Two Kingdoms destined for war, one boy caught in the eye of the storm…
Francia AD853
After a failed Viking raid on the Frankish coast over 20-years-ago, Jarl Sven the Boar is forced to leave his only son, Torkel, as a hostage and warned never to raid Francia again or his son will die.
In Hügelburg, a small town in East Francia, Torkel and his 9-year-old son Charles are ambushed at home.
Before dying, Torkel thrusts a package into young Charles’s hands and tells him to flee Francia for Denmark in search of his grandfather Sven the Boar’s protection.
But the man Charles eventually finds is not who he expects, and Charles must put his fate in the hands of a man betrayed by Odin.
Together they must uncover the significance of the package and why the Kings of Francia want Charles dead.
My Review:
Alrighty, so this isn’t necessarily the type I would pick up, BUT I’m trying to step out of my comfort zone!
Anyways! This is a time period that I am pretty excited to learn about. I knew that this time period was known for their fights, and their “manly” men, and was ready for that. I feel that many books shy away from the battles as they are hard to write and create that picture in the readers mind, but I feel that Cook was able to accomplish a great balance between fighting and the actual storyline.
Because of the balance of the book and the story itself, I felt that this was a fast-paced book. I also love that the reader can piece together what the secrets are, and are in on the secrets before the the characters are, creating a unification between readers and the storyline.
This book the first in the series, so if you are interested in a book set in this time period (which can be hard to find a good one), want one with some violence, or just want a fast-paced book that will keep you on your toes, then this is your book!
Author Bio:
Donovan Cook is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series which combines fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world, and is inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology. He lives in Lancashire and his first title in a new series for Boldwood will be published in Spring 2023.
Hi everyone! Super excited to write this review for The Last Good Summer by J.J. Green!
Book Blurb:
The Last Good Summer
In the summer of 1986, Belle McGee is thirteen. The arrival of Fionn Power at her family home sets in motion a tragic chain of events.
Now a forty-something investigative journalist living in Dublin, Belle returns home one night to find Fionn standing in the hallway before inexplicably vanishing. Unsettled, Belle immediately phones her sister, who tells her that Fionn was found dead that very morning.
In her journey to find answers, Belle exposes corruption and scandal and is forced to stop running from the shameful truth of 1986.
My Review:
Well to start, I love a good dual timeline, especially when it’s past to present! I feel like it was written in a way that I was never confused or lost during the dual timeline. The reader founds out details when needed and in a way that it is kind of sprinkled into the narration and not in your face. The reader is left to peace things together, or to come to the realization themselves.
Also, we love a good strong female lead. She was written in a way that made her so strong, smart, and just a great main character. I loved following her on her investigation, especially as things started to unravel!
Something that is also really important to note is that one timeline is 1986 and the other is present day. J.J. Green is able to bounce between the two timelines so well, and really emphasis the differences in the world between the two timelines so it is apparent to the reader and also so much more realistic for the reader.
I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this book as a thriller per say, but it definitely left me guessing, had some turns I wasn’t expecting, and was an all-around great read. I definitely recommend this book to anyone needing a little suspense, anyone that wants a fast read, anyone that loves when consequences catches up to people, and also even if you love cold cases (in a sense).
Author Bio:
J. J. Green is an Irish writer who hails from Donegal and lives in Derry. She’s had a passion for writing fiction from childhood and has honed her creative writing skills throughout her adult life. As a social and environmental activist, she also writes non-fiction in the form of political essays that mainly focus on economic and environmental injustice. The Last Good Summer is her debut novel.
Thirty-five years ago, tragedy forced Bev Cooper to cut short her university studies and seek refuge in her hometown of Bellbird Bay. Today, as the owner of the thriving Pandanus Garden Centre and Café, Bev has moved beyond the past and is happy in her solitary existence.
Following the tragic death of his son’s wife, Iain Grant takes early retirement and moves with his devastated son and granddaughter to the peaceful coastal town of Bellbird Bay hoping it will provide the change of scene they all desperately need.
When Iain’s son accepts a position at Bev’s garden centre, the pair find themselves drawn into each other’s lives. But as they begin to enjoy an unexpected attraction, issues from the past threaten to derail their growing relationship.
Will the healing atmosphere of Bellbird Bay work its magic and provide a second chance in life, or will Bev find it too difficult to put the past behind her and enjoy her own happy ever after?
A heartwarming tale of family, friends, and how a second chance at love can happen when you least expect it.
My review:
This is not my first time reading a book in this amazing series. I’ve actually reviewed one of the older books on this blog: link here! The setting is a cute small town, which is something I completely love in books. I love the small town feel that everyone knows everyone. But then in comes Iain and his family. There is obviously a lot of curiosity around them since they are new and what else is there to talk about in a small town (haha).
Iain is trying to get his son and granddaughter to start over after a tragic accident. Bev is still living through her tragic accident from 25 years ago. We see Bev start out as a closed off woman. Yes, she had friends but none of her closest friends even knew what happened to her, and how it is affecting her life.
It takes Bev taking a chance on Iain’s son, Bryan, to start to open up. Bryan was very open about the move to Bellbird Bay and what happened to his wife to make Bev open up to her friends about what happened in her past.
