Jacey Bedford's Journal

Booklog 46/26: Jodi Taylor: A Family Affair: Smallhope & Pennyroyal #2 – Kindle

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:48:17 GMT

Due for publication 6^th August 2026.

This follows straight on from the first Smallhope & Pennyroyal book with Lady Amelia Smallhope still recovering from a near-fatal shooting. She’s at home, keeping an eye on the estate (Starlings) and her nephew, George. She’s looking forward to a quiet time with master-butler, Pennyroyal, who has acquired a cottage just a short walk away from Starlings, over the fields. Pennyroyal is her business partner, but oh so much more… until… he gets a phone call he never expected. His sister, killed in the Middle East years ago when she was in the army, has been found, traumatised, but alive. Smallhope gives him the space he needs to help his sister’s rehab, but there is something seriously wrong somewhere, and Smallhope & Pennyroyal have to figure out what, and why, and how to fix things. This is Jodi Taylor’s usual mysterious, enthralling story with the return of much-loved characters. Expect, time-travel, family problems, a bit of gut-wrenching, some soul searching, a daring rescue, and a little bit of help from St Mary’s medical department. I had an advance reading copy from Netgalley, and loved it. I will probably go and put the audiobook on pre-order for a second ‘read.’

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Booklog 45/26: Nan Harrison: Much to be Talked Of, A Pride and Prejudice Variation – Audiobook

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:44:57 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Alice Sockett

Elizabeth Bennet has returned home after rejecting Darcy's ill-worded proposal of marriage. From then on things take a slightly differet turn from the original. Lizzy's godfather makes provision for her and her family in his will, in the event of Mr Bennet's death and the Longbourn Estate going to Mr Collins. But in return she must set up a charitable trust with the rest of his money. Misinformation abounds when people think she has inherited the whole estate, and Darcy steps in behind the scenes. Yes, it all ends happily, but the route to the happy ending is different. A pleasant listen, with Alice Sockett's gentle narration supporting the story very well.

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Booklog 44/26: Gareth Powell: Jitterbug – Jitterbug #1 – Kindle

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:41:12 GMT

In a universe where our gas giants have been repurposed by an alien intelligence to make disjointed habitable segments of a dyson sphere around our sun and its third planet, Copernicus Brown (and his bounty hunting crew on the sentient ship Jitterbug) make a big mistake in intervening to rescue a space ship from pirates. They rescue the sole survivor, Amber Roth, who is definitely not a damsel in distress. Roth is carrying a data chip with vital information about an impending invason force, and various political factions want to be the first to get hold of it. Expect political intrigue, fratching factions, space battles, and a twist when something turns out to be not at all what was expected. There might even be a bit of twisty time travel involved. This is obviously a lead into mre books featuring the Jitterbug and her crew, but it does have a good stopping point (no cliffhangers) with the crew boldly going... etc. got a bit lot in some of the time travel explanations, but the characterisation was excellent and the pace kept me turning pages.

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Booklog 43/26: Rosalind Tate: Endgame - Shorten Chronicles #6 – Audiobook

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:39:37 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Katy Sobey.

Sophie, Freddie, Hugo and Charlotte (the enhanced Labradoodle) return to a version of their own world to regroup and work out what to do next. It's not quite the universe they left, however. Sophie discovers that her parents are still alive in this version of reality. They head to Victorian England to steal the walking stick/control device from H.G. Wells who in this universe is not murderous. Unfortunately Miss Hattie Wells has arrived from another universe, courtesy of Janus, and she's a professional assassin, though one with a bit more brain than previous iterations of Wells. They spend most of the book in the Victorian period with one of Freddie's aunts (who,of course doesn't know him yet, but accepts him anyway.

