Book Review - Death in the Dark by Kitty Murphy

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Amazon UK

Title: Death in the Dark

Author: Kitty Murphy

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 11th April 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Abduction. Accusations. And murder on the dance floor.

Sparkle McCavity, young drag queen and employee of Miss Merkin, is missing, presumed kidnapped or even worse. Naturally, Merkin turns to reluctant sleuth and friend to the community Fi for help, but clues and suspects are worryingly thin on the ground—and the drag king Stan the Man is proving somewhat distracting. When Merkin’s niece is then found murdered, spiked on a light pole in nightclub TRASH, it becomes clear that Fi’s friends are in danger. Again.

With the ever-inept Detective O’Hara becoming convinced that the most likely suspect is Miss Merkin herself, tensions begin to build among the friends. Could one of them really be responsible?

After a strangely spooky séance, Fi’s best friend Robyn disappears. Guilt-ridden and distraught, Fi and her friends must double their efforts to save Robyn and Sparkle before it’s too late.

Just as long as her increasingly complicated and distracting love life doesn’t get in the way!

Was so good to be back at TRASH with this group of drag queens and kings.  I loved the first book in this series, and think this one might be even better. 

I totally didn't guess who the murderer is, nor the motive, but I agreed with Fi and the queens, that things were messy, nothing really made sense and that there must be something sinister going on. 

Fi is initially reluctant to try to investigate once again, given she is still mentally recovering from the aftermaths of the first book, but when it is clear that the police, and in particular the completely disgusting Detective O'Hara are not really doing anything other than looking down on the whole drag community, and not investigating, she decides to step it up a gear. 

With mixed effects! 

We get to know more about various of the queens personal lives, as we see them more in and out of drag, and the addition of Stan was rather welcome. 

I love this series so much, the Dublin setting, the Drag scene setting, and the amateur detecting and the vivid cast of characters, all so distinct.  I love the descriptions of the performances, and how they are keeping the club running, and getting to meet Thora's aunts was interesting.  And we get to see another side to Merkin too. 

Just loving this book and this series, and I really hope there will be a third book, as I am eager for more.  Utterly addictive story that I read in a day. 

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Sunrise With The Silver Surfers by Maddie Please

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Amazon UK

Title: Sunrise With The Silver Surfers

Author: Maddie Please

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 12th January 2023

Rating: 4 Stars

Newly single at sixty, Elin Anderson decides it’s finally time for an adventure of her own. With her marriage to tedious Tom now officially over, Elin plans to visit the family she hasn’t seen in years. First stop: Australia!

But going home is harder than Elin thought. Everywhere she turns Elin sees brightness and colour, which only makes her own life seem even more drab and beige. How has she let herself fade away?

Determined to have some fun, Elin reluctantly agrees to join The Silver Surfers – a group of seniors who travel the coast, only caring about their next big adventure. Because life’s too short to watch the ocean when you could be making waves…

There’s only one catch – her road trip companion, Kit Pascoe. Kit is a man who doesn’t know the meaning of the word fun and makes it clear to Elin that this adventure will be subject to his own strict rules.

But with every new day, Elin slowly begins to rediscover who she really is. And she’s certain that rules are meant to be broken…aren’t they?

Oh I do love a book that features a road trip, and a road trip in a place I've never visited even better, 

I was totally alongside Elin as she and Kit return Aunt Maggie's campervan from Cairns to Sydney, taking in a lot of sights on the way, and learning a lot more about each other too. 

Elin has returned to Australia for the first time in many years, leaving behind her unpleasant ex-husband, and her needy grown up son.  

And she soon can;t work out why she has stayed away for so long,  And in hte processes rediscovers true self too. 

It's a really enjoyable romp around Australia, featuring characters in the prime of their life, having the times of their lives. It was a true joy to read. 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

How has it been 8 years already? - It's Blogiversary time! #RespectRomFic

8 years ago today I nervously pressed post on my first post on this blog, utterly petrified that if anyone did read it, that I would get scores of negative comments, people disagreeing with my thoughts or angry that I was recommending a book that they went on to not enjoy. 

I was convinced I'd try blogging for a few weeks and then slowly crawl back under my rock. 

I think the fact that I'm typing this today, might just suggest that it turns out Book Blogging really does agree with me, and I can't believe it has been 8 years already! That is totally and utterly nuts. 

And hopefully you will be glad to hear that I show no signs of intent of stopping anytime soon. On the back of my blog I've built my blog tour organising business Rachel's Random Resources, which I absolutely love, and being involved in the world of books daily is just wonderful. 

