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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2423 KP) rated Claws of Death in Books
Aug 16, 2023
Who is Crabby Enough to Commit Murder?
After getting out of rehab, Jackie Norwood is looking for any way to rebuild her life, and professionally, she is taking her celebrity chef name on the road, judging food festivals. Her first one is a crab festival in Texas. She is horrified to realize that her fellow judge is her nemesis, Heather Curtis. Then disaster strikes when Heather drops dead after tasting their first dish – a dish prepared by Jackie’s ex-boyfriend. With the police looking at the two of them as suspects in Heather’s murder, Jackie has to jump in and find out what really happened. Can she do it?
Author Cathy Wiley has introduced Jackie in some short stories in the Destination Murders series, and I’m thrilled to see Jackie get her own novel finally. I liked getting to know Jackie better, and the rest of the cast, introduced here, are fantastic. The story starts quickly and never lags. I enjoyed how Jackie pieced things together at the end. Throw in some humor, and this was a book I never wanted to put down. It was over all too quickly. Those who enjoy crab will be interested in the recipes at the end. If you are looking for a fun new series, you’ll be thrilled you got your claws into this debut.
Author Cathy Wiley has introduced Jackie in some short stories in the Destination Murders series, and I’m thrilled to see Jackie get her own novel finally. I liked getting to know Jackie better, and the rest of the cast, introduced here, are fantastic. The story starts quickly and never lags. I enjoyed how Jackie pieced things together at the end. Throw in some humor, and this was a book I never wanted to put down. It was over all too quickly. Those who enjoy crab will be interested in the recipes at the end. If you are looking for a fun new series, you’ll be thrilled you got your claws into this debut.
Edge of The Grave
8.0
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Winner of The Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year Shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for...
Historical fiction Suspense Scotland
A Novel Disguise
9.0
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When Miss Tiffany Woodall assumes the identity of her half-brother after his death, she realizes she...
Merissa (13314 KP) rated Escape the Choice (The Choice Series #1) in Books
Mar 2, 2022 (Updated Jul 3, 2023)
ESCAPE THE CHOICE is the first book in The Choice series and we meet Ali, Oliver, Noah, and friends in this coming-of-age short story.
Ali is friends with bad boy Oliver and sees a side of him no one else seems to. He doesn't like it when she speaks with her other male friend, Noah. The feeling is mutual, and Ali feels stuck in the middle. When her other friends give her food for thought, it helps bring matters to a head.
This was a well-written story that I thoroughly enjoyed but wanted more from. When I say I wanted more, I simply mean I would have been happy to sit reading a full-length novel. I was invested to see whether Oliver was misunderstood or playing with Ali, and I won't say which it is! Regardless, his behaviour, Noah's, Ali's, feelings all around - it's all here.
Thoroughly enjoyable and absolutely recommended by me, this is a fantastic debut by this author, and I look forward to reading more.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 2, 2022
Ali is friends with bad boy Oliver and sees a side of him no one else seems to. He doesn't like it when she speaks with her other male friend, Noah. The feeling is mutual, and Ali feels stuck in the middle. When her other friends give her food for thought, it helps bring matters to a head.
This was a well-written story that I thoroughly enjoyed but wanted more from. When I say I wanted more, I simply mean I would have been happy to sit reading a full-length novel. I was invested to see whether Oliver was misunderstood or playing with Ali, and I won't say which it is! Regardless, his behaviour, Noah's, Ali's, feelings all around - it's all here.
Thoroughly enjoyable and absolutely recommended by me, this is a fantastic debut by this author, and I look forward to reading more.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 2, 2022
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2423 KP) rated Root of All Evil in Books
May 23, 2025
Drugs and Scandal
State Trooper Jim Duncan is concerned when he hears a notorious drug dealer has been spotted in Fayette County again. He’s determined to catch the man this time. Meanwhile, his friend Sally Castle, an ADA, is shocked to find a coworker murdered in his office one Monday morning. Sally can’t stay on the sidelines with the case hitting so close to home. The pair quickly see a connection between events. But can they figure out what happened?
I’ve been meaning to pick up this series for a while since I’ve enjoyed other books from this author. While this is her debut novel, it’s not the first story with these characters. I do wish this book had more introduction to the characters, but we did get to know them pretty well over the course of the story. Jim and Sally share point of view duties, which helps. The pacing seemed a little uneven in the middle, but that’s a minor complaint. I did feel one of the characters could have been smarter as the climax neared, but the wrap up did answer all of my questions. Since this is a police procedural, it will have more content than the lighter books I often read. Now that I’ve started this series, I’m hoping to get to visit the characters again soon.
