Tag: RATED 4/5

I Can See You by Karen Rose (Minneapolis #1)

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My Rating: 4/5

I am a pretty avid Karen Rose fan I must admit, and I have been slowly working through her older books I have yet to read. Before I started this one I glanced on other Amazon reviews to see what other people thought. One thing that frustrated me was a low rating this book was given due to the `romance’ aspect of it. The one thing I do know about Karen Rose, and something potential readers should know is that her genre is `romantic suspense’. The genre kind of gives it away, but if you only want murder and mystery and no more then maybe this isn’t for you. Myself, I see nothing wrong with a bit of romance and lust thrown in over a serial killer or two; I find it `lightens the load’ so to speak.

This book in particular, like many others of hers, is not a short one. The hardback is a pretty hefty weight and all in all has nearly 500 pages. As usual, it took me no more that one or two chapters to be drawn into the book. Once you have read a few of Karen Rose books you realise that various characters appear in more than one book. Although this is the case each of her books can be read as a stand alone. We meet Eve who is a woman (previously featuring in another book Nothing to Fear) with a past. She is trying to rebuild her life after a terrifying ordeal where she was kidnapped, tortured and left for dead. She works part time in a bar while studying her thesis which involves an online game called Shadowland.

The first thing that struck me about this book is the fact that this was a perfectly believable situation. With the online gaming world taking off it put the fear of God into me while reading it (ridiculous I know)! Pretty soon after meeting Eve we meet Noah Webster who is a copper with his own secrets and past. Along with his temperamental partner Jack we see them dragged into a case which should be a simple suicide. It becomes clear pretty quickly that it isn’t the case and before long they are dealing with a serial killer.

The story is quite long and detailed with numerous suspect possibilities and just when I thought I had it figured out, I realised I was wrong. I was wondering if this book was a bit too long but by the halfway mark I literally couldn’t put it down. Yes there is a predictable element of romance within the book and some pretty hot and steamy scenes towards the end, but to be fair the people involved had a very bad week and I think it was deserved:-)))

As I have read a fair few of her books now, I wouldn’t say this is my favourite but was still a riveting read as usual. Overall, another great book by Karen Rose and one that I would highly recommend.

All For You by Sheila O’Flanagan

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My Rating: 4/5

I have read every one of Sheila O’Flanagan’s books and have enjoyed every single one of them. This seemed like a different type of book, and with a subject matter that many can empathise with. Deanna Ryan is a character that takes a while to connect with. After the initial first few chapters are read, you begin to get an idea of the bigger picture in the lives of the Ryan women. Lainey on the other hand is a wonderful character that you instantly love. She is the very successful weather presenter, as well as being a hopeless romantic. How the two women are mother and daughter is a mystery in the beginning of the book.

However, as you read on, you learn a little about Lainey’s current life, the decisions she makes and the hopes that she has for herself. Alongside this element of the story, we see the build up and history of Deanna’s life and the story that led to Lainey being brought up by her Grandmother Madeleine. The mixture of past and present was cleverly done and everything builds up to create the full picture.

The romantic element of the story is actually not that important in the grand scheme of things as the main focus is on the family element. Deanna was a hard character to get to know, she seemed intent on being only good at one thing and that was women’s rights. As I read on I found myself disliking her even more, but thankfully as I neared the middle I started to see the reasoning behind her actions.

The book is featured in two main settings, one being Ireland where Lainey lives and works and the other being California, which is where Deanna lives. I loved the switch between the two places as it kept it interesting. I began to feel more involved in the story as you realise there is a lot more than meets the eye to the story of Lainey and Deanna’s life. I also loved the element of Lainey’s love life and absolutely loathed her boyfriend Ken, who thankfully doesn’t feature too much!

