Death Among the Diamonds - Fliss Chester

 Everyone in 1920s London knows the Honourable Cressida Fawcett: fiercely independent (though never apart from her little pug Ruby), lover of martinis and interior designer extraordinaire. She’s solved many crimes of fashion… so how about murder?

Cressida Fawcett is heading to the English countryside for a weekend of cocktails and partying at her friend’s glamorous mansion, the location of a recent diamond heist. But just hours after her arrival, Cressida is woken by an almighty scream. Rushing to the landing, she looks down into the great hall to find a trembling maid standing next to the body of Harry, the friendly young chandelier cleaner.

Everyone believes Harry’s death was an accident. But as Cressida examines the opulent hall and the beautiful grounds, she thinks something darker is afoot. Why clean a chandelier in the early hours of the morning? And who overheard Harry boasting about coming into unexpected wealth? A small piece of torn silk found near the body has Cressida looking at the guests’ elegant clothes with fresh eyes…

The short-tempered Detective insists that she keeps her curious nose out of the investigation, but it’s Cressida who realises the stolen diamonds were hidden in the sparkling chandelier. Convinced there is a connection between the theft and the murder, the case takes a sinister turn when a guest is killed in his sleep after a brandy-fuelled night of cards. With everyone unable to leave, can Cressida’s sharp eye for detail catch the killer before another life is taken?

An absolutely gripping and utterly charming 1920s murder mystery packed with wit, glamour and intrigue. The perfect whodunnit for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Downton Abbey!

Author Bio:

Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.

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My Review

I've loved Fliss Chester's Fen Churche series so I was really looking forward to getting into this new Cressida Fawcett mystery series. Although both are historical murder mysteries with female leads, I think that's possibly where the similarity ends. While the Fen Churche books are a little more serious, Cressida seems to be all about the fun, even with dead bodies popping up here there and everywhere. I didn't mind it being something a little different though, I still enjoyed it immensely.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to the bottom of whodunit completely. I'd managed to work out a few bits and bobs, but the final reveal kept me guessing. It did all make sense though, which is all I demand in a murder mystery.
This was a great start to a new series. It took me a little longer to get into than I expected, but once I'd got my head around the various characters I was hooked. I'm looking forward to reading more of Cressida's adventures. I'm sure that there's plenty more to come.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Fate in Suspension - Excerpt

Fate in Suspension
Archer Kay Leah
(Horn & Haven, #1)
Publication date: June 30th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance

Quiet. That’s how he likes life, no drama to clean up…

Tai Xen-Vorsy leads a straightforward life: work, time at the local clubs where shapeshifters like him can play without fear, and the comforts of home with a cat that’s more than half attitude. After breaking up with his last submissive, he’s even taking a break from Dom duties.

Meeting Gates changes everything, and when Tai’s childhood home is destroyed, his simple life goes up in flames.

The Callensdale haven was his refuge as an orphan, a hideaway that saved his life. Now it’s time to return the favour. Bringing in the Fluff Brigade Brotherhood would make all the difference… if he could just get them back together. Tai won’t give up—he’s not that kind of unicorn. But can he reunite the brotherhood and keep his new relationship with Gates kindled at the same time?

The darkness is dragging him into the shadows, one case at a time…

Helping others is all Gates Colfaethe wants to do, being mostly unicorn shifter with a splash of Faerie. But years as an agent on trafficking cases leave him fearing just how far he’ll lose himself in the job before he burns out completely.

A random hookup with Tai might be the very change he needs. A new Dom means new rules and the chance to create safe distance from work—until his worlds collide in a twist Gates should leave well enough alone. What he knows is bad enough, but running headlong into danger could kill him.

Horn & Haven is an MM+ romance series featuring a found family of unicorn shifters brought together by tragic circumstances. Friends out to save a magical world in trouble. Family fighting to protect those they love. Lovers falling for the kinkiest unicorns this side of their universe… Welcome to the Fluff Brigade Brotherhood.

