Month: July 2021

Recent Reads: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin is a fantasy book where five New Yorkers have to come together to protect their city as they become the city.

They have to protect it against another thing that wants to destroy New York as it has destroyed other cities. 

You get a tour of New York, and characteristics of different districts within New York, all with our heroes being under threat.

I really enjoyed this story.  It’s fast paced, funny, sad and well written!  This is the first in a trilogy, so I’m looking forward to the next one!

The City We Became was published on 29th July 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow N. K. Jemisin on Twitter and her website.

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

Recent Reads: When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn (Bridgertons 6)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn is the story of Francesca.  She marries John, an Earl, who is best friends with his cousin, Michael Stirling, a notorious rake, who is also in love with Francesca.  When John dies, and Francesca goes into mourning, Michael flees to India, but time passes, and he returns.  But can he have Francesca?

This book is appropriately titled, and has a lot of sexual tension, and sex scenes. It’s also an enjoyable will they, won’t they.  I’ve really enjoyed the series of books, and look forward to watching this unfold on the TV show!

When He Was Wicked was published on 29th June 2004, and is available from 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

The Viscount Who Loved Me – Bridgertons 2

An Offer From A Gentleman – Bridgertons 3

Romancing Mister Bridgerton – Bridgertons 4

To Sir Phillip, with Love – Bridgertons 5

Recent Reads: 12th of Never by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club 12)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

12th of Never by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club 12) has Lindsay’s baby, Julie, being born!  But of course there’s murder and mayhem happening as well!  We have a new summer intern with the police, Mackie Morales, and a serial killer, and a professor who claims to see crimes happening in the future.  And then he gets proved right!

This is a fast paced read, with lots of activity and shocks.  I enjoy this series as I know roughly what I’m going to get (personal life shocks for our main characters, crimes, some twists, and a surprise), but I’m not going to see it coming!  

12th of Never was published on 29th April 2013 and is available from 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

4th of July – book 4

The 5th Horseman – book 5

The 6th Target – book 6

7th Heaven – book 7

The 8th Confession – book 8;

The 9th Judgement – book 9

10th Anniversary – book 10

11th Hour – book 11

Recent Reads: Midsummer Mysteries: Secrets and Suspense from the Queen of Crime by Agatha Christie

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Midsummer Mysteries by Agatha Christie is a book of short stories by the Queen of Crime, all around the theme of summer.  Some are set on holiday on the French Riviera, and some are set in England.

There are short stories that include Miss Marple, Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, and other detectives. It’s a fun book of stories that will take you on adventures, where the solution always has me guessing!

Midsummer Mysteries: Secrets and Suspense from the Queen of Crime was published on 22nd July 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

Agatha Christie has written many books, and they are all from the Golden Age of crime, so if you aren’t familiar with her work, I highly recommend trying her out!

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

Recent Reads: The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis (Brontë Sisters Mystery 1)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis is a mystery book with the Brontë sisters as the investigators.  Mrs Elizabeth Chester’s bedroom is found to be covered in blood, and as Emily, Anne and Charlotte know the young lady who found the room in this state, they hear a first hand account, and so become involved in the mystery of where Mrs Chester is, and if she’s alive or dead!

I found this to be a really interesting read as it puts you at the heart of the Brontë family, and is set both in 1851 and in 1845, with Charlotte looking back to their adventures together.  The sisters are quite separate characters, and it made me want to learn more about them, and re-read each of their books!

The Vanished Bride was published on 7th November 2019 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Bella Ellis 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 Hodder Books.

Recent Reads: The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter is book 9 in the Will Trent series, and I realised that when I worked out that I’ve already read and reviewed book 10.  No, I’m not sure how I’ve managed that either!

Anyway, this is a thriller, where white supremacist have concocted a terror plot, and Sara and Will get dragged into the middle of it.  We swap between Sara and Will’s perspectives, and I do feel these being labelled the Will Trent series is misleading.

This really is a rollercoaster ride, where you gasp in terror one moment, and then next you’re excited and pleased!  I really enjoyed this book, and need to read the early books some time… *eyes TBR pile* but not soon!

The Last Widow was published on 13th June 2019 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Karin Slaughter on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

You can read my review of The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter here. which is book 10 in the Will Trent series.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley, and to  HarperCollins .

Recent Reads: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (The Invisible Library 1)

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (Invisible Library 1) is a fantasy novel where books from different dimensions are gathered together by librarians in a library.  Irene is an experienced librarian, who has just been given an apprentice called Kai, and is being sent off to a different version of London, where there are vampires, werewolves, and a dangerous book to recover.

I really enjoyed the story line, and the characters.  The concept for different worlds was one that I really enjoyed as it wasn’t just the people, but also the time period and inventions that changes!

This is the first book in a series, and yes, I’m reading them all, so expect more reviews soon!

The Invisible Library was published on 15th January 2015 and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Genevieve Cogman on Twitter, Facebook and her website.

Recent Reads: Side Jobs by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files)

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

Side Jobs by Jim Butcher is full of short stories from the Dresden storyline, giving you more background for some of the main storylines, or introducing completely new characters, like Bigfoot!

I really enjoyed these, and found that for the most part, they were really enjoyable.  Jim Butcher gives a brief explanation for each story as to why he was writing it, and in some cases, the headspace he was in.  There was only one story that I didn’t feel bring anything.

Side Jobs was published on 26th October 2010, and is available on 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)

White Night (book 9)

Small Favor (book 10)

Turn Coat (book 11)

Changes (book 12)

Recent Reads: Dear Child by Romy Hausmann

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann is a thriller, translated from German, and so set in modern day Germany.

Lena is trapped in a shack in the forest, with two children whom she is told she has to look after.  Their days are strictly regulated, until one day Lena manages to escape, and this is where our story starts!  We meet Lena in the hospital, where she slowly tells her story to the police.

This is a tense thriller, where the truth changes often.  It’s a haunting tale, well told, and makes you want to keep turning the page!

Dear Child was published on 14th May 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Romy Hausmann on Facebook and Instagram.

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

Recent Reads: Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton (Agatha Raisin 5)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton has Agatha and James about to marry.  Except she hasn’t told James that she’s already married, but she’s sure he’s dead by now.  So, you know that something dramatic is going to happen at the wedding!

This has lots of comedy and moments of sadness.  I do enjoy these books, and love to see how Agatha is going to solve the mystery.  I listen to the audio books, which I really enjoy as Penelope Keith does them!

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage was published on 1st December 1996, 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)