Hannah Morgan-Lewis

Quite Enid Blyton for adults at times in the way that the children's adventures and the meals they have are described. This is a comforting book but layered with the tension that the family who have already been affected by one devastating conflict, wi soon be affected by another. There are continual undertones that behind the idyllic life of the family there are secrets lurking. Although this is not an explicit book, I do wish that she had been a little braver with Rachel's relationship with Sid. I understand that the way that it is portrayed is completely in character, but to me it is getting a bit too close to the unhappy homosexual trope. Still, this could be rectified in a later book.

I found this novel quite surprising towards the end. It would be easy to dismiss this as a product of its time, although witty and shocking in parts, but it was saved by the tenderness of the portrayal of his relationship with his mother. The audiobook had a good narrator.

Just as entertaining and informative as the first one. Hope the authors are planning more.

A whimsical, speculative look at the possible life of a woman using artefacts gathered from a box that the author owned. I really enjoyed this book, although the magical realism elements may not to be everybody's taste and it requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief regarding what is fact and what is fiction. I thought it was done cleverly, however.

I enjoyed it better than the previous book in the series, Instruments of Darkness as I felt that the characters were much more well-rounded, the plot was better and it was written with more confidence. This was an enjoyable murder mystery with an interesting premise, it seemed well researched and the dual narrative seemed to work well, particularly with the new characters. I liked how she integrated the old characters and how she described things from the murderer's point of view towards the end.

Well-written, well-researched historical fiction. Weir illuminates the personality of Henry and the scheming of the Tudor court, showing how dangerous it could be for the people around him. I thought the depiction of his relationship with Anne Boleyn was particularly good, that he behaved as a spoilt child who was obsessed with her but realised once they had married that he desired the idea of her more than her as a person.

Loved this so much! Funny, and sharply written with a great plot and a fantastic protagonist. Mrs Hawkins describes her life as an editor living in London in the mid-1950s; the publishing houses, the writers and the people who live in the flats around her. In particular, the fight she has with a terrible writer which drives the plot. I love how Mrs Hawkins is unapologetically fat. There is no guilt or shame about her weight, and no hand-wringing which makes her decide to lose weight. She's practical and unsentimental and doesn't feel the need to fit into any mould. Definitely going to be looking to read more Spark in the future.

Some rather obscure bands, songs and TV programmes mentioned for me. I liked the spoof lists though. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, but quite entertaining.

I enjoyed this Gothic ‘light' story of a Victorian medium who feels threatened by her new protege, some funny moments, well-drawn characters and it was well-researched and believable. Not a spooky novel as such, more about the relationships between women and how mediums acted as counsellors to people who needed solace from their grief.

It took a while to get into, but it didn't disappointment, especially as a classic sensation novel. Stolen jewels! Mysterious Indians! Opium fiends! Peculiar doctor's assistants with shady pasts! Love a bit of Wilkie. I thought the multiple narrative voices worked well and there were some excellent characters. Best of all, the speculation the reader can indulge in about the things that are not explained in the story, like what the hell is wrong with Ezra Jennings?

I really enjoyed this book and thought it captured the atmosphere of the period nicely, I especially liked the author's technique of including extra snippets of historical detail and details relating to the story such as newspaper articles, journal entries and facts. Moth and Sadie were appealing characters. The one criticism I would have is that the plot sometimes seemed to meander a little, particularly around the middle and in the second half. Nevertheless, I'm sure I'll looked for the planned sequel. It reminded me a little of the Observations by Jane Harris, particularly the first part.

Finding this difficult to rate. I liked the dystopian elements, but I found that this is a novel that goes to excess - excessively dislikeable characters, over-the-top situations, relationships that are way too close and the feeling of being bludgeoned repeatedly with ideas about feminism and marriage. It's entertaining but requires a certain level of disbelief. I think it was aiming at satire but slightly missed the mark for me, perhaps because the main character takes herself so seriously and is repeatedly on the verge of a panic attack. It doesn't fit very well into the contemporary thriller mould, it's quite different in the way that it explores themes about the relationships between women. I also found the ending a bit rushed and unsatisfying.

Very much enjoyed this second book in the series. Dell is a fantastic character and I loved the warmth and eccentricity of his family. Plus the alpha/alpha dynamic was hot

Interesting, but I found that the great number of historical figures included meant that it was sometimes quite difficult to keep track of who was who. It is also quite speculative at times as to who fathered whom. One big turn off was the reference to ‘The Portrait of Dorian Grey' by Oscar Wilde, I might not know a huge amount of info about the historical figures, but I know that Wilde wrote ‘The Picture of Dorian Grey'! Not a big thing, but it made me suspicious I may not have picked up on further inaccuracies.

