#BookReview Dry Bones by Craig Johnson @ucrosspop25 @VikingBooks

Dry Bones by Craig Johnson
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Wyoming’s beloved lawman must solve his coldest case yet when a T. rex skeleton surfaces—along with a dead rancher—in Absaroka County.

Longmire, the TV adaptation of Craig Johnson’s New York Timesbestselling Walt Longmire Mystery series, has ratcheted up demand for the Wyoming sheriff’s written adventures. Publishing on the heels of the Longmire boxed set, Dry Bones is certain to join Johnson’s four most recent Longmire novels when it moseys on up the New York Times bestseller list.

When the largest, most complete fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex is discovered in Absaroka County, it would appear to have nothing to do with Walt. That is, until the Cheyenne rancher on whose land she's found is himself found face down in a turtle pond. As a number of parties vie for ownership of the priceless remains, including rancher Danny Lone Elk’s family, the Cheyenne tribe, the Deputy Attorney General, and a cadre of FBI men, Walt must recruit undersheriff Victoria Moretti, Henry Standing Bear, and Dog to investigate a sixty-six million year-old cold case that’s starting to heat up fast.

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Craig Johnson's books about Sheriff Walt Longmire is a wonderful series, but I do miss the old days when I didn't have to wait a year until the next book. Walt Longmire is a marvelous character, he has that kind of old cowboy way that I love. The John Wayne feeling. Strong, reliable and tough and, as usual, Walt has a tendency to get into problems. I don't think I have read a book in this series when he doesn't end up in any way in the hospital. This book is not an exception. One thing I truly enjoyed was that Walt and Vic finally had the BIG talk that I have been waiting for since I read book nine in series (A Serpent's Tooth), the talked I waited to read in book ten that never happened.

When it came to the T-Rex story must I admit that even though I enjoyed reading it was the stuff around the case that I most liked. It was a difficult case, was it murder or not? Who would, in the end, claim the T-Rex? But the things happening around, a heartbreaking death that I didn't see coming, the openhearted discussion between Walt and Vic and then the realization that an old enemy is back was the best part of the book.

So in the end, the book gets 4.5 stars. I liked the book very much, but I would have liked a much more intense and interesting case.

I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review!

In Wilderness by Diane Thomas

In Wilderness by Diane Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The year is 1966 and Katherine Reid receives a heartbreaking diagnosis. She is dying from a terminal illness. The doctors can't even figure out what's wrong with her, only that she is dying. So, she sells everything's she owns and moves far away to a cabin in Georgia's Appalachian Mountains. Her plan is to spend her last months in solitude and she has brought with her a gun to end it if it gets too painful towards the end. But she doesn't know that she is not alone. In the forest, someone is watching her. The young Vietnam veteran Danny is watching her with a growing obsession. Danny is haunted by war memories and is living in an old once grand mansion alone.

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On Goodreads, you can read that this is a suspenseful and literary love story. I agree with suspenseful, but let not describe the relationship in this book as a love story. It's a relationship between two people that needs each and for a brief moment in life find comfort in each other arms. But love story, no. I thought it would be a love story, but certain things in the book, Danny destroying her car so that she wouldn't be able to leave and his attitude towards her, when they are together, isn't something that I would describe as a love story. A very dark love story perhaps, but now, it's a relationship.

Anyway, I did enjoy reading the book, but I did not love it as much I had hoped I would. It was well written, but the story just didn't work all the way for me, I liked the beginning when the hadn't met yet and the ending best. But the part, when they got together, was just no to my liking that much. Thankfully the book ended on a high note.

Spoiler Warning:

Btw in author's note, you can read about what it was ailing both Danny and Katherine. [Danny suffered from PTSD. This was hardly surprising. But Katherine suffered from environmental illness (EI) also know as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) which makes perfect sense to how living in the cabin made her better
[Danny suffered from PTSD. This was hardly surprising. But Katherine suffered from an environmental illness (EI) also know as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) which makes perfect sense to how living in the cabin made her better. (hide spoiler)]

I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review!

