Friday Fives - Five Quick Reviews For Books I've Read Recently

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This week I'm sharing 5 quick reviews for books I've read recently.

1.  The Desk from Hoboken by M.L. Clondike - I'm fascinated by genealogy and solving mysteries from the past so obviously picking up this book was a no brainer for me.  Unfortunately, I found the book didn't quite live up to its potential for me.  RaeJean was an interesting main character and I'm always here for a dog sidekick.  However, language and subject matter as well as a few incidents kept this from being a cozy but there wasn't the pace that typically makes a more straightforward mystery work for me.  I was interested in how everything came to be but not enough I will continue this series. My Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)

2.  Let Me Lie by Claire Mackintosh - I've read one book by this author that I loved and found seriously fast paced.  This one didn't quite live up to that but I did enjoy overall and the end definitely had me hooked.  Anna is struggling with a loss of both her parents within a year as well as other dramatic changes in her life. Anna's relationship with partner gave me a bit of the ick and there were times the plot felt a bit slow.  The character of Murray was really what kept me reading the story and while I guessed aspects of the solution there were a few surprises in the end.  This wasn't a favorite but I'm looking forward to reading another book by this author.  Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

3.  Murder Flies the Coop by Jessica Ellicott - This is such a fun cozy series that takes place in a small English village between the Wars.  Edwina is a proper English spinster and her old school friend, American divorcee and adventuress, Beryl Halliwell is anything but.  Together though they make for an excellent crime solving team.  I really enjoyed this one that tackled pigeon racing (long distance which is much more gentlemanly than short distances somehow) and how coal mine life was viewed by the other residents.  I love Beryl and Edwina and the solution of the mystery was a bit of a surprise.  This is a nice cozy mystery series with a likable set of characters and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

4.  Someone to Wed by Mary Balogh - I love this series so far and this was just a lovely story.  I wasn't entirely sure I was going to connect to Wren at the very beginning as she does come across as very cold and distant.  However, as the story went on I quickly grew to love her.  Alex and the rest of the Westcott family is delightful as usual and I loved seeing more of Violet and her daughters as they are still navigating their new circumstances.  I enjoyed this one from beginning to end and when I came to the last page I found I wanted more time with the characters which is always a good sign.  This was a lovely historical romance with an older than usual female lead and an interesting set of challenges.  My Rating: Loved It (5 Stars)

5.  The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene - This was a recommendation from a friend and I really enjoyed this in audiobook form.  Four girls at a small Southern US college went missing 20+ years ago and a body has just been found.  Between that and a true crime podcast about the subject going viral Lindsey's life has been turned on its ear - because Lindsey's older sister was the fourth girl to go missing.  Through multiple POVs and two different timelines the investigation unfolds and made for a seriously interesting listen that definitely had me hooked.  There are a lot of twists and turns and while I did guess a few things there were also a lot of surprises.  I haven't read anything by this author before but I'll definitely be looking for more by her.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)