Tag: book review

Monthly Wrap Ups

September Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is now October and that means it is time to look back on all the books I managed to read in September.

As the first month where I have officially completed my PhD, I intentionally gave myself a large TBR in September to have a good choice and I didn’t expect to finish it, which is good because I did not get through all of the books from my TBR. As I am writing this, there are two days left in the month. Enough to read a few more books from that TBR.

  • How To Kill A Guy in Ten Dates – I did read this and I will be sharing my full review on the 19th October.
  • Everyone In This Bank Is A Thief by Benjamin Stevenson – I did read this. This is the third book in the Ernest Cunningham series and this was a five star read for me.
  • A Deadly Scandal by Felicity Epps – As I am writing this, I have not yet read this book but in the remaining two days of the month I plan to get to this one.
  • A Game of Scandal by Laura Wood – I did read this. This is the third book in the Agency for Scandal series. These are fun little mysteries with addictive characters and romance subplots.
  • Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – I did read this and I enjoyed it. These books are fun, quick reads. I love the mysteries in each one though I find the characters themselves a little annoying.
  • Gothikana by RuNyx – I started to read this one though eventually I did DNF it. I didn’t like the writing style. It was too slow and too fast at the same time. the Plot was moving too slow and was not getting to the intriguing parts of the mystery and it was too fast with the developing relationship of the main character and the love interest.
  • The Bells of Westminster by Leanora Nattrass – I did read this. It is unfortunately another book this month that I DNF’d. One of four. This month was all very highs and very lows with the books I was reading. This books had an interesting concept but there was a moment where a character you are meant to like, is described eating early in the book and it disgusted me everytime he showed up after that. I couldn’t get past it.
  • The Graves of Whitechapel by Claire Evans – This is the third of the four books I DNF’d. This one I stopped reading quite early in the book. I couldn’t get on with the writing style and I was starting to dread reading it.
  • A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn. I did read this. This is the second in the Veronica Speedwell series. I have to say that the first book in the series was okay but this one I really enjoyed. You get a very interesting mystery and two brilliant main characters to follow on their adventures. I gave this book four and a half stars.
  • A Secret in the Garden – I did not read this.
  • My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen – I did read this. I was unsure what I would think of this one. I picked it up a long time ago and I was never drawn to pick it off my shelf until recently when I thought if I don’t read it I shouldn’t keep it but this book surprised me. I loved it. It was another five star read for me and could by my favourite read of this month.
  • Till Death Us Do Part by Reverend Penny Stephens – this was unfortunately the fourth book that I DNF’d this month. The pacing of the story was slow.
  • Truthwitch by Susan Dennard – I did not read this.
  • When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker – I did not read this.
  • Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell – I have not yet read this but I intend to before the end of the month.
  • The Sisters Grimm by Menna Van Praag – I did not read this.
  • Book Lovers by Emily Henry – I am currently reading this.

What did you all read this month?

Book Reviews

Book Review: Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all doing well today. In August I finally got round to reading the first book in the Ernest Cunnigham mystery series by Benjamin Stevenson and today I will be sharing my review for this book. Have any of you read this? What did you think of it?

Blurb/Synopsis:

Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let’s get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

Me

My Review: 5 stars

I was nervous to read this book and I will explain why. I read the short christmas book from this series before and I didn’t love it, the writing style was difficult for me at the time. Now though, I read this book and I loved it. I loved the writing style. The way the author blends the comedy with the mystery. I like how Ernest is not a conventional character and he has flaws that influence his choices. I was surprised I liked this book because cabins isolated in a snowstorm usually freak me out but this one didn’t. There was a bigger focus on the elements of the mystery and the characters rather than the snow and the isolation so I liked that a lot.

Monthly Wrap Ups

August Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you have all had a great start to your September. And I hope you all had a wonderful August. Mine was pretty busy with my nieces and hospital things going on. I also had great news come in which is that I finally got the confirmation of passing my PhD. I am officially a Doctor. It’s taken a while but I have got there in the end.

