b00kw0rms0fthew0rldunite's reviews
678 reviews

Another gripping book from Allison  Grey. This book follows on from The Lady Thief of Belgravia and is set about 2 or 3 years later. We first came to know both Violet Latimer and John Barrow in the first book as Dellas friend and Cole's valet, and this was their story.

This was every bit as good as the first book although this book was quite darker and grittier than the first and kept me tensed up thinking, when is this going to go wrong. It can be read as a stand alone although having read both, it certainly enhances the characters having known them from the start. 

The picture painted of the era, the conditions and society at the time is heartbreaking and yet accurate.  Allison Grey has superbly researched Victorian times for these books and I could feel it and taste it through her excellent writing. The reason I spent most of the book on edge was a testament to how vicious she wrote her characters. I was so scared that Violet and John would be found out during one of their liaisons that I had to skip to the end of the chapter to check how it ended before I went back to enjoy it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more from Allison Grey in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me the chance to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own. 

This was a delightful book to read and full of the joys of village life, from the gossips to the self appointed heroes to the nosy neighbours and the great friendships.

I really liked the character of Alice who finds herself in quite the pickle from the moment the book starts. From her relationship to her home to her car and her job. I like the way that Alice was relatable and funny, not someone who would be a pristine model of a person. Danny was also a shining light for me, I love the banter they share and how they have each others backs always.

It was an easy read for me, with seamless writing and enough twists and turns to keep me interested. There was quite the abrupt ending when some things got solved but not really investigated and other things are left unsolved. I wonder if this is the start of a brand new series that will hold bits and pieces over into next books?

Apart from that, the only thing I would change about this book was the title. There was no murder at all. Dastardly plots and villains aplenty but no-one kicked the bucket. Mischief and Mayhem in the Old Curiosity Shop?

I'd like to read more from this author and will keep my eyes out for more in this series!

Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Debbie Young for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sharon Booth writes beautiful books that are always somehow a bit grittier than a lot of other romances or lighthearted rom-coms. She is very honest with her characters all having realistic flaws and nowhere near perfect fairytale lives. This was book 5 of Tuppenny Bridge and I have read all but the first in the series so far.

This book is by far the most heartbreaking. We have seen throughout the series, the guilt and pain that one fateful night has brought on to almost a whole village. This book is no exception. The characters all experience love and pain in their books in the series but this one takes it to a whole new level. I think that the subject matter of domestic violence and abuse, especially in the way represented in this book, is an important one to have out there. It shares representations of what the abused may be feeling and what the family and friends go through too. A tough thing to write about but done really well through Sharon Booth. I also think that given the graphic violence, the blurb and cover may be a tad misleading. It makes it look more rosy and cosy than it actually is.

I enjoy the community of Tuppenny Bridge, especially the busy bodies and nasties combined with the loved up lovely characters. It shows you that no matter how nice you are, a good rumour mill can never be slowed down. I enjoyed reading from Zach's perspective and I smell that a brand new character related to Kat will be in the series before it finishes.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Another mysterious tale of Sherlock Holmes...but not of Sherlock Holmes! Harry White is an amazing character and the premise behind this series being based on a true circumstance is delicious!

This is the second in the series and I must say that it is even better than the first. We again find Harry in the mail room at the bank, reading and replying to mail for Mr Sherlock Holmes. This book sees her unable to resist another mystery as she again enlists the help of Oliver Fortesque and sets out to unravel the puzzle. When it came to the method in which the victim was being... victimised I knew very early on how it was happening. Also I knew the dark secret that he was hiding. As to all the rest, a delightful surprise when I came upon it. 

There were other characters that made an appearance from the first book. Some delightful and others not as much. There were quite the few red herrings that had trails of thought galloping madly in the wrong direction as well.

It is shaping up to be quite the series and I always look forward to more from Holly Hepburn. The amount of research that goes into her tales is amazing and she writes beautifully for the era that they are set. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read the ARC. All opinions written are my own.

Debbie Johnson is the queen of rom-coms, engaging banter and book boyfriends that you would love to meet yourself!

A Very Irish Christmas is the story of a woman who is very understandably feeling cast off, rejected and depressed. She decides to have a major life change and in doing so, essentially 'fakes it til she makes it' and feels more herself than she has in a while. Cassie meets two very eligible bachelors and before you know it, her true self shines out and she has affected those that she meets with her bonnie self.

There isn't any quick fixes in the book, nor is there grand misunderstandings between lovers. No kitsch tropes, just good, honest communication and following your heart.

I really liked the characters in the book, especially those up at the manor. A butler who is part of the family, the family matriarch and the 'child' who looks messed up but is dealing with trauma. Eedjit is the star of the show for me and has my heart.

A perfect book for snuggling up with in a Christmas mood and devouring in one sitting! Thanks so much to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and Debbie Johnson herself for a lovely ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was my first read from Victoria Liiv and definitely won't be my last! It was a well written book with finely tuned characters and as it turns out, a prequel to the Fairies of Death book, which is kind of perfect seeing as I haven't read the FOD yet.

Siya is the type of character that is very human, despite not being one! She is shown to be scared and strong, sensible and lustful and all the crazy emotions that come in between. She is fierce when it comes to her child and that is plain to see. Grath is fantastic too, he grew on me so much when he realised that his feelings are more important than rituals or image.

This book ended quite abruptly and it's clear that there will be more to their story although I'm not sure it will be resolved in book 2. I have to dive in and find out. Isay and Kar are a couple that will be hot, I'm sure if their start was anything to go by.

