Review: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Emily Henry is one of my favourite authors. She has a real gift for creating wonderful, relatable characters and fabulously funny stories. Book Lovers is her best novel yet.

Nora is a literary agent often compared to a shark. Charlie is an editor with a publishing house and is Nora's Nemesis after he turned down one of Nora's authors who went on to become a bestseller. The bestselling book in question was a feel-good story set in a small town called Sunshine Falls. For a treat, Nora's sister suggests they take a holiday there but it soon becomes apparent that the Sunshine Falls in real life is not remotely like the one in the book. To make matters worse, everywhere Nora goes she bumps into Charlie. What on earth is HE doing in Sunshine Falls? And is Nora's sister being entirely honest about the reason that they're here too...?

In Book Lovers, Emily Henry takes the popular 'Small Town Romance' trope and pays affectionate homage to it. If you've ever watched one of those Hallmark/Netflix movies where the heroine, a confirmed city girl, ends up in a rural town where she meets a handsome farmer/vet/carpenter, you will have fun spotting the references and enjoying the in-jokes. Book Lovers also has an enemies-to-lovers trope (which I love), so there is lots of fabulously funny dialogue between the lead characters. I adored Nora, who is such a refreshing heroine, much misunderstood by everyone, including her own sister, but I LOVED Charlie, who is a complete sweetheart.

Book Lovers is clever, romantic and brilliantly funny. It would suit fans of modern romantic comedy and authors such as Mhairi McFarlane and Beth O'Leary. One of my favourite reads this year. I absolutely loved it!

Thank you to Emily Henry and Viking (Penguin) for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Related Posts:

Beach Read by Emily Henry 
You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

Review: A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon

I chose this book because I adore Joanna Cannon's style of writing and her brilliant, true-to-life characters never disappoint!

A Tidy Ending is about Linda, who lives an ordinary life on an ordinary estate, spending her days clearing up after her messy husband Terry and working in a charity shop. When brochures and catalogues addressed to the previous occupant begin to drop through the letter box,  Linda wonders if she's 'settled' for this dull, boring life of cooking and cleaning, married to the first man who asked her. If her mother had been more supportive, instead of constantly running her down, could Linda have followed her dream to be a hairdresser? Could she have become someone completely different, more glamorous, like the mysterious Rebecca, who lived in the house before her? 

A Tidy Ending puts the lives of 'ordinary' people under a microscope and reproduces their quirky foibles mercilessly. We all know people like this, with their supposedly perfect lives, completely wrapped up in themselves to the detriment of others, keeping secrets, the events that happened in their past still affecting their decisions in the present.

Running alongside the story of Linda and her dissatisfaction with her uneventful life is a murder mystery that has her neighbours completely agog. A succession of women have been killed close to where she lives and the police already suspect Linda's mild-mannered husband. But Linda has more important things to think about!

A Tidy Ending is a story of under-estimating people at your peril, with shades of Patricia Highsmith and Daphne du Maurier, and written with deadpan humour. Linda becomes completely obsessed with tracking down the mysterious Rebecca, oblivious to the way her own 'ordinary' life is collapsing around her. Brilliantly written with several jaw-dropping twists, A Tidy Ending is thoroughly recommended!

Thank you to Joanna Cannon and The Borough Press (HarperCollins UK) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Stone Chamber (#25 DI Wesley Peterson) by Kate Ellis

I've loved Kate Ellis's Wesley Peterson series, right from the very first book (The Merchant's House). I think it is the mix of a classic murder mystery with a historical backstory that does it for me.  This one, the 25th in the series (25th!) is perhaps her best yet.

One summer evening, Robert and Greta Gerdner are shot dead at their home in the Devon countryside. DI Wesley Peterson suspects the execution-style murders might be linked to Robert's past police career, until Robert's name is found on a list of people who've been sent tickets anonymously for a tour of Darkhole Grange - a former asylum on Dartmoor. Others on this list have also died in mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, archaeologist Neil Watson finds the skeleton of a woman buried in a sealed chamber dating back to the fifteenth century at a nearby dig. Is there a connection between the ancient cell and the chilling history of Darkhole Grange?