The Liar by Nora Roberts

The Liar by Nora Roberts
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Shelby's life is in ruin. Her husband is dead, leaving her with debts and it seems he wasn't the man she thought he was when she married him. Even his name seems to be false. So, she packs everything she still owns and returns to her hometown with her daughter. But it seems that someone is out there watching her every move and soon her peaceful hometown will not be so peaceful anymore...

Before last year I had only read one Nora Roberts book, which to be honest feels a bit odd when you think about how many books she has written. But to be fair I mostly read fantasy, sci-fi and crime novels and hers have always felt a bit not my type of book. But lately I have been given a chance to try out various books written by her and this is the latest and I actually thought that this would be the first book by her that I would give four stars to. That was before I hit the 50% in the book and everything started to fall to pieces when it came to the story.

On the plus side with the book we had some really interesting characters; I liked the main character Shelby and her family, her love interest Griff was OK (yes it was a bit too much instalove for my taste, but I could take it). The crime/mystery everything to do with her husband worked for me (mostly) but it was all the Hard of Dixie stuff, feuding with an old enemy from school, playing family and the extremely predictable ending that made this book lose stars. There are three ways to end a thriller, a surprising ending (the best), a not so surprising ending (kind of OK ending, you had an inkling of what should happen, but for the most part, the ending still delivered) and a terrible, terrible predictable ending, the kind that you see miles away. This one had the number three ending and I can take many things like for instance instalove, well no not really, but I can overlook it, kind of. But this kind of ending, no!

So, in the end, 2.5 stars because half the book was good and I still liked Shelby and her family in the end.

Thank you Piatkus for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

The Bleiberg Project by David S. Khara

The Bleiberg Project by David S. Khara
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wall Street trader Jay Corbin learns that his long-lost father has been killed and not long after that is his mother assassinated. Now together with a Jackie Walls, a CIA bodyguard must he figure out what his father was investigating. What was it his father knew that got him killed? The trail leads to Zurich and it seems that the Nazis is behind everything...

I admit that the first person narrative got a bit annoying in this book, but fortunately, the story was interesting enough to keep my interest. Jay Corbin may be the main character, but I found Eytan Morg, the Mossad agent to be the most interesting character in the book, even though I guessed his background early on. It was a nice thriller with a fast-paced story and I will continue reading the series.

I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review!

#BookReview The Angel Court Affair by Anne Perry

The Angel Court Affair by Anne Perry
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

When Commander Thomas Pitt is ordered to protect a young woman visiting London from Spain, he cannot see why this is a job for Special Branch. When she disappears in the dead of night from Angel Court, however, he is faced with a dangerous mystery. Sofia preached new, and some say blasphemous, religious ideals, and her life had been threatened. But Pitt senses there is some deeper and more dangerous reason for her kidnap - if that is what it is. Three men are caught up in the hunt for Sofia - her cousin, a banker for the Church of England, a popular and charismatic politician, and a journalist who seems determined to goad Pitt to the truth. Each seem to be hiding something, and as the search for answers stretches from London to Spain, Pitt knows that time is running out, and the nation's security could be at stake...Angel Court is the thirtieth superb mystery featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt from the master of Victorian crime.

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This is the 30th book in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series and this first book in the series that I have read. Luckily for me, it was easy to get into the story and to get to know the characters. I found the story to be interesting and well written. But still I felt sometimes that the story lacked something, I just didn't feel that connected to Thomas and Charlotte, perhaps it would have been easier to connect to them if I would have read previous books in the series. I guess I will figure that out when I do that. I also felt that Charlotte never really got to be, in this book, anything else than a mother and wife so I would very much like to read the books from the beginning to really get to know her. Luckily I own the first book.

But the two characters I actually came to like the most were Narraway and Vespasia. I just felt that their characters were so much more interesting to read about than the Pitt's. Their marriage came later in life so they both have a past and I want to know more about their past and how they met and finally got married so when I start to read the series from the beginning will I have a look out for those two wonderful characters.

The story itself was interesting, sometimes I felt that it dragged on a bit, but not that I became bored I just felt sometimes that it moved a little too slow forward and I enjoyed the part on Spain very much and of course the ending was good.

