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A House of Bells
J.T. Croft | 2024
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
7 of 220
Kindle
A House of Bells
By J.T. Croft
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A woman haunted by fate, a child silenced by fear, and a house full of secrets and bells.
1918. Stripped of her reputation and haunted by a spirit she failed to protect, the young governess Grace Meadows finds herself out of time and growing more and more desperate. But when she’s offered a strange job from an eccentric medium, she never could have imagined what she was signing up for.

Tasked with caring for a troubled young girl who has lost the ability to speak, Grace must unravel the dangerous secrets at the heart of a run-down country mansion and find the source of the horrors which now threaten both of their lives.

As she’s forced to confront her own demons and reconcile the ghosts of past and present, can Grace protect the child from the living and dead? And what is waiting for her beyond the mysterious silk and bells which protect them from forces unseen?

This was a haughtily beautiful gothic horror. It was so well written. The characters were endearing and dislikeable when needed. I’m glad to have found this author and looking forward to reading more.
  
The Hacienda Classics by  Various Artists
The Hacienda Classics by Various Artists
2006 | Compilation, House
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"When Oasis first started, very early on we used to cover ‘Feel The Groove’ by Cartouche. There’s a tape of that live gig knocking about somewhere. I was the dance music head in the group. I was into indie music like everyone else, New Order, The Smiths and then one night in 1987 someone took me to the Hacienda because I’d been reading about this music and I just stood there, drinking Colt 45, thinking 'Well, this is shit…' But then someone else took me the week after and said, 'Have one of these.' And put a little pill in my hand. And within an hour I thought that this music was the greatest thing that I’d ever heard in my entire fucking life. It was a life changing experience. The thing about the Hacienda was it was a superclub before superclubs existed. Acid house only lasted two years and that was it at its best. If you go to a club now you might as well be listening to the same song all night. Back then they played everything, hip hop, electro, acid house, techno and it was all mashed up. It was on your doorstep and full of people who were skint. It was only two quid to get in, they sold Rizla behind the bar so you could skin up and acid and Es were just entering the cultural stream. They were the best years of my life and probably every other day since I’ve thought, 'I wonder what those tunes were called?' Then I heard this album was coming out, I put it on at home and I was instantly transported back into that nightclub. And I thank the people who put this album out. It reminds me of great days when I was young and enjoying life to the full."

Source
  
GT
Gone to Green (Green #1)
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The paper was an unexpected inheritance from a close colleague, and Lois must keep it for at least a year, bringing a host of challenges, lessons, and blessings into her life.

When Lois pulls into Green on New Year’s Day, she expects a charming little town full of smiling people.She quickly realizes her mistake. After settling into a loaned house out on Route 2,
she finds herself battling town prejudices and inner doubts and making friends with
the most surprising people: troubled teenager Katy, good-looking catfish farmer
Chris, wise and feisty Aunt Helen, and a female African-American physician named
Kevin.

Whether fighting a greedy, deceitful politician or rescuing a dog she fears, Lois notices the headlines in her life have definitely improved. She learns how to provide small-town news in a big-hearted way and realizes that life is full of newsworthy moments. When she encounters racial
prejudice and financial corruption, Lois also discovers more about the goodness of
real people and the importance of being part of a community.

While secretly preparing the paper for a sale, Lois begins to realize that God might indeed have a plan for her life and that perhaps the allure of city life and career ambition are not what she wants after all.
  
From debut author Abigail Wilson comes a mysterious Regency tale of secrets and spies, love and treachery. Orphaned Sybil Delafield jumps at the opportunity for a position at the mysterious Croft Towers. She believes she was hired to act as companion to a dying woman, but a highway robbery and a hostile welcome from the Chalcroft family cause her to wonder if she was actually hired to help someone spy for France. An unsolved murder adds intrigue to this already secretive family, and Sybil recognizes Mrs. Chalcroft’s handsome grandson as one of the infamous highwaymen who robbed her. Sybil must determine if this man’s charming smile and earnest eyes speak the truth or if he is simply using her like others in the house. Everyone seems to have something to hide, and Sybil must decide who to trust while also coming to terms with the truth about her own past.



