📚#ContemporaryFiction @SandraFirth3 Reviews Finding Verity by @jenloudonauthor for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #BookTwitter

Today’s team review is from Sandra.

Sandra blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Sandra has been reading Finding Verity by Jenny Loudon.

This is the story of Verity trying to follow her dream to be an artist, despite her husband Matt’s unwillingness to compromise. They had long been planning to move to the countryside when their daughters left home, or so she thought, but now Matt is only thinking of how it all affects him and refusing to sell their London house. As the story is told entirely from Verity’s point of view, we don’t get his perspective and can only guess what he is up to.

Right from the start, it is obvious that all is not well in the marriage – we can see what Verity can’t. It is a long way into the story before we even find out what Matt does for a living, and this adds to his general air of untrustworthiness. Verity is a successful businesswoman so why does she sign the papers he puts in front of her without reading them? On the other hand, I really liked Edward, the American journalist Verity first met before she married Matt. They made an lasting impression on one another. Over the years they meet up every now and then – just as friends – and he is always there in the background. The characters are well drawn and believable, and the writing is very assured considering this is Jenny Loudon’s debut novel. The setting is split mainly between London and the south of France, which only serves to emphasise why Verity is so keen to get out of London and find somewhere to inspire her art. Even though her interior design business is successful, something is missing from her life. She needs to find out if she is good enough to make a living from her paintings, and is not prepared to put it off any longer. Her husband’s lack of support and selfish behaviour make her doubt herself, but in the end she must follow her heart. I found it a bit odd that Edward was said to be living in Burma, when it has officially been called Myanmar since 1989, but this made no difference to my enjoyment of Finding Verity.

Book description

The heartwarming bestseller from this exciting debut novelist. An unhappy woman. An unfinished romance. A sense that time is running out…

Verity Westwood is a successful London businesswoman whose husband is handsome but selfish.

When Edward Farrell, a nomadic American journalist from her past, returns unexpectedly, she is swept by the irresistible desire to fulfil her dreams of working as an artist, like her famous father before her. After being caught in a storm on the Cote d’Azur, she vows to change her life.

What she does not foresee is the struggle involved, the ultimate price she will pay, and the powerful force of enduring love that changes everything.

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📚’She paints a vivid picture – warts and all – of Victorian London.’ @SandraFirth3 Reviews #Mystery Murder & Mischief by Carol Hedges @riotgrandma72 for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #BookTwitter

Today’s team review is from Sandra.

Sandra blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Sandra has been reading Murder & Mischief by Carol Hedges

I have been aware of this series for a while, but for some reason never got around to reading any. The first book, Diamonds and Dust, is buried somewhere deep in the depths of my kindle. I will certainly be catching up with all the others, as soon as I can fit them in, as I was very impressed with the writing style of Murder and Mischief. The story is told from several different perspectives in the present tense, so the reader has a bird’s-eye view of everything that is going on.

A dead body disguised as a snowman is discovered in the garden of property developer, James Barrowclough, but has a crime been committed or did he just succumb to the cold weather? Meanwhile, Liza and Flitch have run away from the workhouse following the death of their mother. Their father has returned from America to take his family back with him, and is devastated by what he finds. As he has to return right away, he hires a private detective, Lucy Landseer, to track down his missing children – no easy task in a city the size of London.

Carol Hedges skillfully weaves these two stories together into a tale with echoes of Dickens and Conan Doyle. The writer has done her research but displays it with a light touch. She paints a vivid picture – warts and all – of Victorian London. All our senses are in play here. The characters are well drawn, entirely believable and I had no trouble distinguishing them despite their large number. I particularly enjoyed the strand about the Transformative Brethren group of artists in Camden, and their connection with the runaway children. There’s even a cat called ‘sad ginge’. As this was the tenth novel in the series, and I had not met them before, the detectives did not really stand out for me, although the young DC Tom Williams shows a lot of promise. His visit to Birmingham was fascinating as it highlighted how different it was to London. I thoroughly enjoyed Murder and Mischief despite it being part of a well-developed series. It worked just fine as a standalone, but I’ve now got the added bonus of nine more to catch up with. Thanks to Carol for a digital copy that I review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT

Book description

It is January, a time of year when not much crime usually happens. But when Inspector Greig is unexpectedly summoned to the opulent Hampstead residence of Mr. James William Malin Barrowclough, a rich businessman, he embarks upon one of the strangest and most bizarre investigations that he has ever been involved in.

Why has Barrowclough been targeted? What is inside the mysterious parcels that keep arriving at Hill House, and why won’t he cooperate with the police? The case will take the Scotland Yard detectives on a journey out of London and into the victim’s past, to uncover the secrets and lies that haunt his present.