I love the friend dynamic that even though Bev isn’t open with her friends they are still supportive and are willing to hear her out anytime that she is ready to talk. And the same goes for Bev, she doesn’t let her past stop her for being happy for her friends.
We also see the change in Bryan of taking back his life. We see him grow throughout his stay at this town. We see him start to make friends, start to exercise and get friends that way, get a job with Bev, and really jump back into a father role with his daughter, Mia.
We also see Iain claim back some of his life with being able to help Bev with her venue for a wedding at her store. We see just how easily he slides back into taking control in an architectural way. And of course we see the relationship between Iain and Bev start to flourish. This brings back a lot of feelings for Bev, she is confused, worried she is betraying her past love, but is she willing to give love a try again?
I love that Bev and Iain are the main love interest. At first I thought it might have been Bryan but I felt like that would have been very weird especially with him just losing his wife (and of course the age difference). But I love the idea of the dad that gave up everything to help his family is now getting rewarded with love. I also love how patient and understanding Iain is, and I love how Bev overthinks everything! She is so realistic and just a great character to get inside her head.
This book is a feel-good book (we all know I love those), that is such an easy read. There are a lot of coincidences in this book that everything just aligns, but I don’t think that’s a problem if you are reading this book just for fun and to have a nice read. I love the love story here and how it is complicated. It’s not simple but nothing ever is, and I love how everyone is willing to fight in this book for what they want/need in their lives.
The support these characters receive and that they give is just amazing and I truly loved being in Bellbird Bay again!
Author’s Bio:
After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.
From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!
Today I am reviewing A Notable Omission by Isabella Muir.
Book Description:
A 1970s debate on equality is overshadowed by a deadly secret…
Spring 1970. Sussex University is hosting a debate about equality for women. But when one of the debating group goes missing, attention turns away from social injustice to something more sinister.
It seems every one of the group has something to hide, and when a second tragedy occurs, two of the delegates – amateur sleuth Janie Juke, and reporter Libby Frobisher – are prepared to make themselves unpopular to flush out the truth. Who is lying and why?
Alongside the police investigation, Janie and Libby are determined to prise answers from the tight-lipped group, as they find themselves in a race against time to stop another victim being targeted.
In A Notable Omission we meet Janie at the start of a new decade. When we left Janie at the end of The Invisible Case she was enjoying her new found skills and success as an amateur sleuth. Here we meet her a few months later, stealing a few days away from being a wife and mother, attending a local conference on women’s liberation to do some soul-searching…
My Review:
Alrighty! Let’s jump right to my review! This book is definitely a fast read, I read it in two days and really enjoyed it!
This book has a ton of twist and turns in it, that really kept me guessing. Something that really stood out to me is that the mystery is so early in the book, you are still getting to know the characters when one goes missing.
At first I wasn’t sure how that was going to work, but I truly loved that about this book. The reader is able to see how everyone is reacting to everything being said, and the fact that one of them is missing. The idea that everyone has something to hide and the only way to piece everything together is by the little slips that most people would miss in an everyday conversation.
Something that I truly love about this book is that although the two main characters, Libby and Janie are really into mysteries and solving crimes they aren’t technically the ones solving the crime. They are able to help the detectives but they are not the people that single-handedly solve the crime. This was so much more realistic to me. I also really enjoyed that we got the detectives perspectives a few times. This gave the reader an “in” on both the detectives side and the information that Libby and Janie know.
Even with the reader having all this information the ending STILL surprised me, but once everything unravels it all starts to make sense (Obviously I can’t say too much without spoilers).
This book takes place over just a few days but I feel like that is just enough time to see all the characters stories and pasts unravel before them. Enough time to make everyone a suspect, but also enough time to question everything you may have thought you knew about each character.
I really enjoyed this book full of secrets, and enjoyed digging deeper with Janie and Libby. I recommend this to anyone that wants to read a mystery that they won’t figure out, or a book that you can read during the weekend while relaxing before a busy work week.
Isabella is never happier than when she is immersing herself in the sights, sounds and experiences of family life in southern England in past decades – specifically those years from the Second World War through to the early 1970s. Researching all aspects of life back then has formed the perfect launch pad for her works of fiction. It was during two happy years working on and completing her MA in Professional Writing when Isabella rekindled her love of writing fiction and since then she has gone on to publish seven novels, six novellas and two short story collections.
This latest novel, A Notable Omission, is the fourth book in her successful Sussex Crime Mystery series, featuring young librarian and amateur sleuth, Janie Juke. The early books in the series are set in the late 1960s in the fictional seaside town of Tamarisk Bay, where we meet Janie, who looks after the mobile library. She is an avid lover of Agatha Christie stories – in particular Hercule Poirot. Janie uses all she has learned from the Queen of Crime to help solve crimes and mysteries. This latest novel in the series is set along the south coast in Brighton in early 1970, a time when young people were finding their voice and using it to rail against social injustice.
As well as four novels, there are six novellas in the series, set during the Second World War, exploring some of the back story to the Tamarisk Bay characters.
Isabella’s love of Italy shines through all her work and, as she is half-Italian, she has enjoyed bringing all her crime novels to an Italian audience with Italian translations, which are very well received.