This is the final book in the Shorten Chronicles, so I feel a comment on the whole six book set is in order/ It started well, the fist three books were interesting and kept me listening. The last three books, however, seemed to draw the story out too far. The whole story in books four, five, and six could have been wrapped up in one, condensing the too-long visit to Rome and the extended visit to Victorian London into shorter and more succinct episodes. The writing was smooth, and the narration excellent, but the length of the plot didn't support its content. Having said that, it was easy listening and not unenjoyable.

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Booklog 42/26: Rosalind Tate:Hunted - Shorten Chronicles #5 – Audiobook

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:37:54 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Katy Sobey.

Sophie, Freddie, Hugo and Charlotte are separated from Shorten and Baby Bella due to the whim of Janus, the god-like AI entity that controls the time travelling ship they've been using. There is another ship, but it's more dangerous to travel on - and at least one iteration of their group (from another universe) has died on it already. They determine to go to ancient Rome to get (steal) the device that will control Janus, revert him to factory settings and remove his sentience. The device looks like a walking stick but it's so much more. They spend most of the book going from near-miss to near-miss as several iterations of evil HG Wells tries to kill them on Janus' behalf. In the end they fail in their mission and Bella is just as far away as before. I found the Roman adventure somwhat pointless - a lot of running around for no result, and I'm starting to think this series has gone on for too long. The first three Shorten books were tighter and more to the point. But there's only one more book, so... onward.

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Booklog 41/26: Rosalind Tate: Defiance - Shorten Chronicles #4 – Audiobook

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:36:16 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Katy Sobey.

Sophie, Freddie, Hugo, Charlotte the DNA enhanced Labradoodle are back in 1920s Shorten, this time with Sophie's daughter, baby Bella. There was a novella unavailable on Audible, in which Sophie discovered that Bella was Freddie's, and married Hugo. Unfortuinately Sophie killed a revolutionary leader (self defence) and now his faction wants her dead. It brings much trouble to Shorten manor.

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Booklog 40/26: Sebastien de Castell: Our Lady of Blades - Court of Shadows Series (Greatcoats).

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 20:17:25 GMT

Kindle edition. Due for publication May 2026.

Set in the world of the Greatcoats, and featuring some peripheral characters from earlier stories, Rijou's infamous judicial duels are often just a method of legalised murder. How can a mild-mannered jeweller protect himself from a champion duellist who deals death for fun? The Court of Blades has become corrupt and cruel. Enter a mysterious duellist, calling herself Lady Consequence. Once she had another name, and a wealthy and influential family well-known in Rijou, until betrayal struck them down. Now, seven years later, all she has left is a desire to save her younger brother. But there is another - a sister of sorts - also raised to the sword. Each sister believes the other dead, but each has a part to paly. This is a novel of betrayal, corruption, family, identity, and mind games perpetrated by a master. I love the world of the Greatcoats, and though this is perhaps not my favourite, it's still well worth reading.

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Booklog 39/26: Rosalind Tate: Exile – Shorten Chronicles #3 – Audiobook

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:03:41 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Katy Sobey.

Back home in 2017, Sophie and Hugo realise that they love each other and immediately get together when safely back in Hugo's parent house. They don't realise that Freddie has managed to follow them from 1925, and he is devastated to find the love of his life and his best friend sleeping together. With immovable 1925 attitudes about girls staying pure, Freddie is angry and unforgiving. When Sophie and Hugo try to take him back to his own time his thought 'do your worst' are taken up by the sentient lift, and they are dropped into Medieval Europe with Mongol Army on the rampage. Sophie, Freddie and Charlotte have enhanced strength in this world, though Hugo does not. Trying to escape. Sophie and Freddie are dropped (literally) into and impossible situation in which they are sure they will die, and one thing leads to another. Sophie is badly injured, but they managed to access the lift and get back to 2017 where, in hospital, they all learn she's pregnant. Who's the father?

Apparently there's a novella that addresses this problem, but it's not available as an audiobook. Too bad.

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Booklog 38/26: Rosalind Tate: Escape – Shorten Chronicles #2 – Audiobook

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:01:46 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Katy Sobey.

