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The Godmother's Secret
Book
What if you knew what happened to the Princes in the Tower. Would you tell? Or would you forever...
Biographical Historical Fiction Historical Mystery
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Wicked Cometh in Books
Jan 1, 2018
Enjoyable, easy read
Rich in atmosphere, characterisation and vocabulary, this historical fiction follows the character of Hester White, an 18-year-old living in squalid conditions in 19th century London. A carriage accident may well prove her salvation - passenger, the charismatic Calder Brock, seems determined to rescue her from the gutter, his sister Rebekah to be entrusted with her education.
Following closely in Sarah Waters' footsteps, this is a Victorian pastiche that returns to those perennials of murder, identity, prostitution and female survival. Carlin writes with fluency and conjures up a grim, dank, seedy London where the only sanctuary for our heroine is in female friendship
While this is an enjoyable read, it does feel more generic than original, and there are some clumsy tricks such as the extended death-bed confession/life-story at the end. Great for fans of Victoriana.
Following closely in Sarah Waters' footsteps, this is a Victorian pastiche that returns to those perennials of murder, identity, prostitution and female survival. Carlin writes with fluency and conjures up a grim, dank, seedy London where the only sanctuary for our heroine is in female friendship
While this is an enjoyable read, it does feel more generic than original, and there are some clumsy tricks such as the extended death-bed confession/life-story at the end. Great for fans of Victoriana.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Dead Chest Island (The Secrets Begin #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I had the pleasure of meeting [J.J. Parsons] at the Savannah Children's Book Festival. I told her I had picked up her book [Dead Chest Island] at a local book seller. She kindly gave me the second book. That said, this is an unsolicited and honest review.
[Dead Chest Island] is a throw back to the mysteries of the 1950's. It made me think of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Young children getting into adventure after hearing a story about an island that leads to solving a international crime, or foiling it, rather.
[Parson's] writing has a good flow and is well thought out. The characters are well developed. I am looking forward to reading the second book and hearing more of Edison'd adventures and see if his sister is still a pest. Highly recommend this book to school libraries.
[Dead Chest Island] is a throw back to the mysteries of the 1950's. It made me think of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Young children getting into adventure after hearing a story about an island that leads to solving a international crime, or foiling it, rather.
[Parson's] writing has a good flow and is well thought out. The characters are well developed. I am looking forward to reading the second book and hearing more of Edison'd adventures and see if his sister is still a pest. Highly recommend this book to school libraries.
jmercado (1 KP) rated Sing Your Heart Out (Sinful Serenade, #1) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Hmmmm i dont know how i feel about this story yet.
This starts off with a determined Med student Meg who is dealing with the loss of her sister, going to a party for the 1st time after her sisters death.
There is where she happens to walk in on Miles, the lead singer of one of her favorite bands.
Neither of them have the time or patience to deal with relationship so they go for the next best thing-no stings attached sex.
I think this story was longer than it needed to be bu brought in some very hard hitting issues.
I wasnt to in love with the relationship aspect and the main character did frustrate me towards the end on how easily she fell back in the sack with him. But this was very enjoyable for what it was.
This starts off with a determined Med student Meg who is dealing with the loss of her sister, going to a party for the 1st time after her sisters death.
There is where she happens to walk in on Miles, the lead singer of one of her favorite bands.
Neither of them have the time or patience to deal with relationship so they go for the next best thing-no stings attached sex.
I think this story was longer than it needed to be bu brought in some very hard hitting issues.
I wasnt to in love with the relationship aspect and the main character did frustrate me towards the end on how easily she fell back in the sack with him. But this was very enjoyable for what it was.
Make That a Table for Seven is a cute story about two bear cubs who don’t have a family. It takes a lot of courage for the oldest bear to knock on a neighbor-bear family’s door and ask if he and his sister can live with them, but when he does, he is greeted with kindness, love, and assurance. This is a great story illustrating adoption—both literally and spiritually.
The only downside is that there are a lot of words on each page, so it may be hard for a younger kid to listen to it being read. Kids have pretty short attention spans.
All in all however, Make That a Table for Seven is a great story with very cute child-friendly illustrations and an easy to follow story.
Recommendation: Ages 4-6
The only downside is that there are a lot of words on each page, so it may be hard for a younger kid to listen to it being read. Kids have pretty short attention spans.
All in all however, Make That a Table for Seven is a great story with very cute child-friendly illustrations and an easy to follow story.
