Review: Another Fine Mess (Bless Your Heart #2) by Lindy Ryan
29 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Another Find Mess, Bless Your Heart #2, Book Reviews, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, Horror, Lindy Ryan, reading, Review, Summer of Horror 25
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Gothic Southern Charm and Guts
I’m very much enjoying Lindy Ryan’s Bless Your Heart series. It combines winning family dynamics, mystery, the unhappy dead and plenty of blood and guts fortunately tempered by humour. It’s a very easy series to read and quite refreshingly unique in so many ways.
Another Fine Mess picks up fairly quickly after Bless Your Heart concluded so be aware that there may be spoilers below for book 1, although I try to be careful not to include any if possible.
Lenore and Luna are trying to pick up the pieces following events from the conclusion of Bless Your Heart but they’re struggling, both to cope with the loss and continue to go about their everyday lives. Lenore eventually makes the decision to hire in help for the funeral parlour, a decision that goes against the family ethos but seems to be the only way forward. Luna is suffering from guilt and struggling to understand her own nature. And, at the same time the increased number of missing pets in the neighbourhood seems to be a precursor for the body count to once again begin to rise. A rare ‘ghost wolf’ is being cited as the cause for the latest bloodletting and as a consequence a local expert is called in but Lenore knows, she simply knows that something is wrong, she just doesn’t know what, until an unexpected houseguest makes an appearance to fill in some of the blanks.
I don’t want to give too much more away. Once again Ryan brings to us a charming horror – if such a thing is possible. She doesn’t shy away from a high body count, even taking characters that you really feel quite cross about losing, and she’s not afraid to paint the pages in blood, but at the same time she balances the gore with a good dose of Southern charm, strong family values and some lighthearted moments.
The pacing is quick. there’s no hand holding here. To be honest, I would say that you need to read the first in the series – well, of course, you could crash in at this point and I’m sure the author has done enough to make the story standalone – but, I think you’d miss so much about the family and frankly I think it would be more of a struggle so I would suggest reading the books in order.
I really like the family dynamic (and the unexpected guest – in fact I’m rather hoping for another appearance that I won’t elaborate on here). The main problem that the Evan’s ladies face is lack of knowledge. They’ve been told so very little over the years and it seems like secrets buried long ago need to be unearthed. To be fair, I’m not a lover usually of the ‘keeping people in the dark’ trope but here it really does feel more like secrets were buried rather as a means of forgetting and moving on than a plot device.
In conclusion, over the top horror with a Carrie-esque style ending – well, in terms of a high school end of term dance. A very easy to read and engaging series that I find myself really enjoying and hoping for more. A good mix of characters (although try not to become too attached because as I mentioned – ruthless author), a secret history waiting to be uncovered, a different take on some well established critters and horror that doesn’t give you nightmares (although, to be clear, there is no shortage of blood and death – just, it doesn’t have that scary vibe that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up).
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Review: It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
28 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Cherie Priest, Horror, It Was Her House First, Mystery, Review, writing
My Five Word TL:DR Review: A View to Die For
I loved It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest. It was easy to read, the writing is excellent and there’s a mystery at the core of this haunted house that I really wanted to uncover.
Ronnie Mitchell has just bought a house at auction, unseen, with the intention of renovating it and making a beautiful place to live. What she is perfectly unaware of is that the house is haunted. It has a tragic past that continues to draw attention, in fact Ronnie isn’t the first person to purchase the place hoping to go to work – and it hasn’t ended well for the previous owners.
By way of a little background. Ronnie is suffering from a huge dose of guilt, her brother died in a tragic accident and she believes herself to be guilty through neglect. Ronnie has severe anxiety issues and was, at the time of her brother’s demise, taking medication that left her feeling numb and oddly disconnected with the world around her. Now, she is able to purchase this huge project courtesy of the money bequeathed to her upon her brother’s death – this was unexpected and Ronnie is determined to make the most of this legacy by renovating this project to the best of her ability. She’s accompanied by her brother’s girlfriend Kate (another source of guilt for Ronnie as Kate did not inherit a thing).
