Gwen Frosts loves to know what people are thinking and her gift of psychometry allows her to pick up feelings and thoughts just by touching items or people. When she decides to find out what her classmate, Paige is thinking, Gwen is not prepared for what she discovers.

Okay this was a lot more serious than I was expecting. I was expecting a relatively light teenage paranormal read and instead I got a somewhat detailed sexual assault flashback.

I didn't like Gwen much, her nosiness might have helped Paige but she was motivated by nosiness and revenge for something that had nothing to do with Paige - her ex boyfriend pictured Paige as he was kissing her . The pettiness was a bit too teenage for me.

The plot moves fast, moving on from Paige to her mum's death but it doesn't really make any sense. Grandma Frost decides to ship her off to Mythos Academy to harness her gift. But for all the talk of magic, it seems Gwen has never actually discussed it with her family? It made no sense.

How come her mother or grandma never mentioned a whole school prior to this? Or that there's other magic users out there? Which to be fair was stupid of Gwen when she had not only her but her mother and grandmother and details like what her gift is called what she is and how she does it. It was fairly obvious more magic users would be likely. Also you believe in magic but everything else is insane? I always hate that in fiction. You can't be a non-believer of other magic when you have magic that's show more ridiculous.

Anyway it's a short introduction to Gwen Frost and Mythos Academy and teases potential drama for the rest of the series. It achieves a lot in the few pages it consists of and has me interested in learning more. 2 stars. show less

When Beckett Cooks first met Riley - he found a purpose. Protecting his new stepbrother, loving him, he was obsessed with being the best brother he could. And then his stepmother, Riley's mother died and Riley became his everything. His lifeline as he navigates them living with their abusive and thieving father and making sure Riley thrives. Even when they meet their best friend and kindred spirit, Jay, it's Riley who Beckett sacrifices everything for.

This was a rough read. It was utterly heartbreaking. Beckett, Riley and Jay have had so many traumatic experiences and their relationship is toxic and codependent and supportive and in need of so much therapy. I kept waiting for Riley and Beckett and Jay to have a win and instead they just kept having problems.

If you like angsty, heartbreaking tragic reads this will be your jam. For myself, I don't think my heart could take it. I like and read dark books but this was angst on top of angst and it was too much of an emotional rollercoaster.

The romance between Riley and Beckett developed organically. I could see exactly how they got where they did. Their whole lives are toxic messes and I'm not sure any possible amount of therapy could fix it. If they can find even in a slither of happiness, good for them.

I did like their found family with Jay and I'm sure he'll find his own happiness in the next one but I'm pretty sure I'm out. I need something a little less scarring. 3 stars.

Daren Morin has spent two centuries as a master of the arcane but all of that ends with his death - until he wakes up at eighteen ready to do it all over again.

I love a good time loop - especially one like Mother of Learning by Domagoj Kurmaic. Daren was a strange one. Cruel but kind, limitless but limited, he was a mess of contradictions and I had a hard time connecting with him. I also didn't feel like his two centuries of experience translated very well. I wanted to see more of his abilities than were shown.

The supporting characters were more relatable. Or at least became more relatable. I wasn't a fan of his roomie constantly referring to him as moron. I definitely understood where Daren was coming from when he wrote them all off but I liked that he found some common ground.

The plot was a bit stilted at times. Daren's behaviour and personality was often jarring and led to abrupt plot changes that felt unnatural. It felt like he was fighting between the actions of the eighteen year old newbie and the ancient sorcerer. There was a lot of backstory but it wasn't well established. It needed to be more fleshed out to be more coherent and less bizarre.

It was a bit bumpy in places and confusing in others but for the most part, the plot and side characters made for an entertaining read despite the attitude of the main character, Daren. 3 stars.

Social influencer, Delysia Daniels, has spent years building her brand to ensure financial security for herself and her family. But a new opportunity presents itself when she accidently tags a photo with the wrong username. Professor Alexander Abbott-Hill (of those Abbott-Hill's) has always been awkward. He spends his time teaching and restoring his vintage train but has never gotten the hang of social interactions - or social media. So he is shocked when he finds his students actually paying attention - and then he finds out exactly why that is. With the help of a sassy manager, Delysia and Alexander have the chance of a lifetime to achieve both their dreams.

This started out alright but lost my interest the further I read. It was sweet with some light angst and it just didn't grab me. I liked Delysia to start with but she became annoying with her indecisiveness regarding Alexander. Plus the ambiguity surrounding what was actually wrong with her mother was irritating. If it had of been explained I could've dealt but the mystery just bothered me. I would've liked to know more about Delysia, there just wasn't enough depth to her character.

Alexander was mostly fine right up until he didn't defend her and I just wasn't impressed. His obsession with propriety and social standing came out of nowhere. Prior to that he seemed pretty nice but the outing to the opera just blew it. I did like his interest in trains and the way that Faye (the PR manager) came up with the plan to show more monetise his restoration of the train. That was really clever and pretty unique. I haven't seem anything like it yet. The romance was sweet at times but it was also just very bland. The chemistry didn't seem true to the characters and by the time he didn't defend her, it had pretty much died for me.

And who the hell was the picture of? It said she'd only been with Nicky, so she wasn't having a one night stand or spending time with another boyfriend. I'm assuming the photo wasn't a stock one or her fans would've said something? It really bothered me who the hell was in the photo and it was never clearly revealed. What can I say, it's the small things I get stuck on.

I wanted to like Delysia more than I did because I admired her guts and resolve to look after mother. But the longer she was indecisive the less I liked her. And Alexander was sweet right up until he decided to be a jerk. The plot was not something I've really come across before and it was a refreshing change of pace. So it wasn't a perfect read but it did live up to being 'The Sweetest Charade'. 2.5 stars, rounded to 3 stars. show less

Camille Fisher and Aaron Montgomery have hated each other since they first met at the wedding of Camille's sister and Aaron's best friend. But they have no chance to escape one another when their work follows them to the hospital where their niece and godchild is being born. Abducted and transported over the border to Mexico, Camille and Aaron will have to use all their smarts to rescue a stolen child and bring the cartel down.

Camille was hard to like. She was a total badass escaping but she was whiny and depressing for everything else. It was kind of absurd though how often she managed to escape her captors. Still, those escapes were fantastic.

Santero wandered over from his inspection of Perez’s body. He toed Aaron’s foot. “Hey, you sure this broad needed us to rescue her? She seemed to be doing a bang-up job on her own.” Aaron smiled through the pain. “Knowing Camille, she would’ve been just fine without us.”

Ferrarella, Marie; Johnston, Linda O.; Cutler, Melissa. Undercover Soldier / Seduction Under Fire / Wrong Place, Right Girl . Harlequin Australia. Kindle Edition.

Camille issues weren't really explained well. Like yeah she was shot but that only really explains physical limitations not whatever her emotional ones were about. it also irritated me that she kept putting Aaron at risk with her stubbornness. They were partners in their escape. Not telling him that she couldn't shoot a gun with any accuracy was just plain stupid. But even after they show more escaped she still continued to hold back on disclosing her physical limitations. Accepting help isn't a weakness. It's one thing to be determined to rescue the child and take down the cartel, but it's another to put someone else at risk to do it when accepting help could allow them both to proceed safely. She kept focusing on this idea that Aaron wasn't treating her as an equal and it was annoying. Aaron was ok. Bit up himself but most alpha male types are.

The romance sucked. He kept telling her what she was feeling and she kept denying it and it led to me feeling very uncomfortable with their sex scenes. He didn't respect no. But I also didn't really like Camille's thought process either. She was all yes, no, maybe and it was irritating. So I'm torn. Because she did say no. There was chemistry but it was tainted by the tumultuous nature of their relationship.

I liked Diego's first meeting with Aaron. Diego appears in the next book in the series, Tempted into Danger.

