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Kjekt å se at du likte romanen litt i hvertfall, er litt usikker på hva du mener med at forholdet deres burde hatt andre vilkår? Datteren,jeg-personen, prøver deseperat å løsrive seg fra moren, på grunn av morens sykdom og hennes egen redsel for å bli som henne. Det blir vel nødvendig for henne å gjøre som hun gjør, rett og slett for å overleve selv. Hvilket forhold tenker du de burde hatt?

MØRKT OM FRYKT OG ENSOMHET
I romanen møter vi en 38 år gammel mann som for 12 år siden flyttet hjem igjen til moren. Til å begynne med var han med å hjalp til med både handling og husarbeid men de siste 9 årene har han mer eller mindre tilbrakt på gutterommet. Av og til er han så urolig med tanke på å gå ut av rommet at han gjerne tisser i en tomflaske han har stående i et hjørne.
Moren som tidligere har jobbet som lærer tilbringer mye tid i hagen når hun ikke er inne å lager mat til seg og sønnen.
Mye av romanen beskriver jeg-personens indre kamper og det er sårt å lese. Samtidig tenker jeg at dette umulig kan være enkelt for moren heller som prøver å leve sitt eget liv selv om det får konsekvenser for sønnens frykt når hun reiser bort noen dager.
Når moren faller ned fra stigen når hun er ute for å plukke ned epler fra epletreet endrer boken noe karakter og blir om mulig enda mørkere.
Dette er uten tvil spesiell bok på mange måter. Den er som en studie inn et menneskesinn som umulig kan være helt friskt. Det er en stillferdig men også en veldig mørk fortelling. Tideman skriver veldig godt og jeg likte godt måten boken var bygget opp på. Tittelen er også veldig treffende med tanke på bokens innhold.
Denne vier seg pent inn i rekken av høstens mange bøker som tar for seg et mor/voksne barn forhold. De er ikke særlig sunne disse forholdene,men det er vel nettopp det som gjør at det er interessant og fascinerende lesing.
God bok som jeg gjerne anbefaler videre.

When squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell’s father dies, her abusive neighbor and prospective husband Fredrick Burton-Smythe gets total control of her. He has challenged a stranger to a duel and Margret finds he looks the spitting image of her childhood friend. Events spiral into a race of jealousy and revenge, where Margaret is stuck in the middle.

Getleman Jim is the standalone regency romance by Mimi Matthews set in Somerset 1817 about squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell who has been left in control of her abusive guardian and neighbor Frederick Burton-Smythe. Through his will, her father forces her to marry Fred and have the estates joined or she will lose all her assets. But Margaret has her heart set on illegitimate son and estate groom Nicholas Seaton, who went in search for his father years ago and never returned.

When Margaret tries to prevent Fred from dueling, she is shocked to meet John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare, who looks just like Nicholas but denies having met him. Fred picks up on a connection between the two and becomes even more bullying and controlling towards Margaret. She finds herself stuck between the two men trying to prevent them from hurting each other.

Main character John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare, has a secret history having grown up in Europe. I feel for him as the plot progresses and he is not able to tell Margaret the truth.

Secondary character squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell was verbally assertive but suffered health challenges following her father’s death. Descriptions of her health I felt made her character come alive and be relatable. She is my favorite character of this story.

I felt this plot included some unique elements. The terrible lack of judgment and next level cynicism in the will added excellent dramatic effect. I particularly felt surprised and relieved by how Margaret’s closest friend Jane acted reminiscent to her lawyer in the early parts of the story. She certainly needed one as the plot progressed. The writing was captivating with thoroughly engaging dialogue and great character building. All this made me fly through the pages and wish for more.

The best part of this story was when Margaret tried to stop Fred’s duel by visiting his opponent. This serious surprise became the center of the plot. The effects of the will were by far the worst part.

The heart wrenching feelings between St. Clare and Margaret I felt were particularly well written. St. Clare offered Margaret 3 forfeits which I felt gave the story an element of fairy tale I’m sure would appeal to younger readers.

This unique story with several fresh elements would captivate readers of regency romance and fans of Mimi Matthews. Similar authors might be Michelle Griep or Erica Vetsch.

Thank you to publisher Perfectly Proper Press and for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions in this review are completely my own.

Conclusion: this unique regency romance includes captivating drama, legal issues, mystery and romance as St. Clare and Margaret tackle difficulties of secrecy, jealousy and revenge.

