The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sarah Piper's lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis-rich, handsome, scarred by World War I, and obsessed with ghosts- has been summoned to investigate the spirit of nineteen-year-old maid Maddy Clare, who is haunting the barn where she committed suicide. Since Maddy hated men in life, it is Sarah's task to confront her in death. Soon Sarah is caught up in a deperate struggle. For Maddy's ghost is real, she's angry, and she has powers that defy all reason. 

Can Sarah and Alistair's assistant, the rough, unsettling Matthew Ryder, discover who Maddy was, whereshe came from, and what is driving her desire for vengeance-before she destroys them all?

**********

I've been wanting to read more of Simone St. James books since I read Lost Among the Living a couple of months ago. I love books with either very much paranormal or just a hint of it. And, ghosts I find is a fascinating subject. So, I hoped that The Haunting of Maddy Clare would work for me. 

The Haunting of Maddy Clare has all the right ingredients for a great story. A vengeful spirit, a budding love story, a mystery, and great characters. I did find Sarah Piper a bit too timid for my taste at first, but as the story progressed did I find myself liking her more and more and I did like Matthew and Alistair very much. But, unlike Sarah, I think I did find Alistair a bit more to my liking than Matthew, but at least it was not written as a triangle drama (thank God). I think Alistair tragic love story with a married woman and his past experience with ghost hunting just made him quite alluring. Not that Matthew had a less than interesting back story. I especially liked how they met during the war and that, despite the class difference they become friends. 

As for the story itself, it was tragic, intense and very much engrossing. I felt so sorry for Maddy, especially when the truth came out about what she had suffered. And, without giving away the ending, was the conclusion of the book very satisfying. 

The Haunting of Maddy Clare was a very good book, and I look forward to reading more of Simone St. James books!

May Wishlist: Love stories during WW2

As usual did I not have a clue what theme I would use for my monthly wishlist post. However I have a lot of interesting books in my wishlist on Goodreads so I did what I usually do started to browse through the books and see if a theme would reveal itself to me. And, it did. Here are 5 books with the connection that they are all Love Stories during WW2!

********** 

Two women. Two love affairs. One unforgettable story.
Kings Cross station, 1943. Rose arrives in London hoping to swap the drudgery of wartime for romance, glamour and jiving with GIs at Rainbow Corner, the famous dance hall in Piccadilly Circus. As the bombs fall, Rose loses her heart to a pilot but will lose so much more before the war has done its worst.

Las Vegas, present day. A beautiful woman in a wedding dress walks into a seedy bar and asks the first man she sees to marry her. When Leo slips the ring onto Jane's finger, he has no idea that his new wife will stop at nothing to get what she wants. So when Jane meets Rose, now a formidable older lady, there's no love lost between them. But with time running out, can Rose and Jane come together to make peace with the tragic secrets that have always haunted their lives? After the Last Dance is an extraordinary story of two women, separated by time but connected by fate, that will make you believe in the redemptive power of unexpected love

Emily thinks she’s lost everything…until a mysterious painting leads her to what she wants most in the world. The new novel from the author of international bestsellers The Sweetness of Forgetting and The Life Intended shows why her books are hailed as “engaging” (People), “absorbing” (Kirkus Reviews) and “enthralling” (Fresh Fiction).

Emily Emerson is used to being alone; her dad ran out on the family when she was a just a kid, her mom died when she was seventeen, and her beloved grandmother has just passed away as well. But when she’s laid off from her reporting job, she finds herself completely at sea…until the day she receives a beautiful, haunting painting of a young woman standing at the edge of a sugarcane field under a violet sky. That woman is recognizable as her grandmother—and the painting arrived with no identification other than a handwritten note saying, “He always loved her.”

Emily is hungry for roots and family, so she begins to dig. And as she does, she uncovers a fascinating era in American history. Her trail leads her to the POW internment camps of Florida, where German prisoners worked for American farmers...and sometimes fell in love with American women. But how does this all connect to the painting? The answer to that question will take Emily on a road that leads from the sweltering Everglades to Munich, Germany and back to the Atlanta art scene before she’s done.

Along the way, she finds herself tempted to tear down her carefully tended walls at last; she’s seeing another side of her father, and a new angle on her painful family history. But she still has secrets, ones she’s been keeping locked inside for years. Will this journey bring her the strength to confront them at last.

As World War II draws closer and closer to Guernsey, Vivienne de la Mare knows that there will be sacrifices to be made. 

Not just for herself, but for her two young daughters and for her mother-in-law, for whom she cares while her husband is away fighting. What she does not expect is that she will fall in love with one of the enigmatic German soldiers who take up residence in the house next door to her home. 

As their relationship intensifies, so do the pressures on Vivienne. Food and resources grow scant, and the restrictions placed upon the residents of the island grow with each passing week. Though Vivienne knows the perils of her love affair with Gunther, she believes that she can keep their relationship and her family safe. But when she becomes aware of the full brutality of the Occupation, she must decide if she is willing to risk her personal happiness for the life of a stranger.

World War II Paris serves as the backdrop of a story of compassion, betrayal, and forgiveness from the national bestselling author of The Wedding Tree . . .

“I never knew what he saw in you.”

At her retirement home in Wedding Tree, Louisiana, ninety-one-year-old Amelie O’Connor is in the habit of leaving her door open for friends. One day she receives an unexpected visitor—Kat Morgan, the ex-fiancée of her late husband, Jack.