“Diego Santero?” Aaron asked. “In the flesh. You gonna shoot me?”
Aaron tucked the gun in his waistband. “Sorry. I’m a little on edge.”
“Maybe it’s this creepy place you picked for a meeting. Is that blood on the wall?”
“You said to choose somewhere quiet, and I know firsthand a person could spend hours here without drawing notice.”
Santero held his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just saying. The ambience sucks.”

Ferrarella, Marie; Johnston, Linda O.; Cutler, Melissa. Undercover Soldier / Seduction Under Fire / Wrong Place, Right Girl . Harlequin Australia. Kindle Edition.

A slow burning angsty relationship with the backdrop of dangerous, high risk escapes and a cartel takedown. 2.5 stars, rounded to 2 stars. show less

Beatrice Lockwood has been on the run ever since her last employer and dear friend, Dr. Roland Fleming was murdered when a hired gun, The Bone Man, was tasked with kidnapping her. As an agent of the Flint and Marsh agency, Beatrice has managed to put the past behind her, using her skills instead to help young women protect their reputations. Until retired spy, Joshua Gage, aka The Messenger, is manipulated into finding her and becomes entangled in both his own past ghosts and Beatrice's demons.

I'm not really that fond of crossing my historical romance with paranormal elements but I like Amanda Quick and her heroines enough to give it a shot. The first book in the series was alright and the third book great, but this one was pretty meh. The plot was just a bit too fantastical for me. Mad scientists, Egyptian artefacts and reanimating the dead just didn't grab me.

And the word psychical is annoying AF. I looked it up when I read the first book, sure it wasn't even a word. Unfortunately it is, but one that annoys the crap out of me. It drives me mad. Just say psychic. Or paranormal or powers - pretty much anything else I could've accepted but this one was not it. So take that as you will. In addition to that I found it beyond absurd that Beatrice could believe she had psychical powers but magic is where she draws the line. Like um what?

The worldbuilding is pretty lacking with this series. There's no real details about the paranormal aspects, they're mostly just there. show more Beatrice can feel and see psychical energy but it's never really explained what that means or how she found out. Joshua on the other hand is a sceptic believed to have tracking powers. Yeah. That was about as much explanation was actually given in the book. So it was pretty lacking.

Beatrice and Joshua were okay. I didn't have any strong feelings about them. Beatrice was capable of taking care of herself which I did like. And she wasn't completely naive about the realities of her relationship with Joshua. But there wasn't really much depth to her. Joshua was a bit of a downer. I liked that he was sceptical about the paranormal but then again, his continuing disbelief in the face of overwhelming facts was a bit much. Joshua was smart when he rescued Beatrice by coming in through the roof. I like when the unexpected happens. One thing I liked about the first book was the multiple mystery plots and action but this one only really had one and it was fairly obvious who the villain was. It made for bland reading.

The romance was bland as well. There wasn't any great passion between them and the I love you's were based on very little. They never really get to know each other, too busy smothering out all the problems that keep arising, so it was hard to believe there was any depth of feeling.

I just couldn't muster up the enthusiasm for this. Overall an okay read. 2.5 stars, rounded to 2 stars. show less

Deputy Director of the FBI, Ed Dennis has set out to create an elite division of the FBI in St Louis. PAVAD - Prevention and Analysis of Violent Acts Division. Specialising in diverse and out of the ordinary threats, PAVAD employs both agents and support staff in order to respond quickly, accurately and efficiently. The PAVAD Case Files follows the PAVAD teams as they investigate.

New PAVAD team leader, Agent Sebastian Lorcan is given a probationary team to evaluate, a cyber specialist on loan - Agent Carrie Sparks - and a suspected cyber terrorism plot with a ticking timer.

A look back at Carrie and Sebastian's first case together! Well sort of, this is set after she was injured by Roger Stephenson in PAVAD #1: Watching. This is a novella, so there's not a lot of character development but there's a lot of team banter and snark which is some of the best parts of the PAVAD books anyway.

Instead this focuses on the plot, providing a fast paced, action packed story that reads like an episode of FBI. There's a little bit of clunky foreshadowing (I saw the ex-FBI computer expert brother a mile away) but for the most part this was well paced, coherent and very enjoyable. Getting to see my favourite characters in action was superb.

There are a lot of characters in PAVAD and frankly I don't really remember them all but some of my favourites appeared in this one besides Carrie Sparks and Sebastian Lorcan. Alessandra Brockman, Paige Daviess and Ken Chalmers were all present as show more were Jaz Therez and Saul Hernandez.

A short but riveting read with all the best characters. 4 stars. show less

Forensic genealogist, Morton Farrier, is broke, single and at the mercy of a cranky man who's disappointed in the results of his family tree. But his luck is about to change when he decides to passive aggressively deliver documents proving his research and finds himself hired to find out more.

I've just finished the author's other series, Venator Cold Cases and was interested to delve further into the field of genealogical research. But this was not quite what I was expecting. It's very light on genealogy, big on romance and heavy on speculation into a mystery of the past. With no chance of prosecution and very little in the way of actual evidence, this was more a stab in the dark or a hanging as the case may be. I know that is likely a large part of genealogical research but as someone who likes my cases solved I was a little disappointed at the lack of certainty.

Still this was an alright read. I wasn't too keen in the beginning, Morton was not particularly likeable and the case was very ghost story time but a laugh was startled out of me when Juliette kissed him and he asked her what her name is. It was just so ridiculous that it had me hooked. Obviously that was where it was leading to but it just struck my funny bone. Between that and Morton's mystery photobomber in the remains of the lunatic asylum I found myself easing into a general liking of Morton and Juliette and an interest in the story of what happened to Louisa Pengelly.

As a novella, there's not really show more a lot here but I'm interested enough to read the next one and see how the series goes. 3 stars. show less

Madison Scott-Barnhart is the owner of Venator - a forensic genealogy firm which uses DNA evidence to track down killers. The Venator team have the opportunity of a lifetime when they're presented the chance to work on the case of the Hollywood Strangler. Six victims all posed post mortem to resemble B grade movie scenes, the case has all the attention it could want, but no one has ever come close to solving who the killer was. Until now.

I like the genealogical angle of these books and the mystery and revel of how they go about narrowing down the suspects. It's not for everyone, it can be quite dense and repetitive in parts as they track down sources, but for those with an interest in the field, it's fascinating. This was perhaps an even denser read that the first two books in the series. The balance between the genealogical stuff, the crime and the employees of Venator team was just not there. It wasn't so much bogged down in technical details and explanations as it was in data. Sources and records were more common. I really liked the technical details and explanations that were present in the first book but they weren't really here in this one.

As for the lives of the employees, well the characters are kind of bland and I don't think I really like any of them but I've become interested in their little dramas. Three books in I'm kind of invested in the mystery of what happened to Maddie's husband. It's mostly wrapped up I guess but I would've liked a bit more definitive show more confirmation. Like where's the body? Why were they at the Haiti property in the first place? Why on earth did Becky's father become a human trafficker? Does he know about his potential child? What on earth does the mother think? Does she know? What is Becky thinking? It was light on the details. Like sure I could guess but I like having black and white answers. For some reason I have this pegged as a trilogy and this was the last book but it was only published in 2024, there could potentially be more. So I guess those answers may appear in the future.

A slower paced mystery than some may like but a decent read for those with some interest in genealogical research and multiple unanswered cases to be solved. 3.5 stars, rounded to 3 stars. show less

Deputy Director of the FBI, Ed Dennis has set out to create an elite division of the FBI in St Louis. PAVAD - Prevention and Analysis of Violent Acts Division. Specialising in diverse and out of the ordinary threats, PAVAD employs both agents and support staff in order to respond quickly, accurately and efficiently.

