Review: Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor

Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars (I wish I could give it more!)

It's not often I find a book that makes me giggle through most of it. This one does! I love the writing style, the quirky humour, and the whole oddball off-the-wall concept of St Mary's. It has history, it has science, it has romance, it has danger, it has more eccentrics than you can shake a stick at and... it has dinosaurs... oh yes! Now I find it's the first in a series and I can't wait to start on Book 2, 3, 4, 5... you get the idea! I predict lots of giggling over the next few months! 5 stars isn't enough for this.

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Review: The Taste of Summer by Kate Lord Brown

The Taste of Summer by Kate Lord Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to the audio version of this book whilst cooking and baking in the run up to Christmas, it was the perfect accompaniment to my culinary efforts! It's a lovely story, well told with interesting characters. Who could fail to fall in love with the lovely chef Connor with his Irish brogue? And as for that baggage Bea, I wanted to beat her round the ears with a rolling pin for all the horrible things she did! The recipes that are peppered (see what I did there?!) throughout the book are great too. I'll have to buy a Kindle or printed version now to be able to try them out!

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Review: The House on Bellevue Gardens by Rachel Hore

The House on Bellevue Gardens by Rachel Hore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. It tells the story of several people via or because of their connection with the house. The characters have almost all experienced some trauma in their lives, whether domestic abuse, loss of loved ones, mental health difficulties etc... which makes it sound dreadfully serious and dull, and it isn't. Far from it, it's a fascinating series of stories about the characters, with whom I laughed, sympathised, empathised, and at times cried. It's a people book, looking at humanity: the best and the worst that happens to them. Well worth reading!

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Review: Tim Vicary's Trials of Sarah Newby, book 4

Broken Alibi: Lies, Memory and Justice by Tim Vicary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've now read all four of the Sarah Newby Trials books and I love them. Sarah is a complex character, not always likeable but eminently tough and capable as a barrister, yet just as vulnerable and afraid as most of us would be when faced with something that threatens her family or her safety. The stories are complex too, this fourth book is probably the most complicated plot so far, but if you spot them the clues are there as you read through it. I became increasingly nervous as the story moved towards the final outcome - will it all end OK? No spoilers from me though, if you want to know what happens you'll have to read it yourself!

Just a wee note to the author: in each of the four I have spotted small grammatical errors and in a couple of instances some minor continuity errors and a couple of errors of fact, hence the 4* not 5* rating.

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