Jeannie Johnson

A New Doctor at Orchard Cottage Hospital by Lizzie Lane takes us to Somerset, England in 1930. Women doctors were a rarity, and they were not treated as peers by their male counterparts. Unfortunately, women were seen as inferior to men. Frances Brakespeare is a strong, independent, and intelligent woman. When she becomes the new physician at the Orchard Cottage Hospital, it will take her time to overcome resistance. There were some good characters and I enjoyed getting to know them. Of course, there were some unpleasant ones as well (I want to see one get his just desserts). The story was easy to read. I thought the author captured the time period. There was one thing that I thought dragged on a little too long (when it was finally revealed, my thought was it’s about time). The ending was abrupt (I flipped back and forth going, “that’s it”). There were a couple of plot lines that were not resolved by the conclusion (which is frustrating). I am hoping that these dangling threads will be picked up in the next book. The author’s vivid descriptions of Somerset allowed me to picture the quaint town (I would love to visit). It will be interesting to see what happens next.… (meer)

Wow the war is finally over and so much has changed in their lives, but the three M's are still tight friends. What a great journey! complicated for each of them, such depth. Gives you a good overview of what life must have been like during the war, from different perspectives. Stretches your heartstrings with sorrow, joy, wondering, unknown, starting new. Excellent long read.
I received this book free from the authors, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#NetGalley #AFondFarewellfortheTobaccoGirls #LizzieLane #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #BoldwoodBooks #HistoricalFiction… (meer)

New Neighbors for Coronation Close by Lizzie Jane takes us back to 1936 in Bristol. We get to meet Jenny Crawford who is in an unhappy marriage. She is married to Ron who is a dock worker. Ron takes out his unhappiness and anger on his wife. Jenny takes care of the home and their two daughters. The family lives in a rundown tenement. Ron becomes involved with the Blackshirts. His involvement gets the family moved to a new council house on Coronation Close. With Ron busy with Sir Oswald Mosley’s organization, Jenny is at loose ends. Most of the residents on Coronation Close are friendly. Jenny soon makes friends and begins to come out of her shell. Jenny also has two men who would love to spend time with her. If Roy should find out, the consequences would be dire for Jenny. I enjoyed New Neighbors for Coronation Close. The beginning is a little slow as the author takes the time to establish the setting and the characters. When the family moves to Coronation Close, the story picks up. I thought the characters were realistic. They suited the location and time period. The author brought the locale alive with her vivid descriptions. I could envision the tenement where Jenny lived (it sounded awful). Coronation Close is the opposite of Jenny’s former residence. The story does have some dark sections. Roy was a violent man. He is a bully who takes his anger out on his wife. We learn something about him at the end that explains his attitude. I liked Jenny’s new friends on Coronation Close especially Thelma Dawson. Jenny had some interesting neighbors. The author captured the time period with historical events such as the abdication of Edward VIII for a certain divorcee. I was sorry when the story ended. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. New Neighbors for Coronation Close is a touching tale with a vicious spouse, a dirty dwelling, spiteful letters, friendly neighbors, a brutal beating, a caring charmer, and a startling revelation.… (meer)

a-bit-of-snark, amateur-sleuth, Bath England, cosy-mystery, family-drama, family-dynamics, hotelier, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, overt-humor, read, relationships, romantic, series, single-parent, situational-humor, sly-humor, verbal-humor, wedding-madness*****

If you are looking for a deep, dark, adventurous police procedural--you are so in the wrong place!
But if you need a cozy mystery that will have you laughing your sox off and forgetting about work, bills, or whatever else--this is the very thing! The sleuthing finds a lot of weirdness, each character is zanier than the next, and definitely great world building.
It really can be read as stand-alone because anything important from the earlier books is alluded to. Absolutely loved it!
The sleuthing is interesting, and really ramps up when another body is located elsewhere.
If you like your cozies irreverent and with a lot of laughs, you'll love this one as much as I did!
I requested and received an EARC from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!… (meer)