Sophie Arundel and Hugo Harrington are still stuck on an alternate 1925 but rebellion unfolding all around them. Sophie has fallen for Hugo, but he's found a potential bride who has enough money to support them both. Sophie is being courted by Freddie who has loved her since Day One. Revolution threatens the manor, making it even more difficult to find the way home. Sophie gives in, and with Hugo already engaged, agrees to marry Freddie, but she still wants to crack the gate problem so that Hugo can go home, even though she intends to stay with Freddie. Finally Sophie thinks she's cracked it, but one of the earlier travellers has a secret, and will do anything to prevent her and Hugo from leaving. Katy Sobey does a decent job with the narration.

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Booklog 37/26: Rosalind Tate: Stranded – Shorten Chronicles #1 – Audiobook

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:59:24 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Katy Sobey.

Sophie Arundel and her labradoodle, Charlotte, step into a lift on her first day at university in 2017, and stumbles out in 1925. Also in the lift was Hugo, a privileges annoying student she knows from school. 1925 is a different world, literally. It's a different timeline in which the First World War never happened and chaos is turning into revolution. Sophie and Hugo fine refuge at Shorten Manor with Anne, her husband, Richard, and their son, Freddie - very much a product of his upbringing. Anne came through the portal herself, half a lifetime ago, so she's able to help Spohie adjust to the era of servants, propriety and gossip. Can Sophie and Hugo work out how the lift works and find their way home before the lifestyle engulfs them. None of the other half-dozen travellers has ever managed to go home, though it seems that they don't want to. Katy Sobey has a girlish voice, but it works well in this context

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Booklog 36/26: Ben Aaronovitch: Blakes 7: Avon Eye of the Machine – The Early Years Series 1, Episod

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:56:30 GMT

Full cast with Colin Salmon as Avon, Keely Hawes as Anna Grant

Oxford University 2230 and a young Kerr Avon is horrified when his professor steals his work and claims a breakthrough in computing as his own, Set against the background of Roj Blake's Freedom Party is struggling against a corrupt regime. A short listen but nicely done.

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Booklog 35/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Hostage to Fortune – Bradecote and Catchpoll #2 Audiobook

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:54:39 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Matt Addis.

It's January 1144. Bradecote is about to remarry after the death of his frxt wife. His new lady, Christina, decides to go on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St Eadgyth at Polesworth, in the company of the Archbishop of Canterbury's envoy and his entourage of Benedictine monks. Should be a safe way to travel. right? Unfortunately not. The monks are kidnapped by a dangerous psychopath who wants to exchange them for a forger locked up in the sheriff's prison. Unfortunately the sheriff won't give in to their demands, so Bradecote and Catchpoll have to find the kidnapped monks and rescue Christina before the psychopath does his worst, and preferably before Bradecote cracks under the pressure. Ably read by Matt Addis.

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Booklog 34/26: Iain M. Banks: Consider Phlebas – Culture #1- Audiobook

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:52:57 GMT

Audiobook Narrated by Peter Kenny

There's a war raging throughout the Galaxy as the Iridians (and others) fight against the Culture. Horza, a human changer, and mercenary, works for the Iridians despite not believing in their gods or philosophy. He's tasked with finding and securing the Mind, an autonomous super AI created by the Cuilture, which has ended up on Schar's World, the planet of the dead. Balveda is a Culture agent with the same objective. They both end up on a 'free trader' ship the Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) and after a couple of disastrous raids directed by the captain Kraiklin, Horza takes over and persuades the crew, including his lover, Yalson, to go to Schar's World, where they meet hostile Idirans in the tunnels deep below the world. I was disappointed with the ending, but it's a cracking read - a fast-paced space-opera/adventure well read by Peter Kenney who does subtle accent changes and voices brilliantly.

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Booklog 33/26: Jason Ansbach: Wayward Galaxy – Wayward Galaxy #1 – Audiobook

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:50:01 GMT

Audiobook read by R.C. Bray.

