Book

Miss Buncle’s Book (Miss Buncle #1) By: D.E. Stevenson
Miss Buncles Book

Love this cover

Miss Buncle’s Book (Miss Buncle #1) By: D.E. Stevenson

Plot:

Barbara Buncle is in a bind. Times are harsh, and Barbara’s bank account has seen better days. Stumped for ideas, Barbara draws inspiration from fellow residents of her quaint English village, writing a revealing novel that features the townsfolk as characters. The smashing bestseller is published under the pseudonym John Smith, which is a good thing because villagers recognize the truth. But what really turns her world around is when events in real life start mimicking events in the book. Funny, charming, and insightful, this novel reveals what happens when people see themselves through someone else’s eyes.

Review:

The cover on this book really drew me in and the story sounded fairly interesting. I got lost a few times in the language, I’m not completely up on my 50s British slang. There are also some British customs that I don’t understand, evidently you can be hurting for money and yet still have staff? I’m sure I’m missing something, but even not knowing the ins and outs of British customs I really enjoyed the book.

The peek into the lives of a small British village that is in an uproar over a book that didn’t quiet depict some people in the best light was very intriguing and entertaining. I loved the main character Barbara Buncle, she was very average, intelligence wise, but because everyone underestimated her she seemed smarter than she was.

When Sarah’s children were “kidnapped” I really wanted the masterminds to get jailed or the crap beat out of them but evidently that’s not how they doing things in Britain. I guess that’s the crass American coming out in me.

Loved the book, the next in the series is $9.99 so it’s a bit steep for an author I’m not too familiar with, but maybe I can pick it up on sale sometime.

4/5

The Last Word (The Spellmans #6) By: Lisa Lutz

the-last-word

The Last Word (The Spellmans #6) By: Lisa Lutz

Plot:

Isabel Spellman is used to being followed, extorted, and questioned—all occupational hazards of working at her family’s firm, Spellman Investigations. Her little sister, Rae, once tailed Izzy for weeks on end to discover the identity of her boyfriend. Her mother, Olivia, once blackmailed Izzy with photographic evidence of Prom Night 1994. It seemed that the Spellmans would lay off after Izzy was fired for breaching client confidentiality, but then Izzy avenged her dismissal by staging a hostile takeover of the company. She should have known better than to think she could put such shenanigans behind her. In The Last Word, Izzy’s troubles are just beginning. After her hostile takeover of Spellman Investigations, Izzy’s parents simply go on strike. Her sister, Rae, comes back into the family business with questionable motivations. Her other employees seem to be coping with anxiety disorders, and she has no idea how to pay the bills. However, her worst threat comes from someone who is no relation. Within months of assuming control of the business, Izzy is accused of embezzling from a former client, the ridiculously wealthy Mr. Slayter, who happens to have Alzheimer’s, which Izzy and he are diligently trying to keep under wraps. Not only is Slayter’s business and reputation on the line, but if Izzy gets indicted for embezzlement, she’ll lose everything—her business, her license, and her family’s livelihood. Is this the end of Izzy Spellman, PI? The answer makes The Last Word, hands down, the most thrilling book in this bestselling, award-nominated series.

Review:

After the previous installment in this series I took a break from the Spellmans. I love the series, I own the first four books in hardback, but the last one made me a little mad. It was a good book, I gave it four stars (this was before the blog), but I was mad that Izzy dumped Henry. I get that she was bad for him but I loved him and I didn’t take things wells.

Years later I’m finally reading the next book. I’d forgotten how much I loved the Spellmans. How much I love them, but completely don’t understand them. Seriously they are right up there with the Adams family in weirdness (not gothic, just weird).

Izzy is finally showing some little bit of growth, but only after a lot of poor decisions. I spent a lot of the books screaming at her, she never does what I say, though. I love how all the ends are always tied up, even though it almost never brings a happy ending. In fact she always has to blind side you at the end with some horrible news and this book was no exception. It hits you right in the feels.

I love the series and if this is the last book I’ll be sad, mainly because I really want a happy ending or some kind of ending for Izzy’s romantic life, but these aren’t those kinds of books so I’ll understand if I never get that. That being said, if she writes more I will want closure on that front. We’ll see what happens.

