Death in Dulwich

by Alice Castle

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK    B&N

Thirty-something single mum Beth Haldane is forced to become Dulwich’s answer to Miss Marple when she stumbles over a murder victim on her first day at work.

To clear her name, Beth is plunged into a cozy mystery that’s a contemporary twist on Golden Age crime classics. But can she pull it off? She already has a bouncy young son, haughty cat, a fringe with a mind of its own and lots of bills to pay, as she struggles to keep up with the yummy mummies of SE21.

Join Beth in #1 of the London Murder Mystery series, as she discovers the nastiest secrets can lurk in the nicest places.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

The spring sunshine glinted off perfectly tousled blonde hair and the equally shiny metal clasps of a new handbag, the size of a well-fed toddler. Beth raised her eyebrows at Katie. That bag must have cost more than her monthly mortgage payment.

Dr Grover was famously married to a willowy actress– the only factor that kept most of Dulwich’s divorcees at bay. But when had being married ever stopped people? True, if it ever got out, there would be a fuss; not least from the disappointed divorcees.

It was true that the man had had a certain arrogant swagger. She’d just thought it had come from being a guy of a certain age, in possession of a penis. There was a type and a generation of men who thought this simple appendage made them superior to every woman around them, and also, in some very strange corner of their psyche, convinced that all females desperately wanted them to demonstrate their skills with that specific piece of gristle at the slightest opportunity, whether the women demurred or not.

 My Review:

I took a gamble and decided to read an unfamiliar author with a three-part British mystery series, a genre I haven’t indulged in for ages. While still on page one I was struck by the refreshingly comfortable and amusing writing style, allowing me to relax into my chair and settle in for a cozy treat. The storylines were slowly developed yet easy to follow, engaging, and character driven. I relished Ms. Castle’s dry wit and use of vibrant descriptions and amusing details, which often brought and kept a smirk to my lips. A young widow and single-mom, Beth was having the worst type of first day of a new job with the disheartening realization that her new boss was a loathsome letch, only to be the one to find that loathsome letch dead a few hours later while on her way to lunch. Yikes. Talk about bad luck… Beth had no alibi and being the snoopy sort, she felt compelled to launch her own inquiries for fear she was the top suspect. Although her efforts to clear her name were vaguely thought out and she tended to dither, I adored her anyway. I am eagerly looking forward to more of her hapless adventures and am ready to gobble the next installment, which is currently idling on my kindle.

Author Bio   – Alice Castle

 Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks.

Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, Canada, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, will be published this summer, with Homicide in Herne Hill due to follow in early 2019. Alice is currently working on the fifth London Murder Mystery adventure. Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.

Alice is also a mummy blogger and book reviewer via her website: https://www.alicecastleauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicecastleauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDsDiary?lang=en

Giveaway

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The Girl in the Gallery (UK Only)

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Here Comes the Best Man

by Angela Britnell

Goodreads

Amazon UK / US 

Being the best man is a lot to live up to …

When troubled army veteran and musician Josh Robertson returns home to Nashville to be the best man at his younger brother Chad’s wedding he’s just sure that he’s going to mess it all up somehow.

But when it becomes clear that the wedding might not be going to plan, it’s up to Josh and fellow guest Louise Giles to make sure that Chad and his wife-to-be Maggie get their perfect day.

Can Josh be the best man his brother needs? And is there somebody else who is beginning to realize that Josh could be her ‘best man’ too?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Even Goodwill wouldn’t accept Josh’s old clothes, his last haircut was six months ago and his haphazard shave could serve as the before picture for a razor commercial.

‘I’ve gotta get in practise for being an obedient husband.’ ‘I’m sure you’ll get it right after about fifty years,’

The Brits should use Audrey as a lethal weapon. She’d be much cheaper than any atomic bomb and far more deadly.

Audrey had been adopted by a crowd of half-drunk girls on a bachelorette party and he’d overheard them encouraging the old lady to talk so they could listen to her. One of the ringleaders yelled at the top of her voice that they’d found the elderly countess from Downton Abbey.

For a forty-year-old man you sure don’t know much about women… A wise man smiles, agrees and does what he’s told.

My Review:

I was new to the series and the author and starting on installment number five yet it didn’t seem to be a detriment, although I am sure I would have enjoyed the first four as well as these characters apparently have each had a colorful past. The storylines moved quickly in several directions before finally converging for a satisfactory conclusion with generous sprinkles of levity, steam, mild bridezilla meltdowns, family drama, working through old issues and anxieties, and pulling a wedding together without bloodshed – which is always tricky 😉 A new brain wrinkle for me was Scotch eggs, something I’m now quite curious about and will order the next chance I get.

