Roberta Reads

A Very Harlequin Holiday Christmas Sampler by RaeAnne Thayne My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a collection of five excerpts from Christmas romances. They are all well written, with believable characters. A couple of them were more emotional than I prefer, but there were a couple I’ll definitely be looking into getting the full book. A good way to try out several stories to see which ones you’d like to read. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Christmas Break (Up) in New York by Mandy Baggot My rating: 4 of 5 stars A lovely and fun Christmas romance. Great escapism. View all my reviews

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones My rating: 5 of 5 stars Having loved the Charley Davidson series by the same author, I leapt on the chance to read this book. It exceeded even my very high expectations. As soon as I’d read a couple of sentences, my brain gave a sigh and relaxed. Darynda Jones is such a joy to read! It’s not just the brilliant story, it’s the way the language is used, the joy with which it’s written. Very few writers can do this - Gail Carriger, P. G. Wodehouse, Darynda Jones. The story is, of course, excellent. Several mysteries to figure out, and plenty of excitement, without the excess stress that some stories have. The characters are all excellently written, the relationships are believable and fun. I felt immediately at home with Sun and Auri, and their joking around. I love the little bits at the beginning of each chapter so much, they make me laugh. There’s really no downside to this book - apart from having to wait for ...

Xoxy: A Memoir by Kimberly Zieselman My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a memoir of one intersex woman’s story - her discovery of the fact that she was born intersex, but this was hidden from her for many years, and what she did, and continues to do about it. I was horrified and moved to hear Kimberly’s account of the awful manipulation of her and her parents by doctors, of the long ranging effects this has had on her life. I am so much more knowledgeable now about what intersex means. The book is well written, and for the most part, easy to read (apart from the emotional aspect). There were only one or two very short parts that I found a little dry - usually involving legal language. I think the author has done an excellent job of writing in such a way that someone with no legal or medical knowledge can clearly understand. I highly recommend this book - it’s a real eye opener on some of the human rights abuses that have been going on in our own co...

When Life Gives You Lemons by Fiona Gibson My rating: 2 of 5 stars This book didn’t match up well to my tastes. From the cover and description, I was expecting a lighter story. The elements I expected were there, but there wasn’t the humour and character progress I was looking for. The first 55% seemed to be all the bad stuff, which for me is a little too long. The recovery then took the rest of the book, and there was no romance at all. I was disappointed. However, the book is well written, and not riddled with mistakes. Some interesting things happen, it just is slightly too negative and to closely focussed on what to me, feels like the first half of the story. If you’re looking for a story about gentle character development, rather than romance, this may be your thing. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber My rating: 3 of 5 stars A fun, not too long, easy to read, romance. Not too emotional. View all my reviews

Prince on the Children's Ward by Sarah Morgan My rating: 3 of 5 stars I picked this book because Sarah Morgan has been a favourite author of mine for many years, but I still haven’t got to reading her early works, so this was the perfect opportunity. I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read, and a fun romance. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that Megan and Josh’s story was left unresolved. I’m not a massive fan of royalty stories either, but the author did a good job. It passed a few hours very pleasantly. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams My rating: 3 of 5 stars The concept of this book is a great one - men forming a book club to help support each other as they try to rescue their relationships. I thought it was well carried out. The issues in Thea and Gavin’s relationship seemed realistic, and they eventually realised that they both needed to work at their relationship. There were some good humorous parts to this story - mostly down to the bromance book club. I did notice a few spelling/grammar errors, and sentences that didn’t make sense, but not too many. Probably most of them will have been removed in the final version. I enjoyed this book, but there was something about it that just didn’t quite click with me the way some books do. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Missing Diamonds by Annabelle Sami My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book was so much fun. Zaiba wants to be a detective, so when a dog escapes and his diamond collar goes missing, she and her friend and brother investigate. Dog related chaos ensues! And eventually the solving of the mystery. As well as the great story, the book is peppered with fun illustrations and delightful patterns at the start of each chapter. I’d definitely recommend this book to children, as well as any adults who enjoy a light hearted mystery. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn My rating: 5 of 5 stars I couldn’t put this book down, a really compelling and unusual love story. I loved it. I got totally invested in the story, which very rarely happens to me. I loved both Meg and Reid. I loved the character development, and the way they fell in love. Even the more minor characters seemed like real people, with their own motivations and so on. Highly recommended. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Perfect Fit by Mary Jayne Baker My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was quite enjoyable, a fun concept, but I didn’t really feel like Marcus ever redeemed himself. I felt like ambushing her during a performance was a cruel way of trying to make it up to her. I’m not sure their relationship will last. View all my reviews

