My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood

My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - Penguin UK

Source - Given by a friend

Blurb from Goodreads

Are You Brave Enough To Go Back?

Kate Rafter is a successful war reporter. She's the strong one. The one who escaped Herne Bay and the memories it holds. Her sister Sally didn't. Instead, she drinks. But when their mother dies, Kate is forced to return to the old family home. And on her first night she is woken by a terrifying scream.

What secret has Kate stumbled upon?

And is she strong enough to uncover the truth . . . and make it out alive?


My Review

Well this was different and not what I was expecting at all, Kate is a reporter, covers war torn countries. Home now after finding her mother has died (she missed the funeral) and her sister Sally is still not speaking to her. Kate has PTSD, medicated to try and get through the recurring traumas, the first half of the book focuses on her being back home and facing old trauma from her past and alcoholic father. The second half of the book really changed in pace, we then go to Sally and see her POV of the things Kate told us she suffered as a kid, now we see Sally's version. Sally is an alcoholic and only when something forces through the haze of booze is Sally forced out of her bubble, further pushing her already strained marriage.

Warning, as well as things witnessed in an active/ongoing war country/flashbacks, we have memories of abuse/violence/DV/alcoholism/exploitation and a horrific scene of animal death. I wasn't prepared for it and despite maybe showing just how far Sally has falling I just don't think it was needed and the scene is brutal (its a bird).

The narrators are unreliable, it jumps about, it is really dark and whilst there were things I really didn't like there is no denying the book has a pull about it. It is a very dark read so proceed with caution, this was my first by this author, I would absolutely read them again. They have a knack for painting very vivid scenes and lots of it is brutal and gives authentic vibes, 3/5.

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Buried Too Deep by Karen Rose

Buried Too Deep by Karen Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over a week

Pages - 517

Publisher - Headline

Source - Netgalley and bought copy

Blurb from Goodreads

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose comes another explosive novel in the New Orleans series, where some secrets are worth dying for—or killing to keep.

Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.

Employed as the nighttime security guard of Broussard Private Investigations, Phineas Bishop has been working through overwhelming PTSD episodes from his Army service while still utilizing his military skills. But when a violent break-in occurs at the office, the accusatory eyes of the NOPD glance to Phin, and he resolves to track down the intruder and clear his name.

Phin’s only lead and witness is Cora Winslow, a spirited librarian who also needs answers. Her father’s body has been discovered under a recently demolished building, murdered twenty-three years ago. So, who has been sending her the handwritten letters—written and signed by him—every year since she was five? Someone wants to keep Cora in the dark. And now, they’re coming for her.

As Cora’s bodyguard, Phin is surprised by his fondness for the woman’s fierce determination and research prowess. But New Orleans’s Garden District holds secrets as old as the streets themselves. With help from the entire Broussard P.I. team, Phin and Cora enter a labyrinth of fraud and homicide that threatens to bury them all.


My Review

The book opens with a shooting/execution then flips forward to present day Phineas Bishop is recovering/dealing with PTSD - working security at Broussard Private Investigations. When Cora J Winslow comes into the office needing help, her father has been found dead, died over 20 years ago however Cora has been getting letters from him all this time. The police aren't interested and soon Cora is being hunted and targeted but she doesn't know why. Phineas becomes her bodyguard, the squad take on her case and starts digging, what could be driving someone to hunt Cora and what is it she has that they want?

As with Rose books we always have a bit of spice, this one only has a little less than I remember from the others but still if you haven't read her before this is your heads up, there is some spice! We split between Cora and co and the bad guy so as the reader we are clued in a bit to what is going down.

This is book 3 of the New Orleans series, I don't know if I have read the previous ones and if I have it has been a while so you can absolutely read it as a standalone. There are themes and scenes with behaviours relating to PTSD and the long lasting/reaching affects it has, not only on the individual but their loved ones and daily life.

I do enjoy Rose books and I like how we have characters that have been in other series or maybe I am just thinking of the previous book(s), I need to check my blog/Goodreads, 4/5.

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A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

A ​Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 757

Publisher - Bloomsbury Publisher

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other's arms.


