Review: Inherited by Ferranti by Kate Hewitt (Goodreads Author)

Inherited by Ferranti by Kate Hewitt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3,5 stars

Once again Kate Hewitt takes the reader on yet another heart touching and emotional journey filled with angst, drama, parental abuse, intensity, passion, mistrust, tension and complex characters in her latest novel, Inherited by Ferranti.

Marco Ferranti has waited seven years to get his revenge on Sierra Rocci, after she had left him at the altar.
Sierra returns back to Sicily after her parent’s deaths to claim her inheritance and discovers that her father is still controlling and abusive even from his grave.

Despite the history Marco and Sierra share, there are so many secrets and misunderstandings that I started to think that they would never get past all those terrible memories and find anything close to happiness together.

This was a beyond intense story……so much darkness. I found Sierra to be so bitter….her cold and harsh manner towards Marco. Okay, I understood in some way that she may have had reasons to feel betrayed by Marco those years ago…but she just never opened up her mind and try and see beyond the surface. I found it hard to engage with her throughout most of the story.

I really liked Marco. He had a side to him that I found endearing. His loyalty…albeit a bit misguided when it came to Sierra’s father….his ability to admit to making mistakes and not being perfect…..the way he wanted to make things right….

Great settings – Sicily, LA…….loved the scene where Sierra visits her old home in Sicily…..total vivid journey!!!!

The short and sweet epilogue wrapped the story up very nicely.

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Review: A Sea of Troubles (Commissario Brunetti, #10) by Donna Leon

A Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A Sea of Troubles, the 10th Commissario Brunetti mystery featuring Venetian police detective, Guido Brunetti starts with the bodies of two fishermen found in a burnt fishing boat in one of the outer islands on the Venice lagoon. The small fishing community offers to share any information about the murders. Signorina Elettra offers to help with the investigation by visiting a friend in the fishing village and be the eyes and ears for Brunetti.

The relationship between Brunetti, Vianello and Signorina Elletra reaches a turning point in this story. They have come a long way since they first met and I am really enjoying their interaction with each other.

Brunetti is an absolute gem of a character. He’s engaging, likeable and a philosopher at heart. I loved reading how he sees his life……

” Brunetti had more modest desires. He was a man of short views, interested in the here, the now, the concrete. He left larger goals and desires to others, contenting himself with smaller ones: a happy family, a decent life, the attempt to do his job as well as he could. It seemed to him little enough to ask of life, and he settled for those hopes."

A good mystery and twists and turns that make guessing who the villains are not that easy. And some totally unexpected surprises.

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Review: Midnight Lily by Mia Sheridan (Goodreads Author)

Midnight Lily by Mia Sheridan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Midnight Lily is the 1st book I’ve read by Mia Sheridan.

Wow!!!What an introduction to this author’s work.

A heart touching, evocative, enthralling and emotionally charged love story of two damaged souls who find something incredible together and who will not allow anything to keep them apart.

I was lost, my hands bloody and abraded, out of breath, nauseated, and so damn …sad.
“You’ve lost your way,” came her voice.
“Yes,” I whispered. “yes, I know.”
“Come,” she said. “I’ll help you find your way again.”

Beautifully written – author’s voice is so riveting – she takes you on an incredibly emotional journey that leaves you breathless until the very end.

”It’s just so strange to think about someone standing here once upon a time carving these hands, thinking whatever he was thinking, maybe worrying about something, maybe annoyed about someone.” She smiled softly as she watched her own finger moving around the caring of the hands.

The epilogue blew me away!!!! I had to go back and think about what I had read before to try and work out what was going on in those last pages!!!

This was certainly an unusual and unique story. And I will probably read it again in the future.

I loved this quote:

”Oh, Lily. Happily ever after doesn’t mean a lifetime of perfection. I think think anyone believes that happily ever after means there are no unhappy days, even unhappy years.
It means loving forever, despite all the many reasons it’s easier not to.”

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Review: The Rings that Bind (Mills & Boon Modern) by Michelle Smart (Goodreads Author)

The Rings that Bind by Michelle Smart
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

PS………..SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Russian hero who rose up from the Siberian wastelands to billionaire status in London. He hires a new PA…English heroine brought up in foster care.
He doesn’t do commitments or love. She’s trying to get rid of a pesky ex-boyfriend.
Hero and Heroine agree to a marriage of convenience as a solution to their men/women problems. Conditions – open marriage – no sex between each other…and okay with discreet affairs.

Eleven months later……..heroine wants a divorce!!! She wants more from a marriage. Hero does not!! She tells him…the husband in her open marriage that she slept with her ex-boyfriend......

Yes, she did. Yes I know it’s an open marriage……….Okay, I am not crazy about open marriages…..why marry someone when you’re going to sleep with someone else??? Doesn’t make sense to me.….but hey, that’s just me!!!
Anyway, the reason the heroine slept with said ex-boyfriend??? Her husband didn’t come home on her birthday….she felt lonely and unloved……sob sob sob…………

What an irritating and unlikeable heroine!!

The hero realizes that he wants heroine…..he doesn’t want a divorce. He’s going to make her fall in love with her, despite her “betrayal”!!!! Is this guy an idiot or something???? He was quite a likeable guy but when it came to the heroine…totally sappy wappy!!!!!

Let me stop my ranting here………….and end this off by saying…
I have read other books by this author, which I actually liked but The Ring that Binds, her debut novel just did not do it for me.

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Review: Sweet Ruin (Immortals After Dark, #16) by Kresley Cole (Goodreads Author)

Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Being a fan of Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series, I was looking forward to reading the latest addition (# 16)….Sweet Ruin.

For me this was not a great one…..I was going to say it was an okay read…but actually I was not crazy about it!!
I didn’t like Rune, the hero – he was a “trollop” of note…..show-off…..a twit…..and all that “dove” thingies...

After a while, I had this song in my head…..which I kept wanting to break into tune……….Cucurucucu paloma blanca…..

And Jo, the heroine!! Hell, I couldn’t connect with her. The only time I liked her was the parts with her brother.

The storyline just jumped all over the place….here and here and everywhere!! Aliens, space travel………….where to next????

There were two things I liked…..the scene at Val Hall……what a laugh! And Nix and her pet bat!! Hell, I love Nix. Wish I could get more of her!!!

Overall, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I have the others books I’ve read in this series.

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