Can't wait to keep reading! Thanks to the lovely Victoria Liiv who gave me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Helen Phifer is the queen of creepy and things that go bump in the night! I loved her Detective Maria Miller books and have only just read that series, I love that there are so many more for me to binge on. 
Annie Graham is a tough yet sweet, down to earth lady with a funny banter about her. The book opens to see her make the life altering situation of leaving her abusive marriage a priority to get out of. This is a lovely way to realise that tough cops still can be emotionally abused and prey to viciousness, and that the abused aren't weak willed but just in an impossible situation.
It also builds the solid base around Annie and we meet Kav and Jake. The best found family that a girl could ask for. The story introduces Will Ashworth and he is my number 1 book boyfriend at the moment! Funny and sweet, loyal and hot to boot. The banter these two have together is funny and makes the book for me.

The book is a dual timeline, the 1890's is seen through Alice's diary entries and we learn about her life with Edward. Still at the end of the book we haven't got every single answer about the end of Alice's life and that makes the situation more realistic than if it were neatly tied up with a bow. 

I love the way that Helen Phifer brings real life events, places and people into her stories and her entry of an infamous serial killer from Victorian times is an amazing story to read. Her research is amazing and I look out for these inclusions in every book!

I love the blend of crime procedural and thriller/paranormal and the modern day storyline was just as gripping as the historical one. I found it very hard to stop reading when it was past my bedtime. I listened to the audio book version and the narrator did an impeccable job. I couldn't get over her accents and male voices and fell in love with Will a little more because of 'his' voice!

The ending was gripping and I loved the blend of humanity that the characters brought. I enjoyed the fact that even trained police officers could be brought down and the fact that they weren't Bruce Willis type characters who should be dead 3 times over from their injuries but are still as strong as a steam train.
All in all, I loved it and cannot wait to read the next in the series!! Thanks so much to Netgalley and HQ Digital for an ARC to listen to. All opinions are my own.

  When I started reading this book I wasn't quite sure when it was set. It had retro vibes and Alice seemed like the perfect 50's housewife type. Then I read on and found references to Pringles, mobile phones and all sorts of modern bits and found my footing. 

I can honestly say that this book delighted me on so many levels. I found Alice charming, and her mates at the agency were fabulous femme fatales with a solid sisterhood charm. Agatha was the star of the show and the many references to Agatha Christie had me grinning like a loon. I can definitely relate to Alice Beeton on so many things.

I loved the writing and found myself unable to stop reading on way past my bedtime. I actually listened to the narrator and loved her audio. I was astonished at how male her male voices sounded. Her accents were spot on and I think she did the most perfect Alice that really brought out her character.

As the story went on, I found myself liking some characters more and more while actively despising others and what they had done to the people around them. It takes a good writer to truly make you loathe a character or to feel so many emotions throughout one book.

The storyline grew and grew on me and Alice found herself deeper than she could possibly be in so many things. I found the ending clever and not too predictable, especially in the grand unmasking and Poirot style spill all at the end. I like the way we weren't told everything until we got to that point for added drama.

All in all 4.5 stars for a thrilling and investing read and I am certain to search out more Josie Lloyd in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley, Harpercollins UK Audio and Josie Lloyd for a fabulous ARC read. All opinions expressed are my own. 

A modern day fairytale in the form of Cinderella, with our romancers Ella and Mr Charming complete with a real life wicked stepmother, fairy godmother, 2 ugly step...brothers and 2 adorable doggo's.
I'm quite impressed with all of the nods to the classic tale of Cinderella, from her cleaning nonstop and being a slave to her step family, to her losing her...slipper in an important moment. I also loved the modern take, being Mr Charming's back story, trauma and artistic side emerging.

With every Donna Ashcroft story I get so involved with the community that she writes, the odd bods, the maternal grandma types and the villains of the piece. I find myself so immersed that it feels like I have known them all for ages. Donna writes so well that it is hard to put down the books and focus on real life. 

I found myself feeling all of the feelings with the predominant one early in the piece being extreme anger. For both our protagonists and the way they were both being used and abused in their different ways. I found myself really caring about their circumstances and invested in their tale.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Bookouture and Donna Ashcraft for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was such a whirlwind of a book! Dual point of view, dual timeline, more animals than you can imagine, a few villains, double meanings, multiple treasure hunts and a partridge in a pear tree!

I never expected that a book set during the earlier timeline would have such a stance on what is clearly a frowned upon subject today. Normally books set in the period of what our hero/heroines live are seen through rose tinted glasses and they aren't seen to partake in what we would think of now as vulgar activities. The clear one upmanship of the wealthy, always having to have more and better than anyone else, was well written but not the disgust of caging so many innocent and exotic creatures.
The 'many animals slaughtered for fashion' trend back in those times was seen as a rich man's sport and an indulged woman's right and I was surprised to see that Hester and the Emporium were fine with the blatant exploitation of animals. Although refreshing as it was exactly the stance that someone living in those times would have had.

The 1920/30s 'modern' timeline had heroine Emily at centre stage. She went through a multitude of feelings, and situations within these pages and I really liked her character. Very early on, it was said that she had a secret. I guessed what it was straight away and was glad to see that I didn't have to wait until the end for it to emerge. Hester I liked too, although the sadder her story line got, it was sometimes a slog to keep reading as it seemed so hopeless. I also guessed Charles' secret and the ending of the Paradise Bird's sweet life. Despite the fact that I knew what was coming, the ending had so many twists and turns that just when you thought it was the end, there came more twists. As I said before, a whirlwind!!

The research gone into a book with different eras and a distinct knowledge of botany must have taken an age to research. It was done beautifully well and as I said, I was impressed that the characters lived and thought like people from that era would, without modern notions creeping in. 

The narrator was amazing, going seamlessly from male to female, Scottish to American and back again. Her voice was lovely to listen to and it made the book a better experience as audio versions often do.

My thanks to Netgalley, Freya Berry and Brilliance publishing for allowing me the opportunity to listen to the ARC. All thoughts are my own.