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Darjeeling Inheritance (The Colonials)
Book
Darjeeling, 1930 After eleven years in school in England, Charlotte Lawrence returns to Sundar,...
Historical Fiction Romance
Shadows of the Workhouse
6.0
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Book
A fascinating slice of East End life, from the No.1 bestsellilng author of CALL THE MIDWIFE, soon to...
ClareR (6144 KP) rated Make Me Clean in Books
Feb 24, 2023
Tina Baker just gets better and better. Make Me Clean is about Maria, a cleaner, who always seems to be able to get herself involved with the wrong people. Or rather, the wrong situation.
Maria is clearly hiding from someone or something. She makes sure she operates under everyones radar. She’s nervous, lonely and seemingly vulnerable. At least that’s what it appears to begin with.
As Maria’s story is told, we learn just what kind of trouble she has managed to get herself into, and it’s possibly the worst kind. As the flower bed in Elsie’s back garden would attest to. But, you see, Maria is also a very caring person. She cares for Elsie like she’s the most important person in the world. And to Maria, she is.
Tina Baker gets under the skin of her characters, and I really think she’s hit the jackpot with Maria. The writing is superb. The juxtaposition between Murderous Maria and Vulnerable Maria become more blurred as the book goes on.
I felt sorry for a woman who becomes increasingly stabby.
I can’t wait to see where, and with whom, Tina takes us next.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to Tina for reading along.
Maria is clearly hiding from someone or something. She makes sure she operates under everyones radar. She’s nervous, lonely and seemingly vulnerable. At least that’s what it appears to begin with.
As Maria’s story is told, we learn just what kind of trouble she has managed to get herself into, and it’s possibly the worst kind. As the flower bed in Elsie’s back garden would attest to. But, you see, Maria is also a very caring person. She cares for Elsie like she’s the most important person in the world. And to Maria, she is.
Tina Baker gets under the skin of her characters, and I really think she’s hit the jackpot with Maria. The writing is superb. The juxtaposition between Murderous Maria and Vulnerable Maria become more blurred as the book goes on.
I felt sorry for a woman who becomes increasingly stabby.
I can’t wait to see where, and with whom, Tina takes us next.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to Tina for reading along.
Reluctant Rockstar (Reluctant Rockstar #1)
10.0
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Book
A tired rock star and a judgemental gardener…what could possibly go wrong? The Purple Lizards...
Contemporary MM Romance Rockstar Hurt-Comfort Found Family
Murder on Madison Square
7.0
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Book
Sarah and Frank Malloy must catch a scheming killer in this latest gripping installment of the USA...
Arabesque
Book
Arabesque is a step in classic ballet, an appropriate title for a novel narrating the beauty of...
Historical Psychological Drama
ClareR (6144 KP) rated The House of Fallen Sisters in Books
Feb 18, 2026 (Updated Feb 18, 2026)
The House of Fallen Sisters is a fast paced historical mystery - and a firm 10/10 from me!
I’ve loved all of Louise Hare’s books, and she’s fast becoming an insta-read author for me. Every book has been distinctly different from her others. Books have been set in: 1950’s London, 1930’s London and Harlem, and now this book is set in the brothels of 1760’s London (London seems to be a key place in all of her books so far - and that’s OK with me!).
In trying to escape her inevitable life as a prostitute in a Covent Garden brothel, Sukey finds a young black man in a side street, almost beaten to death. Whilst trying to save him, she’s captured and returned to the brothel. There’s a lot going on in the underbelly (and brothels) of London: slavery, double dealing, and cheating those who think they’re a friend.
I really enjoyed this - I got a real sense of the hustle and bustle of London. The danger, the community, friendships, hardships and the rules of the game Sukey and her Fallen Sisters must adhere to. They’re all fabulous characters - even the more untrustworthy people!
I can’t wait to see where Louise Hare takes us next!
I’ve loved all of Louise Hare’s books, and she’s fast becoming an insta-read author for me. Every book has been distinctly different from her others. Books have been set in: 1950’s London, 1930’s London and Harlem, and now this book is set in the brothels of 1760’s London (London seems to be a key place in all of her books so far - and that’s OK with me!).
In trying to escape her inevitable life as a prostitute in a Covent Garden brothel, Sukey finds a young black man in a side street, almost beaten to death. Whilst trying to save him, she’s captured and returned to the brothel. There’s a lot going on in the underbelly (and brothels) of London: slavery, double dealing, and cheating those who think they’re a friend.
I really enjoyed this - I got a real sense of the hustle and bustle of London. The danger, the community, friendships, hardships and the rules of the game Sukey and her Fallen Sisters must adhere to. They’re all fabulous characters - even the more untrustworthy people!
I can’t wait to see where Louise Hare takes us next!
Charles Burbridge (13 KP) rated The Hurricane Heist (2018) in Movies
Mar 24, 2018
Imagine, if you will, a film released in theaters, with Syfy Channel level special effects, acting, and writing. Imagine, if you will, a hurricane that has skulls not so well hidden in the storm clouds in nearly every shot. Imagine, if you will, the hackneyed plot of people trying to steal old money from the Treasury before it gets shredded. You will have imagined Hurricane Heist.
