Murder in the Orchard - Betty Rowlands

Murder in the Orchard: A totally gripping cozy mystery novel by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 6 of the Melissa Craig Mysteries and I think that each one just gets better and better. I have to admit that I polished this off in one day, not quite one sitting, but I didn't want to put it down. This time Melissa finds herself in the middle of another mystery when she is supposed to be on a writers retreat. Needless to say, she doesn't get a great deal of writing done.
As well as the small cast of suspects, we have the return of regular characters in the form of Gloria the cleaner, next door neighbour and artist Iris and boyfriend and tame policeman Ken. I have to admit that I haven't decided how I feel about the Ken and Melissa relationship. On the whole, I think that I'm in favour, but with Melissa being a bit unsure herself and the two of them continually butting heads when it comes to how involved she seems to get in these mysteries, the jury is still out.
As ever the mystery worked well and I really enjoyed it. I didn't manage to solve the whole thing this time, but I had picked up on most of the clues and got my head around quite a bit before the big reveal.
I love these classic mystery stories and can't wait to see what trouble Mel manages to find herself in the middle of in the next book. No doubt Ken will be less than impressed with her snooping around.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


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Footsteps in the Dark- Georgette Heyer

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I haven't read a mystery novel by Georgette Heyer, although I have read and loved some of her Regency Romances. The mystery novels, based on this one at least, are quite different, although the writing style, that helps make Heyer's novels so good, of course, remains.
This is a classic country house mystery, with a small cast of possible suspects and plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. Compared to modern thriller and mystery novels, the plot of these type of books is quite slow, which might put some people off, but I have to admit that I've long been a fan of this classic who-done-it style.
Overall, I liked the main characters, although they are very much of their time. But what about the mystery itself. For me, a mystery has to 'work' I don't need to have been able to solve it myself, but it has to make sense when all is explained. Fortunately, in this case, everything was tied up neatly and there wasn't a sudden non-sensical conclusion. In actual fact, I'd guessed who was behind it all and what some of the other characters were up to quite a while before it was revealed. I don't think that it was completely obvious either though, which is the other danger with these type of books.
Footsteps in the Dark was a satisfying and enjoyable read. if you don't like the type of gentle mysteries from the golden age of that type of novel then this probably isn't for you. If you are a fan of a classic murder mystery, however, then I'd urge you to give this one a go.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Cover Reveal Guardian Angel

~ Cover Reveal ~

Guardian Angel by Ruchi Singh

The Man

Security expert Nikhil Mahajan is in mortal danger. Gravely injured and unable to see, he is in the midst of hostile strangers in an unknown place. Any hope of survival is fast fading away. 

The Angel

Should an innocent man be allowed to die just because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Someone has to intervene.

About the Author:

Winner of TOI WriteIndia Season 1, Ruchi Singh is a novelist, and writes in two genres; romance and romantic thriller. A voracious reader, she loves everything—from classics to memoirs to editorials to chick-lit, but her favourite genre is ‘romantic thriller’. Besides writing and reading, her other interests include dabbling with Indian classical dance forms.

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The Belting Inheritance - Julian Symons

The Belting Inheritance by Julian Symons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In some ways, this book is a little different to most classic crime stories. There is a murder and a cast of possible suspects. Most of the action takes place in a country house, although there is a brief trip over to France. In addition to this part of the mystery, there is also the question of a missing member of the family returning to the family and the family not being sure if he is really who he says that he is. Of course, these two elements are linked and the answer to both mysteries is solved together.
The story is told from the point of view of a young member of the house, Christopher, who is there staying with his extended family for the holidays. He had lost his parents at the age of twelve and has been cared for by his mother's aunt, who he is now living with since then. I quite liked Christopher as a narrator, he is often very conscious of his role as storyteller, but on the whole, I think that this worked.
The pace of the story is possibly a little slow when compared to modern novels, but I think in this it works. It helps to create a sense of the past and places the novel in the post-war period that it was set. I think it was actually written a decade or so later than this.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I had figured out some of the mystery, but there were still a few surprises at the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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4Ever Series Blog Tour

This boxed set consists of the entire 4Ever series bundle. You'll get all three novels, Imperfect Love, Secret Love and Endless Love in one. Over 1400 pages, and almost 340 000 words, hours filled with romance, betrayal, heartache and second chances.

Imperfect Love: At 24 years old, Holly Scallanger has the perfect life. Everything a girl could want; a beautiful man, a stunning home, as well as being in the midst of preparing for the wedding of her dreams. This all vanishes the night she catches her fiancé, Brandon Morgan, in bed with her worst nightmare, Donna Sinclair, just a week before Holly is set to walk down the aisle. Attempting to recover from his betrayal, Holly swears off the affections of men in order to pick up the pieces of her crumbling life. Unfortunately, meeting Jake 'Hooligan' Peters is not part of her plan. The tall, dark-haired and handsome as hell med student, sweeps Holly away from the pain of her past and reveals to her the bright future that lies ahead. That is, until she falls pregnant just as Jake begins his internship at P&E; his family's hospital. Will this love at first sight lead her to the fairytale she has always craved? Or, will she fall victim to a betrayal of the heart yet again?

