RoroblusMumReadsReviews/Rants

3.5* Kind of horrifying in how evil a couple of 18yos were, and what they've turned into.  I so wanted to smack at least 3 of the characters in this book. Their actions as barely-adults, 20 years ago, and now, were quite despicable. Lies, deceipt, cheating, optics, evil, entitlement, murder, looking down at others - you name it. These were friends? Who needs enemies when you have friends like this?  I loved how Audrey pursued the truth, how she valued herself despite not seeing herself as good as the others because of not going to uni. I loved how the truth got outed and how the baddie's world got wiped out from under them, after starting to unravel yonks before, because it was built on lies. I loved seeing her in the place she'd dreamed of, better late than never, not having changed from the very decent person she was. It's sad that another's life was ruined through lies, too, but that it's unlikely there'd be justice for him, although personal happiness se...

4* Sad, but a very good read with sooo many that deserved their comeuppance. This is my 2nd read by this author, and tbh, the title didn't fill me with that much enthusiasm, but her previous book was a very decent read, so I dived in without reading more than the NG blurb. Which enhanced my reading experience. This is a sad, at times brutal book, which I wasn't expecting. I mean, the sadness, yes, but not the DA - I do think the book needs a warning about that, as it was aimed at an entire family, with minors, and with physical brutality and psychological games. It's no wonder that one of the progeny ended up the psychopath they were. And, I was pissed off that the perpetrator, yes, he lost his career, his reputation (faux, worked at much like an influencer does) and kids, otherwise got off pretty scot-free, able to rebuild a career, idc, but not without a grey cloud. He really, really deserved more punishment for the DA. Ht actions led to the saddest event of this tale, al...

4.5* Excellent penultimate book in this series. Hoping there's not too long a wait for the last one. Margot feels like she's ready to take a risk in life, finally, although not immediately  - she's signalled to Wes that there's something to address, but not right now. And with no indication of when the right time will come. It works for them, as they're in tune with each other and care deeply about each other, which is especially evidenced when Wes gathers stuff that exonerates someone she'd have been heartbroken to find is/was Ed's accomplice.  The tale doesn't differ much from the previous ones, although Ed admits something that adds new direction to the cold cases. Is he lying? I thought maybe but when Margot and Andrew confront said something,  a truly shocking incident happens.  I wondered if she might end up leaving her unit for the FBI, based on their seeming newfound appreciation of her. That could be how the author closes the series.  We sew Jus...

3.5* Wasn't expecting this, but a worthy introduction to this author, with decent red herrings. There are quite a few twists in this ultimately rather sad, and weirdly low-key, tale, despite the tension of some of the chapters. The 'secret of her own' part didn't feel necessary and didn't really go anywhere but the rest was nicely done.  I couldn't quite believe the machinations of the person harassing and gaslighting Serena, but kind of did get their motivation. The former were creepy, and when things cane to light, actually pretty sadly inderstandable from the perspective presented. But, twisted. The tale elements involving the mysterious woman were well orchestrated. The nosy neighbour guy turned out to be an excellent and believable addition. The mother losing her child aspect, and what triggered the main mystery of the tale, were neatly done. The author had me thinking one thing of the husband who kept mysteriously disappearing at odd hours, then I thought ...

 3* Refreshing that it's set in good old UK, and not London at that, but there's lots of bad policing and an overemphasis on a certain character that gives the book away. I liked that this tale was set in the north of England and that characters seemed on the whole, real. I didn't like the mantalk at times from the DCI, who it didn't sound like had had any DEI training, which isn't believable in 2025. Getting to know your team members' names is paramount, not associating females with their hair colour to remember them, or at least if that's your M.O., you don't say it out loud.  It felt like the person doing the real detecting was Maria, a bit of a side character. The others participated in briefings but didn't seem particularly effective. No door-to-door when another female is taken, immediately after a missing female is discovered, doesn't ring true. Realising there's a common theme and not going there 'cos you like a certain character ...

4* Another good read with unexpected twists and reveals.  You don't have to have read the previous books in this series to enjoy this one, but the recurring characters are a decent bunch, and I'm vested in finding out what happens to Anna and what form her eventual revenge takes, and would like to see the comeuppance that her ex deserves. I feel for her but ugh, she's also being a silly cow by allowing the domestic abuser back into her life. Anyway, I digress. This is a tale set about 50 years in the past, as well as in the present. Two very separate storylines that the author's managed to skilfully work alongside each other, as separate 'cases', with Sheridan kind of being the thing that makes them gel. I think the definition of 'scally' totally works in a certain character here, you can't help but root for him and want justice done. I liked how he got his revenge whilst keeping his promise to Sheridan. And there's more of Maud, who seems to eat...

4* My first, but definitely not last, read by this author.  I'm normally a reader of tales that have a solid start of a romance to them as an added bonus to the police procedurals/murder-mysteries that I've moved to in the last year, since full-on romance novels got too eye-rollingly twee for me. This tale doesn't have any of this, nor did it have a likeable or sympathetic female lead (the male one felt superfluous to requirements), but it was very well done in the investigation aspects, with Sloane being enough of a sociopath to make her believable and effective in her frankly 'who does that as an adult?' behaviours. I think that she bonded with and took in an old dog that'd have ended up in a pound, showed that she wasn't entirely without feelings. She definitely doesn't think about or care about consequences, which worked for the work she does. She's a skilled liar, as she doesn't have a moral compass to measure things against. It made for a p...