All and all, I enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading the previous 29 books in the series!

I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review!

Quicksand by Gigi Pandian

Quicksand by Gigi Pandian
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Historian Jaya Jones has settled in San Francisco when she gets a letter from Lane Peters, an old fling, with a ticket to Paris. She has her doubts about going, she has a great job and leaving at the start of the term isn't the best thing, but in the end thanks to a little help from a friend she is able to leave her job for a week to see Lane again. But of course, nothing goes as planned...

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I had no problems getting into the story even though this is the third book in the series and the first one that I read. This is a wonderful cozy mystery book with a fantastic main character; Jaya Jones. Actually a lot of fantastic characters. We have her friends Tamarind and Sanjay back in San Francisco. Tamarind is a librarian and Sanjay magician. Then, of course, there is Lane Peters, he just happens to be a very good thief and now someone needs his help and they think leverage in the form of blackmail against Jaya is a perfect idea. So Lane and Jaya must help the criminal North with a theft. Finally, have we Sébastien an old magician that helps Lane and Jaya when they are in France.

The story was wonderful and a page turner and I found it amusing to read about Mont Saint Michel again. Never read about the place before, but this is the second book this year I read about when the story takes place on the island.

The story was wonderful and a page turner and I found it amusing to read about Mont Saint Michel again. Never read about the place before this year, but this is the second book that brings up the place and where much of the story takes place. Also, even though I enjoyed all the characters I must admit that I found North to do the most intriguing, yes I know he is the baddie, but he was such a wonderful character and I do have a bit of a weakness for great baddies. So, I like him and I hope to read about him more in future books.

In the end, I want to say that Gigi Pandian has written a book that really suited me and if you like I like cozy mystery books, then I would recommend checking out this book and the rest of the books in the series. I'm lucky, I already own the first two books!

I received a copy from the publisher and France book tours in return for an honest review!

Old Earth by Gary Grossman

Old Earth by Gary Grossman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Galileo Galilei makes in 1601 a discovery in the mountains of eastern Italy that could cause turmoil in the world; that could bring down governments and shatter people's faith in religions.

In the present time, a group of people on a university dig in Montana headed by paleontologist Quinn McCauley stumbles over a discovery that a secret group of people for over 400 years have done everything to keep a secret and the secret group will do anything to stop the discovery to be revealed. They stopped Galilei and they have stopped everyone else that has been close to discovering the secret during the centuries. McCauley and fellow paleontologist Katrina Alpert tries to understand what they have found in the mountains at the same time is running out for them...the group will stop at nothing to keep the secret from getting out.

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Wow! If I would summarize this book would wow be the right word. I have a weakness for adventures books with secret societies and wild chases across the world. Hell, books like this are probably the only genre that over the top is a good thing. In an adventure's thriller the story should be over the top, the characters should be thrown into impossible situations and I don't even mind if the main characters get a bit close together in the heat of the moment, well as long as they don't decide to do it in a situation when they should think more about running and not smooching. But in this book they didn't act that stupid and I quite enjoyed McCauley and Alpert working together.

This book was fabulous to read and since I have had for years a fascination with dinosaurs was I intrigued by the story from the beginning. But I never imaged that it would be so good, so different from other adventures thrillers I have read and I liked the fact that it wasn't a "religious" hunt, no holy grail or some lost book of Jesus to find. The discovery that Galileo Galilei made was interesting and it was the very discovery that made me in the end give it five stars. It was so fantastic, so mind boggling and it was that kind of discovery that stayed with me after I read the last page. I'm still a bit amazed by it and it has been days since I read the book.

I received a copy from the publisher and Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours in return for an honest review!

Ivory Ghosts by Caitlin O'Connell

Ivory Ghosts: A Catherine Sohon Elephant Mystery by Caitlin O'Connell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

American wildlife biologist Catherine Sohon official work in a remote outpost in northeast Namibia as a census pilot tracking the local elephant population. But her real work is collecting evidence against ruthless ivory traffickers.