Now with all that said, I did get quite a bit of reading done in August. Of course I am writing this a little before the end of the month, 8 days or so, and I will get a few more books read from my TBR as I am going away for a week tomorrow and it is a car journey so I’ll be reading in that time.

How has everyone’s reading been in August? Any new favourite books? I started the Ernest Cunningham series by Benjamin Stevenson, loved it, immediately read the sequel and got the third so I could read it soon.

August Wrap Up:

from my TBR:

  • Wildewood by Jessica Thorne – This is one of three books that I am taking away with me so I should definitely get this book read by the end of the month.
  • Library of the Dead by T L Huchu – I did read this. Honestly, I thought the plot itself was interesting but the writing style was a problem for me and I did find myself skimming it rather than reading by the end.
  • The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton – This is the second of three books I am taking away with me so I should get this read by the end of August also.
  • Love and Luck by Jenna Evans Welch – and this is the third book I am taking away with me and should read by the end of August.
  • Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher – I did read this. I loved her book Tea and Alchemy earlier in the year and I enjoyed this one also.
  • Murder at the Book Festival by Jane Bettany – I did read this. I got this book in a blind date with a book. I thought it was good but I don’t think I would pick up the rest of the series.
  • Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas – I did not get around to reading this. I want to read all her books in preparation for ACOTAR 6 but I want to read other books more at the moment so we shall see if I get around to it or not.
  • No Women Were Harmed by Heather Mottershead – I am currently reading this.
  • The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson – I did read this. I am glad I have made progress in the Truly Devious series. I liked this book but not as much as the original trilogy.
  • A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales – I did read this. Another book I thought was good but I am unsure if I would like to continue in this series or not.
  • Henry Tudor Must Die by Gillian Laine – I did start reading this but I soft DNF’d it at 100 pages. I think I will try it again but I’m not sure.
  • The Library After Dark by Ande Pliego – I DNF’d this book within a few chapters. The writing style was not for me.
  • Murder in a Yorkshire Village by Helena Dixon – I did read this. Another solid book in the Kitty Underhay series.

Outside of my TBR I read: Murder at the Dolphin Hotel by Helena Dixon, Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson.

Overall, including the three I will have finished by the end of August, I have read 15 books in August.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Book Reviews

Book Review: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day. Today I am bringing you my review for Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett. If you’ve read it let me know what you thought of it.

Blurb:

All strays are welcome here.

Agnes Aubert is very fond of making lists. These lists kept her afloat when she lost her husband two years ago. And now, as the founder of a cat rescue charity, her meticulous organization skills feel like the only thing standing between her beloved cats – His Majesty, Banshee and sweet elderly Thoreau, to name a few – and utter disaster.

But when Agnes is forced to move the charity, she soon discovers that her new shop is being used as a front; right under her feet is the lair of the decidedly disorganised – not to mention self-absorbed and infuriatingly handsome – Havelock Renard.

Havelock is everything Agnes doesn’t want in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue, perhaps even romance. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats. . .

My review:

I have a very love hate relationship with cosy fantasy novels. I picked up this book because I enjoyed Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series and I saw people were loving this book. I wanted to know if I would enjoy this one too. Yes, I did. I loved it. I loved the cats. Actually I felt very betrayed by one of them. IYKYK. I loved the character of Agnes and her sister throughout. It’s nice to see a different sibling dynamic to what is usually shown. I also like how this author does romance. It’s there and it makes you feel, properly feel, but it is very subtle and not in your face. I think this author may become an auto-buy for me.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Flirting With Murder by Amanda Sellett

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I am bringing you my review for Flirting with Murder by Amanda Sellett. let me know if you have read it and what you thought of it.

Blurb:

The Agathas meets Thursday Murder Club in Amanda Sellet’s next YA novel, a cozy mystery with a splash of romance.

Some people visit Florida for theme parks and beaches. High school junior Virginia Tillis is there for murder. Accidents, electrocution, tainted hand lotion: every victim meets a different end at her grandmother Lainey’s rococo pink condo. Such is life (and death) when you roll with a crew of theater retirees who roleplay murder mysteries from the comfort of their own home in a game they fondly call Killing Me Softly.

