Murder In The Bush: The Tale of William McDonald by Carmel McMurdo Audsley

I love historical fiction and non fiction. This was based on a true story but it reads like an adventure story and it should appeal to a broad readership. As it deals with murder and rape it is not for the younger reader. Five stars.
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I read the undertaker by this writer, which I loved as it was set in Scotland and the historic background was meticulously researched. Apart from that, it was a great read so I was keen to read something by this writer again. I was not disappointed. It is clear the writer has a great love for Scotland and its history, as she has set the start of this story in the very north of Scotland. William’s journey from 1885 the north of Scotland all the way to Brisbane Australian is as harrowing (the conditions on board the ship) as it is fascinating.

William McDonald the hero of our story, we are told in the foreword was a real person that was murdered in the Australian outback. Both his story and the story of his murderer are chronicled.  Knowing the ending of a book is normally a big let-down when reading a book, but in this case the story was fascinating enough to not let it spoil my reading pleasure. It was a great window into 1880’s Australia and the dangers and hardships the early pioneers experienced. William McDonald died young, but is a perfect example of one of those pioneers that made Australia the place it is today; a modern prosperous country. Recommended.

Children Of The Future Kindle by Jane Suen

This one is strictly for the younger reader. I think children over the age of 10 might lose interest as the language is very simple. I gave this 4 stars as I wanted the ending to have a bit more substance.
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This is a nice little thriller for the younger reader. I can imagine a child being glued to the pages, following school bus driver Telly and pupil Billy as they try to find out what happened to the missing children from Billy’s school. The story is told in an easy flowing clear style. Even though this is quite a tense thriller it should not give your youngster nightmares as nothing more sinister is suggested apart from that the children are missing. One of the positive messages from this book is that a small community bands together to help find their missing children. However the book ends rather abruptly and I would have liked a bit more explanation about the people that did good, but went about it in a rather alarming way.

Silence Of Scandal (Unrivalled Regency Book 1) by Jackie Williams

I'm not a huge fan of romance as it often lacks in story and plot and it can descent into erotica. This one did have a great story and an unconventional heroine at it's heart. I give it 5 stars. Well written and edited too.
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I really enjoyed this regency romance. It had an unexpected heroine in the form of Elisabeth Hardacre who not only provided an attractive love interest but an endearing and vulnerable character. Alexander despite all his troubles and the wrongs that have been done to his family is a man to be admired as he deals with that and a marriage he’s been forced into. There are many lighter moments too and I had great fun discovering what was wrong with Alexander’s bride.

There are some racy moments but it never descends too far into erotica. Even though this romance is set in the regency period some of the themes like disability and sexual orientation feel modern. They are not but until more recently they were neatly swept under the carpet and I like how the writer has worked these themes into a historical romance. With the writing also being great, this romance is a cut above some of the other romances I have read. Would love to discover more of this writer.

Larkspur, or A Necromancer's Romance (The Larkspur Series vol. 1) (Stories of Clandestina) by V. M. Jaskiernia

This was quite a good read, but at 48 pages very short. It is in the Amazon shop for 99p so reasonable for a short. This is part 1 and the writer tells me that the follow up is in the final stages and will be released soon. Below my 4 star review.
This was a good read, but I also had a self published book which I could not finish. I'm not a native English speaker so for us it is doubly important to have a good editor. This writer didn't and most of the sentences were clumsy and didn't make sense. Shame as it had an interesting story as a starting point. I did contact the writer and I can only hope he will take my criticisms to heart, because at some point down the line it will bite you with a sarcastic one star review.
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This was a very short read, but it left me intrigued as much as uncomfortable. The world of Clandestina is an unusual world where humans, Fae, and magic exists. Pierre Salvador is a Duc and a newly qualified surgeon and this is the bit that made me uncomfortable; our romantic lead dabbles in necromancy, he not only communicates with Mora/Death but actually crosses briefly to her realm to gain healing powers. Taking a human life to heal himself was a bit of a gasping moment. (But death does not always means death in Clandestina, pfew!)  This book does take you to the dark side of magic, but I’m intrigued as to how it will develop. The romance between Lizzie and Pierre is just getting started and Larkspur is just a taster of what is to come. Judging by this morsel, I don’t mind ordering the 5 course meal.

Darkly Wood II: The woman who never wore shoes by Max Power

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have reviewed quite a few titles of this talented Irish writer. This is the second book to his Darkly Wood series. So when there was a free promotion I had no issue with snapping it up. It did not disappoint. 5 stars.Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.

Book one had a young girl Daisy May and a sweet love story at its heart. Book 2 has the same girl at its centre but she’s now a grandmother. She’s not a happy woman; shaped and scarred by her experience in Darkly Wood. Her obsession with finding out the truth about Darkly Wood has led her to be estranged from her daughter and granddaughter Holly. When Holly goes missing, Daisy knows that she is not finished with Darkly Wood, and Darkly Wood has not finished with her.

It’s been a while since I’ve read Darkly Wood (book1) but it must have made an impact as I had no problems remembering what happened. By the end of book 2 I realised this one would stay with me a while too. I’m sure a few gruesome and unpleasant characters will be featuring in my nightmares; I expect a visit from mr Wormhold any night now. Not something I look forwards to as he was a truly terrifying character. Darkly Wood is a dark Gothic horror with a fair amount of blood and gore. As in book 1 the main narrative alternates with other tales from the wood. This works well as it helps fill in the background of some of the other recurring characters, building to a climax where it all makes sense. The ending shows that there is more trouble to come and I know Max Power is putting the finishing touches to Darkly Wood 3. Recommended.