An Island Christmas by Jenny Colgan My rating: 2 of 5 stars I just found this one incredibly sad, and more than I could cope with. Well written, but so far away from what I want from a Christmas romance. I love Jenny Colgan in general, but I think I’ll avoid the Mure series in future. View all my reviews

You Make Me Feel Like Glamping by Daisy Tate My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book (or rather, the first quarter of a book) was not quite my cup of tea. It’s about a group of friends who meet up after many years of not really being in touch much. It is reasonably well written, and I felt like I was beginning to get to know the main four characters. However, there are far too many secrets and resentments between the friends for my taste. I do feel that it has the potential to become a good book, depending on how the other 3 sections go, it’s just not for me. I did like the themes of friendship though. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

A Mistletoe Miracle: The perfect feel-good Christmas romcom for 2019 by Emma Jackson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book, a lovely gentle romance with Christmas spirit. It was well written, and easy to read. I only noticed one typo - sooth instead of soothe - which is pretty impressive. The characters were sympathetic and seemed 3D. The story was full of gentle humour, alongside the (not too angsty) troubles the characters were going through. Beth was a great character, she’d obviously had her confidence undermined, but she persisted anyway. It was amusing to see Beth and Nick being so awkward around each other. It came across as a real building of a relationship, even though it occurred across a short time. Overall, this was a charming Christmas romance, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more books by this author. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

A Season in the Snow by Isla Gordon My rating: 5 of 5 stars I don’t know if I can find the words to describe why I love this book. I have read and enjoyed all of Isla Gordon’s romcom books (published as Lisa Dickenson), so when I heard she was writing a different sort of book, I definitely had to read it. I was concerned, because I knew this would be more emotional, and I avoid emotional books in general. This story is all about Alice and how she recovers from a tragic event in her life, with the help of her dog Bear. I loved Bear, and his silliness and loveliness. He provides some funny, lighthearted moments. The book is very well written, and I enjoyed it, though it did make me cry a little several times. I think it carries an important message that though the world can be an awful, terrible place at times, there’s always hope. The sense of place is good, Murren really comes across well. Although we obviously spend most of our time with Alice, the ...

Cinders and Sparks: Fairies in the Forest by Lindsey Kelk My rating: 4 of 5 stars I picked this book because I have read and enjoyed many of Lindsey Kelk’s books aimed at adults. I didn’t regret it! This is a great story, a fun adventure for Cinders and her friends (of human and animal types). However, this is the second book in a series, and as such, doesn’t really have a satisfying ending. I didn’t feel like I’d missed too much by not having read the first book, but really felt the lack of ending. A great fun adventure for kids, but definitely read the series, rather than just one book. Oh, and the illustrations are great too. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Princess Rules by Philippa Gregory My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book is brilliant! So much fun. Three short stories about a fairy tale princess who simply won’t follow the princess rules, and how she makes friends and helps people. Not only are they great fun adventures, but there’s a few subtle lessons in there about gender stereotypes, not conforming to other people’s ideas about how you should be, and how to treat others. But there’s absolutely no moralising. The illustrations are lovely too. I love princess Florizella so much. Highly recommended. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Died and Gone to Devon by T.P. Fielden My rating: 2 of 5 stars This was an interesting murder mystery set in the 1950s. There are multiple murders to solve, both in the present day, and in the past. There were a few interesting characters, but I didn’t feel I really got to know any of them. Possibly this is due to this being the third book in the series. I found the first half of the book a little slow for my taste - it just seemed to take forever for anything to happen, and there was lots of (seemingly) irrelevant information. The second half had better pacing, but I still didn’t really feel involved with the story - I think this is down to my lack of connection to the characters. I was also expecting a little more humour (there wasn’t any) based on the pun in the title. If you enjoy a slightly rambling style, then this may be the book for you. I would recommend starting with the first book in the series, as you may connect more with the characters....

The Ghost of Christmas Past by Angie Fox My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love the Southern Ghost Hunter series by Angie Fox, so when I saw this, I grabbed it right away. I loved it (as expected). It has all the charm of the full length novels - ghosts, someone to help, Verity and Ellis. I love the way a certain well known Christmas story was woven into it. So much fun, highly recommended! I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Quiet Prayer: The Hidden Purpose and Power of Christian Meditation by Marie Chapian My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have been a Christian for most of my life, and I’ve been practicing mindfulness and meditation for nearly two years (with the Headspace app). So when I saw Quiet Prayer was a way of combining the two - meditation and Christianity - I was interested. I loved the idea of sitting in silence with god. So I read the book, taking far longer than I would over a book this length normally, as I wanted to carry out the exercises as I went through. I found the book easy to read. It begins with a brief introduction to the history of quiet prayer, which was interesting. It then proceeds to teach the techniques, interspersed with glimpses of sessions the author has run. I found the writing accessible, though the constant capitalisation of God, He, Him etc made it less smooth to read. This is pretty much standard in Christian writing though. I also found th...