Not a fan, I thought it had promise but I got quite annoyed with the writing choices. As it is set over a wide period with many different characters it tends to skip over what should be quite traumatic events quite quickly, one minute someone is dying, the next everyone is over it. This meant for me that I couldn't really care for the characters and there are a few wives who just tend to agree with everything their husbands say as there just isn't time for any conflict, which made them seem rather one dimensional. Another character who should have had a storyline was just forgotten about for most of the story as he wasn't convenient, and that was the pattern for most of the book, people dying conviently to suit the plot. I think if you can overlook the flaws it would be the kind of book that you might pick up on holiday, and the descriptions of wine making and the setting is nice, I just felt like I needed it slowed down and shortened rather than it being at breakneck speed and very long.

I loved the description of the town and the characters, I could see this becoming a series particularly with Jane and her ghost-hunting team. I was also very appreciative of the descriptions of Tess's delicious cooking. The house was creepy and there was the right haunting atmosphere created. I liked the mystery behind it too, particularly the working out clues from the creepy paintings. However, I was not a big fan of the ending; it felt rushed, like there were loose ends and there was a certain sense of ‘right, I'm done writing, wrapping this up now', which was a shame as I really enjoyed the rest of the book and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next.

I actually enjoyed the follow up better than the first book in the series. I enjoyed the setting in the convent and felt that the characters were more fleshed out. Very interesting to see the portrayal of women's lives during the period. The mystery was also really well plotted.

A very satisfying cosy holiday romance. I loved how the author created the community around the two main characters and thought that she explored their traumas well. This isn't an explicit story, but I didn't miss the smut. I liked the plot too, it felt like a proper story rather than only centering on the romance.

I thought that the author built the world of Empire City in 1924 well, with some good period detail especially with the clothes and the deliciously described Italian food! The characters were well drawn with fleshed out back stories and families, especially the large Italian criminal family. Well written, erotic sex scenes with a good dynamic between Aiden and Francesco. The book also had a decent plot. If I had a criticism it would be that I would have preferred it to ba a little darker with more angst, and for Francesco to be a bit more villainous, but that's down to personal preference and I would be very happy to read any follow ups by the author.
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I thought this was an accomplished, emotionally charged novel about family relationships. Spanning three generations, it explores how three women in a family deal with their negative experiences with men and how this affected their relationships with each other. I liked the way that the author unfolded the plots of the three women and I thought the way that she used the motif of the painting of the girl in the maze and the mystery behind it was well done. Although there are three different timelines, the voices of each of the women was distinctive and it didn't become difficult. Some of it, however, is difficult to read due to the subject matter, but this is the kind of book that will make you think.
I received an advanced review copy from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thomas Threadneedle returns from the civil war to reports from his sister that his father is having an improper relationship with his servant, who his sister accuses of witchcraft. This is a beautifully written, really different historical fiction novel which incorporates elements of mystery, magic realism and the gothic with a gripping plot and some well realised characters, particularly Thomas, the servant and the sister. I loved how the mysteries were revealed slowly and unexpectedly, this is not the kind of book where you can guess the plot easily. As historical fiction, it gave a good sense of the post civil war period, where there is a sense of society changing, particularly the role of women. I will be eagerly recommending this.

I loved the brooding sinister atmosphere in this book and the fact that everything is left so ambiguous, leaving the reader guessing at every turn. The writing is beautiful, the author really captures a sense of place and builds the air of supernatural with the weird neighbours, strange history and the hare motif running through the novel. This would make a fantastic book club read, as you never quite know what will happen or how reliable the narrator is being.

Based on the true story of William Jackson Crawford, this delightfully spooky, gothic tale is set in 1914. After becoming suspicious that his wife is having an affair, the engineer discovers the medium Kathleen Goligher and becomes obsessed with investigating her to find out if she can really summon spirits.

Written from Crawford's point of view, I thought that he was brilliantly characterised, I especially liked his lack of sense of humour and how things completely went over his head at times. He's a wonderfully flawed man but as a reader, you do end up feeling sympathy for him. The other characters in the book are also well drawn, particularly his poor wife and long suffering family.

I found the plot spooky and gripping, with some extremely well done twists.

Add to this the fantastic atmosphere filled with period details and beautiful illustrations and this makes the ideal read for Halloween.

I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I thought this was a beautifully written, evocative novel. Gifford has a real talent for lyrical descriptions and the characters were really well drawn. You can feel Caro's frustration at trying to fit in with the family and with the conventions of the period. The mystery at the centre was heartbreaking and I loved the story of the grandparents and the descriptions of the voyage.

Read this for free on The Pigeonhole and leaving an honest review. I really enjoyed it. Told in the form of emails within a fictional writing group. Some really quirky, over-the-top characters you wouldn't want to meet in real life. It captures the agonies of the writing community perfectly. Even though it was highly character driven, it also had a bonkers plot. Kept my fellow pigeons howling. I would recommend it if you are suffering from a reading slup as it's very light, yet clever and keeps you gripped.