Zoe Adams

3.75 stars. This was a very nuanced but important exploration of the subtleties of domestic abuse, and, even more so, all the ways in which public institutions let victims of such abuse down. It was slow at times, but still an important book, well written.

I like this series, but the more I listen to it, the more convinced I am that the narrator is absolutely terrible. Her voices for male characters are so ridiculous, and she makes some of the most serious scenes absolutely hilarious. As a crime series, however, these are solid. Good characters, decent mystery - but nothing special.

3.75 stars. This would have been four stars, but for the awful stereotyping of russians that is all too common in American films and novels. I just hate the way in which all Russians are painted as evil and backwards. It's so incredibly reductive. In any event, I did love this retelling of Wuthering Heights, and loved getting an insight into ice dancing. It wasn't melodramatic contrary to some of the reviews, and was quite believable.

3.75 stars. This was an excellent Karen Rose. The main mystery was really interesting, and not at all predictable, and I really loved the characters in this one.

3.5 stars. Another great Tracy Crosswhite novel.

3.5 stars I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the last,but it was still a solid crime thriller with great characters.

I got the comparisons with Evelyn Hugo, but the book avoided being derivative. There were some really sharp and insightful lines in this, that really made the book for me. I found the story meandered a bit towards the end, and found myself losing sympathy with all the characters. But I thought it was very well done.

I LOVE this series, and I loved this one more than all the others. This was partly because I just loved the idea of book-related crimes, and found delving into the world of bookselling and collecting such a treat. But the characters in this are just so great. I always miss them when I finish the book.

3.75 stars. This was a massive improvement on the first three books. The mystery at the heart of the book was much more engaging; Dugoni experimented with different narrative techniques, alternating between a third person which focused on Tracy ,and a first person which focused on the central character at the heart of the mystery. This really paid off and made for a really engaging read.

3.75 stars. Look, I did enjoy this book, and am really glad I listened to it. However, I am very aware of its flaws. The ‘world' is poorly conceptualised. There is no attempt to explain mode of production, how the society works, what the power dynamics are, and what the broader context is to the various warring factions (beyond a history of previous conflict). The main romantic relationship seems to be based on nothing but sex, and the sex scenes are almost laughable in how unbelievable and gratuitously vulgar they are. There are far too many battle scenes and very little ‘every-day' scenes where you might get to learn more about the characters. But it's a lot of fund, and Yarros does have a nice writing style.

I really do think Yarros should stick with romance. I absolutely love this book - as with her previous romances. The characters are great, and the stories slightly more complex than your traditional romance. My only gripe - as with all of Yarros' books - is that the sex scenes are explicit and vulgar in a way that doesn't seem consistent with the characters. I don't like the inclusion of open door sex scenes where they seem designed to thrill, rather than to enrich the story and further develop the relationship. Yarros needs lessons from Diana Gabaldon - the queen of the convincing sex scene. But apart from that, this was lovely.

3.5 stars. These books are definitely getting better. Solid crime writing with good characters - not memorable, but sufficiently entertaining.

Another non-special, perfectly ‘fine' and enjoyable crime novel. I really do prefer the Keera Duggan series, but find these a reliable ‘to pass the time' series that I cannot fault, but which I also cannot say I find particularly thrilling or engaging.

3.75 stars. This was a very different novel from Holly Bourne. It was very much focused on motherhood and sought to shed light on the challenges faced by women in their thirties both as mothers, as hopeful or expecting mothers, and as people grappling with social pressures surrounding motherhood as well. I thought this was well done, I enjoyed the multiple perspectives, and could see real evolution in Bourne's style as well.

3.5 stars. This was an excellent thriller, in that it kept me hooked the entire time, it was well written, and a good pace. But it just confirmed how much I hate this genre. Because there is never any explanation for why there exist people with these hidden agendas. There is no political context, nothing but the fact that it is a ‘thriller' to explain how outlandish it all is. Nonetheless, as an example from the genre, it was good.

3.5 stars. good, solid legal thriller, with great characters. I found the central ‘mystery' less compelling in this one, but still enjoyed it because of the writing and characters.

3.75 stars. I do like this series - it is definitely different. However, while in the last book, it was hard to strongly dislike - or like - either Ray or Ryan. In this book,however, Ray was painted in a distinctly negative light, making it very difficult indeed to like him. Ryan, by contrast, is presented as a bit of an idiot, but a good hearted one - making it very clear who the ‘hero ‘of the book is meant to be. I'm not sure I like what the author did to Ray's character here, but I do like the dynamic and the interesting exploratioon of class/race.

This was a good solid crime novel, but not as enjoyable as Dugoni's other series.

3.75. I'm really pleased I discovered this series. It was really engaging, the characters were great, and I loved the main character.

This was just about 4 stars. It was another example of a very ‘trendy' book - exploring society's reactions to sexual misconduct/misuse of power towards women. But this was done with quite a lot of sensitivity, without sacrificing character development or quality of writing.

3.25 stars. This was not the best Karen Hart book. It seems forced, and the dialogue seemed very over the top and unrealistic. However, the narrator - despite it being the same narrator as previously - was particuarly awful in this one, which I don't think helped.

I really appreciated what Tracy Chevalier was trying to do here - trace the historical development of an entire industry through the lens of the highly personal and subjective experiences of real people and families. To this end, she decided to deploy a highly original literary device, having a family age in ‘normal time', while their context ages as a rapid rate. In effect, each ‘age' of their life was set against a different epoch, or era, of glassmaking. Unfortunately, in order to achieve this, she did have to sacrifice the readers' experience here, and I have to say it really didn't work at times. This was particularly so the closer we got to the present, especially where experiences from centuries ago were still being references against a backdrop of the covid 19 pandemic and the internet. Nonetheless, I have a lot of respect for what was attempted here, and was able to appreciate this even while not enjoying every second.

3.75 stars. I have loved Kearsley's previous novels, but was sceptical about this one because there really was not much plot at all. However, I fell in love with the characters, and really enjoyed the simplicity of this in the end.

3.75 stars. This was an excellent addition to the joe Talbert series. I loved getting Lila's perspective, and thought the multiple voices was done very well.

I did not hate this; the writing was beautiful, and I could appreciate what the author was trying to say. But it was very meandering, and lacking in nuance at points. I didn't feel like the characters were realistic or likable, and it felt like the author had an idea for a set of issues he wanted to explore, but hadn't thought through the storyline.