Watch and Prey by JM Dalgliesh

April 25, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Watch and Prey by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

You can hide, but you can’t run…

When the body of a church warden is discovered hanging from the belfry of a village church, DI Tom Janssen and his team must investigate the circumstances that led to his death.

Whilst navigating the fallout from the conclusion of their previous case, the Norfolk CID team is under intense scrutiny with another police force investigating their recent conduct. Some people would like nothing more than to see the team fail. With no clear motive for murder or a reason to take his own life, the team have little to go on.

Meanwhile, a hit and run accident on the Sandringham Estate leaves a pregnant woman in hospital and when the fleeing vehicle is located – abandoned beside a coastal sailing club – the investigating team find more than they bargained for when they look inside.

The hunt is on for a brutal murderer whose motives and goals are unknown, and when other interested parties appear in the area the stakes are raised further. Just who are the hunters, who is watching, and, more importantly, who is the prey?

Still trying to navigate and digest the ramifications of their previous case, DI Tom Janssen and his team are shocked to be called back in to work almost immediately. The body of a church warden has been found hanging from a belfry, and small inconsistencies have them all agreeing the scene isn’t quite what it appears to be. When a hit and run then leaves a pregnant woman and her toddler in hospital, the team is stretched thin and working hard to keep afloat. Can DI Janssen and his team uncover the truth behind everything before it’s too late?

I have found this to be an enjoyable British Police Procedural mystery series. This latest book picks up almost immediately after the evens of the previous book wrap up and while there are still some tendrils of the past case woven into this story, I do feel they are explained well enough that readers should feel comfortable reading this book even if they haven’t read the previous one.

What I thoroughly enjoyed though was there were two different cases in this book and while I felt from the beginning, they might be linked the author took everything at a solid pace and there were plenty of turns and investigation. While I didn’t feel at any point, I had to suspend my disbelief there were a few coincidences and I think some readers might feel the cases are a little too closely linked. That said this is a fairly rural area and so to me it does seem fair that residents and families are quite overlapping at times.

With two solid murder mystery plots and a primary cast of strong and memorable characters I feel this is a well plotted and enjoyable book and a good series to sink your teeth into. I’m looking forward to more of these books soon.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Lady Lost by Meredith Bond

April 24, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Lady Lost by Meredith Bond
A Zodiac Regency Romance, Book 4
Publisher: Anessa Books
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

A lady with a secret past. A spy searching for the truth. A season that could change everything…

When Teodora Cesari arrives in London for her first Season, she is determined to navigate the glittering world of Regency high society while uncovering a long-buried secret about her father. Under the watchful eye of the formidable Lady Chadwick, Teo must master the art of polite conversation, society balls, and the delicate dance of courtship. But London is full of whispers, and some secrets are too dangerous to be uncovered. Yet, until she can discover her roots, Teo is lost.

Sebastian Clemens, Earl of Everston, is no stranger to secrets. As the leader of a covert intelligence network, his sharp mind and cool demeanor have served the Crown for years. Pressured to find a wife, he enters London’s social scene, only to find himself captivated by an outspoken, unconventional young lady who stirs his sense of duty—and his guarded heart.

As Teo’s quest for answers draws her and Sebastian closer, past secrets and present enchantment collide in London’s most elite ballrooms. But Teo’s search for the past may uncover a truth that could threaten Sebastian’s future. And he must decide if he’s willing to risk his heart for a woman who could upend his carefully controlled world.


Lady Lost is the fourth book in A Zodiac Regency Romance series by Meredith Bond. While I haven’t read the previous books, I’m now tempted to remedy that! This novel works well as a standalone, but if the rest of the series is as captivating as this one, I definitely want to read them all.

This was my first Meredith Bond novel, and it certainly won’t be my last. I’ve undoubtedly discovered a new favorite author—her writing style drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end.

The synopsis immediately intrigued me with its promise of uncovering a long-buried secret about the heroine Theodora Cesari’s father. The hero, Sebastian, is no stranger to secrets himself. As they embark on a quest for answers, their journey draws them closer together, weaving romance into a world of whispers and danger. I was captivated by the mystery surrounding Theodora and Sebastian’s relationship and couldn’t wait to unravel the truth alongside them.

