Good morning everyone and happy Thursday. I wanted to do a book spotlight for Say Nothing by Erin Kinsley as it’s publication day for this intriguing read today.

I’m a huge fan of this author and I’ve loved her previous books. She writes incredibly gripping, emotional thrillers which are very hard to put down so I’m very excited to read it soon. It’s also just been named by The Times as their thriller of the month so I think it’s going to be another fabulous read.

Huge thanks to Isabelle from Headline for sending this to me I can’t wait to read it.

Find out more about the book below ⬇️

Book Synopsis:

***THRILLER OF THE MONTH – THE TIMES***
‘Brilliant, compelling, heart-wrenching writing.’ PETER JAMES

Your son has gone missing.
And then the police arrest the prime suspect.
You.

You know you’re innocent.
That someone else took your son.

But the truth is never simple.
Especially if you’re forced to say nothing…

About The Author:

Erin Kinsley writes heart-rending stories of ordinary families, of how lives are changed when the worst thing that could possibly happen, happens. She is a full-time writer with passions for the sea, dogs and – when time permits – knitting.

She also writes as Anne Zouroudi, author of the much-loved series of mysteries featuring the enigmatic Greek Detective Hermes Diaktoros.

Book Synopsis:

ONCE UPON A TIME LIKE YOU’VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE . . .
 
DI Lyla Rondell is on the case of a lifetime. Tasked with investigating a series of perplexing deaths, the only lead she has is that each appears to be based on a different classic fairy tale. Far from the stuff of bedtime stories, the press is having a field day with what they have named the Grimm Ripper Murders.
 
But as the bodies stack up, Lyla’s whole world is about to flip on its head. Because the killer’s bloody trail stretches deep into her own origin story, and when she discovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same again.
 
Faced with the fact that everything she knows is fiction, Lyla will have to take a little creative license of her own if she’s going to turn the final page on the killings . . . 

My Review:

Little Red Death is a gripping, fast paced crime novel unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s going to be a difficult book to review as I don’t want to give anything away.  

The story is told from two points of view, one following DI Lyla Rondell as she tries to solve the mystery of a serial killer who is murdering their victims in fairy tale themed murders and Katie a writer who the murderer has kidnapped to write the fairy tale murders he then carries out in real life.  I quickly found myself drawn into the book and into the nightmare scenario the characters find themselves in.  It soon becomes clear that the murder has a personal vendetta against DI Rondell as they continually taught her with notes and reminders of her missing childhood friend Alison.  The story is a mainly a crime book but has elements of horror and folk tales cleverly woven into the narrative which I really loved as I’m always a fan of unusual crime books.  

I thought the book was very fast paced and I found it very difficult to put down as I desperately wanted to find out what on earth was going on.  The twist in the middle had me gasping out loud, much to the amusement of my children, and I soon found myself reading faster and faster as the different layers to the story are revealed.  The ending was amazing, so well done and took me completely by surprise as I thought everything had already been solved.  I finished the book three days ago and have continued to think about it since, often having to go back and re-read the last few chapters as I kept thinking of certain bits of the story.  

Huge thanks to the lovely Rhys Thomas our Simon and Schuster rep for sending me a copy of this book to review.  

If you are a fan of unique, gripping and twisty crime books I highly recommend this book.  

About The Author:

Alexandra Benedict has been a composer, singer-songwriter, actor, and lecturer in crime fiction, and is now an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and scripts. As AK Benedict, she writes high-concept novels, speculative short stories and scripts. Her first novel, the critically-acclaimed THE BEAUTY OF MURDER, was nominated for the eDunnit Award; her short stories have featured in many anthologies; and her audio drama has been shortlisted for multiple awards including the BBC Audio Drama Award 2020, and, twice, for the Scribe Award, winning it in 2019. As Alexandra Benedict, she writes contemporary tributes and takes on Golden Age crime fiction. THE CHRISTMAS MURDER GAME was an Amazon Fiction Bestseller and was long-listed for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Her latest novel, MURDER ON THE CHRISTMAS EXPRESS, arrives on November 10th. She lives on the south coast of England with her fiancé, writer Guy Adams, their daughter, and their dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford.

Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two Gothic Historical books I’m excited to read soon.

💚 Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
🖤 Carrion Crow by Heather Parry

They both sound really good and I’ve been hearing lots of good things about them. As I was discussing with someone recently the cold, rainy weather we’re having is perfect for snuggling up with at the moment.

Huge thanks to the tagged publishers for sending these to me I’m really looking forward to reading them.

Both books are out now and you can find out more about the books below ⬇️

Do you read books depending on the season/ weather?

