#bookreview

| realmrsb

Dark Cracks of Kemang – Another Mrs B book review

Author; Jeremy Roberts

Release date: 23rd September 2022

Blurb: That old childhood saying ‘pick what you want from the tree of life’ simply not working anymore? Becoming a foreigner in Indonesia might be as good a stab at something new and rewarding, as anything…”

Armed with a teaching contract, some poems, and a guitar-playing buddy, Roberts discovers a potentially life-changing experience in 2013. And so the Bajaj Boys make themselves at home.

Indonesia is revealed as a challenging but welcoming land of ‘instant millionaires’, ‘beautiful rubbish’, abundant romance, powerful religion, and unnerving history.

Nasi goreng, alcohol, cigarettes, bajajs, motorbikes, a gentlemen’s club, poetry gigs, wild animals, and electrical storms weave together, as the dark cracks of Kemang open.

My thoughts:  I loved this book.  From start to finish it has been a great dive into the adventures of Jeremy and his buddies.  There were even things I have learnt about Indonesia and the experience of the “Great kiwi OE” – maybe I’ll do one myself one day. The poetry included and translations of the local lingo really added to the pizzaz. A solid 5 star book.

Disclosure: I was given a paperback copy of this book by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Where to buy:You can buy this book through amazon here, by contacting the author direct( through the facebook link on his name) or request it through your local bookstore.

Another Mrs B Book review – The Body in the Garden

| realmrsb

Author: Katharine Schellman

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release Date: April 7 2020

Book Blurb: London 1815. Though newly-widowed Lily Adler is returning to a society that frowns on independent women, she is determined to create a meaningful life for herself even without a husband. She’s no stranger to the glittering world of London’s upper crust. At a ball thrown by her oldest friend, Lady Walter, she expects the scandal, gossip, and secrets. What she doesn’t expect is the dead body in Lady Walter’s garden.

Lily overheard the man just minutes before he was shot: young, desperate, and attempting blackmail. But she’s willing to leave the matter to the local constables–until Lord Walter bribes the investigating magistrate to drop the case. Stunned and confused, Lily realizes she’s the only one with the key to catching the killer.

Aided by a roguish navy captain and a mysterious heiress from the West Indies, Lily sets out to discover whether her friend’s husband is mixed up in blackmail and murder. The unlikely team tries to conceal their investigation behind the whirl of London’s social season, but the dead man knew secrets about people with power. Secrets that they would kill to keep hidden. Now, Lily will have to uncover the truth, before she becomes the murderer’s next target.

What do I reckon: This was a good read and not too long.  Sometimes I find that books set in the 1800’s end up being very long and a difficult read.     A dead body, a mystery a bit of love. What’s not to like?  I'll definitely be looking out for the next in the series.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Where to buy: If you would like to buy this book you can find it here . You can also find the second book in the series through that link but I haven’t read it yet so can’t vouch for its greatness. 😉

Another Mrs B Book Review – Secrets of the IN-Group

| realmrsb

Author: Carolyn Re and Loretta Re

Publisher:

Release Date: May 2, 2019

Book Blurb:

Six women in the riverside city of Albury realise that, without social media skills, they’re staring irrelevancy in the face. Their book club won’t cut it any more. It’s time to go virtual.

But their decision to plunge into the on-line world brings shocking revelations and unexpected outcomes. Friendships, new and old, are tested and their lives teeter on the edge of collapse. They must navigate a path through the chaos. But who exactly can they trust?

A small town. A world wide web.
Is the net really a friend?

My thoughts:

A lovely book and insight to the lives of the women who belong to the IN-Group.

I have recently been reading a lot of cozy mysteries and I found the pace of this book to be a much needed change.

I really like how the authors wrapped up the storyline and had me guessing to the end.

Disclosure: I received this book from Book sirens in exchange for an honest review.

Where to Buy: If you would like to purchase this book you can find it in my store here.

Another Mrs B Book Review – If I never met you

| realmrsb

If I never met you

Author Mhairi McFarlane

Book Blurb:

Laurie and Jamie have the perfect office romance
(They set the rules via email)

Everyone can see they’re head over heels
(They staged the photos)

This must be true love
(They’re faking it)

When Laurie is dumped by her partner of eighteen years, she’s blindsided. Not only does she feel humiliated, they still have to work together.

So when she gets stuck in the lift with handsome colleague Jamie, they hatch a plan to stage the perfect romance. Revenge will be sweet…

What do I reckon: 

Laurie (our main character) has been a relationship with Dan for almost 20 years.  She’s happy, she has good friends, a good job and a home that her and Dan own and live in together.

One night, all that changes and suddenly Laurie is alone.  Soon Laurie and a work colleague hatch a plan for Laurie to get some normality and confidence back in her life. 

The book is set in Manchester.  The use of Social media kept in style with current times.  The characters are all likable and it was a great way to relax and forget about real life for a minute. 

I enjoyed this book.  There were a few twists and turns which kept me interested.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Where to buy. You can buy this book from my amazon affiliate link here.

Fly Like A Bird. Another Mrs B book review.

| realmrsb

The main character Ivy Taylor has been raised all her life by her grandmother, Violet. As Ivy grows up we learn about her extended family (2 Uncles and 2 cousins) her friends and the relationship she has with her grandmother.

They live in a small town in Iowa called Coffey. The timeline of the book covers 1959 – 1986.

As Ivy grows she learns her grandmother might be keeping some secrets about what happened to her parents.

The author does not dwell on the every day ins and outs of life in a small town. The author also ties up all story lines of the many characters, which I liked.

I would say this book is a coming of age tale as well as a mystery. There are some scenes of domestic violence and discussion of murder. It was all within context of the story so it wasn’t much of an issue.

I also think this book could have had a little more romance in it.

All in all a good read and I give it 4/5 stars.

I received this book from netgalley and I am giving this review voluntarily.

Entanglement – review.

| realmrsb

I will admit to being a bit sceptical at first, comparing this author to Douglas Adams is a big statement!  I must say it was a wonderful comparison!

This book is suited to anyone who is interested in sci-fi or something quirky.   The characters are all likable and the author captures their personalities very well.

This book is not in the “leave your brain at home” category.   The story line and points of view switch between the main characters quite regularly so you need to be engaged to remember what’s going on.  This wasn’t too difficult for my tired brain as I was enjoying it so much and wanted to see what happened next.

The continuing themes of cake, bricks, and moles added an extra something too.

I understand the Author is working on a follow up to this book and I cannot wait to read it.

In the mean time, if you would like to purchase this book you can through my affiliate link here: https://amzn.to/2JJj03o

I received this book from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I gave this book a 5 star rating on Netgalley and Amazon.