Book Synopsis:

When Ashley Smith – a bright-eyed but lonely American studying in London – is invited to spend Christmas with her classmate’s family at their Cotswolds manor house, it seems like a perfect country idyll.

And for Ashley – who records it all in her diary – there’s the added romantic potential of her friend’s twin brother, Adam, who she thinks could be her wildest dream come true.

But is there something strange about the old house, both stately and rundown? What could the motives of the mysterious Chapman family be? And what holiday horrors might be lying in wait?

My Review:

The Christmas Guest is a gripping murder mystery perfect for reading at this time of year.

Firstly I loved the cosy, country house setting in this book which is just the type of place to spend a family Christmas in. I loved the descriptions of the huge family house, with extensive grounds and a pub just round the corner full of delicious sounding food. The characters were all wonderful creations that I enjoyed following throughout the book even though I didn’t find any of them very likeable. Ashley was my favourite out of them though and I found myself feeling quite sorry for her at times though her neediness did get on my nerves at times and I wish I could tell her to stop.

I thought the book had a great pace to it and I quickly found myself drawn into the book. For a short book it really packs a lot in with lots of very intriguing things happening that ensured I kept reading. The story is told in two halves with a twist in the middle that I didn’t see coming which I thought was cleverly done. The ending was interesting and I liked seeing how everything played out. Although this is billed as a Christmas read it didn’t seem overly festive and I actually think you could pick this up anytime if year.

If you’re looking for a last minute socking filler I really recommend this one!

About The Author:

Peter Swanson is the author of nine novels, including The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, and Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine.

A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his wife and cat.

Book Synopsis:

There is nothing like it. The way the world gets real quiet when a gator’s nearby…And then the water, suddenly boiling as that black head surfaces and the ancient reptile erupts into the air hissing like a devil…The way the crack of the rifle seems to come from deep inside Cutter. The way she feels it in her throat; she knows she’s a good killer – and yet. She is stalling…’

The Labasques aren’t like other families. Living in a shack out in the swamps, they scrape a living hunting down alligators and other animals just to get by. To the good people of Jacknife, Louisiana, they are trouble-makers, outcasts, the kind of people you wouldn’t want living on your doorstep. So when Cutter Labasque is found face down in the muddy swamp, no one seems to care, not even her two rough-cut brothers. The only person who questions the official verdict of suicide is Cutter’s childhood friend, Loyal May, who has just returned home to care for her ageing mother. Loyal left town at the age of 18, having betrayed Cutter. Now there may be no way to find forgiveness, but there may be restitution…

Out 24th April 2025

My Review:

Our Last Wild Days is a gripping, twisty and thought provoking read which I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.

The book is set in a small backwater town that borders a swamp and I found it fascinating to explore alongside the characters. It’s definitely a town that’s down on its luck with a feeling of neglect to most of the buildings and a sense of hopelessness at the lack of opportunities there. The author does a great job in creating the small town dynamic where everyone seems to know each other and there seems to be an unofficial hierarchy for its residence. There was a wild, unpredictable air to the town which helped create an intriguing atmosphere and helped create some tension as I wasn’t sure what would happen next.

I loved the huge variety of characters the author has created and enjoyed following them throughout the book. There were some characters I loved, some I loved to hate and some who my opinion of them changed whilst reading. Sasha and Loyal were definitely my two favourite characters. Both outcasts for being different and struggling with personal problems of their own, it was lovely to see them grow closer as they work as a team. The book is told mainly in the present but with flashbacks to the past and Loyal’s friendship with Cutter which were heartwarming to read about. Loyal really lives up to her name by showing great loyalty to her friend and I loved how she tries to honour her memory through little gestures. The scene with the lilies actually made me laugh out loud.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to everyone when it comes out. I thought the book had a great pace to it and I quickly found it very hard to put down as there always seemed to be something happening to ensure I kept reading. The gradual reveal of what had been going on in the town and the swamp was brilliantly done as I wasn’t able to guess what was happening until right before it was revealed which I always love. There are some scenes about drug use that might not be to everyone’s taste but I thought just added to the dangerous, unpredictable atmosphere the author has created. The ending was brilliant and I actually felt very sad when I finished it as I didn’t want to leave Loyal and Sasha behind.