Kat and Jack were high school sweethearts who planned to marry when Jack returned from France after World War II. But in a cruel twist of fate, their plans were irrevocably derailed when a desperate French girl overheard an American GI’s confession in a Parisian church. . .

Now, Kat wants to know the truth behind a story that’s haunted her whole life. Finding out how Amelie stole Jack’s heart will—she thinks—finally bring her peace. As Amelie recalls the dark days of the Nazi occupation of Paris, The French War Bride reveals how history shapes the courses of our lives. . .for better or for worse.

An aristocratic French family, a legendary château, and buried secrets with the power to destroy two generations torn between duty and desire.

La Côte d’Azur, 1998: In the sun-dappled south of France, Emilie de la Martinières, the last of her gilded line, inherits her childhood home, a magnificent château and vineyard. With the property comes a mountain of debt—and almost as many questions . . .

Paris, 1944: A bright, young British office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is sent undercover to Paris to be part of Churchill’s Special Operations Executive during the climax of the Nazi occupation. Separated from her contacts in the Resistance, she soon stumbles into the heart of a prominent family who regularly entertain elite members of the German military even as they plot to liberate France. But in a city rife with collaborators and rebels, Constance’s most difficult decision may be determining whom to trust with her heart.

As Emilie discovers what really happened to her family during the war and finds a connection to Constance much closer than she suspects, the château itself may provide the clues that unlock the mysteries of her past, present, and future. Here is a dazzling novel of intrigue and passion from one of the world’s most beloved storytellers.

************

Want to see more wishlist?

Check out these that my friends have posted:

Erin at Flashlight Commentary

Stephanie at Layered Pages

Heather at The Maiden's Court

Colleen at A Literary Vacation

Holly at 2 Kids and Tired

How the Duke Was Won by Lenora Bell Blog Tour

How the Duke Was Won by Lenora Bell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Published on 26th May 2016 | Paperback Original £8.99

Amazon

 BLURB

James, the scandalously uncivilized Duke of Harland, requires a bride with a spotless reputation for a strictly business arrangement. Lust is prohibited and love is out of the question.

Four ladies. Three days. What could go wrong?

She is not like the others . . .

Charlene Beckett, the unacknowledged daughter of an earl and a courtesan, has just been offered a life-altering fortune to pose as her half-sister, Lady Dorothea, and win the duke's proposal. All she must do is:

* Be the perfect English rose (Ha!)
* Breathe, smile, and curtsy in impossibly tight gowns (blast Lady Dorothea's sylph-like figure)
* Charm and seduce a wild duke (without appearing to try)
* Keep said duke far, far from her heart (no matter how tempting)

When secrets are revealed and passion overwhelms, James must decide if the last lady he should want is really everything he needs. And Charlene must decide if the promise of a new life is worth risking everything . . . including her heart.

**********

REVIEW

I think I have finally figured out what kind of historical romance work for me: rom-com just like with movies. Well, in this case, it's a historical rom-com (a his-rom-com?). Anyway, How the Duke Was Won turned out to be quite good just because it was so bloody funny now and then. I quite liked the part of the book when the four ladies and their mothers (or three ladies and their mother, and Charlene and her half-sister's mother) tried to win the Duke's favour and at the same time attacking each other. Had more of the book been as funny as that part had I probably given the book a higher rating.

However, as much as I enjoyed reading the book, was I not overly fond of the constant inner monologue abut how the Duke and Charlene wanted to ravish each other. I'm, not a prude, I just get bored with a man constantly thoughts about wanting to rip a woman's clothes of her body and take her right there. And, the sex-scenes I just skimmed for the same reason. And, here is the problem with me with the book. The last part of the book was not as good as the rest of the book. There was no twist to the story. And, I'm a girl that likes a good twist or two to a story, but the blurb pretty much gives the whole book away. But, still it was a pretty good historical rom-com and I do adore the cover for the book!

So, in the end, I want to say that I enjoyed reading most of the book. It made me smile and I quite liked the main characters. However, for some reason, I found the Duke's best friend Dalton more interesting and I hope to read more about him in another book (And it seems that he will actually be the main male character in the next book). If it is so will I definitely read the next book!

Thanks to Piatkus for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

**********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lenora Bell grew up in a tiny town in Alaska with no streetlights, no movie theatre, but a very well-endowed library. A graduate of Portland State University’s MFA in Creative Writing program, she has lived and taught English on five continents. Lenora currently shares a cabin in Switzerland with her husband and two naughty tiger-striped kitties.

The Hanging Club by Tony Parsons

The Hanging Club by Tony Parsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

BLURB:

A band of vigilante executioners roam London's hot summer nights, abducting evil men and hanging them by the neck until dead.

SENTENCED TO DEATH
- The gang member who's abused vulnerable girls.
- The wealthy drunk driver who's mowed down a child.
- The hate preacher calling for the murder of British soldiers.

As the bodies pile up and riots explode across the sweltering city, DC Max Wolfe hunts a gang of killers who many believe to be heroes.

And discovers that the lust for revenge starts very close to home ...

REVIEW

It was quite wonderful to once again return to DC Max Wolfe world. There are some series where characters really make a deep impression on me and this is certainly one. Max is probably not the only man ever to have to raise a daughter by himself. However, I find his situation sadder just because of why he is a single father raising a daughter. A situation I won't reveal, you just have to read the books. 

