Aug 13, 2022

Bleeding Heart and Lonely Hearts: Book Reviews


Bleeding Heart Yard
by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publication: November 15, 2022
Genre: mystery, crime fiction, NetGalley

I've enjoyed many of Elly Griffiths' novels, though this is the first in this series for me. I was pleased as expected, and loved the intricate plotting and it subtle twists, the characterizations, and the whodunnit suspense.

The murder mystery revolves around The Group, a set of high school students at Manor Park School, who were always together, even when one of them, David, falls to his death in front of a moving train. Now, twenty years later, the remaining members of The Group are at a school reunion, where another one of them is murdered. Suspicion falls on all of them.

I loved that the mystery plot is not predictable, nor is the culprit or the reasons behind the murders. Another excellent mystery by the author.

View all my reviews (Goodreads)



Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club by Roselle Lim
Publication: August 16, 2022; Berkley
Genre: rom com, romance, magical realism, NetGalley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sophie Go moves out of her demanding and demeaning parents' home, determined to make it on her own as a matchmaker in Toronto, even though she is not accredited by the matchmaking school. Her skills are challenged by the Old Ducks, a group of lonely 70-year-old Chinese Canadian men, who hire her to find them suitable wives or partners.

Sophie is a very sympathetic individual as she struggles to help support her parents as well as herself,  while trying to show she can do the job she has always dreamed of. She becomes close to the Old Ducks, the septuagenarians who are her clients, mostly likeable characters, each personality having his own foibles, quirks, and skill sets.

The character delineations as well as the clever plot make this novel. Sophie becomes close to the Old Ducks while trying to find them love partners, and you wonder if she will also find her own match along the way.

Magical realism makes this rom com unique. Sophie can see the "red threads" of people's hearts that flare to indicate their interest or willingness to meet a special someone.  The matchmaking society or association to which she belongs is a group of people with special magical insights and skills.



What are you reading this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated BookreviewerAlso,  It's Monday: What Are You Readingand Sunday SalonStacking the ShelvesMailbox Monday

42 comments:

  1. I do love a toouch of magical realism so this book sounds good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "a toouch of magical realism" hahahahaha. Forgive me for laughing, I know it was a type-o, but the magical realism character voice I hear in my head saying that is too much.

      Delete
  2. Oh, Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club sounds like so much fun. I think I will look for that one. During the pandemic, when I couldn't read any serious fiction, rom-coms got me through.

    Thanks for sharing it and the Elly Griffiths book with us.

    ReplyDelete
  3. After seeing Cath's reviews of Elly Griffith's books, and now this one (#3 of the series) I really want to try this author. Everyone seems to love her style. Fortunately, I do have eGalleys so hope to have a fall-Griffiths fest. Have a good week Harvee.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She has a series plus individual books that are all good.

      Delete
  4. These both sound really good, especially the second book. I love magical realism. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tastefully done, even for those who normally dont care for magical realism.

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. I really had fun reading it. It was sad but heart warming too, in parts.

      Delete
  6. Great covers, one a bit on the dark side, the other bright and cheery. They both sound pretty good to me. Thanks for visiting fundinmental.
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
  7. Both books sound so good but Sophie Go's would be my first choice since it has magical realism, which I absolutely adore in books.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bleeding Heart sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Both of these books sound really interesting and I’m glad that you enjoyed them both. Have a wonderful week ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I also enjoyed Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club! It was so interesting and I enjoyed the magical realism in the book.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Both of these sound really interesting and so different from one another. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  12. So glad to see you loved the Griffiths book. It's on my review stack. Have a lovely week!
    Mary @Bookfan

    ReplyDelete
  13. Two 5 Star reads, that's a good thing when reading! I sometimes get stuck reading books I just don't enjoy all that much. My list is up:
    http://www.lyndonperrywriter.com/2022/08/book-date-monday-amreading-aug-15.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't continue reading books I'm not enjoying!

      Delete
  14. Both of these sound great. I've never read Elly Griffiths and will have to check her out since I read a lot of mystery/thrillers. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bleeding Heart Yard sounds good! I like Elly Griffiths a lot but haven't read that one.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love Elly Griffiths. I don't know this one I'll have to check it out.

    Anne - Books of My Heart

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You'll like it if you already like her other books.

      Delete
  17. Both 5 stars, ahh nice. We need matchmakers in Canada ha. Sounds like a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Two different books and 5 stars each is always nice. I like the touch of magical.. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Happy Reading!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Bleeding Heart Yard looks fantastic! Just requested it from netGalley *fingers crossed!*

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh gosh! Both of these really do sound brilliant and just landed on my TBR. Great reviews Harvee!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love Elly Griffiths' writing and although I haven't read all of her books, I've enjoyed those that I read. Another book to add to my growing TBR list!

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments and thoughts...

Three Novels: Japanese Mystery; Family Drama; Ecuadorian

  Books in the mail The Night of Baba Yaga  by Akira Otani (translated from the Japanese). July 2, 2024, Soho Crime This is an unusual novel...