The ending was building up to the conclusion of the story and I enjoyed finally realising that all the pieces of the puzzle fitted however…there is a `but’! I finished the final chapter and thought “oh, I must have missed something?”. I was really shocked that it had ended so abruptly and I felt a little bit cheated. I would have loved to have found out just that little bit more regarding a couple of characters such as Shay and Fergal. Looking back, maybe Sheila wanted it that way, where you are left to wonder and it isn’t wrapped up quite as neatly as people expect.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and thought that it was a subtle departure form the normal type of books from SOF. It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I had got there I loved it! 

Private Lives by Tasmina Perry

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My Rating: 4/5

Tasmina Perry is an author whose books I immensely look forward to each year. Her books are always pretty long and substantial and this one is no different. I received a paperback version (as it was a proof copy) and it came in at just under 700 pages. The cover as always is particularly eye catching and the synopsis was one that sounded juicy and full of glamour.

The main characters are plentiful, as is the story itself. We meet the main female character, Anna Kennedy. She is a lawyer working for the stars. Wherever there is scandal, she isn’t far behind doing her best to cover up and protect the paying celebrities. Her first client at her new firm is Sam Charles. He is a British born actor who is Hollywood‘s heartthrob, but sadly when a story is threatened to be published, Anna needs to step in quickly. Amy Hart was known as a party girl, but when she is found dead her family starts asking questions.

The plot is lengthy and there are lots of twists and turns. No stone is unturned when showing us the murky side of the law, where the more you pay, means the more you are protected. Some of the other main characters are slowly introduced to us, such as Matthew and Larry Donovan, Helen Pierce and numerous others. The one thing that stands out with Tasmina Perry, is that you aren’t just taken into these characters lives, you are made to feel a part of them. The story has numerous threads which only start to unravel and intertwine towards the end, making for a lot of possibilities. As usual with a Perry book, we get to see each of the characters and their love lives, whether they are happy or a complete disaster.

I particularly liked Anna Kennedy and Matthew. Their characters were strong and a lot nicer that the resident evil character of Helen Pierce! One of the main draws of this book, is that there is more than a touch of realism to the story line. The world involving news stories and celebrities, is one that is familiar to people across the world. The story also delves into the dirty world of politicians and what lengths they will got to, to ultimately get their own way (sound familiar?!?).

This book, unlike others before have more of a suspense feel to it, than her usual Bonkbuster mix. Having said that I enjoyed it just like I have with each and every book she is written. Was this my favourite? Err, no, but even as a book that isn’t her best it was still a solid read with a great writing style and I loved it. Highly recommended.

Dead Like You by Peter James (Roy Grace #6)

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My Rating: 4/5

I first picked up a Peter James book a while back entitled `Dead Simple’. It was (luckily for me) the first in the Roy Grace Series and was based around a harmless stag night prank that went wrong. From that book I was hooked and each of the 4 books that followed was fantastic. Thankfully this latest instalment is no different. This latest Roy Grace offering is pretty hefty with a massive 500 pages. This didn’t put me off, in actual fact quite the opposite.

This story all starts following the brutal rape of a woman on New Years Eve. Only a week later another woman is attacked. What concerns Roy is that both of the women that were attacked had their shoes taken. It begins to ring alarm bells with him as these current attacks seem to mirror those that haunted Brighton back in 1997. The attacker back in 1997 had been named `The Shoe man’ and was believed to have raped 5 women before moving on to kill another 2. The attacker was never caught and Roy finds himself wondering whether the killer is back or whether they have a copycat on their hands.

Roy Grace has come back in this book a little more relaxed than before. He is living with his girlfriend Cleo who is due to give birth to their first baby any day. Cleo and Roy’s relationship has taken time to grow on me but as you see more and more of Cleo’s supportive side you get to like her that little bit more. In addition to Roy we see the return of Glen Branson who works with Roy. He recently split from his wife and is going through a hard time. I must admit we didn’t see as much of Glen this time as in previous books and I missed his presence at times.