Dr Mia Ripley has always found the dead easier than the living but moving to PAVAD with Dr Julia Bellows has helped her find somewhere to belong. And she may have gotten off to a rocky start with Evan Stephenson ( seeing as he looks like his father - the former PAVAD agent that went mad, terrorised a bunch of agents and swept her up as collateral damage when he tried to burn down the building ) but now he's one of her best friends and she couldn't imagine life without him.

Evan has never let himself think of Mia romantically only admiring from afar until a sudden confession spurs him into action. When a prison break has several escapees at her door, Evan is ready to do whatever it takes to keep the woman he realises he loves safe. Fortunately he's not alone in those desires...

As I've said in earlier reviews of this series most of the backstory has now become a major blur. Too many characters, too many similar names, too much drama. Like this series is great but I have no hope remembering what happened 10 books ago to a minor side character - which in this case is Mia. Evan I have a slightly better memory of, which has a shape if not all the details. I show more remember his father and my confusion over that backstory - Evan sounding familiar but not all that relevant and having to go back to reread to discover what was going on. But I had no strong feelings towards either of them.

Mia was not my favourite PAVAD agent. She really did seem to have been swept up with the transfer to PAVAD team and never really seemed to have planned her life. She didn't really appear to have any strong feelings about much at all and it was hard to connect with her. There was just no spunk. It definitely didn't help that she seemed to be defined by her virginity.

Evan was rather repetitive. His preoccupation with her virginity and how he wants her in "every way" was tiring. It didn't help that their relationship was rather abrupt. It didn't seem like the two had any really strong feelings for each other before they decided to date. Like I know it was stated they were friends for years but it didn't feel authentic, just very instalove. One thing that really bothered me though was that they didn't open their Christmas presents. I wanted to see Evan's reaction to his homemade knitwear. It was minor but irritating.

The plot was balanced heavily towards the romance during the first half and I struggled to keep interested. It picked up in the second half. The suspense was simplistic but entertaining. I understood Roger's motivations but man was both cray cray and creepy. Evan was caught up on the drugging Mia but honestly I was still fixating on the whole holding and rocking her like a baby. It made my skin crawl. It kept crawling while I was reading his thoughts on Kira. Like yeah I thought she was spunky too, but I didn't need the lecherous parts. It was rather tame compared to some of the stuff I usually read but damn if it didn't creep me out.

Overall one of the weaker additions to the series but an alright read. 3 stars. show less

Ava and Carol are intrigued when they discover that their local museum has been robbed. Following in the footsteps of Ava's mother, a daring reporter and their own budding interest in crime solving, the girls open an investigation in to the mystery - determined to solve it before the cops do.

This was good. This series has been on my list for awhile now but my interest was heightened after discovering the spinoff series, Kids Murder Mystery Club, where the girls and their friend, Derik produce a podcast that revisits old cold cases and tries to solve them. (Spoiler: They do). Those books are wholesome tween friendly reads with lots of humour but lack much in the way of character development. The later books assume prior knowledge and while you can get by without it, having started at the start, I think Ava and Carol become more vibrant for it.

Ava and Carol are cheerful, smart, sensible, daring girls that follow in the footsteps of much adored famous detectives like Nancy Drew (a la 1930's editions), the Three Detectives boys and Alex Rider. This series is perfect for tween readers with limited violence, some educational content (Carol has an extensive vocabulary to tease Ava with) and still contain enough action to keep the plot interesting.

The mystery was funny and the girls were hilarious with their teasing snark. Their crime solving was unique and I liked how they worked together and used what they had available. The problem solving was a delight and I liked that show more although they did put themselves in danger they didn't excessively endanger themselves either. That line can be kind of hit and miss in children's and young adult fiction. It was nice to see a balance struck between outright stupidity and a chance to safely follow their dreams.

A fun and entertaining read for amateur detectives - or just those that love a good mystery. 5 stars. show less

Madison Scott-Barnhart is the owner of Venator - a forensic genealogy firm which uses DNA evidence to track down killers and for the first time the team will be working with law enforcement on an active serial killer case. The pressure is on for the team to match the available DNA with any possible suspect.

I found the forensic genealogy research in the first book fascinating, so I was keen to dive into the second book in the trilogy. Even more so, seeing as the first book ended on a cliffhanger of sorts. (The main case is wrapped up but the background mystery into what happened to Madison's husband is still left unsolved.) This won't be for everyone, the content can be quite dense but for those interested in the field, this will be an enjoyable read.

This was a mix of contradictions. I found that this one was better in some ways but much worse in others. I had assumed that the active case would be more exciting but it was pretty boring. There just wasn't enough detail and there was no real sense of urgency felt by the team. Plus I would've thought that the whole point of a live active case would be to actually work with the police to find the killer. But the Venator team and the cops were just doing everything separately and occasionally checking in. It made it all feel very pointless. It didn't help that it's set in the COVID pandemic. It was bad enough living it once without reliving it.

Still there were good parts. The background case of Madison's missing husband was show more pushed into the forefront as Madison, Becky and Trenton both dig into the details and while there were some really stupid parts (Trenton running away to look at the scene of crime was ridiculous), most of it was well written and kept me hooked wanting to know what happened. And I liked the resolution of Hudson's investigation into the rape of a young girl and the tension that was created as Kenyatta chased for identities into her boys under the bridge. The romance was bizarre - it kind of just felt unnecessary. I did like the friendships that were struck up between Kenyatta and her friend and Hudson and his friend though.

There was enough kept back that I'm dying to read the next one in the series and have some of the mysteries wrapped up. A good read for those interested in genealogy or slower paced mysteries. 3 stars. show less

Growing up in an abusive home and an ever more abusive town, PAVAD agent, Leina Howell could only ever depend on her twin brother, Lance. When he disappeared she left all alone and heartbroken. For fifteen years, she's wondered what happened that day and where her brother is - because she doesn't believe he ran away on his own - not without telling her.

When she receives an anonymous letter with photos of a man she believes is Lance, she returns to the town of Evalyn determined to uncover the truth, only to be mugged within days of her arrival. Luckily her team has her back and they send PAVAD Complex Crimes Unit Team Three leader, Ken Chalmers to keep her safe.

With the eleventh book in the series, I've mostly given up on remembering who's who in this. The backstories are very complex and adding time between reads, I've got very little hope of remembering the details. That said, this was good. I liked Leina and Ken. I do vaguely remember Ken from earlier books, although I can't say the same about Leina. At the start she was a bit timid but I liked that she came out of her shell more and more as she was provided with the support system she needed to face her past.

The romance was sweet, with Ken acting as her protector more often than not. But I appreciated that he respected her and helped her to stand on her own two feet. Their relationship unfolded a smidge more organically than they sometimes do with romance, but the pacing worked well and I thought they were good for show more each other. I was less pleased with the ending and the arrival of an instant family. I understood why she adopted the children but also I felt it was too much for the new relationship to suddenly get together, move in and have three kids. It ruined it for me. I did like Ken's sister though. We never meet her but I appreciate her humour.

“I have nine bedrooms, babe. Plenty of room. And I bet my mother would be thrilled to babysit. She lives in the guest house behind the place. My sister lives in my attic, as well. Says she likes to tell people I keep her hidden away up there.”

Brookes, Calle J.. Gathering (PAVAD- FBI Romantic Suspense Book 14) (p. 268). Lost River Lit Publishing, L.L.C.. Kindle Edition.

As for the plot, it kept me reading to find out what was going on and who was guilty. I totally thought it was the Riordans. Not everything was wrapped up though and I still have questions about what happened. Like why Lance ran away? I know he was coerced but why didn't he tell her? Why didn't he ever contact her in the time after? I mean they clearly had access to a phone and some autonomy? It wasn't like he was in a different country, so it was just confusing.

I really wanted a conversation between the two of them and even if not, it still would've been good to know if he was going to wake up. My other big question was regarding JD, the instigator of the whole sort of slavery slash cult ring. Why was he obsessed with the Howell line? That never really got answered and as the driving force of his motive it really bothered me that it wasn't revealed.