In terms of the house. The house was built for Venita Rost, a successful movie star from the silent movie era. Venita and her husband have an almost idyllic existence shared with their young daughter, that is until Venita’s husband befriends a famous investigator called Bartholomew Sloan. At first everyone bumbles along quite nicely until Venita starts to develop suspicions about Bartholomew and begins to snoop into his affairs. Within fairly short order the entire family is dead as is Bartholomew and the house is neglected, standing empty with just the ghosts from the past rattling around.
So, what I really enjoyed about this.
Firstly, the writing. Priest writes with such flair and confidence. Her characters all shine off the page and the jump between past and present is handled with finesse. Clearly, this author knows a thing or two about renovating houses (or she’s undertaken a lot of research) and these elements really play into the story rather than feeling tacked on just for convenience’s sake. In fact that’s true of the entire story. There’s substance to everything included. The house is a gothic masterpiece, the ghosts themselves feel fleshed out and the mystery is the hook that propels everything forward. Plus the attention to detail, particularly the dialogue which feels really fitting depending which story you’re currently reading.
Secondly, I love a story with a dual timeline and this one is no exception. We jump back and forth between now and the 1930s and Priest captures the element of both periods so well. Ronnie is the central pov and she is accompanied by Bartholomew as he follows Ronnie around the house, gradually telling us his story, and of course the mesmerising Venita’s sections told through her water damaged journal. I loved the way Venita shines from the page, she has a captivating presence and allure that has been honed during her time trapped as a ghost, her fury becoming a thing to be feared.
I loved the house setting. It really feeds into the narrative with it’s creepy basement, dodgy floors and rat infested walls. It really is a ‘fixer upper’. And, it still contains most of the original furniture and trappings, right down to a rather spooky mirror on the Parlour wall. I also think it worked really well as we flit between the past and present seeing the house in its splendour compared to the spooky thing it has transformed into.
And, I liked Ronnie, she doesn’t always make the best choices or indeed trust her gut instincts but she has a no nonsense approach to the house and it’s strange inhabitants. Me, I’d be terrified, no way could I spend a night in that house but Ronnie just gets on with it – although she does use alcohol and other ‘things’ to sometimes boost her courage – which sometimes gives off slight ‘whiff’s of unreliability in terms of what she thinks she’s hearing or seeing.
Personally I thought Venita kind of stole the show with her magnetism and her beautifully written journal. Bartholomew comes across as a slightly lumbering, guilt riddled guy who made bad choices and suffers terrible regrets.
I don’t think I can add too much more. This isn’t a totally ‘in your face, all out action, story. It does take it’s time a little to set the scene and develop the characters but this is something I really appreciated as it adds a certain gravitas.
A haunting with a difference, angry ghosts, a vaudevillian style villain and a protagonist determined to make her peace with this house and its strange inhabitants.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Review: The Enchanted Greenhouse (Spellshop #2) by Sarah Beth Durst
14 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Fantasy, Review, Romance, Sarah Beth Durst, Spellshop #2, The Enchanted Greenhouse, The Spellshop
My Five Word TL: DR Review: Sweet as Sweet Can Be
The Enchanted Greenhouse is a companion novel set in the same world as The Spellshop. In fact it brings to us a character that we hear about in that first novel, a young woman called Terlu Perna who broke the law of the land by using magic (without being a sorcerer) and, in order to make an example of her, was sentenced rather harshly to be turned into a wooden statue on permanent display at the library of Alyssium – a perfect deterrent to others who might be similarly tempted.
I would say that I really don’t think you need to have read The Spellshop in order to pick this up – obviously some of the characters and places are mentioned here which was nice but this works perfectly as a standalone. In my opinion The Spellshop had a little more of an edge than this one so I would heartily recommend you to pick it up but equally you could start with this one and work back.
This is cosy romantasy at it’s best. If that’s not your thing then you have been warned. This is charmingly cosy, it’s like a warm hug and a cup of steaming cocoa. There is no high stakes here and the ending is blissfully lovely not to mention squeakily clean. So, if you want angst, anger, drama, warfare, fighting or sexy times then you need to look elsewhere. Instead, what The Enchanted Greenhouse gives you is a lovely pair of characters, brought together out of necessity who eventually become totally smitten.
To be honest it would be hard not to love this book in so many ways. The setting is lovely, I do love a bit of gardening so the greenhouses and it’s plants and inhabitants were great to read about. There’s plenty of magic and mishaps. Terlu isn’t a sorcerer – but she is clever – so she eventually works out how to use the books left behind by the previous sorcerer (long since passed away) and creator of the greenhouses.
Just by way of a little background – Terlu mysteriously awakens on a lonely island in the midst of winter with no idea of how she came to be there or how she found herself resurrected from her ‘statue’ condition. The island is home of many beautiful and interconnected greenhouses, they go from wonder to wonder, packed with magical and sentient plants and tiny little pollinating dragons. The only other inhabitant is a grumpy, yet indecently handsome gardener who appears to be supremely disappointed when he learns that Terlu is not a sorcerer. It seems that the magical greenhouses are beginning to fail, some of them have already fallen into decay, the plants have died and Yarrow (aforementioned gardener) is desperate for a solution. As mentioned above Terlu has of course used magic successfully before and once she sets her mind to helping the two have quite a few excursions in the search for answers.
The romance here is a nice slow pace. Both characters have certain things holding them back. Terlu is constantly aware of the fact she’s breaking the law and has no desire to return to the state of being a statue. Yarrow is filled with guilt and despair over the plants and greenhouses already lost, he feels let down by his family and indeed the sorcerer whose magic is now sputtering out and having spent many years alone, and feeling that this would be his lot in life, coming into contact with the quite bubbly and never endingly curious Terlu is a bit of a shock at first.
Certainly this book is about second chances and in that respect it works perfectly. It was delightfully easy to read, Yarrow and Terlu make a lovely couple (Yarrow is particularly easy on the eye and too good to be true in so many ways – thoughtful, great cook, caring – if he was any more perfect it would be positively illegal).
The only minor issue, which held this book back a little by comparison to the Spellshop, was the lack of any real tension, which, you kind of expect with the whole ‘cosy’ genre, and yet I felt the first book raised the stakes a little bit. I also felt that there came a point where the deserted island began to feel a bit lacking – even though we had plenty of active and talkative plants, I wanted a bit more company, something to disrupt things a little – which, of course, eventually happens.
All told this was such a delicious little book, dripping in honey cakes and other goodies that will make your mouth water (Yarrow at all!) If you’re in the mood for wonderfully cosy then this could go to the top of your list.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Review: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
10 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Mystery, Review, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Bewitching, Thriller
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Definitely not a cosy story
I enjoyed The Bewitching, this is the story of three women whose stories interconnect across time. It blends Mexican folklore and horror to bring to us the disappearance of a young woman that has remained a mystery over the years.
To be fair, I love split timeline stories and I also have enjoyed everything I’ve read by this author to date so I could be unreasonably biased, but I don’t think so.
Set in 1908 we follow Alba’s story, a young woman, just coming of age and starting to feel attracted to a local neighbourhood boy. Alba believes in witches and when unhappy occurences begin to take place she recognises the signs of bewitchment. Her uncle, however, doesn’t believe in such superstitious nonsense and Alba, who longs for her uncles approval, keeps her thoughts to herself. And, yet, the family continue to experience terrible luck with Alba’s brother disappearing without a sign and animals around the farm being brutally killed in the dead of night.
Jump to 1934 where we become aware of Virginia’s disappearance from Stoneridge College. Her roommate and best friend Betty (Beatrice Tremblay) has never forgotten her and becoming an author in later life wrote only one novel called The Vanishing. This part of the story is slightly different than the other two in that we learn about events from manuscripts, notebooks, newspaper articles and interviews.
In 1998 we meet Minerva (Alba’s great granddaughter – from the 1908 story). She is attending the same academy as Virginia and Betty and in fact her thesis is about the author Tremblay and her work The Vanishing. To help with research Minerva connects with Carolyn, Beatrice’s best friend (from the 1934 story element) and she uncovers an unpublished manuscript that clearly relates some of the story regarding Virginia’s disappearance.
So, all three stories are interconnected in more ways than one – in particular is that for each timeline something sinister is stalking the women involved.
I think I’ve possibly made that sound terribly complicated – although I really hope not.
Let’s take a look at what I really enjoyed.
The writing, I clearly wouldn’t keep coming back for more if this author wasn’t so good at what she does, she is amazing at giving you the creeps, that experience where you’re reading and find yourself suddenly self aware that everyone else has gone to bed, you’re alone, the curtains are open and, okay, it could be your imagination, but somebody could be standing in the dark looking in. Gives me the shivers. That’s what she does. She also creates this really creepy, threatening even, atmosphere around the college campus where Minerva is frequently out at night and the place is practically deserted.
She also manages to give us three, yes, connected, storylines but at the same time with such clear voices and with a different feel. The early storyline is set in Mexico and this is where we learn that witches are real – and, well, some of them are definitely not nice! We learn of the folklore elements here and although I wouldn’t say that this was my favourite out of the three stories you do need to pay attention and think about what you’re discovering.
I really liked the mystery element and for that reason the two later storylines were my favourite – just because that’s where the mystery really began. We have Minerva in the most recent story carrying out research into Virginia’s disappearance and uncovering things from that period that seemed to have remained overlooked. And of course Minerva’s research could actually be putting her in real danger.
In terms of criticisms, I felt that some elements of the story slowed the pace a little. For me this wasn’t really a problem because I still pretty much devoured this in short order but I was aware on occasion of feeling that the tempo and tension had lessened. I would mention that some elements of the story may be difficult for some readers as the author delves into certain aspects. I also would mention that I second guessed a couple of the elements that were going on here – but, in fairness, I think that may be deliberate on the part of the author as she still manages to sneak in a final surprise.
Overall, I really did have a good time reading this. I love a good mystery and throw in some dark witchy goings on and I’m sold. .
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Review: Paved With Good Intentions by Peter McLean (War for the Rose Throne #5)
7 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, fiction, Paved With Good Intentions, Peter McLean, Review, War for the Rose Throne #5
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Brilliant, I absolutely loved it
I’m just going to be honest – I’m not usually a fan of spin off books or prequels – and yet, I loved this. It was such a good read and I think, in all honesty, even if you haven’t read the other books in this series, you could read this as a standalone – and, in fact, it might be a perfect way to discover if you love this world or not.
The story focuses on Eline and basically how she becomes a Queen’s Man.
I’m actually not going to go into the plot. I’m going to focus on what I really enjoyed.
First and foremost, the writing. McLean has some writing chops. This isn’t my first rodeo and I literally fell into this with ease. I really enjoyed it. This is my fantasy, grimdark if you will, kind of story. It doesn’t pull the punches, it’s raw and gritty, maybe a little bit shocking, but it isn’t gruesome or gratuitous.
I loved Eline, her story is so fascinating. Horrifying and yet hopeful. She is one resilient woman. I can’t event begin to contemplate what she went through and yet she is a strong woman, and clever.
The rest of the cast are also really good. Eline has this motherly quality, she has two children of her own and she extends those feelings to the people she finds herself amongst.
I can’t say too much more. Other than, this book is so good. I absolutely loved it. The characters, the setting, the story – all perfect. I would love to read more about Eline and what comes next, or maybe this is as much of her back story as we’re going to discover. For me, this was such a good read, I can’t recommend it enough.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks, the agove is my own opinion.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Books and travelling with Lynn 