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Africa is becoming more and more a favorite continent for me when it comes to books. There is just something with the setting, the beautiful nature, the wildlife and of course back in my mind the movie Out of Africa. I admit I just can't stop thinking about the movie whenever I read a book set in Africa.

The story is good and Catherine is interesting characters, she lost her boyfriend almost a year before the story in this book and she is still hurting and traumatized about her memories of his death. There is no instalove in this book, sure there was towards the end warmer feelings between her and Jon Baggs, but they really didn't hit off in the beginning and I liked that. I like my main characters to quarrel instead of making googly eyes at each all the time.

I must admit that even though I liked the story I didn't find it riveting and I guess correctly who the main bad baddie was, there was just not many to choose from and it seemed so logical that it was that person that when it was revealed I was just: "I was right, damn it!" I don't know how it is with you guys and girls, but I enjoy being surprised by book endings.

But I liked the book and I would definitely read more from Caitlin O'Connell!

I received a copy from the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review!

Identity Crisis: The Murder, the Mystery, and the Missing DNA by Jefferson Bass

Identity Crisis: The Murder, the Mystery, and the Missing DNA by Jefferson Bass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm rewatching Bones and reading this book makes me really realize how easy everything is on TV when it comes to identifying bodies. Cold cases in real life aren't that easy to solve.

Nothing is easy in this book when it comes to identifying the remains of "Leoma Patterson". There isn't much left of her body, only the skull, and some bones and trying to figure out if the bones belong to Leoma or not took years instead of days. It was intriguing to read and also sometimes mind boggling. I'm no scientist so some of the explanations, like how to determine if the DNA is a match or not will I just have to take the experts word for it.

I have wanted to read "Jefferson Bass" (pseudonym Jon Jefferson, writer, and Dr. Bill Bass) fiction book series "Body Farm," but after reading this book I'm even more inclined to read the books!

I received this copy from the publisher through Edelweiss in return for an honest review!

The Last Moriarty by Charles Veley

The Last Moriarty by Charles Veley
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are enlisted by the Prime Minister to solve the murder of John D. Rockefellers security agent before the incident can derail an upcoming British-American summit. At the same time, a young woman contacts Holmes to help her find her parents.

I was quite looking forward to reading this book after seeing it on Amazon and was happy when I saw it on NetGalley. Now I'm glad that I didn't buy it since it was so predictable that it was hard to enjoy reading the book. Predictable and sometimes utterly jaw dropping ridicules. Especially when it comes to Sherlock Holmes, or I should say that all that is ridicules with this book has to do with Sherlock Holmes, because he is nothing like Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and that's the biggest problem with the book. Giving Sherlock Holmes a past story that really goes against the man that Doyle wrote about is something I just can't abide with.

I also had some problem with the story, the biggest problem was that the characters weren't that memorable. It felt like every time I picked up the book and they mentioned some name I just sat there thinking "who was he again?". Also, jealousy over a woman that's why professor Moriarty set out to destroy Holmes? Come on!

So no, this book didn't work for me. I'm picky when it comes to Sherlock Holmes stories. I want Sherlock Holmes to be Sherlock Holmes, not some romanticized version and I want a good story!

I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review!

Doctor Who: The Blood Cell by James Gross

Doctor Who: The Blood Cell by James Goss
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I have been very bad with watching Doctor Who since they change the Doctor. Not that I didn't mind the change. I like Peter Capaldi as the Doctor; I just haven't had time to watch it. But among my countless ebooks did I find this book that I had requested from NetGalley and since I felt that I needed to get through some NetGalley books and since the book wasn't thick (a plus, take easy thin books first before the ones with many pages) did I feel that did was a good choice. Also, the book was interesting from the start, that's a plus.

I liked the story; I liked the fast-paced style of the book. I breezed through in a day and that felt good. The story was intriguing, why was the Doctor a prisoner, what was wrong with the prison? The ending was the only thing I felt didn't belong in a Doctor Who story. It was a lot more gruesome than I have ever experienced when it comes the show. Not bad, just yikes...

I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review!