The Diabolical Club by Stevyn Colgan My rating: 2 of 5 stars This book was not really my cup of tea. It was occasionally funny, and contained two mysteries, but I didn’t enjoy the crudeness. The mysteries and how they were solved were interesting, but there was too much extraneous detail for my taste. This didn’t leave room for any of the characters to be explored in depth, leaving the story rather tedious to me. I’m sure it would appeal more to other people. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Libbie Lyndton and the Looking Glass by C.R. Kahme My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a fun short story for children. It would be particularly suitable for those who love horses. The main character is 8, and solves a trail of clues left for by her grandmother. As an adult, I found this book a little to saccharine for my personal taste, and one or two plot points didn’t quite seem logical to me. However, I can imagine that I would have loved it as a young child. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Under the Guise of Death by Vivian Conroy My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a fun murder mystery that I didn’t know the answer to before the denouement - unusual for me. At the beginning of the book (Chapters 1 and 2) there were too many characters introduced too quickly, with their stories and I just can’t keep track. However, once I started on Chapter 3, it all seemed to come together and make sense. I found the final scene going around accusing each person in turn a little tedious. Other than this scene, the story held my attention throughout, though I disliked pretty much all the characters. There were just too many dark secrets and people with ill intent for my personal taste, I like my murder mysteries a little fluffier! Overall, this is a solid and interesting murder mystery, just a little darker than my personal taste. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman My rating: 4 of 5 stars An excellent graphic novel interpretation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. I very much enjoyed this. View all my reviews

The Corpse at the Crystal Palace by Carola Dunn My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another fun adventure with Daisy and Co. I found this very enjoyable and easy to read. View all my reviews

Between the Stops: The View of My Life from the Top of the Number 12 Bus by Sandi Toksvig My rating: 3 of 5 stars I picked this book because I have enjoyed Sandi’s work on QI, Bake Off etc, and I thought it would make a change from all the other books I’ve been reading. It absolutely did, but not quite in the light hearted way I had anticipated. In this book, we are taken on a journey with Sandi on the number 12 bus in London. As we go, Sandi tells us anecdotes associated with things she sees - both the history of London and her life. The result is alternately hilarious and sobering. Sandi’s humour and liking for facts shine through, and her observations on how much (or mostly how little) progress we have made towards equality are to the point. I feel like a have been both educated and entertained! There was slightly too much history for my taste (not a fan apart from medical history). I’d recommend this to fans of Sandi’s, of London and of random fa...

The Chancellor Fairy Tales Boxed Set: Books 1-3 by Poppy Lawless My rating: 4 of 5 stars AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: My review is actually for the audiobook of this collection, published under the name of Melanie Karsak. The narration is excellent. Easy to listen to, very different voices for each character. I found the children’s voices slightly weird (in The Glass Mermaid), but other than that it was spot on. The Glass Mermaid: This was a beautiful story, which I thought was going to be horribly, horribly sad, but luckily turned out not to be. It’s about two people who have lost everything finding one another. The Cupcake Witch: This one was good fun, though slightly saddened by both main characters having recently lost their mothers to cancer. But lots to like, discovery of magical powers, falling in love, overcoming difficulties, bringing a family together. The Bee Charmer: This story luckily has no one dying or recently dead of cancer in it, or only periphe...

The Elementalist: Rise of Hara by T. M. White My rating: 2 of 5 stars This book was not at all my kind of thing. To start with, it is massively long - at least 3 times the length of most books. Then there’s all the excessive death, politics, betrayal and so on. All the kind of things I hate reading about. From the cover and description, I was expecting a fun fantasy spy caper. However, if you are into spy adventures and have no issue with lots of politics and people dying, then this may be the book for you. The world is realistic, self consistent, complex and in some ways compelling. In general, it’s very well written (there are a few sentences with words missing, or the wrong words, but as this is an ARC, hopefully those will have been corrected before publication). In conclusion, although I really didn’t like this book, I’m giving it two stars as I can see how lots of people might love it. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an ho...