Isabella has also written a second series of Sussex Crimes, set in the sixties, featuring retired Italian detective, Giuseppe Bianchi, who is escaping from tragedy in Rome, only to arrive in the quiet seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, to come face-to-face with it once more.
Isabella’s standalone novel, The Forgotten Children, deals with the emotive subject of the child migrants who were sent to Australia – again focusing on family life in the 1960s, when the child migrant policy was still in force.
Welcome back to another Christmas review! Christmas is coming so now it is really fitting to review A Little Christmas Panto by Angela Britnell!
Book Blurb:
Can a little Cornish village panto convince a troubled Hollywood heart throb to act again?
Oh no it won’t! At least that’s what Zach Broussard initially thinks when the eccentric Anna Teague tries to railroad him into helping out with her community pantomime production in the run-up to Christmas. Zach has his reasons for leaving Hollywood behind, and his retreat to the remote village of Polcarne in Cornwall signals the start of a new acting free life for him.
But when Zach meets Anna’s daughter, Rosey – an ex concert pianist who has swapped Mozart for panto tunes – he starts to wonder whether he could change his mind, and not just about acting.
If nothing else, will the residents of Polcarne ensure Zach has a Christmas he never forgets?
Oh yes they will!
My Review:
First, this is the prettiest cover I have ever seen! I am completely obsessed with it!
Like most Christmas books we have the main character, a male that is starting brand new in a new, picturesque town. One unique quality that really pulled me in is the comedic aspect that is sprinkled throughout the whole book.
Something that I loved about this book, is that the characters are realistic. I’m not questioning their motives or why they are starting over. I also love the idea that the characters are bonding over something that is for the community, I loveeee that set up especially in Christmas movies.
I also love the small town feel to the book. The idea that the community also plays a role in the book is something that I really enjoy. It helps the reader really dive into the small town, picturesque setting that the author has created. Not only is the reader being told it’s a small town, but Britnell shows that to us by bringing them into the narrative!
This is a book that you can easily sit down and devour, which are my favorite types of books. Especially with the holiday seasons coming up, this is the perfect book to sit by a fire with some hot chocolate and a blanket and fall in love with a small town!
Author Bio:
Angela grew up in Cornwall, England and returns frequently from her home outside of Nashville, Tennessee to visit family and friends, drink tea and eat far too many Cornish pasties!
A lifelong love of reading turned into a passion for writing contemporary romance and her novels are usually set in the many places she’s visited or lived on her extensive travels. Thanks to almost four decades of marriage to her wonderful American husband she’s a huge fan of transatlantic romance and always makes sure her characters get their own happy-ever-after.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Her first novel ‘Truth and Consequence’ was published in 2006 and she’s now had over 40 novels published internationally and multiple short stories in women’s magazines.
Another Christmas review! Are we surprised? Definitely not!
Book Blurb:
Libby Walker never imagined she’d be moving into the dream house she and her husband had purchased for their retirement as a widow. Intent on making a new life for herself in the quiet coastal town of Bellbird Bay, Libby’s life is upended by an unexpected call from her daughter.
Adam Holland’s unhappy childhood and broken home has left him scarred. Content with the life he has built for himself as a journalist and author of political thrillers, Adam arrives in Bellbird Bay to fulfil the deathbed request of an old friend.
When Libby and Adam meet, there is an initial attraction. But Libby is grieving for her late husband and trying to help her daughter sort out her life, and Adam has no intention of forming a relationship, wary of commitment because of how his family was torn apart.
Will the peace and tranquillity of Bellbird Bay help these two move on from old hurts and make this a Christmas to remember, or will events conspire to keep them apart?
A heartwarming tale of family, friends, and how a second chance at love can happen when you least expect it.
My Review:
I think that it is important to note that this book does not focus only on romantic relationships but also on the mother daughter relationship between Libby and Emma. I loved seeing Libby have such a dynamic character between her family relationship and the romantic aspect she never saw coming.
This book is also the fourth book in the Bellbird Bay series, but you don’t need to read to necessarily read them in order.
I will also say that Maggie Christensen didn’t right just a Hallmark movie but also added in some twists that sometimes made my jaw drop. She weaved the romance, pretty setting, great characters with some drama so well!
I don’t read very many second-chance at love books, but I really enjoyed seeing Libby find herself and really let herself heal, and find love in this book. I look forward to reading the first books in this series.
Something else that really stood out to me was how mature and down to earth these characters were. There were no parts where I questioned a character or what the character was doing. I felt that each character was so realistic in their character traits that you really just find yourself lost in the text. Which is the best feeling!
Author Bio:
After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.
From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!
Hello everyone! I have another blog review of The Scam by Evie Hunter!
Book Blurb:
No one can be trusted….
Amongst the wealth and glitter of St Tropez, Sky Kennedy is living her best life, with the perfect man by her side. Rich and gorgeous, Karim has shown her a world she could have barely imagined, and she doesn’t want it to end.
So when Karim suddenly sends her packing back to the UK, Sky is shocked – what could she have done to upset Karim? And will she ever see him again?
Ryan Callahan has been tracking Karim for years and will do anything to bring the man down. He knows Karim is using Sky for his own ends and can’t believe another young woman has fallen for Karim’s lies. But maybe Sky could be the perfect bait to snare Karim once and for all…
But Sky’s no fool and she won’t be played by either man. Because maybe there is a twist in this tale that no one saw coming….
