Matt Mills dreams of being a stand up comedian but it is a tough business and he is only 12!
Matt Millz is a children’s book aimed at ages 9-12 but adults will love it too!
I wish I could bottle how happy this book made me. The stupid smile I had throughout, the laugh out loud lines, Harry Hill’s humour shines from the plot whilst his audio narration is superb.
Matt is a young man with big plans. He even has a stage name, changing his surname from Mills to Millz. His comedy routine has been honed to perfection but can he find the right audience? His school mates, an old people’s home, the big stage? I was desperate for Matt to succeed and fulfil his dreams but the odds seem stacked against him.
The scenarios are all very funny but they are underpinned by a strong emotional thread. The drive to entertain and be successful is so strong and I really cared for Matt. I think children will like the aspirational nature of the book and think of following their own dreams. The kid characters are easy to like and relate to, whilst the humours lifts the tone associated with the risks and failures they face.
There are lots of mentions of popular culture which younger children may struggle to understand but fans of X Factor and other reality shows should appreciate the references. Harry Hill’s quirky humour sparkles throughout and I just can’t understate how much I loved this book!
Book blurb:
Meet Matt Millz – Britain’s Youngest (and funniest!) Comedian! Matt may be small but he is truly mighty on the comedy circuit. Well, he is in his head anyway. When the school holds a talent show, Matt has the opportunity to demonstrate that he’s got the magical chutzpah quip to take him all the way to the Apollo. With the help of his diminutive manager, Kitty Hope, and his hapless form teacher, as well as the school brute, his heartthrob and Rob his best friend, Matt learns what it takes to be really funny . . . A hilarious new book from National TreasureT and real-life (very) funny man Harry Hill.
Flora and Jack are organising a book event in the village. But a first edition Dickens is stolen and the librarian is found dead. The main suspect is someone Flora used to know but his arrival in the village seems odd and he was discovered standing over the body…
The Library Murders is the 8th book to feature bookshop owner Flora and crime writer Jack in the 1950s.
Despite a wedding on the horizon, it still isn’t smooth sailing for our pair of sleuths. A face from Flora’s past stirs ups some jealousy. She is also given more information about her family history which is a plotline that follows from earlier books.
Flora faces a dilemma because she can’t believe that Lowell is a killer but his sudden appearance is definitely odd. There are other suspects and motives that revolve around money and the temptation of the valuable book. Of course, the title gives a clue! Then there is another murder which makes Flora and Jack rethink the evidence.
Being set in the 1950s, there is a range of historical social comments that add to the development of the characters and plot. I still feel frustrated with the delays to the relationship between Flora and Jack but they are also impatient to wed!
The Library Murders is an enjoyable cosy historical murder mystery.
Book Description:
Bookshop owner and amateur detective Flora Steele and her fiancé, crime writer Jack Carrington, discover words can kill as they solve their most puzzling case yet…
It’s a sunny morning in Abbeymead as Flora cycles through the village and knocks on the door of the local library, planning to deliver a gift to librarian Maud Frobisher to mark her retirement. But Flora is shocked when she finds Maud slumped in the corner, and even more startled when she recognises the man holding the murder weapon – an enormous hardback book.
Flora’s known Lowell Gracey since her college days, but what is he doing working for Maud and now the main suspect in her murder? Suspicion mounts when Flora and Jack discover that Lowell is heavily in debt, and that a priceless rare first edition has recently gone missing, but Lowell is adamant that he’s innocent, and Flora believes him.
The pair are once more drawn into an investigation, but who would kill a beloved librarian?Perhaps Rose Lawson, a mysterious newcomer to Abbeymead known to be in dire financial straits? Or pompous bestselling author Felix Wingrave, who rumours say would do anything to get his hands on a valuable book for his collection?
Then the village is rocked by the discovery of a second body. Flora and Jack realise a vital clue lies in the pages of a novel – but the plot is thickening and the killer is closing in…
Flora and Jack are determined to solve this fiendish case by the book – but will this be the end of their story?
A completely page-turning and addictive cozy crime mystery. Fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis will adore this unputdownable series!
Author Bio:
Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
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1948, Martha Miller is feeling blue on Valentine’s Day with a missing husband and an unrequited love for the vicar. But things get worse when she finds a young man’s dead body…
Death at Lovers’ Leap is the third book to feature amateur sleuths Martha and Luke in an English village shortly after WW2. I have previously read and reviewed the first two books in the series: Poison at the Village Show and Daggers at the Country Fair.
A love triangle seems to have caused the latest shock death in the village. Steven died at a place renowned for a tragic past and may have jumped to his death after his girl showed attention to another. Or was he killed by his love rival? Martha and Luke realise something else may be afoot in the village when another person dies. The murder mystery is maintained until the final chapter. I liked the historical details which add to the plot and depth of the characters.
The sleuthing couple have the added complication of the arrival of Luke’s father and later his sister too. I feel so sorry for Martha and Luke as they are perfect together and their hopes of a relationship seem as far away as ever despite their obvious feelings. I really want them to find happiness but I don’t see how it will happen due to his vocation and her marital history 🙁
Death at Lovers’ Leap is an enjoyable cosy murder mystery.
Death at Lovers’ Leap
Westleham Village 1948
As Valentine’s Day rolls around, Martha Miller finds herself unusually melancholy at the state of her own love life. With husband Stan still missing and with her growing feelings for Vicar Luke still shrouded in secrecy, there’s only one place Martha can go – famous local beauty spot, Lovers’ Leap.
