Eve Koguce's Blog, page 15

Book Review / "Christmas with Hamish" by Sophie Penhaligon

Christmas with Hamish by Sophie Penhaligon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Christmas with Hamish” by Sophie Penhaligon is exactly the kind of story you’d want to read over Christmas time. It has it all to add to the general atmosphere of waiting for miracles to happen. A beautiful romance that will make your heart flutter deliciously, Christmas settings and activities you are supposed to experience during the festive season and two impossibly cute dogs. Hamish and Chunk definitely steal the show.

Christmas wedding, in Verity’s opinion, is an objectionable choice. The bride’s – her sister’s – obsession with Disney’s “Frozen” adds to Verity’s frustration for having to be here. Still, the reasons for her feeling neither comfortable nor happy run much deeper than her not appreciating weddings or cartoon motives.

Verity and Nikau meet at the wedding which they both didn’t want to attend. But what blossoms between them amidst the Frozen paraphernalia, the young bride’s tantrums, and Verity’s mother’s condemnation of her daughter’s choices, turns out to be so absolutely worth all the trouble they had to go through.

Verity’s visit to Vancouver from Toronto, the city she’d voluntarily exiled herself to, so she could be far from her family, turns her life upside down. But although Nikau seems perfect, her own demons threaten to take an upper hand in the couple’s quest for their happily ever after.

I like that the author didn’t make the drama of the main characters’ pasts the centre of the story. Both Verity and Nikau went through traumatic experiences when they were children. In my opinion, it adds depth to their love story and makes the reader sympathise with them more, wishing for them to be happy. At the same time, the book left a cosy magical Christmas aftertaste rather than a burden of heavy thoughts.





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Christmas with Hamish

Book Review / "Muffin Ventured, Muffin Gained" by R.A. Hutchins

Muffin Ventured, Muffin Gained by R.A. Hutchins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I jumped right into book four of the Baker's Rise Mysteries by R.A. Hutchins after finishing the previous story of the series. “Muffin Ventured, Muffin Gained” didn’t disappoint! It is full of both cosy and unsettling moments, characters to love and to hate, and, of course, yet another murder mystery to solve.

With every next book of this series, I fall deeper in love with Reggie. I love animals. I grew up surrounded by them. There wasn’t a moment in my childhood when we didn’t have a pet – more often, a few – living in our home. Mostly, they were cats and dogs, but we also had hamsters and even two canaries. Still, I’ve never had a parrot, and reading about Reggie is fascinating. I know that animals are very different in their attitude to their owners, and not every parrot-human tandem’s dynamic is similar to that of Flora and Reggie. But the descriptions of their interactions are so lovely that it’s impossible not to wonder what it would be like to have such a companion by my side.

So, in book four of the Baker's Rise Mysteries Flora is busy with her new project – a cosy bookshop and a library she added to her tearoom. Her ambitions go beyond simply selling and lending books to the inhabitants of Baker’s Rise. She has written a few children books herself. She came up with a brilliant idea to invite a famous illustrator to cut the ribbon at the bookshop opening party, so she could discuss their possible cooperation. What can possibly go wrong with this innocent plan? Knowing Flora and Reggie – anything. The two are a magnet for awkward – and dangerous! – situations.

Instead of a quiet life in a picturesque village, she’d come to Baker’s Rise for, Flora finds herself musing about yet another crime.

I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the romantic relationship between Flora and detective Adam. And I’m looking forward to seeing how things between them progress in the next book.







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Muffin Ventured, Muffin Gained

Book Review / "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fondant" by R.A. Hutchins

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fondant by R.A. Hutchins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Flora and Reggie’s cosy mystery series is highly addictive. Don’t say I haven’t warned you after you forget about all the things you had to get done before the festive dinner, having gotten completely immersed in the Baker's Rise Mysteries by R.A. Hutchins.

“Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fondant” is the third book in the series. I enjoyed it as much as the first two and I’m already halfway through the fourth.

Baker’s Rise is a quaint little spot in the depth of the English countryside. Its inhabitants know each other even more intimately than many of them maybe would have preferred. In a place like this, it’s impossible to keep a secret from your neighbour, be it a bout of arthritis or a pregnancy a future mother isn’t aware herself yet. Still, with neighbours who aren’t simply nosy and gossip-loving, but rather caring and willing to help out, that’s what makes Baker’s Rise a wonderful place to call home.