As always, Kate Ellis has written a brilliantly twisty, cleverly plotted story that is impossible to put down. Multiple characters and multiple threads somehow manage to all connect at the end (I don't know how she does it!), with a reoccurring motif of incarceration. I particularly loved all the spooky houses!

Although this story is the 25th in the series, it is possible to read it as a stand alone. However, there are a lot characters, both regular and new, and it might be easier to at least read the first book to help understand who everyone is.

On of my favourite reads this year, The Stone Chamber would suit anyone who loves classic murder mysteries and authors such as Elly Griffiths.

Thank you to Kate Ellis and Piatkus (Little, Brown Book Group) for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Related Posts:

The House of the Hanged Woman (Albert Lincoln #3) by Kate Ellis

The Burial Circle (Wesley Peterson #24) by Kate Ellis

Dead Man's Lane (Wesley Peterson #23) by Kate Ellis

The Boy Who Lived with the Dead (Albert Lincoln #2) by Kate Ellis

The Mechanical Devil (Wesley Peterson #22) by Kate Ellis

The Mermaid's Scream (Wesley Peterson #21) by Kate Ellis

The Death Season (Wesley Peterson #19) by Kate Ellis

The Shroud Maker (Wesley Peterson #18) by Kate Ellis

The Shadow Collector (Wesley Peterson #17) by Kate Ellis

The Cadaver Game (Wesley Peterson #16) by Kate Ellis

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May

Wild and Wicked Things takes place in the 1920s, when people partied hard to forget the traumas of the War, but it is set in an alternative reality, where magic is real and dangerous. Witches controlled the soldiers and the fighting, so now magic is banned. Even being caught with magic paraphernalia is likely to result in being executed. One exception is Crow Island, where real magic is sold to the tourists as the fake, harmless kind.

The story is told in the main part from Annie's point of view, as she arrives on Crow Island to close up her late father's house and finds herself completely out-of-her-depth amongst the fashionable Bright Young Things. Even though Annie is wary of her glamorous neighbours and their out-of-control parties, she is drawn to them in equal measure, particularly the owner of Cross House, Emmeline Delacroix. 

Emmeline was my favourite character; outwardly tough and hard, with an uncompromising attitude that wins her few friends on Crow Island, but who would do anything to help someone she loves, even put her own life at risk. The characters are a particular strength of this story. Along with Emmeline, there is Isobel, whose magic can affect the weather, and Nathan, a gentle soul whose power is to see into the darkness of others. And it was lovely to see Annie grow in confidence to become more than a match for Emmeline!

The story was a little bit slow to start and I would have loved more world-building - particularly backstory about Crow Island and the mysterious Council - but the characters were brilliant, the tension built up to a terrific finish, and there was even a sweet romance. A kind of mash-up between Gentleman Jack, The Great Gatsby and Practical Magic! Fabulous!

Thank you to Francesca May and Orbit for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily. 

  

The Tangleroot Palace and Other Stories by Marjorie M. Liu

I was attracted to this book by the beautiful cover and I love reading fantasy, particularly the re-imagining of fairy tales. The Tangleroot Palace is a compilation of six short stories and one novella written by bestselling, award-winning comic book author Marjorie M. Liu over the past twelve years. They have been previously published in other anthologies.

Marjorie M Liu is an extremely talented and clever author. She doesn't tie herself to one sub-genre of fantasy, so these stories are a mix of re-imagined fairy tales, fantasy romance, dark fantasy and horror. There are stories about vampires, witches, super-heroes, reluctant princesses and female warriors. My favourite was the novella-length titular story, about a princess rebelling against being a princess, particularly the arranged marriage she is expected to put herself through to save her country from a vicious warlord. I enjoyed it so much, I wish it had been full-length!  I also loved The Briar and the Rose (a re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty with a dark twist), and Sympathy for the Bones, a macabre story of power and revenge between witches.

Some of the stories went over my head because they were not written in a genre I usually enjoy, but The Tangleroot Palace is one of those 'Quality Street' collections: there will be something here for everyone to enjoy! 

I particularly enjoyed the author's notes at the end of each story, citing her inspiration!