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect Victorian governess. She’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But the longer Winifred spends within the estate’s dreary confines and the more she learns of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family, the more trouble she has sticking to her plan.

Whether creeping across the moonlit lawns in her undergarments or gently tormenting the house staff, Winifred struggles at every turn to stifle the horrid compulsions of her past until her chillingly dark imagination breaches the feeble boundary of reality on Christmas morning. Wielding her signature sardonic wit and a penchant for the gorgeously macabre, Virginia Feito returns with a vengeance in Victorian Psycho.

Carrion Crow by Heather Parry

There are some facts about the world that only your mother can teach you.
Marguerite had been confined for the sake of her wellbeing.
That’s what her mother had said.

Marguerite Périgord is locked in the attic of her family home, a towering Chelsea house overlooking the stinking Thames.

For company she has a sewing machine, Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management and a carrion crow who has come to nest in the rafters. Restless, she spends her waning energies on the fascinations of her own body, memorising Mrs Beeton’s advice and longing for her life outside.

Cécile Périgord has confined her daughter Marguerite for her own good.

Cécile is concerned that Marguerite’s engagement to a much older, near-penniless solicitor, will drag the family name – her husband’s name, that is – into disrepute. And for Cécile, who has worked hard at her own betterment, this simply won’t do.

Cécile’s life has taught her that no matter how high a woman climbs she can just as readily fall.

Of course, both have their secrets, intentions and histories to hide. As Marguerite’s patience turns into rage, the boundaries of her mind and body start to fray.

And neither woman can recognise what the other is becoming.

Book Synopsis:

Collide is the first book in the Off the Ice series
The second novel, Spiral, is out now and the third, Revolve, will be out in October. You can pre-order Revolve now.

‘Equal parts spicy and sweet’ Peyton Corinne, author of Unsteady

When Summer Preston’s professor issues her with an ultimatum, she finds herself on an unexpected collision course with hockey captain, Aiden Crawford.

Summer hates everything about hockey, for good reason, but she isn’t going to let that stand in the way of her becoming a sports psychologist.

Aiden loves being the hockey captain, except when his team’s reckless mistakes risk jeopardizing their entire season. When coach puts him forward for a research paper as punishment, he has no choice but to accept.

Summer can’t stand his blasé approach to life, and Aiden doesn’t understand her uptight, scheduled one. They are off to a rocky start, and provoking each other – it turns out – is what they do best.

But losing isn’t something either of them does well. Maybe there’s a way for both of them to win?

Now with a never-before-seen bonus scene from Summer and Aiden’s love story as well as an extract from the next book in the Off the Ice series. Find out which of your favourite characters from Collide will be featured next!

My Review:

Collide is a fun, gripping romance that helped get me out of a massive reading slump.  

The story is told from the dual point of view of hockey captain Aiden and grumpy, workaholic Summer.  Out of the two main characters I did prefer Aiden as I thought he was very sweet and deserved a medal for putting up with Summer at times. He seemed a very sweet character and I loved how he cared for everyone, often beyond what he was expected to as a captain.  Summer on the other hand took me a little while to warm to as I found her very unlikeable at the beginning.  She’s a very prickly character and I really couldn’t understand why she was being so difficult at times.  It was interesting to see the two slowly grow closer and how they helped each other through some difficult situations.  

I thought the book was very fast paced and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. Even in the quieter moments I was just happy hanging out with Aiden, Summer and their brilliant group of friends whose antics always made me smile.  This book has been compared to Icebreaker and while there are similarities I thought it was also an unique story in its own right.  There are some very spicy scenes in this book which wouldn’t be suitable for anyone below 18 as well as some hard hitting subjects mentioned which might not be to everyone’s taste.  

The ending was really heartwarming and I liked that the author continued the story on a bit so that the reader can see what happens next for the characters.  This is the first book in a trilogy and I quickly brought the second book in the series after a few chapters of this one as I knew I’d be wanting to read more.  

About The Author:

Bal is a Canadian writer, romance enthusiast, and book lover. Before she decided to jump into the romance pool, she spent her time gushing about books on social media. When inspiration strikes, she is found filling her notes app with ideas for romance novels. Like her heroine Summer, Bal has been woven into the fabric of two cultures and finds herself creating characters that represent the beauty of both. Whether it’s through language, a box of her favorite sweets, or a cup of chai, we can find hints of her South Asian roots throughout her writing. She loves reading about love, watching movies about love, and now, writing about it herself. There really isn’t much else that gets her heart fluttering the way HEAs do. She fell in love with writing and hopes to continue living out her romance author dreams.

Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. There’s a challenge going around Instagram at the moment to show how your Instagram has changed over the years and I thought it might be interesting to do it for my blog too.