The case in this book is one that really makes you think about justice and what happens when the law fails and the ones that should be punished is let go too easy. When people take the law into their own hands and it just seems so right that they do. When bad people are finally punished. It's one thing when the police are hunting down dangerous criminals, but in this book are they trying to catch a gang of people that are really doing what most people in the book feel is probably just. Since the capital punishment is gone in the UK are the group taking the law into their own hands by hanging men they feel should have been punished with death.

DC Max Wolfe is the one that has to take charge of the case when his boss has to focus on a personal crisis and the case will get very close to him and it will take an ugly turn that I never expected. It's a great book, a book that makes you think, but thanks to Max daughter Scout and their dog Stan are there also some lighter moments. And, there is a woman that Max met that could bring love back into his life, but of course, there are obstacles...

This is a favorite series of mine and I'm looking forward to next year and see what will happen next for Max and his family.

Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! 

The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom by Alison Love Blog Tour

The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom by Alison Love
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An epic love story featuring an Italian singer and a British dancer, set against the backdrop of war-torn England.

The first meeting between Antonio and Olivia at the Paradise Ballroom is brief, but electric.

Years later, on the dawn of World War II, when struggling Italian singer Antonio meets the wife of his wealthy new patron, he recognizes her instantly: it is Olivia, the captivating dance hostess he once encountered in the seedy Paradise Ballroom. Olivia fears Antonio will betray the secrets of her past, but little by little they are drawn together, outsiders in a glittering world to which they do not belong. At last, with conflict looming across Europe, the attraction between them becomes impossible to resist–but when Italy declares war on England, the impact threatens to separate them forever.

The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom is a story of forbidden love and family loyalties amid the most devastating war in human history.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review:

This is one book that actually surprised me quite a lot. I don't read that much romance, but now and then do I like to take a break from reading crime and horror to read something a bit lighter. To be honest, I was not completely sold when it came to this book's story when I read the blurb. And, in a way, I was right about feeling a bit cautious when it came to the romance part of this book. But, I was wrong to think that this book wouldn't suit me. 

However, I will start with saying that I did not care an iota about Antonio and Olivia's romance, I never found their first meeting especially memorable and the subsequent meetings over the years never interested me or even gave a hint of some memorable romance. In short, the main story, the romance between Antonio and Olivia bored me. However, the book had a much more interesting character and that was Antonio's sister Filomena. I liked reading about Filomena's struggle to be with the man she loved. It was far more interesting to read about than Antonio and Olivia's forbidden love. Filomena was the one character that made the book enjoyable for me. Filomena and the fact that I have never read about an Italien family in England during WW2 and what they had to go through. Half the family was for fascism and Mussolini and the other half, not too enthusiastic about it. And, I found it fascinating to read about how the Italians in England thought that Mussolini, il Duce, was the one that would make Italy great again. 

The last part of the book was my favorite part because here Alison Love decided to twist to story in a way I never expected it to go. Here, I became was so completely intrigued by the book that I couldn't stop reading it, despite the clock closing in on midnight. And, the worst part, I loved the ending, despite it being so darn saccharin!

It was a wonderful book and I ended up enjoying it very much! 

Thanks to Crown Publishing for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

**********

About Alison Love

ALISON LOVE is the author of the historical novelsMallingford and Serafina. Her short stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, and in 2013 her story Sophie Stops the Clock was shortlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize. Alison has worked in the theater, television, and public relations. The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom is her American fiction debut.

Connect with Alison on Twitter.

Alison Love’s TLC Book Tour’s TOUR STOPS:

Monday, April 18th: Luxury Reading

Monday, April 18th: The Maiden’s Court

Tuesday, April 19th: The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, April 20th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, April 25th: Books a la Mode – guest post/giveaway

Tuesday, April 26th: Mom’s Small Victories

Wednesday, April 27th: BookNAround

Thursday, April 28th: Just Commonly

Friday, April 29th: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Monday, May 2nd: Kahakai Kitchen

Tuesday, May 3rd: The Best Books Ever

Wednesday, May 4th: Savvy Verse and Wit

Thursday, May 5th: Write Read Life

Monday, May 9th: A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, May 10th: Bibliotica

Wednesday, May 11th: A Bookaholic Swede

Friday, May 13th: Broken Teepee

Monday, May 16th: Diary of an Eccentric

TBD: View from the Birdhouse

A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George (SWE/ENG)

A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Swedish review

William Goldacres självmord får förödande konsekvenser för hans familj, men vilken var den bakomliggande orsaken till tragedin och hur ska hans föräldrar och bror någonsin kunna gå vidare? Finns det något samband mellan den unge mannens hopp från en klippa i Dorset och ett mordfall i Cambridge?

Den kända feministen och författaren Clare Abbott har hittats giftmördad på sitt hotellrum i Cambridge och hennes förläggare Rory Statham misstänker att Clares personliga assistent Caroline Goldacre, mor till William, kan ha något med mordet att göra. Thomas Lynley ser till att Barbara Havers kopplas in på fallet i och mening att hjälpa Barbara att visa framfötterna så att hon ska slippa hotet om förflyttning.

Barbara börjar med Winston Nkatas hjälp gräva i omständigheterna kring både Williams och Clares död och finner väl bevarade hemligheter, lögner, svek och en bitter familjefejd som går utanp det mesta. När så Rory Statham råkar ut för ett förgiftningsförsök tvingas de skruva upp takten och jobba mot klockan i jakten på mördaren.

