I have loved most of Kate Parker's books. This one wasn't my favourite, although it was okay.
I found this a bit light on both action and relatable chaI have loved most of Kate Parker's books. This one wasn't my favourite, although it was okay.
I found this a bit light on both action and relatable characters. There was nothing bad about either here, it just didn't really reach down and grab me by the throat the way a really great read always does.
This was light and easy to read. The characters were decent enough people, and there was some action and suspense. It was fine. It just wasn't anything out of the usual way with ghost stories, although there were one or two small surprises.
This was fine.
Merged review:
I have loved most of Kate Parker's books. This one wasn't my favourite, although it was okay.
I found this a bit light on both action and relatable characters. There was nothing bad about either here, it just didn't really reach down and grab me by the throat the way a really great read always does.
This was light and easy to read. The characters were decent enough people, and there was some action and suspense. It was fine. It just wasn't anything out of the usual way with ghost stories, although there were one or two small surprises.
I loved the first book in this series, and after waiting quite a while for book two, I hoped to love it just as much. While I can't say I loved it, thI loved the first book in this series, and after waiting quite a while for book two, I hoped to love it just as much. While I can't say I loved it, this book has much to recommend it and I did enjoy it.
I love the character of Lady Helena, but in this book the various travails of her family forced her into the position of constantly trying to manage, cajole and otherwise save them from themselves. I enjoyed Helena's spunk and independence so much in the first book, but I feel that was muted here. While I applaud Helena's love and support for her family, it doesn't make for as entertaining a story.
I was also a bit disappointed that Helena's friendship/relationship with Fortier did not progress further than I thought it might in this book. Everything there remained very murky and unresolved and that made me sad for Helena.
Overall, this is a good book and Helena is still a delightful character who is smart and kind and very capable of whatever she sets her mind to doing.
Merged review:
I loved the first book in this series, and after waiting quite a while for book two, I hoped to love it just as much. While I can't say I loved it, this book has much to recommend it and I did enjoy it.
I love the character of Lady Helena, but in this book the various travails of her family forced her into the position of constantly trying to manage, cajole and otherwise save them from themselves. I enjoyed Helena's spunk and independence so much in the first book, but I feel that was muted here. While I applaud Helena's love and support for her family, it doesn't make for as entertaining a story.
I was also a bit disappointed that Helena's friendship/relationship with Fortier did not progress further than I thought it might in this book. Everything there remained very murky and unresolved and that made me sad for Helena.
Overall, this is a good book and Helena is still a delightful character who is smart and kind and very capable of whatever she sets her mind to doing....more
This was a very interesting book. There were points where I loved it, points I just liked it, and a few points where I was very annoyed by both the plThis was a very interesting book. There were points where I loved it, points I just liked it, and a few points where I was very annoyed by both the plot and the main character.
Overall, I think the best word I can use to describe this story is compelling. It is also complex, complicated and challenging. There is a lot going on here, both with the story and definitely with the main character, Rina.
Rina is a very complicated character (as, to be fair as are most of us human characters). She changed and morphed so much in her personality, choices and view on life - her own and the world she lived in - and there were definitely times I didn't understand why she put up with some of the stuff she did. But the other times - the times where she was wild, free, whip-smart and unencumbered by anyone's wishes but her own - those times I absolutely adored her!
This book is very well-written and - again, I come back to - compelling. I didn't always like what was happening as the story played out, but I wanted to keep reading and find out what would happen next and how it would all end up. I'm glad I did keep reading, because while the ending wasn't exactly what I expected or wanted for Rina, it felt fair and appropriate, and in the end it WAS her own decision that she made for herself, so I finished this book content....more
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this second book fell a little flat for me.
It seems to be a "second-book-curse" for me, that all tI really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this second book fell a little flat for me.
It seems to be a "second-book-curse" for me, that all the things I enjoy in a first book somehow become over-the-top and irritating when they are continued in a second book.