Medium Dead: An Alexandra Gladstone Mystery by Paula Paul

Medium Dead: An Alexandra Gladstone Mystery by Paula Paul
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Paula Paul has written a very easy to read book. At least, that's my experience with this book. There is something so pleasant with a book that is so well-written that time just flies. But (here it comes) the story wasn't equally good and that's a bit of a drawback with the book.

The mystery wasn't that terribly interesting. Queen Victoria as a suspect for murders that should really be something special to read about, but it wasn't. The thing that really felt as a hinder when I read the book that it felt so obvious that nor the queen or the other suspects were the murderer that, it had to be someone else. At least, that is what I got from the story. Also, I'm sorry to say, Alexandra Gladstone is not a very interesting character, a female doctor in that time should be more interesting to read about than it was.

But I would read more from Paula Paul, just for the sake of seeing if her other books are better than this was and because I did enjoy her way of writing. I just wanted (needed) a must deeper and intense story than I got.

I received a copy from the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review!

The Lewis Man by Peter May

The Lewis Man by Peter May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A body is found in the peat bog on the isle of Lewis. The only clue to the body's identity is that he was related to a local farmer. But the local farmer Tormed Macdonald is a man with dementia and he has always claimed to be the only child.

It strange that the hardest reviews to write are actually for the books that I love. It's sometimes so hard to put into words how great a book is that I just want to say read it and you will see why it is so good.

The Lewis Man is such a book, just like the first book in the series; The Blackhouse. There is something so appealing with the story, the characters, the setting and of course the writing that I couldn't stop reading the book.

The case in this book is interesting, this is what I can remember the first book I have read when the suspect in a murder case has dementia and what makes the case even tougher is that the suspect is Tormod Macdonald, the father of ex-police Fin Macleod's first girlfriend. He may not be a police anymore,but he needs to try to find out the truth, even if it would mean hurting his relationship with Marsaili Macdonald.

It was a great read from the beginning to the end. The ending wasn't that intense as in the last book, but it was still very good and I'm looking forward to reading the last book in the trilogy.

The Rocheforts by Christian Laborie

The Rocheforts by Christian Laborie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It all started with a lie and a lie that decades later almost ruined two people's lives.

This is grand family saga concerning two families, the Rochefort, owner of Rochefort Industries manufacturers of denim and the Rouvière, owner of a prosperous farm.

Anselme Rochefort proposes to Donatien Rouvière that their families should unit, his son should marry Rouvière daughter. At first, this seems like a marvelous idea, but as the years go and the two families lives gets more and more get intertwined, despite that Anselme tries to stop it. He married off his son for a piece of land, but he doesn't want more of his children falling in love with any of the Rouvières. His greed could be the ruin of his family and a deep dark secret concerning his older's daughter's death could destroy the love of two young people.

When it comes to books that are almost 500 pages long you really need a story, a well-written story that can keep the readers interest up. Christian Laborie has really managed that. Even though the story of the two families' takes up decades as the children of Rochefort and Rouvière grow ups and new children were born it never really gets boring. I think one thing that makes everything work besides the good writing is that Laborie includes real life events like WW1. Reading a family set in a historical setting needs to in a good way incorporate everything that was happening around the time frame.

The big secret wasn't that secret, in my opinion, I just kept waiting for it to be reviled. But the ramification of it made the last part of the books really intense to read. I needed the truth to come out, it couldn't end so badly. This is actually a book that I really needed a Happy Ever After ending or else it would destroy me. I'm not a big fan of instalove, but damn it, some people just are meant to be!

I enjoyed reading this book very much and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Laborie in the future.

I received a copy from the publisher and france book tours in return for an honest review!

The Fisherman's Lily by Suzanne Spiegoski

The Fisherman's Lily by Suzanne Spiegoski
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Lily Dietz is a homicide detective in NYC. Together with her partner John Fremont is she investigating the brutal murder of an Asian-American girl. When another body turns up it starts to make clear to Lily that the murders somehow are connected to her and something that happened to her in the past. It doesn't make it easier that she is working close together with her ex that is now married to her best friend Janelle.