My Review:
For starters, who doesn’t love a fast-paced story that keeps you locked in the whole time?
I feel that this book is one that while you are reading you are trying to piece the pieces together to make a full image. I love that the reader is seeing all of the information unravel before them and is able to kind of figure out what is happening for themselves.
With the way that Hunter writes, the reader can vividly see everything that is happening, from the scenes to the amazing destinations they characters are at. We all know how much I love imagery in books!
I love that there is romance but that it isn’t the whole book, it is actually a decently small section of the book that makes those scenes so much more important and also just sticks with the reader so much more.
What really sticks with the reader is the twists and turns that each character is facing in any given chapter. Hunter is able to build the suspense, romance, and thrill into each chapter and really make the reader dive head first into this fast-paced book.
I recommend this book to anyone that needs a great fast-paced book, likes some suspense with some romance, or needs a book where you don’t know who to trust!
Author Bio:
Evie Hunter has written a great many successful regency romances as Wendy Soliman and is now redirecting her talents to produce dark gritty thrillers for Boldwood. For the past twenty years she has lived the life of a nomad, roaming the world on interesting forms of transport, but has now settled back in the UK.
She can’t abide Christmas. He’s not sure what it’s all about. Together they’re in for a festive surprise.
Ambitious software developer Holly may have a festive name but the connection ends there. She despises the holiday season and decides to flee to the remote island of Mull in a bid to escape from it.
Syrian refugee Farid has made a new home in Scotland but he’s lonely. Understanding Nessie and Irn Bru is one thing, but when glittery reindeer and tinsel hit the shelves, he’s completely bemused. Determined to understand a new culture, he asks his new neighbour to educate him on all things Christmas.
When Holly reluctantly agrees, he realises there’s more to her hatred of mince pies and mulled wine than meets the eye. Farid makes it his mission to inject some joy into Hollys’ life but falling for her is an unexpected gift that was never on his list.
As their attraction sparkles, can Christmas work its magic on Holly and Farid, or will their spark fizzle out with the end of December?
My Review:
This book takes place in Scotland, which sadly, I don’t think I have read too many books based in Scotland so this was a nice change for me! With that being said, the scenery was gorgeous described throughout this whole book.
We all know I love a good Christmasy romance, and this book gave me everything I could have needed in a Christmas romance. I love that Farid wants to understand Christmas and just his whole storyline. He is an a completely new world to him and must learn all of these new traditions that everyone seems to have that he doesn’t understand.
And of course Holly that doesn’t like Christmas but is willing to strike up a deal with Farid. These two unlikely companions meet in the middle and end up falling for each other. Is this book kind of predictable? Yes. Is that what I want with my Christmas books? Yes. I really enjoyed this book and the two main characters and the challenges that they are both facing and trying to overcome with each other.
I recommend this book to anyone that wants a fun Christmas read, a romance, or just wants a light-hearted book to read.
Picture of author, Margaret Amatt
Author Bio:
Margaret is a writer, mummy, wife and chocolate eater (in any order you care to choose). She lives in highland Perthshire in a little house close to the woods where she often sees red squirrels, deer and other such tremendously Scottish wildlife… Though not normally haggises or even men in kilts!
She has published nine books and written many more. Margaret won a short story writing competition in 2012 and her winning entry was performed live to an audience at Pitlochry Festival Theatre as part of their Winter Words Event. This spring boarded Margaret’s journey from writing for fun to novel writing – though she still enjoys every minute of it.
Margaret is also a keen amateur photographer, who enjoys drawing, reading, and talking about books.
Hello all! Today I am reviewing Spruced Up For Murder by Helen Golden!
Book blurb:
Death at Francis Court Now Confirmed as Murder!
Speculation is rife that the victim, estate manager Alex Sterling (44), was found by Lady Beatrice (35), the Countess of Rossex, niece of King James. Lady Beatrice, who has finally come out of hiding following her son’s departure to boarding school, has been managing the project to refurbish and redesign the Events Suite at Francis Court, alongside Perry Juke.
Heading up the murder investigation is Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam. Rumour has it that he and Lady Beatrice have a fractious history…
Awful man! How dare Fitzwilliam suggest Lady Beatrice’s sister is the number one suspect for Alex’s murder. It could be any one of the staff who were on-site that morning. Well, she’ll show Mr High and Mighty Fitzwilliam! With her attention to detail, her clever dog Daisy, Perry’s imagination, and his partner’s contacts at Fenshire CID, they’ll find the murderer before him.
Unless the murderer finds her first…
Cover of Spruced Up for Murder
My Review:
Well first, I must say that I love the cover of this book! And of course, that I love a good whodunnit!
I have one issue with whodunnit’s and it is that most of them I know who did it way before I’m supposed to, but this one kept me on my toes and I can honestly say I didn’t know who had done it, which is amazing! The clues were dropped within the text so well that it didn’t pull much attention to them but instead blended in with the rest of the context.
One thing that really stands out about this whodunnit is the time period. This is unlike most whodunnit’s where they take place before internet and cell phones. This book is contemporary and the characters have to battle against cell phones, and the press. Golden does a great job of integrating these components into the book and really showing how they affect all the characters.