The story itself is written over two time periods. The further in to the investigation Roy goes, the more of the past you get to see. We see him working both crime scenes both in the present and the past. It’s written cleverly and isn’t made too complicated. The reader gets to see the parallels and the differences between the two cases which ended up making me feel like I had solved the case halfway through. I was wrong, so I think my police career is a non-starter!

There are still enough plot twists to keep you interested and several suspects which makes for interesting reading. I also thought that Peter James had dealt with the rape storyline very well with it not being too over the top, but trying to be sensitive at the same time. I whizzed through this in a matter of days and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes I was disappointed that we didn’t see anything of the `Sandy’ storyline come up but there is always hope for the next instalment.

If you have never read Peter James and like Crime/Thriller’s, I would highly recommend you give this a try.

Stolen by Susan Lewis

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My Rating: 4/5

Lucy Winters’ parents have always been there for her. Loving, gentle and kind they have given her everything she could have wished for. Now, estranged from her husband, she has moved to the country to take over their thriving auction business. The moment she begins to prepare for her first sale she knows she’s made the right decision. And she dares to hope that at last she is living the life she has always dreamed of.

But then, quite suddenly, her world is thrown into turmoil. She discovers a shocking truth, one that forces her to question everything she has ever known. And it becomes frighteningly possible that the very people who should have protected her are the ones who have betrayed her in the most devastating of ways. Can she ever forgive them? Can they ever forgive themselves…?

I always enjoy Susan Lewis’ books. There is a certain quality of realism to them and real feeling which makes a pleasant change. This book was no different and as you read the prologue, you get an idea of the harrowing scenario one set of parents face as their child disappears. The first few chapters are spent introducing us to Lucy Winters and her family. Lucy is an easy character to like as she struggles to convince her daughter that their relocation is a good idea. Lucy has been given the task of runnign her parents auction business. Lucy’s husband and daughter make you realise that her life is not straightforward and her husband I took an instant dislike to.

Once Lucy has made her fresh start and tries to run her parents business she soon realises that there are more problems than she realises. We soon meet the other characters that make up this wonderful book. There is Sarah who is suffering her own losses as she tries to come to terms with the loss of her father and son as well as trying to get through day to day life.

John and Pippa are newcomers to the town and I immediately fell in love with the brother and sister and wanted only good things for them. The book took me no time at all to get in to and I was soon beginning to see that there were many threads to the story as well as many unanswered questions.

The main plots become inter weaved and as the book nears the end all the answers become a lot clearer. What I loved about this book is that there were so many outcomes that could have been, but the ones that actually took place made the book lovely to read. It was as usual for one of her books a pleasure to read and very heartfelt. It frightens me to think that things like this probably do happen many times in real life but the book is written with real sensitivity and I thought it was very enjoyable. I look forward to the next book from her.

L’Auberge by Julia Stagg

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My Rating: 4/5

The nice thing about debut novels is that your expectation is set pretty low as you have nothing previously to base your opinion on. When I got this book I was quite surprised as it was a lot smaller than what I thought I would get for a debut novel at a mere 280 pages. However, undeterred I made a start on this book and soon found myself in the thick of things in Fogas.

I found it a little slow to start with but a few chapters in and I was beginning to get a feel for the characters living in this small French village. We meet all sorts of different people from Josette, the owner of a small shop and makeshift bar, to Serge Papon the Mayor, to the postmistress Veronique. In addition to these after a few chapters we meet the English couple, Lorna and Paul, who are unwittingly the talk of the village. The characters were all easy enough to get a grasp of but if ound it difficult to get a feel for a few of them and Josette the shop owner as well as Christian, the deputy mayor, was another. I persevered and let the story tell itself, hoping that the non-connection with a few characters wouldn’t matter.

Luckily overall it didn’t have that much of an impact but left me feeling a little bit like something was missing. From the point of view of the story itself, it is something I can imagine has happened many times in many different small villages across the world. There is nothing like new people trying something new to get villagers worried. In the case of L’Auberge it is no different. We see the Mayor and his plotting revenge on the English couple and the struggle they have against all the local anger and foreign red tape.