Author Bio – Angela Britnell 

Angela grew up in Cornwall, England and returns frequently from her new home in Nashville, Tennessee. A lifelong love of reading turned into a passion for writing contemporary romance and her novels are usually set in the many places she’s visited or lived on her extensive travels. After more than three decades of marriage to her American husband, she’s a huge fan of transatlantic romance and always makes sure her characters get their own happy-ever-after. Over the last twelve years, she’s published over 20 novels and several short stories for women’s magazines. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Romance Writers of America and the Music City Romance Writers.

Social Media Links –

www.angelabritnellromance.com

www.facebook.com/angelabritnell

www.twitter.com/angelabritnell

https://www.instagram.com/angelagolleybritnell/

Kissing in the Rain 

(Blushing Bay #2.5)

Annie Rains

Goodreads

Amazon /  B&N 

A Blushing Bay Prequel Novella

After a rough year, Jillian Maready is overdue for a relaxing weekend getaway. Where better to find that than Blushing Bay, North Carolina where her family vacationed growing up? When she sets sail on her own, however, she ends up stranded on a deserted island in the middle of one of the biggest storms of the summer—and in the arms of her sexy childhood crush.

As part of the Coast Guard Reserve, Gabe Sawyer is used to search and rescues. After learning that his sister’s best friend is in trouble, he doesn’t hesitate to brave the storm to find her. With the raging seas too volatile to navigate back, Gabe is in over his head when he and Jillian must spend one hot summer night surviving the storm together—and giving in to their sizzling attraction. But what happens when the sun comes back out?

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

I don’t hate your guts. I’m just not very fond of them.

My Review:

This saucy little second chance tale was short and sweet and a petite side story to accompany the other installments in this engaging series featuring the Sawyer family.   Jillian and Gabe shared an embarrassing episode in their teens when fifteen-year-old bookworm Jillian had thrown herself at Gabe, her first crush and best friend’s older brother. He had also feelings for her at the time but didn’t feel it appropriate, and his rejection had humiliated and continued to sting years later. Nothing like being cold, wet, and in need of shared body heat while stranded together in a storm to work out those pesky issues.

Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling author who writes small-town love stories set in fictional towns on the coast of North Carolina. Raised in one of America’s largest military communities, Annie often features heroes who fight for their countries, while also fighting for a place to call home and a good woman to love. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and three children, or reading a book by one of her favorite authors.

Website /  Goodreads / Amazon / Facebook / Twitter

Me and Mr. Jones

(Heartbreak Hotel Book 2)

by Christie Ridgway

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Jessie’s expression fell, looking as if he’d broken her favorite toy and stolen the last of her Halloween candy.

I have a cat. A white cat… Hildr, after a famous Viking shieldmaiden. She killed her enemies in battle and wore their dried penises on a belt around her waist.

He ordered them each beers from the female bartender who wore a Harley-Davidson tank top and jeans so tight they seemed to split her in two from behind.

“Married a jerk,” she said matter-of-factly. “Promised me the moon and gave me green cheese instead.”

My Review:

I’m enjoying this light and entertaining series featuring couples who have no interest in being a part of any couple, but by the end of the book, they have become one none the less. The premise and storylines were entertaining and easy to follow with an even balance of angst, sizzle, and humor. Although initially despondent after being abandoned hours before her elaborate wedding, Audra began to rejoin the land of the living before growing excessively crusty and devised two separate bucket list types of activities after taking stock of her Goody-Two-Shoes personality and “pleaser gene” tendencies. I enjoyed Audra attempting to locate and embrace her more daring feisty side with the assistance of a sexy hotelier.

About the Author

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Once a man who lived by the letter of the law.

Newt Tobias will do anything for his little girl. Even take early retirement, sell his city home, and move to cottage country, hoping that the simpler life will provide a better balance for his troubled teenage daughter. 

Yet, not long after they’ve settled, he finds himself toe-to-toe with a stubborn, fiery tempered woman with pretty brown eyes.

Once a recluse preferring to live alone. 

Working with troubled adolescents, Frederique Marchand doesn’t suffer fools and won’t put up with bullies. Especially handsome strangers like Newt who think they can run roughshod over her. She loves her work, but on her own time she much prefers the company of her menagerie of animals.

