Roberta Reads

  Review - 5 out of 5 stars: I have been a fan of Alex Brown’s books for many years now, so I was excited to read Wish You Were Here, the follow on book to Bring Me Sunshine. This time, the three friends are in New York, and the book mainly focusses on Deedee, and how she’s coping with both her grief and her 70th birthday. I really enjoyed reading this book. In spite of dealing with grief and other difficult emotions, it was a positive, uplifting book. I love the three characters, Deedee, Rosie, and Gina. They are all different, and all contribute to the friendship. I enjoyed watching Deedee start to open up a bit more, and the friendship deepening.  My memory isn’t very good, so I didn’t remember much of what happened in Bring Me Sunshine. However, this didn’t impair my enjoyment of Wish You Were Here at all, so you could read this book as a standalone. Though of course you get a longer story if you read both.  The setting was a good one. I’m not a massive fan of cities,...

  Review - 5 out of 5 stars: I’ve been a fan of the Cressida Fawcett Mysteries since the very first book (Death Among the Diamonds), so I was excited at the opportunity to review the latest - Death in an English Village. Cressida and Co are visiting her childhood home, when Cressy finds a dead body. Naturally, they investigate. I really enjoyed this book. Cressida and her friends are familiar by now, and I particularly liked seeing the interaction between her and Alfred. I like that it’s developing slowly, especially given Cressida’s views on marriage. The setting of Mydenhurst Place and the local village came across really clearly, and I enjoyed the way the history of some of the local people was gradually revealed as the investigation proceeded.  Ruby and her six puppies added some excellent humorous moments, lightening the mood in a story that is rather close to home for Cressida.  Overall, this was an excellent mystery that kept me turning the pages. I recommend the w...

  Review - 4 out of 5 stars: I’ve been a fan of the Lady Eleanor Swift series since the very first book, so I was excited to be asked to review the latest instalment, A Recipe for Murder. Although I enjoyed this book overall, I didn’t enjoy the nastiness going on between the two halves of the village, and the individuals in the village as well. However, it was still a joy to spend time with Eleanor, Clifford, Hugh, and the ladies. Not forgetting about Gladstone and Tomkins, of course. They did a great job of solving a particularly tricky and nasty mystery. Thankfully there were also the usual lighthearted moments to lift the mood, often perpetrated by the terrible two! The last chapter was the fulfilment of hopes started many, many books ago. It made me very happy. I can’t say more without spoilers! Overall, I enjoyed this book, it was an excellent mystery, full of interesting clues and characters, as well as my old friends from the series. I was given a copy of this book, my opini...