I really enjoyed this new approach to the whodunnit type of book and look forward to the rest of the series!
Photo of Helen Golden, author of Spruced Up For Murder
Author Bio:
Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.
I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.
It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes
If there is one thing you all know about me, it’s that I love a Christmas rom-com! Today I am bringing to you an amazing Christmas rom-com, The Twelve Wishes of Christmas by Ruby Basu. Keep reading for the blurb, my review, and links for the author and purchase links.
Book Blurb:
She’s here for the perfect Christmas escape…
When Sharmila discovers her late friend, Thomas, has gifted her the holiday of her dreams, she can’t pack her bags fast enough. Arriving in Pineford, it’s everything she’d ever hoped for and more.
But she’s in for another surprise, because Thomas has left her with one last request: if she completes his Christmas wish list of festive activities, her chosen charity will receive a big donation. Or so Sharmila thinks.
…He’s there to reclaim his family’s legacy
Little does she know, she’s set to inherit Thomas’s estate too, much to his nephew Zach’s disbelief. Determined not to see his family’s legacy left to a stranger, he’s come to Pineford to do whatever it takes to stop Sharmila from fulfilling that list.
When Sharmila and Zach meet, neither are prepared for sparks to fly. For Sharmila’s sworn off love, and Zach doesn’t trust her. But with every passing wish they find themselves growing closer. And amongst the twinkling town lights and fallen snow, Sharmila can feel her heart opening up to Zach. But when she learns he’s been keeping a secret from her, can Sharmila forgive him and get the happy-ever-after she’s always wished for this Christmas?
The Twelve Wishes of Christmas is the perfect book to snuggle up with on those cosy wintry nights. Perfect for fans of Heidi Swain and Jo Thomas.
My Review:
Well we also all know that I love enemies-to-lovers books, and while this isn’t exactly enemies-to-lovers I was definitely here for the forbidden love feel of this book!
Small town aspect: Check
The perfect location for a Christmas book: Check
Cliche: Check
So it really has everything you could want in a Christmas romance book. What I really like about this book is that it doesn’t shy away from the cliches, but instead embraces them and leans into it creating such a lighthearted, feel-good book.
I truly enjoyed every bit of this book, and enjoyed that the town felt like an escape from everyday life for me. It was such a fun read that I recommend to anyone that loves rom-coms, or Hallmark movies. Pick up this book, curl into some blankets with some hot chocolate and fall in love with the town of Pineford.
Also the cover is just the cutest thing! I would read it alone based on the cover!
Author Bio:
Ruby lives in the beautiful Chilterns with her husband, two children, and the cutest dog in the world. She worked for many years as a lawyer and policy lead in the Civil Service.
As the second of four children, Ruby connected strongly with Little Women’s Jo March and was scribbling down stories from a young age. A huge fan of romantic movies, Star Wars, and Marvel, she loves creating new characters and worlds while waiting for her superpowers to develop.
Hello! I am back again for a review of Summer Breeze by Angela Barton. I have been on a historical fiction kick since reading The Nightingale a few months ago, and so I was super excited to be able to be a part of this blog tour.
Book Blurb:
Paris, June 1940. The enemy has entered the city and Matilde Pascale hopes to sink into the shadows for the entirety of the war. However, when tragedy strikes it changes everything and Matilde focuses on revenge in order to fight back against the Nazis and their heinous crimes against humanity. But life sometimes takes a bizarre twist and it seems that love has a way of infiltrating the most impenetrable of boundaries. A common purpose drives two enemies into each other’s arms and together they discover the capacity of their combined strength.
My review:
Alrighty! I love a good World War II historical fiction so this book hit the spot in that aspect. Something that really stood out to me was just the way that Barton is able to perfectly describe what is going on around the characters. The scenery, the noises, the background is described so amazingly the reader truly is pulled into Paris from the first page.
Something that is really important to me when reading a historical fiction book is accuracy. I never once questioned if something was true or if the author was making something up for the plot. This book was so well researched that Barton never took me out of the time period. I was stuck in the 1940’s the whole time I was reading the book (which wasn’t too long because once I started I was fully immersed in this world).
Lastly, Barton did not shy away from hard topics in this book. We saw the hardships the characters faced, the hardships of the times, and never once was it sugarcoated or glanced over. Barton makes you face what these people actually faced during this time and really helped the reader understand the devastation, and what was a reality for most of the people back in that time. This is something that was really important for me for historical fiction, and it was done beautifully in this book. I truly enjoyed being with these characters and making myself look at this time in history and reflect.
Winter has arrived in Primrose Woods bringing with it new loves, new adventures and warm hugs on cold days. Abbey Carter, her boyfriend Sam and their trusty canine companion Lady, relish living in the picturesque village of Wishwell at the edge of their beloved Primrose Woods. The woods and the country park are full of activity as the festive season approaches. Lizzie Baker is flat out at theTreetops café, serving all sorts of winter warmers, festive goodies and lashings of hot chocolate. And when her daughter and grandchildren arrive to stay, the run up to Christmas is set to be even more magical than she had expected.
Rhianna West has finally found the perfect man to fall in love with–if only Luke wasn’t moving away in the New Year. As the snow falls on Primrose Woods, and the village of Wishwell sparkles with Christmas lights, could this be the year that every wish comes true for the three friends?