Stories included:

Sympathy for the Bones

The Briar and the Rose

The Light and the Fury

The Last Dignity of Man

Where the Heart Lives

After the Blood

Tangleroot Palace (novella)

Thank you to Marjorie M. Liu and Titan Books for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

The Match (Wilde #2) by Harlan Coben

I've been a fan of Harlan Coben's for a long time. When I got my hands this book, the second in his Wilde series, I think I may have screamed. Wilde is one of my favourite characters, second only to Win. The series has a lot about using ancestry websites, and I love researching my family tree, so that was an additional element I loved.

In the first book, The Boy from the Woods, we were introduced to  Wilde, who was found at the age of 6 (or thereabouts) living feral in the woods of the Ramapo Mountains. Now an adult, he knows nothing of his original family, or even if he had one. He's content to live in the woods, often alone. His only relationships are with the family of the first friend he made as a child.

In The Match, Wilde tries to locate his real family via a family history website - one of those that uses DNA samples to match relatives. When one of his contacts disappears under mysterious circumstances, Wilde feels obliged to investigate. The trail leads to a secret online group who expose online trolls. When people connected with this group begin to die, one by one, it becomes clear a killer is out for revenge - and the next person on their list could be Wilde.

I've read every one of Harlan's books and he just keeps getting better and better. The Match is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller that doesn't sacrifice character development for plot. You will care about these people! He's also a master of misdirection. While you're looking one way, smugly thinking you've solved the mystery, he hits you with the twist that was there all along if only you'd been smart enough to spot it! There is an Easter egg for fans, with the reappearance of a character from an earlier book (no spoilers!), as well as fan-favourite, Hester Crimstein (Myron Bolitar), who is a main character here and almost steals the show. Reoccurring themes are the morals of revenge and vigilantism, and how your real family is the one you choose. I do hope there are more books to come! 

The Match is one of my favourite reads this year. I absolutely loved it. Thoroughly recommended to anyone who loves Harlan's books, clever twisty thrillers, and to fans of authors such as Lee Child (Jack Reacher) and Linwood Barclay.

Thank you to Harlan Coben and Cornerstone/Random House for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola

I downloaded this story because I love historical fiction and the cover is beautiful!

Paris 1750. Madeleine is the daughter of a brothel owner, working as a maid after a client scarred her face. She is hired by the police to spy on the mysterious but talented Swiss clockmaker, Dr Reinhart, who has come to the notice of the King due to his intricate mechanical creations - birds and animals made of silver and jewels, that behave just like the real thing. Is Dr Reinhart a genius, ahead of his time, or is there something more sinister behind his work? Meanwhile, the children of Paris are going missing...

The Clockwork Girl is a beautifully written historical novel with a delicious touch of gothic. Told from three points of view. Madeleine, the maid, who is forced to spy to win her freedom; Veronique, Dr Reinhart's daughter, who wants to prove she could be a worthy apprentice to him; and Jeanne, the King's mistress, already aware she is losing her power. Three clever, intelligent women, craving independence and respect, held back by men and each teetering on the edge of disaster.

I've always found the history of automata (the precursor to robots) fascinating so it was fabulous to read a story with that as a background. Paris, in all its squalid 18th century detail, particularly the contrast between rich and poor, is brilliantly realised. The story is a little bit dark in places. To achieve his realistic results, Dr Reinhart buys and dissects the animals he is trying to recreate, which some readers might find upsetting. No spoilers, but the big twist didn't really work for me as I could see where the story was going, but The Clockwork Girl is refreshingly original and I enjoyed it very much. I can't wait to read Anna Mazzola's next book!

Recommended to anyone who loves their gothic historical mysteries a touch on the creepy side!

Thank you to Anna Mazzola and Orion for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin

I downloaded this book after reading an interview with the author. The cover is absolutely beautiful but (ironically) had originally put me off because I thought the story was a satire. A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting is actually a sweet homage to Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen.

Regency England, 1818, and Kitty Talbot has been left destitute by the deaths of her father (once a member of the ton) and mother (an ex-courtesan). She has several sisters to support, as well as a crumbling house, and the bailiffs are due to collect in 12 weeks. What's a girl to do? Go to London and seek an eligible bachelor with a fortune of course!

A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting is a lot of fun. There are the usual romance tropes (enemies-to-lovers: my favourite!), lots of banter, a refreshingly independent heroine, eccentric relatives and a swoon-worthy hero. Historically accurate, with lush descriptions of gowns and parties, but also a nod to the fact that the Regency period was not such a fun place to live if you had no money or society connections.