4.5/5

Calculated in Death (In Death #36) By: J.D. Robb

calculated-in-death

Calculated in Death (In Death #36) By: J.D. Robb

Plot:

On Manhattan’s Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better. A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn’t seem the type to be on anyone’s hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta’s murder was the work of a killer who’s trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence. But when someone steals the files out of Marta’s office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke’s world of big business to figure out who’s cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer’s violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait. . . .

Review:

Another great installment in the In Death series. I like the fact that there are ties to previous novels, though, at this point I barely even remember what happened in the previous ones. Obviously Eve and Roarke win and the bad guy gets caught, there’s also plenty of Peabody.

I like this series, even though it’s obviously predictable. I like the futuristic elements, I like how hard Eve is, and the side characters are wonderful. The stories are fun and action packed and consistent.

4/5

The Slow Regard of Silent Things (Tales From Temerant) By: Patrick Rothfuss Illustrated By: Nate Taylor

The Slow Regard of Silent Things

The Slow Regard of Silent Things (Tales From Temerant) By: Patrick Rothfuss Illustrated By: Nate Taylor

Plot:

Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place. Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries. The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a brief, bittersweet glimpse of Auri’s life, a small adventure all her own. At once joyous and haunting, this story offers a chance to see the world through Auri’s eyes. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things that only Auri knows… In this book, Patrick Rothfuss brings us into the world of one of The Kingkiller Chronicle’s most enigmatic characters. Full of secrets and mysteries, The Slow Regard of Silent Things is the story of a broken girl trying to live in a broken world.

Review:

In the author’s note Rothfuss comes right out and says you probably won’t like this book. It’s not a normal book, there’s no action, no dialog. It’s one character that you follow around. Auri.

Auri is in the Kingkiller Chronicle series, but it’s been so long since I’ve read those books I barely remember anything about her. I don’t think that mattered, well I might have liked this book more if I had, so maybe it did.

She comes off a bit OCD. She’s damaged, which is what I remember from the books, but she tries to make it work.

The books is amazingly well written, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Rothfuss. His words are always so beautiful. Despite that, and his warning at the beginning of the book, I was bored. It’s a short story and it took me days to get through because I just couldn’t get into it.

I’m still looking forward to the next book in the Kingkiller Chronicle, but I’m not if I would recommend this book to everyone. I would at least give the same warning he gave.

3.5/5

Dead Heat (Alpha and Omega #4) By: Patricia Briggs

Dead-Heat-Alpha-And-Omega-4-Patricia-Briggs-678x1024

Dead Heat (Alpha and Omega #4) By: Patricia Briggs

Plot:

For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way… Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae’s cold war with humanity is about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.

Review:

I’m sorry, I’m going to try really hard not to just squee like a fan girl, but it will be very difficult because I love Patricia Briggs. She has never let me down and always given me an amazing story with strong (but not too strong) characters.

Dead Heat picks up a while after Fair Game ended, I’m not sure exactly how long. Fair Game ended on such an epic note that I’m actually kind of glad it took a while for the next book to come out, because it gave me time to simmer down. Dead Heat was not quiet on the same scale, but it did involve the FBI and Cantrip agents.

I liked the fact that the Cantrip agents weren’t evil and stupid like they were in Fair Game. I think if they had been the book would have been too dark.

I was concerned, at first, that uber dark was the direction she was going. The series has never been light by any means, but it has never been dark to the point of depression. The story involved the Fae attacking children, which is difficult for me to read, but because other parts weren’t as evil it wasn’t overwhelming.

I did think there was a bit more info than I really needed to know about horses, but not to the point where it will lower my review. Since Briggs is a horse lover it’s understandable that she included the info and since the characters were horse breeders/trainers/etc it wasn’t out of place.

Dead Heat expanded the world and let you know that there was a war going on against the Fae. It also moved the relationship between Anna and Charles further. They’ve been married for about three years and Anna’s biological clock is ticking, Charles being older is more damaged and not sure if kids is a good thing. By the end of the book they had reached a resolution.

I loved this book and I might actually like the Alpha and Omega series more than the Mercy series. They’re both awesome but the relationship between Charles and Anna gives their series an added push.

Now I must wait forever for the next book.

5/5