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ClareR (5854 KP) rated A Woman Made of Snow in Books

Nov 9, 2021  
A Woman Made of Snow
A Woman Made of Snow
Elisabeth Gifford | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Woman Made Of Snow is a book steeped in the history of the Gillan family, which automatically ticks a lot of boxes for me. This is a dual timeline story: Scotland in 1949, and the Arctic at some time in the mid 1800s.

Caro and Alasdair marry after the War and move back to his family home - Kelly Castle in Scotland. Caro has high hopes of continuing to work in a university, but motherhood puts pay to that, and instead decides to look into the Gillan family genealogy, and specifically the mysterious disappearance of Alasdair’s great grandmother. When Caro finds the remains of a diary, there are some startling findings.

We flash back and forth between 1949 and the 1800s, where the information missing from the diary is more clearly explained. When a body is unearthed after flooding, this poses more questions about he person’s identity. Is this the missing relative?

I absolutely loved this. The descriptions of the sea, the Arctic tundra and the Inuit who lived there, fascinated me. Less pleasant were the attitudes of the British towards other cultures, but this was interesting, all the same. The changing roles of women was portrayed well. Whilst not the same as our lives today, Caro’s life in the 1940’s/ 50’s was markedly better than that of the women in the 1800s.

This was such an enjoyable read - highly recommended.
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this wonderful book.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated Fatal Fascinator in Books

Jan 4, 2023  
Fatal Fascinator
Fatal Fascinator
Jenn McKinlay | 2023 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Deadly Wedding of the Year
Cousins Scarlett and Viv have agreed to create the hats for the wedding of the season. Scarlett is mainly excited because it means they’ve scored an invitation, and the wedding is taking place in a castle in the country. Even their friend Andre is there as the wedding photographer. But joy turns to tragedy when Scarlett finds the dead body of the groom in the library. With no one allowed to leave while the police investigate, Scarlett can’t help but poked around. Will she figure out what happened?

Since author Jenn McKinlay is so busy writing, we don’t get quite as many entries in this series as in some of her others. That makes it nice to get to revisit these characters again. A few of the regulars have cameos than a real part, but it was still nice to see everyone and see how they are continuing to grow. The book is filled with suspects, but I never had a hard time keeping them all straight. The story was always moving forward, and the plot had a few nice surprises on the way to the climax. The pages just flew by. Meanwhile, there were plenty of moments that made me laugh or grin, including some pun wars, which I always enjoy. Whether you are a fan of the series or just checking it out, you’ll enjoy this book.
  
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Merissa (12698 KP) rated The Ostin Heir (Isle of Ostin #1) in Books

Aug 3, 2023  
The Ostin Heir (Isle of Ostin #1)
The Ostin Heir (Isle of Ostin #1)
Michelle Dare | 2022 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE OSTIN HEIR is the first book in the Isle of Ostin series, and it took me to a world where vampires are known about, and humanity seems to even more divided between those who have and those who don't.

Pax falls into the second camp and is alone in the world. So when he is told to get in a boat by a man who disappears in front of him, he figures he has nothing to lose. Theo is understandably shocked when someone other than Leven returns to the castle. And, yes, he's a dick about it, although he does see the error of his ways and tries to make up for the ignominious beginning.

Both of these characters are broken, with trauma and stress they are still dealing with. Their steps together to a brighter future are great to see. I loved how Pax refused to let Theo browbeat him, but instead, faced him with caring and compassion.

This was a great start to a new series and I can't wait to read more. There is still so much for me to figure out about this world. Definitely recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 3, 2023