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Sharpe's Tiger (Sharpe, #1)

Bernard Cornwell

7.5 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

The prequel to the series, describing Sharpe's experiences in India. Sharpe’s Tiger describes the...

Lies that Blind

E.S. Alexander

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

What would you risk to avoid obscurity? Malaya, 1788 Aspiring journalist Jim Lloyd jeopardises...

Historical Fiction

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated Easter Basket Murder in Books

Jan 25, 2024 (Updated Jan 25, 2024)

Here’s to a Deadly Easter

Kensington has called on their go to trio for three new holiday themed mysteries, this time featuring Easter. Up first, Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone gets involved with a promotion for the local businesses leads to the theft of a golden Easter egg. Then Lee Hollis’s Hayley Powell finds the Easter Bunny dead at a community Easter egg hunt. Finally, Barbara Ross’s Julia Snowden’s Easter on the family island off the coast of Maine is interrupted when she finds a man in coat tails dead in the garden. Then, a few minutes later, he’s gone.

All three stories have fun with the theme, and present it in some clever ways. As is often the case, I found the first story the weakest, but the mysteries in the other two stories are strong. Still, I was engaged no matter which story I was reading. All three have some great Easter elements that made me feel like it was spring. And I love the community aspects we get. I’m only a regular reader of Barbara Ross’s series, and I was interested in the updates we got on the characters there. If you are looking for some new dishes to serve this year, you’ll be interested in the recipes we get with the second and third story. Each story is roughly 100 pages, so you can read them in a sitting or two. Overall, this is a fun anthology you’ll be happy hopped on to your to be read pile.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated Murder at Marble House in Books

Nov 6, 2024

Unfortunate Fortune Teller Murdered

We are once again in August 1895 in Newport, Rhode Island. Emma Cross, society reporter for the local paper, has her morning interrupted when her distance cousin, Consuelo Vanderbilt calls begging for Emma to come over to Marble House. While Emma finds herself caught up in some family drama, the last thing she expects is that her visit will end in murder. But that’s just what happens when the fortune teller that Alva Vanderbilt has hired is found dead behind the estate. When a family member vanishes, Emma starts to investigate. Can she find out what happened?

This book picks up right after the last one ends. While it doesn’t spoil the murder itself, it does give away some ongoing storylines. The story presents an interesting mystery, but the pacing does get off at times. We get some developments in Emma’s personal life, and I’m not sure I’m on her side as much after some of what happened here. If I’m this opinionated, clearly, I’m finding the characters real, and that includes real people and fictional characters. Speaking of which, the author includes a bit about what is true and what she twisted to make her plot work, which I always appreciate. I read this book right after getting to visit Newport, which made it easier to picture some of the locations. I’m already wishing I’d had time to really explore the locations more when I was there. Overall, this is a good second entry, and I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

Kudos

Merissa (14024 KP) rated Palaces and other Prisons (Part of: Tinsel and Tentacles 3.0) in Books

Nov 21, 2025

PALACES AND OTHER PRISONS is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles 3:0 series, and features Ul, king of the Krakke, and Dawson, an oil rig worker. Their worlds collide when the island of Felloi is magically transported to the mundane world, landing beneath the oil platform. Similar occurrences happen all over the world, but not everyone is as lucky. Dawson volunteers to meet with the 'monsters' as those on the platform ration food and water.

This is a low steam, slow-burning story with some big differences right from the start, language being the main one. I liked the explanation of how the Felloi learn languages, and how it was portrayed in the story. The other differences, such as clothing and customs, were also well written.

Personally, I would have preferred a little more time spent with Dawson and Ul, especially when they were sneaking off together, and after. Apart from moments, it didn't seem as though they actually spent that much time together.

There were also little things, like how Dawson was poisoned. We know where, and we know what with, but how, especially when he never felt it happen, just the aftereffects. That, and with Ul's cousin, felt like an afterthought.

Overall, this was a cute read with some nice characters.

** 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!
Nov 21, 2025