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Furbidden Fatality
Furbidden Fatality
Deborah Blake | 2021 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Glad I Adopted This Debut
Kari Stuart had been working as a waitress in a town in the Catskills until she won the lottery. She’s not quite sure what she is going to do with her winnings until she hears about an animal sanctuary on the edge of town that is for sale. Impulsively she buys it and sets about getting it ready to reopen. Unfortunately, that’s also when she runs across Bill Myers, the local dog warden, who seems to have targeted the sanctuary. After Kari finds Bill dead just outside the sanctuary’s fence in the middle of the night, she becomes the police’s prime suspect. Can she figure out what really happened?

I started to hear some early buzz about this book, so I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. This may be the first in the series, but I already love the characters. Kari leads a great cast, and there are just as many charming four-legged characters as there are humans. The plot is inventive, with plenty to keep us engaged over the course of the story. Yet everything Kari uncovered helps make for a satisfying resolution when we reached the end. While this is Deborah Blake’s first mystery, she has written quite a few other books, and that shows through in the writing. If you are looking for a promising new mystery series, adopt this book right away.
  
A Scone of Contention
A Scone of Contention
Lucy Burdette | 2021 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Food Critic in Scotland
Hayley and Nathan are finally going on their honeymoon – if you can call the trip that. They are heading to Scotland so that Hayley can meet Nathan’s sister, Vera, and their neighbor, Miss Gloria, and Nathan’s mother are tagging along. When they arrive, they quickly discover that Vera is in the final stages of a book about Scotland, but the tension among Vera and her coauthors is strong. An attempted poisoning and a suspicious accident make Hayley think that something strange is going on. Can she figure it out?

As a fan of this series, I wondering how I would feel about a book away from Key West since the location is a strong character in the books. Fortunately, we get some scenes before and after on the island and the characters left behind get cameos. The book balances travelogue with mystery well, and anyone who has wanted to visit Scotland will only want to visit more about reading this book. I did feel that both the main plot and subplot’s climaxes were anti-climactic. They did answer all of our questions, but they were a bit abrupt. I did enjoy getting to meet the new characters, and anyone as hungry by the talk of food as I am will be pleased by the recipes at the end of the book. Fans of the series will be glad we got to crash Nathan and Hayley’s honeymoon.
  
Notes from a Small Island: Journey Through Britain
Notes from a Small Island: Journey Through Britain
Bill Bryson | 2012 | Travel
7
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Rambling, in all ways
A friend recommended this as a good read, although just quite why escapes me, but I thought I’d give it a read. Whilst there are some great bits in this book, it’s let down by its rather rambling and long winded nature.

This is rather like a informal guide book, and actually, I’d love to see real guide books like this - giving a rather honest and frank opinion on a city or area. I do think Bryson might have held back a little on his opinions, but there are still quite scathing in parts and that’s what I liked about this book. He’s really captured the essence of Britain and British life, even considering the fact that this book was written over 20 years ago! From terrible lift maintenance, the nightmare of driving in Britain and the mick-taking way of life, he really has got us spot on and there are a lot of times I laughed out loud reading this.

The problem is that Bryson goes on a rambling trip across Britain, and his writing style is rather rambling and long winded too. I struggled to get through some of this book as it doesn’t half ramble on, especially as it’s a country I know a fair bit about already.

Still I’d recommend this to anyone wanting to find out more about Britain, just bear in mind it’s a few years out of date!
  
The Queen Con (The Golden Arrow Mysteries Book 2)
The Queen Con (The Golden Arrow Mysteries Book 2)
Meghan Scott Molin | 2019 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Overly complicated
I wasn't keen on the first book in this series, but it got me just about intrigued enough to want to read the second. And sadly I liked this one even less than the first.

Fortunately MG was a much more bearable character in this book, although still fairly irritating - her actions and emotions are very childlike and not fitting for a grown adult. Calling her car the "Millennium Turd" drove me crazy. But at least her relationship with Matteo wasnt quite as prominent and frustrating. The problem with this book though is the plot. It's just ridiculous and overly complicated. I felt so confused trying to figure out what was going on and to me it was an entirely unnecessary sequel. A standalone story in the same setting would have been a much better idea rather than trying to link it too much into the plot from the first book.

Also the reveal about who the Golden Arrow is comes right at the end of the book and to be frank, I saw this coming from early on in the first book and I was aghast at how the characters in the book didnt see it coming. I've also already spotted the twist that any future books will throw up about this reveal, so it was rather a let down overall. I only bothered to read it as it was free on Kindle Unlimited!
  
    Moonbeeps: Fireflies

    Moonbeeps: Fireflies

    Games and Entertainment

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    Discover luminous fireflies buzzing about the forest. Collect them with a tap of your finger and...

The Polish Wife (The Secret Resistance Series)
The Polish Wife (The Secret Resistance Series)
Gosia Nealon | 2023 | History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am gradually getting into reading historical fiction and it is through excellent writers like Gosia Nealon that has kept me seeking out something I wouldn't normally consider.

The Polish Wife is part of The Secret Resistance series but the first I have read; I will say that I think it worked as a standalone very successfully.

Although this is a work of fiction, it feels realistic and I can imagine many of the experiences and events written about in this book are similar to what actually happened at various times throughout World War II. What I do know is that any member of the resistance, be they Polish, French, British, etc., were extremely brave individuals and I think Gosia captured that courage very well.

The Polish Wife is, however, more than a story about the fight against the Nazi regime, it's also about love, honour, freedom, survival and hope. The characters Gosia has created are strong and believable and the story if easy to follow but with twists that will have you holding your breath waiting for the outcome which was definitely not a foregone conclusion.

The Polish Wife is one of the top books of this genre I have read so far; I became totally invested and engrossed from the start and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it and my thanks must go to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this great read.