Huge thanks to the lovely Alison from Doubleday for sending me a copy of this book. I highly recommend this book and strongly suggest you put it in your April reading pile.

About The Author:

Anna Bailey is a Sunday Times bestselling author from Gloucestershire. Their debut novel, Tall Bones, inspired by their experiences living in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, was nominated for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and Goldsboro Glass Bell awards, as well as the Prix Nouvelles Voix du Polar. Their short stories, based on their travels through rural America, have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4, including ‘Long Way to Come For a Sip of Water’, which was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. They live in Bordeaux with their wife.

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday. I was tagged by the lovely @nothing.beats.a.good.book to take part in a Christmassy Cluedo Challenge. I did the normal challenge earlier this year but couldn’t resist doing it with a Christmassy twist!

Who – Miss Beeton
When – Midnight
Where – The Christmas Tree Farm
With- The Summer Guests (who might hate Christmas?)
Why – The Voices

All of these are tbr apart from The Christmas Tree Farm which I highly recommend.

I’m off today and I have a few more presents to wrap and I need to try to clean up the house a bit for Christmas though it’s possibly too early with three kids as the likelihood of them messing it up again is probably quite high. We’re then going to my mum’s for an early Christmas celebration as she’s off to my sister’s this year. We call it ‘Missmass’ and I’m really looking forward to it as it’s going to be a special night.

I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to join in the Christmassy Cluedo Challenge but, as always, no pressure.

What are your Saturday plans?

Good evening everyone I hope you’ve had a lovely day. I was so excited to be offered a copy of this beautiful hardback proof of The Woman In The Wallpaper by Lora Jones. Check out those endpapers! So pretty 😍

It sounds absolutely brilliant, just my type of book and I’m very excited to read it soon. I’ve already been hearing some great things from my fellow book bloggers so I’m so looking forward to it.

The Woman In The Wallpaper is published on the 20th February 2025 and you can swipe to read the synopsis.

Huge thanks to Lucie Little Brown for sending this to me.

Book Synopsis:

Paris, 1789. The Oberst Factory, which crafts exquisite wallpaper for the most fashionable French homes, is a place shrouded in mystery. Most enigmatic is the woman pictured in each of its prints, rumoured to be the late Mrs Oberst, who died in peculiar circumstances.

When sisters Lara and Sofi arrive there for work, they quickly form a friendship with Josef Oberst, the motherless heir to the factory. Whilst Sofi’s political fervour intensifies, Lara is disturbed by the uncanny way her life appears mirrored in the wallpaper. Meanwhile Hortense, Josef’s spoilt aristocratic wife, is similarly unnerved by the scenes that line the walls of her new home. With the mobs growing ever more violent, is she in danger of meeting the same untimely end as the last Mrs Oberst?

As revolution blazes across France, the lives of Sofi, Lara and Hortense are set to collide in unimaginable and irrevocable ways. Can they change what lies ahead, or are some patterns destined to be repeated?

About The Author:

After studying English Literature at the University of Durham, Lora began her career working in the TV industry in London, reading scripts for ITV’s Drama Department, and writing factual programme content and comedy material for the BBC, Channel 4 and others. She also spent over a decade assisting professional TV and stage magicians, and gathering up their secrets.

Lora now lives amongst the rugged hills of North Wales where she is currently rewilding an 18th century sheep farm. In her spare time she paints wildlife and sells her work in aid of wildlife conservation charities.

Passionate about creating and writing original stories, The Woman in the Wallpaper is Lora’s first novel. She is also the co-creator/host of The Magician’s Wife podcast.

Good morning everyone and happy Thursday. Here are some of my favourite books of the year as featured in the Rossiter Books newsletter.