My Review

This book is hugely Nesta's story - don't get me wrong the others do feature especially Cassian but mainly they two. If you haven't read the previous four please do, you get much more out of them and clarity of the situation and characters. Nesta has been on a path of self destruction, time for intervention is here and man is she raging! Forced by Feyre she now lives in the house that is 10,000 steps back to the village and she can't winnow in and out so is completely at the mercy of the others. Cassian is to train her, no alcohol is allowed and Nesta is furious. Furious and self loathing from what previously transpired and ptsd, clearly there is a spark with Cassian but Nesta refuses to acknowledge anything, remaining on her path of self destruction.

If you aren't familiar with the books well there is a lot of spice AND body fluids, man do they love their fluids so you have been warned lol! Nesta really ripped my knittin and I know some will relate to the self destructive behaviour but she really is her own worst enemy at times and has a spiteful mouth on her! That being said I did warm a wee bit to her, she has been through a lot and loathes herself so has more than a few chips on her shoulder.

The whole will they won't they, reluctance to do anything and slowly dealing with her own issues, making acquaintances and dare I say, friends, Nesta thinks she isn't entitled to anything good so it is quite the journey. Can we please talk about the house, I LOVE that house, I have always had a thing about magical houses, furniture/objects with any kind of brain power, personality AND magic, I blame Beauty and the beast, Bedknobs and broomsticks etc and fling in a love of books, I was hooked.

There is a lot of sexism, predatory behaviour from some of the males in the book, referred to traumas females have suffered/survived from males. I loved how brave the library ladies are and as much as Nesta royally annoyed me for probably three quarters of the book she also made me laugh with some of her sass, exasperated by her self sabotage and spiteful tongue but she also has some metal. 4.5/5 for me, this was my first series by this author - I am sure I have at least one other book by her, not sure which series or number but will absolutely be reading her again!

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Steel Girls at War by Michelle Rawlins

Steel Girls at War by Michelle Rawlins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 382

Publisher - H Q Stories

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

In their darkest days, they’ll find the courage to carry on… Summer 1940
The war is raging on but the Steel Girls are fighting their own battles closer to home. After patching things up with Archie, Patty is miffed when he appears to have forgotten all about her 18th birthday. New girl Hattie has a lot to deal with as she trades the counter at Woolworths for the Vickers factory floor. But is she keeping a secret and are things tougher at home than she’s been letting on? Meanwhile, Nancy is besides herself when she receives word that Bert is missing in action and is struggling to keep it together. As the Steel Girls come together to be there in Nancy’s hour of need, will life ever be the same again?



My Review

This is book four in the Steel Girls saga, I have read book two and now this one, I know I know, I will get the others and correct the order lol. So it is 1940, war is on and we centre around the lives of Hattie, Patty, Nancy and of course Betty. Hattie is joining the rest of the girls and coming to work in Vickers - jobs normally filled by men but war is on, female are filling many initially male roles and most people want to do their bit for the war. We see Pattie getting caught up in expectations for her 18th birthday, Hattie we learn more about her home life, Betty has some of her own past being known (as the book progresses) and Nancy - coping with the kids and her loved one away to war. Things go from bad to worse when word arrives that Bert (Nancy's husband) is MIA, Nancy tries to cope day to day and her friends rally because that is what communities do especially in these terrifying times of war.

The book of course centres around family, community, the horrors of living with the constant threat of bombs. Friendship is always at the heart of these books and covers everything from the mundane worries, ie Patty and her concerns re her special birthday being forgotten to rationings, after effects on survivor from world ward one & the ripples from that. Which brings me to the next part, and I suppose trigger warnings would go to this part, domestic violence/abuse within the marital home is mentioned. We also see the effects of one who is sent home from the war and the trauma/ptsd of what they seen/survived. It is quite dark and I think really well done because all of these things are important/authentic to that time period. Young girls would be caught up and fixating on something positive and happy to them (Patty) whilst we see the raw and physical affects of grief/worry for ones loved one MIA.

I think we get a wee bit more background on a few characters in this one whilst keeping the momentum going as sometimes in series things can get a bit stale, not so here. Betty, you know I love a Betty and I don't remember her being a huge character in the other books but certainly noticed her more in this one and wanted to hug her. A sense of community, love, loss, fear, friendship all within the context of ongoing war, enough horrors to keep it real but not overshadowing the actual story and characters, 4/5.

