involving ghost hunting in a Victorian mansion, one of the ghosts is a poltergeist who likes to hit guests. Asil's date can see and speak to ghosts, but really she and her friends have invited Asil in the hope that he will help her to escape from the fae who has her under his thrall.

This was a great story from start to finish. I love Asil.

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Review: Lucky Strike

Lucky Strike by Janine Amesta
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 31%.

Sorry, this really just didn't grab my attention. I found both Luna and Sam to be too broadly drawn to feel real, and I can't get over having a name like Luna TBH.

Anyway, I've stopped and restarted this several times and I just can't get any further.

I received an ARC from the publisher Tule for an honest review.

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Review: Make-Believe Proposal

Make-Believe Proposal by Vivi Holt
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 7%.

Sorry, I know 7% is a pathetic attempt at reading but I just could not get into the writing style and June seemed really juvenile. By contrast, her boss Roland sounds about sixty!

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

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