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Det som er så fascinerende med denne kvartetten er hvordan Smith klarer å mikse sammen fortid/nåtid,både fiktive og virkelige hendelser med fiktive karakterer og virkelige personer. Måten hun fletter det hele sammen på slik at det blir til en helhet som både gir mening og som fungerer så godt sammen er intet mindre enn imponerende.
Ali Smith avslutter the seasonal quartet med denne romanen og hun avslutter som hun begynte, med stil for dette er mesterlig utført!

Les gjerne hele omtalen min her.

A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder is book 4 in A Countess of Harleigh Mystery series by Dianne Freeman, published by Kensington Books. The story is set in London 1899 when a French woman turns up on Frances, Countess of Harleigh’s doorstep claiming to be her fiancée George Hazeldon’s wife. She is later found dead in Frances’ garden and these developments may have a detrimental effect on Frances’s and George’s reputations and future marriage. With her usual energy and force Frances meddles in police investigation with the help of her fiancée. Both use their social skills and contacts to avoid a massive scandal.

Main character is Frances, Countess of Harleigh who is like a dog with a bone when it comes to mysteries and who has no problems taking risks. She seems a person with a zest for life who deals effectively with whatever is thrown her way. I love that about her.

Supporting character is the Hon. George Hazelton. There seems to be plenty of mystery related to his background, which I’m sure will gradually be revealed in future books. He seems attentive to Frances and has the makings of a good Victorian husband.

What I enjoyed the most about this story is that it reads like a sitcom. It stands out with the particularly funny start when George’s alleged wife turns up. The plot and characters are catching and keep me fascinated all the way through to the totally surprising ending. I loved how the murder victim’s mysterious background and her connections to Russia included a lot of drama and surprise elements to the story. The drama of investigating the murder understandably took center stage, but we are still able to sense the connection between Frances and George. How they function as a couple in the stressful situation when his alleged first wife turns up. In short this is an unputdownable book I thoroughly enjoyed.

The lighthearted dialogue and writing kept me entertained and I will recommend this book to anyone who likes a funny and easy read suitable all year round. It is part of a series, but no actual need to read it in order because each story stands perfectly on its own. I did, however, get curious about how Frances came to be a Countess. -Maybe you will too. But I also look forward to seeing what the next book in the series will be about.
Similar authors to explore might be Anna Lee Huber or Katharine Schellman.
Thank you to #Kensington Books, #Dianne Freeman and #NetGalley for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder is the unputdownable new mystery where Frances solves the murder of a woman with connections to Russia who claims to be George’s first wife.
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Kort og lettlest roman som egner seg for yngre lesere. Litt fornøyelig, litt mørk, snertent språk . Les mer i bloggen min hvis du vil Artemisiasverden

Lettlest kammerspill som gav meg assosiasjoner til bibelen og Kong Salomons dom over de to kvinnene som påsto å være mor til det samme barnet.

Handlingen er lagt til Lagos,Nigeria midt i pandemien vi nå er inne i og den 28 år gamle Bambi har nettopp blitt kastet ut hjemmefra pga utroskap.
Han får losji hos tante Bidemi og hennes nyfødte baby, mannen hennes er død av viruset. I huset befinner også den unge Esohe, onkelens elskerinne seg....

Dette er en novelle i Quick read serien, et britisk program som skal få voksne som ikke leser så mye eller voksne med lesevansker til å begynne å lese. Et godt tiltak syntes jeg.

Boken er til tider noe mørk og den har litt av den samme humoren som også var å finne i den forrige boken til forfatteren, My sister-the serial killer.

Dette er ikke stor litteratur eller en bok som kommer til å sitte i særlig lenge, men likevel en leseverdig bok.

Sterk og til tider medrivende roman om homofil kjærlighet i et kosovo som er i ferd med å gå til krig. Hovedpersonen er albaner, gift og venter barn mens mannen han møter er serber.
Godt språk som til tider er meget vakkert, noe som passer fint til det mye vonde som skjer her.
Romanen er nominert til Nordisk Råds Litteraturpris i år og anbefales sterkt av meg.

Les gjerne hele omtalen her.

Når faren til Marianne ringer for å spørre om hun vil ha en gammel rosemalt kiste etter bestemoren vekker dette opp flere vonde minner fra barndommen og noe motvillig går hun likevel med på å hente kisten. Dette blir første møte av flere på veldig mange år med faren men det blir kanskje ikke helt som hun (eller meg som leser for den sak skyld) hadde sett for seg.
Gamle og vonde minner om en fraværende far og pliktfølelse over å måtte hjelpe en som aldri var der for deg når du vokste opp. Mørke familiehemmeligheter. Dette er hva Kristin Tveiten byr på i sin debutroman.

Les gjerne hele omtalen min her.

Noen av god gammel Murakami-stil, mens andre var mer for spesielt interesserte av musikk og sport.

Death in Daylesford is book 21 in the Phryne Fisher’s Mysteries series by Kerry Greenwood, published by Poisoned Pen Press. This time Miss Fisher is taking a holiday of sorts to visit a spa for WWI war veterans to consider donating to the cause. Mysteries seem to follow her and Dylesford and Hepburn Springs is no different. A murderer is on the loose specializing in killing victims at local crowded events, staging it as accidents. Women also seem to quietly disappear from farms in the area and Miss Fisher sets out to find what’s really going on in the beautiful Victoria spa country. At home in Melbourne Miss Fisher’s 3 adoptive children are solving their very own mystery, finding what happened to a drowned schoolgirl found floating in the harbor.

Main character is baron’s daughter Phryne Fischer who seems a confident woman who work as a private investigator. She seems to have a strong character and doesn’t care a jot that people might judge her for living a very different life from women of her time. I find that impressive, which makes her my favorite of this story.