This a debut novel and I think that Suzanne Spiegoski has done a good job with the book. I had some problems getting into the story in the beginning, not that it was bad, just some words here and there felt a bit odd, but after a while the story took off and the writing felt much more evenly.

For most of the book, the story was OK. I wanted to know what the connection was between the murderer and Lily. Why was he obsessed with her? But I had some problems with her partner and ex-boyfriend; John Fremont, he is a character that just is so unlikeable that I can't understand why any women would want him, especially after I found out why he left Lily and then found out what was the reason for his married problems with Janelle, Lily's best friend whom he's been married for some years now. But I could live with that, Lily had her problems too.  She's an alcoholic and have some mental problems not to mention family problems. She is a mess, and this serial killer problem isn't making her life any easier.

But even though the story was mostly good I had some real problem with the ending. Besides the fact that it was predictable did Lily make some quite illogical decisions that were just so frustrating that I couldn't believe that she; as a cop didn't think about calling in for back up before she rushed in to save the day. Even though I enjoyed reading the book, the ending knocks off a half star. It was tragic, yes, but I mostly felt that Lily should have handled everything a bit different. But that's just me, other may find the ending more to the likening than I did.

In the end, I want to say that Suzanne Spiegoski has done a good job, how I feel about the book is just my thoughts and even though I felt that there were things that just didn't work with me was it a good written book and I would very much read more from her in the future.

I would like to thank the author for providing with a free copy of the book for an honest review!

Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone

Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tara has been thrown out from her the Hidden School, fallen to the earth. You don't get to know why at least not yet. She returns home to her family and resumes her life there until the chance comes to her in the form of Elayne Kevarian who hires her to work for the necromantic firm: Kelethres, Albrecht and Ao and her first job is to bring the God Kos Everburning back to life. Together with Elayne and Abelard, the chain-smoking priest of Kos she must now resurrect Kos before His city falls apart.

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Max Gladstone has created a wonderful and interesting world where ordinary people have discovered that they also can have the power of Gods, or at least some of it with led to the Gods War and the world that Tara is living in now is the result of the war. Tara has the Craft, she can bring people back from the dead. Now one of the last great Gods have died, and it's up to Tara to bring him back, but she must also figure out how he died because it's not very easy thing to kill a God...

I liked this book very much. It was not always an easy book to read, I had to get to know a new world and its history, but as the story progressed and I learned more about the world and characters the more I liked the story. Max Gladstone has written a fascinating book, and I loved how the story progressed and you got a greater insight into the world he has created. Also, the ending, it was great. I never that coming and I love getting surprised when I read a book!

A truly great first book in a new series!

Cost of Life: A Thriller by Joshua Corin

Cost of Life: A Thriller by Joshua Corin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is perfect for anyone that looks for a fast-paced action book with a great main character. Xana Marx, a disgraced FBI agent, just out of rehab will do anything to track down the plane. She has a temper problem and she recently got out of rehab after she drove under influence into a house and now she risks losing her job. Her boss Jim Christie decided that she needs someone that keeps an eye on her, the young intern Hayley. Hayley has always wanted to be an FBI agent, but because she is dying of bone cancer that will never happen. Xana and Hayley "working" together is actually one of the best things about the book. A cranky elder women and this young woman that knows that she will never live to be old, but doesn't let that stop her working together.

Besides all the action on the ground, we also get to follow the people on the plane. I was surprised when the real reason for the hijacking of the plan was revealed. I had not been expecting that.

In the end, it's a struggle against time. Will they be able to save the hostage? How many will die in the end?

Personally, I found the book OK, it didn't click all the way out for me. But what really made the book for me was Xana Marx and I wouldn't mind reading more books about her and hopefully Hayley. But I couldn't help thinking about the crash in the French Alps not so long ago and that perhaps destroyed the reading mood about. It's been a bit too many planes crashed lately and reading about a hijacking, well that just didn't feel that good. But besides that fact, I quite liked that book and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Joshua Corin.

3.5 stars

I received a copy from the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review!