Starting Out

I starting blogging nearly ten years ago as something for me to do for me after having my eldest kid. At the beginning I was purely a Netgalley reviewer and joined after hearing about it on a Facebook page. I can still remember the excitement of getting approved for my first book after stupidly checking my phone in the middle of the night and then being unable to sleep.

I would post my reviews to Goodreads and then post the link to Twitter which drew the attention of the lovely Lorraine from The Book Review Cafe who took me on as a guest reviewer and ultimately persuaded me to start my own blog.

I’d just lots my second son Christopher and I wanted to name my blog in his memory. I have a thing about Robins, especially with the belief that Robins are people from heaven saying hello. I almost called my blog Robin Reviews but thought it would confuse people into thinking my name was Robin.

First Blog Posts

My First blog post were very basic and I remember feeling very nervous posting them. At the beginning I mainly posted reviews or book spotlights for blog tours only, using pictures given to me by the organisers or taken from Amazon.

I slowly started to increase my confidence in posting on Twitter (which I still find nerve wracking at times) and commenting on twitter posts from publishers offering proofs. I’ll forever be grateful to the lovely Alison, Hannah, Rachel and Rosie from Penguin for taking a chance on a new blogger as well as the lovely Anne Cater for letting me onto her blog tours.

To Present Day

My content has definitely changed over the years and I feel I post much more variety now. I’ve grown in confidence and feel happy posting shorter posts or challenges when I wouldn’t have before. My time on Instagram has also made me more confident in creating my own pictures so I tend to use photo’s I’ve taken on my blog now rather than generic ones.

I don’t do as many blog tours anymore as with the kids and work I find it difficult to stick to a schedule.

I’ve also become braver at posting pictures of myself in here and doing write ups of events I’ve been to. I’m slightly dyslexic so I find writing difficult sometimes and worry it doesn’t make sense but people still seem to like the posts so I’ll keep going!

The Future

I’m definitely planning on continuing to blog for many years to come. I really enjoy it and I feel that I’ve made some lovely blogger friends on here. I’m going to continue posting a variety of different content as I like sharing different things. I’m not going to stress myself out by trying to post everyday but rather I’m going to post when I’ve got something good to share!

One thing that has definitely changed since I’ve started blogging is my taste in books. I have definitely branched out and read much more variety now. I’ve got into fantasy and romance books more which I’m really enjoying reading.

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday . I’m taking inspiration from the lovely @nothing.beats.a.good.book for this post as I’ve actually managed to finish a book in half term!

I’ve just finished Little Red Death which I really enjoyed. It was a lot darker than I expected and that twist at the end?! So good! Full review coming soon but highly recommended by me.

I’m starting The Sirens tonight which I’m really excited about. I’ve heard lots of good things about it and I absolutely loved her previous book so I’ve been looking forward to reading it.

Huge thanks to the tagged publishers for sending!

What book are you reading this weekend?

Little Red Death by AK Benedict

ONCE UPON A TIME LIKE YOU’VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE . . .
 
DI Lyla Rondell is on the case of a lifetime. Tasked with investigating a series of perplexing deaths, the only lead she has is that each appears to be based on a different classic fairy tale. Far from the stuff of bedtime stories, the press is having a field day with what they have named the Grimm Ripper Murders.
 
But as the bodies stack up, Lyla’s whole world is about to flip on its head. Because the killer’s bloody trail stretches deep into her own origin story, and when she discovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same again.
 
Faced with the fact that everything she knows is fiction, Lyla will have to take a little creative license of her own if she’s going to turn the final page on the killings . . . 

The Sirens by Emilia Hart

Lucy is running from what she’s done – and what someone did to her.

There’s only one person who might understand: her sister Jess. But when Lucy arrives at her sister’s desolate cliff-top house, Jess is gone.

Lucy is now alone, in a strange town steeped in rumour. Stories of men disappearing without a trace. A foundling discovered in a sea-swept cave. And women’s voices murmuring on the waves…

As Lucy searches for her sister, those voices get ever louder. They tell of two sisters, two centuries ago, bound and transported across the world. A world where men always get their way. A world that is at once distant, and achingly familiar.

Are these voices luring Lucy closer to her sister? Or will the secrets of the past pull them both under?

Good morning everyone and happy Friday. Here are six books I’m hoping to read soon!

❤️The New Year by Claire Douglas
🧡 Spiral by Bal Khabra
💛Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven
💚The Sirens by Emilia Hart
💙 Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
💜The Woman In The Wallpaper by Lora Jones

I’m a huge mood reader and often change my mind about what I’m going to read next. I’m aware I’ve put The Sirens and The New Neighbours in a few of these but I’m determined to read them both too. I actually had at least six more I was thinking of when I was doing this so I might have cursed these books to never be read at this point.

