Review of ‘The Body At Carnival Bridge’ by Michelle Salter

‘The Body At Carnival Bridge’ by Michelle Salter is a mystery set in the 1920s, and follows the life of journalist Iris Woodmore. After spending time abroad, Iris is back home and hoping to return to work on her old paper. Things have changed in Walden. Local businesswoman Constance Timpson has brought in equal pay for woman in her factories, and the right for married women to continue working. Not everyone is happy about this. When one of the workers is murdered, Iris starts investigating, and finds that many other women may be in danger, including Constance. Can she uncover the culprit before it is too late?

I love the strong women characters in Michelle Salter’s stories. Not just Iris. She writes them well, and ties their lives in with historical events of the time. Iris is a force of nature and has no intention of staying in her ‘place’, as dictated by the mores of the time.

This book dealt with real issues of the time. Issues that women were faced with every day. They were woven cleverly into a wonderful mystery. I loved it.

I was given this ARC for review

Some Great New Books To Read

Coming February 2022

Nicola Upson’s Josephine Tey mysteries

I received some very welcome mail this week, in the form of new paperbacks to review. I must thank Faber Books for the opportunity to read these new books from two great authors- Tove Alsterdal and Nicola Upson.

Kitty’s Top Ten Books of 2020

We’ve all relied on distractions this year. I know I have. Books have been a lifeline and have taken us to other places, far away from the world we’ve had to live in.

I have read so many wonderful books over the past twelve months, so choosing a Top Ten has been extremely difficult. Only three have been pure romance and each of the three were exceptional. Two were mystery and crime stories and among the best I’ve ever read in that genre. The remaining books on my list veered into other genres – science fiction, fantasy and the supernatural. I needed some escapism it seems. 

I recommend each and every one and hope that you will have a look at my reviews and maybe try them for yourselves. Here are my Top Ten, in alphabetical order

Finding Jessica Lambert by Clare Ashton

The Lost Temple of Psiere by K Aten

The Thing About Tilly by G Benson

Never Too Late for Heroes by A.L. Brooks

Spirited by Julie Cohen

Alsea Rising: The Seventh Star by Fletcher Delancey

Without A Trace by Mari Hannah 

Christmas in Mistletoe by Clare Lydon

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Whispering Wildwood by Emma Sterner-Radley

 

Review of ‘The Scandal’ by Mari Hannah

‘The Scandal’ is a gripping story from the start, as a terrified woman flees for her life, frantically trying to evade her pursuer. I could feel her fear. But it is the investigation into another death that impacts DS Frankie Oliver and she finds herself in conflict with her boss, DI David Stone. The realism, be it of story, character or setting, really struck me.

Mari Hannah captures the emotions of her characters with such insight and precision. I appreciated that the police never lost sight of the victims and their families. I also can’t get enough of the North East as described in Ms Hannah’s novels. She moves from the beauty of the Northumberland countryside to the modern, vibrant city of Newcastle. This is the first of the Stone and Oliver series that I’ve read but I was so impressed that I’ll have to go and read the other two. An excellent read and highly recommended.

I was given this ARC for review by Netgalley and Orion.

Review of ‘Once Upon A Princess’ by Clare Lydon and Harper Bliss

Enchanting is the perfect word to sum up ‘Once Upon a Princess’ by Clare Lydon and Harper Bliss. Set on the beautiful Cornish coast, it is a story of true love and passion. Princess Olivia goes incognito as Charlie to Otter Bay after being forced to announce her engagement to the eminently suitable Jemima. While trying to clear her head and accept her fate she meets Rosie, local cafe owner and the woman who may just capture her heart. There are so many obstacles to this particular fairytale having a happy ending. Will they find a way? Can Olivia keep her identity a secret?

This book was always going to be a winner, with two of the best Lesfic romance writers in the business. Clare Lydon and Harper Bliss have managed to collaborate seamlessly and have created a wonderful love story. I really liked the main characters Rosie and Charlie (Olivia). Charlie was torn between duty and what she really wanted in life. Rosie was strong and capable and perfect for her. Their story was tender and loving and very hot. I adored it.

I was given this ARC in return for an honest review.

