Eek I was so excited to receive a copy of this book that I might have squealed loudly,much to my kids amusement! This book sounds so good and I’ve already bumped it to the top of my tbr list. Booksellers, magic and set in Bath? Yes please!

Huge thanks to Ellen, Jenna & Gollancz for my copy of this book.

Is this book on your radar?

Out 23rd March 2023

Book Synopsis:

There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity who inhabits the ancient hot spring. Yet this time it is not from Sulis Minerva that trouble starts. It comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger. A desperate rescue is attempted by his sister the right-handed bookseller Vivien and their friend, art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.

The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery performed by an Ancient Sovereign and guarded by monstrous living statues of Purbeck marble. But this is only the beginning, as the booksellers investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths and try to unravel the secrets of the murderous Lady of Stone, a serial killer of awesome powers.

If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.

A wintry return to the somewhat alternate 1980s England of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London.

About The Author:

Garth Richard Nix is an Australian writer who specialises in children’s and young adult fantasy novels, notably the Old Kingdom, Seventh Tower and Keys to the Kingdom series. Before becoming a fantasy writer, he worked his way through the publishing industry, as a bookseller, sales rep, publicist, editor and then literary agent. He is a multiple bestselling author, and winner – twice – of the Aurealis Award.
He lives in Sydney, Australia.

Learn more by visiting http://www.garthnix.com or by following @garthnix.

Good morning everyone. Today is International Women’s Day and I was tagged by the love Kelly from Lovedreadingthis to show which six literary women I’d invite to my dinner party.

Elodie Harper and Helen Russell I think would be fascinating to have at a dinner party. I’d love to find out more about ancient Rome from Elodie as I’m now really interested in that era after reading her book. I think Helen would be interesting to talk to as I’d love to find out more about her travels to Denmark. I would definitely like to live in another country for a little bit again.

Colleen Hoover and Liz Nugent are two of my favourite authors. I’d love to meet them and talk to them about their books. I think Liz would be especially interesting as I’d love to know where she got the inspiration for her unusual characters.

Finally I would invite Ruth Jones as I think she’d be hilarious and I might try to sneakily find out more about life behind the scenes on Gavin and Stacey as I was a huge fan of that show. I think Rebecca Ryan would also be really fun to hang out as we could trade kid stories and commiserate about parenthood over a few glasses of wine.

Who would you invite to your dinner party?

Book Synopsis:

At first glance, Jellicoe Close seems to be a perfect suburban street – well-kept houses with pristine lawns, neighbours chatting over garden fences, children playing together.

But there are dark secrets behind the neat front doors, hidden dangers that include a ruthless criminal who will stop at nothing.

It’s up to DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent to uncover the truth. Posing as a couple, they move into the Close, blurring the lines between professional and personal as never before.

And while Maeve and Josh try to gather the evidence they need, they have no idea of the danger they face – because someone in Jellicoe Close has murder on their mind.

My Review:

The Close is another compelling and gripping addition to one of my favourite crime series.

It was great to be back with Kerrington and Derwent, solving another case with them. I especially liked that we get to learn more about the people behind the detective’s as they go undercover together to try and solve their case. I loved watching them relax and grow closer as the sexual tension between them slowly increases. This also causes some absolutely hilarious moments which had me laughing out loud as I read.

The residents of Jellicoe Close were an interesting bunch who I’m very glad I don’t live next too (well to my knowledge anyway). There were some very creepy people and some typical alpha males which I was fascinated to learn more about. All of them seemed to be hiding something which made it hard to whittle down the suspects.

This book actually follows three cases at once which I found very intriguing. As expected the author does a great job of weaving these together and keeping the reader on their toes with lots of red herrings. Just when I thought I’d figured it all out something would happen to prove I was wrong. The introduction of some fabulous new characters like Georgia along with the brilliant character development of Kerrington and Derwent means I’m hopeful there are more books to come in this series.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper Collins for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Jane Casey is a bestselling crime writer who was born and brought up in Dublin. A former editor, she has written twelve crime novels for adults (including ten in the Maeve Kerrigan series) and three for teenagers (the Jess Tennant series). Her books have been international bestsellers, critically acclaimed for their realism and accuracy. The Maeve Kerrigan series has been nominated for many awards: in 2015 Jane won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for The Stranger You Know and Irish Crime Novel of the Year for After the Fire. In 2019, Cruel Acts was chosen as Irish Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. It was a Sunday Times bestseller. Stand-alone novel The Killing Kind was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick in 2021, and is currently being filmed for television. Jane lives in southwest London with her husband, who is a criminal barrister, and their two children.