But this summer, fictional murder has given way to the very real death of the building’s beloved owner and his dramatic last testament has the vultures circling, from estranged relatives to sleazy property developers, dead set on getting the most from his will.

Adding to the tension for Virginia is the appearance of Felix, the cute guy she met at the airport who turns out to be the grandson of one of the condo’s residents. With his charm and musical theater chops, he’s the person Virginia most wants to beat at Killing Me Softly. That is, until the day they discover an actual dead body while playing the game, forcing them to work together to figure out whodunit.

In this comedic mystery about finding the Watson to your Holmes, Virginia and Felix must banter their way from rivals to co-detectives in time to save their eccentric grandparents from a shocking disruption to the community they’ve always loved.

My review:

I picked up this book because I have read a romance by this author before and really enjoyed that so when I saw they were writing a cosy crime novel I had to get it. Once I had it, I found I was hesitant to actually read it because I thought the mystery side might be lacking to get the romance good. This was not the case. Both the romance and the mystery shone in this book in my opinion, I was very invested in both sides of it. The end of the mystery was also a big surprise, not something that I imagined and I am looking forward to seeing more of this kind of novel from this author.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I am bringing you my book review for The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. If you have read this book let me know in the comments what you thought of it.

Blurb:

Cold cases get hot in this unputdownable mystery from Jennifer Lynn Barnes, no.1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games series. Perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified programme that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realise is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved murders – especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive . . .

Born smart. Born tough. Born FBI.

My Review:

The Naturals is one of those books that I have heard great things about for years, especially from people who love similar books to me. I was hesitant to read it because I didn’t love this author’s other series, The Inheritance Games. I did enjoy reading this book. It is a quick, easy read. The plot and the mystery itself was very middle of the road for me. I didn’t find it shocking or twisty, it was quite predictable in my opinion. But I did love the way the author builds the characters and their relationships to each other within this book. I have since bought the next book in the series and I do want to continue.

Monthly TBRs

August TBR

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day. It is August and that means it is time to share the books that I hope to read this month.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

The Ornithologists Field Guide to Love by India Holton

Love and Luck by Jenna Evans Welch

Murder in a Yorkshire Village by Helena Dixon

Library of the Dead by T L Huchu

Wildewood by Jessica Thorne

No Women Were Harmed by Heather Mottershead

Library After Dark by Ande Pliego

Murder at the Book Festival by Jane Bettany

Henry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Laine

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Monthly Wrap Ups

July Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a wonderful day. How is everyone’s summer going so far? It is now the summer holidays in the UK so my family all have some time off in the next few weeks which will be nice.

How was your reading in July? Mine was one of my worst months so far this year but at the same time significantly better than I thought it would be.

This is my wrap up for the month of July.

From my TBR:

  • The Cut by Richard Armitage – I did read this. Well, I read some of it. I DNF’d it around 100 pages because it is told in split perspective and within 100 pages I had been in at least five different people’s heads and it is told in two different times, one present and one past. It was far too confusing.
  • Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett – I did read this and my review for this book is coming on the 20th August.
  • When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker – I did not get to this book in July. I have kept it on my TBR cart though as I would still like to read it soon, maybe even in August.
  • The Antique Hunter’s Murder at the Castle by C L Miller – I did read this. Another solid book in this series.
  • The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – I did read this and my review is coming on the 13th August.
  • I Know You Did It by Sue Wallman – I did read this. I thought it was quite good but not one of my favourites of her books.
  • The Dreadfuls by A Rae Dunlap – I did read this and loved it. It is definitely a new favourite book. It puts an interesting spin on the retelling of Jack the Ripper.
  • Flirting With Murder by Amanda Sellett – I did read this and my review is coming on the 17th August.
  • The Sinister Booksellers of bath by Garth Nix – I did read this and although it has taken me a while I am glad I have finally read another in this series.
  • The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs and The Desolations of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs – I did read these two books. The final two books in the Miss Peregrines series and both of them I gave five stars to.