In this instalment of Baker's Rise Mysteries Flora has to face her past. An escapee from the fast-paced, posh, and highly demanding London city life, Flora sincerely believes she has left behind both her disastrous marriage and the man who could have easily won the award for the “worst husband in the country”. So, you can imagine how shocking it is for her to see her ex-spouse on her doorstep!

Flora and her adorable parrot Reggie – who still hasn’t gotten rid of the foul language he’d learnt from his deceased ex-owner – find themselves in the middle of a police investigation again. So much for the peaceful time waiting for Christmas, baking pastries and entertaining tearoom visitors!

It was a pure delight to read yet another Baker's Rise Mystery by R.A. Hutchins amidst the whirlwind of preparations for the festive season. I’ve almost finished reading book four in the series and will undoubtedly read the rest of the series.




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Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fondant

Book Review / "Her Alibi" by Mary L. Schmidt

Her Alibi by Mary L. Schmidt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


People often do bad things. In some cases, the bad things they’ve done have long-lasting consequences for other people. Bad things done to children always have the most devastating consequences.

“Her Alibi” is a revealing, heart-wrenching memoir written by a person with a truly brave heart. Mary L. Schmidt doesn’t spare the details of what has turned her childhood into a nightmare. She doesn’t try to pretend that she’s come over it and no scars have been left on her soul.

When a child feels – and children always feel it – that the most important person in their lives doesn’t love them, it leaves marks that cannot be erased. When your mother doesn’t love you, it leaves the kind of wound that never heals. It doesn’t matter if after you grow up you understand the reasons behind her behaviour. Even if you realise that she had mental problems, which if untreated escalate causing other people’s sufferings, it doesn’t really help to completely come over the trauma.

I know that it works vice versa as well. I grew up surrounded by such deep, unconditional, and all-encompassing love that none of the hardships I had to go through later in life has scarred me irreversibly. This proves – at least to me – the profound meaning of a mother’s love in every person’s life.

“Her Alibi” is a book that will shock you. This dysfunctional family’s story will make you feel a plethora of unpleasant emotions. When the worst aspects of human nature are revealed, we always instinctively want to close our eyes hoping that ugly things will go away. True, some stories are better left untold. But this is not that case. I applaud the author for not closing her eyes and taking the courage to share her story with the world.







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Her Alibi

Book Review / "Christmas Wish: Do You Remember When...?" by Sabrina Oyinloye

Christmas Wish: Do You Remember When...? by Sabrina Oyinloye

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a wonderful, heart-warming love story! Set around Christmas time, it’s a perfect read for any season. We are used to believe that magic unleashes at Christmas, but we all know that true miracles happen when people’s souls open up and the walls we built around our hearts crumble.

Trent and Brianna have built walls around their hearts because both were hurt. They didn’t want to hurt each other. Still, in every couple’s life, there are more than two people. Although we often say that every step we take depends solely on us, it isn’t true. Circumstances sometimes are too powerful for us to fight them.

“Christmas Wish: Do you remember when…?” by Sabrina Oyinloye is a story of two people whose love was discarded as something unimportant by someone who thought they knew better what Trent and Brianna should do with their lives. This arrogance led to a tragedy. And this disaster made the lives of everyone involved miserable. The schemer is as unhappy as those whose fate they manipulated.

Now it seems the shattered lives cannot be fixed. But is it really so? Is there a miracle that is strong enough to put the pieces of broken hearts and bodies back together?

“Christmas Wish: Do you remember when…?” is a sweet and at the same time heart-wrenching story that will pull at readers’ heartstrings. It’s short enough to read in one sitting. And while I’d have loved to know more about Trent and Brianna’s backstories, the length of the book is what makes it so intense and leaves the reader breathless when they turn the last page.






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Christmas Wish: Do You Remember When...?

Book Review / "The Man and the Crow" by Rebecca Crunden

The Man and the Crow by Rebecca Crunden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


If you don’t have time to indulge in a lengthy reading session but can’t imagine a day without reading, “The Man and the Crow” by Rebecca Crunden is a read for you. I read it in one sitting between dozens of things I had to do this weekend. And it has provided me with a much-needed escape from the hectic running and planning.