**********

Oanade konsekvenser är den första Thomas Lynley och Barbara Havers boken jag har läst på flera år, men det känns inte alls som om jag har missat något trots att jag åtminstone inte har läst de senaste 10 böckerna om inte fler. Jag måste erkänna att jag var lite tveksam till boken innan jag började. Men så är den över 600 sidor lång och av erfarenhet vet jag att för att lyckats få läsarna att inte tröttna måste berättelsen hela vägen ha ett flyt och tursamt nog hade boken det. Dock, måste jag erkänna trots att den inte på något sätt var tråkig så saknade jag något med berättelsen, trots den intressanta storyn så kände jag att jag aldrig riktigt fängslades av berättelsen.

Barbara Havers har tydligen begått grova klavertramp i ett tidigare fall och polischefen, Isabelle Ardery, hotar med att förflytta Havers om hon på något sätt gör något överilat och det påverkar berättelsen då hon måste bete sig exemplariskt. Men, hon har Lynely på sin sida som en räddande riddare som försöker få deras chef att förstå att Havers måste få vara Havers, för det är då hon är som bäst som polis. Men Ardery är inte den lättaste att övertala, trots att hon och Lynely en gång i tiden tydligen var väldigt, väldigt nära varandra.

Fallet med den mördade författaren Clare Abbott är intressant även om det kändes som om det tog en lång tid innan allting kom igång, under de första 250 sidorna hände det inte så mycket förutom att Abbotts personliga assistents son tog livet av sig. Men sedan efter mordet på Clare Abbott så kom berättelsen igång och trots avsaknaden av spänning så är boken ändå mycket välskriven och intressant att läsa.

Efter att ha läst Oanade konsekvenser är jag är väldigt sugen på att läsa om de böckerna som jag har läst och sedan ta itu med de som jag har missat. Får se bara när jag får tid till det...

Tack till Norstedts för recensionsexemplaret!

English review

Inspector Lynley investigates the London end of an ever more darkly disturbing case, with Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata looking behind the peaceful façade of country life to discover a twisted world of desire and deceit.

The suicide of William Goldacre is devastating to those left behind. But what was the cause of his tragedy and how far might the consequences reach? Is there a link between the young man's leap from a Dorset cliff and a horrific poisoning in Cambridge?

Following various career-threatening misdemeanours, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers is desperate to redeem herself. So when a past encounter with bestselling feminist writer Clare Abbott and her pushy personal assistant Caroline Goldacre gives her a connection to the Cambridge murder, Barbara begs DI Thomas Lynley to let her pursue the crime.

Full of shocks, intensity and suspense from first page to last, A Banquet of Consequences reveals both Lynley and Havers under pressure, and author Elizabeth George writing at the very height of her exceptional powers

**********

This is the first Thomas Lynley and Barbara Haver book I have read in years. However, it did not feel like I have missed that much despite that I haven't read over 10 books (probably more). I was a bit doubtful towards the book before I started to read it. It's over 600 pages long and I know as a reader that the author really needs to be able to write a story that keeps the reader interested all the way and a 600-page book is tricky. Fortunately, the book manages to keep my interest all the way through. However, I must admit that I felt that something was lacking with the story. It was interesting to read, but I never felt totally engrossed with the story. But, I enjoyed reading about Lynley and Havers again.

Barbara Haver has apparently done something wrong in a previous case and Isabelle Ardery, the police chief is threatening to have her transferred if she does anything wrong again. And, that means that Havers have to behave and that's hard for her (but quite fun to read about). Fortunately, she has Lynley on her side like a knight in shining armor and he is trying through the book to make Ardery understand that Havers need to be Havers to work, but Ardery isn't easy to convince, despite that Lynley and she once upon a time actually were pretty close.

The case with the murdered author Clare Abbott was interesting, but it felt like forever for the story to get started. Not much happened during the first 250 pages of the book except that Abbott's personal assistant's son killed himself. But the story got more interesting after the murder of Clare Abbott. And, despite the fact that the book lacked any real thrilling moments was the book well-written and I enjoyed reading it.

I feel that now after reading A Banquet of Consequences do I want to read again the first book in the series and then read the ones that I have missed. I just need to find some time for that...

Thanks Norstedts for the review copy!

#BookReview Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James

Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

England, 1921. Three years after her husband, Alex, disappeared, shot down over Germany, Jo Manders still mourns his loss. Working as a paid companion to Alex's wealthy, condescending aunt, Dottie Forsyth, Jo travels to the family’s estate in the Sussex countryside. But there is much she never knew about her husband’s origins…and the revelation of a mysterious death in the Forsyths’ past is just the beginning…

All is not well at Wych Elm House. Dottie's husband is distant, and her son was grievously injured in the war. Footsteps follow Jo down empty halls, and items in her bedroom are eerily rearranged. The locals say the family is cursed, and that a ghost in the woods has never rested. And when Jo discovers her husband’s darkest secrets, she wonders if she ever really knew him. Isolated in a place of deception and grief, she must find the truth or lose herself forever.

And then a familiar stranger arrives at Wych Elm House…

**********

This is the kind of book that I love to read. A historical mystery with a paranormal touch. I quickly connected with the story and with the characters and I enjoyed this historical mystery very much. The one thing that bothered me a bit was that I think the blurb I read one Goodreads gave away too much. So, I would advise any reader to be careful about reading the book on Goodreads. Especially if you want to be kept in the dark about certain things in the story. Sometimes I think the less one knows about the story the better it is. And, that is why I will not reveal too much of what is going in the book. However, what I will address some of the aspects of the book that I enjoyed very much.