I enjoyed the setting and think Julia Stagg did a grand job of describing what sounded like a very quaint village in France. The ending was wrapped up nicely and there was a romantic element for a couple of characters thrown in too.

I certainly enjoyed this book but my main gripe was that I didn’t connect with a couple of the characters and ended up feeling like the story was just that tad too short. Having said that, I really liked the style of writing and it was certainly an enjoyable read. The great thing about debut novels is that if you enjoyed it you have a solid start. After all her books can only get better and for that reason I am really looking forward to reading the next one.

The Murder Exchange by Simon Kernick

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My Rating: 4/5

I am slowly working my way through Simon Kernick’s books and this is the second book he released. Simon Kernick has a very certain type of writing style. His books are usually very fast paced and normally it takes only a matter of a chapter or two before you are thrown in at the deep end of a story.

This book followed the same format and we dive straight into Max Iversson’s bad decision and when it all goes wrong. However, although you are thrown in at the deep end very quickly, the suspense level is not as high as I am used to with a Kernick book. I think this is a sure sign of the amount of time he has been writing. The fact that I read his newer stuff first and have gone back to his older work has the disadvantage of showing his weaker points at the beginning of his career.


Although slightly weaker than usual the story itself was a good one. Max Iversson was a great character, and although he usually stays within the law, he finds himself inadvertently being drawn over to the other side in his fight for the truth. John Gallan was also a pretty good character and although the typical `copper’ we see in books, there was no glossing over his very mundane personal life which actually brought more realism to the book in my eyes. We flit between characters by chapter and as the story progresses you see more and more of each one and they eventually overlap.

Other characters making a brief appearance is Tina Boyd (who appears in later Kernick books) as well as the Holtz family who are a central part of the plot. As ever there is no holding back on the levels of violence and gore, although it’s all done in keeping with the story. As usual towards the end we pick up even more pace before getting to the climax and pretty good ending. Overall I really dud enjoy the book, but for some reason there seemed to be something lacking. I have thought about it and really do think this is a case of reading his newer books first. This is certainly not a bad book by any means, but think that it certainly isn’t a good example of the first class work that he has gone on to produce. Another solid read, but slightly lacking that magic something!

Deadline by Simon Kernick

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My Rating: 4/5

I am slowly working my way through Simon Kernick’s books ever since picking up the book Relentless. Now I have to point out that after reading Relentless which is a 10 out of 10 book, the expectation was high. I also had the misfortune of not reading the books in order of publication which I dislike doing, even if they are stand alone novels.

In this book we meet Mike Bolt, a member of the SOCA. I get the impression that he may have appeared in previous books but you still get an overall history of him so this book can be read on its own. Mike is dragged into the investigation but has no idea that Andrea Devern is the lady in trouble. This is a major part of the storyline which adds to the tension of the story itself.

Andrea Devern is a woman in distress and as usual Simon Kernick manages to translate the fear onto paper. You can almost imagine yourself standing right next to this woman whose daughter’s life is being threatened. The first few chapters we are thrown in at the deep end with Andrea and see her making split second decision in order to try and save her daughter. There is also an underlying element of suspicion with the woman.

As usual the pace is frighteningly fast and before you know it you are halfway through the book. One of the things I love about Kernick is that when you start reading his books you feel like you are being physically dragged in and you are powerless to stop reading. There are many twists and turns in this book and the suspense level is cranked high. We get to read about Andrea chasing her daughter, Mike chasing the case and surprisingly we also see a glimmer of Andrea’s daughter Emma and the nightmare she has been dragged in to.

We also see Tina Boyd make an appearance on the case, and she can be seen in other Kernick books. I love Simon Kernick’s style of writing and don’t think for that he can be faulted. This isn’t my favourite book of his (as Relentless is just the best), but this is definitely an easy to read, high octane thriller with lots of plot twists. Overall another corker of a read from Kernick, sit down and hold on tight for the ride.

