Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn

Oooooh! The second novel by Deanna Raybourn and the sequel to Silent in the Grave!! I was so excited when I finally received it that I tore the packaging apart and got some nasty cardboard cuts on my fingers but it was all worth it people! It was all worth it.

The story picks up where the first one left off and it's written in the same engaging way as SitG. Lady Julia and her brothers have been summoned home from Italy to spend Christmas at their family home in England. She has not heard from Nicholas Brisbane in several months but is determined not to let it dampen her spirits. But as she finally arrives home she realises that Brisbane has also been invited to spend Christmas at the March's mansion and he is not alone, he has brought his fiancée! This is not something Lady Julia can spend a lot of time thinking about as a murder takes place and the two have to work together to find the culprit!

It's now time for my second "Oooooh!" and oh my what an "Oooooh!" it is. It may not be quite as good as the first book but I also had such high expectations that I doubt it could have but it is as close as a good follow-up novel has ever been. It's fantastic! I love the way Raybourne describes the milieu and the characters and I really, really wish the next Lady Julia Grey Mystery could come out....NOW!

Going Dutch by Katie Fforde

Two women are living on a barge. The younger woman, Dora, has just called off her wedding and her best friend's mom, Jo, who was dumped by her husband for a younger model lets Jo stay at the barge she's living on. The two women... yada yada yada

Sorry about that but I couldn't be bothered to summarise any more of Going Dutch. I have read several of Katie Fforde's novels and I am sad to say that this one had me yawning from beginning to end and I'm quite annoyed over the fact that I spent £6.99 on it. I actually kept on reading hoping it'd get better but towards the end I read a few sentences that made me gag as it would have been too cheesy and corny for the slimiest kind of novels*. It's so bad it doesn't even work as a joke, that's how bad it is.

If you think I'm lying you can check it out for yourself the next time you enter a book store. It's sort of halfway through the last chapter. But. If you can't be bothered, and I suggest that you stay away from this book anyway, then here you go - the most vile thing I've ever read;

"You can go anywhere you like. The world is your oyster. You are the pearl."

Eeeurgh!

C'mon Katie Fforde - you can do so much better than this. I should also try to say something nice and I can - the cover is nice, I particularly like the wellies...

*I have yet to read such a novel but now I've read 3 sentences of one...