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