Book Synopsis:

The dark, atmospheric, feminist offspring of Squid Game, The Hunting Party and Misery

A book deal to die for.

Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled.

Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.

But then the women begin to die.

Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.

This unhinged, propulsive, claustrophobic closed-door thriller will pull you in and spit you out…

My Review:

The Writing Retreat is an atmospheric, gripping read that I really enjoyed.

Firstly I absolutely loved the vivid descriptions of the house which I was envisioning as a cross between the house from Rebecca and The Rocky Horror show with the wonderfully quirky staff employed there. It’s a house I’d love to explore (when there’s not a murderer lurking obviously) as there seemed to be lots of interesting items on display there. It’s also a house with a history which I always love and I was very intrigued how this would be woven into the story.

Alex was an interesting main character and one that took me a while to warm to. She obviously been hurt in the past which makes her a sympathetic character but she seemed a bit overly sensitive at times and perhaps a bit paranoid that grated on me a little bit. Her fall out with her former best friend was very intriguing and I wanted to keep reading to find out what really happened there. I also wasn’t sure what to make of Rosa who scared me a little bit with her sudden mood swings and interesting stories.

I thought this story was fairly fast paced and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me turning the pages. I liked the gradual shift in atmosphere as the story continues and the slow reveal of clues as to what was actually happening. I did have an inkling about what was going on but I enjoyed following the story to see if I was right and must admit that a few of the twists had me doubting my theories which I always love. The ending was perhaps a bit mad but very entertaining and I will definitely look forward to reading more from this author in future.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Julia Bartz is a Brooklyn-based writer and practicing therapist. She is the author of the popular Psychology Today blog ‘My Pleasure: The New Science of Sex, Dating, and Self-Care’ and previously ran the Brooklyn literary blog ‘BookStalker’. Her fiction has been published in the South Dakota Review, FictionDaily and InDigest Magazine and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. The Writing Retreat is her first novel.

Book Synopsis:

A gripping, darkly comic tale of searing loss, coercive control and the consequences of taking the wrong path.

Every morning Janet Brown goes to work cleaning offices. It calms her, cleanliness, neatness. All the things she’s unable to do with her soul can be achieved with a damp cloth and a splash of bleach. However, the guilt she still carries about a devastating loss that happened eleven years ago, cannot be erased.

Then, Janet finds herself involved in a train crash and, recognising the chance to do what she couldn’t all those years ago, she makes a decision. As news spreads of Janet’s actions, her story inspires everyone around her, and for the first time her life has purpose and the future is filled with hope.

But Janet’s story isn’t quite what it seems, and as events spiral out of control, she soon discovers that coming clean isn’t an option. Because if Janet washes away the lies, what long-buried truths will she finally have to face.

If I Let You Go by Charlotte Levin is a deeply moving and gripping portrayal of a woman coming to terms with loss.

My Review:

If I Let You Go is a gripping, absorbing but heartbreaking read that will stay with me for a long time.

Firstly I absolutely loved Janet who was a very sympathetic character. The reader quickly becomes aware of Janet’s situation so I was completely on her side hoping she manages to find a way out of it. It was heartbreaking to discover how much guilt Janet has regarding her daughter and worse how it is used against her by her despicable husband Colin who I absolutely hated. I often wished I could have a strong word with him and found myself getting frustrated with Janet at times as she falls for his rubbish, often making excuses for his behaviour.

I thought this book was very fast paced and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. The chapters are fairly short which makes the book very moreish and my concern for Janet made me want to keep reading to check she was ok but with a degree of trepidation as I wasn’t sure how things would work out for her.

Overall I really enjoyed this book which I will be recommending to everyone. The story is told from Janet’s point of view with a few flashbacks to Janet’s past. There are a few trigger scenes that some people might find hard to read about and some truly heartbreaking moments but I didn’t feel it was an especially sad book as there were some heartwarming moments too. The ending was brilliant and made me realise how far Janet has come.

Huge thanks to Chloe from Pan Macmillan for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Charlotte Levin has been shortlisted for the Andrea Badenoch Award, part of the New Writers North Awards, and for the Mslexia Short Story Competition. IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU is her debut novel, and IF I LET YOU GO is out in March 2023. Charlotte lives in Manchester with her cat Opal Moon and kittens Leonard and Walter.

I’m a huge fan of this author so I was incredibly excited to be offered the chance to get a proof of her latest book. Huge thanks to Ellie Hudson and Penguin UK for my copy I’m so excited to read this soon. There was chocolate with it too but it might not have survived to make it into the picture…. 😅

Out 22nd June 2023

What new books have you received recently?