My review:
I loved the Hallmark feel to this book. That is something that I seek out in my Christmas time books and I feel that this book captured it perfectly. A picturesque town that I can picture perfectly, a love story or a few(!), amazing main characters. It was everything I needed to start putting myself into the season spirit. I didn’t read the first book, but that didn’t stop me from reading and enjoying the second book.
The writing style seemed poetic at some points making for a super fast read which I also appreciate in Christmas setting books. I also enjoyed that we had multiple characters to follow just how you would have in a small town so that fully captured the small town living aspect of the book. I can’t wait to read the next one, and maybe I will jump back and read the first one!
Author Bio –Jill Steeples is the author of many successful women’s fiction titles –most recently the Dog and Duck series –all set in the close communities of picturesque English villages. She lives in Bedfordshire.
This book is very fitting as I just got back from two weeks in Italy and got to read it while I was enjoying the Italian scenery.
Book Blurb:
Will one summer in Sicily change her life for ever?
After her marriage falls apart, Ursula Quinn is offered the chance to spend the summer working at a hotel on a beautiful island off the coast of Sicily, Italy. Excited by a new adventure, she sets off at once.
At Residenza dei Tringali, Ursula receives a warm welcome from everyone except Alfio, son of the Tringali family. He gave up his life in Barcelona to help his mother Agata with the ailing business, and is frustrated with Ursula’s interference – and she in turn is less than impressed with his attitude. As they spend more time together, though, they begin to see each other in a different light.
But what with Ursula’s ex-husband on her tail, family secrets surfacing and an unexpected offer that makes Alfio question his whole life, there’s plenty to distract them from one another. Can she face her past and he his future, and together make the most of their Sicilian summer?
My Review:
You all know that I love feel-good books and this book is definitely one. Ursula is such a great thought-out character. We see her at her lowest, we see her escape an awful marriage and take a chance on herself Sicily. We also see her start to really look into herself in order to give herself a chance at a new life.
We see an unlikely pairing find their footing together and really sees each other for who they are their whole life gets turned upside down. Between Ursula’s ex-husband coming back and some family issues that come up it seems that Ursula can’t catch a break.
The setting of this book was just amazing. I could clearly picture all the places that they went (it definitely helped that I was also experiencing Italy for my first time). I felt that all the characters were flushed out so well that they all had unique character qualities and were just so fun to read.
This is a book that you can completely get lost in and find yourself really diving into the story as well as the scenery.
Author Bio:
Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author, #1 on Kindle UK and Top 100 on Kindle US and Canada. She writes two books a year for publishing giant HarperCollins and has won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Novel of the Year, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award and the Katie Fforde Bursary.
Her novels, short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses appear around the world.
Younger, prettier and about to marry my own ex-husband, they are a walking cliché. I hate her. I hate them both.
She’s taken everything from me – my husband, my life, my home – but I refuse to allow her to take Cassie, my beautiful daughter. That’s a step too far.
Now I’ve discovered that Norah plans to have a baby of her own and that causes me no end of problems. She could destroy everything and reveal my deepest, darkest secrets.
That can never be allowed to happen.
No matter what it costs…
A brand new psychological thriller that will keep you guessing till the end! Perfect for fans of Sue Watson, Nina Manning, Shalini Boland
My review:
This book has all the things I love, past and present dual storylines, a trial, thrill, and an ex wife and soon to be wife.
Everyone head their own secrets, everyone has something to hide, but what will come out and what can stay hidden.
I love books that really play on who you think that character is and then switches everything around on you. There were so many plot twists, so many little findings in the dual storyline.
This book kept me guessing and kept me wanting to read more. It was an all around amazing read for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and will be picking up more books from this duo.
I don’t want to get too far into the book without giving spoilers, but honestly if you liked the book blurb then you need this book, well worth it!
Authors bio:
Amanda Ashby and Sally Rigby are a crime writing partnership. Both authors live in New Zealand, have been friends for eighteen years and agree about everything (except musicals). They decided to collaborate on a psychological thriller which they then entered into a competition, run by Boldwood, and which they won!
Killing a cannibal overlord was just the beginning. Now there’s a war to win, and the odds are getting worse.
For capturing a dirigible from the cannibalistic Flesh-Eating Legion and rescuing rebel chieftain Alonzo Merrill, Andrew Sutter earned a promotion. Now the rebel armies are carving a bloody swath toward the old capital of Jacinto. Victory seems near as the man-eaters crumble before the Merrills’ salvaged Old World arsenal.
But Grendel, first lord of the Northlands, marches south to turn back the tide. Although he had planned to betray the Flesh-Eaters and replace them with his son by Alonzo’s captive sister Catalina, Grendel cannot let the rebels’ defeat of the Flesh-Eater ruler go unavenged. He brings with him hundreds of thousands of reinforcements and Catalina herself as bait.
With Jacinto under siege and enemy armies drawing ever-nearer, Andrew and his friends must descend into the occupied city of Long Branch to rescue Catalina and confront the dreaded first lord himself.
My Review:
This book starts right off of the first book, and is just as fast-paced. We are thrown back into the world. Most of the series that I review can be read out of order, but this one is definitely not like that. You need to have read the first book, and I recommend also reading the prelude first as well.
