My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Gossip was the way women like June Piedmont ran the world behind the scenes. When a man collected information, they called it intelligence. When a woman did it, they branded her a gossip. The work of the patriarchy.

The only thing rich people loved as much as their money was other rich people…

“You’re only saying that to be nice.” Juliette pressed a hand to her chest in genuine affront. “I never say anything to be nice, how dare you.”

The station was mostly dead in the wee hours, the fluorescent lighting lending a ghoulish glare to the man working the front desk. He looked like an extra in a zombie movie, mid-transformation.

I suppose you might have a point. A very specific, sharp-edged point.

My Review:

It took me more than a few beats to settle into this tale as the main character of Juliette wasn’t an endearing or likable one. Juliette was driven and had a cold and prickly personality, with, bonus, an acid tongue. So very not the type I would choose to share air with in real life, and would most likely go out of my way to avoid crossing her path. But I found this wily author’s wit to be clever and entertaining, and gradually felt some empathy toward her character’s predicament. Bit-by-bit, Juliette began to soften, and the ice queen started to melt. Her snark and inner musings were enviably top-shelf; I must give her high marks for that alone.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Fascinating how even the most undomesticated female turns into Martha Stewart once she has a baby.

All you need to start a religion in this country is three founding members, a mission statement, and a bank account. Can you believe that?

“I’d hate to have to take matters into my own hands.” Edith sounded like she would be thrilled to take matters into her own hands.

In Orlov’s experience, there were three kids of untrustworthy women: the pushy ones, the sneaky ones, and the pushy, sneaky ones. The pushy, sneaky ones were the worst.

“Love, lust, loathing, and loot,” said Tandie. “The Four Ls of Murder.”

My Review:

I’m a late bloomer with this series, and I may have been a bit daft to jump in at book seven, but the story had strong legs and was more than able to stand alone. This wily author provided brief glimpses of their backstories, which tantalized and piqued my interest to pick up the previous installments. The writing style held an interesting balance of the sleuthing required to solve an unusual murder, holiday preparations, colorful characters, amusing observations, and an eccentric fringe religious group tossed in for an extra twist.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Fliss often looked as if she’d got up with two minutes to spare for work to discover someone had burned all her hairbrushes during the night.

Corrine lifted her eyebrows so high in disbelief they might have left her head entirely,

if Lucifer himself had wandered in wearing a pair of Speedos and asking for a bag of ice to cool down, she wouldn’t have been a bit surprised.

The only time I see all the heathens in church is today when there’s mulled wine afterwards.

My Review:

I have enjoyed this perceptively written and heartfelt series, populated with quirky and original villagers for the midwife and the clinic staff to serve. Ms. Tennant deftly traverses multiple family dramas, workplace tension, weather snafus, holiday complications, addictions, and competition pettiness, all with an easy-to-read, amusing, and engaging writing style.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Her performance was so wooden I half expected termites to start a union.

I don’t trust that woman. She’s an executioner who uses blood for fountain-pen ink.

‘Sounds like he chased after money like a dog after sausages,’ Opal commented. ‘He did. Relentless, single-minded, and with a fair bit of drool involved,’ Virginia added.

There is a lot of pride in getting older. It comes with the perk of feeling the veil of hogwash lift, all the societal pressures that you’re supposed to believe in and adhere to becomes piffle. You wish your younger self had the same level of clarity and confidence.

My Review:

This was an entertaining, amusing, and easy-to-follow cozy read, populated by a clever pooch and a copious cast of largely unlikable yet uniquely authentic and quirky secondary characters. I had not read the previous book, but I didn’t feel that this hampered my understanding or enjoyment, as Opal’s relevant history was provided in ample detail. The storylines were well-plotted and smartly merged, just in time for our eagle-eyed heroine to save the day.

Three former friends. One last request. The journey of a lifetime!

In life, Norman George – passionate knitter, excellent friend and secret youtube sensation – liked nothing better than a good laugh. And, it seems, he gets the last laugh even in death, because at his funeral, he invites his three closest friends to scatter his ashes in a place close to his heart, the Shetland Islands. The only issue is, while Bridget, Gloria and Derek might have loved Norman, they can’t stand each other.