From the very first pages, I was swept into a journey I didn’t want to end. The characters were well-developed and relatable, making it easy to connect with them. The plot twists and secrets unfolded seamlessly, keeping me engaged throughout. The romance between Theodora and Sebastian was heartwarming—both were vulnerable in ways that tugged at my heartstrings, and their love story was tender and sweet.

If you enjoy historical romance with a touch of mystery, Lady Lost is a must-read. I can’t wait to explore more of Meredith Bond’s work!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Murder Of The Bride by Faith Martin

April 23, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder Of The Bride by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books, London
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

DI Hillary Greene is called out to attend a suspicious death at Three Oaks Farm in the picturesque village of Steeple Barton.

The large farmhouse is filled with music and revellers, but when she steps into the farm’s cowshed, Hillary finds a dead bride. Dressed in a sumptuous white wedding gown, the young, beautiful redhead had clearly been strangled.

But not everything is what it seems, and the victim turns out to be at the centre of a web of jealousy and intrigue in the close-knit village. Many of the villagers have a motive for murdering her but they’re not giving up their secrets easily.

Can Hillary discover the real reason for this brutal crime and cope with the spiralling revelations about her dead ex-husband?

When a young lady at a fancy dress party is found murdered in a cow shed DI Hillary Greene and her team are called in to investigate. The beautiful woman – dressed as the bride she would never become – doesn’t appear to really have any enemies. But the more Hillary digs into her life, the more she realizes just how complicated people really are.

I have been greatly enjoying this series and found this to be a strong addition. The murder mystery is interesting and while the pace is a little slower – more that of a Police procedural rather than an action/adventure – I really did find that the plot unknotted quite well. I also really enjoy that there are a few longer running story arcs through this series, like that of Hillary trying to get her house back and the leftover dregs of her ex-husbands schemes. The possibly blossoming romance also is a very slow-burn and seems to be starting to get somewhere. I also appreciated that there is a new boss for Hillary and her team and the author made it clear this character was going to have quite the mysterious background and motivations for his transfer.

Overall I found this a really interesting book and I’m eager to keep reading. While the mystery plot can absolutely be read alone readers who dislike reading longer story plot arcs out of order might want to consider reading this series in the correct order. I do feel that everything is explained well enough people can pick this up by itself and still thoroughly enjoy it, but for me personally a lot of the fun is in the fact there are a few longer-running character storylines, and I could understand if readers wanted the full story in order and not get muddled or spoilers. I’m enjoying this British police mystery.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Killing By Numbers by MS Morris

April 23, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Killing By Numbers by MS Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A work of art. A mysterious number. A secret worth killing for.

When reclusive artist, Gabriel Quinn, is gunned down outside a gallery on Oxford High Street, Detective Inspector Bridget Hart investigates the world of contemporary art, where paintings can change hands for millions in the auction room.

Bridget is convinced that the last words spoken by the artist – a mysterious code of 8 digits and a letter – are key to unravelling the mystery of his death.

But when her ex-husband, Ben, now a senior detective with the Metropolitan Police in London shows up with new information about the murdered man, Bridget’s personal and professional lives are brought crashing together with dramatic consequences.

After her success with leading her first murder investigation, DI Bridget Hart is enjoying a well-earned day off and looking forward to a date later that evening at the opera. Her relaxing day is toppled, however, when she’s called in on a new investigation. A young artist has been shot outside a gallery on Oxford High Street and it’s up to Bridget and her team to discover what’s going on.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was very pleased to find this second book just as enjoyable. A solid British Police procedural style of murder mystery set in Oxford I found the pace and plotting to be well written and enjoyable to follow along as it unfolded. I really enjoyed the various characters of the main team and found the few secondary characters in Bridget’s personal life to be equally well written and an excellent source to round out Bridget and her day-to-day life.

There’s a bit of understandable conflict between Bridget and her teenage daughter. While I admit I found it a little annoying that Chloe was the typical teenager I have to give kudos to the authors for the fact she is realistic and utterly relatable to anyone who knows young adults around that difficult age. This also added some conflict to the plot without dropping too far into the usual “love life is a disaster” arena which gets a lot of use in many series like this.