❤️You Don’t Have To Be Mad To Work Here by Dr Benji
Waterhouse
🧡Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
💛Sandwich by Catherine Newman
💚The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
💙The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
💜 Death At The Sign Of The Rook by Kate Atkinson

I highly recommend all these books and think they would make great Christmas presents for anyone needing recommendations. Huge thanks to all the tagged publishers/ publicists for sending me proof copies of these it’s really appreciated.

I also loved The Place Of Tides by James Rebanks, The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang and Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors as we didn’t have them in store when the picture was taken.

For the full list of Rossiter Staff recommendations do check out their Instagram page or click on the link below.

What’s your favourite books this year? Do we have any in common?

Eeek I’m so excited to have received a copy of one of my most anticipated reads of 2025- Human Remains by Jo Callaghan. I actually opened this on the shop floor and let out a squeal when I saw what it was which made a few customers laugh and one buy In The Blink Of An Eye as they were intrigued!

I’m such a huge fan of this series and was actually talking about my excitement about this book on Instagram this morning so it’s an amazing coincidence that it came today. It’s one of my favourite crime series and one that I always recommended to customers wanting a brilliant crime book.

Human Remains is published on the 24th of April 2024 and is the third book in the series.

You can find out more about the book below ⬇️

Do you like or fear AI?

Book Synopsis:

The truth will always come out, but at what cost? 

Fresh from successfully closing their first live case, the Future Policing Unit are called in to investigate when a headless, handless body is found on a Warwickshire farm. But as they work to identify the victim and their killer, the discovery of a second body begins to spark fears that The Aston Strangler is back. And as the stakes rise for the team, so do the tensions brewing within it.

When DCS Kat Frank is accused of putting the wrong man behind bars all those years ago, AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI Detective – pursues the truth about what happened with relentless logic. But Kat is determined to keep the past buried, and when she becomes the target of a shadowy figure looking for revenge, Lock is torn between his evidence-based algorithms and the judgement of his partner, with explosive results.  

When everything hangs in the balance, it will all come down to just how much an AI machine can learn, and what happens when they do . . .

About The Author:

Jo works full-time as a senior strategist, where she has carried out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019, she started writing In The Blink of An Eye. She lives with her two children in the Midlands, where she is currently writing the third novel in the Kat and Lock series.

Book Synopsis:

Every book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone.

Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good.

Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor trying to take a break from both his life and his constant desire to fix things.

But somehow fate finds Ben trapped by a blanket of snow at Kira’s farm, and, despite her Grinchiest first impressions, with the glow of the fairy lights twinkling in the trees, and the promise of a warming hot chocolate, maybe, just maybe, these two lost souls will have a Christmas they’ll remember forever…

The Christmas Tree Farm is a spicy romantic mystery with a HEA guaranteed!

My Review:

Ooh I did love this book and managed to devour it in two days which is no easy feat for a busy mum of three this close to Christmas!

Firstly it was lovely being back in Dream Harbour and getting to hang out again with the fabulous characters. Dream Harbour is a place that I’ve long wished I lived in as it sounds such a fun place to live. I loved the description of the festive lights switch on and spending time at the Christmas tree farm which has made me want to visit a real Christmas tree farm as soon as possible. It was fun to catch up with all the couples from previous books and finding out what the hilarious book club members have been up to since the last book.

I thought the book had a great pace to it and I soon found myself quickly drawn into the story. It was great to get to know two new characters and watch them slowly grow closer to each other. They’re both characters that have been badly burned in the past so it was great to see them have some happier moments and learn to trust each other. The story is set in the run up to Christmas which makes it the perfect book to read at this time of year. I loved visiting the Christmas tree farm alongside the characters, watching them cut down their trees and attend wreath making workshops together. It’s a really heartwarming read and has definitely left me feeling very festive. There is a bit of spice which might not be to everyone’s taste but it didn’t seem as much as in the last books. The ending was perfect and I’m now very excited to read more in this fabulous series. There’s two books coming out next year which is incredibly exciting.