Still, another enjoyable addition to the series. 3.5 stars, rounded to 3 stars. show less

Leif Anderson finds the new neighbour, Zane Grayson a little creepy. But when Zane protects him from an intruder, he discovers that sometimes you need to dig a little deeper to find out what a person is like.

This was not at all what I was expecting. With the romance between a stalker and his stalkee I was anticipating a dark romance but this was mainly romantic suspense with a heaping of mental trauma angst. It had a few dark elements but it was towards the weird side of things and not utterly twisted. Zane wasn't really villain so much as awkward AF and a bit creepy. He was well meaning but intense and didn't always come across in the best light. Leif wasn't always that warm towards him either which made it more realistic but letdown the romance aspects.

The plot was a bit of a mess in parts. The mental health elements were sensitively approached and I felt that were realistically portrayed for the most part. The suspense was kind of weak. Zane was set up to be this major badass but he didn't really seem to have any actual survival skills outside an ability to shoot a gun. Plus the subterfuge of his past and that were annoying. I wanted everything out in the open. For a darker romantic suspense it was rather boring at times. This would be a better choice for those who like character driven novels.

The sex was a bit endless but the romance wasn't bad. The characters both get to know one another and share their past with each other. I appreciate a relationship that show more communicates so that was good. The banter between them was humorous even if it was on the awkward side of things. Overall it was enjoyable even if there were a few problems. 3.5 stars, rounded to 3 stars. show less

When British reality tv star, Phoebe Stiles is killed while living in America, Detective Rachel Prince is called to liaise between the family and the American police. Flying to Hollywood to investigate sounds like a perfect chance to soak up some sun and relax but once there, Rachel's gut says there's more to this case than the police seem to think.

This series is exhausting and I'm glad to be done. Rachel Prince is a nightmare. She's selfish, one track minded and is annoying af. I'm not surprised her sister, Lindsay hates her, I did too. Her treatment of her mother is appalling. Forgetting her mum's birthday and then actually telling her mother she was only there to see her because her sister told her off was disgusting. It was bad enough in the last book where she turns up having forgot the anniversary of her father's death. She's just a bitch.

Like the previous books, she has men throwing themselves at her but after the last guy turned out to be a pedophile has sworn off sleeping with any of them. Somehow her not sleeping with them became more annoying than if she actually did. The one thing I liked about the previous books was her platonic relationship with her partner, Mark Brickall but that was obliterated when he makes his move. She shuts him down but in the process reveals a pretty low opinion of a guy she's worked with for years. Thankfully, he doesn't really feature in this book as most of the investigation takes place in the States.

The crime was interesting, show more if not farfetched. It started out strong but kind of fell apart towards the end of the book. Prince's investigation into it though was insane. She has no jurisdiction and she is busy breaking laws all over the place. It was just dumb. And the amount of debt she must have racked up flying all over the country was absurd. Apart from that, she was so ridiculously naive that it was painful to read. The only saving grace was that she realised how stupid it was to think that the killer was going to let her go. She's saved by the skin of her teeth but even that was unlikely.

A terrible end to a terrible series. But at least, I'm at the end. 2 stars. show less

When a shipwreck washes up on the shore of the Isles of Echoes, the Final Years of the Echorium are tasked with finding the remnants. But for three of the students they find more than remnants. One will discover a talent to communicate with the merlee (half human, half animal creatures), one will prove to be unsuitable to be a Singer and one will uncover a plot against the Echorium and take a chance to escape the Isles of Echoes.

This is such a weird book. This is my second read. I initially read the whole trilogy as a tween. I adored the bright colours and striking artwork of the Chicken House editions and I remember liking the story even if it was a somewhat bizarre book I didn't quite understand. As an adult rereading, I'd agree that it was bizarre and stand by my lack of understanding.

Considered young adult, the simplicity of the plot, the naivety of the characters and the overall tone definitely are aimed at the younger side. But although a tween read there's a few questionable scenes (the butchering of the merlee - which basically sound like mermaids but maybe not quite as intelligent?, the cannibalism of eating what is clearly stated as being half human and a bizarre somewhat explicit comment that felt rather threatening upon rereading

The rider passed his pony’s rein and one of the leashes into nearby hands. He dragged the blue quetzal closer to the Khizpriest. It fought weakly against its leash, looking back over its shoulder at its mate. “This is the show more female,” the rider said, with a sly look at Azri. “If you care to look closely, you’ll see where she lays her eggs.”

Roberts, Katherine. Song Quest (Echorium Sequence Book 1) . Katherine Roberts. Kindle Edition. ) that I would argue aren't quite appropriate for the age. That said, I don't even remember those scenes when I read it the first time, so it'd depend on the tween.

As for the plot, there's mermaid type creatures, a musical magic system and good fighting against evil. A quest to restore peace to the Mainland and put a stop to any violence against half creatures. Fantasy fans will find it familiar, many of the usual tropes are present.

Although there is a lot of worldbuilding and fantasy-esque names, none of it is well explained. It's hinted at and touched upon but never coherently addressed. For instance, the Songs of Power. Towards the end it states that they are used to control emotions and memories. But it's repeatedly mentioned that the Songs can heal. Frenn is physically healed. There were lots of little instances like that that made it hard to follow the plot.

The inclusion of the different viewpoints helped but didn't really alleviate the issue. I liked Rialle but she irritated me with her naivety. Kherron was marginally better with adapting but he certainly wasn't in control of his situation, he just seemed to continue to try making the best out of each problem he caused. I felt rather sorry for him.

I didn't really understand why it was necessary to take away the singing skill if the men couldn't handle the entire range of songs. Or why they practically lobotomized their own people. If nothing else it certainly made Kherron's actions more reasonable. I really didn't understand why Rialle was sent on the quest without providing her any information about what she would face. She would never have lasted without Kherron there to plan a way out.

Frenn was okay. I didn't really understand why he and Rialle were dating? I felt like Rialle and Kherron had a much stronger relationship but it was a minor part of the plot - even if the romance felt unnecessary to be included.

All that aside, there is something unique about this story that keeps readers coming back and makes it memorable for years after reading. Unfortunately the coherency of the plot and worldbuilding lets it down. 3 stars. show less

Dutch businessman, Dries van Meijer is heartbroken to learn that his daughter, Emily died while on a youth cultural trip to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. When the Scottish police declare the death an accident due to intoxication, Dries insists that someone reinvestigate - because his daughter didn't drink and he refuses to believe she would ever take her own life. Detectives Rachel Prince and Mark Brickall are tasked with finding the truth.

If I thought the first book was a trainwreck, it had nothing on this one. The crime was interesting, I saw where it was heading, but it was mostly well plotted. I felt sorry for Emily - she was clearly a smart girl who was willing to stand up for herself and others and it was sad that she didn't get a chance to name her attackers. And I felt sorry for the parents because they were obviously pretty close with their daughter.

As for the private life of Detective Rachel Prince, it was absolutely absurd. So the husband. In the first book I was annoyed that it was never revealed exactly why she left the husband. And I mean left in the literally left kind of way since she apparently is still married to him and just cut off contact for 17 years. Like wtf? In the very early pages of this one, I came to the conclusion she left him because she was pregnant and she either miscarried or terminated. Boy was I wrong.

That would be silly. She was pregnant and had the fkn child!!! Her reasoning for not wanting children I could get behind. A show more woman has the right to choose, simple as that. That was fine. She found out too late to terminate so she had to have the baby. She decided she was not capable of looking after a baby. I get that. Again, perfectly fine. But why put up the child for adoption? Her husband who always wanted children, had a well paying job and was actually capable of looking after a baby had a right to know about the child and to actually make his own decision as to whether or not he would look after the child. WTF? I was appalled at the complete disregard she showed for everyone involved. Oh and she made her family promise not to tell the father where she was or that she was pregnant.