Readers looking for a slightly different (i.e. non-Met, non-London based) British mystery should find this a refreshing change of pace. I liked it and am eager for the next in the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Bright Green Futures: 2024 by Susan Kaye Quinn, Editor

April 22, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Bright Green Futures: 2024 (Solarpunk Anthology) by Susan Kaye Quinn (Editor)
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Romance
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

SHORT STORY COLLECTION
The Bright Green Futures: 2024 anthology is a collection of short solarpunk stories from guests of the Bright Green Futures podcast, where we lift up stories to build a better world. These hopeful climate-fiction stories include clicky space centipedes, sentient trees, a flooded future Rio de Janeiro and characters trying to find their place in a climate-impacted world. Each story imagines a way for us to survive the future, together.

Bright Green Futures: 2024 contains six short stories plus a bonus prose-poem.

The Doglady and the Rainstorm by Renan Bernardo
What Kind of Bat is This? by Sarena Ulibarri
Centipede Station by T. K. Rex
A Merger in Corn Country by Danielle Arostegui
Ancestors, Descendants by BrightFlame
The Park of the Beast by T. K. Rex
Coriander by Ana Sun
Good times are on the way.

Joseana was healing from a tragedy in “The Doglady and the Rainstorm.” I loved the world building in her tale and would have happily read something full-length about how this character navigated the extensive flooding in Rio and dealt with her painful memories of the past. Her love of dogs was another nice detail that added depth to the plot and gave her a good reason to face her fears when something unexpected happened.

“Centipede Station” showed what happened when Pebble and Moss woke up from cryosleep much later than they had intended to. The planet they had arrived at didn’t fit their expectations either due to the strange plants and animals they found living there. I enjoyed seeing their reactions to every plot twist as they once again had to adjust their expectations of what their lives would be like. There’s something to be said for characters who are willing to adjust to anything that comes their way, especially given how carefully they’d planned their journey before it began. Yes, I know I’m being a little vague here, but I want other readers to be just as delighted as I was once they figure out what’s going on.

Every homeland evolves over time. As Aster explored the country her great-grandmother left as a child in “Coriander,” I took note of the differences between how it had been a few generations ago versus how it was by the time the protagonist was able to visit. The nostalgia in this piece was strong, but I also liked seeing how the characters had adapted to climate change and the way it affected which types of food were still available for the average person. Science fiction doesn’t talk about food enough for my tastes, so I was quite happy to dive into the topic here.

Bright Green Futures: 2024 (Solarpunk Anthology) overflowed with hope for the future which is exactly what I needed to read.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Venus by Marteeka Karland

April 21, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Venus by Marteeka Karland
Iron Tzars MC 13
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Sorrel

Venus: I come from world filled with violence, death, and impossible choices. I’ve only backed down from fight once, and that left me with pain and regret. But now, I have chance to balance scales. I’m known as most dangerous member of Salvation’s Bane MC. But truth is, beneath tough exterior, I’m still a scared young woman running from monsters, trying to protect those I love. That fear ends today. Only problem? Biker named Piston. Doesn’t know meaning of personal space. He’s always there, watching me, protecting me, and even though I’d never admit it, his presence brings strange sense of peace. He makes me want things I can never have.

Piston: For more than a decade, I’ve been Venus’s silent protector. In the shadows, I’ve watched her, stalking her every move. When she settled in Palm Beach with Salvation’s Bane, I made sure to be close by. I keep an eye on her, guarding her, even if she doesn’t realize it. But when an enemy from her past threatens her, I step out of the shadows. Venus is on the hunt, and the monster she’s chasing has awakened the beast in me. I protect what’s mine. And Venus? She’s mine.

Venus is dangerous and this book or this heroine is not one that is going to wait for someone to come and help her. She has the skills to do what needs to be done, so she will do it. I loved seeing their chemistry develop. Their chemistry is spicy. There are aspects of bondage such as tying hands in this.

He is a bit of a stalker and knows more about her than she thinks. The author did a wonderful job keeping the book short as well as making sure the person reading understands the characters. She explains the past well for both the characters without it taking chapters. Or going to a full-on scenes to the past.

Though this is series, you do not need to read the whole series to read this book. At the same time, I do think there is an underlying secondary storyline that have stretched from the first book, but since the author is good at explaining everything and mixing it to the book so well, I don’t even know which one it is. So, good job.

I do think it would be great if there was a page at the least dedicated which book to start and what is the recommended order if the reader ever wants to fully understand this world. Because it is a world. The author has created a world within these series. I loved how she had ended this; it showed how big of a world she had created.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Numbered Love – A Story from American Buddha by Maysam Yabandeh

April 18, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Numbered Love – A Story from American Buddha by Maysam Yabandeh
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Nam never stopped thinking about the girl who once held his heart. For thirty years, he kept her memory alive through ancient romantic tales from the Far East. But when he returns to America to find her, his hopeful search unravels into a journey full of unexpected turns as he confronts the realities of love in modern times.

There’s nuance to everything in life, even love.

The plot twists kept me on my toes, especially when it came to the relationship between Nam and Livia, his young friend who promised to fall in love with him once they both grew up. Just when I thought I’d discovered the most unusual places this childhood vow took these characters, they ended up in a slightly to dramatically stranger place than they’d been just a moment before. I’d like to tip my cap to the author for taking these sorts of risks as they make reading – and reviewing – so much more fun!

It would have been nice to have a deeper exploration of Nam’s personality as he didn’t feel well-rounded to this reader. He came across as someone who was unaware of how sexist he was but who would have been mortified and possibly changed his ways if he were better at noticing his own flaws. His intelligence and willingness to work hard were easy to spot, but I needed more details about him in order to sympathize with the double standards he set when it came to how men should behave versus how women should behave.

With that being said, I enjoyed the sections of this short story that discussed what Buddhism has to say about suffering, the consequences of one’s actions, and how people should live. There were several nuggets of wisdom there that I can’t go into detail here for spoiler reasons but that made a lot of sense to me. It’s always nice to walk away from characters with something to ponder over.

Numbered Love was a wild ride.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Holy Ghost by John Sandford

April 17, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Holy Ghost by John Sandford
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Pinion, Minnesota: a metropolis of all of 700 souls, for which the word moribund might have been invented. Nothing ever happened there, and nothing ever would – until the mayor of sorts (campaign slogan: “I’ll Do What I Can”) and a buddy come up with a scheme to put Pinion on the map. They’d heard of a place where a floating image of the Virgin Mary had turned the whole town into a shrine, attracting thousands of pilgrims. And all those pilgrims needed food, shelter, all kinds of crazy things, right? They’d all get rich! What could go wrong?

When the dead body shows up, they find out, and that’s only the beginning of their troubles – and Virgil Flowers’ – as they are all about to discover all too soon.

Agent Virgil Flowers is sent to Wheatfield, Minnesota to investigate two shootings. After an apparition of the Virgin Mary appears at the tiny town’s church, pilgrims and other tourists flock to the small township. Though neither shooting is severe, the local police are baffled and the Mayor is determined to have the situation resolve – hopefully with no further harm coming to the many people flocking to the small town. Can Virgin uncover what’s really going on?

I’ve been reading both the Lucas Davenport series and the Virgil Flowers series for many years and I find them both amazingly written. I do admit the Flowers mysteries usually have a keener sense of humour – and often a little bit of absurdity – in them and I was pleased that while both aspects were still thoroughly present, this book isn’t quite as outrageous (or unbelievable) as some of the other Flowers books I’ve read. Readers who have read almost anything previous in either series should have a good idea of what to expect in tone and style of this book. Better still, this book really stands quite well on its own. Readers who are new to John Sandford should be able to easily pick this story up and thoroughly enjoy it.

I enjoyed the plot. As I’ve said this is quite a lighter, more humorous story, but I strongly feel it’s still an excellently written murder mystery. There’s quite a layered plot underneath the “small town gone viral” style of plot and I really enjoyed the strong cast of primary characters. Sandford always does an excellent job of making characters both relatable and interesting.

Readers looking for a high-action or faster paced plot might not find this fits the bill. While there is a good pace to the plot it’s at heart a small town and the characters aren’t magic – so police procedure and ticking the boxes needs to happen. I do feel Sandford makes this journey enjoyable and somewhat hilarious, but this isn’t a high octane adventure thriller. This is absolutely a small town mystery book.

