Tangerine by Christine Mangan

Book Review

"And there she was: my past, made corporeal."

Tangerine was released in the UK on 22nd March 2018. It is written by Christine Mangan and published by Little Brown.

A lot of people have compared Tangerine to a Hitchcock film, and it definitely has the slow-burning suspense and underlying threat throughout that Hitckcock was famous for, plus the 1950s setting. However, it lacks something that makes Hitchcock the genius he was. There aren't that many surprises, and the ones that are in there are fairly obvious. But, this is a slow burning, atmospheric book that's an ideal beach or lazy day read, just the right amount of suspense without being too exhausting.

The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey

Book Review

"Men die because they're born to die."

The Western Wind was released in the UK on 1st March 2018. It is written by Samantha Harvey and published by Jonathan Cape.

If you're expecting a cosy murder mystery with a rotund clergyman at the centre then The Western Wind isn't for you. However, neither is it a bloodthirsty shock a minute thriller. The Western Wind is a slow paced mystery set in the 15th century with a thoughtful and sometimes pompous priest unravelling the mystery. I quite liked the pace of the book, it's slow and steadily unravelling yet it was oddly riveting.

The Riviera Express by TP Fielden

Book Review

"...there were two face to Miss Dimont."

The Riviera Express is written by TP Fielden and published by HQ.

I meant to post this review ages ago but it sort of got lost as I had so many NetGalley proofs to read. And honestly, it was a little bit of a let down. Yes, it's cosy crime with a kooky detective in a pretty setting, but it just didn't quite hit the button for me.

The Coffin Path by Katherine Clements

Book Review

"One coin marks the first to go.
A second bodes the fall.
The third will seal a sinner's fate.
The Devil take them all."

The Coffin Path was released in the UK 8th February 2018. It is written by Katherine Clements and published by Headline.

This is another review that I'm very late in posting, I'm now trying to catch up with myself, almost there.

I've been reading quite a lot of short ghost stories recently, I like M.R. James, Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. So when The Coffin Path cropped up on NetGalley and was described as 'The perfect ghost story' I thought I'd give it a go.

This is an excellent book to read in a cold and miserable winter, it has a good balance of supernatural and human interactions. I do think the story line was a little predictable, but I still enjoyed the read.

The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin

Book Review

"How simple life might be if we could shape time to our need, but instead its silent footsteps walk on, leaving me in their wake."

The Wicked Cometh was published in the UK on 1st February 2018. It is written by Laura Carlin and published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Oh dear, I am behind on my NetGalley reviews. I meant to get The Wicked Cometh, and a number of others, posted before their publication dates, but due to Christmas, holiday and then illness I've fallen spectacularly behind. Expect a number of belated reviews over the next couple of weeks.

And I'm aware I haven't done a monthly favourites for ages either, maybe I'll manage February.

Anyway, onto the review. I must say that the title drew me to this book and I was hoping for a dark Victorian drama. I did get this, but it was a lot slower and jumbled than I'd hoped, and I must admit the wicked took along time in comething.

The Secret of Vesalius by Jordi Llobregat

Book Review

"Barcelona was a place of wonder, but it could also be cruel to any person who failed to stay alert."

The Secret of Vesalius will be released in the UK on 16th November 2017. It is written by Jordi Llobregat and published by Riverrun.

A Gothic thriller set in 'fin-de-siecle' Barcelona, The Secret of Vesalius appealed to me right away, especially as I read it while I was in Barcelona and so irritated my husband by constantly pointing out places mentioned in the book.

I enjoyed The Secret of Vesalius, it's what my Dad would call 'a good yarn'. It's a murder mystery adventure with a Gothic setting, but there's not much originality in it; most of the characters are stock and the plot twists were sometimes so obvious they had the subtlety of a sledgehammer. However, I found this book fun, and if you're looking for a thriller with a big dollop of history thrown in then this is for you.

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Book Review

"He would die to stay alive, to savor the sensuous gallop of his thoughts toward some truth he hadn't yet perceived."


Manhattan Beach will be released in the UK on 3rd October 2017. It is written by Jennifer Egan and published by Corsair.

I'm still not sure how I feel about Manhattan Beach. It has a strange way of encroaching on you and, even though it's not a thrill a minute, you can't put it down. And yet, I felt that the story was a bit too meandering and had too many different directions, many of which came to nothing in the end.

Soot by Andrew Martin

Book Review

"The murder of Matthew Harvey, painter of shades, had been much discussed in the city."

Soot is released in the UK today (6th July 2017). It is published by Corsair and written by Andrew Martin.

I was really excited to read Soot by Andrew Martin, a Georgian (I think) murder in atmospheric York. It's an original murder mystery, which is refreshing in this genre, which is both atmospheric and funny.

May 2017 Link Love

Source

The first half of May was mainly cold and grey, so I spent more time inside on the web than usual and discovered lots of book reviews, writing tips and random fashion and travel posts.
The sun did eventually come out and, like a true Brit I spent the rest of the time desperately roasting myself to the point of pinkness.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

Book Review

“The rest of us become narrow and mean when we live falsely. I'm sick to death of living falsely. I've been doing it for years.”

The Paying Guests is written by Sarah Waters and published by Virago.

I’ve never read any Sarah Waters before but I’ve heard good things. Unfortunately, though there is some excellent writing and interesting characters, I felt The Paying Guests dragged on much too long and ran out of steam.