Like for instance that the book is well written, and this is one of few books with an instalove couple that I enjoy reading. I think it's because Simone St. James manages to portray both Jo and Alex so good that they come alive. You feel for Jo as she tries to live without Alex and the flashbacks to when they met and married each other are lovely. And, then we have the mystery of the book. The things Jo sees in the house isn't necessary terrifying, but it's awfully intriguing and thrilling to read about. I wasn't surprised over some turns in the story, but I nevertheless found the book to be very engrossing.

I will keep andane out for more books by Simone St. James!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain @FreshFiction @Pegasus_Books

A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful and brilliant, Kendra Donovan is a rising star at the FBI. Yet her path to professional success hits a speed bump during a disastrous raid where half her team is murdered, a mole in the FBI is uncovered and she herself is severely wounded. As soon as she recovers, she goes rogue and travels to England to assassinate the man responsible for the deaths of her teammates.

While fleeing from an unexpected assassin herself, Kendra escapes into a stairwell that promises sanctuary but when she stumbles out again, she is in the same place - Aldrich Castle - but in a different time: 1815, to be exact.

Mistaken for a lady's maid hired to help with weekend guests, Kendra is forced to quickly adapt to the time period until she can figure out how she got there; and, more importantly, how to get back home. However, after the body of a young girl is found on the extensive grounds of the county estate, she starts to feel there's some purpose to her bizarre circumstances. Stripped of her twenty-first century tools, Kendra must use her wits alone in order to unmask a cunning madman.

**********

I was quite taken with the lovely cover when I first saw it and then I read the description; a historical mystery, with time travel and a madman that has to be stopped. I felt that this is not the usual time travel book. Ordinarily, a woman goes back in time to find herself a man, Kendra goes back in time and it's not a man she is after, well it is, but he's a killer. She is not after romance, although, there is some romance in the book, or let's say a hint of that.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

For Dead Men Only by Paula Paul

For Dead Men Only by Paula Paul
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Temple of the Ninth Daughter sits on a hill at the edge of Newton-upon-Sea. It is said that the Freemasons buried a treasure there a long time ago, but Dr. Alexandra Gladstone hasn't time for rumors like that. Not until local Freemasons starts to die. Could there be someone out there killing Freemasons to get to the treasure?

I read Medium Dead (book 3 in the series) the previous book in the series last year and found the story to be not that exciting to read, but a book that nevertheless was easy to read and entertaining for the moment. At least that what's my review says. And, I'm now very glad that I've started to write reviews so that I can go back and see what I thought. The thing is that I didn't go back and check before I requested this book. I got an email about it and thought alright I have read the previous book so I request this one. It was after that I saw that I had some problem with Medium Dead's story being too predictable.

I liked this story more than I liked the one in Medium Dead, sure it was a bit predictable, but I found reading the book was more enjoyable this time and I liked Alexandra Gladstone much more in this book, then I did it the previous. It's not a thick book, it takes just a couple of hours to read and the suspects are not that many. But, it's a nice cozy mystery book.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review.

Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child, the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.

Billie Bridgerton has always been expected to fall in love with one of the Rokjesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors and friends for centuries and the tomboy Billie has always been close to Edward and Andrew and someday one of the would make a perfect husband. The only on of the brothers that wouldn't make a good husband is the older brother George. He and Billie have always had a strained relationship. That is until fate steps in...

I was kind of desperate the other day for a change in genre. I had read so many crime novels in a row that I just couldn't face reading another one and guess what? This book showed up in the mail. I was literally going locking my door going down the stairs thinking I need something else to read and this book was in my mailbox. Like magic. Or perhaps thanks to the publisher and the mailman (and some magic)

Anyway, I devoured this book in a single day, most actually during one sitting. Which is odd since it's a romance book and the one genre I read very little of. But, I guess it was what I needed at the time. The book wasn't perfect, but it was damn funny and easy to read. The only part where I felt the pace slowing a bit down was during George and Billies stay in London, but it was the typical part of the book when the both have realized that they love each other but haven't confessed it to each other. The love dance, or the mating ritual part of the book. For some reason, I always get a bit annoyed with having to read about two people clearly in love but unable to express it other than being jealous.

But, all and all, the book was good. I loved the intro with Billie stuck on a roof and having George rescue her and the Pall Mall game with some guests as also fun. The book also took a more serious tone towards the middle of the book when George's family got some bad news. I like the mix of romance, comedy and drama in books and it worked fine in this book.

So if this book can make even a non-reader of romance happy, then I guess the ones that usually reads romance will love this book!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy for an honest review.

The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King

The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mary Russell is used to dark secrets—her own, and those of her famous partner and husband, Sherlock Holmes. Trust is a thing slowly given, but over the course of a decade together, the two have forged an indissoluble bond.

And what of the other person to whom Mary Russell has opened her heart: the couple’s longtime housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson? Russell’s faith and affection are suddenly shattered when a man arrives on the doorstep claiming to be Mrs. Hudson’s son.

What Samuel Hudson tells Russell cannot possibly be true, yet she believes him—as surely as she believes the threat of the gun in his hand. In a devastating instant, everything changes. And when the scene is discovered—a pool of blood on the floor, the smell of gunpowder in the air—the most shocking revelation of all is that the grim clues point directly to Clara Hudson.