Lily's angst about all the challenges she faces seemed understandable in the first book, but this time around it felt like all she did was whine about how unfair her life was. At this point, she's made the choice to stay and open the bed-and-breakfast despite all those challenges, so it felt like she should have started making her peace with them if she's staying. So the constant "woe is me" griping got to be a bit much for me this time around.
I was also irked by Aunt Polly being unbelievably clueless about absolutely everything this time around, even though in the first book I found it cute and funny.
Overall, I am happy to blame myself for the aspects of this book that didn't hit for me this time around. The book, the world and the characters aren't straying that far from what they were in the first book, so the book can't be fairly blamed for my not liking the same things I enjoyed in the first installment. Regardless, this one was a bit of a bust for me, and I won't be continuing with this series.
Merged review:
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this second book fell a little flat for me.
It seems to be a "second-book-curse" for me, that all the things I enjoy in a first book somehow become over-the-top and irritating when they are continued in a second book.
Lily's angst about all the challenges she faces seemed understandable in the first book, but this time around it felt like all she did was whine about how unfair her life was. At this point, she's made the choice to stay and open the bed-and-breakfast despite all those challenges, so it felt like she should have started making her peace with them if she's staying. So the constant "woe is me" griping got to be a bit much for me this time around.
I was also irked by Aunt Polly being unbelievably clueless about absolutely everything this time around, even though in the first book I found it cute and funny.
Overall, I am happy to blame myself for the aspects of this book that didn't hit for me this time around. The book, the world and the characters aren't straying that far from what they were in the first book, so the book can't be fairly blamed for my not liking the same things I enjoyed in the first installment. Regardless, this one was a bit of a bust for me, and I won't be continuing with this series....more
I very much enjoy Stephanie Burgis's books and this was no exception.
This author has a wonderful way of combining great magical world-building with chI very much enjoy Stephanie Burgis's books and this was no exception.
This author has a wonderful way of combining great magical world-building with charming, quirky and awkward - but likable! - characters and putting those characters into interesting situations.
While this was a short story it was still a lovely well-written story and peopled with characters I very much liked. I was only sorry there wasn't more of it to like.
I always look forward to new books from Burgis and having read multiple books across most of her series' I have never been disappointed and recommend all of them.
If you might enjoy books set in magical worlds, with an "Austenesque" feel to them, you may enjoy Stephanie Burgis - I certainly do!...more
First things first - I'm not really interested in Patterson's new thing of lending his name to books that I suspect are mostly written by the up and cFirst things first - I'm not really interested in Patterson's new thing of lending his name to books that I suspect are mostly written by the up and coming authors whose names are in very small print under Patterson's, but the description of this one sucked me in, and it turned out to be a REALLY GOOD READ!
The concept is clever - three people named: Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple and Auguste Poe are private investigators in New York City. They have "certain skills" and murky pasts but they also have some - not all - of the personality quirks of their authorial namesakes.
The book has the crime-solving trio investigating multiple cases and crimes and using their knowledge and skills to not only solve all of them, but annoy the rich, well-connected and crooked people peripherally involved in the cases. This book was so unique and well-written and clever. I really really enjoyed all of it.
If you're a fan of any or all of the great detectives who are the modern characters namesakes and you are willing to entertain a clever reconceiving of the characters into a modern plot, I recommend this. It really is a lot of fun!...more
This was okay. I liked the first book in the series a bit more, and this second book was fine. It was just nothing particularly special.
The charactersThis was okay. I liked the first book in the series a bit more, and this second book was fine. It was just nothing particularly special.
The characters were good, the story was fine and the magic world was also fine.
I liked it, I finished it, and as I got the audio book from my library for free I'm not going to complain about it. I wouldn't have paid to read this, but from the library it was a good way to help pass my daily commute....more
This is a good cozy series. It's not the best I've ever read, especially at the 8-book mark but I enjoy it for what it is.
The aspect of a writer's retThis is a good cozy series. It's not the best I've ever read, especially at the 8-book mark but I enjoy it for what it is.
The aspect of a writer's retreat is a fun and interesting component. I like learning about how writers get better at their craft.
The mysteries that main character Cat is solving are well-crafted and interesting for the cozy genre.