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Author Bio:

Archer Kay Leah is an LGTBQA+ romance author that you’ll often find getting lost in strange, fantastical worlds with characters who can’t help but find trouble and shake things up. Fantasy and sci-fi romances are Archer’s speciality, especially when they’re complex and emotionally charged. But at the heart of Archer’s stories are friendship, family, and there’s always a happy ending–it might just take a whole lot of complications to get there!

When not reading and writing for work or play, Archer is a nerd of much geekery, loves music to depths that will never be contained, and is fascinated by behaviour, psychology, and ecology. Born and raised in Canada, Archer lives in London, Ontario with a non-binary partner who loves all things out there in the vast space of the universe.

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Excerpt

Fate in Suspension Excerpt 1: The Call

Terror shot through him, competing with a simmering rage like twin blasts of hot and cold tearing each other's throats out. He hadn't been this scared since he'd seen his parents murdered.

Ratchet. Need to tell him.

He turned off the taps and dried his hands, then returned to the bedroom. Gates hadn't left the bed, only turned over to lie on his stomach, face turned away from the bathroom, all of which suited Tai just fine. He wasn't up for explaining. Gates wouldn't understand anyway, so what was the point?

Tai opened the closet as quietly as he could and grabbed his phone from his jacket.

"Problem?" Gates's voice drifted over from the bed, soft and sleepy.

"No," Tai answered through gritted teeth, unable to look at Gates. "Go back to resting. I'll be back soon." He stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. The moment he was alone, he called Ratchet.

The connection went straight to voicemail. Twice.

"Dammit," Tai muttered. Ratchet was most likely passed out at home, sneaking in a quick nap since he'd be up early to deal with event matters. Either that or his phone was dead.

It was just as well—Tai didn't want to discuss anything over the phone. Not when he didn't know who was listening in. He wasn't a complete fool: after the dragon sighting, all sorts of agents would be up to their dicks in surveillance, especially in the city where it all went wrong.

The chime of Ratchet's voicemail pissed him off even more as he left his message. "Hey, asshat," Tai said, "thanks for not picking up. Need to see you, basically fucking now. It's almost three—wake your ass up and text me. I'll keep harassing you till you do."

He hung up, only to text Ratchet the same message. Everything else was just a matter of waiting.

Molly Rey had told him to stay. That he had time.

None of that made him feel better. The Callensdale haven had been their home for years, ever since he and Molly Rey had been whisked away to the haven's veiled location, hidden from whoever had killed their parents. They'd shown up on the haven's doorstep as bundles of paranoia and horror but left as mostly adjusted adults ready to see what the world offered, other than secrets. Between the Eightfold Watchers and the patron guardians, they'd never had reason to fear life on the haven's grounds. They'd been raised well. With care. Just as every child of the Dale was.

Now that compassion and kindness had been devastated, and for what?

Tai scowled at his phone, thumb poised over the Message button. He should go to Ratchet's place and bang down the door until someone let him in, except…

Gates.

Tai had gone rough enough on him. He wanted Gates to rest it off, at least for a little while, and he didn't need anyone else knowing his business.

Then again…

His fucking head. He wasn't fit to go anywhere, let alone drive. His insides felt as if someone had gone full-on supernova on his brain matter, then redecorated his skull with a sledgehammer. His sight was blurry and getting worse the longer he stared at his phone, details bleeding together—a reaction to the magic he'd completely forgotten about. If it was anything like when he was a child, the blurriness would last for at least an hour, maybe longer since he hadn't worked mirror magic in over twenty years. Molly Rey had always been the strongest at their shared ability, not him.

No, leaving the apartment was a bad idea, likely to get him killed with a fate far worse than what Molly Rey would deal out if he didn't obey her instructions, even if loyalty demanded he run to her. Staying put was already making his skin crawl.

Tai sighed and headed for the kitchen—

—Only to hit the ground, knee slamming down before he could stop himself from falling. His other leg buckled just as quickly, bringing him face-first against the wood floor.

Okay… not going anywhere.

