Roberta Reads

Uncle and Ants by Marc Jedel My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fun and entertaining mystery, I enjoyed this more than I expected. View all my reviews

A Nefarious Engagement: A Regency Cozy by Lynn Messina My rating: 5 of 5 stars AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I cannot tell you how much I loved this audiobook. The story is excellent, somehow exceeding the brilliance of the previous three books. I absolutely loved Kesgrave in this one, and it was a joy to see the relationship between him and Bea deepening. I feel that theirs will be a happy marriage. The mystery element of the story was closer to home this time, and thus seemed a little more serious, but it was handled well and didn’t detract from the humour of the writing. The narration was also excellent, and seemed (to me) to have improved since book 3. The only bits that sounded odd to me were the pronunciation of iron and one other word. The expression, as always, was spot on. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a light hearted mystery/regency romance, though to fully appreciate it, you need to have read the previous three books. I was given a fre...

Christmas at Frozen Falls: A cosy, heart-warming romcom to curl up with by Kiley Dunbar My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved the cover of this book immediately. It conjures up a cozy Christmas snuggling up in the warmth, looking at the cold beauty outside. And the book totally delivers. This story was so easy to read, and so much fun. Two romances in a magical place at Christmas. Snow, aurora, dogs, reindeer, friendship, romance. What more could we ask for. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a light hearted, Christmassy escape. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Tanglewood Flower Shop by Lilac Mills My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is really easy to read and well written. I got absorbed in the story straight away and not once was I jerked out of the plot by an odd bit of language, spelling or grammar. I very much enjoyed the gentle romance of the story, and the florist competition was a fun subplot. Really the whole book was just enjoyable, exactly what I was looking for. The one thing I didn’t like was when Leanne broke up with Rex when he’d just said he more than liked her. It seemed to make no sense to me, but I suppose people are irrational where emotions are involved. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, gentle romance, without too much drama. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Other Bennet Sister: A Novel by Janice Hadlow My rating: 2 of 5 stars This book is extremely long - it took me 10 hours to read, compared to the 3 or 4 a normal length novel takes me. Parts one and two are largely composed of the melancholy reflections of Mary, (both before and after the marriages of Lydia, Jane and Elizabeth) who seems utterly miserable. It was interesting to see the Bennet family from a different perspective, and I did enjoy seeing Mary growing up and working out how she wanted to live. There are many typos and other errors, for example part two has both large and small sections randomly in italics. I won’t list all the other errors, as I’m assuming there will be a further proof read/edit before publication and these will be removed. I disliked or disagreed with a couple of plot lines - that between Mary and Mr Collins, and the author’s interpretation of Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage certainly doesn’t agree with mine. This boo...

Coming Home to Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed this book. It is well written, and the characters are well developed. It’s quite long, but there are multiple threads of plot, so it doesn’t feel excessively lengthy. It’s nice to see characters behaving in a relatively sensible manner, actually communicating rather than just trying to hide things from each other. And not just flying off in a temper at not having been told sooner. It felt more realistic in a lot of ways than many of the romances I have read. I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a lovely Christmas tale of a family coming back together, and rebuilding the local community. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Christmas on Lily Pond Lane by Emily Harvale My rating: 2 of 5 stars I felt this book had a good plot, but to me, talking about spending the rest of your lives together after just a few days is not believable. If they were talking about spending more time together to get to know each other, that would be believable. Just a little too insta-love for my taste. View all my reviews

The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fun and unusual magical adventure. The illustrations are what make this book for me. The story is entertaining and well written (as I’d expect from this author), but the illustrations are just lovely. Definitely recommended. View all my reviews

The Toast of the Town by Alice Chetwynd Ley My rating: 3 of 5 stars A relatively short and light hearted regency romance, this was a nice way to fill a few hours. I enjoyed most of the relationships between the characters, but I didn’t really feel the love between Georgy and the doctor. They seemed to fall in love without knowing one another at all, and without really liking each other. I couldn’t really understand it. I probably won’t read this again. View all my reviews

An Infamous Betrayal: A Regency Cozy by Lynn Messina My rating: 5 of 5 stars AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy crime set in the regency era. There were many laughs, the mystery was interesting, and the ending extremely satisfying. The only negative points were small. Too much time was spent summing up previous books - but this was more entertaining than in the previous book, and more of it is saying what has happened between the previous book and this one. The accent of the narration has improved, and as always the expression used is excellent, but little bits of American accent do sneak in here and there. However, once the story got going I forgot all about this. Apart from those two minor niggles, this audiobook was great fun. I found Aunt Vera very funny in conversation with Mr Skeffington, and greatly enjoyed the way Bea bamboozled her relatives. It was also very satisfying to see some development in the relationship between Bea and Kesgrave. ...

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book was a joy to read. As always with Tessa Dare, the words flow smoothly and whisk us away to another time and place. I so enjoyed seeing Penny and Gabriel learn to love and trust one another. It was great to see characters from previous books in the series pop up too, the friendships between the characters elevate the story above many other regency romances. There are plenty of chuckles along the way too. I’d recommend this book to anyone wanting a romance with heart and healing, who doesn’t mind a few steamy scenes. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Available now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wallflower-W... View all my reviews

Escape to Giddywell Grange by Kim Nash My rating: 3 of 5 stars I loved the first 90% of this book. It is well written and flows smoothly. I felt involved and attached to the characters right from the start. I particularly liked that there is a young disabled person, not just old ones. I was so pleased to see ME mentioned and NOT portrayed as false! I have this disease myself and know how debilitating it can be. Sadly, for me, it was let down by the last 10% of the book. It didn’t feel like Madison made the decision about her future, it felt like she just drifted into it after a certain person didn’t listen to what she wanted. I thought after all her earlier realisations about what made her happy, she’d actually CHOOSE those things. I felt disappointed in her. I also didn’t really feel the romance between her and Alex, she just decided the boat she’d picked wasn’t okay and leapt into another. I also didn’t really like Theo, I felt really sorry for his...

