Sunday 28 February 2021

The Murdering Wives Club by Sharon Thompson (2021)

 



A gripping historical mystery, where women take charge and strive for power.

The Murdering Wives Club is a support group for women who wish to murder their husbands. Or so the rumour goes.

Returning home from World War II, Laurie Davenport is blind and traumatised. He is also convinced that his wife, Charlotte, is trying to kill him. With the help of his assistant, the enigmatic Norah Walsh, Laurie hunts for proof of these killer women.

Then convicted Irish murderer Eve Good claims to have belonged to a club of murdering wives called The Sinful Roses. She agrees to recount her harrowing crimes to Laurie and Norah.

Can Eve Good shed light on this obscure matter? Can a blind, amateur detective succeed in exposing this terrifying group of murdering women? And in his darkened world, whom can he trust?

It seemed to take me ages to get through this book. I really wanted to enjoy it but I was left disappointed.
There is a dark feeling to the story made more so by the fact that none of the characters bar Giles and Laurie were anyway likeable. I felt something was needed to lighten it a bit but there wasn't any humour or banter to offshoot the heavy feeling of the story.
Eve Good's story told through her letters was interesting enough but I would have liked them to have coincided with some active and gripping detective work. Instead, everything is simply talked through and talked about. 
I didn't like Norah's character and I felt that Laurie should have developed more as the story progressed. He was supposed to be getting better but he didn't get any more independent than he had been at the beginning of the book.
I did enjoy the suspenseful moments at the very end of the book but it just came a little too late.
I was also surprised at Poolbeg for allowing this book to be published with so many spelling mistakes and errors.
 

Thursday 18 February 2021

Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (2021)


Description

 



I was glued to this audiobook for days and even now I am still thinking about it! The story is expertly narrated and I found myself immersed in the novel very quickly.
Caro is a fabulous character. I can't help but wonder what happens to her next. Will her story continue in another book? I really hope so.

There are plenty of characters in this novel. They are all flawed to some degree which makes them very human and realistic. The story gives a good insight into the kinds of dangers faced by young girls at the time and particularly those working in prostitution. I felt apprehensive for certain characters all the way through the book.
There are a good few twists and turns as the investigation unfolds and I was shocked by events on more than one occasion. Learning what happened to Pamela on that fateful night was quite horrifying but it wasn't until the end of the novel did I learn for sure what happened to her. 
I was surprised by the dramatic turn of events in the final chapters. Just when I thought everything had been solved, another piece of the puzzle emerged. Thrilling and exciting reading.

#DaughtersofNight is out now!

 



Friday 12 February 2021

Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Mystery, #1) by Tirzah Price (2021)

 


When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates.

Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own. But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed.







I am a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice but Austen inspired fiction is generally a no-no for me. That being said, I love a good old mystery and a murder to solve. The idea of Lizzie and D'arcy working together to defend Bingley and find the real killer sounded like something I just shouldn't pass up.
I loved it. I especially liked how the author worked in one or two lines of the more famous dialogue and quotes from P&P. It was cleverly executed and had me laughing out loud. The crime itself and the investigations made by Lizzie made great reading. An entertaining mystery with a few unexpected twists.
I really hope there are more mysteries in the pipeline for Lizzie and D'arcy to solve.


Initially, I was confused about the time period. Was it set in the modern-day with Regency societal conventions or was it set in the Regency era with a few modern twists on societal norms? I imagined it to be the Regency era but it wasn't really clear until the author notes in the end credits and I'm not sure the teen target market will necessarily draw the correct conclusion.


Pre-order this title now!



Pride and Premeditation will be published on the 6th of April in digital and audio format.
Hardback is due to be released on the 13th of May.

Amazon

Friday 5 February 2021

Capturing the Earl (The Wallflowers of West Lane Book 3) by A.S. Fenichel (2021)


 


The friendship of four young ladies has created an indestructible bond to protect one another from the perils of love and marriage . . .
 
After the demise of her friend’s disastrous marriage, Mercedes Parsons isn’t about to let the widowed Wallflower of West Lane, Lady Aurora Radcliff, undertake another perilous trip to the altar. At least, not before the bridegroom-to-be is thoroughly investigated. If only Mercy could stop her uncharacteristic daydreaming about Wesley Renshaw’s charm, his intellect, his dashing good looks. After all, the earl has already set his sights on her best friend! She must keep her wits about her and avoid giving into temptation.
 
Wesley is both irritated and intrigued by the machinations of Mercy—He cannot let her cleverness and beauty distract him. He needs to marry her friend, Aurora, so he can reclaim his family’s ancestral home. A wrong he has hoped to right his entire life. Besides, who is penniless spinster Mercedes Parsons to decide whom he can and cannot marry? Yet while he admires her unwavering loyalty to her friends, he decides it’s high time the misguided woman had a dose of her own medicine. Two can play at this spying game. But they are both embarked on a dangerous charade. And it won’t be merely Mercy’s reputation at risk—or her heart on the line—as Wesley comes to the inescapable conclusion that he has found the right woman at exactly the wrong time.

******************

I am really enjoying this series. The Wallflowers feel like they are my old friends now at this stage. I want them all to be happy, especially Aurora. 
I loved the initial meeting between Mercy and Wesley. I thought it was sweet and charming. The fact that he wanted to gain back his family estate by marrying Aurora despite his attraction to Mercy made their romance fun to watch. It was obvious to Mercy's aunt and her friends that he was smitten with Mercy and that his goal of marrying Aurora was not going to happen. This was a sweet romance and a lovely read. I look forward to the next book.