Roberta Reads

My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book was a fun way to while away a few hours. I love Regency romances, and this one had a recommendation on the cover from Tessa Dare, so it seemed ideal. The plot is a fun one, though similar have been written before. Girl uses male friend to show male she’s interested in that she’s a good catch. I liked the fact that the man she was initially interested in didn’t turn out to be horrible, as is usually the case. The book has lots of humour, and a sympathetic portrayal of social anxiety. However, it was let down by some anachronistic use of language (it seemed so to me anyway, but I’m far from an expert) - for example bastard to mean a nasty person rather than someone whose parents were unmarried. There are also a number of Americanisms - though again, I’m no expert on the Regency Era, so they may have been in common usage, they just stuck out to me. Some of the plot also seemed a little anachron...

A History of the Medicines We Take: From Ancient Times to Present Day by N. Anthony Armstrong My rating: 2 of 5 stars I have mixed feelings about this book. It contains a lot of interesting information, but it does so in a way that is difficult to absorb. It reminds me more of an academic textbook, than a book for general reading. I’m not sure I agree with the blurb that calls it “lively”. The first section works through history, from ancient times to present day, listing the medicines we have evidence for, and in some cases their uses. Unfortunately, it is written in such a way that (to me at least) it came across as simply a list of studies and discoveries that have shown that herbs have been used historically by early man etc, followed by a list of historical figures and the books they’ve written. This is very tedious, making it difficult for any of the information to be retained. The second section is far more interesting, describing each of the ...

A Cat Called Cupid by Tilly Tennant My rating: 3 of 5 stars I chose this book because I have enjoyed others by the author, but mostly because of the cat (obviously). The idea of a cat bringing two people together is an excellent one. The story is entertaining and enjoyable, though it contains a little more drama than I prefer. I was disappointed that Lara responded to Lucien’s trouble-making by jumping right back into the drama, after having avoided it for a year. However, it worked out well in the end, and is, I suspect, realistic to the way most of us would react! The last chapter should really be called an epilogue as it takes place a year after the previous chapter. I found the jump in time very confusing, as there was no indication that a whole year had passed for quite some time. A fun concept, amusingly carried out, just a little too much drama for my taste. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes cats and reading romances. I was given a free cop...

Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book about how Nell finds her feet after her business and relationship fall apart. It covers about a year of her life, and it was great to see her personal growth over that time. Although there is romance in this story, it’s not really about that. I really liked the fact that falling in love didn’t magically fix everything for Nell, that it was more a gradual acceptance that life is complicated and confusing, and that’s ok. This was a relaxing and fulfilling read, and I’d recommend it to anyone getting a bit sick of reading about 20-somethings partying and falling in instalove (not that those books can’t be fun). I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own. View all my reviews

Of Salt and Shore by Annet Schaap My rating: 3 of 5 stars This story is too dark for my taste (and definitely too dark for me when I was middle grade age!), though luckily it ends happily. I enjoyed some aspects of it. Lampie was a great character, and I liked the way that she drew out Fish, and eventually helped him to be himself. I liked that the story was about mermaids. It was well written, in general, but there was too much violence. I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own. View all my reviews

Southern Ghost Hunter Series: 5th Anniversary Special Edition by Angie Fox My rating: 5 of 5 stars Having been a fan of Angie Fox’s Southern Ghost Hunter series for a while now, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of the 5th Anniversary Edition box set. This not only includes books 1, 1.5 and 2, but a host of special extras. Southern Spirits: This was a great start to the series, introducing us to the most important characters, and solving a fun mystery (or two, or more, depending how you count!). There’s also a hint of romance, a lovely pet skunk and a myriad of ghosts. What more could you possibly want? A Ghostly Gift: This is a fun novella - a small mystery for Verity to solve, with the help of Frankie and Melody. I really enjoyed it. The Skeleton in the Closet: Having introduced the concept, and the characters, in book 1, this story feels like more of a full length mystery. I had so much fun reading it (for the second time). I enjoyed seeing some gh...

The Power of Breathwork: Simple Practices to Promote Wellbeing by Jennifer Patterson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have been practicing meditation/mindfulness for over 2 years now, so when I saw this book, I thought it would be interesting to explore a related area. Before I get onto reviewing the contents, let me just say what a beautiful little book this is! The cover is lovely (in fact it is the reason I was drawn in), and every single page has an attractive background and border.  I think this is a good introduction to the subject. It covers the basic concepts, what breathwork can be used for, and so on, in an informative way that is suitable for a complete beginner such as myself. I don’t feel that building an altar would be for me, and I was disappointed by the lack of science (or even brief references to where you could look it up), but otherwise a good overview. The volume then covers a number of different breathwork exercises to use, varying in difficulty and ...

Family For Beginners by Sarah Morgan My rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved this book so much, it was beautiful. I don’t know what else to say! I loved the characters, and their development, the way they all slowly learned the true meaning of family, and acceptance. I loved the fact that they all fought for each other, and particularly that Flora didn’t just go storming off when she was upset. Sarah Morgan’s writing just seems to get better and better. Highly recommended. I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own (as always). View all my reviews

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed this book a lot. I love Regencies in general, and adding magic just makes it more fun. The character development for Persephone was realistic and great to see. I did find how long it took for them to take any action a little irritating, but otherwise, this is excellent, lighthearted fun. I think I shall seek out others in the series. View all my reviews

Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was so much fun to read! Lots of humour of the kind you’d expect from the author of My Life as a Background Slytherin, plenty of bloodshed and general shenanigans. Definitely recommended! View all my reviews

