Blog Archive

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Finding Friends at the Cornish Country Hospital by Jo Bartlett - Book Review

Series: Cornish Country Hospital #2 

Publication Date: 26th March 2024 

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction 

3 Stars 

One Liner: Couldn’t vibe with it 


Esther Hamilton is getting her life back together after splitting with a horrible ex. She works as a nurse at the Cornish Country Hospital, where her best friend Danni is a doctor. She loves her new job and new life and has no intention of falling in love. Danni’s brother Joe Carter is newly single and arrives in the town. He is a friend Esther wouldn’t want to lose. But with Joe being there for her at the hospital and when navigating her parent’s troubled marriage, Esther has to make some tough decisions. 

Caroline, Esther’s mom, is going through a difficult phase. She wants to make the most of her life, but her reliable and rock-solid husband has other ideas. Moreover, Caroline can’t help but think their marriage has fizzled out. Soon, she finds her life and marriage spiraling out of control. 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Esther and Caroline. 

My Thoughts: 

Here’s another new author I wanted to tick off my list. The premise (the official blurb doesn’t mention Caroline’s POV) felt like a feel-good novel with romance, so I gave it a shot. 

I didn’t expect the book to have two full-fledged stories and the mother and daughter’s tracks in parallel. Though it could be off-guard, I managed to adjust my expectations and see where it would lead. 

The info dump on Caroline’s POV (second chapter) didn’t help either. And the very instant the other (third-party) character was introduced, my brain screamed a red flag. It only got worse. Moreover, there’s too much repetition (about her thoughts, her wants, her desires, etc.). I empathized more with her situation when I wasn’t reading her POV. Go figure! 

Esther’s track also has repetition. Still, it involves other characters and has some decent banter. Esther’s friendship with Danni is really well done. Oh, this book possibly has spoilers for the first in the series. I didn’t read that, so can’t say for sure. 

There really isn’t much romance in this one. I would classify it as contemporary fiction. Esther and Joe’s relationship doesn’t come alive on the page. There is too much focus on Caroline, and each time I get a little into Esther’s track, there’s a POV shift, taking me back to what Caroline wants. Not that I support Patrick (I don’t agree with it). His arc wasn’t compelling, either. 

Another issue was how the other character pretty much vanished after the crucial incident. We never know their intentions or how the whole thing affected that person (if it did). I don’t want to wait for another book to know that (if it will even be tackled). The same goes for Lucas, though at least there’s a single-line brush-off to justify his sudden absence. 

The major good thing about the book is how Esther cared for her patients. That also got into her trouble, but she refused to treat them as mere patients. She’s the kind of nurse one would want to have if they went into a hospital in an emergency. 

The book also deals with dementia, personal loss, misunderstandings, mental health issues, taking chances, aspects of infidelity, second chances, etc. And oh, there is a mention of suicide. 

To summarize, Finding Friends at the Cornish Country Hospital has its moments, though it didn’t work for me. It should have, but somehow, it didn’t. Do check the other reviews before you decide. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.  

#NetGalley #FindingFriendsattheCornishCountryHospital

Saturday, March 16, 2024

A Country Wedding Murder by Katie Gayle - Book Review - Blog Tour

Series: Julia Bird Mysteries #5

Buy Link on Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CLL1T12Qsocial

Goodreads Book Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201910596-a-country-wedding-murder 

Publication Date: 13th March 2024 

Genre: Cozy Mystery 

4.2 Stars 

One Liner: Such a fun read! 


Book Description:

The joyous crowd applauds as the happy couple strides down the aisle. This Cotswolds country wedding has everything – friends and family, beautiful flowers, and… murder?

When Julia Bird’s ex-husband Peter and his lovely partner Christopher decide to get married in Berrywick, Julia is delighted – after all, who doesn't love a country wedding? Little does Julia know that normally calm and collected Christopher will turn into a full-on Groomzilla – and that by the end of the night, someone will end up dead.

The morning after the big day, the jolly nuptial mood turns grim when Julia discovers the lifeless body of the caterer, Desmond. Someone locked him in the cold truck, and the poor man froze to death. Now looking for a murderer, all eyes are on Christopher who, mid-tantrum, had publicly threatened to kill him. Convinced that Christopher is innocent, Julia vows to find the real culprit.

Julia soon discovers Desmond has a long list of enemies as she races against the clock to clear Christopher’s name. Could his death be the work of the respected wedding planner who was heard exchanging choice words with the victim? Or perhaps it was his wife – ‘til death do them part – who didn’t shed a single tear at his funeral?

