Heirs and Graces is the 7th in Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series, and I’m happy to say it ~*Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~
Heirs and Graces is the 7th in Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series, and I’m happy to say it continued in the vein of the 6th book, which I think was the best in the series so far.
“Nothing more dangerous than an educated woman.”
Things I Liked
- We got more of Darcy and Georgie together! This made me so happy, as I feel like Darcy was really in the background unnecessarily for several books. - Jack, the Australian heir, was a breath of fresh air to the stodgy British household of his grandmother. I loved it. - The mystery was one of those that was clearly a framing of another person from the very start, but I was really unsure of who I liked for the actual culprit until much closer to the end. I love mysteries like this, because it’s just not as much fun if you figure it out a quarter of the way through the book!
Overall 4/5 Stars
This was another solid addition to the series! Nothing spectacular, but a very enjoyable read with mostly characters we’re familiar with – which is exactly what I want out of a cozy mystery!
The Twelve Clues of Christmas completely rekindled my interest in this series! I was starting ~*Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~
The Twelve Clues of Christmas completely rekindled my interest in this series! I was starting to debate whether or not I wanted to continue with this series after Naughty in Nice, which was lighthearted and fun but not much mystery or substance and nothing really progressed in the main plot. I’m so glad I kept reading! Book 6 was soooo much better. There was a real mystery in this one, and things kept happening at such a pace I could barely put it down and even though I had suspicions about the killer throughout the book I didn’t actually figure it out until about the last third.
Things I Liked
- Darcy had some more page time! He and Georgie seemed to work things out a little better and I liked that. - Georgie is, per usual, trying to find somewhere to live and somehow to support herself and this time instead of the queen coming through with an “assignment,” she actually finds a job that suits both herself and the royal relatives. Her mother just happens to be nearby, being her usual flighty but charming self. - The murders – yes, more than one this time – just kept coming and getting stranger and…is it weird that I really liked that? ...more
Pawsitively Poisonous is the first in a new series of cozy paranormal mysteries by Melissa Eri~*Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~
Pawsitively Poisonous is the first in a new series of cozy paranormal mysteries by Melissa Erin Jackson, and it’s a very quirky little trip through a town famous only for its obsession with cats! I was somewhat suspicious but intrigued by the premise, and the main character, Amber, sounded like a cool sort of person. ...more
All the Hercule Poirot novels can, in my opinion, be read as standalones. That said, this is considered (at least~*Full review on The Bent Bookworm!*~
All the Hercule Poirot novels can, in my opinion, be read as standalones. That said, this is considered (at least by GoodReads) to be the 20th Hercule Poirot novel. As such it definitely will appeal MORE to those who have already become attached to the little Belgian detective. To my knowledge he is the only repeat character in this book.
As the title would lead you to expect, the plot centers around Christmas. A crotchety but very rich old man “invites” all of his children to attend him during the holiday, and as so often does during family gatherings, tempers flair. As Hercule Poirot observes,
“Families who have been separated throughout the year assemble once more together. Now under these conditions, my friend, you must admit that there will occur a great amount of strain. People who do not feel amiable are putting great pressure on themselves to appear amiable! There is at Christmas time a great deal of hypocrisy, honorable hypocrisy, hypocrisy undertaken pour le bon motif, c’est entendu, but nevertheless hypocrisy!”
So it is, and in typical Christie fashion from the very beginning of the writing we are unsure who we can trust and therefore suspect everyone except Hercule Poirot himself. In the very beginning, the hairs start to raise on the back of the reader’s neck as various characters make very suspect statements. Everyone seems to incriminate themselves somehow. Add to that certain people start quoting Lady Macbeth and suddenly it’s not just the reader who doesn’t trust anyone!
Yet who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him? – Macbeth
For such a short book, the characters are remarkably drawn out. None of them are flat, though some are recognizable as types from Christie’s other books. Even the side characters and ones that we suspect, have a vulnerable side that makes the reader second-guess any suspicions.
He said, “I see.” She said sharply: “What do you see?” He answered: “I see that you have had to be a mother to your husband when you would have preferred to be a wife.”
The hair-raising feeling does die down about two-thirds of the way through the book. I’m guessing perhaps Christie didn’t want to make a holiday book TOO terribly bloody and creepy, perhaps? Really though I was just SO CONFUSED I didn’t know what to think, right up until the end. And then of course once the reveal happened, everything had been staring me right in the face.
Overall, 4/5 stars. I would have liked a bit more of the skin-crawling, hair-raising bit, but it was still a fantastic book!
The Sense of Death is a first novel, and while it's an enjoyable cozy mystery - it shows. There are several thing~*Full review on The Bent Bookworm!*~
The Sense of Death is a first novel, and while it's an enjoyable cozy mystery - it shows. There are several things about the styling of the story that I didn't care for, but in the end Ann's character was one with which I could sympathize (even if I don't sense spirits). The place descriptions are good. The premise is intriguing. I liked Ann and her relationship with her brother. I personally am intrigued by the idea of spirits or ghosts and the possibility of communicating with them, and I enjoyed how the author used the idea in the book.