The Geeky Chef Cookbook: 50 Real-Life Recipes for Your Favorite Fantasy Foods by Cassandra Reeder

The Geeky Chef Cookbook: Real-Life Recipes for Your Favorite Fantasy Foods - Unofficial Recipes from Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and more by Cassandra Reeder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have yet to try any of the receipts, so this review is just for the book's contents.

Have you ever wanted to throw a theme party? Or just wanted to throw together a special dinner for you geek girlfriend/boyfriend? Now you can!

How about starting the dinner with a nice Slurm from Futurama or if you want to get your significant other in special mood an alcoholic beverage like a Romulan Ale.

Some snacks and appetizers is a must; Perhaps he/she/they are a Doctor Who fan? Some Fish Fingers and Custard or Lembas from LOTR. Hell why not some Spoo (Babylon 5)

Now for dinner; a nice Lamb Stew with Plums just the way Katniss wants it. Perhaps you are really lucky and have gotten yourself some Star Trek fans over for dinner or have a girlfriend/boyfriend that is a Trekkie then you can serve Plomeek Soup.

As for the entrée, if you have started with the Plommek Soup why not cook some Gagh, a dish that any fun-loving Klingon love.

Now we have come to my favorite part of the book; Cakes and Cupcakes and boy here we have some real treats. How about some Lemon cake (A Song of Ice and Fire) or Butter Cakes (Silent Hill) or some Cauldron Cakes, or all three of them?

Everyone still hungry for more, how about a dessert? Some Turkish Delight straight out of Narnia, they are so good you will betray your siblings for them. Or some Pumpkin Pasties that would make any Harry Potter fan overjoyed with happiness?

I received this copy from Race Point Publishing through Edelweiss in return for an honest review!

Adeline: A Novel of Virginia Woolf by Norah Vincent

Adeline: A Novel of Virginia Woolf by Norah Vincent
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

On April 18, 1941, twenty-two days after Virginia Woolf went for a walk near her weekend house in Sussex and never returned, her body was reclaimed from the River Ouse. Norah Vincent’sAdeline reimagines the events that brought Woolf to the riverbank, offering us a denouement worthy of its protagonist.

With poetic precision and psychological acuity, Vincent channels Virginia and Leonard Woolf, T. S. and Vivienne Eliot, Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington, laying bare their genius and their blind spots, their achievements and their failings, from the inside out. And haunting every page is Adeline, the name given to Virginia Stephen at birth, which becomes the source of Virginia’s greatest consolation, and her greatest torment.

Intellectually and emotionally disarming, Adeline—a vibrant portrait of Woolf and her social circle, the infamous Bloomsbury Group, and a window into the darkness that both inspired and doomed them all—is a masterpiece in its own right by one of our most brilliant and daring writers.

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Adeline was a book I really looked forward to reading. I read Vanessa and Virginia by Susan Sellers a few years back and I loved that book. When it comes to Virgina Woolf I have so far only read Mrs. Dalloway, but I have plans to read more books by Mrs. Woolf.

So believe me, I was quite happy when I got a chance to read this book. But unfortunately, I just couldn't connect with it, nor the story or the characters. There were moments in the book when the text really spoke to me, but not nearly enough to make me truly enjoy this book. In the end, it just became a struggle to finish the book. Too much rambling for my taste. But as I said before, there were moments that were good, often when other characters interacted with Virgina, like Lytton or T.S Eliot or Yeats. But the moments were like gems in the sand, rare and hard to find.

In the end, I just want to say that this was a book that just didn't work for me. I hoped that I would get into the story, but it never happened.

I received this copy from the publisher in return for an honest review!

Mary's Christmas by Laurie R. King

Mary's Christmas by Laurie R. King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In many ways was this story way better than I thought it would be. For instance, I thought that a story taking place when Mary was a child, way before she meet Sherlock wouldn't be that interesting. But the story was really good. Not a mystery or a crime story but a glimpse into Mary's childhood, before her parents and brother died.

#BookReview The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths

The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The chilling discovery of a downed World War II plane with a body inside leads Ruth and DCI Nelson to uncover a wealthy family’s secrets in the seventh Ruth Galloway mystery.