Overall, this is a series I will grab (as my library has them as audio books) for my daily commute or for a long drive somewhere to help pass the time....more
This cozy was a hoot! I laughed all the way through it and had lots of fun going along on this one.
I will say that the book basically trots out every This cozy was a hoot! I laughed all the way through it and had lots of fun going along on this one.
I will say that the book basically trots out every conceivable stereotype about senior citizens, retirement communities, Arizona and many others. If any of those will offend you this probably isn't for you.
If, however, you find tongue-in-cheek sly winks at the above categories highly amusing as I did then I recommend this.
Basically the book has a beleaguered daughter hauled to her mother's Arizona retirement community to investigate the mother's book club's belief that the current book the club is reading is cursed and is bumping off members of the club. To add to the hilarity, the daughter is asked to investigate because she works for the police force in her home in Minnesota . . . as an accounting clerk! But the mother won't take no for an answer and off Phee goes to play Miss Marple against all her better judgement.
Hilarious mayhem ensues and the book basically turns into a French farce by the end. The sarcastic humour in the story really kept me laughing all the way through and as long as you don't take anything that happens seriously this is a really fun and entertaining read!...more
I am not a fan of stories set during WWII. I am just over the horror of Nazis and their evil. But this series - while still set in that era - tells thI am not a fan of stories set during WWII. I am just over the horror of Nazis and their evil. But this series - while still set in that era - tells the stories from a different angle and mostly without including those horrors.
I love the character of Ellie! She is delightful. Spunky, smart, determined and with some key "special skills" being part of a family of cat burglars she is the ideal reluctant operative for the Major who has recruited her and her family - also reluctantly - to use those skills to assist him in his covert operations missions. The fact that both of them somewhat disdain and distrust each other but also are drawn to each other makes for some fun and entertaining situations!
This is just a fun, light easy-listening (I get these books in audio format from my library) series and I enjoy it....more
This book was absolutely fascinating. Anyone who is a fan of Hollywood, particularly the Golden Age should enjoy this.
The one thing I particularly thoThis book was absolutely fascinating. Anyone who is a fan of Hollywood, particularly the Golden Age should enjoy this.
The one thing I particularly thought reading about the excesses of seemingly every major movie star of every decade, is that it is an utter miracle that so many fantastic movies could possibly have been made, given that virtually every single star was hammered the vast majority of the time they spent making movies. I'm not sure if the past stars had a higher capacity to handle their booze or what, but these stars made famous - and great - films despite their incredible excesses and we still have the movies to prove it.
The authors do a great job of telling the stories of the boozing, screwing, fighting and just general bad behavior with humor and a tongue-in-cheek approach that almost celebrates the antics of all these stars.
I have to say I found all of it highly entertaining. The stories are legendary and as crazy as they are interesting. From Hitchcock's recipe for the perfect martini: "Five parts gin and a quick glance at the vermouth bottle", to W.C. Fields who "would only confess to being drunk one time - from the Spanish-American war to the New Deal". There's a story about Humphrey Bogart and two stuffed pandas in a bar that ended up with Bogie in front of a judge on assault charges, and one about Richard Burton drunkenly tripping onstage and almost landing in the lap of a woman in the front row. Honestly this book is chock-a-block full of "wow, did that really happen?!" stories about every star you've ever heard of.
This is certainly a cautionary tale about booze, drugs and bad behavior but as long as you just read about it, it's a whole lot of fun and entertainment! ...more
I enjoyed this story very much . . . until the ending which left me disappointed.
Most of the way through I found the story to be interesting, well-wriI enjoyed this story very much . . . until the ending which left me disappointed.
Most of the way through I found the story to be interesting, well-written and a great combining of a well-crafted story that also presents a historical period that had a lot going on and this author really brought that to life through her characters.
All the characters in this book were so well developed and engaging and I really connected with all of them as the story played out. I was so invested in what was happening to them and hoping for happy endings for them.
The plot was well paced and really held my attention throughout as well.