I didn't get very far with this. It was too militaristic without much characterisation, and violence was the first answer to every problem

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Booklog 32/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Servant of Death – Bradecote and Catchpoll #1 – Audiobook

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:45:26 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Matt Addis.

I've listened to most of the currently available Bradecote and Catchpoll books, so it was lovely to get hold of the first one. After a skirmish with outlaws in the Sheriff of Worcestershire's company of knights and men-at-arms, Hugh Bradecote would simply like to go home and rest, but the Sheriff's men stay the night at Pershore Abbey where the abbot asks for help to solve a murder. The Bishop of Winchester's envoy has been found dead, prostrate in front of the high altar. The sheriff appoints Hugh as deputy under-sheriff and teams him up with wily Serjeant Catchpoll, experienced thief-taker. The two men don't hit it off immediately. Hugh is a bit sniffy about working with someone of Catchpoll's lowly status, and Catchpoll doesn't wan an inexperienced nobleman getting between him and the killer. But gradually as the investigation progresses, the two man begin to develop a grudging respect for each other. Matt Addis reads this whole series brilliantly. He gets the voices just right from Bradecote's fluent English and Caatchpoll's yokel burr which hides a sharp mind.

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Booklog 31/26: Anna Bradley: Give the Devil His Duke – Drop Dead Dukes #1 – Audiobook

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:43:05 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Gabrielle Baker.

Did not finish.

On the face of it, this book is the type I'd grab for a bit of light relief, however I didn't get on with the narration. DrawRing room - ugh!

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Booklog 30/26: S.M. Hardy: The Evil Within: Dark Devon Mysteries #1 Audiobook

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:38:27 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Joe Jameson.

Jim Hawkes retreats to Devon on the brink of a breakdown. His fiancee died two years earlier, in traumatic circumstances, and he's held it together so far, but he's had enough. He quits his well-paid banking job and flees to a cottage in Slyford St James. But instead of the peace he was seeking there are things that go bump in the night, the ghost of a murdered girl, objects that won'r stay where they should be, and s dead vicar. His new village friends, Jed and Emma hold a seance and Jim discovers a talent for seeing the spirit world, which he very much doesn't want. But it seems he must solve the mystery of the child's murder, while protecting tose around him (including the pub landlord's charming daughter. I enjoyed this supernatural mystery. Joe Jameson is always a reliable narrator and was one of the reasons I picked the in the first place.

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Booklog 29/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Feast for the Ravens – Bradecote and Catchpoll #13 – Audiobook

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 02:06:56 GMT

Narrated by Matt Addis.

September 1145. Two small boys discover the corpse of a Templar knight in the Forest of Wyre on Worcestershire’s northern border. The corpse carries a parchment revealing the identity of a traitor. (We’re in the time of the Anarchy, when Stephen and Mathilda are slugging it out for the crown.) Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin are sent to investigate. Because of what the children saw, the locals believe the knight has been killed by the Raven Woman, a mythical bird shapechanger who haunts the forest. William of Riversford denies knowing who the corpse is, but Bradecote doesn’t quite believe him, and his instinct turns out to be correct. The corpse is Ivo de Mitton who fled the country many years ago accused of killing his family and burning down their house, all but the youngest who is now grown and is the last of his family in charge of Mitton. There’s a parchment on the corpse suggesting that a prominent Lord is planning to turn traitor against Stephen. But something is off. The Sheriff’s trio find the investigation throws up more questions than answers, Was there a second knight? Who is the Raven Woman? Did Ivo kill his family all those years ago? The story gives up its answers slowly and effectively as the corpses mount, stretching out the dramatic tension. Matt Addis’s reading is excellent as usual. I’ve been binge listening to these books, but this seems to be the most recent, so apart from a couple I missed along the way, I’ll have to wait for the next one.

