Roberta Reads

Under the Italian Sun by Sue Moorcroft My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve been enjoying Sue Moorcroft books for a number of years now, so I was really pleased to receive a review copy of Under the Italian Sun. I really enjoy the sense of location in Sue’s books, and I could feel the Italian sun beaming down on me for most of this one. The characters were excellent as always, three dimensional, with flaws as well as being lovable. I particularly liked Zia, though I found it hard to understand why she’s still taking her ex’s calls when he’s being so awful. I’d have blocked him before the beginning of the book! I got really attached to the characters in this story, and as it has slightly more drama than I prefer, I got rather upset when things started to go wrong! That just demonstrates the quality of the writing, and of course I knew I was safe with this author, and the lovely happy ending came soon enough. If you fancy a lovely, sunny trip to a vineyard in I...

Summer at Sandcastle Cottage by Christina Jones My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have been a Christina Jones fan for a long, long time. So I was really excited about a this new book! I was thrilled to receive a review copy of Summer at Sandcastle Cottage, and I have reread Christmas at Sandcastle Cottage in preparation. I really enjoyed this book. It continues the tale of the housemates we met in Christmas at Sandcastle Cottage. The pace is lovely and relaxing, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and setting better. I really liked Kitty, and it was so pleasing to see her gradually gaining courage and eventually seizing her opportunities. I loved Apollo and Jemini’s stories too. But of course I loved Honey and Zorro the best. If you’re looking for a lovely story of friendship and romance, pick this one. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own. View all my reviews

The Haunted House by Annabelle Sami My rating: 5 of 5 stars I absolutely love this series of books, so I was really pleased to receive an ARC of Agent Zaiba Investigates: The Haunted House. I was not disappointed! This book somehow manages to exceed my high expectations. I Zaiba so much, she’s smart, kind, and always tries to include everyone. Her family and friends are great, and by this point I feel like I know them pretty well. I particularly love the mystery in this story. It’s full of secret passages, hidden rooms, and intriguing clues. The selection of suspects is interesting, and all of them seem suspicious at one point or another. The illustrations that pepper the book are of the always excellent quality. They really bring the story to life, and come across well on my kindle. Overall, this is a fun and entertaining mystery, enjoyable for children and adults alike. I highly recommend it. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my...

The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds by T.E. Kinsey My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have very much enjoyed the Lady Hardcastle series by T E Kinsey (and plan to do so many times more), so when I saw The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds available on Amazon First Reads, I thought I’d give it a try. I had no idea what to expect, as the blurb doesn’t really give much away. I enjoyed the 1920s setting, and the mystery was interesting. I found it a little slow moving occasionally, and it’s less in my wheelhouse (light, frothy, and silly) than the Lady Hardcastle books. However, there is still humour and banter, and the story is not heavy or dark. I really liked the characters (and, yes, there are links to the Lady Hardcastle series), and enjoyed solving the mystery, so I’ll definitely be continuing with the series. View all my reviews

Werewolves of London by Angie Fox My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love Angie Fox’s Southern Ghost Hunter series, so I was pleased to receive review copies of this newly rewritten series (you can see my reviews of The Monster MASH and The Transylvania Twist on my blog, amazon and goodreads). This series has Angie’s trademark humour, but is more serious than the Southern Ghost Hunter series. It also contains several topics that I really dislike reading about - war, and gods (who I mostly dislike because they’re always making war or other chaos). But in spite of that, I still enjoyed this book. It was fun to get back to the characters I enjoyed in the previous two books. I particularly enjoyed the way the MASH camp pulled together in this story. And a certain love interest from book 1 is back... There’s also a new (and not entirely stable) dragon in camp, so plenty of excitement in this book! I really enjoyed Medusa’s baby shower, and the birth scene was high...

A Postcard from Paris: the most romantic, escapist and uplifting read from the No.1 best seller by Alex Brown My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve been a fan of Alex Brown’s books for many years now. I just love her writing, and A Postcard from Paris is no exception. This is a little different from the very light hearted romances I normally read, and contains a topic (war) that I normally find too upsetting. But Alex Brown writes in such a way that I find it interesting, rather than harrowing. I really enjoyed the characters in this book, especially Annie and the new friends she meets in Paris. I think Annie’s character development is particularly good. Trixie is also a wonderful character, and I loved gradually discovering what she’d been up to in Paris. Paris makes a wonderful setting - the shop and apartment that Annie is working on was particularly wonderful. There’s a little bit of romance here and there too. Overall, I loved this story, with its strong...

Mystery by the Sea by Verity Bright My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve not read any of the previous books in this series, but I liked the cover and description, and enjoy other cozy crimes set in the 1920s, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did. This story worked very well as a stand alone. Although there were a couple of points where I was aware that things had happened before, everything I needed to know was in this book, and I was never confused. I really enjoyed reading this book. The main characters (Lady Eleanor Swift and her staff) are well drawn, likeable, and entertaining. There’s a good array of mysterious and nefarious-looking suspects, and the mystery itself is fun and interesting. Brighton makes an excellent setting. I did find Lady Swift a little slow on the uptake to start with, on some things particularly (eg the photograph), but I think this is realistic, given the emotional strain she was under. I’ll be reading the previous four ...

Coming Home to Brightwater Bay by Holly Hepburn My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve read (and enjoyed) all of Holly Hepburn’s previous books, so I’ve been looking forward to this one too. It definitely didn’t disappoint me - in fact it exceeded my expectations. As soon as I started reading, I immediately felt right at home. This book is so relaxing to read. The atmosphere of the islands really comes through, and I love the croft and the sea so much. Merry is a hugely relatable character, and she comes to Orkney at a low point in her life. I also loved all the other characters, especially Niall, and Sheila. But all the characters are well written. I enjoyed the fact that although there is a “bad guy” at the beginning of the book, the man she doesn’t end up with is not a bad guy, it just doesn’t work out. If you’re looking for a romance with great characters and a wonderful setting, look no further. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own...

Murder in the Belltower by Helena Dixon My rating: 4 of 5 stars It is always a pleasure to return to the world of Kitty Underhay. In Murder in the Belltower, Kitty continues to try and solve her mother’s murder, as well as the mystery (or possibly mysteries) that crop up whilst she is staying with her aunt and uncle for Christmas. I really enjoyed the wintry, Christmassy atmosphere of this book. It was fun to see more of Lucy (Kitty’s cousin) and her other relatives. I also enjoyed the development of her relationship with Matt - they are beginning to trust each other a little more. The plot was great - there was a lot going on in this one, with three different (though potentially related) main threads. I thought it was handled well, as it would be easy for it to become confusing. Overall, this was a fun murder mystery, which kept my attention all the way through. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. I was given a free copy of this book...

Ice Creams at Emerald Cove by Holly Martin My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve been a Holly Martin fan for many years now, and I especially love the Jewel Island series. I enjoyed Sunrise Over Sapphire Bay and Autumn Skies Over Ruby Falls immensely, so I was thrilled to be given an ARC for Ice Creams at Emerald Cove. I loved returning to Jewel Island, to Sapphire Bay Hotel, and to all the characters that I know and love. This book is Skye and Jesse’s (and Bea’s) story, and it also had a little bit about Sylvia too, which I particularly enjoyed. It was wonderful to see Jesse and Skye fight for each other, and work through their own issues in order to do so. Holly Martin’s book always have excellent characterisation, and this is no exception. Oh, and I loved Bea so much, she’s brilliant. The setting comes through strongly, and I loved it. I thought the pudding parade, and the search for the secret ingredient, was a lot of fun. It balanced out some of the more...