Ever since I was a child I loved reading, and my poor mum would end up at weekends driving me to three local libraries so I could raid the children's section and then the Mills & Boon section (when I was a bit older), in order to take out the maximum I was allowed at each, each time. And I would just sit and devour the books, as was always a quick reader. 

I think it was the early love of a Mills and Boon that has lead me to be primarily a romantic fiction reader nowadays, and of course a big friend to the RNA (Romantic Novelists Association.).  For me romantic fiction is all about escapism.  Taking me away from the realities of life, just for a few hours at a time, and losing myself in something that is almost certainly going to leave me smiling, even if the journey to get there might be filled with emotion.  

I love the way books can transport me to other countries, or leave me feeling incredibly hungry depending on what is inside them. Through books I have been able to try on a plethora of book boyfriends for size, without any of the issues which come from having to deal with them in real life, and if they are annoying me, I just just hit the off button on my kindle or close the book for a bit! 

So it dismays me that over the past 8 years, and especially since being part of the book community, that romantic fiction is often looked down on, left out of bestseller lists of the year, or big newspapers recommending the next big book lists - as though romantic fiction is somehow less worthy. 

But at the same time, it gives me great pride to see how people are starting to fight back against this, and I urge you to check out the #RespectRomFic tag on twitter where a growing number of people are determined for this genre to get the respect it deserves.  And since you read my blog, I can't help but think you may also be a fan of the genre, and thus may want to see it get more respect in the wider world. 

And it's this #RespectRomFic movement that makes me pleased that I kept going with my blog despite my initial (unfounded) fears, and to be able to keep bringing you reviews of truly enjoyable and excellent books over the past 8 years, and fingers crossed many more to come. 

Finally I'd just like to thank you, for supporting me over the past 8 years, and even if you are a silent reader of the blog never interacting, just for being part of the book community too.  It means the world to me, and to the wonderful authors that you all support too. 

So THANK YOU everyone who has been part of my journey with book blogging over the last 8 years, from the authors writing the books, to the publishers that very kindly approve me for them on Netgalley, to the other bloggers who are wonderful (and a key part of my blog tour organising too). 

And I hope to see you all at a real life book event in the future! 

Book Review - The Prisoner by B. A. Paris - #HolidayReading Mexico

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Amazon UK

Title: The Prisoner

Author: B. A. Paris

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley 

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 3rd November 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

THEN

Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a career for herself in the magazine industry, she meets, and agrees to marry, Ned Hawthorne.

NOW

Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?

In true B.A. Paris style, The Prisoner is a gripping survival story, a twisted tale of love and at its dark heart a thriller to keep you up all night.

Wowser! That was.....

... actually I have no words, I might be speechless...

....but can say I totally couldn't put it down from the first page until the last I was completely and utterly hooked. 

Once again B. A. Paris has written a tense, compelling, highly addictive story that blew my mind. 

Written in short chapters which added to the urgency of the story, we have alternating chapters from the past and present to see just what happened leading up to the present day. 

And I loved Amelie, hse was so brave, so foolish, so determined that I needed to discover what a mess she had landed herself in. 

And there are some very toxic characters in this that made my blood boil.

Claustrophobic at times, this is one hell of a story, and I read it in one sitting over the course of a couple of hours,  I heartily recommend you carving out a block of time to read this uninterrupted too, as it is that good and will not let you go once it has a hold on you. 

Thrilling and fabulous. 

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily, 

Book Review - The Reunion by Polly Phillips

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Amazon UK

Title: The Reunion

Author: Polly Phillips

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 22nd April 2022

Rating: 4 Stars

A chance to reconnect.

A chance to get revenge . . .

Emily Toller has tried to forget her time at university and the events that led to her suddenly leaving under a cloud. She has done everything she can to forget the shame and the trauma – and the people involved. She has tried to focus on the life she has built with her children and husband, Nick.

But events like that can’t just be forgotten. Not without someone answering for what they’ve done. 

When an invitation arrives to a University reunion, everything clicks into place. Emily has a plan.

Because if you can’t forget – why not get revenge?

Slow but interesting burn ramping up to a twisty and unpredictable conclusion.  

All told from Emily's point of view, in a mix of past chapters surrounding her time at Cambridge, and the present which is to do with 15 year reunion at Cambridge, and her determination to make people pay for the reason she left under a cloud. 

I can't say I necessarily by the end of this book particularly liked any character, many of them were clearly meant to be figures to be hated, and with Emily herself, I just found she was lacking a backbone, what I initially thought was courageous by the end I felt was her just kowtowing to someone else's will. 