Secret Love: Guarding a secret and playing with fire has never been a good combination. Four years ago, Holly Scallenger embarked on the most difficult journey of her life. As if being a single parent isn't already stressful enough, Holly also attended med-school, in hopes of heping other pregnant women in a way she wasn't helped. But things don't look so good as she has to embark on a new journey - a journey that would take her back to Boston, back to the man who broke her heart and discarded her and her babies. Sworn to never fall for him again, Holy is put to the test once more when a chance encounter reunites them.

Endless Love: Death comes to us all, but true love conquers all? For once, Holly Scallanger has it all. After more than her fair share of ups and downs, fate intervened and changed her life the day she bumped back into Jake Peters' life. Now her Now her future seems brighter than ever before. She's training at the best hospital in Zurich, she shares a love with the man of her dreams—the type of love most womenonly ever dream of—and her little girl has everything her heart desires. But fate has other plans. When an old acquaintance crashes back into Holly's life causing havoc at every turn, Holly's perfect existence falls to pieces around her. Will the couple survive the turmoil entering the lives, or will their happily ever after come to an end?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Isabella White is a USA Today Bestselling author. She started her writing career with Imperfect Love in 2015, followed two years later by Secret Love and Endless Love. When she isn't writing, she is spending her time with family and friends and her lazy bulldog Missy. You can find out more about Isabella and all her other novels on her website.

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JB's Bookworms - Des 15 Inspired to Read - Des 17 What is that book about - 18 Dec Crazy K.A.L.M - Des 20 Simply Kelina - Des 27 Adrienne Woods Books - Des 31 Momma says to read or not to read - Jan 1 Lynn's Romance Enthusiasm - Jan 4 Nessie's Place - Jan 8 World's Away Bookblog - Jan 10 Viviana Macade - Jan 11 Book Reviews by Jasmine - Jan 15

Murder on a Winter Afternoon - Betty Rowlands

Murder on a Winter Afternoon by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These Mel Craig Mysteries just get better and better, I don't know if it's because I know the character a little better with each one. This book has, like the last one, a bit of an art theme going on. It's a bit of a different situation to in the previous book, but is interesting and works well all the same.
You might expect that by the third book, Mel might have been a bit more on the ball with this mystery. Mel is a mystery novelist herself, which is part of the reason that she gets involved in all of these crimes in the first place, so she should surely be able to solve things reasonably easy. In this book, she doesn't spot what I felt was fairly obvious though. I don't know if the mystery would have worked so well if she had, so I'll let her off, I was getting a little stressed and wanting to give her a shake.
One of the great things about reading a series is that you get to see the characters develop over time. In this instalment we see the development of a relationship that grew a little in the last book, I wonder if we'll see more of this in subsequent books?
The only slightly annoying thing about this series is that on the one hand, it is quintessentially English, but the book must have been prepared for the American market. There are a few too many cell phones and cookies for my liking that just detract very slightly from that British setting. Overall though, this is a great classic mystery series and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books.

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Wolf Tamer - Yumoyori Wilson

Wolf Tamer
Yumoyori Wilson
(Claiming My Pack #1)
Publication date: October 6th 2018
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

An Orphan Girl. A Group of Wolves. A Destined Fate for War.
Don’t you ever wish to find where you belong? A place where you can rest your head without worrying about being jumped or your possessions being taken from you? Not like I had much, to say the least.
A pendant, an ancient blade, and a picture of my murdered family were all I had left when I was five years old. Foster homes to homeless shelters, I never found a place of refuge. I simply didn’t belong, and everyone made it their duty to remind me of my predicament. Until I finally came across a place that felt like home.
Sacred Moon Shelter for Endangered Wolves. I’d stumbled upon the sanctuary when I was near death, but I was miraculously saved.
Since then, I’ve become a Wolf Tamer; the only one who can get close to touching the six rare breeds. When I’m with them, I feel safe and sometimes wish I could be like one of them and escape this cruel world.
But such inhumanity strikes home, a group of hunters shows up, ready to take my wolves to an unknown place or murder them in cold blood. I won’t allow them to kill the only true family I’d ever known.
My name is Harper Blake, and I vow to claim and protect my own.
Wolf Tamer is a new Wolf Shifter Reverse Harem Romance. Recommended for 18+ Audiences.

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Author Bio:
Yumoyori Wilson is from Toronto, Ontario. She's a Full-time author who loves to write many different genres. On her down time, she bothers her Mom and likes to drink bubbletea while reading and playing video games.

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My Review

First of all, I think that I should start by saying that this is the first in a series. Or at the very least, there is to be a follow-on book. I mention this because although the book is described as being a reverse harem romance, that doesn't really happen in this book. Instead, much of the story is building up the background that I assume will come into fruition in the second book. 

The book starts with our heroine, Harper, as a five-year-old. She has lost her family to murderers and no longer fully knows who or what she is. The book then progresses and we join Harper as she grows up at various stages and falls for her friend Ian, who just so happens to also be her other friend wolfie. 

For the most part I enjoyed reading all of this background storyline and it helped to build an understanding of who Harper is. Having said that, by the end of the book much of her past is still in darkness and it's not clear what is going to happen to her. I was interested to find out though and will be keen to read the second book in the series.

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