The Woods of St Francis Mystery (Book No. 6 in the Inspector Knowles series)

A cozy set in Goat Parvo with two retrievers acting as detectives Banjo and Bingo, the usual host of village characters and plenty of bodies. A twist in the tale because the victims are following a certain pattern. The first one has the initials AB the second CD and it continues. Will anyone who has sequential letters be at risk and how can the detectives provide protection and prevent any further mayhem and murder. The reasons for the murder are indistinct - coult it be an environmentalist group angry over the destruction of trees, is a football club involved because that seems to be a common factor in the murders and then there is a well established artists cooperative where many clues are found. Left to the detectives to solve this mystery in the charming atmosphere of an English village with such interesting, sometimes eccentric characters. Sent by BooksGoSocial for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Singing Trees by Boo Walker

Annalisa and Thomas come from two different worlds. Annalisa though poor is from a huge, loving Italian origin family all caring for each other and sometimes overpoweringly stifling. Annalisa unfortunately does not fit into the groove expected of her - to grow up, get a local job, get married and have babies. She wants more, especially after she saw her mother's life and how her mother's dreams were trampled by her father who did not allow her mother to have any life of her own. Annalisa finds Payton Mills closing in on her and only wants to get out to Portland, the closest city to her home to pursue her dream of the arts. To get tutored properly, to have a chance at being exposed and influenced by great artists and in turn to have a chance to showcase her own work. Annalisa knows she is good but she does need finishing touches and she is not going to get it in the backwaters of Payton Mills. Pursuing her dream with determination she succeeds to a point but then life threw a spanner in the works. She falls pregnant and with Thomas away on secondment in Vietnam, no backing at all from Thomas's family she is faced with bringing up Celia on her own. The story of Annalisa's grit and determination even with setbacks and practical difficulties not to give up on her dream, despite her never failing out of love with Thomas despite his so called indifference, the attitude of his family is admirable. Survival, putting aside feelings to reach your original goal is foremost in her mind and this she achieves very well. Love does happen but only after the bitter hatred and jealously of those who are supposed to be family is shown as the reason for Thomas and Annalisa's breakup. That was a shocker as it came from an unexpected source. The story set in 1969 with its overtones of Woodstock, hippies, a freer lifestyle, Vietnam and protests was an intriguing one. Sent by Lake Union Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Tea Time at Grosvenor Square (for fans of Bridgerton)

If you are a fan of Downton Abbey and Bridgerton and past days this is one for you. Seventy Five delightful receipes ranging from sandwiches with their crusts cut off, to scones, clotted cream and various jams and then on to the cakes and petit fours of the time this is a must read if not to cook to at least drool over. I thoroughly enjoyed the precise and beautifully descriptive receipes. Sent by Skyhorse Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Wind Chime by Alexandra Walsh

Amelia has had more than her share of grief. She lost her mother, father and then her young daughter Molly within a few years. She has been coping with illness and death for so long that she now feels that a proper retreat of some kind is necessary. She also comes across whilst clearing and cleaning out instructions from her mother to clear out the attic. Discovering that the attic was cleared and clean, only a few boxes very neatly packed leaves Amelia puzzled. Together with her friends who have stood behind her throughout her difficult days, she comes across a box of letters, photographs and memorablia which speak of unknown people, names which have a connection though indistinct and intriguing photographs. She also discovers her mother's will through her lawyer leaving her a inheritance of seven cottages which leaves Amelia very comfortably off for the rest of her days. The story told in two sections of Pembrokeshire 1893 and present day 2019 London are in itself different. The stories of 1893 deal with a family well established, in trade and very comfortably off but with a chequered history and very complicated characters. That those characters were related to her mother is obvious and why her mother never spoke about them is what puzzles Amelia the most. She seeks to solve the mystery. Present day 2019 Amelia is coming to terms with her losses, then she meets Edward part of the Pembrokeshire clan and she has to reconcile her feelings of today, with the history that she is faced with and which is not quite right and at times very unsavoury. A little bit of the faery and magical mixed in the history of the story, the two time lines and the vast amount of history of the families involved added to the complicated story leading to the present times. May not be for everyone, as it was so many strands of a family but brought together the book was a page turner for me. Characterization was spot on, very descriptive at every turn it kept me going wanting to find out what happened to all the characters of 1890s. Sent by Sapere Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

