Series

Review: Christmas at the Little Village Bakery by Tilly Tennant

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Millie and Dylan. Jasmine and Rich. Spencer and Tori. The future in-laws, the cousin, the pub owners…  

Book Two in the Honeybourne series takes a look at three couples and the ever changing dynamics of their lives. This book engaged me more than the first in the series, and I liked Millie and Dylan even more. Spencer and Tori illustrated the ups and downs of wedding planning, and Jasmine and Rich the ups and downs of an established marriage. With all that’s going on in Honeybourne, sticking with the one you love requires lots of talking, alone-together time, and Millie’s special baked goods. 

I always like a bit of British chick-lit, and this one hit the spot. The happily ever afters were right on. Maybe it was Jasmine’s lightheartedness, maybe it was Spencer’s romantic side, or maybe it was just Millie’s magic! ❤

-calliope

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Review: My Brilliant Friend (The Neapolitan Novels #1) by Elena Ferrante

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Layout 1Whilst I really enjoyed this book, I still have to wonder what all the hype is about. The beginning is what kept me going though page after page. I really want to find out what happens to the two girls…

I did enjoy Elena’s story of growing up. Not so much Lila’s. I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like I didn’t understand both girls. I do. To me, it’s just so obvious that Lila is a survivor and she neither needs or wants our pity. She is one with a lonely life…no matter how many people she will surround herself with later on in life…however, I strongly believe that the lonely life is one she has chosen willingly to have all that she wants in life….don’t understand? Read the book…

Elena on the other hand….She is a survivor as well….but her survival is based on her hard work…and I don’t think she will ever feel like a survivor or as a success…no matter how much fame or wealth comes her way. She will always be looking for some other fulfillment that I fear will never come…

Okay, so maybe I did like the book a bit more than I realise after writing this review…

However, I still feel sorry for one girl…so much so that I want to shake her because I am so angry. Elena is like another Melanie (GWtW) and Lily is Scarlett…I don’t have much patience for either type of girl really….

There are other ways in life to survive….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Review: The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Series #1) by Bernard Cornwell

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68527F’ing hell what a book. What in the world am I to read next as I can’t jump into book 2 right away. I need to savour this series and my beloved warrior, Uhtred Ragnarson…

That was all I could write when I finished this book and attempted to do a review. Really…I was just overwhelmed…now it has been several weeks and I still don’t know what to say…

Here is part of a conversation I had with with a mate when she told me she didn’t like historical reads:
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Really isn’t that different than some of the other stuff you’ve read honestly…except some of it is based on fact…King Alfred the great, the Danes and some of the battles…but people are people no matter the time…

Basically a young orphaned boy that discovers what it feels to loved and valued for the first time in the enemy’s camp…later his loyalties are tested time and time again…people want him to be educated, but he just wants to be a warrior…

A quote that won’t leave my mind from the book

‘Touch a harp,’ I said, ‘and it just makes noise, but play it and it makes music.’

The same is true about writing…put letters on a page and you just have words, but written by a gifted writer and true magic can happen….

Once again (never happens enough for me) a book I’ve read that is well deserving of its high ratings…
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That’s what this book was to me…true magic….I am ready to continue on with book 2…let’s be honest…I can’t stop thinking about book 1, even though it’s been near two months…I might as well follow my heart and carry on…

as testament to another quote from the book…

Destiny is everything

Until next time…

Urania xx

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

Review: Death at the Day Lily Cafe by Wendy Sand Eckel

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Here we have Rosalie who has the grand opening of her long-sought-after cafe. And what happens? Friend Doris stumbles in all agog that her sister is being accused of murder! Rosalie is no stranger to crime investigation, so she gets right on that, much to the sheriff’s chagrin. 

While Rosalie tries to find the real murderer, she’s also managing employees, keeping track of her health, being a mom, hanging out with the farmer who leases her land, and keeping a bad guy out of her hair! 

This is a cute cozy mystery that also includes romance and family secrets. It’s second in a series, and I didn’t read the first one… so it was hard to feel engaged with all the characters right off the bat. However, I did love the cafe setting, Rosalie’s daughter, the farmer, and the lovely cook! 

-calliope

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Review: House Revenge by Mike Lawson 

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This was a pretty entertaining read. Though it’s the eleventh in a series, I had no trouble keeping track of characters and their occupations, good guys vs bad guys, and the relationships among them all.

House Revenge takes the reader through Boston politics, from commercial land development to dirty congressmen to cops on the take to connections with Mexican drug cartels, all through the eyes of Joe DeMarco. Joe is a right hand man taking direction from politicians, but trouble arises when he doesn’t think through his approach.  

In House Revenge, at the request of those more powerful than he, Joe tries to help an old lady stay in her apartment. Her building is getting torn down to make way for bigger and better – and more profitable – enterprises. Joe doesn’t intend to get too involved, but we all know where the path of good intentions leads. By the middle of the book, Joe is halfway there. 

I liked the peek into DC and Boston politics, the interactions with Boston Police, and the local references. Though some of Joe’s “solutions” seemed pretty far-fetched, I’ve got to give him credit for getting as far as he did in a world where one hand washes the other, and quid pro quo is the status quo.

-calliope 

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Review: Death of a Nurse by MC Beaton

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25747142This was an okay read for me. Not a brilliant read, but certainly not a rotten one either. I can easily imagine having rated the book higher if I were more familiar with Hamish and his very quirky acquaintances. I love thriller crime stories, but perhaps murder mysteries of the good old-fashioned Agatha Christie style just aren’t really my cup of tea…However, since I’ve never actually read Agatha Christie I can’t really say that for a fact…

I did read enough to know that I would like to go to the start of the series and see if I can fall in love with Hamish as I see so many other fans have. I do see his appeal, however, coming into his entire weaponry of charm (hahahahaha) unprepared was perhaps my downfalling. I think I needed to gradually introduce myself to him and all of his charms…not just jump in buck naked and unprotected**….

**I hope you note my sarcasm and see that although I didn’t rate this book as high as I might have that I am very much worthy of learning up enough to become an avid fan

Until next time…

Urania xx

Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now Death of a Nurse by MC Beaton

Review: Extreme Prey (Lucas Davenport #26) by John Sandford

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26025992This one took me a bit longer to finish…I did enjoy it…I did! However, if not for the ending I might very well have rated it a teeny tiny bit lower.

The thing is, I love Sandford so much because of his incredible gift of writing dialogue. When Davenport is with his comrades, well it just doesn’t get any better. The banter between him and his friends/colleagues…well it just doesn’t get any better….Stanford really shines and it’s probably the main reason he’s been a favourite author for decades.

With this novel I just felt Davenport was adrift. Yes, he did his “job non-job”…but he was out on his own. Yes, we met some really interesting characters that I hope to run into again in the future….yes, we saw some old characters that we haven’t seen in a while. All of that was great…but that closeness, dialogue, and teamwork that we’ve always seen in the past was just missing for me.

Lucas hasn’t been happy professionally for a while now. That has left him adrift professionally, and now that seemed to leak into his personal life as well. I mean, really, he didn’t even seemed to connect with his family like he used to…

Hopefully the ending of this book will clear all of this out and Lucas will be part of a team again…in his personal life as well as his professional one…yes, he’ll always be the top dog, even when he isn’t…but at least he’ll be a member of the pack instead of just a lone wolf…

However…this does bring up new developments for that F’ing Flowers now doesn’t it…

Until next time…

Urania xx

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now Extreme Prey by John Sandford

Review: Sister Eve and the Blue Nun by Lynne Hinton

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I adored the first book in this series, and I love Sister Evangeline’s character so much that I keep reading the next in the series. Blue Nun is number three, and although there was too much history and Blue Nun factual information (like a documentary!) for me, I still enjoyed the terrific characters and dialogue. 

In this book, Sister Eve returns to the convent for a long weekend, only to happen upon a murder. Like any literary amateur sleuth, Eve ignores police instructions to stay out of the investigation, and she gets herself into a bit of trouble here and there. Thankfully there’s her private eye dad and a handsome police detective to save Eve as she catches the bad guy and solves the case! 

-calliope

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Review: Like the Red Sky at Morning (Forget Me Not #2) by Brielle Sky

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If you go back to my review of the first book and have now read both, I would just like a moment to gloat that I was, in fact, correct about my predictions.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way…teehee…

I did enjoy this book. Perhaps not as much as the first one…wait….maybe I need to clarify that…I HATED what was going on in the first book (My review of Book 1) but the fact that it made me so angry and feel so passionate about what was happening really made me appreciate the book. I didn’t feel outrage and anger during the reading of this novel, so I’m sad to say, it didn’t move me as much…but don’t think I didn’t enjoy it! I did enjoy it.

***Spoilers without spoilers*** If I had any complaints it would only be that I don’t necessarily see how Isaac could know the things he knew about the man Max was dating at the end and just leave it at that…regardless of the past or anything else…

I also wish that this book had been wrapped up nicely in this 2nd installment…It’s pretty obvious to me that there will be a third book (provided this one does well and I hope it does) to finally wrap up the ending. If not we’re all doomed to loose countless nights worrying about people that might or might not come back to ruin the HEA ending…

I saw everything coming in this book…even if Max didn’t…I saw the betrayals that many she considered closest to her were committing…all throughout both books…does that make it any less of a good book? Perhaps….

However, did it make me enjoy it less or wish I hadn’t bothered with it? Not at all! I really enjoyed this book and I am still waiting on Brielle Skye’s next book! I’ll be sure to crack it open almost as soon as I get word about it…just as I did this one…There’s not many books that don’t spend some time on my TBR piles (I just have so many great choices!!!! It’s not the books’ fault!!!!) However, Ms. Skyes books have never resided there…they are always quickly read…as I’m sure the next one will be…

Until next time…

Urania xx

ARC provided by the author for an honest review

Buy it now Like the Red Sky at Morning by Brielle Skye

Review: Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel #1) by Connie Willis

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24983What the hell! How many rewards did this book win? How many of my most reliable reading mates loved it? Have I lost my mind? Have I lost my book mojo? SOBS!!!! I JUST DON’T GET IT!!!!!!

This under 600 page novel read like it was just under 6000 pages! I didn’t think it would EVER end! It just went onandonandonandonandonandonandonandon.

I loved the bits we spent with Kivrin in the past. However, to get there we seemed to be going back in time in slow motion…for every step they took in the “current” future time where Kivrin came from, it just seemed to be on a slow motion loop. We covered the same stuff over and over in tiny little bits of detail that were fed to us like we were wee babes unable to digest a full meal.

2oo pages would have made a difference between a fantastic read and a “eh” read…sadly the numbers were not in this books favour this time….

Arrggggghhhhhhhhhhhh! I usually LOVE long books as well….

so frustrating…

Until next time…

Urania

Buy it now Doomsday Book by Connie Willis