Supporting character is Lady’s Maid Dorothy, Dot, Williams, who seems to take on a bland presence wearing beige/brown clothing at all times. She seems to have an interesting relationship to her boss, speaking to Miss Fisher like a servant when in public, but being friend and confidant in private. I found her likeable and dependable. Like the ideal practical kind of “female Watson”.

This is the first book I have read by Kerry Greenwood, and read it as a standalone. That worked out perfectly, but I wish I had read book 1 and maybe a few more from the start to get a grip on how Miss Fisher developed into the formidable, renowned character she is in book 21. In this book you kind of get a 2 for 1 deal as the plot reads like two separate mysteries. I loved the descriptions of prosperous Australian lifestyle of the 1920s. I have read a few contemporary books set in Australia before, but this one stood out with its historical setting, the colorful characters (apart from beige Dot) and the great writing; even funny in places. I’m very pleased there are so many more books in the series. The murder in the middle of a festival was an excellent dramatic element, but my absolute favorite was the fabulous surprise ending where the identity of the culprit took me totally by surprise.

I feel hooked by this series and is excited to see what the next book will be about. I recommend this one to readers who enjoy an excellently written historical mystery with a fabulous ending. Similar authors to explore might be Victoria Purman or Rosalie Ham. Thank you to #Poisoned Pen Press and #Edelweiss+ for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: Death in Daylesford is the fabulous new story where Miss Fisher experiences murders in the middle of crowds and local women of Daylesford mysteriously go missing from their homes. Miss Fisher’s children work with Melbourne police to find what happened to a schoolgirl drowned in the harbor.
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Dette er mesterlig fortellerkunst!
I Averno flettet forfatteren inn greske mytologier mens det er myten om Edens hage som er navet i Vill Iris hvor gud, blomstene og en gartner får komme til orde. Gartneren mistenker jeg er poeten selv for Glück er litt personlig av seg denne gangen. Vi som lesere blir tatt med på vandring i en hage og kanskje er det forfatterens egen hage i Vermont vi har fått lov å besøke? Ikke godt å si men i flere av diktene nevner hun John og Noah, forfatteren har vært gift med en John og har en sønn som heter Noah. Vi blir værende i denne hagen i ett år og gjennomgår blomstenes ulike faser og endringer etter som årstidene skifter, samtidig snakker man naturligvis om livets mest eksistensielle spørsmål. Forfatteren har et nydelig og stilsikkert språk. Diktene kan leses som de er eller man kan velge å dykke litt lenger ned i diktene for å finne det som står mellom linjene.
Jeg vil påstå at dette er en av de vakreste diktsamlingene jeg har lest noen gang.
Anbefales på det varmeste!

Les gjerne hele omtalen her.

Mye gjentakelser, ble langdryg

Isabelle and Alexander is the standalone by Rebecca Anderson, published by Shadow Mountain Publishing. We follow Isabelle Rackham as she marries wealthy industrial cotton mill owner Alexander Osgood and moves to Manchester. The marriage is arranged and Isabelle struggles to get close to her new husband who hardly takes time to talk to her and spends most of his days in his textile mill.
To remedy Isabelle’s loneliness, Alexander takes her to his country estate where he suffers a devastating equestrian accident leaving him unable to walk. This challenging path in their relationship lets the newlyweds find new ways to build their relationship and Isabelle is adamant she will be in charge of her husbands’ care despite not being a trained nurse. The couple forges ways to build their relationship through this challenging situation and Isabelle finds new strength and courage, which in turn helps Alexander hope for his recovery.
Main character Isabelle Rackham comes from a privileged background in the Lake District, but seems to be practical, industrious and extremely patient. She seems kind and compassionate, and finds a way to bypass seemingly impossible situations. This makes her my favorite of this story.

Supporting character is Alexander Osgood starts out as a secretly frightened man who has married above his station. He seems glum, uninviting and disinterested, but his character develops a lot as the story progresses.
I felt the plot was well researched and stood out. I don’t think I have read a historical romance fiction story describing conditions inside a Manchester factory of 1800s and dealing with accident recovery issues quite like this. Consequences of the riding accident made and great drama effect which became a core part of the story.
The surprising and enjoyable part about mentally disabled Glory Kenworthy was my favorite of the story while the attitude of Dr Fredericks and his nurse annoyed me a lot. His character played kind of a villainous part of sorts. Writing about rehabilitation after spinal injury in 1800s must have taken a lot of research. As a nurse I found it fascinating (and scary) how this might have worked. I enjoyed how Isabelle and Alexander’s characters developed through the story, both separately and together. It felt easy to relate to their hardships in this challenging situation and particularly easy to understand Alexander’s reactions. It was a great twist to read about a couple who were wealthy, but still had to work for their privileged lifestyle. Characters in others historical romances I have read seemingly had no concerns about money at all.

This great story from the new to me author #Rebecca Anderson makes me look forward to seeing what she comes up with next. Readers of historical romance will enjoy this story. Similar authors to explore might be Abigail Wilson or J'nell Ciesielski.
Thank you to #Shadow Mountain Publishing and #NetGalley for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: Isabelle and Alexander is the enjoyably entertaining historical romance about the wealthy newlyweds in an arranged marriage who find a different way to closeness as a tragic equestrian accident demand new strength and courage to recover and have a future together.
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Du skal ha for i det hele tatt å ha fullført. Jeg begynte flere ganger på denne men kom ikke langt av sted før jeg ikke orket mer og avbrøt. Det er noe jeg sjelden gjør, men det kan se ut til at det kan ha vært et klokt valg.

Så enig i det du skriver. Jeg er også ferdig med bøkene,igjen. Vet ikke hvor mange ganger jeg leste dem på 80 og 90- tallet, men nå var det mange år siden. Men hadde nesten mer glede av dem nå.