I’ve been meaning to pick up this series for a while since I’ve enjoyed other books from this author. While this is her debut novel, it’s not the first story with these characters. I do wish this book had more introduction to the characters, but we did get to know them pretty well over the course of the story. Jim and Sally share point of view duties, which helps. The pacing seemed a little uneven in the middle, but that’s a minor complaint. I did feel one of the characters could have been smarter as the climax neared, but the wrap up did answer all of my questions. Since this is a police procedural, it will have more content than the lighter books I often read. Now that I’ve started this series, I’m hoping to get to visit the characters again soon.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic in Books
Jan 12, 2018
This book is FANTASTIC. I was enthralled from start to finish, and frantically looked up the author to make sure she is writing a sequel. (She is, thank goodness!) I absolutely loved the main character, Nora, and the acerbic magician Aruendiel. Even while cheering for the opposite side, I even enjoyed reading about Raclin and Ilissa, the villains of the novel.
In Nora Fischer, we have a modern, independent, feminist woman transported to a place and time where women are inferior (by nature, most think.) There are even linguistic influences that make them inferior; women speak with a lot of "um" and "well" type words in their speech, while men don't. When Nora protests that this makes women's speech sound weaker, she's told that that's "just how women speak." Seeing her confronted with the sexism ingrained within the medieval style culture, and seeing her confront Aruendiel with how sexist it actually is, was a wonderful sub-plot of the book.
The main plot was well-paced and interesting - after being kidnapped by Ilissa at the beginning of the book, and enchanted into being a beautiful, love-struck little ninny, Nora recovers herself with the help of Aruendiel, and spends the rest of the book evading re-capture and finding her place in this new world. The descriptions are colorful, the characters are deep and fascinating, and the land and culture itself shows just how much thought went into creating this world. This is an absolutely spectacular debut novel, in my opinion, and I cannot WAIT for the sequel, since Barker did leave a few questions unanswered at the end of the book. I really can't rave about this book enough. If you like fantasy, (or Pride and Prejudice, since this book, while not attempting to be a retelling or anything, had a lot of the same feel) you should really pick this one up.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
In Nora Fischer, we have a modern, independent, feminist woman transported to a place and time where women are inferior (by nature, most think.) There are even linguistic influences that make them inferior; women speak with a lot of "um" and "well" type words in their speech, while men don't. When Nora protests that this makes women's speech sound weaker, she's told that that's "just how women speak." Seeing her confronted with the sexism ingrained within the medieval style culture, and seeing her confront Aruendiel with how sexist it actually is, was a wonderful sub-plot of the book.
The main plot was well-paced and interesting - after being kidnapped by Ilissa at the beginning of the book, and enchanted into being a beautiful, love-struck little ninny, Nora recovers herself with the help of Aruendiel, and spends the rest of the book evading re-capture and finding her place in this new world. The descriptions are colorful, the characters are deep and fascinating, and the land and culture itself shows just how much thought went into creating this world. This is an absolutely spectacular debut novel, in my opinion, and I cannot WAIT for the sequel, since Barker did leave a few questions unanswered at the end of the book. I really can't rave about this book enough. If you like fantasy, (or Pride and Prejudice, since this book, while not attempting to be a retelling or anything, had a lot of the same feel) you should really pick this one up.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Bright Lines in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Ella is the adopted daughter of Anwar and Hashi Saleem. The Saleem's took her in when her parents were murdered. They also have a daughter of their own named Chauru. They all live together in Brooklyn, New York, where Anwar is the owner of an apothecary(Pharmacy) and Hashi has a salon in their home. This is the only family that Ella has ever known. Although she has never really felt as a part of them, she was never treated as an outcast and never referred to as niece or cousin. The summer after her first year at college, Ella returns home to find things in a bit of disarray. There is a strange girl in her bed, her cousin/sister, Chauru, is sneaking boys into her room, her uncle is distant and her aunt, is constantly busy with customers during the wedding season. When a devastating event takes place, the family travels back to their home country of Bangladesh and they all learn important lessons about themselves and family.