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

Book Review

"There is the feeling here that civilization is still just a speck, and it makes me feel small in a good way."

To the Bright Edge of the World is written by Eowyn Ivey and published by Tinder Press.

This book is bloody amazing. I don't normally give out 5 star reviews, or reveal my star rating at the beginning of the review, but To the Bright Edge of The World is definitely a 5 star worthy book. I already mentioned it in my February Favourite Books post, and now I've finally got round to giving it a proper review.

The Sultan, The Vampyr and the Soothsayer

Book Review

"He would have the eyes and ears of the wolf, and the strength of the wolf, but he would also have its hunger."

The Sultan, the Vampyr and the Soothsayer is written by Lucille Turner and published by Hengist Press.

Usually these days any book with vampire (or vampyr) in the title has me running for the hills, as it's usually some nausea-inducing teen love story, but when Lucille Turner approached me to review her book I was intrigued as it is based on the life of Vlad Dracula, aka the real life inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. I'm also fascinated by the era and have a soft spot for beautiful Romania as I spent a month there doing a journalism internship (as you do).

The Sultan, The Vampyr and the Soothsayer is a fascinating book which is bound to appeal to historical fiction fans and provides an insight into an enigmatic figure. At times the book is a little over ambitious and gets swamped in facts and characters, but overall it's a good read and I now want to learn a lot more about the era and the Dracula legend.

February 2017: Favourite Books

I've read quite a lot this month and I've had a few books that I enjoyed, but I wouldn't say they were favourites (follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I'm reading). These four books are the ones that really stood out for me. For once they're not all crime fiction, I'm branching out!

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

Book Review

"STRANGE NEWS, they'd say, of a monstrous serpent with eyes like a sheep, come out of the Essex waters and up to the birch woods and commons!"

The Essex Serpent is written by Sarah Perry and is published (appropriately) by Serpent's Tail.

I've finally got around to reading the hugely popular The Essex Serpent. It's had such a lot of hype that I was worried it wouldn't live up to expectations. However, The Essex Serpent is something wonderfully different; enthralling, Gothic and at the same time very human.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Book Review

"Yes, exile was as old as mankind. But the Russians were the first people to master the notion of sending a man into exile at home."

A Gentleman in Moscow will be released on 9th February. It is written by Amor Towles and published by Hutchinson.

It's taken me quite a while to write a review of A Gentleman in Moscow as I'm still not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand it was a delight to dive into the beautifully worded story of Count Alexander Rostov and the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, but on the other hand this book really dragged for me, and as beautiful as the language was, I felt there was too much of it at times.

December 2016: Favourite Reads

Happy January! If there is such a thing. I hope everyone had a lovely New Year and are now not too depressed about going back to work tomorrow.

I read a lot of books in December; with work winding down, the holidays and the generally rubbish weather, I've had a lot of time to hibernate under a duvet with a book. This is my list of favourite reads from December. It's quite a mixed bag this month; the usual crime fiction, but also quite a few new releases and a classic thrown in.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Book Review

"...foolish girl to believe in fairy tales"

The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden will be published by Ebury Publishing on 12th January, 2017.

The Bear and the Nightingale is perhaps the perfect winter read; freezing forests, folklore, fairy tales and a family dynamic to get into (I didn't intend the alliteration there but it worked quite well!).
Based on Russian folklore, this book is one of the 'grown up fairy tales' which are having a moment, like The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy it, if it's done well, and The Bear and the Nightingale is mainly done well, though there are a few pace and plot elements that let it down.


Blurb from NetGalley

A young woman's family is threatened by forces both real and fantastical in this debut novel inspired by Russian fairy tales.
In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning the father hides the gift away and his daughter, Vasya, grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only on who can keep darkness at bay."

The Spy by Paulo Coelho

Book Review

The Spy is the latest book by Paulo Coelho and was published by Cornerstone on 22nd November 2016.

BLURB
When Mata Hari arrived in Paris she was penniless.
Soon she was feted as the most elegant woman in the city.
A dancer who shocked and delighted audiences; a confidant and courtesan who bewitched the era's richest and most powerful men.
But as paranoia consumed a country at war, Mata Hari's lifestyle brought her under suspicion. Until, in 1917 she was arrested in her hotel room on the Champs Elysees and accused of espionage.
Told through Mata's final letter, The Spy tells the unforgettable story of a woman who dared to break the conventions of her time, and paid the price.

November 2016: Link Love

This is my second Link Love post. I'm really enjoying putting this monthly feature together, partly selfishly for me as it's a chance to gather all the things I've been loving on the web, but I also hope it'll interest other people and shine a light on other bloggers/writers/brands/people that I enjoy.

The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn Benson

Book Review

After the first few chapters of The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn Benson (Headline) I considered giving up as I was not particularly impressed. The stock characters were acting out a story that's by no means new. And the romance, which can be seen coming a mile off, was almost ridiculously clichéd.

There were a few touches of depth; the lead character Ellie is a suffragette and Benson writes about the restraints and patriarchy that she encounters with passion and warmth. The history of Central American ancient cultures was also interesting and an area I don't know much about, but this was all overwhelmed by the rather unoriginal story-line.

But I carried on reading, and I'm not sure exactly what it was that hooked me in but something did and I finished The Smoke Hunter in a day and wanted to read more. I'd like to say that it was the fascinating history that got me hooked, but I think it's more likely it was the dreadfully predictable but still somehow page turning romance.