This was a five-star read for me because I really enjoyed it - it's the perfect escapism! The only drawback (and this is probably because I've read a lot of Georgette Heyer), is that I'd have liked a more original twist on the characters and plot.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like The Grand Sophy or Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer. Or, if you prefer something with more 'heat', perhaps Julia Quinn (Bridgerton) or Lisa Kleypas (The Devil in Winter).

Thank you to Sophie Irwin and Harper Collins UK for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Thief (The Queen's Thief #1) by Megan Whalen Turner

I downloaded this book because YA fantasy is my new favourite thing and I loved the cover with its hint of Greek myths. I hadn't realised the book was originally published in the 1990s, but was intrigued to learn that the series had inspired several of my favourite authors.

Eugenides (Gen) boasts that he can steal anything without being caught, even the King's seal, but unfortunately it is his boasting that lands him in a prison that apparently even he cannot escape from. So his only chance to win back his freedom is when the King's Magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object. But while the Magus is working on an ambitious plan to benefit king and country, Gen has a cunning plan of his own...

At first glance, The Thief appears to be an uncomplicated 'road trip' story of Gen, the Magus, his two apprentices and a soldier, as they travel across three countries, hunting down this mythical object - but there are several large twists!

The characters have lots of adventures along the way and the balance of power switches around as they get to know each other and reluctantly begin to like each other. The characters are brilliantly drawn, particularly the whinging, complaining, failed thief and trickster Gen, but I also loved bookish Sophos, whose father wants him to be a soldier, and the long-suffering Magus, who has to put up with them all. The strength of the story is in the characters and the writing, which is so compelling I read most of the book in one go.

The Thief reminded me a little bit of C.S. Lewis's The Horse and His Boy, but looking ahead at the rest of the series (already published in the USA), I can see it will take a Game of Thrones turn. Although The Thief is a fantasy, the names of the characters, their Gods, and the descriptions of the countryside, have a definite Ancient Greece feel about them - but there is also mention of more modern inventions such as books and guns.

Conclusion? I loved The Thief! Five stars from me, a new favourite author discovered, and I really can't wait for the next book in the series!

Thank you to Megan Whalen Turner and Hodder & Stoughton for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Haunting of Las Lágrimas by W.M. Cleese

The unusual cover of this book caught my eye - I do love pretty book covers! I was hoping for a spooky gothicky historical, and I was not disappointed!

Argentina, 1913: Ursula Kelp developed her love of gardening because of her eccentric grandfather. When he died and left her his estate, she hoped to continue his work but he left lots of debts and her family refused to help her financially, so his house and garden had to be sold. Ursula's parents assumed she'd meekly return home and accept an arranged marriage, but instead she sets off to Argentina, determined to fulfil her dream of becoming a professional gardener. When she's offered the opportunity to become head gardener at the isolated Las Lágrimas, she jumps at the chance. But her new colleagues are distrustful and sexist, the garden is a hopeless jungle and, when Strange Things Happen, she starts to realise that maybe there was a very good reason that no one else wanted the job!

I really enjoyed this supernatural story and the unusual setting of Argentina. The location is brilliantly realised and I loved the character of Ursula, who knows she has taken on too much, but is determined to prove her detractors wrong. The house is deliciously spooky and the staff who work there are strange, eccentric and sometimes downright nasty. Her sleazy boss has problems of his own, and refuses to admit that he also hears the sound of  someone chopping down trees in the wood when there is no one there.

I did find the story a little bit too slow burn at times. While I'm a keen gardener, and enjoyed the gardening detail, I can see that a reader hoping for jump shocks and gruesome horror might be disappointed. I loved the scenes from the past, that 'replay' every night, the floating lights and the deft weaving of the house's dark past into the story. However, the supernatural occurrences came a bit too thick and fast towards the end, and I found it hard to get my head around the logic of some of them.

The Haunting of Las Lágrimas is a slow burn supernatural horror story that would appeal to readers looking for a story with an unusual setting, traditional hauntings, and for fans of authors such as Laura Purcell (The Silent Companions). 

Warning: Story contains mention of animal cruelty, an off-the-page rape scene and off-the-page BDSM.

Thank you to W.M. Cleese and Titan Books for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.