Category: Recent Reads

Recent Reads: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane is set in America, and is the story of two families, who live next to each other, a traumatic event happens, and then they live with the aftereffects over the following years.

Kate and Peter are friends from the two families, who are pulled apart by the events, but have a bond that pulls them together.

It has love, mental illness, living with trauma, forgiveness and is an emotional story.  I did enjoy it, but it is a hard read, with a very moving story line.

Ask Again, Yes was published on 8th August 2019, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Mary Beth Keane on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Michael Joseph.

Recent Reads: Sylvester by Georgette Heyer

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Sylvester by Georgette Heyer is set in regency period, with Sylvester, Duke of Salford, used to his power and the deference others give to him, tell his mother that he’s planning to marry in the most dispassionate way. 

He ends up going to a country house to meet Phoebe, the granddaughter of his godmother.  Phoebe isn’t pleased with the idea, and found his behaviour during the previous year to be arrogant.

This is historical romance, tamer than Bridgerton, but very enjoyable, with heroines and heroes to cheer on, and plots to surprise you.

Sylvester was first published in 1957, but this is an updated edition, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

Georgette Heyer wrote a great many regency romances, and also detective fiction, and so here is a link for her on GoodReads.

If you’ve been enjoying The Bridgerton TV series or books, then I would highly recommend you try Georgette Heyer!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Cornerstone.

Recent Reads: For the Love of Mike by Rhys Bowen (Molly Murphy book 3)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

For the Love of Mike by Rhys Bowen is the third book in the Molly Murphy series, and as she had a little training from a private investigator in the last book, and has basically inherited his business.  She’s been chasing up some debts and dealing with current cases!  She also has the idea that people back in Ireland might have lost touch with family who have moved to the US, so she puts an advert in an Irish newspaper about being able to find people.

One of the new pieces of work that shows up is something that requires her to work undercover in a garment factory!

Having found out Daniel is engaged to a nice lady of society, she is determined to move on with her life.

This is shaping up to be a very enjoyable series, set in New York in the early 1900s, and I have been really enjoying the way the different communities are described!

For the Love of Mike was published on 9th December 2003, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Rhys Bowen on Twitter, Facebook and her website.

You can read my review of books in this series: 

Murphy’s Choice (book 1)

Death of Riley (book 2)

Recent Reads: Agatha Raisin and the love from hell by M.C Beaton (Agatha Raisin 11)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Agatha Raisin and the love from hell by M.C Beaton has Agatha and James getting married!  But does this mean that Agatha has everything she ever wanted?  In a word, no, as James is an arse.

We see some of the usual character like Sir Charles Fraith and Mrs Bloxby.

I’ve found these books to be a really enjoyable and consistent series, and that I listen to the audio book with Penelope Keith doing the reading, just makes it for me!

Agatha Raisin and the love from hell was first published in 2001 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

My review of the previous book in the Agatha Raisin series are below:

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (book 1)

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet (book 2)

Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener (book 3)

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley (book 4)

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage (book 5)

Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist (book 6)

Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death (book 7)

Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham (book 8)

Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden (book 9)

Agatha Raisin and the fairies of Fryfam (book 10)

Recent Reads: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel is a story of interconnecting lives, and a ponzi scheme.  The story moves around in time, and from different points of view.

This sounds complicated, but it’s written well, with clear call backs, and distinct and interesting chacters!  I enjoyed the story, and the way the story unfolds.  This is a very light fantasy book, so if you’re not a fantasy fan, please don’t be put off this book!

The Glass Hotel was published on 6th August 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Emily St. John Mandel on Twitter and her website.  You might recognise her name from Station Eleven, which was a book, and has been made into a tv series!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan.

Recent Reads: Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger (Devil Wears Prada 2)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟

Revenge Wears Prada is the second book in the series, and it’s set 10 years after the first book.  Andy and Emily work together, and hae a wedding magazine called The Plunge, that they started 3 years ago, which has been a very popular magazine with the audience they’re trying to attract – people who like Runway!

Andy has fallen in love and is getting married.  With that, and a popular magazine, what more could she want in life?  And you know this is when things start to go wrong!

I find these books to be quite hard to read, as I hate the way the character’s treat each other.  I will be finishing the series with the third book, but I probably won’t read anything else by Lauren Weisberger.

You can read my review of The Devil Wears Prada.

Revenge Wears Prada was published on 4th June 2013, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Lauren Weisberger on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and her website.

Recent Reads: Opal Country by Chris Hammer

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Opal Country by Chris Hammer is set in the Australian outback, where they have opal mines.  There’s been a suspicious death, and so the police are investigating.  This is a thriller, with lots of things going on.

This is a very atmospheric book, with the hard life of living in the Australian little communities shown very evocatively, with the secrets and weirdnesses, including a local cult.

Opal Country was published on 6th January 2022, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Chris Hammer on his website.

You can read my review of Scrublands, also by Chris Hammer.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Headline.

Recent Reads: Bad Gods by Gaie Sebold

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Bad Gods by Gaie Sebold is about Babylon Steel, the madame of the Red Lantern in Scalentine, the city of portals, where you can find anything.  Babylon has been a mercenary, and a priestess, and some of the things that she did in the past are starting to catch up to her.

This is a fun fantasy book, which made me think of Robert Asprin’s series Myth Adventures , with Babylon investigating some crimes, and a variety of characters, creatures and religions.  I found the portals a fun idea, and one that was used well.

Bad Gods was published on 4th January 2022, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Gaie Sebold on twitter, and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Rebellion publishing.

Recent Reads: Skin Game by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files 15)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Harry is still Queen Mab’s Winter Knight, and so her champion.  And also hers to do what she wants with!  Which is how he ends up working for Nicodemus Archleone, as Mab is paying off a debt.  He’s to help Nicodemus break into a vault in town, which will help them break into a vault in the Nevernever!  Harry is not impressed, and aware of treachery must be just around the corner!

This was another thrilling story, and one where a lot of Harry’s friends feature.  I have really enjoyed the evolution of each character throughout these books, be it friends, allies, or foes!  It’s been really consistently good, and I haven’t been faced with any glaring plot holes or other issues you get with long running series!

You can follow Jim Butcher on his website, Twitter and Facebook.

My reviews for previous Dresden Files books are below:

Storm Front (book 1)

Fool Moon (book 2)

Grave Peril (book 3)

Summer Knight (book 4)

Death Masks (book 5)

Blood Rites (book 6)

Dead Beat (book 7)

Proven Guilty (book 8)

White Night (book 9)

Small Favor (book 10)

Turn Coat (book 11)

Changes (book 12)

Ghost Story (book 13)

Cold Days (book 14)

Recent Reads: Death of Riley by Rhys Bowen (Molly Murphy book 2)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Death of Riley by Rhys Bowen (Molly Murphy book 2) is set in New York, in early twentith century, with Molly trying her hand at being a companion, and then getting a job with a private investigator.

There is a murder that she decides to investigate, and this time she’s had a little training from the private investigatory, which makes it interesting seeing the new things she does.  I enjoyed the evolution of Molly, and I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series!

Death of Riley was published on 5th December 2002, and is available from Amazon and Waterstones.

I listened to this one as an audiobook, and so enjoyed Lara Hutchinson’s reading of the book.

You can follow Rhys Bowen on Twitter, Facebook and her website.

You can read my review of book 1 in this series, Murphy’s Choice.