But just when Julia thinks she’s cracked the case, her prime suspect is found dead with a knife in their back. Can Julia find the murderer before they strike again?

An utterly gripping, charming cosy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin, and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries.

***

My Thoughts: 

The story comes in Julia’s third-person POV. 

The book should work as a standalone, but I recommend reading book #1 to get a better idea. It will also help you see the character growth in Julia and understand her relationship and dynamic with her ex-husband. It is refreshing to read non-toxic relationships between exes. 

Christopher is a typical groom-zilla but still comes across as a sweetie. The poor guy wants his wedding to be perfect. Who can say no? 

Jess, Julia’s daughter, is visiting for the first time since Julia moved to Berrywick. Must say that I like Jess very much. She is the right mix of fun and serious, childish and mature, which makes her easy to connect with. 

Now, Jake, our adorable chocolate lab, should get a special mention. He is turning out to be a lover boy! In the last book, Jake gives all his attention to Henny Penny, the boss chicken. Now, he is mesmerized by Jess and can’t take his eyes off her. And with Jess pampering her Jakey boy, there’s no stopping him! 

Little Sebastian also makes a guest entry. I love this tail-less monkey who asks Jake if he is a good boy, lol. Leave the two alone for a few minutes, and there will be loads of cleaning up to do!

Julia and Hayley are becoming closer friends, even if Hayley wouldn’t admit it. Sean is a perfect partner, as always, being there for Julia without crowding her space and offering support without being loud. 

The mystery is solid. I like that Julia and the readers get the clues at the same time. This does make it tough when Julia takes time to connect the dots, but hey, readers have more sleuthing experience. The reveal, when it comes, seems a natural progression of the case and not something that appears out of nowhere. 

To summarize, A Country Wedding Murder is an entertaining and delightful mystery with dead bodies, food, sleuthing, suspects, laughter, and a touch of contemplation. The pacing is steady, which makes this a breezy read. Can’t wait for the next one! 

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC.  

#NetGalley #ACountryWeddingMurder

***

Author Bio:

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg with their husbands, children, dogs, and cats. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatieGayleWriter

X: https://twitter.com/KatieGayleBooks

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Katie Gayle here: https://www.bookouture.com/katie-gayle

***

This has been a pitstop on the blog tour by Bookouture (@bookouture). Thank you for stopping by! 


Top post on Blogchatter

Friday, March 15, 2024

Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh - Book Review

Publication Date: 19 March 2024 (first published 20th July 2023)

Genre: Thriller, Suspense 

3 Stars 

One Liner: Okay… not impressed (kinda outliner) 

New York City

When two strangers, Amanda and Wendy, meet by chance, they discover they have a lot in common. Their lives have been ruined by men who escaped justice in the hands of law. Soon, they make a pact – one kills for the other, and neither gets caught. 

In another part of the city, Ruth and her husband Scott have a routine life until that night when an intruder with startling blue eyes changes it forever. Can Ruth ever feel safe and get back to her life with the intruder still running free? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Amanda and Ruth, with a couple of chapters from Scott and Farrow. 

My Thoughts: 

It’s been a while since I read a thriller, and this book has great reviews. Seemed like a good idea to read it. Well, the results are mixed. 

Using a popular premise requires additional twists and shocks to keep the readers hooked. While some of it works here, the rest feels a bit too unbelievable. Yeah this is fiction, but you can’t leave those gaps open. 

There’s no timeline for both tracks, which is a way to retain suspense. Of course, readers can still figure it out. But there’s a ‘reveal’ that negates the theory, which makes readers wonder what’s going on. I was fooled for a minute but decided to stick to my original theory. 

Things start to come together after 70%, followed by some action and more reveals and twists. Again, some of it worked, but the rest didn’t make me go wow! I was still hopeful, only to realize that some questions would not be answered. I should accept what’s being told and move on. Not done! 

The pacing is uneven due to the filler content. It gets better in the last quarter, where things need to happen fast. The filler should have helped in relating to the main characters. Yet, that doesn’t happen. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t connect with any of them. I did feel sad for Amanda and Ruth, but I wasn’t able to empathize with their situation (I blame it on the writing). 

The detective pair has some character development, which is surprising in a standalone. Maybe this will become a series (what’s the point in all that back pain if it goes nowhere). 

Still, the book highlights important themes like injustice, moral dilemmas, victim trauma, etc. It would offer quite a bit for book club discussions. 

