YVO’S SHORTIES #235 – Lost Girls & Spring Skies Over Bluebell Castle

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time a detective thriller sequel of a series that is quickly becoming a new favorite and the first book of a romance series that I really enjoyed.

Title: Lost Girls
(DI Kim Stone #3)
Author: Angela Marsons
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Detective
First published: November 6th 2015
Publisher: Bookouture
Finished reading: May 23rd 2021
Pages: 442

“Desperation and fear do horrible things to a person.”

I know I’m years late to the DI Kim Stone party, but now that I’ve finally started the series I’m not letting go again. Lost Girls is already the fourth book I’ve read this year and I have to say that this detective series is quickly turning into a favorite. Engaging, suspenseful, thrilling, twisted… I do like my detective thrillers on the dark side, and Angela Marsons offers us plenty of that and more. Lost Girls evolves around a double kidnapping case where two little girls go missing and their parents are pitted against each other by the kidnapper. Without doubt a fascinating plot that offers plenty of twists and turns as well as a lot of suspense. The writing is spot on as always, and I literally couldn’t stop reading until I finished it in the early hours… I simply HAD to know how it all ended. Things can get pretty graphic and disturbing and a warning is due for animal cruelty (not my favorite). Thankfully that was only a tiny blip on the radar in an otherwise fantastic detective thriller sequel, and once again I had a great time reading about the dynamics between Kim and her team as well as their developments. I do wonder if we will see more of Matt in the future… Not that I will be waiting for long to find out, because I’m already looking forward to picking up the next book.

Title: Spring Skies Over Bluebell Castle
(Bluebell Castle #1)
Author: Sarah Bennett
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: April 1st 2019
Publisher: HQ
Finished reading: May 24th 2021
Pages: 229

You’re allowed to shine a little bit, sometimes. People will be quick enough to steal your glory, don’t give it away so easily.”

I’ve been trying to find fun and uplifting romance stories to read as I seem to be more and more in the mood for these kind of stories… I’m kind of new to the genre, so I was glad to be pointed into the direction of Sarah Bennett‘s books. I decided to start with her Bluebell Castle collection, and this first book Spring Skies Over Bluebell Castle was exactly what I was looking for. True, it took me a little while to connect to it as the story starts rather somber, but once I got to know the two main characters and learned more about the setting and the rest of the cast, I was hooked. The whole cast of characters is just so likeable and I loved both Lucie and Arthur as characters. There is some tension and secret hiding going on, but as a whole this is mostly an uplifting story and I loved discovering the castle and its history along with Lucie. The art element is a great addition and I like how the story evolved around it… And the ending definitely made me want to come back for more. I will definitely be looking forward to the other books so I can return to these characters! Also, any recommendations for similar author/titles would be more than welcome as this was just the dose of uplifting romance I was craving.