Legend has it that those with a broken heart throw themselves off the bridge that spans the river, but Martha is certainly not about to do such a thing! But it looks like someone else has had other ideas…. Because there in the river, Martha finds a body. But is this misadventure, a moment of lovesick madness, or is foul play afoot? Martha knows one thing…the villagers of Westleham have another crime to solve! Let the investigation commence! Find out if Martha and Luke can catch the killer in a brand new Martha Miller mystery from bestselling author Catherine Coles.
Author Bio –
Catherine Coles writes bestselling cosy mysteries set in the English countryside. Her extremely popular Tommy & Evelyn Christie series is based in North Yorkshire in the 1920’s and Catherine herself lives in Hull with her family and two spoiled dogs.
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Alice runs away from her home in America to become an au pair in Scotland. But a few weeks later, Alice has disappeared and Melanie is working under an assumed name to try to find out the truth…
The Au Pair is a psychological thriller set in Scotland.
Alice is 18 and knows her own mind. Her parents won’t let her go abroad with friends so she steals the money for her ticket and disappears. Her employment with the Davidson family is everything she hoped for despite a grumpy teen and a flirtatious uncle. So questions are asked when Alice disappears, apparently during a swim that she would neve have taken due to a childhood fear of water.
The book is written from Alice and Melanie’s perspectives. The chapters alternate so we see Alice’s experience and then Melanie’s attempts to uncover the truth. Alice’s voice sounds very young and I felt that the author had got into the mind of a headstrong teen very well. Meanwhile we know that Melanie is pretending to be someone else and looking for clues about Alice’s disappearance but what is their connection?
The prologue sets up the mystery of Alice’s apparent drowning. The Davidson family are not particularly nice and they are almost callous in their attitude at times. The mystery is sustained well and I enjoyed the way the two timelines are woven together.
The Au Pair is an enjoyable psychological thriller and mystery.
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Book Blurb
The Davidsons seem like a normal family. But they do have one little secret…
American student Alice Snyder was excited to be spending the summer in Scotland, working as an au pair for the Davidson family at their remote lodge.
But one month after she arrived, Alice disappeared without trace.
Now the new au pair, Melanie, has arrived – and soon notices that the Davidsons are a bit odd. There’s the strange comings and goings at night, the creepy paying guests, and sinister uncle Gray who makes her flesh crawl.
And then there’s the worrying scratch marks on the floor of the au pair’s bedroom.
Did Alice try to barricade herself in?
What could she have been so afraid of?
Are the Davidsons somehow linked to her disappearance?
And is Melanie herself now in danger?
As she desperately tries to find out what happened to Alice, Melanie begins to understand that this old house harbours a truly horrifying secret.
Alice was its last victim, but she might be its next…
Jane’s Bio
As a child, Jane spent a lot of time in elaborate Lego worlds populated by tiny plastic animals and people. Crime levels were high, especially after the Dragon brothers set themselves up as vets and started murdering the animals in their ‘care’. (They got away with it by propping the victims up with Plasticine and pretending they were still alive…)
As an adult, she is still playing in imaginary worlds and putting her characters through hell – but now she can call it ‘writing’ and convince herself that she is doing something sensible. In real life, she has a PhD in genetics and copy-edits scientific and medical journals.
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Martha’s dislike of her sister’s fiance is heightened when he tries to kiss her! She is still reeling from her own cancelled wedding so her family send her abroad to heal her heart…
The Island of Dreams is a romantic novel set in the UK and the Greek island of Paxos. I loved the geographical detail to the settings which underpin the plot.
Poor Martha. She made the brave decision that she didn’t love Joe enough to marry him. Now she is accused of trying to split up her sister’s relationship with the horrendous Toby when in reality he tried to kiss her. A break in the sun is just what she needs! She doesn’t have the smoothest journey and meets a young boy trying to get back to the island. This leads to a number of friendships which bolster the plot, characters and relationships.
The book is written from the third person perspective and we see mostly Martha’s experience, intertwined with some details of Harry and Connie’s thoughts. The characters are so easy to like and all have been through the wringer emotionally. Martha’s issues are at the forefront initially as she worries about her lost love life and the behaviour of her prospective brother in law. Meanwhile, Connie, Harry and Milo are all still affected by the disappearance of Asya (daughter/wife/mother).
This is a quick read but I felt fully invested in the characters and plot. Martha always tries to do the right thing and I really wanted her to find love and contentment. There are some big issues dealt with in the book but they are handled sensitively and in quite a light hearted way.
The Island of Dreams is a heartwarming book, equally great for the depths of winter or a beach read.
The Island of Dreams
Martha is the youngest of three sisters and, in her mid-thirties, has the dubious honour of being the only one to call off a wedding at the last moment.
Now, feeling as if she’ll be single forever, and trying to keep her low opinion of her sister Iris’s fiancé to herself for risk of looking bitter, Martha needs a change of scene.
When she is given the opportunity of a holiday to Paxos it seems too good to turn down, though the idea of travelling alone is daunting. And when the trip to the Greek island gets complicated, Martha wonders if this has all been a mistake.
But soon the island and its residents start to work their magic on Martha, and when she meets single father Harry and his adorable son Milo, a new way of living is revealed in contrast with the drab routine of her life back home. How can Martha leave behind the warmth of the people, the freedom and the fun, not to mention Harry and Milo when it’s time for her to go home…
Let Helen McGinn magic you away to a world of sunshine and serenity, romance and relaxation. Perfect for fans of Erica James, Carol Kirkwood and Karen Swan.
Author Bio –
Helen McGinn is a much-loved wine expert on TV and in print and an international wine judge. She spent ten years as a supermarket buyer sourcing wines around the world before setting up her award-winning blog (and now best-selling wine book) The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club. She is the drinks writer for the Daily Mail and regularly appears on TV’s Saturday Kitchen and This Morning. Helen lives in the New Forest.
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