I get that she didn't want to be involved. I respect that actually. But there was still another parent available and before putting the child up for adoption she should have at least broached the subject with him. Frankly his response was much more monitored that mine would have been. I was angry just reading it. Her whole entire life is a fucking train wreck. She is a train wreck. The sister is right about everything. Frankly I mainly kept reading just to find out how much worse it was going to get and it just kept snowballing.

Her relationship with Howard has blossomed into an actual relationship. I found that weird. She was so adamant in the last book about being against commitment and apart from that, Howard's whole thing about leaving his wife that he wants kids and she didn't. If that was the dealbreaker, why get with someone else who clearly doesn't want kids? Plus I just didn't like them. But it didn't last long and I did enjoy the bit about the writing being on the wall.

When they left work at six, Brickall headed straight to Forest Hill to fetch the dog and Rachel sought out an off-licence to buy wine. She had put off Howard the night before on the grounds that it was late by the time she arrived back from the airport, but had agreed that he could come over that evening. When she had unlocked the front door to her flat the night before, she had known before she was over the threshold that something had changed since she left for Edinburgh. She could smell it – literally. She switched on the lights to find that Howard had painted a black chalkboard on the section of wall behind her kitchen table. He had chalked ‘Welcome Home!’ onto the board, adding a heart and a smiley face. It wasn’t that she didn’t like what he had done. She actually liked it quite a lot – it looked great as a backdrop to the off-white table and chairs. It was that he had come here and done it behind her back, without consultation. What was it she had said to Brickall about her relationship with Howard while they were in Edinburgh… that the writing was on the wall? Well, now it really was. Or on the chalkboard. Of course he still had no idea that he was coming over this evening to be dumped. After she’d wiped away his chalk message with a damp cloth, Rachel set out bowls of snacks and opened a bottle of the wine that Howard liked, painfully aware that this was unlikely to soften the blow.

James, Alison. Now She's Gone: An absolutely gripping crime thriller (Detective Rachel Prince Book 2) (p. 89). Bookouture. Kindle Edition.

Though I guess she gets props for deciding to break up with him in person - rather than over the phone - or you know - just not telling him and disappearing for 17 years. I mean at least this time she wasn't married to the guy.

I liked Dolly the dog. I was amused by the procession of passing off the responsibility of caring for the dog. Mark's pet sitting for a friend. Rachel ends up pet sitting for Mark. And then Eileen Prince (Rachel's mum - I get the feeling the author's a Potterhead) is pet sitting for Rachel. I mean also, poor dog but at least she found a good home in the end. Of course even the dog just highlights how selfish Rachel is. She turns up with the dog and doesn't even realise it's the anniversary of her dad's death.

Although she's always selfish, she kept finding new ways to surprise me.

‘But you haven’t spoken to my dad yet.’ Joe’s face fell. ‘I was hoping I might get a chance to meet up with him before I left.’ Stupidly, Rachel had been hoping that Joe had forgotten about Stuart. Obviously not. And she owed it to her son – and to her ex-husband – to make things right. ‘I’ll tell you what, why don’t you go and find a movie on the hotel’s cable channel, and I’ll go over to Stuart’s house now and talk to him. If he’s in, of course. After that, it’ll be up to him.’ Joe narrowed his eyes slightly. ‘How do you think he’ll react?’ ‘I’ve honestly no idea.’ Fifteen minutes later Joe was in his room watching Batman vs Superman and Rachel was in a cab on the way to Inverleith. She had weighed up texting Stuart first, but remembering his overwhelming need to control, decided against it. She wanted to retain the advantage of having him on the back foot.

James, Alison. Now She's Gone: An absolutely gripping crime thriller (Detective Rachel Prince Book 2) (p. 137). Bookouture. Kindle Edition.

How could Stuart possibly be more on the back foot than he's going to be to discover his wife of eighteen years who just up and left him without a word and without ever bothering to divorce him and he only recently tracked down and who still refuses to talk about why she left because she doesn't want to rehash things that were never hashed in the first place, had a child without ever telling him, even though he always wanted children and had a great paying job, that she then gave up for adoption and she still never freaking mentioned and forbid her family from ever telling him also? What the actual fk? This is just the most demented thing I've read. He honestly couldn't have been more on the back foot than he would be from just that. The least you could do would be to fkn text to warn him you're on your way over. I'm astounded at the sheer nerve. But she just continues to amaze.

‘Our marriage was over. I didn’t think it was right for us to be tied together forever. I thought the best option all round was for him to have a normal life in a stable home.’

James, Alison. Now She's Gone: An absolutely gripping crime thriller (Detective Rachel Prince Book 2) (p. 142). Bookouture. Kindle Edition.

How could their marriage be over when she never bothered to actually tell him that or get a divorce or even explain she was fkn leaving? She literally just left one day and never came back. As for the kid - there was no reason he couldn't have had a normal stable home with just the husband. Regardless of her decision to put him up for adoption - her and the husband were still going to be tied together because of the lack of divorce of their marriage and even with a divorce - she still had a kid. It doesn't erase the dna or the connection by giving him up, so they're still tied together forever regardless. Which also, she could've given him to the father and then had no contact, which would have still resulted in the same outcome. I can't believe the family didn't spill. I don't think I'd keep quiet if it was me. I honestly don't think I could. It's one thing if she decided not to have the kid but she did. At that point, unless there was an issue of the child's safety by admitting who the father was, he had rights and she should've respected them. The whole situation is just wrong on so many levels. And then this.

‘It’s no use, Stuart; clearly nothing I can say now is going to make things right. I can’t go back and change my decision, and I can’t undo the fact that Joe is here, and he wants to get to know us. The way I see it, we owe it to him to get our shit together and do our best for him now.’

James, Alison. Now She's Gone: An absolutely gripping crime thriller (Detective Rachel Prince Book 2) (pp. 142-143). Bookouture. Kindle Edition.

Wow. Stuart literally just has this bomb explode. The nerve to say that they should both get their shit together - Stuart dealt with her just walking away without a word, his wife just miscarried and he has just found out the wife that left him had a son that she didn't want and gave up for adoption without even telling him the boy existed. Stuart has every right to take a fkn minute to tell her off and she could've at least had the fkn decency to sit there and listen to it. Honestly the hits just kept coming and coming. It was incredible.

The whole thing with Giles was painful. Between the will they, won't they dance and the actual ending of the whole thing, I was just appalled.

I don't know that I actually did believe that he was just at the party by accident and Rachel's covering it up didn't make it any better. His resignation was about the only decent thing that occurred. It was literally his job to look after children. Between his turning up at that party or ignoring that his friend likes them young, he just wasn't. It was sickening. And Rachel's reaction to it all was worse.

Her outrage seemed to be much more focused on how it means she needs to end their flirtation than the fact a member of a child protection agency was caught at the actual type of events he is supposed to be protecting them from. Even then she doesn't pass on any of the details and quiets the person who sits in on the interview of the friend that supposedly took him there. At no point does she suggest they actually interview Giles and Giles does a freaking runner. Which no one even seems to think is weird as fk.


I can't say this was good but I can say it inspired a lot of feelings. It was an insane read. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I was considering stopping, but with only one more book, seems kind of pointless not to finish it and cross it off my list. 2 stars. show less

Lola Jade Harper has been missing for six months when the case is transferred to Major Crimes Investigative Support department. A victim of a bitter custody battle, Lola Jade's disappearance has turned cold until the subsequent disappearance of her father. International liaisons, Detectives Rachel Prince and Mark Brickall are assigned to review the evidence and see if fresh eyes can turn up any new leads.

This is a very bizarre book. The plot is more tabloid magazine than crime fiction with lots of twists and astounding reveals. The main characters are rather off putting in their private lives and questionably in their professional ones. And despite it all I could not stop myself from reading what was mostly an utter train wreck.