Det er en hjerteskjærende, vond og sår beretning om hvordan det er å leve med og forholde seg til en mor som er psykisk syk. Den tar også opp fortellerens kamp mot sin egen angst som voksen.
Lillebø skriver usentimentalt om temaene hun tar opp og jeg kan ikke annet enn å anbefale boken på det aller sterkeste!

Hele omtalen kan leses her.

Ikke vet jeg når Schreiner begynte å skrive på denne romanen men den kunne ikke vært utgitt på et mer treffende tidspunkt enn dette, midt i den pågående pandemien vi befinner oss i så sånn sett er den ganske så treffende som en samtidsroman også hvor vi har fått en helt ny «normal» enn det vi hadde for bare litt over et halvt år siden. Men det er ikke første gang Schreiner mikser dette i en roman.

Dette er en skikkelig pageturner og det dystopiske fikk en litt annen dimensjon gitt pandemien. Schreiner klarer gang på gang å mikse samtid med «urealistiske» hendelser og måten han fletter det inn i handlingen på er intet mindre enn imponerende og jeg er enda en gang betatt av universet Schreiner har skapt.

Les gjerne hele omtalen min her.

When former celebrity adventuress Beryl Helliwell and local budding novelist Edwina Davenport are hired to investigate a series of burglaries, one with implications of national importance, they find local magistrate’s home burgled and the man himself dead at the bottom of the grand staircase.

Murder Comes to Call is installment 4 out of 4 in A Beryl and Edwina Mystery series by Jessica Ellicott. The story is set in post WW1 English village Walmsley Parva where inquiry agents Beryl and Edwina are hired to investigate the theft of village census reports when they find the local magistrate dead in his home. Under cover of working on the census case, Beryl and Edwina take it upon themselves to investigate all cases of criminal activity in the village. They suspect all are somehow connected and do not shy away from using slightly unorthodox sleuthing methods to find the culprits.

Main character former celebrity adventuress Beryl Helliwell tends to make somewhat rash decisions. She is a people person and relies on her glamorous and charming appearance to get her out of trouble whenever she colors a bit outside the lines. I find her an amusing character who is my favorite of the story.

Second main character is solicitor’s daughter Edwina Davenport who tries to keep secret that she writes a book in-between investigating cases. She is very concerned with her reputation, but I like her reserved and very proper personality. She seems a very good sleuth which makes me wish she would have better self-confidence.

I read it as a standalone and a first by this author, but I found the main characters so well crafted and relatable, I could have wished them to be my friends in real life. I was drawn in by the amusing parts describing Beryl and Edwina’s thought process as they were investigating. It highlighted their unique strengths and friendship which altogether seems to make them such a strong team. These elements I find make this story memorable.

The writing and dialogue conveyed a slightly old- fashioned vibe. The opulent English countryside setting felt reminiscent of Agatha Christie with a bit of Downton Abbey environments thrown in. The best part of this story was the amusing description of when Beryl and Edwina visited the village gossip lady to get information without revealing anything themselves.

Anyone who enjoys a well written historical cozy mystery set in post WW1 rural England would enjoy this story. As will fans of Jessica Ellicott. I am curious what comes next from this author, and will be on the look-out for any other releases from Jessica Ellicott. Similar authors to explore might be Alyssa Maxwell or Andrea Penrose.

Thank you to publisher Kensington Books and NetGalley for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions in this review are completely my own.

Conclusion: Murder Comes to Call is the captivating, charming and amusing cozy mystery about Beryl and Edwina as they solve murder and theft in post WW1 English countryside.
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: charming plot, great writing, captivating character building

Boken begynte bra men etter hvert ble det altfor mange gjentagelser, så mange at det gikk over til å bli kjedelig og med flere lengre perioder med lite/rolig/ kjedelig handling med tanke på at dette er en thriller så må jeg si at den ikke helt innfridde forventningene. Boken kunne med stor fordel vært kuttet kraftig ned på for mye av det som skjer midtveis tilfører ikke historien noe særlig.