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Booklog 28/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Litany of Lies – Bradecote and Catchpoll #12 – Audiobook

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 02:05:11 GMT

It’s Summer 1145. Bradecote and Catchpoll, complete with Under Serjeant Walkelin are sent to solve the murder of Walter, the steward of Evesham Abbey. There are tensions between the Sheriff and the Abbot, between Bradecote and the current castellan, and between the Abbey and the castle. It turns out that the Abbey’s steward is not the good man the Abbot thought he was, but a reprehensible individual, guilty of many different crimes. A second murder implicates the castle’s serjeant, who seems to be out of control. Is there a connection? It’s a twisty story which puzzles the Sheriff’s officers until the final revelation. Bradecote and Catchpoll eventually not only solve the present murders but a historical one, too. It’s nice to hear Matt Addis reading the story after Jonathan Keeble’s reading of the previous book I listened to.

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Booklog 27/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Faithful Unto Death – Bradecote and Catchpoll #6 – Audiobook

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 02:02:02 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Jonathan Keeble.

June 1144. A body found in woodland turns out to be a Welsh messenger on his way to see Earl Robert of Gloucester. Bradecote and Catchpoll are sent into Wales, but the murdered man, though sent on an important errand into England, turns out to be a lecherous menace to any women he sets eyes upon. In the end the answer to the murder lies not in the message, but the messenger himself. Jonathan Keeble reads it well enough, but he’s not as good as Matt Addis who has read all the other Bradecote and Catchpolls that I’ve already heard. I know what the main characters' voices sound like - and in this, they don't. Also it's one of the bland covers. Why change cover style and why change narrator? Seems a bit odd. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good story.

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Booklog 26/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Vale of Tears – Bradecote and Catchpoll #5 – Audiobook

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 01:57:04 GMT

April 1144. A distinctively dressed corpse is fished out of Flatbury Mill leat on the river. It turns out that he is an Evesham horse dealer who has been stabbed and tipped into the river upstream. Investigations lead Bradecote and Catchpoll (with under-serjeant Walkelin) at first to his young wife (who has a couple of lovers) and the man’s brother, but then they discover that the dead man’s sister has married the ill-tempered lord of Harvington and has died in mysterious circumstances, without her family being invited to the funeral. Is that another murder? There’s a dispute over the ownership of a mill between the lord of Harvington and the Abbey in Evesham, and Harvington has recently hanged a scribe for theft—the same scribe who verified the mill-lease as belonging to Harvington. When a Harvington serving girl is also killed, Walkelin is falsely accused. Bradecote and Catchpoll must mount a rescue before unravelling the knotty mystery and solving the various crimes. As usual, Matt Addis’s reading is excellent and the twisty plot engaging. Just a puzzled reader's question: why change the style of the covers? This is very bland.

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Booklog 25/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Ordeal by Fire – Bradecote and Catchpoll #2 – Audiobook

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 01:53:56 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Matt Addis.

September 1143. Bradecote is the recently appointed under sheriff and Catchpoll is the wily and experienced serjeant-thieftaker. A series of deliberately-set fires in the city of Worcester stirs the population. Bradecote and Catchpoll must find the culprit before the whole city burns, but that means finding the link between the victims. At first that seems impossible. What connects Simeon the Jew with a silversmith, and an old healing woman? For a while all they can do is set a firewatch, at first believing that the property owner is burning out his tenants so he can redevelop the area. Gradually they piece threads together, discovering the motive delves back into the past. Matt Addis reads well and differentiates the voices beautifully. Bradecote speaks English (unlike most of the nobility of the day who still speak Norman French) and the local characters all have Worcestershire accents, which seem perfectly natural for story purposes. Catchpoll, in particular, sounds beautifully grizzled.

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Booklog 24/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Marked to Die – Bradecote and Catchpoll #3 – Audiobook

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 22:54:25 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Matt Addis.

