chubby_little_butter_books's reviews
149 reviews

The Twelve Days of Murder by Andreina Cordani

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“The Christmas Eve mystery schedule was laid out before her. Cocktails at six, murder at nine, criminal brought to justice by eleven…”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When a group of uni friends get together at a remote Scottish property to play a game of murder, none of them imagine it might be their last. The Masquerade Murder Society haven’t been together since their best player, Carl, disappeared 12 years ago…but when they receive invitations to play one more game, they can’t resist. At the remote, inaccessible property, the masqueraders slowly uncover each others secrets, unraveling the past and unearthing motives for murder. Then, one by one, the group begins to die. When everyone has a motive, how will a murderer be discovered?

This was such a fun, fast paced read. Were the characters insufferable, yes. Were they meant to be, also yes. I genuinely found myself getting angry when some of them would talk but as the story progressed and each became more human, I could see the intricate web the author was weaving. I didn’t guess the killer until it was obvious, which I LOVED! I have a preternatural talent for guessing the whodunit way too early and any story that can keep me guessing until the end is really fun!

I would highly recommend the audio for this one, Ella Lynch gives an excellent performance and everyone gets a totally unique voice. The accents and the silly nature of some of the masquerade dialogue was especially amusing in audio. 

Thank you to Andreina Cordani, Netgalley and Dreamscape for the audioARC, I thoroughly enjoyed it!! 
It's a Fabulous Life by Kelly Farmer

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“Somewhere in this town, there’s a person in despair. They don’t love the holidays anymore.” “In this town? That’s hard to believe.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Bailey George just wants out of Lanford Falls for the few days leading up to Christmas. It is her first year not in charge of the Winter Wonderfest and she needs out; even if the elusive and beautiful Maria has returned. But when everything goes wrong and Bailey must save Winter Wonderfest, with Maria’s help of course, she cannot help but feel resentful. Can love, and a little drag queen magic help Bailey find her festive joy once again?

I loved this story! Bailey and Maria are such a cute couple and they had a lived in feeling, as did all of Lanford Falls. Their romance made sense and their reconnection took a little time. If you like sapphic love and puppies, as well as a wintery, Christmasy setting, there is no better book to get ready for the holidays. This was easily my favourite ‘traditional’ holiday read of the last couple of years. 

As I listened to the audiobook, I should mention that both narrators did an excellent job. The characterisation and attention to emotional detail was spot on. 

Thank you to Kelly Farmer, Netgalley, and Dreamscape for the audioARC.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Mall Priest: A Tale of Demonic Holiday Horror by Chris Heinicke

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dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

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challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Snowy Serendipity by Melissa Ferguson

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

 ‘...but this, this is something entirely different. Gleaming candy apple red paint across the body, trimmed throughout in gold and green. A colossal wreath hangs on the front of the engine, the scent of pine needles already waging and winning the fight against the typical greasy air...The Christmas Express.’ 
 
This audiobook brings you not one, but two adorable Christmas romances. One set on The Christmas Express and the other at Evergreen Christmas Tree Farm. In the first offering, Dashing Through the Snow, FMC Willow has just been dumped and faces a two week long, romantic trip aboard the train of her dream alone. What she finds aboard, instead is friendship, fun, and herself...and maybe a little something extra. In Pining for You, childhood friends and sweethearts Skye and Theo must work together to take care of Theo’s family’s Christmas Tree farm following an accident. But will they be able to work together long enough to heal old wounds?  
 
Look, I am not a romance girlie, I think anyone who knows me or is familiar with my reviews knows this. Generally, I find the formulaic manner of romances to be boring and I often find myself disengaged. But sometimes you just need something sugary sweet to indulge in. With Christmas on the horizon (yes, I am that person) I have been looking forward to every, single holiday romance I plan to read. This was an excellent starting point. Neither of these stories was particularly long and that felt right. I am also a sucker for Christmas stories set on trains, there is just something magical about it...if you like stories of women getting their groove back after a breakup or a second chance romance, these will be for you. These are cute, wholesome stories, so if you are hoping for some spice, I am sorry to disappoint. My demisexual little heart loved that these couples were taking their time and really connecting, so I am forever grateful for a pair of stories that doesn’t even need the door closed.  
 
Both Talon David and Kayla Jackson were excellent narrators. I think each gave perfectly to their stories and I found them both very engaging and easy to listen to. 
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America's Most Infamous Female Physician and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime by Nicholas L. Syrett

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

‘...respectable, white, married ladies, the people who should be producing the next generation of upstanding American citizens were reneging on their duties in favour of family limitation. If they had fewer children, while the poor and immigrants continued to have such large families, would old stock Americans be outnumbered? Even replaced altogether?’ 
 
In the mid-nineteenth century, women were beginning to work out of the house more, to take up more independent lives and restrict the number of children they were having. For those with means, or those willing to work off a debt, the likes of Madame Restell (and numerous counterparts) would assist women (and men) with limiting the size of families, the trauma of childbearing out of wedlock and preventing conception in the first place. Madame Restell was, likely, the most famous female physician in America, primarily because she was seen as a murderess, killer of babies, and in some sense, the American family.  
 
I was fascinated with this story, knowing nothing about Madame Restell or women like her prior to picking up this audio ARC. What was most interesting was to learn some of the data related to abortion and midwifery practice in the 1800’s, compared with early gynaecological practice, which was being pioneered at the time. The likes of Madame Restell, who is acknowledged within this text as a highly skilled female physician, who is never recorded as having lost a patient, were far safer to entrust with delivering a child or performing an abortion than their degree possessing counterparts. This, of course, angered male doctors, who resented sharing the name physician with these uneducated women, and between these men and a religious zealot or two, the anti-abortion movement was born. It was truly a gift to learn about the beginnings of this movement and its, likely, deep seeded misogyny and resentment of women both who were baring children as they saw fit and those willing to assist them. While this book did circle back on itself a few times and was occasionally dry, I found it to be overall informative and engaging. I was saddened by the end which befell Madame Restell, and which indicates I had engaged with her both as a character, as well as a historical figure. If you have an interest in history, particularly relating to the freedoms of women or feminist movements, this book may give you an insight into the genesis of one of these causes.  
 
Madeline Maby’s narration was engaging and very well suited to the subject matter, I very much enjoyed her reading.  
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