The short story is full of magic, tension, unexpected twists, and characters outside the accustomed scope. I really enjoyed the twist on the very first pages of the story that took the plot in a direction the reader in no way could predict.

Although short, the story felt multi-layered and well-thought-out. It ignited my imagination and I definitely would like to read more about the world the author has introduced us to. Still, at the same, time, the storyline felt complete and the ending satisfying.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author, but I can definitely say it won’t be the last.






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The Man and the Crow

Book Review / "Adam's Witness" by J.C. Paulson

Adam's Witness by J.C. Paulson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a delightful blend of crime and romance! It was my first thought when I was halfway through reading “Adam’s Witness” by J.C. Paulson. To be honest, I don’t read true-to-genre crime novels, because there isn’t anything much in them except searching for the murderer. And I’m also not drawn to “strictly” romance novels. That being said, I do love reading about love and relationships, and without these themes, a story usually seems too bland to me.

The Canadian town of Saskatoon is shocked by an audacious murder. Although Saskatoon isn’t a small place, it is still far from being a metropolis. Murders don’t happen every day here. As if it wasn’t enough to make the public shudder, the victim is a bishop – respected and even loved by his parish.

Detective Sergeant Adam Davis is good at his job, and it doesn’t take him long to find the threads that would lead him to the culprit. He gets misled at first by the conflicting witnesses’ testimonies and some of them deliberately hiding the truth. Those things happen often, and they aren’t what unexpectedly threatened to sabotage Adam’s investigation. It’s feelings a key witness has evoked in him the moment he saw her on the crime scene.

I loved the way the author portrayed Grace. She is strong and fragile at the same time. She isn’t that kind of grotesque image of an “independent woman” who is like a rock without a single weak bone in her soul and body. She is also smart and professional in her job. She is a reporter in the local newspaper, and that’s the reason why she happened to be the one who found the dead bishop.

The investigation was exciting to follow with false leads and seemingly obvious suspects. Similarly intriguing was the love story plotline, with both main characters gradually revealing the secrets from their pasts to the reader.

In the book, the author touches upon important topics of tolerance, acceptance, and some people’s inability to see their own mistakes as reasons for their failures. Such people never see that they need to change their own attitude and not the things they believe are wrong in the world.

I’m curious about what awaits Adam and Grace in their professional and personal lives, so I’ll definitely read the next books in the series.



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Adam's Witness

Book Review / "Hunter's Fated Wait" by W.A. Edwards

Hunter's Fated Wait by W.A. Edwards

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was unceremoniously thrown into a different reality the moment I started reading this book. I didn’t expect it, so I closed my Kindle and sat for a while, images of Pine Lodge Pack shifters already vivid before my eyes.

“Hunter’s Fated Wait” by W.A. Edwards is set a few decades into the future. But the world is vastly different from the way we know it. It was fascinating to explore it, diving deeper and deeper into the shifter pack dynamics and also the inner workings of Hunter and Ali’s minds.

First, you must know that Ali is a complete badass. And she isn’t like someone any girl can easily become given the right motivation. She is unique in her fierceness – sometimes feistiness even – but she is also kind, compassionate, and passionate about making other people’s lives better.
Hunter is a leader who’s never thought he’d become one but who turned out to be perfect for the role.

Complete immersion into the reality created by the author is what I especially liked in this book. I could easily imagine myself having breakfast in the busy Pack’s House dining room, grabbing yet another blueberry muffin before they all get snatched away by hungry shifters. I could imagine talking to Lisa, Ali’s pregnant friend whose knowledgeability could easily be mistaken for love for gossip. But that very quality proved to be virtually life-saving.

While reading, I was cocooned in the feeling of familiarity and warmth as if the characters were my close friends. I felt totally invested in the Pine Lodge shifters' vigorous work to improve their pack’s life. The author made their enthusiasm and dedication seep from the pages.

The idea of living in a gated community made me think about the advantages and disadvantages of such living arrangements. As with most things in life, even if something works flawlessly, a crack in the generally positive picture is usually some individual’s fault.