FANTASTISKE ØYEHAUG!
Novellesamlingen "Vonde blomar" av Gunnhild Øyehaug er noe av det rareste og mest fantastiske jeg har lest på lenge!
Samlingen inneholder 25 noveller og tittelnovellen viser til "Det vondes blomar" av Charles Baudelaire.
Her finner vi en gammel kvinne som ligger på sykehjem og får besøk av en løve på rommet. Her finnes noveller som protesterer på andre noveller i samlingen fordi de sluttet ikke slik denne ville. Her er det døde kvinner som bestiller flybilletter og en som mister en del av hjernen sin mens hun sitter på toalettet.
Om tre venner som treffer hverandre igjen etter mange år og er strandet ute i villmarken og mest sannsynlig har blitt karakterer i hverandres bøker.
ABSURD javisst. Det er bare fornavnet.
Her er det bare å la all logikk seile sin egen sjø og bli med på ferden for det er et helt unikt og merkelig univers Øyehaug har skapt. På en eller annen måte så gav de fleste novellene mening selv om jeg ikke skal påstå at jeg fikk taket på absolutt alle.
Det er ingen tvil om at Øyehaug kan skrive og hun er en unik litterær stemme.
Jeg pleier egentlig å skrive om hver novelle når jeg skriver om novellesamlinger men her er det best å bare skli inn i universet uten å vite for mye på forhånd.

ANBEFALES!

Dette var en velskreven debut om et heller betent mor & datterforhold. For hva skjer når man utleverer seg selv og ikke minst de nærmeste ved å gjøre dem til karakterer i en roman og er det nok å sette ordet «roman» på fremsiden og tenke at nå er alt greit? Nå kan vi skrive hva vi vil? Hvor går grensen mellom virkelighet og fiksjon? Dette og flere spørsmål tar Høegh opp i denne boken.

Man har kanskje lest romaner hvor det voksne barnet utleverer foreldre i den såkalte virkelighetslitteraturen. Danske Pernille Høegh har i denne romanen tatt oss med til motparten for hvordan opplever foreldrene og i dette tilfelle moren å bli utlevert av sin datter på denne måten?

Les gjerne hele omtalen min her.

Murder at Queens Landing is the 4th and final installment in the Wrexford and Sloan Mystery series by Andrea Penrose, published by Kensington Books. The story is set in the early nineteenth century London and we get to follow Alexander Wrexford and Charlotte Sloan as they investigate the murder of an East India Company clerk who has gotten too close to a secret web of financial crime within the company and gets murdered to cover it up. As Charlotte secretly makes satirical drawings exposing hypocrisy and injustice among the rich and powerful, her life is in danger if the culprits find out who she is.

Main character Earl Alexander Wrexford seems to have a volatile temper. I was pleased to follow his development from a self-sufficient brusque person not caring if he puts himself in danger, into a man with a heart for family and friends.

Supporting character earl’s daughter and satirical cartoonist Charlotte Sloan, is a widow who has chosen to distance herself from Society to make a living fighting against hypocrisy and injustice by publishing satirical drawings. I found her an impressive and interesting character of her time, working to carve out a new life, while still living by all the rules. She is my favorite of this story.

This is the first book I have read by Andrea Penrose. It included plenty of hints to events in other books in the series, which made me want to add them to my TBR. I found this story read perfectly as a standalone mystery where nothing was as it seemed. I loved the Dickensian vibe I got from the parts about street urchins and flower girls working to survive on the streets of London. I particularly enjoyed how Charlotte had a heart for street children and took care of two orphan brothers.
The plot included descriptions of mathematical and technical inventions I have not read about before; which fascinated me.
The writing felt light and easy with very entertaining dialogue. The parts where Charlotte and Alexander interacted were my particular favorites. Their relationship developed while they tried to be professional and became confused feelings had grown when they were not looking.

I felt a surprised and impressed by how Wrexford and Sloan found who was “at the top of the food chain” of this complicated scheme and managed to beat the criminals at their own game.
If you enjoy a great historical murder mystery with conspiracy and a twist of technical inventions thrown in, this would be just the thing for you. Similar authors to explore might be Anna Lee Huber or Clara McKenna.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions in this review are completely my own.

Conclusion: This is the exiting and satisfying conclusion to the series where Wrexford and Sloan get to solve a murder meant to cover up financial crime within the East India Company where powerful and dangerous people are willing to do whatever it takes to build fortunes – including murder.
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: engaging and entertaining plot, satisfying conclusion to series, enjoyable dialogue.

En utrolig sterk og ikke minst provoserende beretning om behandlingen man får etter å ha blitt utsatt for overgrep. Det blir forventet at man skal tie om det man har blitt utsatt for.