An excellent addition to the Flowers series this book was a lot of fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Humdrum by Mitchell Brockman

April 16, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Humdrum by Mitchell Brockman
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

How long can someone endure the silence? For David, the answer’s not long enough.

In the hum of an office filled with laughter and camaraderie, David Clark exists on the edges unseen, unheard, and trapped in a cycle of quiet isolation. Nights in his empty apartment feel endless, and the world outside his window moves on without him.

When a coworker’s kindness cracks open the walls he’s built, and a sudden tragedy shakes his fragile existence, David is forced to confront the silence he’s lived with for too long. As his carefully guarded life unravels, he must decide: will he take the risk to finally connect, or retreat further into the safety of solitude?

Everyone carries their own burdens, some more quietly than others.

One of the things I liked the most about this book was how thoroughly it explored the emotional pain and loneliness of mental illness, especially for people who don’t have strong support systems to help them cope with their worst days. David was plagued by thoughts and feelings that overwhelmed him with anger, paranoia, grief, and fear. It was difficult for him to describe this cascade of emotions and even harder for those around him to understand why he reacted so negatively to what most people would interpret as friendly banter or, at worst, genuine misunderstandings.

I would have liked to have learned more about David’s past, from his childhood to any family history of mental illness that he might have been aware of. Both genetics and adverse life experiences can trigger the sorts of symptoms he dealt with, and I think it would have been helpful for the audience to have a deeper understanding of who he was as a character and how long he’d been struggling with his dark thoughts and feelings. Was this a recent change in his mental health, for example, or something he’d been dealing with since early childhood?

Let’s see how much I can share about the ending without giving away any spoilers. The shift in tone was surprising, but I appreciated the points it made about what could be learned from David’s experience and how the storyline would be moving forward from that point forward. I could close my eyes and imagine a few different directions things could be headed, all of which matched what I’d previously read and made me wonder if those possibilities were the closest to the author’s assumptions about the future. It’s nice when readers are given this sort of opportunity!

Humdrum was thought provoking.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Little Joe and the Big Rain by Mike Darcy

April 14, 2025 By 2 Comments


Little Joe and the Big Rain by Mike Darcy
Publisher: Lilbuda Creations
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Every great adventure starts with fly soup and ends with a new best friend, right?

When Little Joe’s froggy friend Hopper invites him over for a nice bowl of fly soup, they embark on Little Joe’s first-ever adventure through the wilderness! There, he’ll meet lots of woodland creatures and even make a surprising friend. Join these two unlikely explorers in this debut book Little Joe and the Big Rain.

This amusing animal story will delight young readers of all ages! It can teach children clever problem-solving, show how small acts of kindness can help you make unexpected friends, and instill in them the priceless treasure of curiosity. Entertaining for both kids and parents, it makes a fantastic bedtime story and a fun tale for elementary schoolers venturing into longer picture books.

Friendship is forever.

I loved how much detail was included in this picture book! Instead of having a sentence or two per page to read, there were a few paragraphs to enjoy instead which left plenty of space for me to get to know Little Joe and Hopper well as they explored the wilderness, discovered fun plot twists, and had all sorts of adventures. What made this even better were the occasional references to human culture and nature that older kids or adults are more likely to understand which added extra layers of meaning and would be fun to explain to little ones once they’re old enough to wonder what certain terms meant, for example. These details weren’t necessary in order to understand the main storyline. They were simply fun additions if a reader picks up on them.

Mr. Darcy trusted his audience to figure out the message without being directly told what they should learn from it. Instead, he allowed his characters to go on an adventure and see what might be waiting for them out in the world. This is the sort of writing that makes rereading so much fun as certain scenes feel a little different the second or third or tenth time around once one knows what is about to happen and can look for any hints about the future in the early scenes. No, I can’t possibly give any hints about what these characters find. It’s so much more fun to let the plot move where it needs to go and not have any idea what might happen next.

One of my favorite aspects of the storyline had to do with how Little Joe and Hopper’s expectations played out once it began raining and they couldn’t have the fly soup they were originally planning to make. Life is full of twists and turns for everyone, after all, but kindness and hope are two fantastic tools for figuring out how to react when something surprising or disappointing happens.

Little Joe and the Big Rain was heartwarming.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,
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