Thursday 13 October 2016

5* review - Comfort and Joy by Cathy Bramley




Curl up with this feel-good short story, full of romance, surprises and a sprinkling of Christmas magic…!
It’s been a busy year for Verity Bloom at the Plumberry School of Comfort Food, but Christmas Eve is finally here. With delicious treats all wrapped up and the ingredients packed away, Verity is looking forward to a relaxing few days with her new boyfriend.

Good food, family and friends – it’s a simple recipe for true comfort and joy, and all Verity’s friends in the village are full of excitement about the holidays too.

But the weather has other plans in store… Relentless rain leads to a power cut that spells disaster for many of Plumberry’s residents. It’s starting to look like this year’s celebrations could be a total washout.

With dreams of a perfect Christmas dashed, will the last of the festive cheer be swept away in the downpour? Or can the cookery school create a Christmas miracle for everyone Verity holds dear?


I was so pleased to be back in the village of Plumberry and it was extra special to celebrate Christmas with them, and what a Christmas it was!

Everyone's plans were affected as a huge rainfall fell in and around Plumberry, making travel impossible and unsafe. There was huge disappointment and none more so than when the power was interrupted meaning no one in Plumberry was to be fed and watered.

Verity and Tom are looking forward to a quiet Christmas, their first together, but Verity is feeling a little melancholy as she misses her family and the hustle and bustle of a normal family Christmas. 

Who will step in and save Christmas for the residents of Plumberry? Maybe Santa Claus himself?

How wonderful to sink into a Cathy Bramley book filled with humour and warmth at Christmas time - Comfort and Joy indeed. It is a wonderful treat if you have read The Plumberry School of Comfort Food but will be equally as enjoyable as a standalone read.
I made me feel squishy, warm and ready to face the festive season with cheer!






Tuesday 11 October 2016

5* review: The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza


In the dead of a swelteringly hot summer’s night, Detective Erika Foster is called to a murder scene. The victim, a doctor, is found suffocated in bed. His wrists are bound and his eyes bulging through a clear plastic bag tied tight over his head.
A few days later, another victim is found dead, in exactly the same circumstances. As Erika and her team start digging deeper, they discover a calculated serial killer – stalking their victims before choosing the right moment to strike.
The victims are all single men, with very private lives. Why are their pasts shrouded in secrecy? And what links them to the killer?
As a heat wave descends upon London, Erika will do everything to stop the Night Stalker before the body count rises, even if it means risking her job. But the victims might not be the only ones being watched… Erika’s own life could be on the line.

After reading The Girl in the Ice by Bryndza earlier this year I was waiting for more from him, it really was good and although the detective Erika Foster books are a series (this is no.2) they are easily a standalone.

It is summer in London, and an old lady goes to feed her son's cat while he is on holiday, but after letting herself in we realise he is not on holiday - he's been brutally murdered in his bed. And there is no trace whatsoever of the killer.

Erika Foster and her team are brought in to investigate (for readers of The Girl in the Ice, the old team are back together) and the rapport and chemistry between them is as good as ever. But the problem for them is that the death toll is rising, the Night Stalker kills again, and again is meticulous in hiding their clues.

We do learn who the killer is, and it's a shock, but very well played. It is then a game of cat and mouse throughout the book to find him before he kills again, he just needs to slip up.

The case is thrown by the murder of someone close to home, and goes in the wrong direction - one that Foster is outraged about so decides it's something she needs to solve alone...of course that goes well!

I really, REALLY enjoyed this offering from Bryndza, it's fast paced and well written, and the characters are really believable and well developed. I enjoyed how this story played out and fans of this genre should love it.

A highly recommended read, am just about to start Robert's new book - Dark Water (out October 20th) Dark Water on Amazon.co.uk

Many thanks to the publisher for providing an ecopy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review