Rachel Prince was just odd. She seems to be an okay detective. Although I did have doubts when she receives multiple no caller id calls but her first point of investigating isn't answer the damn phone? She labels them nuisance without ever having reason to. But she seemed to make sensible decisions while investigating the case. On the other hand is her personal life.

She spent most of her time when not on the case, hitting on anything with a pulse. Thankfully, she stayed away from her partner, Mark Brickall but from his weird jealous outbursts, that might change in future books. Her main squeeze of the book was her gym trainer, Harold. I particularly enjoyed his whinging about his wife's "paranoia" and "suspicious" nature when he leaves the house show more to the woman he's sleeping with. Yeah colour me shocked that she thinks something is going on when he actually is having an affair. I wasn't keen on Rachel's opinion that the wife was to blame for her sleeping with her husband. I would agree it wasn't on Rachel to be considerate of the wife, but it 100% was the husband's responsibility.

The weirdest part of Rachel's backstory though was her marriage. She's married. Has been for 17 years when she randomly left her partner, forbid her family from telling him where she was and then never contacted him again. Wtf? She spends most of the book ducking and diving his phone calls and random appearances at her house. I didn't get it. I thought maybe domestic abuse but then she admitted he didn't do anything wrong so it was weird. It really irritated me that there was never any clear answer as to why she left in this book though.

As for Mark, well he seemed okay until this little reveal. ‘I used our access to DVLA records to check where she lives. Then I contrived to bump into her on her street.’

James, Alison. Lola is Missing: A totally gripping crime thriller (Detective Rachel Prince Book 1) (p. 84). Bookouture. Kindle Edition.

Nothing like a policeman stalker. Looking up her phone number? Maybe. Meeting her at work? Perhaps. Stalking her at home? Hard no.

The crime was over the top but all the details were dotted and crossed and I do like it when that happens. I thought the time progression was done really well. A lot of crime novels struggle to make it seem like an appropriate amount of time is passing but I felt like this was a more accurate depiction of events. Her injury of her knee on the first few pages irritated me. I was sick of hearing about her knee by the time it healed.

Overall not the best book out there but an interesting way to pass the time. 2.5 stars, rounded to 2 stars. show less

Orodan Wainwright would never have guessed where his choices would take him but his plan of operation is still the same, keep battering that wall with his head until it breaks. Battering against Gods might need a larger battering ram but that's okay - Orodan loves a good challenge.

This is exactly what it says on the box. A litrpg time loop progression with stats. It won't be for everyone, the very nature of the story is repetitive - but for those that love time loops and love stats this should be on the list. It can be a bit of a slog in parts - the comment about Orodan's head being a battering ram for a wall is not an understatement - but I really enjoyed it. The author does well to incorporate the repetition of the time loops into time skips when necessary, which gives a nice reprieve at the right times.

The plot is detailed and the world building is elaborate. This second book expands even further heading into the land of the Gods and Outer Space. There was some investigation into a few of the mysteries surrounding Orodan's existence and his links to the System but there's still a lot to be discovered in future installments. I liked Orodan but I love the supporting characters he's made friends with. Adeltaj Simarji and Arvayne Firesword were the best and I liked the Emperor. There isn't anything new here, but it's well written and incorporates all my favourite tropes. It wasn't quite as good as the first one but it's exactly what it says.

A battering ram of a litrpg show more time loop progression. 3 stars. show less

Orodan Wainwright's whole life has been a fight. Hard work has gotten him through everything life has thrown at him - from the orphanage, to the militia and with his system. Until the day he dies - and then wakes up the morning of. A time loop? That just means more time for hard work!

This is exactly what it says on the box. A litrpg time loop progression with stats. It won't be for everyone, the very nature of the story is repetitive - but for those that love time loops and love stats this should be on the list. It can be a bit of a slog in parts - the comment about Orodan's head being a battering ram for a wall is not an understatement - but I really enjoyed it. The author does well to incorporate the repetition of the time loops into time skips when necessary, which gives a nice reprieve at the right times.

The plot is detailed and the world building is elaborate. I liked Orodan but the supporting characters were some of my favourites. I loved Adeltaj Simarji and Arvayne Firesword and I was a fan of the Pegasi. The mystery of the System and Orodan's link was interesting. I hope that gets clearer in the next book. There isn't anything new here, but it's well written and incorporates all my favourite tropes.

A battering ram of a litrpg time loop progression. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 stars.

I have read some great non fiction books lately - this is not one of them. Clearly I should've taken the advice and not read it.

This is the type of book that could only be written by an Arts Major. Pretentious, while waffling through an opinion of complete nonsense in order to meet the word requirement. There were a few interesting points near the start and then drifted through sheer ridiculousness for the rest.

The one gem was a reference to something else. Laura Bohannan's article "Shakespeare in the Bush" published in the Natural History Magazine, August/September 1966 issue - the full text was a delight.

This book was not. 1 star.

Robbie McGuire is thrilled to be traded to his all time favourite team - the Seattle Vipers - even if his self proclaimed nemesis, Ant Decker, is his new teammate. Ant, on the other hand, is a lot angrier about the whole situation.

This was an enjoyable read. There was a bit of angst but it wasn't too over the top. For the most part, the writing was engaging and the characters were likable, if not absolutely ridiculous. Robbie was such a golden retriever and I rated it. Plus Robbie's family was hilarious. And Ant was all grump. Their relationship was ridiculous but it worked. I wouldn't exactly call it a strong plot - but it definitely was a fun read. The flirting and inner thoughts had me giggling as did the arguing about if they were on a date. The relationship didn't happen all at once and that's usually good enough for me. There was a bit of progression as they got to know one another and began to fall in love. Just enough to make it not quite instalove anyway. The kink in this one was mostly a miss, the nicknames were fine, the rest was very cringey and had me grimacing as I skimmed. But overall this was a good read.

A super sweet rivalry romance, 4 stars.

It sounds like the start of a bad joke when Detective Sheridan Holler is told there was a dead body found in a grave in the cemetery. But her team aren't joking and there is a body that is definitely not supposed to be where it is. The more strings they pull though, the knottier the problem gets with evidence stacking up that not all is what it seems.

Detective Sheridan Holler was a surprising breath of fresh air. I really liked her and her investigative style. It wasn't a perfect book and Holler was a bit lacklustre in parts but I think more than anything I wanted to like her. Something about this book just grabbed me and it kept me going through some of the boring parts.

There were some great parts - I loved Carly getting her own back with the diamonds. Pure perfection. and some terrible ones Max!? Was it really necessary to kill him off? I liked him. They could've just made it Tom's funeral. Also Sheridan getting shot was stupid. He was literally going to blow his own brains out - why the hell didn't she let him? Instead she intervenes and ends up shot. That bit was just dumb. I liked most of the characters - Joni in particular was just a good person. I liked her caring nature. I felt sorry for Tom though. He was a genuine friend to a guy who ups and shoots him in the face. Rough. So there was good and bad.

The wry humour worked hard to keep the plot from being dragged down into misery and the ending was particularly well plotted with everything tied up both neatly show more and cleverly. It does take a while to get there but it's worth the wait.

Overall a refreshing new voice in crime fiction. Not necessarily a perfect one but definitely one to watch out for. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 stars. show less

Litrpg progression fantasy with stats, levels and math.

Naktos and Lalquinrial have dragged Ruwen into the Destruction Realm, planning for his imminent demise. Unfortunately for them, Ruwen Starfield's death has been grossly overexaggerated. Sure, his name is now Ruin Val'dor instead of Ruwen, and his body may have been replaced to uphold his stature as a member of the Seraph race but Ruin is just Ruwen by another name and everything that counts is still exactly the same - including the bad ideas.