Murder & Mischief is the tenth novel in the series, and in the great tradition of Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, it entices the reader once again along the teeming streets and dimly gas lit thoroughfares of Victorian London, where rich and poor, friend and foe alike mix and mingle.

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📚Set in Philadelphia. Sandra reviews #thriller Easy Street by J Gregory Smith for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT

Today’s team review is from Sandra.

Sandra blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Sandra has been reading Easy Street by J Gregory Smith.

Easy Street is the third book in the Reluctant Hustler series featuring Kyle Logan. Kyle did not set out to do what he does, but inherited a ready-made ‘business’ from his former partner, Ryan. By helping out desperate people with no one else to turn to, he is able to call in favours when he needs assistance. As this is the third book in the series, the team are well established and need all their combined skills to defeat the criminal elements they are up against.

While it is always satisfying when the bad guys get their comeuppance, the best thing about this story is the characterisation. They are an unusual bunch of misfits, but they work well together. Fortunately, they have skills and a plan to extricate themselves from the serious situation they find themselves drawn into and hopefully stay alive. Set in Philadelphia, Easy Street is a fast-paced, tense and extremely violent story, but the black humour and banter between the characters takes the edge off.

Although you could probably read Easy Street as a standalone, I decided to read the books in order (I don’t like starting a series in the middle if I can help it). I found it well worth taking the time to read Quick Fix and Short Cut as I understood the characters and backstory a lot better as a result. I really enjoyed this book and hope there will be a fourth one before too long.

Book description

Walking the Tightrope
Nearly two years after the death of his friend, Ryan, Kyle Logan finds himself the unlikely leader of a group of misfits who operate outside the law as they target crooks and scammers. In the past, Kyle had to rely on his friend’s shady contacts just to survive violent competitors and complete prior deals.
Now he’s starting to realize that these connections earn him power and respect but also drag him deeper into the life. Every favor he receives comes with strings and cutting those strings usually involves fresh obligations.
In order to help others who have nowhere else to turn, Kyle sometimes works with criminals like the Philly Irish Mob but he tries to avoid getting involved with the gangster’s more intense activities.
When not running his hustles, Kyle has taken the opportunity to leverage his connections to finance and acquire a legitimate (if dull) import facility at the Port of Philadelphia. The port represents a great opportunity to rebuild his life but he’s about to learn the hard way that shady friends come with enemies who see Kyle as one more obstacle to be crushed.

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📚#PostApocalypse Fiction. @SandraFirth3 Reviews What Was Once Home by @B_K_Bass, for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT

Today’s team review is from Sandra.

Sandra blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Sandra has been reading What Was Once Home by BK. Bass.

What Was Once Home by B.K. Bass

I’m not normally a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, especially not when there are aliens involved as well, but when What Once Was Home appeared on the list of Rosie’s Book Review Team, I thought I’d try something outside of my comfort zone, and I’m so glad I did. BK Bass is an excellent storyteller and drew me right into this world where everyday life has changed so completely. The book opens with the prologue, and Jace, now in his sixties, is looking back to Landfall Day when the ‘twigs’ arrived and the world as he knew it ended. Forced to grow up fast in order to survive, Jace becomes someone the others look to for leadership. Initially, the various groups of survivors work together against the common enemy, but eventually a destructive tyrannical force seeks overall control, and they have to fight to hang on to their humanity.

Mostly told from Jace’s point of view, with excerpts from his autobiography at the beginning of each chapter, there are occasional ‘Interludes’ that fill in gaps in the story and help us to understand the bigger picture. Setting What Once Was Home in the rural backwater of Lewisburg in North Carolina emphasises the isolation after the invasion when all communication and transport networks have been destroyed. The outside world no longer exists and survival in the here and now is all that matters.

The characters are well drawn and believable, and the writing makes an alien invasion seem perfectly plausible. The world building is convincing and has a cinematic quality that I could imagine being turned into a film or TV series. This is the first book by BK Bass that I have read, but it won’t be the last – sometimes it’s worth stepping out of your comfort zone.

Book description

When his world is suddenly torn apart, one man must learn to survive in What Once Was Home.

Jace Cox’s life is changed when an overwhelming alien force invades the Earth with no warning or provocation. In the years that follow, he must not only fight to survive, but also learn what it means to be a man and a leader. As the situation grows more dire and the weight of loss bears down on Jace, he realizes his greatest challenge isn’t the alien invaders or even his fellow man.

It is holding onto his own humanity despite living in a world gone mad.