But with the welfare of a teenager at stake, she must put aside rocky first impressions and work with a man who needs her as much as she’ll come to need him.

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Foxylutely Book Reviews – “This was another winning storyline from Freya Barker and one I did not want to end.”


Mindy Lou’s Book Review – “What an incredible and emotional story about a single father struggling to help his troubled, teenage daughter.”


The Laundry Librarian – “A Change of Pace is the perfect down home, all the feels, REAL romance read. It was refreshing, heartbreaking and beautiful.”

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

You realize this is supposed to be a bonding exercise, right? I swear the two of you make it feel more like the Hunger Games than euchre night…

I hardly think you’d qualify as a spinster. You don’t wear the prerequisite sensible shoes.

Seriously, you’d think he was pushing out triplets the way he’s moaning and grunting. Nothing worse than a sick man… Married bliss, they say. A load of jabberwocky. Wait ‘til pretty boy gets a cold, the romance will evaporate fast then a fart in a fan factory.

My Review:

I adore Freya Barker stories and I particularly relished how she employed the uncommon twist of a selfless and nurturing single-parent dad for this one.   Newt was a relatively awesome dad despite only stepping into the full-time parent role a few years prior. But then, I always enjoy picking up a Freya Barker book. Her stories are relevant, unique, and original, yet easy to sink into and feature realistic people with real-world issues while also providing entertaining side servings of romance, sensual steam, and levity. As with all her books, the primary and secondary characters featured in Change of Pace were recognizable and realistically flawed, yet endearing and well-meaning with each valiantly struggling with their own foibles, choices, and concerns. The writing flowed smoothly and was comfortably easy to follow while also emotive and engaging. I appreciate and marvel at her observant insights and thoughtful touches which deftly insert each thread into a cohesive storyline. Plus, I scored the added bonus of learning a new word – garburator, which according to Mr. Google, is what our friends to the north call the garbage disposal.

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Freya Barker inspires with her stories about ‘real’ people, perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. She is the author of the Cedar Tree Series and the Portland, ME, novels.

Freya is the recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None,” and is a finalist for the 2016 Kindle Book Awards for “From Dust”. She currently has two complete series and three anthologies published, and is working on two new series; La Plata County FBI—ROCK POINT, and Northern Lights. She continues to spin story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

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Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café

by Rosie Green

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK

Jaz Winters stuck a pin in a map and fled to the village of Sunnybrook, looking for a brand new life – and after a rocky start, it’s beginning to look as if she made the right decision. Her blossoming friendship with Ellie and Fen has seen her through some dark times, and she’s managed to land two jobs – waitress at The Little Duck Pond Café and working as a weekend tour guide at Brambleberry Manor, the country house that’s been in Fen’s family for generations.

Sure, life isn’t totally perfect. There’s the irritating know-it-all guy who keeps popping up on her manor tours, for a start. He seems determined to get under Jaz’s skin whether she likes it or not. But she supposes it’s a small price to pay for the relative peace she’s found, living in Sunnybrook.

But just as Jaz is beginning to think rosier times are on the horizon, a shock encounter looks set to shatter her fragile happiness.

Will she be forced to flee from Sunnybrook and everyone she’s grown so fond of? Or will she find the strength to stand her ground and finally face up to the nightmares of the past?

This novella is part of a trilogy:

Spring at The Little Duck Pond Café

Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café

Winter at The Little Duck Pond Café

My Rating:

3.75 Stars

Favorite Quotes:

I could probably see the funny side of this – if I wasn’t feeling as tense as Donald Trump on a windy day.

 Even his T-shirt has a joke on it. Give Blood. Play Rugby.

 My Review:

I’m feeling more than a bit conflicted with this installment. The character of Jaz was the annoyingly weak and waffly type of woman who I impatiently want to give a kick in the posterior region so as to provide them assistance in loosening their misplaced cranium. However, the premise was entertaining and the writing was comfortable and easy to follow, and I enjoyed the sweet elements of the village, catching up with previously introduced characters, and the brisk pace of several of the storylines as well as the welcome hits of levity. Yet I struggled to appreciate the lead character, which is a rather crucial factor in my reading enjoyment.

Author Bio

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centered on life in a village café. Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café, published on 18^th June 2018, follows the first in the series, Spring at The Little Duck Pond Café.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988