To summarize, Kill for Me, Kill for You is an average thriller with some moments. How you like it will depend on what kind of thrillers you prefer. This will work great for some readers, so check out other reviews before you decide. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #KillForMeKillForYou 

***

TW: Mention of pedophilia, suicide, depression, trauma, assault, bullying (mentioned)


Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Varaha's Vengeance by Arun Krishnan - Book Review

Series: The Battle of Vathapi #2 (Not a Standalone) 

Publication Date: 16th Feb 2024 

Genre: Indian Historical Fiction 

4.5 Stars 

One Liner: Sustains the thrills of book one 


07th Century Bharat

The three Pallava captains have completed the first stage of their missions, driven by King Narasimhavaraman’s vow. The Chalukya King Pulikeshi, with his brother’s help, launches a counterattack. 

The Chalukyas will stop at nothing to destroy the Pallava army. Things just got a lot worse for people and the soldiers. Can the Pallava army survive and fight back, or will the dynasty succumb to the Chalukya force? 

The story comes in the omnipresent third-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

This book takes off where Nandi’s Charge ended (a few weeks later). It is not a standalone and should not be read out of order. 

NGL, I was excited and wary of reading this one. What if it wasn’t as good as the previous book? Fortunately, I could set my worries aside once the story began. 

The book has a steady pace and sustains the momentum throughout. At no point will you feel bored, not even when different batches of soldiers from different kingdoms sit and wait for action. There’s action even when there’s no action. 

As the title suggests, this one has the Chalukya kingdom out for revenge. Given its extensive army and near-unlimited supply of resources, you can guess how tense the situation would be. 

Apart from pure warcraft and statecraft, we also see betrayal, backstabbing, moral dilemmas, ethical debates, and much more. What does one do when the lines blur? 

Like book one, there’s a list of characters at the beginning neatly categorized according to their kingdoms and roles. Apart from the basic map, we also get two little illustrations detailing the tricky settings. Of course, the descriptions are clear enough to visualize the events, even without the illustrations. 

My favorite captains – Elango, Kanan, and Muthuvel are right in the middle of the action and danger. The ladies (love) do their bit (Indumati’s arc is terrific) and stand out strong. I’m not happy with the stereotypical portrayal of the queens (pampered dramatic women), but since they have very minor roles, I wasn’t too annoyed. 

We have some new characters like Thaamarai (she is a firebrand), Venkata, Anjeneya, Jabali, etc. Each of them asserts their presence with definite characterizations. Of course, we see incompetence, arrogance, and slimness in some. That makes the characters quite realistic. 

I really want to see the author’s murder board… oops, storyboard. Keeping so many tracks straight is not easy! It needs a dozen color-coded threads and a huge bunch of sticky notes. Still, once you get into the flow, nothing matters. You keep turning the pages to see what happens. 

The chapter titles are mild spoilers, which I don’t mind. Those are necessary to keep the details straight. 

We have more battle scenes in this one (book #3 might have a lot more). I like how they felt similar to the scenes from Mahabharata. I’ve been reading the Yudha (war) Parvas for the last few months, so the whole thing feels familiar and just as exciting. However, what I love the most are the scenes where captains follow the rules of yudha dharma and teach their soldiers the importance of abiding by these. 

One teeny thing that struck me as odd was the presence of tomatoes in the 7th-century Bharat. From what I know, tomatoes didn’t arrive on the land until after the 15th century, and even then, these weren’t a favorite. Many people from my grandparents’ generation don’t use tomatoes much, and some don’t eat them at all. Anyhoo, that’s a minor issue and has nothing to do with the major plot. 

The book ends on a serious cliffhanger. Gasp! I hope book #3 doesn’t take too much time. The title is mentioned, so hopefully, it won’t take a year. On that note, I hope the last book has an orange or brown cover. It would go well with the title. 

To summarize, Varaha's Vengeance is a fast-paced and worthy continuation of the previous book. It has action, humor, romance, drama, and a bit of everything to keep you hooked from the first page. 

Thank you, Blogchatter, author Arun Krishnan, and publisher HarperCollins India, for a copy of the book. This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

You can buy the paperback of Varaha's Vengeance: Battle of Vatapi Book 2 on Amazon


Sunday, March 10, 2024

At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer - Book Review

Publication Date: 12th March 2024

Genre: Historical Drama, Mystery, Groundhog Day 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Entertaining; drags a bit in the middle 

1923

Pearl Glenham and her father are invited to a party in the Highcliffe House on the Dorset Coast. Though her father claims he doesn’t know any of the invitees and this is a business trip, Pearl knows it is not true. 

As an introvert with an emotionless and strict father, Pearl finds solace in water. She escapes to the sky and nearby cove, feeling intimidated by everyone at the party. However, she accidentally handles a mysterious clock that somehow tinkers with time and leaves Pearl in a loop, forcing her to live the last few hours of her life again and again. 