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📚’This series just keeps on getting better.’ Sandra reviews Scottish #crimefiction Dead Man’s Stone by @tgreidbooks, for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT📚

Today’s team review is from Sandra. She blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Sandra has been reading Dead Man’s Stone by T.G. Reid.

DCI Duncan Bone is still on sick leave recovering from injuries sustained in the previous book, and finally getting treatment for his longstanding PTSD, when a sadistic killer who is dying in prison insists on speaking to him about a forty-year-old cold case. Once again, not sure that he is quite ready, he is drawn back into the heart of an investigation linked to high-ranking and well-respected individuals who are prepared to kill to stop the truth from coming out.

The book opens with a horrific prologue that has the reader hooked right away. The deeper the detectives dig, more secrets are uncovered, and witnesses start dying in suspicious circumstances before they can shed any light on what happened. Can DCI Bone and his team find the killer before anyone else has to die?

The characters are well drawn and easy to distinguish; they all bring different skills to the team. The humorous dialogue, which can occasionally be a bit clunky, offsets the grim nature of the crimes they encounter on a daily basis. There is just enough background about their home life to make them well rounded and believable. It’s good that Bone is getting help, as he is much calmer and easier to work with this time round.    The setting in the striking scenery of the Campsie Fells is unusual, and makes a change from the big towns and cities in other detective novels. When I was a child, in the 1960s, it was a favourite place for my family to go for a picnic in the summer. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dead Man’s Stone, the third book in the series, and am looking forward to book four, The Killing Parade,  when it comes out later this year. This series just keeps on getting better.

Some secrets are worth killling for…

When DCI Duncan Bone is contacted by a terminally-ill psychiatric patient and given clues linking a thirty-year-old unsolved murder to high-profile public figures, he finds himself locked into a conspiracy at the very heart of the Scottish criminal and political establishment.

With his bosses stonewalling the investigation, lives under threat, and his career on the line, Bone faces a race against time to hunt down a group of men who will stop at nothing to cover their murderous crime.

Can DCI Bone catch the killer before the killing starts again?

Set among the dramatic hills and glens of Scotland’s Campsie Fells, Dead Man’s Stone is the third in a series of edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers that will keep you guessing right up to the nail-biting, heart-stopping climax.

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‘A tense and gripping thriller’ @SandraFirth3 reviews Terms Of Restitution by Denzil Meyrick @Lochlomonden #TuesdayBookBlog

Today’s team review is from Sandra. She blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Sandra has been reading Terms Of Restitution by Denzil Meyrick

Gangland thrillers are not my favourite genre, but as this was written by Denzil Meyrick, better known for the DCI Daley series, I was keen to give it a go. The action mostly takes place in Glasgow and Paisley where the Finn and Mannion families are engaged in a vicious turf war. Add in some ruthless Albanians and no one is safe. Two years previously, after the brutal murder of his son Danny, Zander Finn had disappeared and no one knew where he was, or so he thought. Now his old friend, Malky Maloney, has turned up to convince him to return home as his family is in danger.    

One of the strengths of this book is the cast of strong, well-developed characters, including several impressive females. Zander’s mother, Maggie, just jumps off the page and her obsession with cooking eggs, chips and beans provides a bit of light relief in the midst of all the violence. Zander Finn is a complex character, ruthless when he needs to be, but he is not all bad and will do anything to protect the people he loves. He is so well written that I found myself on his side, hoping that he would emerge victorious despite the things he had done.

Terms of Restitution has a strong sense of place with Paisley and Glasgow almost characters in their own right. The level of violence is what you would expect in a novel depicting the criminal underworld of a city. Everyone is double-crossing each other, no one can be trusted and the reader is kept guessing right to the end about what is really going on, or at least I was. Terms of Restitution is a tense and gripping thriller featuring convincing characters, believable dialogue, just enough humour to offset the violence, and a striking cover. I thoroughly enjoyed it and, despite being described as a standalone, I feel there is the possibility of more to come.

Gangland boss Zander Finn is so sickened by the brutal murder of his son in a Paisley pub, he decides to change his life. Following the advice of his priest and mentor, he moves clandestinely to London and becomes an ambulance driver. But when his old second-in-command Malky Maloney tracks him down on a London street, Finn knows he must return. Both his real family and his crime family face an existential threat from Albanian mobsters determined to take control of the Scottish underworld.

Under the watchful eye of his charismatic mother, he must try to look after his lovelorn younger daughter and her older sister who is pregnant to his old enemy Joe Mannion’s son. His estranged wife, who has more than just a business relationship with Mannion, and his remaining son, crippled while serving in Afghanistan also require his attention. But most of all, he must take back what is his.