Now, this film is bad, but it's not garden variety bad. It's bad enough that it wrapped itself all the way back around to entertaining. Hurricane Heist is blatantly dumb yet the actors, as much as they can, play it straight. For an hour and a half, you will ask yourself, "Can this movie get any dumber?" The answer is, "Yes. Yes, it can."
Was I entertained? Greatly. Is there any way that I can recommend spending any money on seeing a movie that has nothing going for it besides your incredulity at the fact that it not only got made, but got a theatrical release? No. But, for dang sure, if it shows up on Netflix or on something that you already pay for, check it out, if only for a few minutes. You won't gain anything from those few minutes, but there's a fairly high chance that you will laugh.
Now, this film is bad, but it's not garden variety bad. It's bad enough that it wrapped itself all the way back around to entertaining. Hurricane Heist is blatantly dumb yet the actors, as much as they can, play it straight. For an hour and a half, you will ask yourself, "Can this movie get any dumber?" The answer is, "Yes. Yes, it can."
Was I entertained? Greatly. Is there any way that I can recommend spending any money on seeing a movie that has nothing going for it besides your incredulity at the fact that it not only got made, but got a theatrical release? No. But, for dang sure, if it shows up on Netflix or on something that you already pay for, check it out, if only for a few minutes. You won't gain anything from those few minutes, but there's a fairly high chance that you will laugh.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Time Chamber: A Magical Story and Colouring Book in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Take a break from the chaos of life and spend hours immersed in the intricacies and the magic of The Time Chamber, a coloring book for adults.
The red haired fairy leaves her time garden to visit our world. She brings with her, a few magical items, which you must find hidden in the pages. Everything she touches is a magical new adventure for her. She explores our world as the little girl sleeps. When the girl awakens, the fairy retreats back to her own world.
I have always enjoyed art. Whether it's painting an original piece, coloring a fuzzy poster, doing a paint-by-number or doodling in my son's coloring book, I find relaxation in expressing myself through my artwork. So when I discovered coloring books for adults, I did a happy dance. I have spent hours coloring in The Time Chamber. The detail is incredible and the artwork intricate. I also found the story line enchanting. Although, I did find a few inconsistencies with the patterns that my O.C.D. did not like, I was able to overlook them and enjoy my time. Overall, this is a very charming book and I absolutely love taking time out of the day to relax and color.
I received a free copy of The Time Chamber from Penguin Random House Publishing through Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
The red haired fairy leaves her time garden to visit our world. She brings with her, a few magical items, which you must find hidden in the pages. Everything she touches is a magical new adventure for her. She explores our world as the little girl sleeps. When the girl awakens, the fairy retreats back to her own world.
I have always enjoyed art. Whether it's painting an original piece, coloring a fuzzy poster, doing a paint-by-number or doodling in my son's coloring book, I find relaxation in expressing myself through my artwork. So when I discovered coloring books for adults, I did a happy dance. I have spent hours coloring in The Time Chamber. The detail is incredible and the artwork intricate. I also found the story line enchanting. Although, I did find a few inconsistencies with the patterns that my O.C.D. did not like, I was able to overlook them and enjoy my time. Overall, this is a very charming book and I absolutely love taking time out of the day to relax and color.
I received a free copy of The Time Chamber from Penguin Random House Publishing through Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Secret Garden in Books
Jul 1, 2019
A childrens classic
I'm ashamed to admit that I've never read or seen The Secret Garden. It passed me by as a child and I can understand why as i don't think the book lends itself to a younger reader with the language used. But as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this - all thanks to my Smashbomb secret Santa (book exchange).
This is one of the few stories with a child protagonist that I really enjoyed. Mainly because the child starts off as the usual stubborn stroppy brat, but the whole point of this story is to detail Mary's change in character. And boy does she change, and not only her but her cousin too. The character development in this book is brilliant, and whilst the plot itself is fairly basic but enjoyable, it's the characters that make this book. The writing itself is very good although not as good for younger readers as you'd expect. My only criticism is the Yorkshire characters. Whilst I'm used to the Yorkshire accent in reality, trying to read it in a book proves to be very trying and gets a little bit irritating after a while. Although it definitely does sound Yorkshire when you read it out!
Altogether a very good enjoyable and heartwarming read, that's also just about the right length for the plot.
This is one of the few stories with a child protagonist that I really enjoyed. Mainly because the child starts off as the usual stubborn stroppy brat, but the whole point of this story is to detail Mary's change in character. And boy does she change, and not only her but her cousin too. The character development in this book is brilliant, and whilst the plot itself is fairly basic but enjoyable, it's the characters that make this book. The writing itself is very good although not as good for younger readers as you'd expect. My only criticism is the Yorkshire characters. Whilst I'm used to the Yorkshire accent in reality, trying to read it in a book proves to be very trying and gets a little bit irritating after a while. Although it definitely does sound Yorkshire when you read it out!
Altogether a very good enjoyable and heartwarming read, that's also just about the right length for the plot.
