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anabel_unker's Reviews (1.16k)
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
As a fellow reviewer put it, this book is a delicious mix of Clue, the crown, and Christie. Set in an alternate modern day, A MURDER AT BALMORAL is set at the beloved Balmoral (where, somewhat ironically, the actual Queen just passed) during a blinding snowstorm. After making the unconventional decision to have Christmas dinner with just the family and two staff members, tragedy (of a calculated sort) strikes when the king winds up dead. What follows afterwards is a classic whodunit of royal proportions.
With the immigrant chef providing the bulk of the narration, BALMORAL provides some social commentary on the role and purpose of the Royal family. However, the book ended up falling flat for me. Perhaps it was the pacing or the dues ex machina ending, but I didn't find myself loving this bok as much as I wanted to.
Overall, this is a good pick for anyone looking to satisfy a royal itch or just settle down with a good mystery on a cold night.
As a fellow reviewer put it, this book is a delicious mix of Clue, the crown, and Christie. Set in an alternate modern day, A MURDER AT BALMORAL is set at the beloved Balmoral (where, somewhat ironically, the actual Queen just passed) during a blinding snowstorm. After making the unconventional decision to have Christmas dinner with just the family and two staff members, tragedy (of a calculated sort) strikes when the king winds up dead. What follows afterwards is a classic whodunit of royal proportions.
With the immigrant chef providing the bulk of the narration, BALMORAL provides some social commentary on the role and purpose of the Royal family. However, the book ended up falling flat for me. Perhaps it was the pacing or the dues ex machina ending, but I didn't find myself loving this bok as much as I wanted to.
Overall, this is a good pick for anyone looking to satisfy a royal itch or just settle down with a good mystery on a cold night.
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
This book, and review discusses subjects that may be triggering for some people– including, but not limited to: alcoholism, sexual abuse, parental abandonment and death, child abuse, infertility, cheating, alcoholism, drug use, manslaughter, imprisonment, mass murder/terrorism, and self harm.
Told over the span of twenty years, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY features Benjamin, an almost-professional footballer with mediocre dreams and mediocre ambitions, and Clara, an anxiety ridden and rather controlling rich girl. The readers experience their romance disjointedly, told between snippets of ‘modern time’ where Clara is desperately searching for Benjamin after a bomb has gone off in his regular football stadium– leaving her husband in the dark back in London.
This book, as many other reviewers have noted, is not the light, second chance romance it’s being marketed as. It’s is gritty, the characters are overall unlikable, and they don’t officially rekindle a romance at the end.
At the end of the day, THE ONE is pretty realistic. Love is often messy and difficult, relationships and marriages come is dozens of different varieties, and life paths can be so different than what you plan for in your twenties. Life doesn’t get tied up in a neat bow with a happy ending– and I applaud the author for tackling so many difficult topics (although, limiting the number may have made them more poignant).
My final opinion of this book: everyone in it pretty desperately needs therapy and I hope they all got it.
This book, and review discusses subjects that may be triggering for some people– including, but not limited to: alcoholism, sexual abuse, parental abandonment and death, child abuse, infertility, cheating, alcoholism, drug use, manslaughter, imprisonment, mass murder/terrorism, and self harm.
Told over the span of twenty years, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY features Benjamin, an almost-professional footballer with mediocre dreams and mediocre ambitions, and Clara, an anxiety ridden and rather controlling rich girl. The readers experience their romance disjointedly, told between snippets of ‘modern time’ where Clara is desperately searching for Benjamin after a bomb has gone off in his regular football stadium– leaving her husband in the dark back in London.
This book, as many other reviewers have noted, is not the light, second chance romance it’s being marketed as. It’s is gritty, the characters are overall unlikable, and they don’t officially rekindle a romance at the end.
At the end of the day, THE ONE is pretty realistic. Love is often messy and difficult, relationships and marriages come is dozens of different varieties, and life paths can be so different than what you plan for in your twenties. Life doesn’t get tied up in a neat bow with a happy ending– and I applaud the author for tackling so many difficult topics (although, limiting the number may have made them more poignant).