Rolling onto his back, Tai hissed at the contact on his spine. He called Ratchet from where he lay in the corridor.

Voicemail. Again.

"Change in plans," Tai said in his new message. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for the doubled shadows to stop dancing. "Meet you at the club at eight. Morning eight. Have coffee."

He let the phone slip to the floor by his ear, the clatter too loud to not wince at. Fine, if his body didn't want to move, he'd lie there for a bit, then try to get up and hobble back to bed, assuming Gates didn't find him first—or Estrel didn't sit on his face. The thud and click, click, click coming from the other room meant the furry bastard was already on the way, probably to loaf on Tai's chest and smack his tail in Tai's face, knowing Tai wasn't in any condition to stop him.

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Murder in the Library - Katie Gale

Julia Bird’s picturesque Cotswolds life is everything she’d dreamed of. Until, that is, she discovers
a dead body in the library…

Julia Bird had imagined the quiet of rural life would be soothing after years in the city, but she finds she can’t just sit still.Determined to throw herself into village activities, she joins the library just in time to attend a talk by celebrated local author Vincent Andrews.

Charming, devilishly handsome and talented, Vincent teases the crowd with a reading from his forthcoming novel. Set in a village bearing strange similarities to Berrywick, with characters the audience start to recognise, Vincent hints of dark secrets to be revealed, to gasps of outrage from the room. The meeting ends in uproar, and, just hours later, Vincent’s dead body is discovered behind the bookshelves…

As one of the last people to see him alive, Julia feels morally bound to help the police investigate. With her trusty Labrador, Jake, at her side, she decides to do her own sleuthing and quickly discovers that Vincent’s personal life is messy, his finances are in disarray and his book sales are declining. But most of all, remembering her neighbours’ faces at the book reading, Julia wonders if one of them could have lost the plot enough to kill…

As Julia interrogates the suspects, she walks straight into another scene of murder and mayhem, and realises Vincent’s manuscript is now missing. There’s someone out there who’s deadly serious about keeping their secrets unpublished. Will Julia be able to stop them, before anyone else gets hurt?

Brilliantly twisty, this completely thrilling cozy mystery is perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Helena Marchmont and Clare Chase.

Author Bio:

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.

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My Review

There's something quite comforting and satisfying about a good murder mystery such as Murder in the Library. It seems odd to suggest that there could be anything in any way pleasant about somebody dying, but there is.
In this second Julia Bird book, Julia manages to stumble across yet another dead body and also manages to involve herself in an investigation in a way that no one would ever be able to in real life. I think that it is in part, this suspension of belief for the way that things play out, that makes the book so satisfying. You know that it would be nothing like this in real life, so it becomes a simple puzzle to solve.
In this case, I did actually manage to get to the bottom of what was going on long before Julia or the police (who it has to be said are particularly inept and clueless) did. Who cares though? As I said, this was a really enjoyable read and one that I really got into. I'm sure that we'll be returning to Julia, Jake her dog and her other local companions before long and I for one am really looking forward to it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Trapped in Love - Danica Flynn

Trapped In Love
Danica Flynn
(MacGregor Brothers Brewing Company, #2)
Publication date: July 19th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

When my boss forced me on vacation to think about my career at the brewery, I wanted to scream. Then my sister suggested I spend the week at our dad’s cabin in the Poconos to think about what I really wanted.

Hoping for a relaxing week of fishing, hiking, and drinking lots of beer, I didn’t expect to find my sworn enemy already there. It was clear we had been setup by my meddlesome sister.

I had no desire to work out my differences with Felix freaking Jameson. He already broke my heart twice and I wasn’t going to let him do it a third time.

I just hoped the cabin was big enough for the both of us. And that I could forget how good it felt when his mouth was on mine. I definitely wasn’t going to let him into my bed again. Definitely not.

Trapped in Love is a small-town summer vacation romance set in the Poconos. If you love enemies to lovers and forced proximity, this one is for you.