I also recommend reading them back to back as these books are very fast-paced and filled with so much action. They also read very fast, which I love in a book. I do think they are books that can each be read in one sitting, or at least in a short amount of time, making them great for a weekend read!
There is also so much politics that go into these books, as we see in the last two, and especially this one, how complicated these relationships and standings are within each army and between each character.
This book, and series, is very intricate and complicated (in a good way). We see the characters fighting for what they believe in, but also the strategies that go behind each decision throughout the series.
If war books, or steampunk books are your thing, then this series is definitely for you! Check out the amazon link below to get your copy today!
Today I will be reviewing End Game by Liz Mistry and I am obsessed!
Book Blurb:
Four dead bodies. One missing person. Let the game begin.
When an anonymous tip-off leads Detective Nikki Parekh and DS Sajid Malik to the sprawling Salinger estate, Nikki’s senses are on high alert. The brutal murder of all four members of the Salinger family has shocked the sleepy Bradford village to the core.
A mother, father, daughter, and son. . . all killed in exactly the same way – whilst sat around the coffee table, playing a game of monopoly.
But Nikki notices that there are five pieces on the board. One of the players is missing… Did they manage to escape the killer, or was the killer part of the game?
My Review:
Just to begin, this is easily a book that I would reread!
This is the sixth book in the series, but you don’t have to read them all, and I will definitely be going back to reread some.
The book starts with a very intriguing beginning that pulls the reader straight in. I was trying to figure out how it was all going to connect, and I fully loved this feeling. We get into the murder very very fast, and I was living for it.
The book blurb does not give off too much information, buttttt there is such a good reason for that. There are so many twists and turns and it’s so hard to give away some spoilers, which has also made the review a little harder to write since I want to include every little duo.
The pace of this book is so fast, I felt like everything was happening real time for me. Like my mind was working just as fast as the characters. I felt like I was an investigator in this book and I truly enjoyed this book, and can’t wait to read more from Liz Mistry. Sign me up for any of her books!!
Author Bio:
Born in Scotland made in Bradford sums up LIZ MISTRY’s life. Over thirty-five years ago she moved from a small village in West Lothian to Yorkshire to get her teaching degree. Once here, Liz fell in love with three things: curries, the rich cultural diversity of the city… and her Indian husband (not necessarily in this order). Now thirty years, three children, Scumpy, the cat, and a huge extended family later, Liz uses her experiences of living and working in the inner city to flavour her writing. Her gritty crime fiction police procedural novels set in Bradford embrace the city she describes as ‘Warm, Rich and Fearless’, whilst exploring the darkness that lurks beneath.
Having struggled with severe clinical depression and anxiety for many years, Liz often includes mental health themes in her writing. She credits the MA in Creative Writing she took at Leeds Trinity University with helping her find a way of using her writing to navigate her ongoing mental health struggles. Liz’s PhD research contributes significantly to debates concerning issues of inclusion and diversity of representation within the most socially engaged genre of contemporary crime fiction Being a debut novelist in her fifties was something Liz had only dreamed of and she counts herself lucky, whilst pinching herself regularly to make sure it’s all real.
This novella is short, at about 66 pages, so definitely a fast read!
The second we start the book we are thrown into a battle, we are thrown right into the thick of it.
We are getting the background information for the people in Battle for the Wastelands which I honestly loved.
I do think it helped me to read Battle for the Wastelands first and to read this after. I think it’s better to get the whole story before getting the deep dive into their lives.
I do love getting to read each characters beginning story, seeing where everyone came from, how everyone got to where they are in Battle for the Wastelands and how the turn of events came to be!
I did enjoy this book, but would recommend the first book to read before this one! Check out my review of Battle for the Wastelands here:
Fan Mail is a multi-layered coming-of-age story about a family of adopted brothers, embedded in a gripping thriller that will keep the reader guessing who is behind the letters and the car bomb, and fearing one or more of the boys may die before the culprit is found.
Short Blurb:
A car bomb, threatening letters, and a heart attack cause the once tight-knit and supportive family of adoptive brothers to turn on each other. Can Detectives Graff, O’Connor and Eiselmann solve who is behind it before the family is torn apart? Before anyone is seriously injured? Before one or more of the boys die?
Long Blurb:
A barrage of threatening letters, a car bomb, and a heart attack rip apart what was once a close-knit family of adopted brothers. Randy and Bobby, along with fellow band member and best friend, Danny, receive fan mail that turns menacing. They ignore it, but to their detriment. The sender turns up the heat. Violence upends their world. It rocks the relationship between the boys and ripples through their family, nearly killing their dad. As these boys turn on each other, adopted brother Brian flashes back to that event in Arizona where he nearly lost his life saving his brothers. The scars on his face and arms healed, but not his heart. Would he once again have to put himself in harm’s way to save them? And if faced with that choice, will he?
My Review:
This book starts very fast, right off the bat in the middle of a lot of events. At first it threw me off as we are thrown into this family, but the author does a great job of filling in the reader in a way that it isn’t an information dump. I feel like the reader is learning as everything is unraveling and it is very easy for the reader to just pick it up and go with the flow.