If you’re looking for a spicy, festive and romantic read than I highly recommend this one.

About The Author:

Laurie Gilmore is a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller and a USA Today bestseller who writes steamy small-town romance. Her Dream Harbor series is filled with quirky townsfolk, cozy settings, and swoon-worthy romance. The first book in the series, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, was featured on Good Morning America and was named the TikTok Shop Book of the Year 2024.

She loves finding books with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice and strives for that in her own writing. If you ever wished you lived in Stars Hollow (or that Luke and Lorelai would just get together already!) then her books are definitely for you.

Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday.  Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books I’ve kindly been sent by my Instagram Secret Santa!

❤️The Household by Stacey Halls
🩵 Midnight At The Christmas Bookshop

Huge thanks to whoever you are for sending these to me.  The Households is a book I’ve been wanting to read for ages  and who can resist a Christmas book from Jenny Colgan 🥰  Huge thanks also to the lovely @twistedsistersreads for organising.  I’m sending mine today and I’m excited to see if they like it.

I’m off today and it’s looking to be a festive day! I’m going with my mum to a garden centre this morning which always puts you in a festive mood.  I’m looking for a few last minute sock presents for the kids which hopefully I’ll find there.  We might also go for coffee while we’re there which is always nice or have lunch together which will be nice as we might actually have a full conversation without the kids interrupting 😂 I’m then going out for our bookclub Christmas meal tonight which I’m really looking forward to.  They’re such a lovely group and the food sounds amazing so I’m excited to catch up!

What books are you hoping Santa will bring you?

The Household by Stacey Halls

NOT ALL WHO ARE FALLEN WANT TO BE SAVED

London, 1847. In a quiet house in the countryside outside London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are top secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in common: they are fallen. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage is a second chance at life – but how badly do they want it?

Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her cold. Her stalker of ten years has been released from prison, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.

As the women’s worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price . . .

The Household is the new novel from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England. Set against Charles Dickens’ home for fallen women and inspired by real figures from history, it is Stacey Halls’ most ambitious and captivating novel yet.

Midnight At The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

The festive and feel-good Christmas novel from Sunday Times top ten bestselling author, Jenny Colgan.

Carmen is at a loose end. Her gorgeous bookshop is the filming site of a Christmas movie, she’s been ousted from her sister’s house, and the love of her life has just flown thousands of miles away. It’s threatening to be a very unjolly Christmas indeed!

But when the elderly owner of the shop comes to Carmen with a Christmas wish that threatens to never come true, Carmen knows she must buckle down to get the funds to save not only his trip, but the shop itself.

With her deadline looming, and the help of their neighbours, her nieces and nephew, and a very distractingly cute male nanny, Carmen might just pull her greatest magic trick yet…

Book Synopsis:

From the No.1 bestselling author of The Shepherd’s Life, an unforgettable story of friendship, redemption and a life-changing voyage of discovery on a remote Norwegian island
How far do you have to go to find yourself?

One afternoon many years ago, James Rebanks met an old woman on a remote Norwegian island. She lived and worked alone on a tiny rocky outcrop, caring for wild Eider ducks and gathering their down. Hers was a centuries-old trade that had once made men and women rich, but had long been in decline. Still, somehow, she seemed to be hanging on.

Back at home, Rebanks couldn’t stop thinking about the woman on the rocks. She was fierce and otherworldly – and yet strangely familiar. Years passed. Then, one day, he wrote her a letter, asking if he could return. Bring work clothes, she replied, and good boots, and come quickly: her health was failing. And so he travelled to the edge of the Arctic to witness her last season on the island.

This is the story of that season. It is the story of a unique and ancient landscape, and of the woman who brought it back to life. It traces the pattern of her work from the rough, isolated toil of bitter winter, to the elation of the endless summer light, when the birds leave behind their precious down for gathering, like feathered gold.

Slowly, Rebanks begins to understand that this woman and her world are not what he had previously thought. What began as a journey of escape becomes an extraordinary lesson in self-knowledge and forgiveness.