The last perhaps 30-40% of the book I read in one sitting unable to put it down, as it suddenly became compulsive reading, and I just had to know how everything would resolve.  It was great. 

This is a cleverly plotted novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - One Last Secret by Adele Parks

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Amazon UK

Title: One Last Secret

Author: Adele Parks

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 7th July 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

One last client

A week at a beautiful French chateau should be an easy final job for Dora. She’s smart, stunning and discreet.

She only needs to convince the other guests that she’s Daniel’s girlfriend.

One last chance

One final, luxurious week and she can leave the dangerous, difficult escort world, because Dora has fallen in love and is ready to embrace a better future.

One last secret

But as the guests assemble, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that putting her past behind her is impossible. And one last secret could cost Dora everything, including her life…

From the Sunday Times Number One bestseller Adele Parks comes a blisteringly provocative novel about power, sex, money and revenge.

Wow, that was one incredibly addictive story. I literally couldn't get enough of it, and was finding any excuse to pick my my kindle to continue reading. 

I loved the way Dora was talking about the world of being an escort and prostitution in general, it's a great way to see things, and I loved her turn of phrase generally, especially when talking directly to the reader. 

What is very clear is from the first day of what was meant to be her last ever job, which she had been co-erced into, that things were really off at this French Chateau.  I couldn't initially put my finger on it, nor could I be sure who to trust, but I was invested in the story and needed to know what was happening. 

And when we get a section about Dora's past and what lead to her turning to this line of work, I was sucked even further into the story, it's a situation that I'm sure many could potentially find themselves in, although not all would make the same decisions it is totally understandable. 

It is a compulsively gripping read that I am in some ways sorry that I reached the end of as I was quite happily engrossed in the storytelling.  Another winner from Adele Parks. 

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Best Is Yet To Come by Katy Colins - #HolidayReading Mexico

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Amazon UK

Title: The Best Is Yet To Come

Author: Katy Colins

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 18th March 2021

Rating: 5 Stars

Sometimes it’s the things we don’t say that we need others to hear the loudest . . .

Izzy has always taken everything in her stride but motherhood is proving more difficult than she thought. She keeps telling herself it’s just a phase but the dark clouds are starting to appear.

Neighbour and widower Arthur might be in the winter of his life but he’s not ready to be packed off to a care home. He’s determined to do things his way.

When Izzy hears about Arthur’s big move, she offers to help. But Arthur isn’t telling her the whole story. It takes courage to admit you need a friend and when you feel invisible, all you need is a ray of hope. After all, what if the best is yet to come?

From the first few chapters you could easily mistake this for a rather depressing book - we have Izzy who is struggling being a new mum, and Arthur who is ready to check out of his own life. 

But as these two neighbour's orbits interlink, there os change and hope in the air, as they both without realising are helping each other massively. 

It's a lovely and heartwarming story, that uplifts you, and its a book that will get you thinking. 

Beautifully written, this is a story that will stay with you long after you finish it. 

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Single in the Snow by Helen Whitaker - #HolidayReading Mexico

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Amazon UK

Title: Single In The Snow

Author: Helen Whitaker

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netaglley

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 17th November 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

Jen is turning thirty and has spent her entire life jumping from man to man. So, when her latest relationship ends in disaster, she decides she needs to stop pleasing others and focus on herself. And where better to start afresh than the beautiful Canadian ski resort of Whistler?

Okay, she's broke, unemployed, and has never so much as strapped on a pair of skis - but Jen is determined to make it on her own. She just has one rule: to stay single for the entire ski season.

When a new job forces Jen into contact with snowboarding instructor Art, the two of them are set on keeping their distance. It shouldn't be hard, since they hate one another on sight - and Art knows better than anyone how to keep other people at arm's length.

The problem is, the more time they are forced to spend together, the clearer it seems that Jen's promise to stay single might not be quite so simple . . .

I loved every second of this book and felt as though i had been transported to a snowboarding season in Whistler, Canada,

I adored learning how to snowboard with Art and Jen.  And seeing Whistler through Jen's eyes was just awesome especially the hardworking, painful life of a seasonaire. 

She ends up working the platinum floor for a top hotel, and well her boss is a complete and utter nightmare, but it was an interesting look at how the other half holiday. 

And Art has his own demons to overcome, and his backstory really got to me, and I felt bad for him. 

Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book. 

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.  

Book Review - The Girls by Bella Osborne

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Amazon UK

Title: The Girls

Author: Bella Osborne

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: 14th April 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

Four old friends. Thrown back together after forty years apart. What could possibly go wrong?