Look I'm now eleven books in - I have no choice but to continue on but that said, this was great. Even though it was a step up in the worldbuilding (and honestly wow. how anyone can come up with this kind of epic worldbuilding is insane) it felt like more of a return to basic Ruwen. There was lots of action, a decent amount of stats and a few actual answers to some of the random questions that keep piling up. He still jumped from one thing to another but more of the plot was revealed and that kept it grounded.

I was annoyed though by the mention of his grandmaster alchemist talent at the beginning. He was supposed to be able to discover and find new ingredients and not one freaking ingredient was collected. I was looking forward to him harvesting the dungeon and then he never did. Like sure, he'll probably get to it but I don't want to wait another ten books for it.

Still, there was a lot here to enjoy and I was happy that this one had some actual answers instead of just more show more questions.

Another great book for the series. 4 stars. show less

Sin Lorcan's relationship with Merrick Cody has long been plagued by jealousy, spite and frustration. Merrick marrying his brother didn't help - and surprisingly neither did her divorcing him. Moving back to St Louis with his newly discovered son, hasn't improved much but when Sin's investigation into a PAVAD traitor threatens Merrick, he finds himself stepping up for her and her adopted daughter.

I've pretty much given up on remembering or following who's who in PAVAD. There are too many characters with too many detailed backstories and I just can't keep them straight. But I do enjoy the setting of the PAVAD offices and the supportive environment they all foster. I will say though was it really necessary to name three brothers, Sin, Seth and Sebastian?

Sin Lorcan was a frustrating one. Although he was clearly trying as parent and boyfriend, I felt he lacked in both departments. His kid was all too often an afterthought and it irritated me. As for Merrick, well his reasons for hating her were ridiculous. Talk about emotionally stunted. I liked that he recognised he was ridiculous but it wasn't enough.

Merrick was alright. She seemed like a no nonsense character with her head screwed on straight and most of her priorities in order. I vaguely remember her in previous books, although I don't particularly remember how she gets the daughter. I liked her love for her daughter and her importance on being a mother to her. She generally made good decisions and kept herself safe show more and I liked that. On the other hand she was also kind of bland. I'm not really into second chance romances or the whole falling for the other sibling thing, so this was never going to be a high rating from me, but i did come to like both of them more than I expected. If there had of been more interaction between Sin and the kids I think I would've liked it better.

The romance between them was sweet, even if it lacked fire. The storyline had a few plot holes but moved fast and worked hard to build suspense. I would've liked more actual investigating but the viewpoints of the criminals helped to build the story and make the case and that was sufficient. If there were clues in previous books I missed them. There did seem to be hints for future books though about the bigger traitor, unless I missed something else - which is also possible.

An average light crime romance with a close-knit community and extended family whether by blood, marriage or friendship. 2 stars. show less

A hallmark of detective fiction, Nancy Drew is a enduring and well known literary figure. From the original books, to remakes, spinoffs and television and movie adaptations, Nancy Drew is synonymous with amateur sleuth.

The Clue in the Diary was published on January 1, 1932, comprises of twenty five chapters and was written by Mildred Wirt Benson under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The following review is for the 1930's edition of the text.

In Nancy's blue roadster, Nancy, Bess and George are returning from a lovely day out at the carnival when they see a nearby house explode into flame. Rushing to help, Nancy is soon knee deep in another mystery when she finds a small leather diary left behind by a man fleeing the scene.

It's hard not to like Nancy. She's spunky, kind and enthusiastic. She might be scared, frightened or surprised - but she'd never let that stop her from solving a case - or saving a friend. Or anyone else in need.

I adore her relationship with her dad, Carson Drew. They're both so proud of each other and I really like that he's such a prominent figure in these books. Plus I love that he's so supportive and willing to let Nancy take the lead and step back when he can and most importantly - listens to her thoughts and opinions and values them. And it's funny when they tease each other.

"What kept you so late?" Carson Drew inquired. "Jove! You've been in an accident!"
"Rather. I'm afraid the roadster will never look the same again."
"I don't care about the car. show more I'm thankful you're here safe and sound. When you didn't telephone to explain the delay, I was very worried."
"We didn't have money enough left to put in a telephone call, Dad. We spent most of it at the carnival, and the rest at a garage."
"You could have reversed the charge."
"I didn't think of that. Anyway, things were happening so fast there wasn't much time to do anything. When we reached Mapleton I thought we'd be home in a little over an hour. I'm sorry I worried you."
"I'll recover," the lawyer smiled. "The question now is, how big a lawsuit will I have on my hands?"
"Suit? Oh, I see, you think I crashed into another car. A lot of confidence you have in my driving!"
"Accidents happen in the best regulated families."
"Yes. It seems to me I remember you once ran into a telephone pole," Nancy reminded her father mischievously as they turned toward the house. "Well, you can relax! Another car ran into mine and I have the driver's name and license number. I can easily look him up."

Keene, Carolyn; Benson, Mildred A. Wirt. The Clue in the Diary: Nancy Drew Mystery #7 (pp. 28-29). Applewood Books.

This book is also the introduction of one, Ned Nickerson. I liked Ned. I was amused that she thought he was going to steal her car when really he's just kind and thoughtful. The flirting and banter between them was cute. And it was interesting to see Nancy a bit out of her depth with a guy she clearly really likes. I really wanted to know Ned's thoughts on the whole saga. And Ned meeting Carson was hilarious. I love that Carson and Nancy are both evaluating how he is with the other. They just all want to like each other. Aww. The bonus was seeing Carson and Ned join forces to come to Nancy's rescue. I mean, she didn't exactly need it - but they did catch her escaping criminal.

One thing I find interesting with these books is the parental involvement. Nancy is generally free to do what she wants, with a token enquiry with her father, but he is also present in a way parents just aren't in children's fiction. He usually knows what Nancy is up to and is often at hand to give her advice or help or the odd rescue. Bess and George parents aren't seen on screen so to speak but the girls don't have total freedom, being required to check in or stay home or whatever. It makes it feel more grounded in reality than a lot of other children's fiction (and to be fair, mainly the fantasy, action, adventure genres) is. Not entirely relevant to this review, but just an interesting approach.

This was a bit skint on the secondary characters if you haven't read any others but it wasn't too bad. I loved seeing the girls all work together to solve their problems, but I was amused by how they're alike too - i.e. all shopping for Honey separately.

As for the mystery it was really good. The plot was fast paced and exciting, littered with small moments of humour and warmth. I was hooked as the girls investigated. These are really just feel good mysteries.

That said, they were written in a time of differing social values, so they don't always align to modern ideas. This one didn't stack up too badly but there are a few unfavourable moments. As I've said, I support rewriting Nancy Drew books to get rid of the racial disparity but I don't think the entirety of the plot needs to be changed to do so.

A fantastic Nancy Drew adventure with heart. 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 stars for Ned Nickerson. show less

When Lola Evans is found dead, Detectives King and Lane are assigned the case. Horrified at the violence perpetuated against Lola, the detectives are anxious to catch the killer. And then another girl goes missing.

For a lot of the book I would've said 2 stars. It wasn't great, the characters weren't particularly likable, the plot was common but 2 stars nonetheless because it was adequate. Not an enjoyable read but an okay read. I didn't think much of Alex King up until this point. She wasn't much of a detective and her viewpoint on solving cases was ridiculous.

Alex didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to let Chloe down, but she didn’t want to have to be the one to help her chase a mystery that was never going to be solved. The only people who knew what had truly happened that night all those years ago were Luke and Emily. All truths had gone to the grave with them.

Jenkins, Victoria. The Girls in the Water: A completely gripping detective thriller with a shocking twist (Detectives King and Lane Book 1) (p. 138). Bookouture. Kindle Edition.

Like seriously? By that logic, never investigate. Anyway, I didn't think much of her but it was what it was. And then.

Then it was revealed that Chloe was a cam girl. Video footage of her performing was sent to her boss and then made front page news.