Det stormer rundt boken om dagene for det er krefter som vil at boken skal bli trukket tilbake, jeg håper for all del at den ikke blir det for dette er en utrolig viktig bok. Så for all del, les den!

Les gjerne hele omtalen min her.

DETTE ER EN OPPFØLGER MED GODT DRIV og det var med ganske høye forventinger jeg satte i gang med boken for dette har vært en etterlengtet oppfølger så fallhøyden var rimelig stor. Jeg ble ikke direkte skuffet for dette var en bra bok, både godt skrevet og hadde et godt driv gjennom mesteparten av boken til tross for at det ikke alltid skjer så veldig mye.
Likevel må jeg innse at den ikke nådde helt opp mot debutboken, til det ble jeg tidvis ikke nok berørt verken av Mani som person eller hans historie. Nå er det kanskje urettferdig å sammenligne Mani med Jamal og Mo, men når jeg vet at forfatteren har klart å skape karakterer jeg så til de grader ble involvert i så oppleves det som en aldri så liten «downhill» når så ikke skjer.
Jeg skal ikke påstå at forfatteren har gjort en dårlig jobb når han skapte karakteren men jeg som leser fikk ikke alltid den nødvendige kontakten med ham og dette trekker noe ned på helthetsinntrykket.

Les gjerne omtalen min her.

When ex British intelligence agent Verity Kent is summoned by her aunt to figure out what’s going on at the family estate, she finds artwork forged and valuable heirlooms stolen among a number of strange happenings with links to a bigger, much more sinister, problem. As Verity gets closer to the truth, she finds herself in a life threatening situation.

A Pretty Deceit is the final installment in the 4 book historical crime fiction series Verity Kent Mysteries by Anna Lee Huber, published by Kensington Books. The story is set in Wiltshire, England 1919. We follow ex British Secret Service agent Verity Kent as she is summoned by her aunt to figure out a number of strange happenings after the estate has been used by the RAF during the war. Investigating, Verity finds connections to a neighboring airfield as well as links to some very powerful and dangerous people trying to cover up their criminal acts, lead by dangerous Lord Ardmore. As Verity gets close to the truth, she barely survives an attempt on her life.

Main character ex British Secret Service agent Verity Kent understandably seems a bit sensitive about her gender in the 1900s man’s world. I can really relate to her character as she compassionately reflects on hardships in her own life to understand struggles of others. This makes her my favorite character of this story.

Supporting character ex Secret Service agent Sidney Kent is Verity’s husband who seems slightly jealous and over protective as I would envision a man of post WW1 England. I still find him a very sympathetic and kind man of his time who keeps Verity sane in all the danger she gets herself into.

This is the first I have read by this author. The writing was excellent and I found it very enjoyable how the plot flowed slightly differently from others I have read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about British intelligence activity during and after WW1, and will certainly follow up with more of Anna Lee Huber’s books or similar reads in future.
The plot worked well as a standalone. Plenty of hints to previous books, but if possible I would probably suggest reading the series in order to pick up on any details.

My favorite part of the story was descriptions of Verity’s birthday night of dinner and dancing at The Savoy with all its glitter and glamour. The worst was when Verity was attacked by an intruder who put strain on her neck and throat to get to crucial coded information Verity had just deciphered.

Fans of Anna Lee Huber would love this story and readers of murder mysteries would enjoy it too. Similar authors to explore might be Andrea Penrose or Dianne Freeman
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review: All opinions in this review are completely my own.

Conclusion: If you enjoy a thrilling historical murder-mystery including post WW1 spies and traitors to The Crown, bodies turning up on a Downton Abbey inspired estate and an element of newlywed romance, this would be the one to read.

Rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: plot was well crafted and surprising, relatable characters

Et enkelt men forsåvidt greit plott med tema som blant annet metoo og drap, men hele boken ble ødelagt av overforklaringer og sterkt overdreven bruk av metaforer som ødela mye mer enn det gagnet boken. Når det er to til tre metaforer etter hverandre for å beskrive den samme tingen vitner det om at forfatteren ikke har særlig høye tanker om leseren og hva denne får med seg.
Dette er en lettlest såkalt "kosekrim" og noen av bøkene i serien har jeg kost meg skikkelig med, men denne gangen var det kun staheten min som gjorde at jeg orket å høre den ferdig.

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