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The Body Lies by Jo Baker

The Body Lies by Jo Baker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 288

Publisher - Knopf

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A dark, thrilling new novel from the best-selling author of Longbourn: a work of riveting psychological suspense that grapples with how to live as a woman in the world--or in the pages of a book--when the stakes are dangerously high.

When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote English countryside, it's meant to be a fresh start, away from the bustle of London and the scene of a violent assault she is desperate to forget. But despite the distractions of her new life and the demands of single motherhood, her nerves continue to jangle. To make matters worse, during class a vicious debate about violence against women inflames the tensions and mounting rivalries in her creative writing group. When a troubled student starts turning in chapters that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognizes herself as the main character in his book--and he has written her a horrific fate. Will she be able to stop life imitating art before it's too late? At once a breathless cat-and-mouse game and a layered interrogation of the fetishization of the female body, The Body Lies gives us an essential story for our time that will have you checking the locks on your doors.



My Review

I don't really know where to start with this one and I went back and forth on my rating multiple times. We open with the main character, woman - no name, who is sexually assaulted when pregnant. This has a huge impact on her as you could imagine, three years later she has given birth and is still suffering from the trauma. The opportunity of a teaching job, a good distance away, come up and she takes it. Her partner stays at home whilst she goes to pastures new with their son and they see each other as able. Before long trouble strikes and she finds herself in a horrible predicament with a student that risks her job and impacts even more on her mental health.

I was expecting something very different from this book which is maybe why I didn't enjoy it as much as other readers did. I didn't hate it I just didn't love it. I found myself getting very frustrated with some of her behaviours and choices, her interactions with her partner. I suppose the book maybe was going for the whole picture of impact and long lasting effects of an assault. I just found myself getting frustrated a lot and wondering where the book was going and what X had to do with Y.

Different and as I said a lot of readers have loved it, I think for me I just maybe missed what it was going for and was expecting a very different story as the blurb said dark/thrilling. It certainly has dark themes and mental health is infused throughout but I think I got confused by the blurb and thought I was going into a very different read which probably impacted my enjoyment. 3/5 for me this time, I would read this author again as she writes very well and paints vivid scenes in places but maybe I won't read the blurb before hand.

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Reflection by Diane Chamberlain

Reflection by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - Over 4 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - The Works

Blurb from Goodreads

The author of Brass Ring and Fire and Rain delivers an edge-of-your-seat story filled with secrets, surprises, and psychological suspense. Returning to the small Pennsylvania Dutch town of Reflection, Rachel Huber must confront the tragedy that caused her to leave twenty years before."One of the premier writers of contemporary fiction." -- "Romantic Times" Diane Chamberlain's background as a psychotherapist and clinical social worker is evident in her psychologically complex characters.Will appeal to fans of the novels of Anne Rivers Siddons, Barbara Delinsky, and Rosamunde Pilcher.


My Review

Rachel Huber is back in Reflection, the small town she left decades ago under a cloud of hate, shame and distrust. When her gran Helen has an accident Rachel goes back without a second thought, so many years have passed, she needs to reconnect with her gran and face her past. As Helen's health recovers and they get to know each other, Rachel finds the town still shuns and blames her for what happened. Rachel confronts her past,finds that she isn't the only one with secrets, the past never stays in the past and old feelings have never really gone away.

I do enjoy a small town drama, we know something bad happened but it is hinted at and teased out. The focus centres on Helen and Rachel, the family estranged and now brought together when both need it most. Rachel's oldest friend Michael is now a religious man and the heart of the village, his followers are torn between their loyalty and his friendship with Rachel, her past and their seeming closeness.

Weaved with so many issues, family secrets, PTSD, religion, infidelity, love, lies, death and small town grudges it engages the reader quickly. As we flip from present day and dip into the past, the story gives us insight into the characters and what shapes them into who they are, what they have endured and what is still to come. 3.5 out of 5 for me this time, I do enjoy Chamerlain, I have read her before and I will read her again.

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