The Novel Art Of Murder by V.M Burns . Review

This is book 3 in the “Mystery Bookshop” Series featuring Samantha Washington , her high spirited granny Josephine and Josephine’s close friends . The story begins with Jo being replaced by new resident Maria , and Jo is none too pleased about it , later when Maria is found dead Jo is the first person the law looks to and it’s up to Sam and her  elderly friends to find out exactly what’s been going on . 

I loved the relationship between Sam and Jo , it’s a really close and loving one and they are fiercely loyal to one another . The side story that ran along with this story , that Sam was writing made this even more enjoyable , it was a lovely added bonus . 

I had no idea who the bad guy was going to be by the end so it was a very pleasant surprise . I would recommend this to any cosy mystery fans as there is a lot of laugh out loud moments as well as a few that would bring a tear to your eye . 

I received this book to review from the lovely people over at Netgalley .

This book is being published November 27th and will be available from all good bookstores then . Below please find the links:

Goodreads :

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39339734-the-novel-art-of-murder

Deceased And Desist by Misty Simon

This is book 3 in “ A Tallie Graver Mystery” Series. Tallie has a keen eye for when something is just not right , and while working one day she has the misfortune to come across a dead body it quickly becomes apparent that the police are completely useless and it’s up to her to put things right much to the disgust and anger of stand in Police Detective Hammond . 

I really enjoyed this story , Tallie does not really care who she annoys as long as she gets to the truth and I kind of love that about her , she has a strong determination to get a job done while also managing her work , family,  love life , oh and her dogsitting . There was some really twisted bad guys in this that had me urging Tallie on , I really wanted to see her get justice so sleep was abandoned until I read the very last page . I loved it , especially the surprising end . 

I received this book to review from the lovely people over at Netgalley .

This book is being published November 27th and will be available from all good bookstores then . Below please find the links:

Goodreads :

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39312790-deceased-and-desist

Let The Dead Keep Their Secrets by Rosemary Simpson . Review

This is book 3 in the “ Gilded Age “ Mystery series set in New York . This was one of the most engrossing books I have read this year because the bad guy in it is just incredibly despicable, he truly is an evil character . The story begins with a young woman contacting the Hunter and MacKenzie Detective agency , she has some grave concerns about the death of her sister , what seemed like a fairly straightforward case soon escalated and the plot just thickened from then on . 

The setting of the story was terrific , the medical knowledge from that time in history was well introduced in the story and it all made this a truly gripping read with a great adrenaline boost towards the end as the danger got higher and higher for Prudence and Geoffrey . I loved every minute of this!

I received this book to review from the lovely people over at Netgalley .

This book is being published November 27th and will be available from all good bookstores then . Below please find the links:

Goodreads :

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39101655-let-the-dead-keep-their-secrets

The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams . Review

If you are a true fan of bookshops and all things bookish then I highly recommend this , book 2 in the “Secret , Book & Scone Society . The main character is Nora , she is the owner of the most gorgeously described bookshop , she is a little prickly soul but has a good heart and will help anyone in trouble ( even if it could potentially put her in harms way ) . 

When someone shows up to her shop in dire need of help the young woman has come to just the right place . 

I could really keep gushing about this book all day , it’s obvious the author has a deep love of all things bookish and I absolutely loved that . Sprinkled throughout the story are also quotes by famous authors and the odd anecdote adding to the bookish fun . The plot was very enjoyable and there is more then one baddie here that you will love to hate . All in all a fabulous read . Go get this immediately ! 

I received this book to review from the lovely people over at Netgalley .

This book is being published November 27th and will be available from all good bookstores then . Below please find the links:

Goodreads 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39081611-the-whispered-word

The Body In The Attic by Judi Lynn. Review

I am always fascinated by people who buy run down houses , do them up and then flip them , so this book was right up my street ;0) 

This is book 1 in the River Bluff series featuring main character Jasmine ( Jazzi) and her cousin Jerod . They flip houses for a living and they are good at it . When they get a chance to buy a house with connections to Jazzi’s missing aunt they jump at the chance only quickly to find themselves up to their eyeballs in death . 

Wow, this was a good read , I read this all in one go and pretty much instantly fell in love with Jazzi’s Norwegian contractor called Ansel and his adorable little dog . Jazzi’s family history is a fascinating one and pretty dark and tragic too  , this was a book where you quickly become attached to the characters and their well-being and I kind of loved that , it also makes it impossible to put down , so I didn’t . Would I recommend this ? Without a doubt ! 

I received this book to review from the lovely people over at Netgalley .

This book is being published November 27th and will be available from all good bookstores then . Below please find the links:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39168404-the-body-in-the-attic

Violet Tendencies by Kate . E. Dyer- Seeley. Review

This is book 2 in the Rose City Mystery series set in Portland . It’s the run up to the annual flower festival in the city and Britta and her aunt are going to be decorating a float for the Parade. What starts as terrific fun idea spins turn out to be terrifying as protesters with nothing but trouble on their mind start to threaten the creators and crafters of the parade floats  and it just continues to escalate . 

The plot was great fun , seeing all the prep that goes into occasions like this was intriguing. I loved how the menace gradually grew as the festival grew nearer and you were not quite sure what was going to happen , it was made especially nerve wrecking because of the dangers of being in large crowds in public places nowadays . I throughly enjoyed this book , it was the first book I have read in the series but it won’t be the last . 

I received this book to review from the lovely people over at Netgalley .

This book is being published November 27th and will be available from all good bookstores then . Below please find the link:

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38998445-violet-tendencies

‘Twas The Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost . Review

Let me start this review with , if you love Christmas and mysteries then go pick this up straight away ... right now ... off you go ... now on with the review . 

I adored this , I pretty much knew I would within the first few pages of reading this as we get terrific descriptions of the town and shops etc and it’s adorable . The author really knows how to set the stage . 

The town is called Mistletoe , and it’s in Maine and I could not get enough of it and the plot  . Holly is the main character and she helps out with her parents Christmas Tree Farm , she also makes jewelry. You could almost imagine that this charming place would be free from bad things happening but you would be mistaken when Holly’s best friend is accused of murdering someone and it’s up to Holly to help prove her innocence. 

This book has everything I am looking for in a seasonal cosy read and I can’t believe I am only finding this series now , I will have to go back and read the 1st book in the series immediately. If you can’t tell already,  I highly recommend this . 

I received this book for review form the lovely people over at Netgalley . This book is being published 23rd November 2018 and will be available from all good bookstores then . Below please find the links :

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37762870-twas-the-knife-before-christmas

In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon . Review

The story is set around Christmas time in the picture perfect town of Heart’s Harbor , Maine . The main character is Callie Aspen , she helps her grandmother Dorothea with Book Tea , a vintage tearoom. When they are asked to help with a very special tea party it ends up being quite a bit more work then they imagined when someone is murdered . 

I am a big fan of books based around specific seasons and I am not going to lie Christmas ones are my favorite , there is something extra cost about reading them .  I loved the back history to the story and the relationship between the characters , it really did have me losing sleep as I needed to know why on earth the person was killed and why . As a mystery this did not disappoint and I recommend this for anyone looking for a festive mystery to keep the old grey cells working . 

I received this book for review form the lovely people over at Netgalley . This book is being published 23rd November 2018 and will be available from all good bookstores then . Below please find the links :

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38318251-in-peppermint-peril

Death and Daisies by Amanda Flower. Review

The story is set in Duncreigan in Scotland , where the scenery is stunning and the local minister is a crabby old man with more then his fair share of attitude who is keen to share his dislike of her as soon as he possible could . 

Flower shop owner Fiona Knox has moved to Scotland from America to live and run her new flower shop after being left a considerable inheritance by her godfather , what he also left her was something a little more magical in the form of a walled garden with a terrific back story going back many many generations . 

On the day Fiona has been dying for , her shop opening , a body is found , and he is awfully familiar .... 

There was so much I loved about this book from Fi’s warm personality to the quirky town she now finds herself living in ., also , who does not love to read about a bad guy. The magical element to the story adds to the plot and Fiona’s character is someone you would love to have as a friend , so you pretty much instantly root for her to do well. She’s awesome . 

Would I recommend this ? Definitely. 

I can’t wait for the next book in the series ! 

I received this book for review from the lovely people over at Netgalley . This book is being published on the 23rd of November 2018 and will be available from all good bookstores then. Below please find all the links :

Goodreads 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39662682-death-and-daisies

Author Website 

http://www.amandaflower.com/

Sunday Reading .

Hi Lovelies !