In the 1970s, The Girls were best friends sharing a house and good times: Zara the famous diva actor, Val the uptight solicitor, Jackie the wild child and Pauline the quirky introvert. Now they're in their twilight years, and Zara suggests that they live with her to support each other through old age.

Initially, being housemates again is just as much fun as in their heyday. But then Zara reveals the real reason she asked them to move in with her, and suddenly things take a sinister turn.

As the women confront their demons they come under the spotlight of the press, the police and an angry parrot. With their lives spiralling out of control can they save their friendships and each other?

Well I wasn't expecting that.... ok I was expecting a fabulous book as I know that is what this author tends to write, and it was indeed a fabulous book. But what I wasn't expecting is the direction this story took, and just how it would all be resolved.  It was fabulous. 

It has deeper themes and darker topics throughout, in addition to plenty of light relief, and it does leave you feeling good. 

Even the opening chapter was thought provoking, but was also attention grabbing and from then on I knew I had to keep reading, just to see what would happen to Pauline. And then we are introduced to Jackie and Val, and through them the filmstar Zara.  They were all friends in the 70s but have since grown apart, and lost contact. 

Until a surprise party invite for Zara's 80th drops through their letterboxes and brings The Girls back together again. And in the aftermath of the party, Zara makes a suggestion that they should relive their youth by living together again. 

Zara and Jackie are both big personalities, one needs to be the centre of everything and is very concerned about the world perceives her.  The other drinks like a fish, and is on the look out for a wealthy man and has a habit of being drunk or inappropriate. 

I loved the dynamics between the four women, was drawn into the story to such an extent that I was ignoring the outside world while I devoured more of it.  It's a very cleverly crafted story, and I didn't guess anything key (ok one smaller reveal I had an inkling towards but that is about it). 

It's completely unpredictable, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single second I spent with these ladies.  Getting to know all their strengths and fully understanding their back stories.  And for light relief we had Toby, who had excellent comic timing. 

It's another cracking read from Bella Osborne, and I think it would be an excellent book club sort of a book too. 

Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Freya's French Farmhouse by Daisy James

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Amazon UK

Title: Freya's French Farmhouse

Author: Daisy James

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 28th February 2023

Rating: 4 Stars

Welcome to Freya's French Farmhouse, the second book in a brand new series from the author of the Hummingbird Hotel series and the Cornish Confetti Agency series.

Escape to the French Riviera!

After losing her aromatherapy studio in the Blossomwood Bay fire, Freya Farnham finds herself at a loose end, especially when her trusty Renault decides that it’s time to head to the scrapyard in the sky. Now she has no excuse not to agree to her parents’ request to head to the pretty village of Saint-Julien to find out why her late Uncle Toby’s gorgeous French farmhouse isn’t selling, even when the real estate agent, Xavier Deschamps, advertises himself as "the best in the whole of Provence".

As soon as she arrives, Freya realises what the problem is, and so, with the help of handsome local car mechanic Jacques Jordan, she invests her last euro in a kaleidoscope of cleaning products and sets about transforming the drab and dusty dwelling into a chic and shiny château. Little did she know that in the process she would discover more about her family’s history than she bargained for.

Can she come to terms with her past? Or will the demons that have been snapping at her heels since childhood prevent her from seizing the chance to achieve a much-longed-for sense of belonging in the friendly community where she’s treated as one of their own?

Why not join Freya as she explores the lavender-infused Provençal countryside, and enjoy a trip filled with fun, fragrance, and delicious foodie treats with a dash of heart-warming romance thrown in for good measure!

Perfect for fans of Sandy Barker, Sue Roberts and Mandy Baggot.

I devoured this gorgeous story in just a few hours.  I love Daisy James' writing especially when there is a stunning setting to be had, and this little French village near Provence is gorgeous. 

I loved the descriptions of the farmhouse, and could picture it really clearly, and could smell the scents, as Freya mixes up aromatherapy oils and perfumes. 

This is the second book in the Blossomwood Bay series, and it can easily be read as a standalone as each book follows a different Blossomwood Bay beach hut business owner as they try to get back on their feet after a fire destroys all the beach huts.

I enjoyed getting to know Freya's backstory, as well as that of the french farmhouse.  I also enjoyed seeing how she started to get to know everyone in St Julien, and the new friends she was making.  There may even be a man that possibly attracts her interest despite being determined to stay clear of men. 

Where what she should have been staying clear of was Esme's baking skills, which shall we say are adventurous, and reminded me just slightly of Mrs Cropley from The Vicar of Dibley. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, it was full of French summery warmth, new friendships and some interesting sub plots. Another great addition to this series. Bring on the next book. 

Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.