Reading Ali and Hunter’s story was a wonderful experience, and I’m looking forward to reading Leo’s story next. Let’s just say, his eating habits are very similar to mine :)







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Hunter's Fated Wait: Pine Lodge Pack Shifter Series Book 1

Book Review / "Pie Comes Before a Fall" by R.A. Hutchins

Pie Comes Before a Fall by R.A. Hutchins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Book two of the Baker’s Rise Mysteries by R.A. Hutchins “Pie Comes Before a Fall” is a perfect comfort read to reconcile oneself with the inevitable arrival of the cold season.

Well, in my part of the world the fall has already come. With a bit of a winterish breath even. And it was absolute bliss to spend a few evenings wrapped up in warm blankets, with a cup of hot, orange, and cinnamon-flavoured tea, reading the next story about Flora and Reggie.

A quaint English village with the charm of the old days' lifestyle is one of my favourite settings. Baker’s Rise is perfect in every way. Its inhabitants know each other and everyone who had ever lived next door. Even if they'd left a long time. Even if it’s someone who didn’t live there for decades and made no serious impact on local life. For example, a wife number XYZ of a local pub landlord and legendary – on the Baker’s Rise scale, of course – womanizer.

In a place like Baker’s Rise, titles of a Best Scone or Spongiest Sponge maker aren’t treated lightly. And if in the local contest your pastry gets acknowledged as the Most Victorious Victoria Sponge… You get the picture, I’m sure.

So, when one more murder happens in Baker’s Rise, it’s not the police the culprit has to be afraid of! Of course, it’s local inhabitants who are able to get to the heart of the whodunnit mystery quicker than Hercule Poirot or any Scotland Yard detective.

In book two, we see that Flora has comfortably settled into the life of a small village. For a high-level “white-collar” career woman who spent twenty years climbing the corporate ladder, she managed to do it remarkably quickly. But Baker’s Rise doesn’t leave the smallest chance to feel bored. Almost every day, some small secret or one with the potential to turn into a huge scandal gets revealed. Someone new arrives, old-timers change their routines, and sometimes, a villager dies…

“Pie Comes Before a Fall” is warm and full of humorous moments. It’s a book that will make you giggle, run to the kitchen to make some tea and grab some chocolate. The story will also make you shed a tear or too, mainly because when something nice happens to the characters, you feel their joy as your own.

I’m looking forward to reading more about Flora and her feathered sidekick’s adventures. Reggie, you are definitely a corker!







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Pie Comes Before a Fall

Book Review / "The Academy" by Lubov Leonova

The Academy: A Series of Detective Stories by Lubov Leonova

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Is it difficult to be a woman? How does a woman feel in a world, where her choices are limited and their scope is defined by men? Can a woman do something to change these rules? And finally, is trying to change the situation worth it?

Many women around the world, at least from time to time, find themselves musing over these questions.

“The Academy” by Lubov Leonova is set in a magical world. It may seem that people with powerful magical gifts should live by completely different rules than we do in our “ordinary” world. Alas, the author masterfully shows that human nature remains the same irrespective of a person’s extraordinary abilities. Just like in real life, those prone to greed and violence, seek ways to satisfy their sinful urges. And they don’t care if people get hurt while they pursue their criminal agenda.

Two girls arrive at the Guardian Academy. They are the first women ever allowed to join the Guardian study programme. Elisa and Jackie both are determined to prove that they are as worthy to become Guardians as male students. But one by one, there appear obstacles on the way to their dream. The feelings they start having for each other only complicate things.

Everyone at the Guardian Academy seems to have secrets. Elisa and Jackie have them too. Despite their closeness, they are reluctant to share everything about their past. After all, people they had trusted betrayed them before.

Elisa and Jackie get involved in serious investigations. Sometimes they fail, but is it really their fault? Maybe their failures are staged by men who use them in their power play? And if indeed, the stakes are so high the culprits can’t afford to lose, what are the two young women’s chances to win this game?

In my review of the first book in the series “Ghost”, I said that I’d love to learn more about the dragons. And in “The Academy” we do get to meet these magnificent creatures. Some of them are lovely, while others are completely terrifying.

Along with being a definite page-turner, this book makes the reader think. “The Academy” is a coming-of-age story, and the author lets us follow not only Jackie and Elisa’s journey to adulthood. We get to know other characters’ stories, and every story adds to the multi-layered picture of the magical world created by Lubov Leonova.








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The Academy: A Series of Detective Stories