Month: March 2021

Recent Reads: The Ghost It Was by Richard Hull

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Ghost It Was by Richard Hull is a murder mystery set in 1930s.  James Warrenton has bought Amberhurst Place, he is beset with nephews (and a niece), is interested in spiritualism, and believes there is a ghost in the house.  

The nephews don’t all get on, with one of them living with their uncle, and he is hoping to be the one to inherit.

This is a whodunit, with knocking noises, ghosts being seen, and someone dying – was it the ghost that killed them, a person or was it an accident?  

I enjoyed the story and the journey it takes you on!

The Ghost It Was was first published in 1936, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

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

Recent Reads: White Night by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files 9)

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

White Night by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files 9) has some women going missing, and others being found murdered.  Dresden is called in by Murphy, now a sergeant, who wants to pay him from her own pocket to look into all of this, as the women have been practitioners.

It’s been a year since Harry took Molly as his apprentice, and so we’re seeing how that is going.

This is another story that adds to the background and world of the books.  We’re told more about other practitioners of magic, how people learn magic, and more insight into Harry.

White Night was published on 3rd April 2007, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

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)

Recent Reads: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush book 1)

Posted on by Pam

My review:???

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush book 1) is a YA fantasy book, so you can go into this book knowing it’s going to be dramatic, there’s going to be fantastical elements, and at least one person isn’t going to be who you think they are.

Nora is a high school student, busy with her studies, when Patch starts at her school.  He’s got a lot of insight into her, and a good smile, but Nora doesn’t trust him.  

There’s a couple of incidents that scare Nora, and she doesn’t know who can help her.

This is very much in the style of Twilight, so if you enjoyed that you’ll probably enjoy this.  I haven’t read Twilight for years, so I don’t remember how Edward was, but I *spoiler* was not a fan of the mind manipulation, and how quickly Nora was ok with it. 

Hush, Hush was published on 13th October 2009, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Becca Fitzpatrick on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Recent Reads: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (Bridgertons 2)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (Bridgertons 2) is set a year after the first book, and is about Anthony, the eldest Bridgerton brother.  

Lady Whistledown has decided that Anthony isn’t interested in marrying, but Anthony has decided this season is the season for him to marry, and he’s going to have the cream of the crop, the diamond of the season.  But her older sister, Kate is getting in the way.

Kate wants to be sure about this marriage, for her sister’s sake.  Anthony on the other hand needs to get married as he’s sure he will die soon.  Afterall, his father died young from a bee sting, and he’s been certain for years that the same fate will happen to him.

I enjoyed the characters, and the settings.  The story was fun and engaging, and I was rooting for the couple you know you wanted!  We do see Daphne and Simon, but they are very much background characters for this book.

The Viscount Who Loved Me was published on 27th June 2006, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Julia Quinn on Facebook, Instagram and her website.

You can read my review for the previous Bridgertons books below:

The Duke and I – Bridgertons 1

Recent Reads: 4th Of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club book 4)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

4th Of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club book 4) has Lindsay having to fight for her job after having fought for her life.  

There’s a shooting, and Lindsay goes to stay at her sister’s whilst the case is being investigated.  She’s reminded of an early case, and then hears that there’s been a similar murder recently, and so starts investigating.

This is another entertaining book, a light read, but well paced with twists and turns that I enjoyed.

4th Of July was published on 2nd May 2005, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow James Patterson on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.

I’m afraid I couldn’t find any links for Maxine Paetro for you to follow.

Women’s Murder Club books:

1st to Die   – book 1 

2nd Chance – book 2

3rd Degree – book 3

Recent Reads: Where Have All the Elves Gone? by Christian Warren Freed

Posted on by Pam

My review:??

Where Have All the Elves Gone? by Christian Warren Freed has Daniel Thomas, a high fantasy author, who finds out that some of the things he was writing about weren’t actually as fantastical as he had thought they were.

This is a murder mystery where Daniel is asked to help out the elves.  I didn’t find the book to be very engaging, and didn’t enjoy it. 

Where Have All the Elves Gone? was published on 2 May 2018, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Christian Warren Freed on Twitter and his website.

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

Recent Reads: The Pale Dreamer by Samantha Shannon (The Bone Season 0.5)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Pale Dreamer by Samantha Shannon (The Bone Season 0.5) is set before The Bone Season, but as I didn’t know about this novella until after I had read the first book, and it’s better that way round, I thought I’d review it in this order!

So yes, The Pale Dreamer is set 3 years before The Bone Season, when Paige has just joined the Seven Seals, and is getting to know Jaxom and the others.  She doesn’t have a lot of experience in using her powers, and doesn’t know her place in the gang or the underworld yet, but there’s a poltergeist on the loose, and she and Nick go after it.

This is a fun story with extra flavour about Paige settling in to her new role, and getting the name Pale Dreamer!

The Pale Dreamer was published on 6th August 2016, and is available from Amazon.

You can follow Samantha Shannon on Twitter and her blog.

You can read my review of the first book in the series below:

The Bone Season (book 1)

Recent Reads: The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams is a great modern romance, with Penny, who owns and runs a cafe in London, who has to suddenly drop her life in London, and the beginnings of a romance, and move to Derbyshire, to take over her uncle’s pub.

This is an enjoyable story, with Penny putting self care high on her list of priorities, and explaining it to others.  

The Love Square was published on 29th June 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

I’ve reviewed Laura Jane William’s first fiction book, which you can find here: Our Stop.

You can follow Laura Jane Williams on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

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

Recent Reads: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is set both in present day and in 1791.  Caroline is in the present day.  She’s travelled to London on a ten year anniversary trip, except she’s without her husband, who she’s just caught cheating on her. 

Nella is in 1791, an is an apothecary.  She follows her mothers work of helping women, except she does it by providing poisons that they use to kill the men causing them problems.

Caroline starts to discover information about Nella’s apothecary, and spending time researching helps Caroline understand what she wants to do in her life.

This was a good story, with situations in the past and present echoing each other.  It’s well written, and really interesting.

The Lost Apothecary was published on 2nd March 2021, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Sarah Penner on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

Recent Reads: Gardening for Geeks All the Science You Need for Successful Organic Gardening by Christy Wilhelmi

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Gardening for Geeks All the Science You Need for Successful Organic Gardening by Christy Wilhelmi is written from the point of view of the science, as you can tell from it’s name.

It gives you ideas on your soil, what to grow to encourage other plants, and habitats to build in your garden in order to encourage things that will kill pests.

There are lots of photos, and tips to help you to grow the best you can in your space.

Gardening for Geeks All the Science You Need for Successful Organic Gardening by Christy Wilhelmi was publishing on 11th February 2020, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Christy Wilhelmi on Facebook.

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