Still the One by Jill Shalvis My rating: 3 of 5 stars Another enjoyable romance from this series. It is good to see a disabled character, who neither magically gets better, nor does majorly epic things “in spite” or their disability (btw I do admire those people, it’s just simply not possible for the vast majority of disabled people), but instead just does the best she can. For some reason, the romance just didn’t “click” for me like Jill Shalvis one stop normally do, but I liked Darcy a lot. I think that some of AJ’s behaviour threw up red flags for me, being a little too controlling etc. View all my reviews

A Ghostly Gift by Angie Fox My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a fun novella - a small mystery for Verity to solve, with the help of Frankie and Melody. I really enjoyed it. View all my reviews

Starting Over at Acorn Cottage by Kate Forster My rating: 2 of 5 stars Trigger warning: domestic abuse, both in present time and characters’ pasts. This book really was not my cup of tea. The cover and description look and sound like it is a light hearted romance of the kind I normally read, however it is most definitely NOT. It is chock full of people who have suffered (and are still suffering) domestic violence. I had to skim read the sections from Clara’s past as they were too traumatic for me to cope with. Also what she and her mother had to resort to is truly horrendous. The romance was lovely, and Pansy was amazing. I also really liked Rachel and Tessie. The writing is good in terms of storytelling, but there are many sentences that just don’t make sense - there seem to be words missing - and many places where a similar sounding word was used instead of what the author clearly meant. A good proof read/edit would sort that out though, and as I r...

Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior My rating: 5 of 5 stars I took a bit of a risk with this book, as it is outside my reading comfort zone. However, I love penguins, so it was worth a try. I absolutely loved it, it was amazing. I loved Veronica from the moment I started reading, her voice is just wonderful. It took me a lot longer to warm to Patrick, but then he was having a really tough time. Their two characters and different voices really shone through, they were written very well. The whole book, in fact, is written so well that it just flows and it feels like you’re there. Consequently, I devoured it in less than 24 hours! I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll just say that this is a wonderful, wonderful book. So well written, and with the message that it’s never too late. Plus penguins, what could be better? I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions (as always) are my own. View all my reviews

New Beginnings At Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed Coming Home to Glendale Hall very much, so when I saw this sequel, I naturally snapped it up. I’m so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed reading New Beginnings at Glendale Hall, as with the previous book, it was very relaxing. Although plenty of difficulties occurred for Emily (and some of the people around her), it never felt miserable or upsetting. The pace of the story was great - it took place over months, and didn’t have people falling in love within days, which I do get a little sick of sometimes. The character development was also really good, as well as seeing favourite characters from the previous book, I enjoyed seeing Emily come into her own, as well as start learning to accept help from those who love her. Overall, this was a very pleasing story, with well rounded characters, and a good dash of romance. Lots of cake too, of course! I was given a free copy o...

Moontangled by Stephanie Burgis My rating: 5 of 5 stars Another wonderful novella in the Harwood Spellbook series from Stephanie Burgis. I’ve been looking forward to this one, and I wasn’t disappointed. It contains all the elements I love about this series: the magic, friendship, the fey, romance, and a happy ending of course. I can’t really say any more without giving away plot points. Oh, and I love the cover too. Highly recommended. I was given a free ARC copy of this book. My opinions are (as always) my own. View all my reviews

Miss Amelia Lands a Duke by Sandy Raven My rating: 2 of 5 stars This was not really to my taste. The duke was much too controlling and Amelia was given very little choice about anything in her life. I also found the percentage of the book that was taken up by sex scenes to be too high for my personal taste. However, if you don’t mind controlling behaviour and quite a lot of sex, then this is a fun story that’s a little different from most regencies I’ve read. View all my reviews

The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood My rating: 3 of 5 stars Another enjoyable murder mystery, though not as satisfying as some. View all my reviews

A Sprinkle of Sorcery by Michelle Harrison My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was drawn to this book by the lovely cover, and the content matched (exceeded, in fact) my expectations. I really enjoyed this fun and magical adventure, which held my attention throughout. It is the second written about the three Widdershin sisters. I haven’t read the first one, but the story works well on its own. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining adventure (children and adults), with a pleasing happy ending. I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own. View all my reviews

Smailholm by C.L. Williams My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book was not quite to my taste, it was a little darker than expected. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the adventure, but the ending felt unsatisfying. There were also various spelling errors (here, here instead of hear, hear; and storks instead of stalks), however, most books have one or two, so don’t let that put you off. An excellent adventure in a convincing world, this would be a good book for children (of MG age) who wouldn’t be afraid of some darkness, and don’t mind not getting a wholly happy ending. I won’t be continuing with the series. I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own. View all my reviews

First Class Murder: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery by Robin Stevens My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another excellent fun adventure View all my reviews

The Devil You Know by Sophia Holloway My rating: 4 of 5 stars I do not, generally, enjoy Regency romances where the couple get married at the beginning of the book. They often are just continuous not communicating with one another, and I find it intensely irritating. I decided to risk it as I had enjoyed Bless Thine Inheritance so much. I’m glad I did, as this book proved to be the exception. I felt like George and Kitty, even though they were both afraid to love, both made honest attempts to communicate effectively throughout. I greatly enjoyed their repartee (which started right from the beginning) and I feel like they would actually go the distance and remain happily married. I also very much enjoyed the subplot of Inglesham and Lucy. The friendship between Inglesham and Lord Ledbury was another pleasing touch. All the characters were well portrayed. I did find the last events of the book a trifle over dramatic for my taste, but this is only a sma...