I pulled back the curtains this morning and a beautiful crisp Sunday morning greeted me with glorious sunshine and blue skies . What more could you ask for ! I am sitting in bed as I write this , a cup of tea nearby and a large library book . This is a perfect Sunday morning in my eyes. . All feels right with the world and it is quiet , that makes it even better. The book I am starting ( first book below) is by an author I have read before , she is an excellent writer and has the ability to completely immerse the reader willingly in her writing for the duration of her story , and a long time afterwards . I have high hopes for this story . The Clockmakers Daughter by Kate Morton. 

I am about a 1/3 of the way through Making Conversations by Christine Longford. I loved the preface by Rachel Billington , it was a terrific start to a great book . I will pop up a review once I have finished this . So far if I had to think of one sentence to sum it up it would be : The innocence of youth . 

The book below was a gift last Christmas from a dear friend and I am only now giving it a good read , what I mean by that is the last time I picked it up I was as distracted as a squirrel and in no frame of mind to read this gorgeous book and these colorful characters . When Stella sat down to write this , she really knew what she was doing , it’s fabulous . Review will be up this week . 

In other bookish news the Goodreads voting has started in all the categories,  if you have not done already it might be worth your time checking it out to see if you can still vote so you can vote on your fabourite books . 
Now lovelies , I hope you have a terrific Sunday full of peace and happiness and great books . Xx

A Village Affair by Julie Houston . Review

I loved this story set in a small village in England . Cassie Beresford is the main character and she is married to Mark . Cassie is about to start a new school year in a new position as head teacher and if that was not stressful enough she has just found out her husband has been cheating on her .... with one of the closest people she has in her life . 

First off , I loved Cassie , she is a strong lady , but with lots of new drama to juggle she is barely keeping her head above water , but somehow her strength of character and warm wit keep her going . The story is a touching one but there was also more then one genuine laugh out loud moments that really gave me a good chuckle , I kept poking my husband and saying here , listen to this ! 

The story touches on many topics like forgiveness , family and new starts and is one of the best books I have read this year so far . Go read this immediately folks . 

I received this book in exchange for a review from the lovely people over at Aria Publishing . This book has now been published and is available from all good bookstores. 

A Village Affair – Julie Houston 

 

About the author

Julie Houston is the author of The One Saving Grace, Goodness, Grace and Me and Looking for Lucy, a Kindle top 100 general bestseller and a Kindle Number1 bestseller. She is married, with the two teenage children and a made cockerpooand, like her heroine, livs in a West Yorkshire village. She is also a teacher and a magistrate.

 

Follow Julie

Twitter handle: @juliehouston2

Facebook: @JulieHoustonauthor

Website: http://www.juliehouston.co.uk

 

About the book

 

Cassie Beresford has recently landed her dream job as deputy head teacher at her local, idyllic village primary school, Little Acorns. So, the last thing she needs is her husband of twenty years being ‘outed’ at a village charity auction – he has been having an affair with one of her closest friends.

As if it weren’t enough to cope with, Cassie suddenly finds herself catapulted into the head teacher position, and at the front of a fight to ward off developers determined to concrete over the beautiful landscape.

 

But through it all, the irresistible joy of her pupils, the reality of keeping her teenage children on the straight and narrow, her irrepressible family and friends, and the possibility of new love, mean what could have been the worst year ever, actually might be the best yet…

 

Buy links

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2MF22BW 
iBooks: https://apple.co/2PEjcCb

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MFTI4T 
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2yFfGjA

 

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

 

Persephone Book Haul

First thing I want to show you is this beauty . This is the 1999-2018 Persephone Catalogue containing information on books number 1 - 130 in their catalogue . It truly is a beautiful and informative catalogue to dip into when ever you are at a loss for something to read. .

Front cover :

Back cover:

It’s like a beautiful patchwork made of paper . 

Now let’s get on with showing you the books . 

My birthday is in December and so my family order my presents in mid November to make sure I get them on time and here is some of the beauties I received so far , there is also a book subscription and I will be getting eleven more over the next 11 months as the first one is included here with the order . 

Young Anne by Dorothy Whipple 

Making Conversation by Christine Langford

The Call by Edith Ayrton Zangwill

To Bed With Grand Music by Margarita Laski

The New House by Lettice Cooper

The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby

A House In The Country by Jocelyn Playfair

Below is a link to Persephone Books , it’s definitely worth checking out :

http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/

Whiskey In A Teacup by Reese Witherspoon . Review

I was so pleased when I was able to get this at my Library . I have been a fan of This actress since I was a teenager and have followed her film career ever since . I was very keen to sit down and read this beautiful book when it arrived and it certainly does not disappoint. 