I was really disappointed that the who-dun-it of the story is revealed in the first couple of chapters. Takes the mystery right out of it, takes the suspense away, and almost made me DNF it...but then there were more Ann chapters and I was more interested. A lot of the plot honestly seems very far-fetched, especially in the end. I was constantly reading with one eyebrow raised in skepticism. The plot is also a very common one in murder mysteries, but I guess there are only so many. While the deterioration of the culprit is believable, I didn't feel the motivation was convincing. Also, there are several chapters AFTER the climatic event, most of which were unnecessary.
The author struggles with POV. Even though it's written in 3rd person throughout, it's mostly limited 3rd person with random bits of popping into another minor or even walk-on character's head. That part was very jolting and annoying.
The old telling vs. showing that interferes with a lot of writing is EXTREMELY present. There are entire chapters of almost nothing but backstory, paragraphs going on and on and Ann's childhood or past experiences. Don't just TELL us how she felt, SHOW us! At a few points showing was successfully accomplished, but then it would lapse right back into a monologue of info-dumping and it was just a struggle to read.
All that said, I still enjoyed the book, but I'm undecided about whether or not I will read the second one. I was going to rate at 2.5/5 stars until the climatic chapter, and a certain event that actually brought tears to my eyes.
Blog | Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram --------------------------------------------- I actually accidentally requested this from NetGalley and wonder of wonders, was approved. Why accidentally? Because I never request books that have already been published. Oops. So we'll give it a whirl anyway......more
I like the time period of these little novels, and the fact that they’re set in England (Anglophile much, maybe?). GeFull review on The Bent Bookworm!
I like the time period of these little novels, and the fact that they’re set in England (Anglophile much, maybe?). Georgie is an amusing, endearing heroine and the rest of the cast of characters surrounding her is original and quirky enough to keep me reading. I like that the family storyline moves along just a little in each book so far, not hitting you with it all of once. It continues the line of being very tame with lots of dropped hints and some innuendo, but nothing a 13 year old couldn’t read. It’s definitely written for adults, it’s just very mild and nothing at all racy even though there are repeated allusions to people’s sexual activity or preferences. I felt like Georgia’s relationship with Darcy progressed a little in this book, and more than just the heart-fluttering romance of it – I feel like they are getting closer as people, not just as a crush or an obsession.
This one moved slower than the other 3 that I’ve read. The actual crime event didn’t take place until page 142 (out of 305). The mystery part was, I thought, very far-fetched. The ending was rushed and contrived, just way too convenient. I did some serious eye-rolling. I did like the way all the creepy, “Transylvania” vibes everyone was so jumpy about, were explained logically. Given the setting, I was a little afraid that this one was going to descend into the paranormal. Nothing wrong with paranormal, but in a historical mystery…please spare me. So yay, that was good.
Overall, 3/5 stars. It needed more mystery, less build-up. Also a more satisfactory ending rather than just a sudden explanation, which was what it felt like. I’m definitely going to continue on with the series, but that’s because of how much I enjoyed the previous books, not this one....more
This is one of those cute little cozy mysteries. That I'm slightly embarrassed to admit I like to read. Sometimes. But there it is. I didn't go into tThis is one of those cute little cozy mysteries. That I'm slightly embarrassed to admit I like to read. Sometimes. But there it is. I didn't go into this with high expectations (um...the very pretext is a communicative, NICE ghost), but I was pleasantly surprised by endearing characters and an entertaining story line. It's very homey and Lori sounds like someone I'd like to be friends with. Not for diehard thriller fans or realists. ...more
At one point I was laughing so hard I was crying. Definitely the best of the Plum novels I've read during my recent binge of them. Hopefully #22 will At one point I was laughing so hard I was crying. Definitely the best of the Plum novels I've read during my recent binge of them. Hopefully #22 will come up to the same standard. These are all pretty much the same by now, but I keep reading them basically for the comfort of it. You come into it knowing you're going to have a whole lot of Lula falling out of her clothes, Stephanie causing (or being the target of) large quantities of mahem, and Morelli and Ranger vying for Stephanie's bed (and heart?). Same old same old...it's good because it's comforting in the sameness of it. I really would like to see some kind of movement on the relationship lines though...but I guess that might mean the end of the series as we know it. ...more
Another Stephanie Plum...not as funny as some of the other ones, and left me feeling more annoyed than usual at Stephanie's double love life. Another Stephanie Plum...not as funny as some of the other ones, and left me feeling more annoyed than usual at Stephanie's double love life. ...more
Pretty standard for a Stephanie Plum novel. Predictable, but isn't that why we read them? I always know I will get a good giggle at some point in the Pretty standard for a Stephanie Plum novel. Predictable, but isn't that why we read them? I always know I will get a good giggle at some point in the book, and this one didn't disappoint. One of the better recent ones. ...more
One of the older Plum novels and the first of the off-side ones I've read. Quick little feel-good read, and interesting to see Diesel here after readiOne of the older Plum novels and the first of the off-side ones I've read. Quick little feel-good read, and interesting to see Diesel here after reading the Lizzy and Diesel series. ...more
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