My Review:

The Place Of Tides is a beautifully written, fascinating book that gives an insight into an unseen way of life. I absolutely loved the vivid way the author describes life on the island and the care needed to help the Eider ducks nest each year.  It’s a life full of hardship, often being at the mercy of the weather and I found it very interesting to learn more about it.  

The memoir follows the author James as he spends a season with the duck women after becoming frustrated with how his life was going.  Through his work with the ducks he starts to relax , learning more about the work and about the direction he wants his life to go next.  Through his work with the duck women we watch him learn more about himself as he lets go of any stress that he’s holding onto.  While James was an interesting character to follow my favourite character was definitely Anna.  What a woman! Strong and determined, Anna knew from a young age that she wanted to be a duck woman and continue her family’s work on the island.  I loved the story of how this came about and the strength Anna shows trying to continue the work despite declining health.  Through her stories we learn more about the history of the region, particularly during WW2 and the nazi occupation which I found fascinating as I’ve always loved that period of history.  

Overall I really loved this book and will be recommending it to anyone wanting an uplifting, fascinating memoir.  The author takes us through his time on the island from his first arrival to his departure which was very interesting to follow.  The story has a great flow to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest.  It’s a wonderful story and one that will stay with me for a long time.

Huge thanks to @allenlanepr for providing me with a free ALC via @librofm.

About The Author:

James Rebanks is a farmer based in the Lake District, where his family have lived and worked for over six hundred years. His No.1 bestselling debut, The Shepherd’s Life, won the Lake District Book of the Year, was shortlisted for the Wainwright and Ondaatje prizes, and has been translated into sixteen languages. His second book, English Pastoral, was also a Top Ten bestseller and was named the Sunday Times Nature Book of the Year. Heralded as a ‘masterpiece’ by the New Statesman, it was shortlisted for the Ondaatje prize, and longlisted for the Rathbones Folio prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Writing.

Good evening everyone I hope you’ve had a good day. I was very excited (there might have been squealing involved) to receive a copy of the fabulous looking The Vipers by Katy Hays this week.

I was a huge fan of The Cloisters so I’m so looking forward to reading this book soon. The book is really pretty and the blue is actually foiling which makes the cover very striking.

The Vipers is out 27th March 2025 and you can swipe to see the synopsis.

Huge thanks to Bantham for sending this to me it’s so appreciated!

What’s your most anticipated read for 2025?

Book Synopsis:

On the glittering island of Capri, anything can be a mirage. But one thing is true: there’s nothing deadlier than a family with everything to lose . . .

The world was shocked by playwright Sarah Lingate’s death thirty years ago at an opulent,
white-washed villa on the island of Capri. Absolved of the crime, the Lingate family maintains that what happened that night was a tragic accident. And every July they return to Capri to prove it’s true.

This time, Helen Lingate – sole heir to the family fortune – has a plan. Tightly controlled by her father, she enlists the help of the family assistant, Lorna Moreno, to free herself from her family’s stranglehold on her life. And yet, behind closed doors, the legendary Lingate family unity is at breaking point. Upon arrival at the villa in Capri, an anonymous gift awaits them: the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she died.

In the aftermath, the paranoid, insular Lingates begin to unravel. As the investigation into her mother’s death is reopened, Helen begins to lose trust in everyone around her: her controlling father Richard, drug-addled aunt Naomi, aloof uncle Marcus, and even Lorna, whose past she realizes is frustratingly opaque. And as the family fractures, the long-hidden truth about that night and the secrets they’ve kept from one another boil to the surface – and they might not leave the island alive.

About The Author:

Katy Hays is a writer and adjunct art history professor in California, where she teaches rural students from Truckee to Tecopa. She holds an MA in art history from Williams College and pursued her PhD at UC Berkeley. Having previously worked at major art institutions, including The Clark Art Institute and SF MoMA, she now lives with her husband and dog, Queso, in Olympic Valley, California. The Cloisters is her first novel.