Outside of my TBR I also read: Murder on Devil’s Ridge by Irina Shapiro, The Secret Detective Agency by Helena Dixon and Death on the Lively Sea by Katy Watson.

This means I read all but one of my TBR and altogether I read 13 books this months which I am very pleased about. My favourite read of July was a toss between The Dreadfuls and Flirting With Murder. My least favourite read was obviously The Cut.

What were your favourite and least favourite reads of July?

Monthly TBRs

July TBR

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all doing well today. It is time to reveal what books I am hoping to get to read in July!

If you have read any of these books, let me know what you thought of them!

The Cut by Richard Armitage

I am meeting this author soon at an event so I want to read this book in preperation.

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

I have read the Emily Wilde series by this author so I want to try more of her books and see if I enjoy those also, I am not usually into cosy fantasy so this will be interesting.

When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker

I just recieved the second book in this series so I thought July is the right time to get stuck into this fantasy world and see if I enjoy it.

The Antique Hunter’s Murder at the Castle by C L Miller

This is the third installment in this series and I am looking forward to seeing how this book goes with a focus on one of the characters who has been in the sidelines up until now.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I have heard so many good things about this book and this series so I am excited to get into it.

I Know You Did It by Sue Wallman

Sue Wallman’s YA thrillers are enjoyable one sitting reads for me so I hope that this one is no different.

The Dreadfuls by A Rae Dunlap

This book is a new take on the Victorian era and the Jack the Ripper mystery. I am always interested in reading more of these.

Flirting With Murder by Amanda Sellett

I read one other book by this author a while ago and it was a romance book where this is a romance cross mystery so I hope that this will have a good blend of both genres and won’t focus too heavily on one or the other.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix

This is the second book in this series. It has been a while since I read the first one but I remember loving it and I love Garth Nix’s writing so this should be a good read.

The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs

This is the fifth book in the Miss Peregrine’s series and I have just read the fourth book which made me excited to continue and hopefully finish the series this month.

The Desolation of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs

This is the final book in the Miss Peregrine’s series and I am really looking forward to finishing it off.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I am bringing you my book review for The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke. If you have read this book, let me know what you thought of it.

Blurb/Synopsis:

A PROPULSIVE DEBUT MYSTERY FROM EVELYN CLARKE, THE BRILLIANT AND DIABOLICAL CREATION OF CAT CLARKE AND V.E. SCHWAB

Six authors.

One private island.

Seventy-two hours to write the ending that will change their lives.

Arthur Fletch, one of the world’s bestselling novelists, is a reclusive genius known for his iconic protagonists and fiendish twists. When six struggling authors are invited to spend a weekend on his private Scottish island, they arrive to discover a shocking secret: Arthur Fletch is dead . . . and his last book is unfinished.

Desperate to publish the novel, Fletch’s agent and editor have summoned these writers in the hope that one of them will imagine a worthy ending for this final book. To sweeten the deal, they are offering an irresistible prize: in addition to ghost-writing the last chapter––for a mind-boggling sum––they will also help the lucky writer successfully re-launch their own career, guaranteeing future bestsellers. The catch: the writers have just seventy-two hours to finish Fletch’s magnum opus.

It’s the perfect plot. All it needs is a killer ending.

My Review:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I wasn’t sure whether to get this book to begin with or not. As it is more of a thriller than a mystery and I don’t read that many thrillers. However, I noticed recently that I love reading books about writers and the thriller style books that I have enjoyed, all centre around writers – like the Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz – and this one was no different.

I loved how the book built on itself. Introducing each of the writers, getting to be inside their heads and not knowing who could be trusted, or what each of them would do to win. I could definitely feel my heart racing throughout. Ultimately I only gave this book four stars because the ending was a tiny bit predictable but I think very in line with the thriller style.

The writing itself was the best thing and in my opinion there was no way of telling that it was two writers not one. It was smooth and drew me in straightaway.