Recent Reads: A Special Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Special Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley has Bo, the cafe owner in Falford, who dresses in 1950s style dresses, loves the music, and is a member of Falford Flingers, who dance to rock and roll music, as the main character, who along with two friends, gets a predication at a summer fete that she’ll meet the love of her life by Christmas!

There is a lot of Christmas rock and roll music, and other Christmas songs, mentioned, and it really made me feel like Christmas was soon, and that I needed to listen to all of these songs!

The story is also very Christmas based, and there are characters from the previous book who pop up!   I really enjoyed the music references, and all of the food and drink that was being mentioned!  The characters are enjoyable, and the story was good!

This is the second book sent in Falford, so if you’ve enjoyed this community, then read An Endless Cornish Summer.

A Special Cornish Christmas was published on 11th November 2021, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Phillipa Ashley on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and her website.

I’ve read some other books by Phillipa Ashley, other than An Endless Cornish Summer above:

A Surprise Christmas Wedding

A Perfect Cornish Christmas

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

 

Recent Reads: 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club 19)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club 19) is set at Christmas, as if you couldn’t tell!  Claire is off to San Diego to teach a class for the holiday break, Cindy is looking into the true meaning of Christmas, which leads her into investigating someone who is an illegal immigrant being wrongfully jailed, which means Yuki is going to be dragged into it!

And Lindsay?  She’s looking into a heist that’s meant to happen on Christmas day!

This is another action packed book, with a strong Christmas feel, and was a fast paced read that kept me guessing!  If you’re looking for a thrill ride that will put you in the Christmas mood, then this is a very good option!

19th Christmas was published on 7th October 2019, 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

12th of Never – book 12

Unlucky 13 – book 13

14th Deadly Sin – book 14

15th Affair – book 15

16th Seduction – book 16

17th Suspect – book 17

18th Abduction – book 18

Recent Reads: Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud is set on Trinidad and New York.  We follow Betty, her son Solo, and Mr Chetan, who is their lodger.  

The three of them make a family unit, except Betty and Mr Chetan aren’t together. This all works until secrets start to come out.

This is written in the way that they speak in Trinidad (as the author was born there, I’ll believe that), so there are words that I’ve never come across before, but it does work at transporting you to somewhere completely different.  

I enjoyed this book, but I did find that it took a while to read.  The characters are believable and the setting is well written, with descriptions of food that all sound delicious!

Trigger Warning – this book deals with domestic abuse, homophobia, self harm (cutting), and suicide.

Love After Love was published on 2nd April 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Ingrid Persaud on Twitter.

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

Recent Reads: The High Lord by Trudi Canavan (The Black Magician Trilogy 3)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

The High Lord by Trudi Canavan (The Black Magician Trilogy 3) continues to follow Sonea, for whom life is very different!  Mid way through the last book, the High Lord took over being her mentor, and she became his favorite, and moved into his home.  This is because Sonea saw Akkarin kill a man, whom he said was a spy.  She’s not meant to talk to Rothen, and is held hostage with the High Lord to guarantee Rothen’s good behaviour.

Sonea beat Regin in the last book during a duel, and so her place at the Guild is a little more secure than it was.  Ceryni, Sonea’s friend from before, has been working hard for the underworld.

This is the end of this story, although there is a prequel which I’ll be reading soon!  Again, there were surprises in this book, and I enjoyed learning more about magic

The High Lord was published on 18th December 2002, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Trudi Canavan on Facebook, Instagram and her website.

You can read my reviews for other books in the Black Magician series:

The Magicians’ Guild (book 1)

The Novice (book 2)

Recent Reads: Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna (The Monstrous Heart Trilogy 1)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna (The Monstrous Heart Trilogy 1) is a fantasy, set in a world where some people’s blood holds special powers. Arden Beacon’s blood can be set fire to, and so she is a Lightmistress, a lighthouse keeper. 

Arden has just moved to a new lighthouse, in an area that is altogether more of a backwater than the city she is used to, but the people still try to manipulate each other.  She’s told horrible stories about her closest neighbour, Jonah Riven, that he can summon kraken, that he murdered his family when young, that he murdered his wife recently.