The Foundling by Georgette Heyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: A hilarious tale of adventure and misunderstandings, excellently narrated by my favourite Heyer narrator, Phyllida Nash. View all my reviews

New Beginnings at Rose Cottage by Erin Green My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book has many of the things I love in a romance, but somehow isn’t quite my cup of tea. My main issue is the constant changing of the POV every few paragraphs - it meant that it took me at least half the book to work out who was doing what. I think if the book had been written in the third person POV, it would have flowed relatively well, though there were a few clumsy sentences. The story itself (although with the multiple POVs it seems more like 3 separate stories) is good - all three characters have their own development, all are unhappy in their life as it currently stands, and all decide to make changes. The ending(s) is satisfying. Overall, I’d say this is a good book, it needs a little tweaking to make it float my boat. For anyone who doesn’t find the changing POVs a struggle to keep track of, it is a summer romance/character development book with a happy ending for al...

The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen: An Uplifting, Comedic Tale of Time Travel and Friendship by Ada Bright My rating: 4 of 5 stars What would happen if Jane Austen travelled 200 years into the future? That is what we find out in this fun time travel adventure. I’m not normally a fan of time travel books, they are usually too emotional for me. This one, however, had me hooked from chapter 2! I really enjoyed the way Jane Austen is brought to life and how she reacts to modern life. The other characters in the book are also well written and easy to empathise with. The ending is very satisfying, and if it weren’t for the last few paragraphs, when a certain character returns, this would have been a five star review! I assume it’s meant to be a taste of the next book, but I just hate cliffhangers, and it makes the ending incredibly abrupt. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Little Bookshop at Herring Cove by Kellie Hailes My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a story about how two people meet, fall in love and help each other make the best of themselves. Not to mention save the beautiful village of Herring Cove, and most importantly, the bookshop. I enjoyed this book. It is fun, romantic and a little bit silly in places. The cast of characters are well written and believable. The ending is a slightly cheesy, especially the epilogue. There are a few amusing moments watching Alex and Sophie get to know one another. I found the way they interacted to be more realistic than some books - the romantic moments were not picture perfect, but they didn’t let that put them off. I would recommend this book to people looking for a summer romance with a happy ending. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Reticence by Gail Carriger My rating: 5 of 5 stars A stunning and satisfying conclusion to the Custard Protocol (and, indeed, the Parasol Protectorate world). All tied up in a bow! I did notice a small number of possible typos, but it’s possible that they are just the language used at that time - I really wouldn’t know! They don’t detract from the enjoyment of the excellent story, so a very minor niggle really. I can’t really say too much more without spoilers, but I love being in Percy’s head, I want to be Arsenic, and Spoo is great! Lots of old favourites and future characters popping up to say hi. A satisfying adventure and rescue. Politeness, fisticuffs and tea. Everything we love and expect from a Gail Carriger. Highly recommended. I’d give more than 5 out of 5 stars if I could. View all my reviews

A Patchwork Family - Part One: Moving On by Cathy Bramley My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the first part of Cathy Bramley‘s latest book. As I have come to expect from this author, it is very well written and easy to read. I formed an immediate connection to Gina, who has just completed her divorce from her ex husband. An excellent beginning, very enjoyable, though sad in places. I really liked the meet-cute, it gave me a much needed chuckle in the sad part. I look forward to seeing what Gina gets up to in the following three parts of this book. I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Cornish Cream Tea Bus by Cressida McLaughlin My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book (originally published in four separate chunks) is a lovely, relaxing read. I really like Charlie, and her determination to make something of the bus and her life. She works hard and puts in the effort to get positive results. The descriptions of the setting are perfect - enough to make you really feel like you’re there, but not so long that they take away from the storyline. The ending is rather more emotional than I prefer, I’d have been so angry with Daniel, but overall this book is just my cup of tea. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone - escape to Cornwall on the Cornish Cream Tea Bus! I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Beekeeper's Cottage by Emma Davies My rating: 5 of 5 stars A beautiful story about two people finally finding the freedom they deserve, this book is very well written. I felt at home right from the very first page. The sense of tranquility and place is lovely. As well as the wonderful love story (and slight mystery) at the centre of this book, I particularly enjoyed the scene when Amos shows the estate agent around Grace’s house, which made me chuckle several times. The information about bees was fascinating, and I appreciated the way they fitted into the story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a summer romance with a touch of humour and mystery. And, of course, a satisfyingly happy ending! I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

One Christmas Star by Mandy Baggot My rating: 4 of 5 stars Emily is a hard-working teacher, Ray is a singer-songwriter. Both are going through a difficult time. They meet when Ray comes across an injured hedgehog and ends up sleeping in a shed on school grounds. Although not quite my usual fare, I did enjoy this book. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, it flowed very well. The children that Emily teaches are very entertaining - several amusing scenes resulted from their enthusiasm. Although the story does deal with some serious things (mostly domestic violence, which I prefer not to read about), it is leavened with many funny and heart-warming moments. It is good to see a domestic violence plot line with a male victim - I think all too often these are overlooked. The love story is more of a slow burn than a whirlwind romance, but I felt it was both realistic and touching. Several cliches that often occur in romances where one p...