Some of the boys did get a little jumbled in my head with how close their names are (a lot of B names), but each one was pretty different. I also felt like sometimes the dynamic of them seemed to be a bit off in how they acted at their age. Also, the idea that the brothers have a romance (they are adopted), is weird to me but it is used in movies/other books/and shows so I guess that’s more a me problem.
I do really enjoy how accepting the parents are about their sons sexuality and the love that the family has for each other, it is so pure and just nice to read! Especially with having male characters being the ones sharing their emotions!
The letters being sent reminded me of the Netflix show The Watcher maybe because I watched that show not too long ago. I love the idea of the letters seeming more harmless than not and then it taking a turn for the worst and how each character is reacting to them.
The thriller part of this book is what I was really living for. I love a good thriller! It definitely left me guessing, as I didn’t know who was sending the letters. I think the clues that were sprinkled throughout were great and it still left me wondering who it could be until it was finally revealed. I love when I can’t guess who it is!
This book is a fun read, and I definitely look forward to the authors other books!
Author Bio:
After having been in education for forty-six years as a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator, Joseph Lewis has semi-retired and now works part-time as an online learning facilitator. He uses his psychology and counseling background to craft thriller/crime/detective mysteries, and has taken creative writing and screen writing courses at UCLA and USC.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Lewis has been happily married to his wife, Kim. Together they have three wonderful children: Wil (deceased July 2014), Hannah, and Emily. He and his wife now reside in Virginia.
Hello all! Super excited to bring you a book review of Murder in the Highlands!
Book blurb:
Book cover
Sophie and Hector are heading to the Highlands.
For Sophie it’s a trip home and for Hector it’s time to meet Sophie’s parents… Though their trip has village tongues wagging about a stop at Scotland’s notorious elopement spot, Greta Green.
No matter what, it’ll make a nice break from the murder and mayhem that has been plaguing their beautiful Cotswolds village. But Sophie and Hector are barely on the road before they’re being hassled by reckless drivers and at their first rest stop a body is discovered.
Then comes a series of ‘accidents’ that leave poor Hector a little worse for wear. Is someone after Hector? Who could even know he was in the Highlands?
Accidents or not, can they find some way to keep Hector safe?
My review:
I would like to start by saying that I love this cover! So pretty! And I would also like to say that this is the first book of the series that I have read, but I really enjoyed it and I don’t think it affected my reading at all.
This is definitely a cozy read that can be finished in one sitting!
The murder does happen very early in in the book which I love that it’s throughout the whole book. I also love that it starts with her family kind of starting a little gossip circle about her and Hector.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two of them, and really enjoyed seeing their personalities come out throughout the book and also seeing their relationship grow.
I look forward to reading more of this series and definitely recommend it for my cozy mystery readers!
Author bio:
Author image
Debbie Young is the much-loved author of the Sophie Sayers and St Brides cosy crime mysteries. She lives in a Cotswold village where she runs the local literary festival, and has worked at Westonbirt School, both of which provide inspiration for her writing. She is bringing both her series to Boldwood in a 13-book contract. They will be publishing several new titles in each series and republishing the backlist, starting in September 2022.
Another review for you today! Love on the Run by Suzie Tullett!
Book blurb:
Cover of Love on the Run
With her ex and her kids away, a woman takes up running and meets a new man – but can they make it to the finish line?
Ten years after their divorce, this is the first time Hannah’s ex-husband has had the kids for more than a weekend. Her calendar is gloriously blank, ready to be filled with some self-care time.
That is, until Hannah’s BFFs push her to join a charity race for which she’ll need to start training -after all, she’s not doing anything else.
And her mum nags her to have Aunt Dorothy over for a visit.
So much for me-time…
However, Hannah’s not in tip-top shape, and running is a challenge to say the least. Maybe Gabe, the nice-looking personal trainer, can help with that? The more Hannah struggles, the more determined she becomes. But then Hannah is tripped up when she finds out Gabe has a shocking secret. Does this mean he’ll be out of the running for a place in her heart?
My review:
I was so excited to read this book since I am a runner and am a sucker for running books since there aren’t that many of them!
This is a very sweet and fun, lighthearted book. It was definitely predictable (which is definitely not a bad thing) throughout the book. It is definitely a book for when you need a lighthearted fast read.
I love that the book wasn’t only about romance, Hannah as a character was super fun! I really loved that running definitely isn’t her thing but she fully committed to running the charity 5K. I 100% admired her for her dedication and her personality is just so fun as a main character. Leaving the reader physically laughing is something that is rare but I love that Tullett is able to accomplish that in this book! I also love that this book was about her personal growth after her kids leave to visit their dad.
I also loved the humor in this book, based on the Tullett’s bio, she loves bringing humor into her books. I would love to read some of her other books as they would be a great summer read or even a read on a nice, relaxing weekend.
Author bio:
Suzie Tullett is an author of contemporary humorous fiction and romantic comedy. She has a Masters Degree in Television & Radio Scriptwriting and worked as a scriptwriter before becoming a full-time novelist. When she’s not busy creating her own literary masterpieces, she usually has her head in someone else’s.
Suzie lives in a little Irish cottage by the sea, along with her husband and two Greek rescue dogs.
Read It and Weep with MGD 