Literally the only thing I didn't love was the ending. It just felt like a not quite finished ending. I wanted more of a thorough wrap-up with resolution for ALL the characters which I don't feel I got. I just wanted a bit more detail in the ending here. I really felt there should be one more chapter with a more fulsome and comprehensive ending for all these characters I was so attached to by the end here....more
This was an okay read. I finished it but I admit I slipped over a large portion of the last half.
First off Violet is a twit who does exactly what you This was an okay read. I finished it but I admit I slipped over a large portion of the last half.
First off Violet is a twit who does exactly what you shouldn't do when poking your nose into not only other people's business but pote tial murder - she goes alone to confront the person she suspects, even after someone else warns her it's a bad idea.
Because this is a cozy and the start of the series, Violet survives (that's not a spoiler if you know this is the start of a series obviously the main character doesn't die) but I won't be reading future books in this series.
I found the details and minutiae of the village to be boring rather than fun and quirky. The people in this particular small English village just weren't a fit for me....more
This was a great read! I enjoyed book 2 in this series as much as book 1. I think I've found a new favourite series.
This author really knows how to wrThis was a great read! I enjoyed book 2 in this series as much as book 1. I think I've found a new favourite series.
This author really knows how to write a cracking good story! The way he rolls out the plot and builds unexpected plot twists and surprising tidbits I found so clever and engaging.
I should say I never try to figure out the ending of a mystery story. I enjoy going along for the ride with the characters and getting the ending at the end, so I can't say whether the outcome here was obvious or "figure-out-able" but I loved how the story played out with Rachel our very unorthodox but intriguing main character pulling everyone's strings and making them do her bidding.
I absolutely love the character of Rachel! She is rich enough to thumb her nose at the role society wants her to fit into and live her life exactly as she pleases, which makes her a very interesting character.
I am happy there are a number of additional books in this series. I definitely plan to continue visiting with Rachel and friends and going along on their continuing adventures....more
The plot is so twisty-turney and there are multiple twists that I absolutely did not see coming. The story isThis book was so, SO GOOD!!! I loved it!!
The plot is so twisty-turney and there are multiple twists that I absolutely did not see coming. The story is clever and intense and filled with drama, suspense, red herrings and everything a reader could want in a cracking good mystery!
Main character Rachel is one of the most unique and interesting protagonists I've come across in a good long while. She is whip-smart, ruthlessly determined and for most of the book a real anomaly about what she's really doing and why. She is in no way whatsoever a "typical" woman of her era and while there are moments when it's harder to like her than others, it's literally impossible not to be impressed with what she does, how she gets away with it and how she doesn't give a good goddamn about anyone else's opinions on her or her actions. I loved her even as I occasionally cringed at what she was doing.
I really can't say enough good things about this story. I held me fully engrossed from page 1 and I loved every minute I spent with Rachel and all the people around her as the plot played out and we found out what was really going on and how it all turned out. I am delighted to learn that there is a full series of additional books out in this series and I plan to keep reading. I can't wait to find out what Rachel does next!...more
I really enjoy this series. A light, fun easy-reading cozy mystery series that checks all the boxes.
This series is set in 1800s England with our protaI really enjoy this series. A light, fun easy-reading cozy mystery series that checks all the boxes.
This series is set in 1800s England with our protagonist, Lady Harleigh an American who married into the aristocracy saw her scoundrel husband kick the bucket and then she made a very happy life for herself, while solving murders (as one does ;-)
The characters here are cheeky and likable, the plots are good and interesting and the books are just really good fun.
Format note: I get these in audio format from my library and the narrator is excellent. These are perfect for my daily commute and any time in the car. I really enjoy the series and plan to keep reading the books as long as the author writes them....more
This was SUCH an interesting story and I loved it!
I knew nothing about Aimee Crocker before reading this book, but having read the author's afterword This was SUCH an interesting story and I loved it!
I knew nothing about Aimee Crocker before reading this book, but having read the author's afterword and learning that what happens in this historical fiction version of Crocker's life is only the tip of the actual iceberg of her real life and times makes reading it no less entertaining.