So it’s with trepidation that the eclectic trio set off in their minivan on the ferry to Lerwick, each harbouring their own reason for wanting to grant Norman this last request. But as storm clouds roll in over the Shetland Islands, all of them are about to discover that some secrets are best shared, and that even after death, good friendship can change everything…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Making sweeping statements is unkind. Judgement without knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Derek was a pensioner and absolutely could not hold his own in a fight. He’d never tested that theory, to be fair, but he was pretty sure he was right.

My Review:

For a human on the other side of 60, I found this to be cleverly amusing as well as acutely and sometimes painfully perceptive on the effects and attitudes of aging by those in the throes of the process. I remember my grandfather groaning (what I mentally labeled as old man noises) and, on more than one occasion, remarking to me as a child, “It takes a lot of courage to get old.” I now know what he meant. The writing alternated between humorous and reflective, and then on to observant and poignant. I will be looking for more of this author’s storytelling.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Aye, as a kid Jamie had known anger and fear, as well as the impulse to protect others, and it had made him determined as an adult to see the best in people, for the sake of his own well-being as much as theirs. You never knew what someone was going through, so it was best to be kind where you could.

‘Anonymous keyboard warriors posting comments in their underpants on the other side of the world aren’t the people who matter,’ insisted Ally, giving her brother a stern look. ‘Half of them will be bots, anyway.’

Angus was an elderly hillfooter who spent all day splattered with droppings in a hut with his beloved homing pigeons. He lived off his homegrown veggies and stinky roll-ups and was often in the local paper for threatening hillwalkers who strayed onto his land with various antique shotguns which the police seized one at a time, only for him to somehow acquire another.

Kenneth would begin his shift here at nine p.m. and end it at two when he’d walk down the lane to the dairy and stock up his milk van ready for his rounds which he, famously, did in his doorman tux. Nobody questioned it round the town. It was just the way things were.

There seemed to be a moment where she was searching his face for a reaction. He couldn’t help feeling some kind of test that he hadn’t revised for was being sprung upon him. He fixed his face into a delighted smile.

…he was hanging on a shoogly peg (which is the Scottish version of skating on thin ice, only much, much more fun to say, usually).

Party cannons shot confetti in her cerebral cortex.

My Review:

This was a fun, light, entertaining, and easy-to-follow read. I always enjoy reading Kiley Dunbar’s cleverly amusing tales, and I revel in her sneaky, wry humor. Her new series is set in a small Scottish village, populated with a large cast of quirky, flawed, and authentic characters.

And I gained an entry to my British Isles Words and Phrases List with swither, which Mr. Google tells me means to hesitate, vacillate, or be perplexed, particularly in making a decision or choice.  I certainly will not swither if asked if I’d like to read another of Kiley Dunbar’s books.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I’m sure we’ll barely get out of the car before she’s upon us, like one of those cloaked things out of Harry Potter.’ ‘Cloaked thing? Like a wizard?’ ‘No… You know, the big flying hooded things that suck the joy out of everyone they touch.’

Zoe was at once captivated by the tranquillity of narrow roads, so clean and ordered there had to be an army of elves patrolling when everyone was asleep, keeping it tidy.

‘Magnus,’ Geoff said. ‘Put the shovel down– you’re only digging deeper every time you open your mouth.

They looked normal enough, if it helps. I only counted one head on each of them, so that’s a good sign.

‘You didn’t move here because you were drawn by some mystical force?’ she asked wryly. ‘Were you?’ ‘Oh yes, it was called a job offer.’

Are there any village weirdos? There must be, right? Anyone with six fingers married to their sister?

Some men can be grown-up about these things, and then there’s Ritchie.