Book Synopsis:

You can run away from your life.
But you can’t run away from murder.

---

When her family tragedy is splashed across the newspapers, Nancy decides to disappear. Her grandmother’s beautiful Regency house in a quiet seaside village seems like the safest place to hide. But the old house has its own secrets and a chilling wartime legacy . . .

Now someone knows the truth about the night Nancy’s mother and stepfather were murdered. Someone knows where to find her. And they have nothing to lose . . .

So what really happened that night? And how far will she go to keep it hidden?

DON’T MISS THE CAPTIVATING NEW BOOK FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR JANE CORRY

About The Author:

Jane Corry is a writer and journalist (Daily Telegraph and women’s magazines) who worked for three years as the writer in residence of a high security male prison. This experience helped inspire her Sunday Times Penguin bestsellers ‘My Husband’s Wife’, ‘Blood Sisters’, ‘The Dead Ex’, ‘I Looked Away’, ‘I Made A Mistake’, ‘To Tell The Truth’ and ‘We All Have Our Secrets’. She has now sold over a million copies of her books world-wide.

Jane worked as an RLF Fellow at Exeter University and is a former creative writing tutor at Oxford University. She also writes short stories as well as a weekly digital column about being a granny for My Weekly. In addition, she is a regular contributor to The Daily Telegraph and speaks at literary festivals all over the world. Many of her ideas strike during morning dog-jogs along the beach followed by a dip in the sea – no matter how cold it is!

Jane’s latest novel ‘We All Have Our Secrets’ is available from bookshops, supermarkets and online. http://linktr.ee/janecorry. Her next novel ‘COMING TO FIND YOU’ is being published by Penguin in June 2023. You can find Jane on Twitter at @JaneCorryAuthor and on Facebook at JaneCorryAuthor as well as Instagram. See her website for details of events and to sign up to her newsletter. http://www.janecorryauthor.com.

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday! Today I thought I’d share some of the books I’m hoping to read this month. I think I might have over done it again but I’ll hopefully manage to read most of these!

⭐Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score

⭐ Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

⭐ Stepping Up by Sarah Turner

⭐The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola

⭐Things They Lost by Okwiri Oduor

⭐Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

⭐Murder Under The Tuscan Sun by Rachel Rhys

⭐ Mother’s Boy by Patrick Gale

⭐ Little Wing by Freya North

⭐ What July Knew by Emily Koch

I’m hugely excited to read the new books by Liz Nugent and Rachel Rhys as I’m a huge fan of their books. Stepping Up I’m reading as part of a Tandem Collective read-along and The Clockwork Girl is a bookclub pick for March!

The rest are all books I’ve heard lots of good things about, so naturally had to get a copy. I’m hoping to read them this month or asap. I’m especially excited for Mother’s Boy as it was recommended to me by the lovely Joanne from Portobello Book Blog and she always gives great recommendations.

What books are you looking forward to reading this month?

Book Synopsis:

From the acclaimed author of The Last Checkmate comes a brilliant novel spanning from the Russian Revolution to the Nazi occupation of the Soviet Union and following two unforgettable women…their fates intertwined by ties of family and interrupted by the tragedy of war. Perfect for readers of Kate Quinn, Pam Jenoff, and Elena Gorokhova.

Russia 1917: Beautiful, educated Svetlana Petrova defied her stifling aristocratic family to join a revolution promising freedom. Now, released after years of imprisonment, she discovers her socialist party vying for power against the dictatorial Bolsheviks and her beloved uncle, a champion of her cause, was murdered by a mysterious assassin named Orlova. Her signature? Blinding her victims before she kills them. Svetlana resolves to avenge his death by destroying this vicious opponent, even as she longs to reunite with the daughter she has not seen in years.

USSR 1941: Now living in obscurity in a remote village, Svetlana opens her home to Mila Rozovskaya, the eighteen-year-old granddaughter from Leningrad she has never met. She hopes to protect Mila from the oncoming Nazi invasion, but when the enemy occupies the village, Svetlana sees the young woman fall under the spell of the resistance—echoing her once-passionate idealism. As Mila takes up her fight, dangerous secrets and old enemies soon threaten all Svetlana holds dear. To protect her family, she must confront her long-buried past—yet if the truth emerges victorious, it holds the power to save or shatter them. A risk Svetlana has no choice but to take. 

My Review:

Daughter’s Of Victory is a sweeping, absorbing piece of historical fiction from a new author for me.

