Tag: Mystery

Death at a Scottish Christmas (A Scottish Isle Mystery Book 3) by Lucy Connelly

5 Stars

Great Series set in Scotland

In this well written series set in Sea Isle, Scotland we continue to follow former Seattle Emergency Room Doctor Emilia McRoy as she continues to become comfortable with her new position of Town Doctor and Coroner.  This 3rd book is set a few months after she’s arrived and is now settling into her position and the home and office provided by the Laird and Town Constable Ewan Campbell in a former church.  A complete cast of characters is now present with well created backstories.  A tension between Emilia and Ewan is secondary still to the mystery of the death of a Sea Isle born Rock star.  This enjoyable series only has gotten better and better with each book written by Lucy Connelly.  Wonderful details of the town and its inhabitants combine with the American born Doctor and Scottish Laird who are both trying to do just what the small-town needs.  Each book builds upon the previous one, so for the best experience read from the beginning.  Death at a Scottish Christmas could be read as a standalone but will give the reader a few What? and How? and Why? if read that way.  I’m looking forward to additional books by Ms. Connelly.

I was given an ARC of the book by NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

4 Stars

More than a Romance.

Thinking about this book, I really enjoyed reading it.  The story features two writers, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm.  Both are Native American, and while Neil has broken into the field of most popular writers, Penelope has not.  The two had a public argument at a book convention on how they treat writing about their culture, and since that Penelope has had writer’s block.  So, she decides to attend a writer’s workshop being held in Scotland in a supposedly haunted castle.  From this beginning, the plot develops into a ghostly mystery with no visible ghosts with a slow to develop romance.  Colby Wilkens did a great job of creating two main characters and two supporting characters who are believable.  The plot is straightforward in moving Pen and Neil from antagonism to a believable friendship.  I have not seen another book that combines a mystery and a romance as the most important elements, but the author makes this work.  A bit of Paranormal is worked into the story, but it adds to the main mystery.  Hopefully the author will write more in this crossover style.

I received and ARC of the book from NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.  

The X-Files: Perihelion by Claudia Gray

5 Stars

Just like the TV Series

As a long-time fan of the Television Series, I’ve enjoyed the movies that were produced along with the series.  This is the first book I’ve read that features the quirky, and now more than ever relevant show. 

The story picks up right after the last episode of the series “My Struggle IV” which aired in March 2018.  Claudia Gray has written the characters, feeling, and tension of the original series as if she were Chris Carter.  As I was reading, I could see the writing play out in my mind.  The plot and pacing were excellent, the threads of the last episode picked up carefully, and the characters are spot on.  I am hoping that if Chris Carter and company don’t decide to follow up Season 11, then I hope that Claudia Gray picks up the still open threads and continues to weave them into more books.  As other reviewers have said, this book is near perfect, and is true to the original series. 

I received and ARC copy of the book from the Publisher, Hyperion Avenue through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

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An American in Scotland (A Scottish Isle Mystery) by Lucy Connelly

5 Stars

Hopefully the first book

This is my first book by Lucy Connelly and she gives us a really fun and intriguing story with our main character an American named Dr. Emilla McRoy.  Having spent years as an Emergency Room doctor, and had a recent death in her family, she takes a doctor position on a small island off the coast of Scotland to hopefully move past the trauma she’s endured.  She was hired by Ewan Campbell, who is the Deputy Chief Constable, Mayor, and Laird of Sea Isle.  She settles into her new living quarters/office which is located in an old church.  And she is also the Coroner for the island.  Her first night on the Isle, as she’s heading back to the church, she’s caught in a rainstorm and takes shelter in an outbuilding on the church grounds.  And that’s where she finds a dead man.  I really enjoyed the characters in this book, Lucy Connelly has done a great job of describing the island and developed both her main and secondary characters well.  The ensuing mystery is well written-any one of the characters could be the murderer as each has motive and opportunity.  Even Ewan, who could become/is becoming Em’s romantic interest, crosses her mind as a suspect.    I wanted to read this book because the title and blurb caught my interest and I’m very glad I did.  I want to know more about the people and the places on Sea Isle and hope for a second book in this series.  I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion. 

The Beast Prince: a royal romance with humor and suspense (It’s Raining Royals Book 3) by Alix Nichols

4 Stars

Beasts can have a life too…

This is book three in the It’s Raining Royals series, and the tag for the title says romance with humor and suspense.  This book may have the romance and suspense, but very little humor.  The main male character, Theo-a crown prince, has had a very rough early childhood, and even now isn’t a happy person.  The underlying premise for the series is that each person in the family must find a part of a puzzle to solve a secret.  So, it’s Theo the third brother’s time to search.  He seeks out Elise, a beautiful woman to assist him.  Theo’s character is very controlled, and he stays out of the public eye.  Elise’s brother has ties to the Russian mob.  The two of them will have to learn how to work together for Theo to find his secret.  This book was well written with good character development.  I was invested in finding out how these two characters would become the couple I would expect after reading the first two books.  Alix Nichols did a good job of telling their stories and gives the readers another part of a much larger puzzle.  I am looking forward to book 4 in the series.  I was given a copy of the book by BookSirens to read, and this is my honest opinion.