Roberta Reads

The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was attracted to this book by the gorgeous cover, and by the idea of hatmakers that wield magic. It did not disappoint! I really loved this book. I love the idea of weaving magic into the making of various items of apparel - most especially hats. The way that this is carried out in this story far exceeded my expectations. The footnotes/glossary of the magical ingredients is marvellous. The collecting of starlight, the house itself. It’s all just so magical and fun! The characters themselves are excellent. I love Cordelia, Sam, and Goose especially, but the other characters of the Hatmaker family, even the cook, all seem their own people. I liked the princess too. She took on an awful lot of responsibility for a child, and did her very best. The plot was exciting, and I never quite knew which way things were going to go next. The story fortunately ended happily for almost everyone (I’m ...

Christmas Island by Natalie Normann My rating: 5 of 5 stars Having read and enjoyed Summer Island, I was excited to received a review copy of Christmas Island. I find Natalie Normann’s writing so relaxing to read. I loved returning to the Island again, and getting to see how Jack and Ninni are doing. I loved Froy (apologies, I don’t know how to make the o with the line through it) best of all! I also loved both Holly and Tor, and their story. I loved reading about all the Christmas traditions, and the different kinds of Norwegian food they eat. The whole book just has a lovely, relaxing atmosphere. I did notice a few small errors - Froy’s tail was always referred to as a tale, for example. And Rosie said something intelligible, which from the context, was meant to be unintelligible, I think. These do not in any way detract from the lovely story though. This was a beautiful and relaxing read, full of Christmassy togetherness. I really recommend it. I ...

All I Want for Christmas by Georgia Beers My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was such a fun collection of Christmas romance novellas. I chose it because I love Christmas romance, and I’m struggling with concentration at the moment, so novellas are really helpful. I absolutely loved the first story. It was funny, and charming, and full of sweetness. The characters are all well described, and it seemed very real to me. A lot of story crammed into a novella, and the epilogue was just perfect. The second story was also really great. I thought New York and the Christmas market came across really well. The characters were great too. I loved Toby especially. The third story took me a little while to get into, the office life description just lost my interest. Once I got past that though, it felt like the story got properly started. The snow storm was great fun. A good story, but not as much to my taste as the other two. Overall, this was a great collection...

Mulled Wine and Murder by Kate P Adams My rating: 5 of 5 stars I enjoyed this book even more than the others in the series. I liked the Christmassy atmosphere very much. The murder mystery itself was a historical one, which makes for a good sense of variety. It is harder for Sophie, her friends, and the police to solve than the present day murders, but I found it really interesting. There is, of course, also a nice present day mystery to solve too - I found this very entertaining. If you’re looking for a light and entertaining mystery, with a great Christmassy atmosphere, give this one a whirl. It’s perfect for curling up with when the weather is not so pleasant. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own. View all my reviews

Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy by Melissa de la Cruz My rating: 3 of 5 stars I chose this book because I loved the cover, and the description sounded interesting. I love the concept of going into a world that you know from books. I enjoyed reading this book. The characters are interesting and fun. The adventures are exciting, and the world is intriguing. I found the constant dipping back into prologues slightly irritating. I can see why it was done, information is revealed gradually, but it disrupts the flow of the story. I also found myself confused once or twice, I’m not sure if I missed something, or if something doesn’t make sense - for example, after travelling for a while by magic carpet, some characters complain because they then have to travel by camel, not on their motorcycles. It was clearly stated that there was only just room to sit on the carpets, so they can’t have their motorcycles with them...  However, apart from the mi...

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars Apologies for this review not coming in time for publication day, I only received my copy a couple of days before hand, so I didn’t quite have time to read it. When I saw the cover and title for this book, it appealed immediately. The blurb only added to my interest. I very much enjoyed this book. It is the story of Lady Katherine Bascomb, who has (thankfully) been widowed and regained her independence. She cowrites an article for her newspaper about a series of murders, and so becomes entangled with both the investigation, and Andrew Eversham. Both the mystery and the romance were satisfying, and I very much hope there will be a sequel. I would love to get to know this cast of characters much better. If you’re looking for a murder mystery, and a historical romance, this book fills both requirements admirably. And has a lot of fun doing so! I was given a free co...

Kisses for Christmas by Dana Volney My rating: 3 of 5 stars I picked this book because I fancied something Christmassy, and a collection of short stories/novellas seemed like a great idea, as full length books were struggling to hold my attention. I enjoyed this collection overall. There’s a definite Christmas and New Year’s atmosphere, and I like the fact that each story focussed on a supporting character from the previous one. I liked the first story, it was very Christmassy, and I enjoyed the bargain the characters made, and how they gradually got to know one another. The second story was okay, but I struggled to stay interested. I didn’t really take to Luke (though I don’t know why), and I found the way the characters didn’t communicate properly throughout quite irritating. However, I loved the third story. It was by far the shortest, but it was full of spark and fun. The characters actually communicated pretty well (though not always tell...

Marie Curie and Her Daughters by Imogen Greenberg My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have long admired Marie Curie. She was the only female scientist we were taught about in school, and as I then went on to study Physics at university, my interest has only increased. I chose this book, both because Marie herself is of interest, and because I wanted to know about her daughters. I have read about Marie Curie’s life before, and I think that this particular version of her life story does an excellent job. A large amount of information is conveyed concisely, and more importantly, in an interesting way. The vivid illustrations really bring the story to life. I found this book easy to read, informative, and very enjoyable. If you’re looking for an inspiring and interesting tale, then pick this one about three courageous and intelligent women. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own. View all my reviews

The Weather Weaver by Tamsin Mori My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve always been interested in the weather, and weather science, so the idea of weather weavers really appeals to me. The cover also drew me in. The story itself did not disappoint. Stella is dropped off at her grandad’s, on a remote island, and weather related adventures ensued. I really enjoyed reading all about Nimbus, and how Stella learns about her gift from Tamar. The battle was exciting, but not too stressful (just right). I really hope that there will be a sequel. I’d love to get deeper into the weather magic, and to get to know the characters more. Particularly, I want to know what it is the sea witch wants. I feel like there’s a lot more to that story! This story oozes charm and magic, I definitely recommend it. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own. View all my reviews

Christmas for Beginners by Carole Matthews My rating: 4 of 5 stars Having read and enjoyed Happiness for Beginners, I jumped on the chance to read Christmas for Beginners. I enjoyed this book a lot, though I think not quite as much as the first one. It is very well written, I love most of the characters, and the farm, and all the animals, of course. I thought the plot was good, and I really liked the continuing development of the relationship between Molly and Lucas. I felt like the issues between Shelby and Molly went on a little too long, but that definitely fits with Molly’s character. She doesn’t give up on things easily. If you’re looking for a Christmas book, that shows it’s worth keeping on and has a real sense of community, this is a great one. Just be aware, it’s not one of the light and fluffy Christmas books. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own. View all my reviews