This book took me through a lot of different emotions. First the story started off slowly and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. There were parts that had me confused and parts that had me shocked. Once I made it to the halfway point, it was hard to put it down.
This is a debut novel by Tanwi Nandini Islam. I love books that take me to a place I have never been. This book gave me a look into a world that I may not have ever discovered. Spanning the globe to help the Saleem's to learn to love one another and others. To learn about their history so they aren't doomed to repeat it in their future. Learning about family and loss and how to pull together when you have to. How to survive when you think it's impossible. This is a novel about discovery and family and learning to find yourself through your history.
This book took me through a lot of different emotions. First the story started off slowly and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. There were parts that had me confused and parts that had me shocked. Once I made it to the halfway point, it was hard to put it down.
This is a debut novel by Tanwi Nandini Islam. I love books that take me to a place I have never been. This book gave me a look into a world that I may not have ever discovered. Spanning the globe to help the Saleem's to learn to love one another and others. To learn about their history so they aren't doomed to repeat it in their future. Learning about family and loss and how to pull together when you have to. How to survive when you think it's impossible. This is a novel about discovery and family and learning to find yourself through your history.
My rating: 3.5
<i>I won a copy for free through Totally Random Books on Facebook</i>
<i>Crusher</i> is the first installment and debut novel in a young adult thriller series by Irish born author Niall Leonard. Set in present day London it follows Finn Maguire, an illiterate, 17-year old drop out with no GCSEs, after the murder of his stepfather. Being marked as the prime suspect by the police, Finn is determined to discover who the real murdered was, and just as importantly, what their motive was.
As the story unfolds Finn pursues multiples of potential killers. Could it be someone his father knew? As an ex-actor many people knew him. Or was he writing about something someone would rather no become public knowledge? Perhaps London’s biggest gangster, Joseph McGovern, had something to do with it? As Finn gets involved with these people he finds he has put him self in danger of being killed as well.
Leonard writes well and the story is fast paced and engaging however there was an inconsistency in the narrative. Towards the beginning Finn tells the reader “I put in my password and the laptop grunted and groaned… The cops hadn’t asked for my password… Obviously they’d managed to bypass it some how.” However in the following chapter Finn talks about the same laptop: “Eventually the desktop appeared with a tinny fanfare. I’d never bothered with a password… I found it a huge pain in the arse to enter one.” Hmm, that does not quite add up!
Another issue with this novel is that Finn is meant to be an uneducated, ex-drug dealer however he comes across as more of a semi-polite but witty average teenager who is able to take care of himself. The character portrayal becomes slightly more accurate towards the conclusion of the book, but some may find it difficult to picture Finn the way Leonard intended readers to.
Despite these complaints it is a good read. Many young adults would enjoy it.
<i>I won a copy for free through Totally Random Books on Facebook</i>
<i>Crusher</i> is the first installment and debut novel in a young adult thriller series by Irish born author Niall Leonard. Set in present day London it follows Finn Maguire, an illiterate, 17-year old drop out with no GCSEs, after the murder of his stepfather. Being marked as the prime suspect by the police, Finn is determined to discover who the real murdered was, and just as importantly, what their motive was.
As the story unfolds Finn pursues multiples of potential killers. Could it be someone his father knew? As an ex-actor many people knew him. Or was he writing about something someone would rather no become public knowledge? Perhaps London’s biggest gangster, Joseph McGovern, had something to do with it? As Finn gets involved with these people he finds he has put him self in danger of being killed as well.
Leonard writes well and the story is fast paced and engaging however there was an inconsistency in the narrative. Towards the beginning Finn tells the reader “I put in my password and the laptop grunted and groaned… The cops hadn’t asked for my password… Obviously they’d managed to bypass it some how.” However in the following chapter Finn talks about the same laptop: “Eventually the desktop appeared with a tinny fanfare. I’d never bothered with a password… I found it a huge pain in the arse to enter one.” Hmm, that does not quite add up!
Another issue with this novel is that Finn is meant to be an uneducated, ex-drug dealer however he comes across as more of a semi-polite but witty average teenager who is able to take care of himself. The character portrayal becomes slightly more accurate towards the conclusion of the book, but some may find it difficult to picture Finn the way Leonard intended readers to.
Despite these complaints it is a good read. Many young adults would enjoy it.
The Glorious Heresies
Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS' WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016 SHORTLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZE...