Suspense

Review: Honeymoon in Paris by Juliette Sobanet

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20131206-001838.jpg New Release!

Honeymoon in Paris is a mystery wrapped in chick-lit, with a little romance thrown in. Charlotte and Luc begin their marriage in a small apartment in Lyon, France, where Luc romances the heck out of his wife ….
Until he starts keeping secrets.

For most of the book, Charlotte tries to unravel Luc’s mysterious past, while she herself unwittingly wades into the mystery. I liked Charlotte’s amateur sleuthing. I identified with her need to know what was going on, and also her obliviousness to some of the danger around her. (Call me nosy and naïve!)

I also liked Charlotte’s friendship with Lexi and Fiona. Their knowing glances, quick-catch-ups over pastry or texts, and occasional nights out seemed authentic. The girls are young, adventuresome, and pretty fearless. The book skewed a little young for my personal taste, but it brought me back to my 20s, and it was a pretty fun trip.

The supporting cast was a treat – sleazy Vincent, Devil-Loves-Prada-Glenn-Close Mireille, and spoiled Brigitte. Sometimes foils are just as fun as protagonists, and that was certainly the case here!

The only thing that bothered me about Honeymoon in Paris is the subtitle (A Paris Romance). This book wasn’t much of a romance. It was mostly chick lit and mystery, with a few lovey dovey scenes between the newly married couple. Because of the subtitle, I expected a romance and was disappointed. If the subtitle read A Paris Adventure, I would have been ready for the capers that ensued. The other Paris books in Sobanet’s repertoire skew more toward romance.

If you’re up for suspenseful chick lit and you’ve got your sleuthing hat on, you’ll enjoy Honeymoon in Paris.

-Calliope

Buy it now Honeymoon in Paris

Review: Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd

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20131202-090141.jpg This cozy historical mystery, set in England, has a little bit of a Regency romance feel.

Lucy, the rector’s daughter, and Robert, a magistrate and wounded soldier, notice some thievery and strange goings-on in the village. With a young woman disappearing, and the men of the village not quite acting themselves, Lucy and Robert put their heads together to investigate. That’s the main plot. The subplots include Lucy’s resistance to spinsterhood and wanting to find a husband, Robert’s difficulty coming to terms with his leg injury, and the strong friendship that grows between Lucy and Robert. I enjoyed the various threads and thought they were developed appropriately for a light mystery novel.

I also liked the characters’ efforts to maintain propriety and appearances, and Lucy’s subtle rebelling against all of it. The whole regency feel made Lucy’s visits to Robert seem almost taboo. It was fun to see Lucy doing a lot of things that other young women wouldn’t dare do in this setting.

Death Comes to the Village was a light read, with a slow and deliberate start. I totally loved it, from Lucy and Robert’s banter to the mental illness and morbidity. I read this book at night, and when I finished it, I was scared to go to sleep! The ending was somewhat of a cliffhanger, and I am eager to know if and when a Book 2 will be released.

–Calliope

Buy it now Death Comes to the Village

Review: Our Picnics in the Sun by Morag Joss

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20131129-122346.jpgA man trapped both physically and mentally after a debilitating stroke. His wife resentful and overwhelmed by his needs. A distant son who refuses to return to the home he worked so hard to escape. A harsh, unforgiving landscape. And two strangers who mysteriously appear at their doorstep one night. Morag Joss has given us a cast of characters worthy of a fulfilling, suspenseful story.

Howard and his wife, Deborah, are simple, eccentric country people who insist on living off the land and shun many modern conveniences. Their son Adam escaped his sheltered upbringing to become a successful businessman. Howard loves nothing more than making pottery and practicing yoga while Deborah spends her time weaving and tending to her home and garden. They also run a not-so-successful bed and breakfast. When Howard suffers a stroke and becomes completely dependent on Deborah for his most basic needs, feelings begin to change and long buried resentments rise to the surface. Both Howard and Deborah are desperate for the attention and affection of Adam. But time and again they are disappointed by his unfulfilled promises of a long past due visit. Complicating matters is a lingering guest, Theo. As Deborah’s relationship with Theo begins to grow, she starts to view him as a replacement for her absent son. However, dark thoughts soon start to cloud her judgment as she begins to question everything she thought her life has stood for up to this point.

This book was described to me as a psychological thriller, and it definitely had me on the edge of my seat waiting for “it” to happen. The author wove a story full of such secret and suspense that I just knew at any moment the bottom was going to fall out. Although I caught on to one of the cliffhangers at about three quarters of the way through the book, her writing is so beautifully lyrical and descriptive that I wanted to keep reading just for the pleasure of the journey. The ending did not disappoint me and all of my questions were answered, although I would describe this book as more of a suspenseful drama than a psychological thriller. A good read!

~Thalia

Buy it Now: Our Picnics in the Sun: A Novel

Review – King and Maxwell, by David Baldacci.

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17333431I’ve been a fan of David Baldacci for about the last 10 years or so, so when I received this ARC to review, I jumped in reading straight away. As you can probably start to tell by now, my taste in genres is pretty varied. Baldacci is my go-to author for my ‘fluff’ reading; he is like James Patterson, only twice as good and actually writes his own books (allegedly!).

This book is the latest in the Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series – a buddy cop type series, but with two former Secret Service agents. I really like this series because these two characters have some genuine chemistry and seem half believable. It’s not too late to start this series as there are only 5 other books before this one.

The plot is your standard ‘two agents must save the day against juggernaut government factions that kill at will’ etc, etc… However, this plot has a contemporary edge to it, which makes it seem like it could potentially happen in today’s age. The pace of the writing is fast and exciting – before you know it, you’ve read ¾ of the book!

I won’t for one second say that this book will invoke any kind of emotional tidal wave, make you ponder the meaning of life and being, challenge your inner self, or anything like that. It will however, serve as an entertaining and quick read, one that doesn’t disappoint because you know what you are getting, and it doesn’t fail to deliver. I highly recommended this for fans of Baldacci’s King and Maxwell series.

Book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

~ Pegasus.

Buy It Here: King and Maxwell (King & Maxwell)<

Review: Perfume by Patrick Süskind

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perfumeOkay, so I HAD to read this one….The book was written in 1987, so it’s not a new book. I had never heard of it….however….for some reason all of a sudden I heard it mentioned 3 or 4 times within a month…I was determined to read it at this point…it had to be a sign right? So I tracked down an old paperback copy since it is not available on e-readers.

Well, I wish someone had told me it was full of symbolism. I seriously did not like this book. Don’t get me wrong…it has very high reviews and every time I mentioned it to someone who would tell me how smashingly brilliant it was….

Did I ever mention that the one class I never had to study for in high school was literature? Need I go further and tell you that I always started out wanting to read the stories we were assigned but once symbolism was sprinkled upon the pages I tuned out? Let’s take it a step further and confess that I passed many many a test having never read the book because of symbolism. I mean, really….if the story has been told dozens of times, why must we rehash it again and just substitute one object for another. I don’t think I’m so genius when it comes to symbolism. I just seemed to have a knack for knowing exactly what the author was trying to tell me without having to bother myself to read the book….this book was no different for me….once the main character
was caught, I knew at that second what was to happen…..how it was to end….

So what is the actually book about? I won’t tell you the symbolism…just in case you happen to like that sort of thing and wish to figure it out for yourself….This is a novel about Jean-Baptiste Grenouille born in the slums of France in the 18th century. Grenouille has an uncanny ability to remember every smell he encounters. He is able to peel the layers of odors apart and knows what they encompass. However, he has not “smell” of his own….He teaches himself the trade of perfumer. Along with no smell, he also possesses no real physical needs (other than the basic food and water needed in order to live). He doesn’t emphasize with people. He doesn’t love. He doesn’t feel a need to be accepted. He doesn’t socialize. He survives. Then it happens…In a single moment of time, Grenouille smells a scent he has never encountered before and seeks it out….a young, pure, innocent girl. He takes her life with no thought of all, just so he can relish in the smell of her. He then sets out to learn his trade in hopes that he can find some way to capture this scent as his own….

Read the novel if you want to know what happens at the end…and what does his lack of scent mean? And what is it he is actually seeking in his *special* perfume….

but this novel (and the reason chose to review it) did bring up a very interesting question in my mind. One that I had to put the book down and ponder it for quite a while. Where does our sense of smell come from? Why is it that certain scents warm our hearts? Make us drool (oh come on….am I the only one that drools over fresh-baked cookies?????) What makes some scents so unpleasant to us? Sure, we all know that if you work at a paper mill, the scent of those chemicals will make most people retch, but for that worker that collects his pay from the mill….well, it turns into a pleasant scent. We all also know that if we open a container of play doh that it doesn’t *really* smell good, but it does bring forth our fond memories of childhood. Don’t even get me started on what happens to me when I walk into a coffee shop! We all have smells that do that. Memories and scents are so closely connected…..however…..what about new scents? what about going into a new restaurant or a foreign country for the very first time? How does our sense of scent determine the new smells that we love and those that turn our stomach?

So although I didn’t care for the symbolism and all that, I can really appreciate a book that can make me stop and think….so there you go….

until next time….

Urania xx

Buy it now Perfume