Or rather to Clarissa, the woman she was before Baker Street.

The key to Russell’s sacrifice lies in Mrs. Hudson’s past. To uncover the truth, a frantic Sherlock Holmes must put aside his anguish and push deep into his housekeeper’s secrets—to a time before her disguise was assumed, before her crimes were buried away.

There is death here, and murder, and trust betrayed.

And nothing will ever be the same. 

**********

THE MURDER OF MARY RUSSELL is the fourteenth book in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series, and I have read every single one of the books. This series is actually one of my absolute favorites, and to say that I've been waiting to read this book is an understatement.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

The Marriage of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King

The Marriage of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes got married at the end of A Monstrous Regiment of Women. Not much detail is given to the act. More a statement that they did get married.

This little novella tells the story how it all happened. And, it's a glorious story, with both humor, seriousness and a trigger-happy cousin. Say what? You just have to read the story to find out! ;)

On a side note, I have read The Murder of Mary Russell and there are parts that brought a smile to my face thanks to the knowledge of the story in the book.

I hope you will enjoy this short novella as much as I did!

The Unforgotten by Laura Powell

The Unforgotten by Laura Powell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The year is 1956 and fifteen-year-old Betty Broadbent's life is about to change forever. There is a murderer loose in St Steele, the little Cornish fishing village where she lives with her unpredictable mother who runs a boarding house. A bunch of journalists is flocking the boarding house and one of them, John Gallagher catches her eyes. Despite him being older than her are they drawn to each other, but the decisions they make will have deep consequence's years after this.

**********

This book turned out to be not what I expected. What I thought it would be was two unlikely people: Betty, and Gallagher, trying to figure out who the killer was. But the story is more complex than. It's a story about secrets and lifelong guilt. Betty has grown up with a mother that she has to take care of now and then. Her mother seems to be bipolar or something because she has very dark moments. Dolores Broadbent is also a woman that likes men quite much and one of the men she has been "dating" is the butcher who is now seen as a suspect for the murders. And, as we follow Betty in the past with the worry about the murders we also jump 50 years forward in time and there we follow Mary who learns that the killer is for the first time talking about the murders in St Steele. And, slowly the story unfolds as we learn the truth will reading about Ruth in 1956 and Mary 50 years later.

The book is really good, it was surprising and it interesting to read. What I really like is that the story kept on twisting and turning all the way until the end of the book. I never thought it would turn the way it did. As I wrote, in the beginning, I just thought it would be a crime novel with two unlikely partners. But the killings and the consequences of it all was not what I had expected. It's well-written, poignant, and I warmly recommend this book!

I want to thank the publisher for providing with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review.

The Shadow Hour by Kate Riordan

The Shadow Hour by Kate Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The year is 1922 and Grace has been hired to be a little boy's governess in the crumbling Fenix House. She is following in her grandmother's footsteps who was governess there years ago. Grace has heard stories since she was little about the house, but she realized when she arrives at Fenix House that her grandmother's stories perhaps not are all true. Why did her grandmother that she should work at the house and what really happened all the years ago when her grandmother worked a summer at Fenix House?

**********

I read The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan last year and liked the book and I knew that I wanted to read this one when I saw that this one also had to a story about two women in different eras, one in 1878 and one in 1922. In 1878, we meet Harriet who has lost her father and has to work as a governess since she because her father's business crashed. Around 40 years later her granddaughter Grace also takes the job as a governess. Both women have what her grandmother calls “glimmers”; vague visions of the future. Grace realized quite soon that everything her grandmother told her is not entirely true. For instance, the room she gets is not the one that her grandmother described for her, but it's the room that every governess has slept in. And, that is just a little thing, the more she learns the more she realizes that her grandmother has told her quite a lot of embellished stories while the truth seems to be that the summer all those years ago is a much darker story.

There was a moment around 60-70% into the book when I felt a bit frustrated with the fact that there were 200 pages left of the book. I did enjoy the story, but I felt that a 500+ pages book need to have a story that keeps the interest up all the time and right at that moment I felt that too much of the time was spent on less interesting events and I wanted to know what really happened in 1878. Fortunately, the story picked up the pace and I was rewarded with a really good ending.

I enjoyed most of the book, I did, however, feel that the "romance" in 1878 was a bit predictable. But Harriet's past with the wife in the house made the story really good. The book was a bit darker that I expected. I thought it would just be a granddaughter discovering that her grandmother had a different past than she had been told since she was little. Which, in a way is true, but still the story turned out different from what had I expected, which I liked.

I liked both storylines. Sometimes a storyline is weaker than the other, but in this book both are interesting to read. I also think that this book is better than The Girl in the Photograph. The story is more interesting and I loved they way Riordan decided to end the book.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review!

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series reviews for book 4-8

Instead of separate reviews will I do a post for the rest of the books in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R. King since I don't want to clog up the dashboard with them all. I do not usually post new reviews written for books I read a couple of years ago, and I was unsure if I should do that, but I thought what the hell, one day will I reread them all and write new reviews (if I still do that in the future) until then here is some thoughts about how I feel about the books.