My Review:

Tilly Tennant is one of my favorite go-to authors for a relaxing, easy-to-fall-into, and gentle read. And I need those between the tense heart-pounding thrillers I alternatively pick up. The Village Midwife is a continuation of the Village Nurse tales and features the same quaint Lake District village and its eccentric villagers of Thimblebury. The storylines are thoughtful, colorfully detailed, relevant, and easy to follow while populated with authentic and knowable characters. It was a leisurely paced and pleasant read.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“I’m not betraying you, I promise. I’m just trying to be happy,” I whisper, to nothing, to the house, to no one.

I kept everything in, and then when it spilled out, he couldn’t handle it. It was too much at once. Maybe our life, our marriage, would’ve been different if there had been a steady river of feelings, not a dam that might break at any moment. I’m a private person, and it’s been my downfall in many ways. I lock myself up tight.

He’s always looked like he walked out of a story— effortlessly thoughtful. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, a mouth that always seems on the verge of something— wry or knowing, like he already sees where the conversation is going. His gaze cuts right through the surface and into the marrow of who you are. And those eyes— deep-set, watchful— like he’s memorizing you without ever having to try.

… love isn’t about what’s easy or what makes sense on paper. It’s about who stays. Who stands in the wreckage with you and still reaches for your hand.

My Review:

This was a slowly paced, tense, and angsty read, and as I’m not one for constant angst, this was so not my jam. The main character of Anna was nettlesome, constantly on edge, and not someone l would befriend or enjoy knowing as she seemed about to unravel, yet I wanted to know how this was going to come together. To avoid my discontent, I found it best to read this one in segments, as it was annoying me, yet I remained curious, despite wanting to give Anna a smack or ten with my Kindle. While not a realistic scenario, the last few eye-popping chapters left a skid-mark across my gray matter and made the rest worth the effort.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Paranoia is different. It is a slippery, malignant thing– feared by those who know of its presence, an invisible threat to those who don’t.

I don’t remember what happiness sounds or tastes like, or how it feels between my fingers.

‘What if’ has been an enemy of mine for as long as I’m able to remember, standing in doorways to stop me passing, whispering in my ear at night to keep me awake. It has been the sibling I never had, competitive and sneaky, tripping me up then feigning innocence when I fall. Now, it stands here beside me, taunting me with everything that could go wrong.

My Review:

This was a tense and disconcerting read. But I am not a fan of angst, and I didn’t like these people; they were all rather heinous. Nor could I fully forgive them even after the driving force of their problems was revealed. But while I found them to be contemptible creatures who had done inexcusable things to each other and had knowingly neglected their child, I was unreasonably curious to find out what was going to happen next. Victoria Jenkins has penned a compelling tale.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

He was thin back at uni, but now his eyes have sunk into their sockets, making them look like the marbles in a pinball machine.

I know the people they used to be. But they’ve all changed. It’s like someone took a magnifying glass and ramped up all their worst qualities, making them clearer, brighter, louder.

All at once, she can’t bear the thought that she has touched a dead body. She imagines all the germs, all the flies and maggots, and feels desperate to scrub it off her skin. She fears all that death is catching.

The sympathy she once had for him is wearing thinner by the day, like a big ball of string that is being stretched and stretched until it’s just the thinnest fibres left.

…she sees the shadow of death hovering over her like a grey cloud. It’s an icy, unnerving presence that seeps into her bones. At times, the pain is so relentless, she hears their voices– the dead ones– all shouting at once, making it impossible to pick out what any of them are saying. It’s as if they’re trapped in a never-ending loop, their voices echoing and overlapping. She tries to block them out, but their presence is impossible to ignore. Their spirits refuse to rest in peace.

My Review:

These were horrible people thinking horrible thoughts about and doing horrible things to each other, over many years, until it ended, horribly.  I did not like them at all.  They were immature, selfish, warped, and just toxic creatures.  Yet this devious scribbler planted a worm in my gray matter, and I was hooked.  The little pea in my brain needed to know what was going to happen to them and who was killing them off one by one, and who would be the last one standing, as there always has to be at one left to tell the tale.  I would never have guessed this outcome, my hypothesis went in a different direction.  I love it when that happens.