Norfolk is suffering from record summer heat when a construction crew unearths a macabre discovery—a downed World War II plane with the pilot still inside. Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway quickly realizes that the skeleton couldn’t possibly be the pilot, and DNA tests identify the man as Fred Blackstock, a local aristocrat who had been reported dead at sea. When the remaining members of the Blackstock family learn about the discovery, they seem strangely frightened by the news.

Events are further complicated by a TV company that wants to make a film about Norfolk’s deserted air force bases, the so-called Ghost Fields, which have been partially converted into a pig farm run by one of the younger Blackstocks. As production begins, Ruth notices a mysterious man lurking on the outskirts of Fred Blackstock’s memorial service. Then human bones are found on the family’s pig farm. Can the team outrace a looming flood to find a killer?

Laced with dry humor and anchored by perennial fan favorite Ruth, The Ghost Fields will delight fans new and old.

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The Ghosts Fields are the seventh book in the Ruth Galloway series and I have read them all so I was quite happy when I was approved from this book over on NetGalley. Actually, I wasn't supposed to read this book now, but I let it get ahead in the queue since I really wanted to read a crime novel and also wanted to read a book with familiar characters.

This book picks up two years after the last book and Ruth daughter Kate now five years old and is starting school. Nelson, Kate's father Nelson I still married to Michelle, but he is as usual quite possessive of both Ruth and Kate. Which in my opinion he has no right to be since he chose to stay with Michelle. This case will bring them together again as they try to find out how the man came to be on the plane and why after Ruth discover that the man has been dead for years, but have been buried somewhere else. Also, when an heiress is attacked it seems that there is someone out there still out for blood...

It felt nice to return to Ruth Galloway world and I was pleased that she has stopped (well not completely) obsessing about her weight. Her "relationship" with Nelson isn't the easiest. Having a child with a married cop isn't easy especially since she hasn't really moved on even though she tries.

I like cold cases and this case with links to a prominent family turned out to be quite interesting and there is a part in this book what made me think of a special scene from the book /movie/TV-series Hannibal though less gruesome...

All and all a good read and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series when it comes out!

I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review!

Jeremy Clarkson: The Biography

Jeremy Clarkson: The Biography by Gwen Russell
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

It was quite fun searching for books on Scribd after I signed up on the site and of course, since I'm a big Top Gear did I just have to search for books concerning the program and its presenters and I found this book.

This may not be the deepest biography written I have read, but it was entertaining and quite informative and I quite like Jeremy Clarkson so I enjoyed the book.

The book is from 2007 so it was a bit ironic to read about the worries from the fans that the show wouldn't come back for another season...

#BookReview Vampire Seeker by Tim O'Rourke

Vampire Seeker by Tim O'Rourke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Samantha "Sammy" Carter thinks that the recent murders of four women in Whitechapel are committed by a vampire. The gruesome murders are identical to the murders of Jack the Ripper a hundred years ago. Is there a copycat or is Jack the Ripper back?

Sammy is desperate to prove that the killer is a vampire and one night she follows the killer on the night tube train. But she blacks out after an encounter with the killer and wakes up in the wild west. How and why did she end up there and will she ever get back home?

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Vampires, Jack the Ripper, and time-traveling. What an amazing combination. This book was really entertaining to read and I enjoyed Sammy's experience in the wild west. Not only is she far from home she is also a bit lost in time and now she has to get used to not only that vampires are really real, but that for reasons she can't understand she was sent back in time.

When Sammy wakes up in the wild west she is a bit groggy and also in danger, but lucky for her, the Preacher shows up at the right time to help her out. The Preacher isn't alone. He is traveling with Louise, Harry, and Zoe and they are not an ordinary group of people; they are vampire hunters. She also feels that there is something mysterious about them, besides the fact that they are vampire hunters.

This book was entertaining to read and even though I'm a bit sick and tired of the whole vampire genre really liked Tim O'Rourke's wild west theme with time travel. Also, having added Jack the Ripper to the mix was very interesting, The ending wasn't that surprising, but I enjoyed reading the book and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Thank you Piatkus for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!