Review of ‘Love Came Calling’ by C.A. Popovich

Kelly and Josie want very different things from a relationship. Kelly is a nurse and in need of a new challenge. Josie owns and runs a lesbian lodge resort and they meet when Kelly takes a vacation there with friends. Their attraction is powerful  but neither can give into it for fear of being hurt. Nevertheless they spend more and more time with each other and when Josie feels threatened by a stranger Kelly wants to be there for her. The slow-building threat was well executed. The suspense and tension was palpable. I really liked both main characters and Josie’s grandmother, Nooko. They were well rounded and I could believe in them. Josie had fears that she needed to face and although I felt like shouting at her to give Kelly a chance I knew she had to get there in her own time. Kelly was loving and caring and had such patience. Her growing relationship was Nooko was sweet and pivotal to the story. Nooko’s background gave an interesting dimension to the story and really added to the it. But it was the relationship between the two younger women that made this book for me. The love scenes were very emotionally charged and showed just how intense their feelings were for each other. I enjoyed the book so much.

I was given this ARC in return for an honest review.

Review of ‘The Dream Catcher’ by Annette Mori

Annette Mori has the unique gift of writing unusual and interesting novels dealing with issues rarely discussed by other authors. In ‘The  Dream Catcher’ Heaven struggles to cope with her particular gift of turning her dreams into reality. She is a Dream Weaver and some of the things she dreams up are terrifying. Others are as a result of erotic dreams and rather more fun. When she has the chance of finding a solution to her problems with the help of Maya, a Dream Catcher, things begin to look up. But it’s only the beginning of an adventure involving other women in a similar position to her own – and it’s going to take everything she’s got to survive it. Bipolar women and girls have been targeted and used for nefarious ends by the government.

I liked the whole premise of the story. It was imaginative and unlike anything I’ve read before. We find out what is behind it all at the same Heaven does as it is written in the first person. This really worked well. There were a lot of secrets and by slowly teasing them out it added to the mystery. This was fundamentally about good versus evil but with Annette Mori’s trademark quirky twist. A highly enjoyable read.

I was given this ARC in return for an honest review.

 

Amazon UK

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Review of ‘Banquet’ by Adan Ramie

Banquet is an interesting  and quirky sci-fi story, with a multitude of aliens trying to survive in a hostile environment. Rison is a bit of a loner. She’s  on a prison transport, with a mission of her own. Getting thrown off course unexpectedly, she has to decide if she cares enough to help those who need her. I really liked Kobi, the ultra cute teeny android and was glad when he showed up. The writing is descriptive and imaginative and I liked the character building.  The twist really had me fooled.

I was given this ARC in return for an honest review.

Review of ‘Twisted Deception’ by Isabella

‘Twisted Deception’ is an excellently crafted story with more than a few surprises and just the right amount of tension and suspense. It revolves around three women – Addie Blake, hard working employee of Integrated Financial and downtrodden girlfriend, Greyson Hollister, CEO of the company and resident Ice Queen, and Detective Nancy Hill, who is investigating an attack at the company. Without giving anything away I will say that their interactions are fraught with intense emotion and in dealing with serious and scary issues we see more of their personalities and how they change each other. Addie’s relationship with her girlfriend is toxic and affects so much about her life. But I could see a strength in her that was very appealing. Greyson may be the Ice Queen to her employees but seeing the softer, caring side of her was wonderful. Nancy was tenacious and dogged in her pursuit of the attacker, but she was also understanding and willing to listen. I  must admit I did not see a few of the twists coming. And when they came they were explosive. I really enjoyed this book and would like to see these characters again. 5 Stars

I was given this ARC in return for an honest review.

Out 1st June 2018

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Review of ‘The Princess Deception’ by Nell Stark

This book was one of those that grew on me the more I read it. I didn’t realise just how much I would become invested in Viola and Duke’s story but by the end I was willing them to be together. Princess Viola of Belgium decides to impersonate her twin brother Sebastian at a crucial event. She is determined his heroin overdose won’t become common knowledge as she attends a FIFA meeting to try and secure a bid to host the World Cup. Ex-soccer player and rookie reporter Duke sees through the ruse right away, especially since she is attracted to ‘Sebastian’ and is never normally attracted to men. Will her new career lead her to ‘out’ Viola? Or will love conquer all?

Their attraction is intense and extremely hot- sizzling in fact! But the love shone through more than anything else and they were destined for each other. Nell stark gave more than a nod to the previous books in her Princess series by including some of the characters in this story. Since I haven’t read those yet I am keen to get a hold of them now. ‘The Princess Deception’ is a lovely, sexy romance that swept me off my feet.

I was given this ARC in return for an honest review.