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

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My Rating: 4/5

Rosy Thornton has written 4 books, and the first of her books I read was the most recent, Tapestry of Love. Having loved that, I went on and brought her other three.

This one is very different to the other two I have read so far and is more of your typical `chick lit’ with a dash of real life thrown in for good measure. The book introduces us to Mina who is working at the call centre that she doesn’t particularly like, but it pays the bills. Her next caller happens to be Peter who has had an accident in his car. For some reason the two of them click and they are eventually drawn into each others lives despite the geographical difference.

We get to see a bigger portion of Peter’s life that we do Mina’s but as the story progresses this makes sense. The two of them share common ground in that they are both single parents. The element of real life I mentioned in the story is that of the parent role of these two people. It is written really well and we get to see the trials and tribulations their kids put them through, which I am sure many parents could relate to.

Peter and Mina find themselves drawn over experience and as a reader we get to see how things pan out, and how mistakes can be made when you only have one version of events. The thing that really struck me is the fact that there is no real storyline that is the major thread of this book. I know that sounds strange, but that is what makes it so special. This is about two people facing every day things that many people will understand. We meet their children, friends and family who also made the book even better. Peter has twin girls and Mina has a daughter and they are very close in age making the subtle link and bond between Peter and Mina very real.

The children in this book, Cassie and Kim the twins and Sal, Mina’s daughter, all played a part in the story in their own way. We get to see their lives and how things affect them and how this in turn affects their parents.

We also see Mina’s mum and stepdad Dave as they tackle the issues surrounding Mina’s younger sister Jess. On the other side of the fence we see Peter’s friends and neighbours Jeremy and Martin (who I adored as characters) as well as Trish who occasionally babysits for him.

I can honestly say that I really, really enjoyed this. I was so shocked that such ordinary events could be structured into such a lovely book, as normally we have a main story to entertain us. In my opinion this just goes to show how good a writer Rosy Thornton is, a woman that can take every day, mundane stuff and turn it into a story. My only gripe was that I wanted it to last a little longer.

Don’t be put off if you read the back and think it’s a typical story revolving around a single parent woman who wants to be rescued. It’s truly the opposite and was an absolute pleasure to read.

Welcome To My World by Miranda Dickinson

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My Rating: 4/5

I never read Miranda Dickinson’s debut novel so this second book of hers left me with no expectations. The front cover is a pretty standard affair when it comes to Chick Lit novels and as I had no comparisons I set out to read and hopefully find another great Chick Lit author.

In the beginning of the story we meet Harriet (better known as Harri) who has locked herself in the cubicle of a toilet in the village hall. You as the reader have no clue what has happened to her, and we only get snippets of how she is feeling. You are then transported back to how it all began. Throughout the whole of the book we continually come back to Harri in the cubicle and get given another snippet of the story until finally at the end it is all revealed.

We meet Harri and the people that live in the local area. The story is helped massively by the setting in which Miranda Dickinson has set it. It is painted as the typical local village where everybody knows everyone else’s business. This meant that we meet a lot of the people living around the village who are part of Harri’s life including her friend Stella, her boss George, her friend Alex’s mum Viv amongst others.

We also meet Harri’s infamous best friend Alex. Alex spent the best part of ten years travelling and has finally settled back in the village opening his own coffee shop. He and Harri have a great friendship and this shows through with the writing and creates a great pair. I also liked Harri’s work colleagues George, Nus and Tom as they added a little bit of humour to the story.

This book was so easy to read it was untrue. The writing is good and I actually really liked the characters and the setting. Having said that there are elements of this that are a little too predictable, but to honest this didn’t stop me enjoying it at all! I think to sum this kind of book up is that it is enjoyable, lighthearted and easy to read. I would definitely read another Miranda Dickinson and would recommend this to people that want an enjoyable chick lit book.