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Author Bio:

Danica Flynn is a marketer by day, and a writer by nights and weekends. AKA she doesn’t sleep! She is a rabid hockey fan of both The Philadelphia Flyers and the Metropolitan Riveters. When not writing, she can be found hanging with her partner, playing video games, and reading a ton of books.

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My Review

Trapped in love tells the story of Felix and Gemma. They've fancied each other from the moment that they first met, but after Felix stood Gemma up on what would have been their first date, they've been at each other's throats. When they both end up away on holiday together, it's clear that their obvious attraction is going to be impossible to ignore.

I did enjoy the romance between these two. They worked well together as a couple. The main reason that they can't be together though is because Felix is single-handedly raising his thirteen-year-old younger sister. I'm not sure exactly how hands he thinks he needs to be, she's thirteen and I'm sure that he could manage a relationship as well as his sister. Single parents with much younger kids certainly seem to manage things one way or another. I think that it was this that stopped me from giving this book a higher rating. Yes, he has a few things going on in his life, who doesn't? It's certainly not enough to make him drop all attempts at living his own life and I think that this 'conflict' was dragged out a little too long, making things slightly repetitive at points.

Overall, it was a good romance, but just not a brilliant one. Still a good read.

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A Perfect Stranger - Shalini Boland

 Two marriages. Three little lies. Someone’s going to die…

I hold my breath as my handsome husband walks through the door. I’ve planned the perfect surprise birthday party for him. Our friends are gathered and the champagne is flowing. But when I catch the look in his deep brown eyes, I realise I’ve got this horribly wrong.

All evening my stomach is churning. And I can’t help but notice Danielle Baines speaking with Aiden. With her salon-styled hair, diamonds glittering on her ring finger and married to a rich businessman she has the kind of lifestyle I can only dream of. I’ve never liked her. And I know the feeling is mutual.

So why is she here and what is she saying to my husband?

Now it’s the end of the party and the man I love is confessing a secret that shocks me to the core. But it’s not what I was afraid of. It’s much worse.

He says we have to take our son and leave the place we call home because our lives are in danger.

I thought I knew everything about my husband. But suddenly he feels like a stranger. Should I trust him with my life?

From the million-copy bestselling author, this totally gripping psychological thriller will have you guessing until the last jaw-dropping twist. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us.

Author Bio:

Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and Jess their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

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My Review

A perfect stranger tells the story of two women who discover that their marriages might not be all that they first thought. Their husbands are both keeping secrets from them, and are far from being the men that they first thought them to be.
This is a gripping thriller with lots of twists and turns. At one point I thought that I'd got it figured all out. I was wrong. There was one little bit that I had got right, but I'd forgotten all about it by the end of the book and when it turned out that I was along the right track, it completely took me by surprise. I enjoyed the way that the story was told from the two women's points of view. It wasn't clear whether they were just superficially connected due to their husbands place of work or if their stories were somehow more intertwined than that, until much later in the book and then it was in ways that I really was not expecting.
This was a fairly quick read, but only because I really wanted to know how it was going to play out once I'd started and it certainly kept me guessing until the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Unchain my Heart - Nadia Blair

Unchain My Heart
Nadia Blair
(Mephisto, #2)
Publication date: May 10th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

What’s a bad girl to do when the world won’t let her be good …

With her thirtieth birthday looming, actress Natasha Bernard wants to reinvent herself as something other than Hollywood’s favorite villainess. When she hears rumors that a tell-all exposé reveals details of her love life with her rockstar ex, she decides to put a stop to it. Even if that means confronting his bandmate, Richard Mac—the man who let the world brand her with a scarlet ‘A.’

She’s his nemesis … his secret obsession … and the only woman who can incinerate his life …

Guitarist Richard Mac is a control freak, whether he’s working on a new album or using his custom leather toys in the bedroom. When “Hurricane” Natasha storms back into his life, he risks everything to claim her. But he can’t risk losing control and letting her guess his darkest secret … that she’s the one woman he’s always wanted and could never have …

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Author Bio:

Nadia Blair writes steamy contemporary romance featuring outrageous bad boys and gutsy girls who give as good as they get. She has a thing for snappy dialog, humorous situations, and swoon-worthy happily-ever-afters.