My Thoughts: Abigail Wilson has written a wondrous novel full of mystery and intrigue. This story-line keeps the reader entertained throughout the novel; there is no lagging in the action. The characters are very entertaining and believable.


This is a story full of mystery, secrets and murder! Readers will truly enjoy this debut novel. I look forward to reading more from Abigail Wilson.
  
GT
Gone to Green (Green #1)
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The paper was an unexpected inheritance from a close colleague, and Lois must keep it for at least a year, bringing a host of challenges, lessons, and blessings into her life.

When Lois pulls into Green on New Year’s Day, she expects a charming little town full of smiling people.She quickly realizes her mistake. After settling into a loaned house out on Route 2,
she finds herself battling town prejudices and inner doubts and making friends with
the most surprising people: troubled teenager Katy, good-looking catfish farmer
Chris, wise and feisty Aunt Helen, and a female African-American physician named
Kevin.

Whether fighting a greedy, deceitful politician or rescuing a dog she fears, Lois notices the headlines in her life have definitely improved. She learns how to provide small-town news in a big-hearted way and realizes that life is full of newsworthy moments. When she encounters racial
prejudice and financial corruption, Lois also discovers more about the goodness of
real people and the importance of being part of a community.

While secretly preparing the paper for a sale, Lois begins to realize that God might indeed have a plan for her life and that perhaps the allure of city life and career ambition are not what she wants after all.
  
TM
The Man Who Watched Women
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I must admit to not having read many so-called Scandi-Noir - in fact, I am ashamed to say that I have only ever read one by a highly successful author who shall remain nameless and, to be honest, it put me off as I just couldn't get into it at all … ok, I only read ½ of it so feel free to berate me as I probably deserve it! When I was invited to receive a free copy of The Man Who Watched Women from the publisher, Random House UK / Cornerstone Digital via NetGalley, I decided to put my previous experience aside and give it a go and I am quite pleased I did.

My full review can be found on my blog - http://readingstuffnthings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/the-man-who-watched-women-by-hjorth.html - feel free to drop by :)
  
Dumbo (2019)
Dumbo (2019)
2019 | Animation, Family, Fantasy
Dumbo (2019) has a surprisingly metatextual moral for the House of Mouse
In seeking to carve out something new for this reimagining, Director Tim Burton – and screenwriter Ehren Kruger – find themselves leaning too heavily on the original version early on, racing through its main plot points in a brisk half-hour blighted by too many things which happen because they happened in the original story. It’s all a little bit inorganic, feeling rushed and forced in order to get us to the point where we’re telling a new story. A plethora of supporting characters are introduced but then barely used and while this version broadly switches the focus of the story away from the animals and on to the humans, those humans remain as crudely drawn and superficial as the forgettable background characters of the 1941 animation...

FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusDumbo19
  
SO
Secret Origins (Story Thieves #3)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It’s been two months since Bethany last jumped into a book, and she’s started to notice a man sitting in a car across the street. Owen thinks Bethany is overreacting to things, but as the friends follow him to his house, they make a startling discovery. Have they stumbled upon Bethany’s fictional father?

This book overs things to the comic book world, and I found this setting to be lots of fun. The plot twists out in some surprising and fun directions, and the cliffhangers at the end of each chapter kept me turning pages. The characters are strong as well, and we meet some great new ones along the way. Just watch out for the cliffhanger at the end of the book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-secret-origins-by-james.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Elvis is hired to track down Ellen Lang's husband because the husband disappeared with their son. However, after the Lang house is searched and the first body turns up, he realizes he is in way over his head.

This book suffers from the cliches of the PI genre, but manages to overcome them with some pretty entertaining characters. Elvis and his PI partner Joe are both interesting, and Elvis's sense of humor is fun. There are some twists that surprised me as well. The book is definitely outside my normal comfort zone with the use of bad language and more violence, which I wasn't always comfortable with. Still, I do intend to read more in the series.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/08/book-review-monkeys-raincoat-by-robert.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.