RoroblusMumReadsReviews/Rants

4* Sad at first, then sweet. Mismatched Mikkel and Teddy somehow work, and it's lovely to see Sparlow again, as well as more of Mikkel’s magical-waterways cottage with attitude 😀  This book is part of BE's new PNR Sparlow Village setting, but can be read as a standalone, the only connection being that we met Mikkel and his fascinating cottage in The Other Side.  Teddy reminded me a bit of myself - 'coulda, shoulda, woulda' with a guilty complex over stuff that's not really of our doing. He's probably a bit like quite a few of us, but in his case, add in that he's dead, which he doesn't immediately realise; he's agoraphobic; he's got OCD, and he's stuck in an afterlife place/stage of afterlife called The Drift, that's not Heaven, nor Hell. Enter Mikkel, a demon who's (currently, hopefully for a long time to come) on the good side in the lovely village of Sparlow that not everyone IRL can access, though it's on the map in the Peak ...

4* Good intro to a possible series straddling our RL world and one that's maybe really there, just out of view... As ever with a BE tale, you get a decent, solid storyline; research into a subject she features - here, it's UK policing and its hidden dangers and sadly, politics; leads you'll be rooting for; hot sexy scenes; a bit of the paranormal that feels like Mulder wasn't lying when he said the truth was out there; heartbreak and tugs on your heart, before a guaranteed HEA.  Drum and Oisin absolutely deserved their HEA. To be betrayed the way that Drum was was heartbreaking, but it was also heartwarming that Oisin never lost hope of finding him again, and that Drum never broke. Oisin's faith and efforts came with a price that cost not only him but threatened his nearest and dearest, yet he never doubted he'd find Drum.  The Sparlow aspect of the tale was intriguing; if The Zon we hate and love can go there, maybe it's not so far removed from reality! I t...

5* Grabs your attention and doesn't let go. I just devoured book 1 and I've grabbed the rest of the series. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of book 7, which turned out to be another 5* read, though I nearly DNF'd it over the confusing Scottish dialogue. It was fine reading it as a standalone, but even better reading this one to clue me in about the characters and series. This one picks you up and doesn't let go, not even at the end. The tale has danger, disbelief, shocking scenes, performative police politics and corruption that actually feel quite believable, despite my initial disbelief. I live between 2 of the London areas featured in the teen gang attack, and yes, I could see that happening. Justice was satisfyingly served, possibly skipped a little because of the bigger picture - thank goodness for cops wearing bodycams.  The underlying story is chilling and believable despite my initial disbelief. County lines. Gangsters. Gangs. Threats and damn good instincts an...

4* The actual tale was decent, but the bigging-up of Boring Colin got on my nerves, as did the ad nauseam mentions of his now-aversion to lemon cake; his accident/poisoning; his attitude towards Doris; repeated dialogues; and his not-believable plans for his potential new job. I'm leaving this series here. This is mostly a rinse-and-repeat tale with the usual M.O. courtesy of Doris and Burt, with some decent sleuthing by Georgina and Sybbie. The murder mystery was indeed murder and a well-hidden mystery, and a rather sad one, although it borrowed from the Fools and Horses episode when the Trotters go to France for Uncle Albert's memorial and discover...that the old gentleman got about in his day.  The reason for Gary keeping his mother's diaries secret seemed far-fetched in 2026, especially with 2 generations of the family being decent villagers and members of the community since then. It didn't ring true. Nor, really, did his feud with his former friend, which sounded ...

3* Decent tale, but it dragged a bit. Veered into Tudor history, as well as the 60s, and at times it droned on, making me skim-read towards the last third. I'm new to the series but there's enough info given that I wasn't lost. Unfortunately it had too many cooks in it, and too many trivial things, such as the owner of the house coming on to Neil, and him repeatedly bringing his gf into the conversation; the marital strife of the owners; even the journal in the end started to become boring.  It's a mystery. The killing gets solved. I think another person dies. I can't remember anything else and sorry, I can't do this review justice. ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Little, Little Brown Books, for my reading pleasure.   ure.; 

3.5* Not sure I believed the twist, the killer or the 'altruism' of the Charlie character at the end - what price will there be to pay? - but it's always nice to catch up with Jayden, Ali and Gus.  This is very readable as it's set in small-town, well, village actually, UK with characters that are believable and likeable, with tales that aren't normally unrealistic or OTT. It's got the usual decent, measured sleuthing that seems to come naturally to Ali (more than former-cop Jayden, strangely) and things that go from seemingly isolated and trivial-ish in the grand scheme, to connected and part of a bigger picture that's got underworld and scary connections and connotations.  Secrets and lies are outed. Justice is sort of done if you're of the an-eye-for-an-eye mindset - I am, under certain circumstances. But, it meant more than one life ruined, sadly. And yet maybe a rapprochement? It ends well for a few, but relationships will need to be worked on and r...