Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 34
June 25, 2017
Book Review: The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jemma has always dreamed of the perfect honeymoon with her husband, but things don’t go according to plan… and then one day he disappears. There’s nowhere to hide on the island (well, there must be, but let’s go with it) and no one knows what happened to him. Theories abound and everyone on the island is a suspect. The most likely suspect appears to be Jemma herself.
Part of the story is written in the present tense and Jemma realises her h...
June 22, 2017
Inheritance Books: Sophie Ranald
Today on Inheritance Books, we have Sophie Ranald. Hi Sophie, make yourself comfortable on the Inheritance Books sofa. Why don’t tell us a bit about yourself, while I go make us a cuppa.
[image error]I’m the youngest of five sisters. I was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in South Africa before moving to London in my late 20s, ostensibly just to live and work in the city for a while – but I ended up falling in love with it (and with my wonderful partner!) and deciding to stay.
I’ve always loved books, readin...
June 20, 2017
Book review: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I downloaded this book solely based on the cover. Look at it. Just look at it! How can you resist?
I know a 10 year old who is very keen on dragons, so I thought she might like it. Obviously, I can’t give a book to a 10 year old without checking the content is appropriate, so I thought I’d best read it before I gave her a copy.
Like all good fantasy, this is a well developed world. The social mores of Scirland are broadly s...
June 13, 2017
Book review: A Cornish Affair by Liz Fenwick
A Cornish Affair by Liz Fenwick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When Jude leaves her best friend John stranded at the altar on her wedding day, she is not popular at home. She runs away to England and ends up taking a job sorting out a lifetime’s worth of paperwork for elderly academic Petroc Trevellion. While she’s there, she falls in love with the estate of Pengarrock… and meets Petroc’s son Tristan. As Jude discovers more about Pengarrock and its history, Jude also discovers more about herself.
Th...
June 6, 2017
Book Review: Dissent by Katy Haye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I picked this book up because I’d read Discord and enjoyed it. The perspective in this book moves from Beth (in Discord) to her ex-boyfiend Hiran. It shows us what happens when the teens leave the school and go out into the colony. The Casians keep the humans there so that the humans can provide entertainment for them, like we keep animals in a zoo.
When things start to go wrong and the Casians decide to terminate their experiment with this batch o...
May 30, 2017
The Improbability of Love by Hannah Mary Rothschild
The Improbability of Love by Hannah Mary Rothschild
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don’t know how to describe this book. It’s the story of a single painting ‘The Improbability of Love’ which is a lost masterpiece. The story of the painting touches many characters and their stories weave through each other’s. There’s head hopping (nicely done, and probably called moving psychic distance, but it still bothers me) reams of information in chunks and various digressions, but it’s so beautifully done an...
May 23, 2017
Book Review: Girl In Red Velvet by Margaret James
Girl in Red Velvet by Margaret James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lily goes to Oxford and meets two boys – Max and Harry. She ends up falling in love with them both. She slightly prefers Max, but Harry is the sensible choice. So she ends up married to Harry while Max travels around the world trying to get into as many dangerous situations as he can.
I had trouble warming to Lily. Max and Harry were both likeable and, when things go horribly wrong towards, they act in ways that are entirely underst...
May 21, 2017
An Afternoon in Buckingham Palace Gardens
This is a very self indulgent post. I don’t do many of these, but this week has been a strange one… because on Tuesday I went to Buckingham Palace. No, really.
[image error]Me, in entrance quad in Buckingham Palace. This is the first time I’ve worn a fascinator.Sometime in January, I had an email from the Society of Authors asking if I’d been to a Royal Garden Party before and if not, if I’d like to go (you’re supposed to go only once). The answer was a resounding ‘yes’ (obviously).
I’d heard about Roya...
May 17, 2017
Inheritance Books: Marcia Spillers
[image error]Today’s Inheritance Books comes from Marcia Spillers. Hi Marcia, welcome to the Inheritance Books sofa. Take a seat. Would you like some tea? The iced sort or the hot sort? While I’m getting that, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Marcia Spillers, and I was born a southern belle in the bayou country of West Monroe, Louisiana. My father was the biggest influence in my life. Born in Mississippi, he was an early feminist, and believed women should be taught the same thing...
May 16, 2017
Goodreads Book Review: Discord by Katy Haye
Discord by Katy Haye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I picked up this book because I’ve read Katy Haye’s other books and enjoyed them.
Beth is in a hospital that helps kids with brain damage recover from their trauma, with a particular emphasis on using music therapy. Right from the off, you realise that there’s something not quite right. The feeling of something being wrong grows through the book. Eventually, Beth and her boyfriend Toby find out what’s going on. I can’t tell you any more without gi...