Clearly Crocker was a highly unconventional woman of her (or any, really) era, with her large fortune smoothing the way for her to live her life precisely as she pleased, flouting every expectation of women of the time. While Aimee certainly did not make consistently good choices throughout her life, I particularly liked that she rarely, if ever whines about the results of her decisions and choices. I respect anyone who accepts the consequences of the choices they make, and Crocker absolutely did, even when those results caused her hurt or other negative consequences. She just picked herself up and moved on with her life as best she was able.
Truly it's a bit flabbergasting the array of crazy (not only in her own era, but would likely be perceived as similarly excessive even today) life choices Crocker made and the wild way she lived her life, but it sure does make for an entertaining and cracking good story! ...more
I really enjoyed this book, which I picked up in a cool bookstore while on a trip.
The myths and stories of women, goddesses, monsters and warrior-womeI really enjoyed this book, which I picked up in a cool bookstore while on a trip.
The myths and stories of women, goddesses, monsters and warrior-women across many cultures and eras was very interesting.
There are a number of cool aspects to the stories told about the women included, much of which is how females with strength, independence and authority are demonized by patriarchal societies or male-dominated religious structures to try to keep other women compliant. It was very interesting to see the myths, legends and oral story traditions that fought against this with the pantheon of women who could battle against this domination.
The best thing about this book for me were the stunning illustrations that accompany some of the myths, representing how some of these women of myth might have looked. They are all gorgeous, even the ones that depict frightening or dangerous mythical women. I loved the illustrations and wished there were more of them (not every mythical woman discussed got an illustration).
This is just an interesting look at how culture, history and religion shape the way entire societies perceive and present women....more
I am usually not a fan of short stories. It usually just doesn't feel like I get a full serving of a story. But a friend recommended this to me, and II am usually not a fan of short stories. It usually just doesn't feel like I get a full serving of a story. But a friend recommended this to me, and I actually did quite enjoy this.
First, I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes and I do enjoy current authors delivering new takes on the character or homages to the time or the pantheon.
This book is a pastiche of a variety of stories that as the foreword notes evoke "the feel" of Holmes. Some have Holmes or Watson actually in the story, others have unique characters who are "Holmes-like" or other aspects that evoke Holmes.
I have read and very much enjoyed other books from a number of the authors who have contributed stories to this collection and I saw their styles in the stories they provided for this book so it was fun.
I had this as an audio book from my library and there were a variety of narrators each of whom felt perfect to bring their particular story really to life.
This was a fun way to pass the time while going for my daily walk or travelling on transit. I enjoyed it....more
I already thought highly of Gretchen Whitmer, but after reading her book (actually listening as I bought the audio version which is narrated by WhitmeI already thought highly of Gretchen Whitmer, but after reading her book (actually listening as I bought the audio version which is narrated by Whitmer herself and hearing her tell her story in her own voice really adds to the impact) she is truly and exceptional, remarkable public servant, woman, mother, daughter and human being!
Whitmer tells the story of her life, political career and the lessons she's learned along the way with humility, honesty and most of all, humor. If only all politicians approached their jobs this way, the world would be a much better place.
What stuck me most forcefully listening to the book is that Whitmer's approach to serving the people (which some these days seem to have forgotten in the actual job description of public servants) which revolves around listening a lot and asking questions like: "how can we help" and "what do you need".
Her ability to navigate and manage multiple unprecedented crises - including COVID - at the same time as governor of Michigan is almost super-human. The fact that she did that while also maintaining her kindness, empathy and sense of humor really show what a tremendous human she is!
The lessons Whitmer highlights as the focus of each chapter and that she's learned along the way are things all of us can and should emulate. The world needs so much more of the generosity of spirit, determination to compromise, commitment to help each other and ultimately "get shit done" (her motto) and would be a far better place if more politicians emulated her approach and took her lessons from this book to heart.
I SO wish Whitmer would make a run for president at some point because she woul be spectacular, and the approach she takes to public service really WOULD "make America great" unlike someone else I could name (but won't).
This was a fantastic book and I highly recommend it. The lessons Whitmer shares are things that anyone and everyone can emulate and use and that would make the world a better place....more
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