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Net Galley
Author Archives: Iiiireader
Russell, Holmes and Transylvania, oh my!
Castle Shade: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
By: Laurie R. King
Rating: 5 of 5
This series is one of my favorites. I always look forward to seeing a new book by Ms. King which features Russell and Holmes.
I enjoyed this book and laughed quite a lot as I read the first third. While there are usually bits of humor tucked into the Russell stories, this one had a bit more than usual.
It was also different in that, throughout the book, we were treated to Holme’s investigation when he was not with Russell. It made for a nice change of pace as I read my way through the book. I had to fight with myself to put it down so I could savor it for three days instead of a marathon read in a single one.
Posted in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
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Another lovely read by Jill Mansell
And Now You’re Back
By: Jill Mansell
Rating: 5 of 5
I’ve been a fan of Jill Mansell for many years. Her books always leave me feeling happy. While the endings are feel good, there is much of real life also included.
In this book, we follow the relationship between Didi and Shay. They were together as teenagers but split apart when Shay moved away following a huge blow up. Years later, Shay is back in town but Didi is engaged and is to be married shortly.
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Good for bedtime reading
The Anatomist’s Wife (A Lady Darby Mystery Book 1)
By: Anna Lee Huber
Rating: 3 of 5
I’m a big fan of historical mysteries set in the Regency or Victorian periods. This series starts at the tail end of the Regency period and goes forward.
I was intrigued by the idea of a female artist taking part in the production of a book on anatomy. However, when her participation is forced, it put that particular interest to bed.
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A Mime, Magic and Murder
Beyond a Reasonable Donut (A Deputy Donut Mystery Book 5)
By: Ginger Bolton
Rating: 4 of 5
This series is always fun to read. In this book, Emily who co-owns a donut shop with her late husband’s father) is working at a carnival. Assisting her is Nina, who is also an artist getting ready for her first big gallery showing.
A magician and a mime upset the two of them and for good reason. There is also a very strict and almost nuts, coordinator at the carnival who has it in for Emily.
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Great new mystery series set in Ireland
Murder in Galway (A Home to Ireland Mystery Book 1)
By: Carlene O’Connor
Rating: 5 of 5
I’ve read all of another series by this author. While it was also set in Ireland, it was told from the perspective on a born and bred Irish woman. This series is told from the perspective of an American woman who is visiting Ireland for the first time.
I found it easy to relate to many of the attitudes of this character, least of all of her attitude towards black and white pudding. I’ll leave it to you to read what it is and what she thinks of it.
Tara has arrived and is there to spread her mother’s ashes in Galway Bay. Well, that was her intent on her first day.
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Suspenseful and engrossing
Aftermath
By: Terri Blackstock
Rating: 5 of 5
This is a compelling and suspenseful story with Christian overtones.
I wasn’t sure what to expect as I have read only one or two books by this author in the past. I found myself glued to the novel, waiting for each step to unfold.
An explosion occurs that kills two of three friends who were attending. The one that survived is filled with remorse about not being able to save her friends. It sends her into darker and darker thoughts and all she can figure out to do is to wreck revenge upon the culprit.
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Enjoyable read in this series
Deadly Ever After: A Lighthouse Library Mystery
By: Eva Gates
Rating: 4 of 5
I’ve read most of this series (minus a few of the first ones) and enjoy it. The amateur sleuth is Lucy Richardson, who works and lives at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. Now that she’s engaged to mayor, Connor McNeil, they have started looking for a home of their own. Finding one that they can afford is proving troublesome.
At the same time, Lucy’s ex-boyfriend, Richard, from Boston has shown up with his overbearing mother in tow. The mother keeps pushing Lucy and Richard together ignoring the fact that Lucy is in love and engaged to Connor. When Lucy’s mother, from Boston, shows up, she wonders what is going on.
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Such a slow and tedious read
The Gilded Shroud (Lady Fan Mystery Book 1)
By: Elizabeth Bailey
Rating: 2 of 5
I had read and enjoyed a Georgian romance novel by Ms. Bailey, so I was looking forward to a period mystery series by the same author. To say the book did not meet my expectations is putting it mildly.
While the historical period is portrayed nicely as is the language (for the most part), the book became quickly tedious as it was overly long and I solved the whodunnit within very few pages.
It felt, to me, that a lot of the story was filler. The intrepid widowed companion turned sleuth, Mrs. Ottila Draycott could not do anything spontaneous. She would think of something, then think about it again, spending pages in doing so. She would then do the thing she had thought about and then think about it. Then she would tell someone, generally Lord Francis Fanshawe, about what she had done. Then they would discuss it. Next, they would tell someone else. Then another discussion would ensue.
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There’s change in the air
Lemon Drop Dead (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery Book 6)
By: Amanda Flower
Rating: 5 of 5
I’ve read all of the books in this series and this is a pivotal one. There is a lot of change going on but I won’t be telling.
Bailey King is the power behind the recent surge of success of Sweetsmen Sweets, an Amish candy shop in Harvest, Ohio. She is not Amish but her grandmother and cousin are. She works with both of them as well as Emily Esh.
Emily married against the wishes of her brother and sister, both of whom treated her poorly. Emily is about to give birth and the town wants to give her a baby shower to show how much they appreciate her.
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Compelling saga of two women
The Lynmara Legacy
By: Catherine Gaskin
Rating: 5 of 5
I read one of Catherine Gaskin’s books when I was young. I recently came across The Lynmara Legacy and decided to give it a read.
It is a compelling novel. It captured me from the beginning. I wasn’t sure which way the book was heading at any time. There were scenarios that I thought would continue but things changed in the space of a few paragraphs and would send me reeling but also reaching for the book until I finished it.
It’s not often a book stays with me for weeks after I read it but this one has. There are elements that will continue to be part of my thoughts for a long, long time.
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