What's Left Unsaid by Emily Bleeker

Hannah is trying to put the pieces of her life together living with her grandmother in a small town of Senotobia. Hannah had been rejected by her partner of many years totally unexpectedly and this pushed her into a breakdown. She lost her job as a journalist and is now filling in at the local rag covering odd events and at the beck and call of a very conservative owner. When given the task of clearing out a basement of old files, Hannah stumbles upon a story of a young woman reaching out to the agony aunt of this same paper decades ago - a story of love, trauma and a shooting which left her paralysed and forgotton. Hannah is intrigued by the story and tries to unravel the history of this young woman. In doing so she unsuspectingly steps on the toes of an influential family who wants the story to stay hidden so as to keep the unsavoury secrets of their own family safely hidden. When Hannah is determined to pursue the story she meets with unforeseeable opposition. Very well written the story is documented carefully - especially the story of Emily which Hannah unearths from hidden documents. Justice is sought for the dead Emily and Hannah is vindicated for her journalistic prowess. Sent by Lake Union Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Best Thing About Bennett by Irene Wittig

Bennett Hall has lived a rather uneventful life. Living with a mother and an Aunt who was dominant, pressurised Bennett into doing exactly as she wanted she has moulded Bennett into a compliant woman with no will or interests of her own. When Bennett decides to get rid of the enormous house that she lived in all her life, with all its furnishings, she steps out of her comfort zone into a world of strangeness - a world where she can decide what she wants to do next. For Bennett however this is not easy. She has no idea what she wants to do, has no desires or longings of her own to fulfill and is hesitant to even try out anything new. Her adventure starts with buying a ordinary house in a quiet neighbourhood and then befriending a neighbour. This sets off a chain of events which will bring adventure, love and a new focus in her life. It is an idealistic way of looking at the way Bennett's life changes - all for the better, with a few initial hiccups on the way. It made for easy reading as well. It is an ideal read to take on vacation. You can pick up where you left off without any worries. Sent by BooksGoSocial for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Clockmaker's Wife by Daisy Wood

Two time lines both full of adventure. 1940 London. and present day New York. Ellie has returned home to a sick mother. Her mother has always been different from other mums according to Ellie. She now sees that there is a fair amount of family history that her mother is keeping silent about. Now in stage four of a cancer treatment Ellie drags a reluctant mother to divulge even a few tidbits about her father, his second marriage, her grandmother and relations she knows nothing about. Going back to 1940 Ellie's grandmother Nell was happily married to Arthur who was working in a most unusual place. Handling Big Ben in London and ensuring that everything went well. It was a complicated and a responsible job but with WWII hovering over the horizon Nell had to leave her beloved Arthur and go live in the countryside. When Arthur disappeared, the local Lord of the manor seemed to be somehow involved and Nell would not give up her search for her husband whom she knew to be loyal and true to his country despite anything anyone said. It led her to a dangerous situation not just for Arthur but for herself. Fast forward to present day Ellie and her search for some kind of history of her family. She unearths the plot where Arthur and poor Nell were involved. Their loyalty to the country and how it was rolled under the carpet and makes sure both of them are remembered for their services to the nation. Ellie is able to slowly recover traces of the story of what actually happened and reconcile with her London family on the way as well. All ended well. An interesting take on a family in WWII London then moving on to present day New York and then moving back to London again. Like all WW stories this had so much history, so much sacrifice (unknown and unspoken of) and one begins to realise it is not the published and the known heroes at a time like this, but the unsung and unspoken stories that always abound. Sent by Avon Books UK for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley