Location, Location, Damnation by Nick Moseley

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Content: Strong Language (the British variety)



Working as an estate agent in the town of Brackenford isn’t the hardest job in the world – just ask Trev Irwin. He knows the market inside out, house prices are steady, and the only competition in the office is Barry, who has all the wit and charm of a mouth ulcer.

But there are other forces at work in Brackenford besides the unquenchable desire of grannies to buy bungalows, as Trev discovers when he witnesses a shadowy entity possess a man in a local café. A man who goes straight home and murders his wife and her lover. With a cricket bat.


This book series caught my eye when I saw it was part of a buddy read. I was particularly interested in it because it promised to be humorous and I'm always looking for a book that can make me laugh. I could also have possibly been drawn to it because we just happen to have our house on the market right now and have been looking for a new one for quite a few months. It was an interesting coincidence that this book features real estate agents, or estate agents, as they are called in England.

Fortunately, this book had me laughing immediately. I loved all the snarky sarcasm. I was interested in the story right away as well. Unfortunately the story itself lost some steam somewhere in the middle. It was still fun but not as entertaining as I was hoping it would be, but I have heard that the series gets better so I'll stick it out for the next book.

The things I liked best about the book was the snarky, sarcastic humor; the characters Oscar (Because who doesn't love a talking cat?); and Agatha. I hope they continue to be featured prominently in the series.

Shamed by Linda Castillo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Content: Strong Language


An Amish grandmother is murdered on an abandoned farm, her seven year old granddaughter abducted. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder plunges headlong into a case that quickly becomes a race against the clock.

The investigation takes Kate to an isolated Old Order Amish settlement along the river in southern Ohio. At first, the community seems upstanding and helpful. But when Kate starts asking questions, they stonewall her—and the situation soon becomes dangerous. What are they hiding and why?

This was a good installment in the series. I debated giving it 3.5 stars because I thought the characters were dumbed down a little to keep the mystery going. It was actually very easy to figure out, but I left it at 4 stars because Kate wasn't nearly as reckless as she normally is. Of course, she also had a lot of help this time around as well. Tomasetti was in on most of the investigation, as well as the local sheriff and the police department from another county. I wasn't crazy about the way the book ends without any clear knowledge of whether or not someone did something they were suspected of doing. That being said, I still enjoyed the book, and the way everything else was wrapped up.

Compared to most of the other books in the series this book focuses mostly on the mystery and much less on the personal issues and lives of the characters. That wasn't a bad thing since a lot of the personal issues have been ironed out at this point. There was less personal interaction between Kate and Tomasetti, but at the same time he seemed more supportive and less worried about her. That was most likely due to the fact that he had nothing to worry about, since Kate wasn't being her normal reckless self. Kate, in general, has become a very likeable character as this series has progressed and I continue to look forward to reading about her and Tomasetti, and everyone else in Painter's Mill.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance, Mystery
Content: Clean



Three years into the Great War, England’s greatest asset is their intelligence network—field agents risking their lives to gather information, and codebreakers able to crack every German telegram. Margot De Wilde thrives in the environment of the secretive Room 40, where she spends her days deciphering intercepted messages. But when her world is turned upside down by an unexpected loss, for the first time in her life numbers aren’t enough.

Drake Elton returns wounded from the field, followed by an enemy that just won’t give up. He’s smitten quickly by the too-intelligent Margot, but how to convince a girl who lives entirely in her mind that sometimes life’s answers lie in the heart?

I've enjoyed Roseanna M. White's other books and was looking forward to starting this new series, and while I enjoyed this book as well, I didn't like it as much as the others I've read. First I'll mention that, as usual with this author's books, I did like the historical setting, and the way the author weaves in real historical events and figures into her stories. Also, if you read the Shadows Over England series then you will recognize the main character and several others. I liked that we got another glimpse of Lucas and Willa among a few others.

While I liked Margot I did find that I had a hard time relating to her at times because she thought so much in numbers, which is definitely not my thing. I did however find the code breaking interesting. I liked the love interest Drake a lot, but I felt like the romance was a bit flat. I think that was a lot because of Margot's personality.

The mystery aspect of the book was ok, but it didn't really keep me on the edge of my seat or anything. The lack of romance and the so-so mystery resulted in me being a bit bored at times. Because this author usually does a really good job keeping me interested, I'm not giving up on this series just yet, but I'm also not thrilled that the next book features a character that I didn't care too much for in this one. Hopefully he has a really good redemption story.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.