Recommendation: Ages 4-6
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2619 KP) rated What You See (Jane Ryland, #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Reporter Jane Ryland is hoping that a freelance assignment she’s been given might be her ticket to a new job. She’s covering a stabbing in mid-day in a Boston park. However, she’s barely arrived on the scene when her sister calls with news that could lead to a family crisis. Can Jane balance the two?
Really, this book deftly blends two different plots into one compelling book. I did find it a little slow at first as it the stories build and the new characters are introduced, but once it gets going, I couldn’t put it down. Jane and her boyfriend, detective Jake Brogan, are fantastic lead characters, and it’s always great to see them back in action.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-what-you-see-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Really, this book deftly blends two different plots into one compelling book. I did find it a little slow at first as it the stories build and the new characters are introduced, but once it gets going, I couldn’t put it down. Jane and her boyfriend, detective Jake Brogan, are fantastic lead characters, and it’s always great to see them back in action.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-what-you-see-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Silence of the Lamps (Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery #5) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
Silence of the Lamps is book #5 in the Caprice De Luca mystery series, and while previous cases are mentioned, you do not need to have read the earlier books in the series to enjoy this one. The interaction between Caprice and her sisters is so realistic you almost feel like part of the family while reading the story. And when one of her sisters is the prime suspect in a murder investigation, how can Caprice stay out of it? The more she asks around, the more she finds that her sister Nikki was far from Drews only enemy. With lots of clues to keep you guessing at the identity of the murderer, this was a fast paced, fun read.
NOTE: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts / opinions are my own.
NOTE: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts / opinions are my own.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2619 KP) rated B is for Burglar (Kinsey Millhone, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Kinsey is hired to track down a missing woman by the woman’s estranged sister. It seems like a boring routine case at first, but the more she digs into it, the more Kinsey begins to question what is happening. No one has seen the woman for months, and the normal avenues of inquiry just aren’t adding up. What is going on?
I really got pulled into this book and great enjoyed it. The plot is strong with plenty of clues and red herrings, but everything came together at the end. The characters are sharp, often with just a few words or sentences. It’s easy to see why this series has been so popular for so long.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-b-is-for-burglar-by-sue.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I really got pulled into this book and great enjoyed it. The plot is strong with plenty of clues and red herrings, but everything came together at the end. The characters are sharp, often with just a few words or sentences. It’s easy to see why this series has been so popular for so long.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-b-is-for-burglar-by-sue.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Watchman (19 KP) rated Beast (2017) in Movies
Jan 9, 2019 (Updated Feb 15, 2019)
Outstanding acting (1 more)
Unpredictable
A chilling fairytale
A girl with a dark past, the black sheep of the family with a perfect sister, a strict, overbearing mother and an ill father, starts a red-blooded affair with a local boy, an enigma with history of run ins with the law.... and now a suspect in the worst of crimes.
Set in the gorgeously filmed isle of Jersey, Michael Pearce has directed on his debut a real nail biter. This take on the search for a serial killer of young girls, intertwined with a forbidden love story is an uncomfortable, disturbing watch at times.... but hypnotic. And newcomer Jessie Buckley is mesmerising, its hard to take your eyes off her.
Brilliant script, plot, pacing and ominous soundtrack.
A must watch for any fan of dark psychological thrillers.
Set in the gorgeously filmed isle of Jersey, Michael Pearce has directed on his debut a real nail biter. This take on the search for a serial killer of young girls, intertwined with a forbidden love story is an uncomfortable, disturbing watch at times.... but hypnotic. And newcomer Jessie Buckley is mesmerising, its hard to take your eyes off her.
Brilliant script, plot, pacing and ominous soundtrack.
A must watch for any fan of dark psychological thrillers.
Kirsten Myra Edwards (303 KP) rated Elizabeth is Missing in Books
Feb 2, 2020
Love love
Contains spoilers, click to show
I found this book fascinating throughout. The story line kept you gripped. You really feel for Maud throughout the book as she is really trying to fix all the pieces together from her past and present. The past story with Sukey has a predicable outcome but you never find out how it all happened. That's the only bit I felt could be predicted but the present story line with Elizabeth varies right to the last minute.
You really feel for Maud at the end because she has helped solve the mystery of her missing sister due to her memory she is unaware she finally has the answers she has been looking for.
Overall I loved the book. But I have so many different questions but we will stay as blissfully unaware as Maud is at the end of the book.
You really feel for Maud at the end because she has helped solve the mystery of her missing sister due to her memory she is unaware she finally has the answers she has been looking for.
Overall I loved the book. But I have so many different questions but we will stay as blissfully unaware as Maud is at the end of the book.