When she's not having conversations with fictional people, she enjoys summer thunderstorms, top-shelf whiskey, and rockin' out to a classic guitar solo.

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My Review

I do enjoy a good rockstar romance and this one certainly falls into that category. Natasha Bernard used to be married to Mephisto's frontman, but despite swearing off rock god types forever, she's always been drawn to his bandmate control freak guitarist Richard Mac.
Both Richard and Natasha believe that they can't do relationships and that all that they can really have is a fling. There's also the added problem of Natasha's past with Richard's best friend. If they are going to find their way together and to the most important relationship that either of them has ever had, then they need to deal with all of this and be completely honest with one another.
I liked both Richard and Natasha and think that they work well together. Although their feelings and the relationship move fast, these two have a history, even if it is as something far from being lovers previously.
Natasha has always been seen as a femme fatal, an image that she has hated and that she feels is fake. With Richard she finds that the can really embrace whoever she wants to be and isn't at all worried about the rest of the world.
I really enjoyed this romance and would be certainly interested in reading other books in the series.

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The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue - Ella Carey

New York, 1938: Martha pulled the door of her Fifth Avenue apartment closed, her heart thumping, re-reading the telegram she’d been dreading. Her beloved sister Charlotte needed her help. She was alone in Paris, and the threat of Nazi invasion was growing ever stronger. The time had come for Martha to make the bravest decision of her life. She needed to bring Charlotte home.

As Martha looks out of her bedroom window at the blossom-covered trees in Central Park, she is a world away from Europe and the threat of war. But when a telegram arrives from her sister Charlotte telling of the death of their Jewish friend Anita, Martha’s quiet life changes in an instant. With the threat of the Nazi invasion growing, Martha knows she must travel to Paris to convince Charlotte to return home.

When Martha arrives, she finds a city preparing for war. Soldiers patrol Paris’ cobbled streets and families talk of packing up and fleeing with whatever they can carry. Clutching her sister tightly, Martha knows that Charlotte has already decided to stay. Charlotte’s heart is in France, and as an American in Paris she believes she will be safe.

When the Nazis march through Paris’ streets and raise their flags over the city’s most beautiful buildings, Charlotte is determined not to give in. She works for the Resistance with a Frenchman named Louis, carrying messages, and hiding Anita’s family’s precious art collection from the Nazis. Meanwhile, Martha vows to help a female Jewish professor to safety in America, only to be faced with impossible odds.

But as the war rages, Martha and Charlotte’s determination will be tested like never before. And when Charlotte uncovers a shocking secret about her family which threatens her own life, can she find the strength to protect those she loves the most?

From top ten bestselling author Ella Carey comes an utterly heartbreaking novel about the strength of sisterly love and the courage of the women of the Resistance. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, All The Light We Cannot See and Fiona Valpy.

Author Bio:

Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over fourteen languages, in twelve countries, and have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne with her two children and two Italian greyhounds who are constantly mistaken for whippets.

Ella loves to connect with her readers regularly through her facebook page and on her website.

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My Review

The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue is the fourth book in the Daughters of New York series. Although this is a series, the books are only loosely connected, with some of the same characters being mentioned. As such you can read any of these books as standalone stories.
Set mostly in wartime France, during the German occupation of the second world war. The lost sister in question is Charlotte, who remains in France after her sister returns to the US. She travels with treasures from the Louvre and from a family friend's gallery but finds herself drawn into the resistance, putting herself in great danger.
This is a gripping and heartbreaking story, with the two sisters who feature in it both suffering loss and deep challenges.
I really enjoyed this and it was a good read. I did think that there was a little too much repetition at times. I'd already gathered how a character was feeling or reacting to something and didn't feel that I needed to keep being told. I also found the number of times the phrase 'worked her mouth' was used irritating. I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to mean, but characters were described as doing it all the time. I started to imagine cows chewing the cud. These were just minor irritations though, that didn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.