Firstly The Russian Revolution and the Second World War are two of my favourite time periods so I knew from the start that I was going to love this book. The author has clearly done a lot of research and I eagerly drank in all the wonderful details the author includes in the story. The descriptions were so vivid that I often felt I was actually there watching everything unfold alongside the characters. I especially liked learning more about the rise of Lenin and the difference between the two revolutionary groups as I don’t think I knew much about them before.

The two main characters Svetlana and Mira were two very strong women whose dedication to their cause was very admirable. I liked following them through the book though I found myself getting frustrated with the unfairness of their situation at times. These two characters are actually based on real life historical character’s which I really loved. It always adds an extra element to the story for me when you know someone really went through events in a book.

This book does start off a little slow as the author sets the scene but soon picks up and becomes incredibly absorbing. I loved following the two timelines and the exploits of the two amazing main characters. The author does a great job of merging the two storylines in a realistic way which made me feel more involved in the story and care about what was happening to them. I liked that the author doesn’t take the easier, happier route in the story as it kept me on edge and not sure which way the story would go.

The ending was brilliant and very emotional. I kind of wish that it had ended a slightly different way but it’s definitely an ending that will stay with me. The author has included a very interesting author’s note which gives the reader more information about the real life historical character’s and her thought process whilst writing this book.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper 360 for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Gabriella Saab is the author of The Last Checkmate. She graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor of business administration in marketing and lives in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, where she works as a barre instructor. She is of Lebanese heritage and is one of the co-hosts of @hfchitchat on Twitter, a recurring monthly chat and community celebrating the love of reading and writing historical fiction.

Book Synopsis:

Framed for murder. Now she’s free . . .

A woman attends a funeral, standing in the shadows and watching in agony as her sons grieve. But she is unable to comfort them – or reveal her secret.

A decade earlier, Heather gets her children ready for bed and awaits the return of her husband Liam, little realising that this is the last night they will spend together as a family. Because tomorrow she will be accused of Liam’s murder.

Ten years ago Heather lost everything. Now she will stop at nothing to clear her name – and to get her children back . . .

My Review:

The Mother is another fast paced, gripping read from one of my favourite thriller writers. I always make sure I start one of his books on a day I have lots of free time as I know I will struggle to put it down.

The story follows Heather as she is released from prison for a crime she didn’t commit. She is desperate to get justice and get her kids back. I really liked Heather and admired her dogged determination to get her kids back, doing things that had my hair standing on end. Her friend Jodie, who helps her on her mission, was another great character and the pair of them make a wonderful team. I was completely on their side, with the unfairness of everything that was happening making me cheer them on hoping for a good outcome for them.

I thought this book was incredibly fast paced and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. The story is told in two timelines one in the past and one in the present. I liked the way the two storylines complimented each other, gradually revealing things to the reader. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing and the realistic plot made me wonder what I’d do in a similar situation. I love my kids but I’m not sure I’d go to the extremes Heather does. The ending was brilliant and I especially enjoyed that I hadn’t been able to guess the outcome.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

T.M. Logan is a Sunday Times bestseller whose thrillers have sold more than 2 million copies in the UK and are published in 18 countries around the world. The Holiday was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and is now a major Netflix drama. His Sunday Times bestselling thriller, The Catch is soon to be a major TV Drama. Formerly a national newspaper journalist, he now writes full time and lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and two children. Follow him on Twitter @TMLoganAuthor.

📚 Happy World Book Day!

Good morning everyone and happy World Book Day. I’m lucky to have three kids who absolutely love books so I thought I’d share some of their favourite books today.

⭐ Fireborn by Aisling Fowler

⭐ Spaceboy by David Walliams

⭐ Fairy Unicorns: Frost Fair by Zanna Davidson

⭐ You’re Called What? By Kes Gray & Nikki Dyson

⭐ The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt & Alex Willmore

⭐ Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

⭐ My Daddy Is A Monster by Natalie Reeves Billing

⭐Diary Of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

⭐ Louise The Lily Fairy by Daisy Meadows

⭐ The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

My kids are 10, 7 & 5 but my 10 year old seems to prefer younger books and my 7 year old older books. (She’s currently trying to read Matilda as she loved the musical). We also recently read The Magic Faraway Tree together which I loved as it was one of my favourites when I was a kid. My eldest in particular is a huge bookworm and hard to keep up with as he gets through books so quickly. If anyone has any recommendations for magic/ fantasy books for a ten year old please let me know!

We aren’t perfect though as, at his recent parent’s evening, we found out my 5 year old is behind in his reading at school – we think mainly due to his concentration levels so we are making a real effort to try and help him.

What was your favourite authors as a kid?