***************

The Moor (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #4) by Laurie R. King  - 5 stars

Mary Russell is summoned by Sherlock Holmes to Dartmoor to help investigate a mysterious death that is said to be heralded by a phantom coach carrying long-dead noblewoman over the moors. Around the dead body was it oversized paw prints…

This book is especially interesting since it brings Sherlock Holmes back to Dartmoor, the place where The Hound of the Baskervilles cases took place. It’s quite a dark and chilly tale, and the dark and deadly moor adds a special atmosphere to the tale. Like the previous books a 5-star book!




 

O Jerusalem (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #5) - 4 stars

O Jerusalem takes us back in time to the first book when Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes had to flee England because of the danger they were in. The country they chose, or rather Mary chose, was Palestine.

This is the first book in the series that I didn’t quite like as much as the previous four books. That doesn’t mean that the book isn’t good. Just that it took some rereads to make me really appreciate the book. Now it’s a good book for me, and I wouldn’t mind re-read, but I was a bit disappointed when I read it the first time. Could be because I preferred the stories to move forward not reading about past events. It was quite a lot of years since I read it the first time so it’s hard to know exactly why. The case was probably just not as engrossing as the previous books cases.

Justice Hall (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #6) - 5 stars

Justice Hall story takes place quite directly after The Moor when Holmes and Russell find a bloodied guest at their doorstep begging for help. It actually makes a lot of sense to why O Jerusalem came before this book despite that the story takes place directly after The Moor. You just have to rad this book and the previous to find out why...

Russell and Holmes have to help Marsh Hughenfort discover the truth about the death of his nephew Gabriel Hughenfort who died in the Great War of 1918. But, there is someone out there that doesn’t want the truth to be reveal and will do anything to stop Holmes and Russell finding out the truth…

This is also, like O Jerusalem, a book that took some rereads for me to really warm up to it. I was actually a bit surprised to find I have only given it 4-stars on Goodreads (so I changed it to 5-stars) since I actually like it quite a lot nowadays. I like the connection this book have to O Jerusalem and the case is very interesting and tragic. It’s a very good book.

The Game (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #7) - 5 stars

1924. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes gets a New Year’s visit from Mycroft Holmes with a strange package from an English spy called Kimball O’Hara, more known as the Kim Kipling wrote about. He has withdrawn from the “Great Game” of espionage and disappeared. So Russell and Homes travels to India to search for the missing Kim.

I like this book very much, a missing spy, India and Mary Russell that has to disguise herself to save Sherlock Holmes. It's a wonderful entertaining and engrossing book.




 

Locked Rooms (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #8) - 5 stars

After the adventure in The Game, are Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes on a route to San Francisco to settle some legal affairs surrounding the inheritance of Mary's family's estate. But, Mary is having awful nightmares as the ship is closing in on San Francisco. Could the nightmares have something to do with the city and the horrible earthquake that devastated the city? But, as far as Mary knows where her family not there during the event, or where they?

Mary has always lived with the guilt of causing her family's death in a car accident when she was young. And, now she is traveling back to San Francisco, for the first time since her parents and younger brother died. Her nightmare is causing her sleeping problems and she is wondering what is causing them? She decides in San Francisco to see the psychiatrist that helped her after her family's death, and she is horrified to learn that the women have been murdered. Why would anyone kill her and could it have something to do with Mary's family?

There is much going on in this book and it's interesting to learn more about Mary's family, about her life before she came to England to stay with her aunt after her family died. The story is suspenseful and secrets are revealed as the story progress. Looked Rooms is one of my favorite books in this series, sure I have a lot of them. But, this is one that has a really intensive story and learning more about Mary's past is great.

***************

There we have it, review up till book 8. After that comes The Language of Bees which I'm re-reading now. 

Original post: maddan3.booklikes.com/post/1335648/mary-russell-and-sherlock-holmes-series-reviews-for-book-4-8

#BookReview A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King

A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The year is 1923, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes is at their home in Sussex Downs busy with their studies. Russell with theology and Holmes with some chemical experiments. Then they are visited by amateur archaeologist Miss Dorothy Ruskin with a startling puzzle for them. She has found in the Holy Land a roll of papyrus with a message from Mary Magdalene. A couple of days is Miss Ruskin killed in a traffic accident. But was it really an accident.

**********

The case in this book is intriguing with an ancient papyrus claimed to be written by Mary Magdalene and the death of Miss Ruskin. Was she murdered? And, if she was murdered, why? It’s up to Russell and Holmes to find out the truth.

Like the previous two books a great story. I love the theology part of the story, with a papyrus that could very well be written by Mary Magdalene. I love how Laurie R. King manages to combine theology with crime, just like in the previous book.

A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King

A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The continuation of The Beekeeper's Apprentice; Mary Russell meets through her friend Veronica Beaconsfield, Margaret Childe who leads “The New Temple of God”, a charismatic sect for women. But, could New Temple be a cover for something sinister? Several women have died and left the money to the Temple. With the help of Holmes is Mary investigating the temple by going undercover.

I discovered a couple of years after I read the first book that there were more books published after the first book. But, they had not like the first book been translated into Swedish, but I decided to buy this one the rest despite the fact that I usually didn’t read that many books in English. One can say that this was the start of me reading English books. So thank you Laurie R. King.

Mary Russell is older now and her “relationship” with Sherlock Holmes is at a crossroad, will they continue as they are or will they change the nature of their relationship. Well, that’s the question that this book deals with together with the “The New Temple of God” investigation that will put Mary’s life in danger.

Just like the first book is the story superb. I’ve read the book several times, still amazingly good.