She didn’t understand the images – she couldn’t imagine Chloe, who she had always known to be so sensible, allowing herself to be photographed or filmed in such a way – show more but until she had the facts, she didn’t want to judge. Over the past six months Alex had grown close to Chloe. But how well did she know her really? How well could anyone know another person?

Jenkins, Victoria. The Girls in the Water: A completely gripping detective thriller with a shocking twist (Detectives King and Lane Book 1) (p. 189). Bookouture. Kindle Edition.

She couldn’t make sense of anything the article reported. Chloe would never have done that, surely. And yet, it so clearly was her. A younger her, a different her, but undoubtedly her. Revenge porn; sadly, Alex could comprehend that. But this? Webcam sites. Payment. This was all too much for her to get her head around.

Jenkins, Victoria. The Girls in the Water: A completely gripping detective thriller with a shocking twist (Detectives King and Lane Book 1) (p. 192). Bookouture. Kindle Edition.

What a judgey sanctimonious asshole. I wasn't thrilled by her lacklustre thoughts on revenge porn but I was absolutely appalled by her judgemental repugnant views on sex work. What a woman does or does not do with her body is her own fucking choice. And it's a choice she should be allowed to make freely and without comment or prejudice. A person isn't lesser for what is done with or to their body.

I could've respected Chloe's response too - that she needed money, she got a job - if it hadn't been marred by her own insecurities. Why the hell should she be ashamed? Why the hell do her reasons matter? They don't. Whether she did it because she needed the money, she enjoyed it, she was supporting her brother or child or parents or whatever. She shouldn't have to explain shit. And the lack of conviction irritated me more than anything else.

‘Do you want to explain it?’
Of course she didn’t. She didn’t want to explain it any more than she wanted to be sitting in that office right there and then, burning beneath the heat of the office strip lighting. She could explain it, but what would that achieve? The outcome was going to be the same.
‘The money was good.’ It wasn’t a lie: the money had been great. More than she had ever earned before. More than she could make as a police officer in a month. Her flippancy wasn’t well received.
Harry Blake pursed his lips. His cheeks reddened slightly. ‘That’s it. That’s your explanation?’
‘It was years ago, sir, before I joined the police. I didn’t break any laws. I needed money. I got a job.’

Jenkins, Victoria. The Girls in the Water: A completely gripping detective thriller with a shocking twist (Detectives King and Lane Book 1) (pp. 193-194). Bookouture. Kindle Edition.

From there it was a slog to get through. It was repetitive, talked more about the crime than actually bothering to solve it and related a ton of personal issues about character lives i just didn't care about. It just made me angry and irritated. The supposed killer didn't make sense anyway. For heaps of reasons. What a coincidence Chloe knows him from back in the day. Oh and she introduced him to Luke and Emily.

Emily was apparently coming on to him so he killed her. In the very short window of time between Luke leaving her and coming back to check on her. Like why did he decide to do it then? There seemed to be no spark as to why he decided then and there to kill her. So okay...

Then Lola. He totally tortures Lola but he barely touched Emily or Sarah so that wasn't very consistent. Why? What was the motivation for that?

So he's killed Emily and then waited a decade before killing Lola and Sarah? Okay... Apart from waiting a decade to try to kill Chloe. Why didn't he kill her why she was drunk and in the apartment with him? Or anytime afterwards. There were just a ton of holes and I could've overlooked that if it weren't for the views on sex work. I'm just glad it's over. 1 star. show less

When the humans came, the Gremlins lost their home to a factory building airplanes for the war efforts. Determined to get their revenge, The Royal Air Force have been plagued by the tiny creatures ever since. Drilling holes into wings and fuel tanks and cutting wires while the pilot is in the air, the Gremlins cause a lot of damage in their quest. Until pilot Gus gets injured and convinces Gremlin Gus that instead of working against one another - they should work together to save their home.

What a bizarre little book. Produced as a recruiting tool as much as a small insight into what airmen experience while in service, The Gremlins is a fable like tale of how friendship, dedication and working together can help to achieve the impossible. Or about how to cheat your way back into your job after you're injured. One of the two.

I liked the sketches accompanying the text (although not the colour ones), but I felt the text itself kind of boring. It didn't really feel like the pilots were particularly horrified or shocked or outraged at what the gremlins were up to and I mean if someone was drilling a hole into a wing of the airplane I'm flying - I definitely don't think I'd be chill. Also super weird reading Roald Dahl without Quentin Blake. 3 stars for the target audience, 2 stars for me.

Robert Lee wanted to be a reverend when he was older but his dyslexia seemed to be standing in his way. With some hard work though and the advice from the Dyslexia Institute in London, he was able to overcome his dyslexia and become a reverend.
Unfortunately upon being appointed his the role as vicar of Nibbleswicke, he became so stressed and anxious over his abilities he undid all his hard work, developing Back-to-Front Dyslexia. Thankfully the people of Nibbleswicke love the eccentricity the vicar brings to his sermons.

Written for the benefit of the Dyslexia Institute in London and littered with Quentin Blake's lovely illustrations, this short tale is a standard Roald Dahl tale with quirky ridiculousness and silly solutions. I did like the reference to Esio Trot though. 3 stars, 3.5 stars, rounded to 3 for the target audience.

In the end it was the local doctor who guessed what was wrong.
“What you’ve got,” he said, “is a very rare disease called Back-to-Front Dyslexia.
It is very common among tortoises who even reverse their own name and call themselves esio trots.
Fortunately," went on the good doctor, "there is a simple cure."
"Tell me!" cried the vicar. "Oh please tell me!"
"You must walk backwards while you are speaking; then these back-to-front words will come out frontwards or the right way round. It's common sense."
The cure worked miraculously. There were problems, of course. The main one was that the poor chap couldn't see where he was going without show more twisting his head over his shoulder, which was painful. But by attaching a small rear view mirror to his forehead with an elastic band, he overcame this difficulty.

Dahl, Roald. The Vicar of Nibbleswicke (p. 20-21). Puffin. Kindle Edition. show less

CPS Investigator, Ivy Nash is terrified to learn that Miguel Garza is being held hostage at his current foster home by his father, Matt. Determined to do everything she can, Ivy negotiates with Matt to release the children in exchange for her but before it can go ahead the gun goes off, police storm the place, Matt and one of the children are found dead and Miguel says that he did it.

This was fantastic. Ivy was incredible. She was pretty naive at times but for the most part she was stubborn, compassionate and kind. The naivety was kind of odd though for someone who clearly had been through hell growing up. I liked her friendships with the police detective, Stan and her gynaecologist best friend, Zahera and I adored her new friendship with Cristina. Cristina was awesome. Her determination to help Ivy and her slow acceptance of their friendship was just heartwarming. Her grit and humour were the best and I felt so sorry for all the trauma she had experienced.

Actually this whole book for all the good parts was kind of heartbreaking. The trauma ever character seemed to suffer was just a lot. Even the supposed bad guy Monique had been through hell. I felt like this hurtled along at a rapid rate and it was intense. I would've liked a bit of a slower build because it was almost too much to process. The ending in particular with Ivy being abducted by her random stalker. It was set up sure, but it also kind of came out of nowhere? The V for Vendetta mask was random as well. show more It's obviously been left unexplained for the next books but I would've preferred the whole thing to be shelved and left for the next one. It was just too much on top of a series of too much. That said, it really was great though. I was on the edge of my seat, clinging to each page like my life depended on it. I just think it could've been stronger with a more gradual build up.

One thing I really like from a marketing perspective is the way the author has used the initials of his main character and incorporated it into the title. It's really clever that all his series are named that way. It also makes it an easy way to keep a track of what's going on and who's where with the intwining of the different series. This was my first book by Mefford but I will definitely be reading more if all of them are like this one.

A fast paced, edge of your seat thriller with a main character determined to take names and kick ass on behalf of the voiceless. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars for Ivy and Cristina. show less