My eldest is still poorly so we’re taking him to the doctor’s today. He has a blood test booked already for the continual headaches so we’re combining it with a doctor’s appointment too. I’m then hoping to finally do some housework and finish my book which I’ve been trying to do all week. I actually thought I’d have more time to read as the kids are normal happy going on their gadgets but it’s turned out to be a hectic week. I’m going back to work tomorrow for a rest!

I’ve tagged a few people who might want to join in and share six books soon but, as always, no pressure.

Do you stick to a schedule when reading or are you a mood reader too?

Good afternoon everyone and happy Thursday. Here are two fabulous books books I’ve been lucky enough to receive recently!

🖤 The Quiet by Barnaby Martin

💙 Some Of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins

Fiona is one of my favourite thriller authors and I’ve been hearing lots of great things about The Quiet so I’m very excited to read both of these.

Huge thanks to the lovely Chloe from Pan Macmillan for sending these to me it’s really appreciated.

The Quiet is out on the 15th May 2025 and Some Of Us Are Liars Island out on the 19th June 2025.

Find out more about the books below ⬇️

Are these on your radar?

The Quiet by Barnaby Martin

A mother’s love can be deafening . . .

Isaac is Hannah’s entire world. She knows that her son is gifted, and that those gifts make him vulnerable. To keep him safe, she spends every waking moment by his side. If she lets her guard down, lets him out of her sight, lets him show what he’s capable of, he will be taken from her.

When the Soundfield arrived twenty years ago, the world changed with it. Now, people are forced to live at night due to the deadly heat of the day, food and water are scarce, and everyday life is punctuated by the constant and disconcerting hum from the Field. A brilliant scientist, Hannah spent her early career working on the enigma of the Soundfield, looking for answers; now, resigned, she has focussed all her energies on keeping Isaac living, not just alive.

To do so, she will have to lie to the people she knows and hope she can trust the ones she doesn’t. Because the only thing more dangerous than her lies, is the truth of what she has done.

Some Of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins

There’s your side. My side. And the truth.

Lisa Jewell meets Jodi Picoult in a story of betrayal and deception in the aftermath of family tragedy.

She must face justice. As her sister it kills me to say it. As his mother I demand it.

When Jen Miller entrusts her youngest child to the care of her beloved sisters, she has no idea of the devastating tragedy that is about to unfold.

To celebrate her sister’s wedding, global superstar Winter Kellaway throws the party of the decade at her luxurious beachside estate. The decorations are flawless. The champagne is on ice. The guests have arrived. But one misstep will have heartbreaking consequences that will rock this close-knit family to their core.

With her life in pieces, how can Jen ever begin to forgive?

Saul Anguish, a brilliant but tormented young detective, is called in to investigate and uncovers a long-buried and shocking family secret. As the trail takes a dramatic turn, they must now all face the truth that you can never truly leave the past behind . . .

Good afternoon everyone I hope you’re having a good Wednesday. I was absolutely thrilled to receive The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater through the post today. It sounds absolutely fantastic, historical fiction set in ww2 with a touch of supernatural atmosphere? Yes please!

Huge thanks to the lovely Rosie from Headline Books for sending this to me I can’t wait to read it.

The Listeners is out on the 3rd of June and you can find out more about the book below ⬇️

Q: Would you like to live in a haunted/ magic house?
A: Yes if it was a house like Starling House 🥰

Book Synopsis:

The extraordinary, genre-defying debut adult novel by the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

AT THE AVALLON, REAL POWER COMES TO THOSE WHO WATCH AND LISTEN…

High in the Appalachian mountains is a place quite unlike any other. The Avallon Hotel and its enigmatic General Manager, June Hudson, are famed for offering unrivalled luxury, season after season, to those who come from far and wide to indulge in its beautiful hot springs and take the healing waters. Everything is perfect. Perhaps too perfect.

So when the Avallon is called upon to help the war effort – to oust its guests and host three hundred diplomats and Nazi sympathisers – June’s priority is business as usual. But as dark alliances and unexpected attractions crack the polished veneer of the hotel, she is forced to reckon with the true price of luxury.

After all, only June knows the sacrifice required to keep everyone happy – her staff, the FBI and, above all, the tumultuous sweetwater running through the heart of the hotel.

The Listeners is a story of love, lies, secrets and betrayal, based on real events and steeped with eerie Appalachian magic – and brought to life by a truly unforgettable ensemble cast of characters.

About The Author:

Maggie Stiefvater is the New York Times bestselling author of the Shiver trilogy, the Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races, among dozens of other YA fantasy novels. Her books have sold over five million copies around the world. She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and their two children.