Reading Reese’s book for the first time is just what you would expect from the warm bubbly blonde we see on tv and in movies , Reese’s book feels like having a chat with an old dear friend ... and there is lots of iced tea at hand and plenty of Y’all’s . The book is broken down into different chapters like Christmas , books , Cooking , recipes etc . I must say the recipes were mouthwatering and I am looking forward to trying them out , the beverage recipes alone are dreamy . 

The thoughts I had coming away from reading this were  , can Reese please be my friend :0) , I truly hope she will be writing another book very soon and what a warm and funny lady she really is . 

Below please find the link to this book on Goodreads :

Goodreads 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40009804-whiskey-in-a-teacup

The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski

This is the story about a fairly young , married woman with a new baby recovering from tuberculosis , one day she lays down for a rest on her second hand chaise-longue and wakes to find herself in someone else’s body in the past . 

This story gave me chills ... not in the same way as you get when you worry there is someone standing behind you in the dark but with a very uneasy feeling that not all is well at all ... I kept wondering could she have become delirious through her illness or was the chais-longue some type of portkey that brought her back to the previous owners body ... for a small book it packs a lot of punch and gives you plenty to come away and think about . I would highly recommend this. 

This is published by Persephone Books.

Link below:

http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/the-victorian-chaise-longue.html

Murder At Harbor Village by G. P Gardner. Review

Don’t you just love when you find a mystery you really enjoy ... sigh ... love it ! Main character Cleo Mack  is contemplating moving and retiring , and Harbor Village , Fairhope, Alabama has won her heart . It is proving hard to resist especially when she meets a lovely group of people while on her first week there and is offered a great job and new residence in a home for retired people. Cleo and her new friends have just the right amount of inquisitive nature’s because a body is found in the residents pool and it will take these older sleuths to find out just what exactly happened. I loved every minute I spent reading this book , I sincerely hope there will be more books featuring Cleo and her fabulous new friends . 

I received this book through Netgalley . 

This book is published on the 13th November 2018 and will then be available from all good bookstores. Below please find the links . 

Goodreads 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39168405-murder-at-harbor-village

Author Page 

https://www.gpgardner.com/author

A Vintage Death by Mary Ellen Hughes . Review

I loved this story set in the picturesque town of Keepsake Cove on the East Shore of Maryland . The town is made up of a lot of specialty shops and it’s somewhere that would be awesome to spend time in .... sigh .. if only it was a real place . The main character is Callie , she is a fairly new owner of a music box shop and she lives behind her business. It sounded so cosy I wish it was an actual place you could visit . The town is about to start decorating for Autumn and have a famous writer arrive for a book signing when tragedy strikes and the sleuthing begins . I loved this story ! Give me great characters , a dreamy setting and an awesome mystery and I am one happy lady , and that’s exactly what I got . This had a real bad guy that you just love to hate ... I was desperate to see what was going to happen with his devilish self so I just had to read this all in one sitting . It was SO worth it ! Who needs sleep anyway . I recommend this to all mystery lovers . 

I received this for review from the awesome people over at Netgalley and midnight Ink Publishers. 

This book is being published 8th November 

Below please find the links :

Goodreads :

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38256348-a-vintage-death

Author Website:

http://www.maryellenhughes.com/

A Cold Brew Killing by Lena Gregory . Review

This is book three in the All Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery Series set in Boggy Creek , and the main character is Gia , she is the owner of the cafe . There is elections coming up in town and there are quite a few of the residents who have a lot to say on some of the candidates who are in the running ,  it does not take long until the dislike for one particular candidate becomes glaring obvious when a body is found . I really enjoyed this book , between the relationship between the characters and the back story it made for a gripping read. This was my first read in this series but I can’t wait to go back to the start now and read some more about these awesome characters. My favorite character was Gia , she has a warm heart and is a great friend with just enough nosiness in her character to

make her a great sleuth . Loved this! 

I received this book for review from the lovely folks at Kensington Press and Netgalley. This book is being published November 6th and will be available from all good bookstores then. 

Below please find the links :

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39110735-a-cold-brew-killing

Lena Gregory Website:

http://www.lenagregory.com/

Book Tour