This is a fantastic story, with a setting and background that I’ve not encountered before.  It’s a gripping story, that I just wanted to keep reading.

The second book came out this year, and so I will be reading that at some point!

Monstrous Heart was published on 31st March 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Claire McKenna on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

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

Recent Reads: This Lovely City by Louise Hare

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

This Lovely City by Louise Hare is set in 1948 and 1950s, and is about Lawrie Matthews, who came over from Jamaica to England as part of Windrush.  We see his daily life, how he’s making a living, and the racism he deals with every day.  He’s in love with Evie, the girl next door, and we meet his friends.  

Lawrie discovers the body of a baby in a pond, and so the police immediately suspect him of being involved with the death of the baby. 

This is a story of homesickness, discrimination, power corrupting, and family.  It is well told, with flashbacks to 1948.  I thought this was well told, and kept me hooked!

This Lovely City was published on 12th March 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Louise Hare on Twitter and her website.

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

Recent Reads: Beyond by Mercedes Lackey (Founding of Valdemar 1)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Beyond by Mercedes Lackey is the latest book in the Valdemar series.  It’s chronologically book 4, but is actually book 52 (!!!) set in the world.  Which means there’s a little bit of background that you (and I!) might have missed.  For context, I have read the Heralds of Valdemar series, which were some of the earliest books written, and are 9 out of 13 in the series (this latest book is going to be the the second series out of 13).

So, when I realised what was going on, it made sense that there are some things that you are expected to know about – the Emperor being someone that the Duke of Valdemar is working against, being one of them.  If you can get over that, then this is an enjoyable fantasy, with wizards, people being underestimated, and secrets that change what you knew a moment ago.

For context on the book series, have a look at this Fandom page.

Beyond was published on 2nd November 2021, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Mercedes Lackey on Twitter, Facebook and her website.

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

Recent Reads: It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (Bridgertons 7)

Posted on by Pam

My review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (Bridgertons 7) is about Hyacinth, the youngest Bridgerton daughter, and Gareth St Clair.  Gareth’s and his father do not get on, so much so, that Gareth moved out and moved in with his grandmother, Lady Danbury!

Hyacinth has been out for more than a couple of seasons, and so the marriage offers are drying up.  She wants a man that is her equal as a husband.

Lady Danbury wants her grandson married, Violet Bridgerton wants her daughter married, and so there are plans made.

This is a romance set in regency period.  As with all the Bridgertons books, there are sex scenes.  It’s a good story, with a good pace that sweeps you along.  I was unhappy with Gareth’s motivations mid way through the book, but enjoyed the rest of it!

It’s In His Kiss was published on 28th June 2005 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

When He Was Wicked – Bridgertons 6

Recent Reads: The Crochet Crowd; Inspire, Create & Celebrate by Michael Sellick & Daniel Zondervan

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Crochet Crowd; Inspire, Create & Celebrate by Michael Sellick & Daniel Zondervan is about the beginnings of The Crochet Crowd, and includes patterns for you to join in with.

The Crochet Crowd is a community on social media, with videos on Youtube and patterns on their website, all around…yes, you’ve guessed it… crochet!  This is about how Michael (Mikey) got the idea, and his first taste of a community, and built it from there, with Daniel’s help later on.  It’s really lovely to read, and see hoe they made their place in the world when feeling so alone.  As mentioned, there are patterns for you to crochet, along with lots of photos, community members and their stories. 

The Crochet Crowd was published on 26th July 2021, and is available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

You can follow and join The Crochet Crowd on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and their website.

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

Recent Reads: The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis (Brontë Sisters Mystery 2)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis (Brontë Sisters Mystery 2) is set four months after the first book, when a skeleton is found in the chimney of a room that has been sealed for 13 years.

Anne, Emily and Charlotte are immediately interested as they want the bones to have a Christian burial, but there’s rumours of witchcraft and Tabby the housekeeper is deeply unhappy.

This is a great mystery story, with characters based on writers that wrote such amazing books.  I really enjoyed the story, and there’s gothic elements to make the story that much more in keeping with the Brontë sisters books.

The Diabolical Bones was published on 8th October 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Bella Ellis on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and her website.

You can read my review for book 1 in this series: The Vanished Bride.