Welcome to my Sunday post hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. A fairly quiet week this week, but ended with my son’s first school friend’s birthday party, which was exciting!
“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “winter reading”
“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “reading slump”, “what should I read next”, “what book do you recommend”, “mystery”, “romance”
“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “reading goals”, “what should I read next”, “what did you read”, what would you recommend that I read”, “what would get me out of a reading slump”, “romance”, “mystery”, “January reading”
Welcome to my Stacking The Shelves post hosted by Reading Reality. A couple of my Blog Tour books came through this week which was exciting:
The Venice Secret by Anita Chapman
Book Description From Goodreads:
“One hidden painting. Two women born centuries apart. A secret uncovered.
In 2019, Rachel is stuck in a rut when she discovers what appears to be a Canaletto painting in her grandmother’s loft along with a note addressed to Philippa in 1782. With help from Jake at the local art gallery, Rachel endeavours to find out if the painting is an original and uncovers a secret from the past.
In 1780, governess at Chipford Hall, Philippa is offered the role of mistress by Earl Rupert. She escapes to Venice as companion to bluestocking, Lady Cordelia who reveals a secret that changes both their lives. They do their best to keep the secret from Lady Cordelia’s social circle, but their nemesis is determined to reveal all and ruin them.”
I am on the Blog Tour for this book on 17 March 2023 so keep your eyes peeled for my review on here, Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Murder Under The Tuscan Sun by Rachel Rhys
Book Description From Goodreads:
“An isolated castle, a deadly crime. Is this real or nightmare?
In a remove castle high up in the Tuscan hills secrets are simmering among its glamorous English residents:
The ailing gentleman art-dealer His dazzling niece Her handsome Fascist husband Their neglected young daughter The housekeeper who knows everything and Connie, the English widow working for them.
Every night, Connie hears sinister noises and a terrible wailing inside the walls. Is she losing her grip on reality?
Or does someone in the castle want her gone?”
I am on the Blog Tour for this book on 3 April 2023 so keep your eyes peeled for my review on here, Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
What have you been stacking your shelves with this week?
“Inside the claustrophobic, heavy-duty body bag, Sebi blinked hard, trying to get a sense of place despite the impenetrable darkness”
Genre:Crime Fiction
Number of Pages: 300
Date of Publication:December 2022
Publisher:BurroBooks
My Review Summary:An intricately woven mystery that took me to Mallorca.
📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS📖
FALLEN BUTTERFLY is the third instalment in a gripping Mallorca-based crime series from Anna Nicholas, the most prolific British author writing about the island today.
The new book again features local protagonist, 33-year-old Isabel Flores Montserrat, an eccentric, fearless, lateral-thinking sleuth who has a pet ferret named Furó, and is addicted to sunflower seeds and Chupa Chups lollypops.
Unlike many female leads in popular crime fiction today, the Mallorcan former detective inspector is happy and balanced with few hang-ups. She loves her family and mountain community in the Soller valley, her pampered hens and her day job as a holiday rentals agent. Isabel believes in living for the moment and enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
Having turned her back on her old life as a policewoman in Barcelona, Madrid and Palma to run her widowed mother’s ailing mountain rentals agency in the Soller valley, Isabel finds herself being drawn back into detective work by her close friend and former boss, police chief Tolo Cabot. Having already assisted him with a cluster of puzzling island crimes, she is called upon again when Sebi Vives, the local transport minister, is found floating in the sea near Muro. He had increasingly infuriated local environmentalists, having approved a scheme to run a motorway through S’Albufera Natural Park that would destroy the natural fauna and flora and the habitat of thousands of birds. Environmentalists are blamed for the murder but Isabel Flores believes there is more to Sebi Vives’s death.
Meanwhile, close to her own mountain village, Sant Martí, foreign hikers are being misdirected by false cairns and signs in the Tramuntana hills, causing many to fall. Mischief is at work but who is to blame? Is it environmentalists or is something far more sinister at play?
💭THOUGHTS💭
I love a murder mystery and was excited to make a start on this. I enjoy murder mysteries set in different parts of the world and the descriptions in this story really took me to Mallorca. Despite this book being the third in the series, it read well as a standalone and made me want to read the other books in the series.
The writing was descriptive and there was always something going on. There were a couple of different storylines that ran alongside one another, yet ended up intertwining and ending well. I also enjoyed the addition of food. I thought that added another layer to the story.
At the beginning of the book was a dictionary containing some of the words which you would want to look up, which I liked. There was also a hand drawn map to help you to visualise where things were. I always enjoy the addition of a map!
The chapters were long and so you were able to get a good chunk of the story before moving on. There were however breaks in the chapters which added to the good flow of the story. As mentioned above there were lots of things going on yet it was easy and enjoyable to follow.
The main character was excellent. I loved her lightness and her willingness to do whatever it took to get the evidence she needed. She was a likable character which made me want to look at the other books in the series and to learn more about her.
Lastly the settings. I love the warmer setting and enjoyed reading about somewhere that I have never been to. As said above I also enjoyed the addition of food, that for me adds to the overall experience of the book.
Overall a great read, with great characters and settings. I really enjoyed it.
A quiet week this week. We went shopping on Saturday (we were on the way to the zoo, stopped off for lunch then realised that we had to book tickets in advance. There were none left so we looked round the surrounding area and booked tickets for the next day instead). Today is zoo day!
“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “book meme”, “weekly wrap up”, “sunday salon”, “what books do you recommend”, “what books are popular on social media”, “what book should I read next”, “winter reading”, “mystery”
It’s W W W Wednesday! Hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words, here are my 3 Ws (Currently Reading, Just Finished Reading and Future Reading):
I am still here even though my posts have been few and far between lately. My reading has taken a hit and so it will be a pretty boring WWW Wednesday, but the book that I am reading is good and I am hopefully going to be finished by the end of the week!
This month I have chosen Mystery. I have a couple of Mystery books that I want to get started on so this seems like an excellent goal to start the year off with!
Welcome to the new home of Goodreads Monday! I have taken over the role of host from Lauren’s Page Turners who no longer blogs about books.
Goodreads Monday allows you to post about what books are on your “to read” lists, the progress you have made on your current books and reading challenge, and any other Goodreads news!
✨Don’t forget to add your link in the comments section so that we can all see each other’s posts!✨
“There’s a chill in the air and the days are growing shorter . . . It’s the perfect time to curl up in front of a crackling fire with these wintry whodunits from the legendary Agatha Christie. But beware of deadly snowdrifts and dangerous gifts, poisoned meals and mysterious guests. This chilling compendium of short stories—some featuring beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple—is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the perfect holiday gift for mystery lovers.
INCLUDES THE STORIES: – Three Blind Mice – The Chocolate Box – A Christmas Tragedy – The Coming of Mr Quin – The Clergyman’s Daughter/Red House – The Plymouth Express – Problem at Pollensa Bay – Sanctuary – The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge – The World’s End – The Manhood of Edward Robinson – Christmas Adventure”