4* Good 2nd book from this author, though you do need to suspend disbelief that these events take place in the quiet temoteness of a small Scottish town/village. This is a decent read with a large red herring that just managed to not totally irritate me when all was revealed, because of what came to light as having been done to a certain character. Said character's monologuing/thoughts that readers are privy to hinted at a lot, but didn't deliver in the end, making me wonder at the build-up and then letdown, with said person shrugging off their persona, past, thoughts, accountability and actions without a care. Hmmm. I think, respectfully, better editor input could've helped that aspect of the tale be more organic.  There was policing happening but the tale relied on luck, and the tale's location that enabled a vital piece of evidence not to have just been swept away, exposed to the elements as it was. That was very convenient but also quite transparent.  Still, it was ...

4* Good backstory to introduce Noelle as a spin-off female lead in the Mercy Thompson world. Noelle fitted nicely into the MT world where, not so long ago, she rescued a couple of MT's side-character staples, so it wasn't a surprise that she's gotten her own series. She's a strong enough lead, with clearly a huge love of her family, and a great relationship with them, too,  as well as a decent agent, that gave for a very believable tale and backstory, with shades of grey that worked for me.  There's a hint of a romance to come in future tales, but I'm not sure it felt organic, or that she's ready for a relationship. The reveals of this tale hurt her and I'm pretty sure she's got a lot of soul searching to do, and to learn to trust guys again - the start of the tale with the two agents sent to interview her, specifically their M.O. was a good inclusion but kind of brutal on her, and felt a tad oneupmanship.  The actual tale was pretty much on a par wi...

4* Lacks 'gelling with the reader' factor for me, but a very decent tale, with admirable leads, and a killer I had to admire and feel for, one I wasn't sorry they got away with it. I think the blurb feels a tad misleading, as the mentioned female DI isn't a lead character, but a very good investigator and support to the DCI, whose tale this is. Though he's widowed and clearly struggling to get back into the land of the living, he's hard to gel with because he's so closed-off. His redeeming quality is that he still sees and hears his late wife, and he seems to be trying to heed her words and counsel. The tale is strangely emotionless, though, and I didn't feel as if I got to know any characters, or was vested in them personally, though I will absolutely be reading more of this series (and was grateful and greedy for book 2 that I happened to get a copy of).  The story is set in remote Scotland with different policing and lawmaking rules that as a Brit in ...

4* Another decent outing with Bree Taggert, with glimpses of Morgan and Lance, from the Scarlett Falls books.  Whilst this isn't Bree's strongest sortie, it's still full of twists; decent investigative skills; people you'd (I'd) like to see get their comeuppance; people you don't for a second suspect as, well, suspects; and machinations that just make you wonder about people's sanity. That the book takes place in the US adds to the believability, all too sadly.  As usual, the people you think are the likely bad guys, given their lack of redeeming qualities, turn out to be decently done red herrings. Hints, and Bree's thoughts and instincts that we're privy to, add to the 'A-ha!' feel of figuring the mystery out, but not. The actual bad guys, I never would've clocked. I mean, for one person to let themselves be motivated by hatred and resentment and for another to let themselves be so manipulated, kind of felt it might not have worked, but...

3.5* Not very believable, unfortunately - you'd think that people who'd lived through what these guys did as young adults, would've had better instincts. Plus the Olivia thing? Ugh, tacked-on and inorganic. I mean, the dodgy Wi-Fi itself was enough not to make this tale believable!! This is a tale with a backstory that makes you wonder why this bunch of people who've not seen each other since uni, who share an unsavoury past full of lies, deceipt, covering-up, kowtowing, self-serving and blackmail, have bothered getting together at the 'invite' of the couple who've come out of their past seemingly loaded. These two people feel like users who don't mind lording it over their former 'friends', and the others feel like they've come along out of curiosity and for a gander at the posh house, and a free meal and copious booze.  There was just a bit too much that was off, that was revealed too quickly and without enough subtlety from the author, tha...

5* intro to this author, and wow, I wasn't expecting that reveal. And Antonio? A guy worth his weight in gold. This is one of the best books I've read this year. Not too much of an infodump, just enough to give a recap of the past and bring readers into the present with Emily, straight into the case of a killer who's potientally a copycat of the one who'd abducted her, who died in a fiery car crash.  Well, although I suspected something with the mention of the crash, and was right, the tale was incredibly well done, with Emily skirting a few lines for the right reasons - not to be pulled off the case, and knowing she was giving the abductee her best chance at being found - and being just plain bloody good at her job. Yes, the reveal was a bit of a shocker, but totally understandable and also a bit of an act of compassion, as well as self-servitude. Did I have a problem with it? No. Did I expect Antonio to? Not unreasonably, yes, but he was a totally supportive husband a...

5* Even though I don't believe in HEAs anymore, this book had me crying because of THAT ending. I'm going to try and review without spoilering, but ugh, I started the book almost in tears and ended it in actual tears, and with hope that sometimes love does last.  This book is so much more than a second chance at love. It's about loving and loved but flawed characters whose lives with each other had their time, and when that time was gone, the love continued. Like Finn and Matt by Charlie Winters, this is a book I loved but won't ever read again. A part of me can't believe the author went there with the ending, but another part of me, the romantic-but-hurt part, wants to believe in the power of everlasting love.  ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my reading pleasure.