October 1143. Hugh Bradecote and Serjeant Catchpoll along with apprentice Walkeling are sent by the Lord Sheriff of Worcestershire to investigate theft of salt wagons on the road from Wich (now Droitwich) , and the murder of all the packmen. A mysterious archer leaves no one alive, his deadly aim making sure that there are no witnesses. Unfortunately Lord FitzPayne is in the wrong place at the wrong time and is also killed, his (distinctive) horse and good quality sword stolen. Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin are based at FitzPayne's hall where his angry and vengeful widow, Christina, is recovering from losing the child she was carrying. The clues are scant. The mysterious archer makes his kills and melts back into the forest. There are rumours that he's a ghost. The investigation is hindered by FitzPayne's cousin who has designs on Christina and the manor, and by the reeve of Wich who is worrird about losing his place. The is was Christina's second marriage - her first having been truly horrendous, and though she didn't love FitzPayne she liked him. Bradecote, hinself recenently widowed and left with a baby boy, is drswn to Christina and a love story develops alongside the whodunnit. Eventually, thanks to Christina, there's a breakthrough and all is resolved. Matt Addis is an excellent narratore for this series. He's unobtrusive, letting the story stand forward of the narrative, yest at the same time he voiced the characters well, especially the Worcestershire voices. I like this series a lot, though I confess to reading them out of order as they become available.

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Booklog 23/26: Janet Brooks: The Whisky Widow – Audiobook

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 22:52:34 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Annabelle Tudor.

A historical romance set in 1780 which has a lot more than just romance in it. Greer, MacAlistair an abandoned wife with a deaf daughter, Fen, leaves Edinburgh for the north when she's advised that her husband - an English exciseman - has been killed in the line of duty and therefore she can claim the wages owed to him. Unfortunately, upon making the request she discovers that his 'wife' has already clzimed it, and her own marriage lines count for nothing. She's rescued by Mr Gordon (a widower) and employed as his housekeeper, travelling to Glasglen, a remote highland village where the villagers survive by making illegal whisky and selling it to supplement their meagre agricultural subsistence. Gordon is at the heart of it. The villagers are hostile at first, especially Gordon's family, and Fen is despised for her deafness, until her 'finger-talking' learned in Edinburgh becomes central to the plot as the Excise men close in and Gordon lands in a heap of trouble. It's a long book, but it kept me invoilves and Annabelle Tudor reads it very well. Her Scottish accent rings true (Note I am not a Scot). Listening to samples of other books she's narrated she seems to so a variety of accents very will.

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Booklog 22/26: Sarah Painter: The Guilded Nest – Crow Investigations #9 – Audiobook

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 22:50:46 GMT

Audiobook narrated by Kate Rawson.

This is the ninth instalment of the Crow Investigations series featuring Lydia Crow who - in previous books - has gone from being a lone private detective living in a flat above a greasy-spoon cafe with a resident ghost (Jason) to ousting wicked Uncle Charlie and taking his place as head of the Crow (slightly magical) crime family in their particular 'manor' in London. The family members are somewhat perturbed that her boyfriend, Fleet, is a copper. In this book. In the previous book Lydia lost some of her Crow powers and she's struggling to keep control (of herself and the family), and Fleet is also struggling at work, since his bosses are just as sceptical of his choice of girlfriend as the family is about Lydia's choice of boyfriend. Lydia's previous home burned down in the previous book and she's now living in Uncle Charlie's very nice house, but she doesn't feel comfortable there. A series of murders lands on bith Lydia's and Fleet's doorsteps. There are links to Jack the Ripper, except the victims are male. Paul Fox Lydia's one-time boyfriend and now head of the rival Fox (magical) crime family, looms quite large in this book. There is still some residual attraction, but Lydia doesn't trust him. Murders to be solved, families to be sorted. There's a lot in this book, but I'm not sure it moves the whole series story on. Kate Rawson narrates it in her usual slightly breathy little-girl-voice, which seems to work for Lydia, but I'm glad these books are fairly short.

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