#BookReview The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Long retired, Sherlock Holmes quietly pursues his study of honeybee behavior on the Sussex Downs. He never imagines he would encounter anyone whose intellect matched his own, much less an audacious teenage girl with a penchant for detection. Miss Mary Russell becomes Holmes' pupil and quickly hones her talent for deduction, disguises and danger. But when an elusive villain enters the picture, their partnership is put to a real test.

**********

I was fifteen when I first met Sherlock Holmes, fifteen years old with my nose in a book as I walked the Sussex Downs, and nearly stepped on him.

That’s is opening lines of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice and a book that I have read several times since the first time I read it when I was around 14-15 years old. The strange and wonderful thing is that it’s a book that never ceases to be anything other than enjoyable, despite the countless times I’ve read it.

Mary Russell is a young girl when she stumbles over Sherlock Holmes in a field as he is painting bees with red and blue dots. Seems like an odd thing to do, but she quickly figures out why and tells him and then she really surprise him when she reveals that she is actually a girl under the boyish clothes she is wearing. And, that is the start of a friendship that will lead to her being accepted as his apprentice.

It’s a wonderful book. It’s one of those I return to when I feel the need to visit old friends. The story never gets boring; it feels rather like I’m still discovering new things about the book every time I read the book.

A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd

A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Bess Crawford is on leave from the front when she stumbles over a woman outside her house. She takes pity on her and learns that the women has been struck by her husband and has fled to London. She slowly gains the woman's trust and learns that her name is Lydia and that her husband's name is Roger. Bess agrees to travel with her home to her house in the country. But this act of kindness will result in quite a lot of trouble as everyone in the household inclusive Bess will be suspected in a murder case. 

**********

Once again has Charles Todd written an engrossing historical novel with where Bess en up having to find out the truth. She must try to figure out why anyone would kill a houseguest, but this time, even she is a suspect. Prior to the man's death has he asked Roger at dinner about a child that looked like Julianna, Rogers little sister that died when she was just 6 years old. But who is the child in question and could that simple question really be the reason for his death?

As much as I enjoyed the book and the mystery was I also a bit puzzled why it all had to be such a hush-hush thing. When the truth finally was revealed about the child was not that overly surprised, I would have liked a more interesting and perhaps surprising mystery than that. I felt that the family mourning of Julianna was frankly a bit over-the-top sometimes that it could affect the present time that much. Yeah, it was tragical, and yeah she was a beautiful child. But sometimes the truth could perhaps save some heartache and time. Still I enjoyed finding out the truth even though it was a little let down that it wasn't that complex.

But the murders is all whole other story, I failed to realize who the murder was. It wasn't until Bess and Simon Brandon realized who it was and then everything made sense.

One thing that really pleased me (and confused me) was that Sergeant Lassiter Larimore has finally made his first entrance in this book series. I am a bit confused about the name of him since I read about him A Pattern of Lies where he was Sergeant Lassiter, but here is he called Sergeant Larimore. Could there really be two different Aussie Sergeants with the same trademark Kookaburra laughter?

I just have to read on to figure it out...

The Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring

The Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sarah Grey has returned to England after a brief time as a model in Paris. She is looking for a new job, but she never expected to be offered and accepting a job as a personal assistant to Harry Price, the infamous ghost hunter. Harry has devoted himself to expose mediums and false hauntings. And, despite being temperamental and neurotic is he also very charming and Sarah can't help but be drawn to him. One of the most puzzling cases for them will be Borley Rectory. Is the place really haunted or are the rumors about it exaggerated?

**********

I think the knowledge that Borley Rectory was a real haunted place and Harry Price was a real ghost hunter makes this book extra special. The author has taken some liberations with the story. This is not a true story, but there are some truths in the story. Sarah Grey has never existed, she is based on a secretary that worked for Harry Price a while. But still, it's really fascinating to read this book and I was intrigued by Harry Price and can fully understand why Sarah Grey was too. Even though as I understand it the Harry Price in this book was more charming than the real one.

I didn't know before I read the book that Borley Rectory had existed and that Harry Price was a real person. Or rather I have a vague feeling that I have known and forgotten about it and it hit me when I looked up the place and the man himself on the net during the time I read the book. Strange how the mind can forget things.

The story in itself was good. This was after the First World War, a time when many people were desperate to make contact with the other side, to know that they were all right. And, many people took advantage of this to earn money of other people's grief. Harry Price like Houdini in America, debunked many false mediums. Arthur Conan Doyle has a small part in this book, he was quite crossed with Harry Price because of his negative attitude towards the paranormal. Conan Doyle believed quite strongly in the afterlife.

This is absolutely not a horror book, more a mystery would I say. A paranormal mystery book. Despite dealing with a house that is said to be haunting was the book never scary to read. And, it could feel a bit long sometimes. I can honestly say that if Sarah Grey and Harry Price had not been so interesting to read about had this been dull to read. But they give the book life.

It's a very interesting book. There are not many big twists in this book, but still the story is enjoyable. There are one big secret thing; Sarah Grey's secret that she hides from Harry Price. But, that never felt like a secret. I don't know how it was for others that read the book, but I guessed it right away and then it was just waiting for her to tell him. And, honestly, I thought that she was a bit too cruel to him towards the end when everything was revealed. Although he did treat her appalling sometimes. In the end, one can say that the case of Borley Rectory became something that bound and tore them apart.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!