My final opinion of this book: everyone in it pretty desperately needs therapy and I hope they all got it.
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
JUST MURDERED, a novelization of the first episode of Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries, introduces Peregrine Fisher-- the vivacious, plucky neice to the beloved Phryne Fisher. Never quite fitting in after a nomad life, Peregrine suddenly recieves word that her unknown-to-her aunt has disappeared and she's become the lucky inheritor of her estate. However, not to be placated with just material belongings (though, admittable, her aunt's taste in fashion and decor are admirable) Peregine jumps at the chance to solve a murder to help her aunt's Adventuresses' Club of the Antipodes,.
I am a huge fan of the original Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries tv-show, and genuinely had no idea there was a second series in production! The premise is so much fun, and it's easy to tell a lot of the heart from the originial show has been passed on to the new.
The book itself does a great job at world building-- it's so easy to picture exactly where and what is happening. The falling point for me is the dialogue (but honestly, to be expected when translating from script to novel), certain parts felt stilted or awkward to read and the first part of the book was on the slower side.
Overall, I highly recommend this book for any fans of Phryne Fisher, 1960s-era fiction, and murder mysteries!
JUST MURDERED, a novelization of the first episode of Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries, introduces Peregrine Fisher-- the vivacious, plucky neice to the beloved Phryne Fisher. Never quite fitting in after a nomad life, Peregrine suddenly recieves word that her unknown-to-her aunt has disappeared and she's become the lucky inheritor of her estate. However, not to be placated with just material belongings (though, admittable, her aunt's taste in fashion and decor are admirable) Peregine jumps at the chance to solve a murder to help her aunt's Adventuresses' Club of the Antipodes,.
I am a huge fan of the original Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries tv-show, and genuinely had no idea there was a second series in production! The premise is so much fun, and it's easy to tell a lot of the heart from the originial show has been passed on to the new.
The book itself does a great job at world building-- it's so easy to picture exactly where and what is happening. The falling point for me is the dialogue (but honestly, to be expected when translating from script to novel), certain parts felt stilted or awkward to read and the first part of the book was on the slower side.
Overall, I highly recommend this book for any fans of Phryne Fisher, 1960s-era fiction, and murder mysteries!
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
Recovering from a brutal divorce, Shayleigh Myers returns to her hometown of Bray Harbor after an inheritance from an unexpected source. Now the owner of Crystals and CuriosiTEAs, Shay finds herself ensnared in a murder. But with the help of her neighbor, family, and a new furry friend-- Shay may not just solve the mystery but discover something about herself.
I had so much hope for STEEPED IN SECRETS-- it had just enough magic to remind me of Bailey Cates' series but fell flat on a few aspects. The dialouge often felt awkward, reading more like a monotone back and forth than a conversation with real substance. Characters, while well developed and interesting, flew off the handle for tiny reasons-- their reactions unrealistic just to move the plot forward.
Overall, this is a great choice for anyone looking for a sweet, cozy mystery with just a touch of magic. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a good read and a solid start to the series!
Recovering from a brutal divorce, Shayleigh Myers returns to her hometown of Bray Harbor after an inheritance from an unexpected source. Now the owner of Crystals and CuriosiTEAs, Shay finds herself ensnared in a murder. But with the help of her neighbor, family, and a new furry friend-- Shay may not just solve the mystery but discover something about herself.
I had so much hope for STEEPED IN SECRETS-- it had just enough magic to remind me of Bailey Cates' series but fell flat on a few aspects. The dialouge often felt awkward, reading more like a monotone back and forth than a conversation with real substance. Characters, while well developed and interesting, flew off the handle for tiny reasons-- their reactions unrealistic just to move the plot forward.
Overall, this is a great choice for anyone looking for a sweet, cozy mystery with just a touch of magic. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a good read and a solid start to the series!