Facing the forces of law and order under Detective Chief Superintendent Amelia Langley, a ruthless gang of Albanians and a beautiful but deadly Italian woman, Zander Finn struggles for survival in a rollercoaster ride of brutality, tenderness, misplaced loyalties and the utterly unexpected. The path to redemption is a perilous one, and it begins to look like Finn should have stayed in London.

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‘I was hooked and read it in two sittings.’ Sandra reviews #thriller If She Wakes by Erik Therme.

Today’s team review is from Sandra. She blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Sandra has been reading If She Wakes by Erik Therme

If She Wakes is the second book in the Harlow series and sequel to If She Dies which I reviewed last year. At the end of the first book there were a lot of loose ends and a feeling it was not all over yet – I can now see why. It is now two years since Tess and Josh’s daughter died, and her grief is compounded by the recent death of her brother. After a car accident leaves Torrie in a coma, Tess and Josh are caring for their nephew, Levi. When Torrie’s sisters turn up, Tess is suspicious because Torrie had previously claimed she had no family. Their appearance just adds to Tess’s problems because none of them is being entirely truthful.

Once again the story is told entirely from Tess’s point of view, we are inside her head and privy to all her obsessive thoughts. Tess is a wonderfully drawn and fascinating character whose grief has pushed her very close to the edge; she is hanging on with her fingernails. She may be paranoid but maybe someone really is out to get her. Despite appearances, Tess has not really changed all that much. Her marriage is in a slightly better place now, but starts to show cracks again with the strain of all that is happening.  To me, Josh is still as unsupportive and irritating as he was before – no wonder Tess doesn’t tell him everything.

I’m not sure putting the backstory in the prologue works too well; perhaps not giving so much information all at once would be better, and might encourage readers to seek out If She Dies first. The pace is erratic at times, but the writing is gripping and the surprising twist near the end comes out of nowhere – I was hooked and read it in two sittings. The ending seems to suggest that there will be a third book to look forward to. Thanks to Erik Therme for a digital copy that I review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT

Who do you trust when everyone is lying?

My name is Tess Parker.

Two days ago, I was in a car accident with my sister-in-law, Torrie. Before she slipped into a coma, she asked my husband and me to care for her four-month-old son, Levi.

Yesterday, a woman claiming to be Torrie’s estranged sister knocked on our door. But Torrie has no siblings . . . or so she said. She and my brother were only together a short time before he left, and Torrie has clearly been keeping secrets.

Today, another of Torrie’s “sisters” has come to town. Both say the other is lying about who they are.

Neither of them is telling the truth.

Both of them want Levi.

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There’s a ‘Europe-wide reach of the investigative team.’ @SandraFirth3 reviews #thriller Double Identity by @alison_morton

Today’s team review is from Sandra. She blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Sandra has been reading Double Identity by Alison Morton

Double Identity is the first book in the Mélisende series featuring the highly skilled, special forces intelligence analyst, Mélisende des Pittones. Having recently resigned her commission to marry financial trader, Gérard, she wakes one morning to find her fiancé dead in the bed beside her and no memory of what happened. She immediately becomes the prime suspect. On clearing her name, she is seconded to a special unit, along with DI Jeff McCracken from the Met, to investigate the corruption her fiancé was involved in. She discovers he was not what he seemed, and that she did not really know him at all.

What makes Double Identity stand out from the crowd is the Europe-wide reach of the investigative team. Mélisende is uniquely placed to blend in as she can function effectively in both countries – she is fluent in both languages and familiar with their cultures. She is a strong and capable female lead, who is more than a match for any of her male colleagues, as one or two find out to their cost.

The initial animosity between her and Jeff gives the narrative an edge. They are chalk and cheese; Mélisende is wealthy and from an aristocratic French background, while McCracken is a native Londoner and officer in the Met. They work well together once they get over their prejudices, and I look forward to reading how their relationship develops over the course of the series. Double Identity has obviously been thoroughly researched as the author is very knowledgeable about financial matters, and her experience in the military shines through.

We get the story from multiple viewpoints so get a rounded picture of what is going on. This is a fast-paced thriller, with a feisty lead character, interesting European settings and the promise of  more adventures to come. I have not read any thing by this author before, but have already got the next book in the series, Double Pursuit, lined up on my kindle. Thanks to Alison Morton for a digital copy that I review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT

Deeply in love, a chic Parisian lifestyle before her. Now she’s facing prison for murder.

It’s three days since Mel des Pittones threw in her job as an intelligence analyst with the French special forces to marry financial trader Gérard Rohlbert. But her dream turns to nightmare when she wakes to find him dead in bed beside her.

Her horror deepens when she’s accused of his murder. Met Police detective Jeff McCracken wants to pin Gérard’s death on her. Mel must track down the real killer, even if that means being forced to work with the obnoxious McCracken.

But as she unpicks her fiancé’s past, she discovers his shocking secret life. To get to the truth, she has to go undercover and finds almost everybody around her is hiding a second self.

Mel can trust nobody. Can she uncover the real killer before they stop her?

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‘I really enjoyed escaping to the Greek island of Kyros’. @SandraFirth3 reviews #romcom Love on Location by @LynneB1

Today’s team review is from Sandra. She blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Sandra has been reading Love On Location by Lynne Shelby

In Love on Location, Laurel is tasked with rewriting the script of the time-slip movie Swords and Sandals, only to find she has been paired up with an archaeology professor to ensure historical accuracy. As Laurel is used to working alone, there is a bit of friction between them to start with but, knowing they have no choice but to make the best of it, they slowly come to appreciate each other’s expertise.

I have read and enjoyed Lynne Shelby’s previous books based in the world of film and theatre. She always shows both sides of working in the entertainment industry, and balances the glamour with a realistic portrayal of the hard slog and disappointments behind the scenes. Here we get fascinating glimpses behind the scenes on a film set, and find out just how temperamental a director can be.   

The large cast of characters are well written and believable, though there were one or two occasions when Laurel and Jason’s behaviour did not ring true.  The idyllic Greek locations are depicted in vivid detail – I particularly enjoyed the sojourn in Athens as Jason shows Laurel round the ancient sites and explains the history behind them. The only aspect I had a slight problem with was that someone who writes screenplays for a living would not read books. I really enjoyed escaping to the Greek island of Kyros, and look forward to Lynne Shelby’s next foray into life in the entertainment world.

Can movie magic lead to a real-life romance?

‘A wonderful fresh new talent’ Katie Fforde

When Laurel Martin is hired to rewrite the script for a new timeslip blockbuster, she expects the historical advisor hired by the studio to be an elderly academic who won’t interfere too much with her writing. But when she meets Professor Jason Harding, a young and unexpectedly handsome archaeologist who has some ideas of his own about the script, she realises the job isn’t going to be as simple as she first thought.

As their work takes them from arguing over historical details in a cramped London office to discovering the hidden beauties of a Greek island, Laurel and Jason’s relationship starts to echo the romance of their script.

But with Laurel’s actor ex-boyfriend making trouble at home, and constant issues with the volatile director, will Laurel and Jason ever be able to write the happy ending for their own story?

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‘With an authentic period feel of London.’ @SandraFirth3 reviews #HistoricalRomance Miss Wetherham’s Wedding by Linore Rose Burkard

Today’s team review is from Sandra. She blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews

Sandra has been reading Miss Wetherham’s Wedding by Linore Rose Burkard

Miss Wetherham’s Wedding is the third book in the Brides of Mayfair series by Linore Rose Burkard set in London in the early nineteenth century. Having been left a widow at a fairly young age, Lettie Wetherham’s future is anything but secure, especially as she expresses no desire to marry again.

Nicholas Dellacort’s nose is out of joint because Sophia Alden’s father has accepted an offer for her hand from the much wealthier Lord Elston, Earl Brest instead of him. Learning of Lettie’s reputation as a matchmaker, he hires her to disrupt the engagement but things do not go according to plan. Lettie is well out of her comfort zone as Nick promises that each awkward encounter will be the last but, due to her dire financial situation, she really has no choice but to carry on.

The characters are well developed and the chemistry between them makes for some amusing conversations. The authentic period feel of London during the season is convincing, obviously the result of a lot of research, and the helpful glossary is useful for filling in any gaps in the reader’s knowledge. I have read a lot of Regency novels, but still learned some new expressions. I really enjoyed Miss Wetherham’s Wedding and now plan to go back and read the second one in the series.

4 stars

Every step she takes to ensure his happiness is a nail in the coffin of her own.

Miss Wetherham, a matchmaker, must agree to the devious plan of a society rogue before she finds herself destitute. Helping him gain back his lost love will protect her independence and survival. But can any amount of money protect her guileless heart from falling for his charms?

Nick Dellacort is determined to restore his pride and gain back the bride he lost. Miss Wetherham is the woman able to help him do it and he’ll make it worth her while. But once he sets the devilish wheels in motion, can he persuade her to abandon the scheme and choose instead a scoundrel like him for a wedding of her own?

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