There’s something she needs to do to change the outcome and get on with her life. But what? Can Pearl figure it out? 

The story comes in Pearl’s third-person POV (sometimes blurs the lines with third-person omnipresent). 

My Thoughts: 

This is my third book with the Groundhog Day trope. It doesn’t seem boring since the executions are different. Here, the setting is historical and has a mystery with a touch of romance. 

Pearl’s introduction is well done. It establishes her character and takes things from there, allowing her to grow and change throughout the book. 

The other characters are not necessarily developed, but some have surprises up their sleeves. 

There’s a mystery within a mystery; solve one, and you can solve the other. I guessed the other one, which helped me figure out the bigger mystery. 

The time loop starts before 20%, which is good and not good. Good, because you don’t have to wait long for it. Not so good because there’s over 80% of the book left. Moreover, the initial couple of loops pass quickly. 

That’s where we get a nice development to make things interesting. It is necessary since Pearl being Pearl, needs an incentive to come out of her shell. 

Humor and light-hearted scenes are scattered here and there to keep the mood light. However, mystery takes a back seat in the middle and slows down the pacing. Lucky that it doesn’t happen for long. 

The mystery is decent. With so many secrets and no one willing to reveal them, it gets difficult for our amateur sleuth to connect the dots. The repetition dims the impact of the climax a bit. Of course, new information is revealed, so that makes up for it. 

I like the concept behind the time loop in this one. It is an integral part of the plot and has an explanation. There should be some logic to it, after all! 

There’s romance, too (clean), and it is believable. A sort of third-act breakup as well, though I guessed it would happen. 

A few questions remain unanswered despite the epilogue of sorts. I’d have liked a little more detail and another proper epilogue for a more rounded ending. 

To summarize, At the Stroke of Midnight is an enjoyable and light read despite the uneven pacing. The setting is beautiful and enhances the narrative. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.  

#NetGalley #AtTheStrokeOfMidnight


Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Eliza Mace by Sarah Burton and Jem Poster - Book Review

Series: Eliza Mace Mysteries #1

Publication Date: 07th March 2024

Genre: YA Historical Mystery 

2.5 Stars 

One Liner: Ugh! 

1870s, Welsh Borders

Eliza, aka Elizabeth Mace, is sixteen+, an age her mother says is when she becomes a woman and is no longer a child. Her parents’ marriage and the crumbling house stifle Eliza. She longs to free herself and become independent. However, her father goes missing (and is drowning in debt), and Eliza decides to dig deeper to find out what happened. She works with her new friend, a police constable, Dafydd Pritchard, and realizes that the truth could have devastating consequences. 

The story comes in Eliza’s third-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

Well, this is exactly why I do not consider the book comparisons in the blurb. However, I have a thing for historical mysteries, and when I saw ‘Enola Holmes’ mentioned, I decided to try this book. Sadly, this is nothing like Enola. 

I am okay with dark cozy mysteries, but there has to be something to keep me hooked on the plot. Here, almost every character feels off. While I appreciate the attempt to make them layered, the characters end up even more superficial and unlikeable. 

We have a toxic dysfunctional family, which should make me care for poor Eliza. Yet, I couldn’t feel for any of them. The side characters aren’t better either (except for little Jevan, maybe). 

There is no humor (zero) or a lighthearted scene. That’s okay. Not mandatory for me. However, the mystery isn’t great either. I did expect it to start late, so I wasn’t too annoyed. The investigation is okay, but nothing to elevate the book or cover up the flaws. 

Somehow, all characters call each other using their first names (irrespective of the status/ position). Also, we have a constable acting like an FBI (or UK equivalent) in disguise while the Sergeant is happy to let him handle the case. 

Though I like the friendship between the constable and Eliza, I can’t help but feel something off. For one, he is nine years older and has policing experience in the city. His approach and dedication cannot be faulted, but would a constable constantly seek a young girl (no matter how smart she is) to help solve the crime? Moreover, he shares his entire past with her on the second meeting. Huh… why?

I understand Eliza’s need for independence and her frustration with adults who want her to act like a grownup but treat her like a child. That part comes out clearly, which is a plus (thank god). 

After the initial slowness, the book picks up speed. A few scenes with the investigation are well done and kept me interested enough to finish the book. The ending is a sort of cliffhanger (with the mystery fully solved), but I say goodbye here. 

To summarize, Eliza Mace reads like a below-average play where I had the front-row seats. That’s sad because the plot had the potential to be an intense mystery (if not a cozy). 

Thank you, NetGalley and Duckworth Books, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #ElizaMace