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.

Book Synopsis:

Anna’s Christmas Eve To Do List:

1. Wrap the kids’ presents​

2. Peel the potatoes ​

3. Get rid of the dead body?!

Hungover and exhausted after her family’s annual party, all Anna Johnson wants for Christmas is to finish her to-do list and finally sit down with the world’s biggest glass of wine.

But when she stumbles across a dead body in her larder, her plans are well and truly buggered.

A mysterious death in her home really is the last thing she needs, but with her judgemental in-laws arriving in less than twenty-four hours, turning her house into a crime scene is not an option. If she’s going to save Christmas, it’s up to Anna to find out what the hell’s gone on. Oh – and figure out what to do with the body before one of the kids finds it.

And you thought burning the turkey was the worst that could happen…

My Review:

Happy Bloody Christmas is a hilarious, gripping read that is perfect for reading in this festive period.

Firstly I absolutely loved Anna and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s such a relatable character who I really felt for as she tries to plan for Chirstmas, solve a murder and deal with the impending visit from the mother in law from hell. Most of the messy scenarios mentioned are recognisable from ones you might have suffered through yourself and I like reading about them when it wasn’t happening to me. She has really made me feel better about my own Christmas disasters.

I thought the book had a great pace to it and I was quickly drawn into the story. It was fun to slowly learn more about the characters and their relationship with them murder victim. There were hilarious moments that had me laughing out loud and some really heart warming family scenarios that were lovely to read about. The many surprising twists kept me guessing until the end which I always enjoy and I’m now very excited for the sequel which is coming out next year!

Huge thanks to Avon and Indie Thinking for sending me a copy of this book. If you are after a gripping read to help you get into the Christmas spirit then I highly recommend this book.

About The Author:

Jo Middleton is a writer, mum of two grown up children and slave to a golden retriever and three cats, named after fictional detectives. Jo published her first novel, Playgroups and Prosecco, in 2019 and has since gone on to work with her good friend Gill Sims, hosting her 2022 theatre tour and co-hosting a podcast, It’s Five O’clock Somewhere. Happy Bloody Christmas is her first crime novel and is an amalgamation of everything she loves best – murder at Christmas, what’s not to love?

Jo lives in Somerset and when she’s not working or tending to a pet she loves reading murder mysteries, binge-watching dating reality TV shows and being dragged around the countryside by her disrespectful dog Mako.

Good evening everyone I hope you’re having a good day. I was so excited to receive a copy of The Summer Guests in the post this week. I was such a huge fan of The Spy Coast and often recommend it in the book shop so I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

Huge thanks to @alison_is_reading and @bantambooksuk for sending this to me it’s so appreciated.

The Summer Guests is published on the 27th March 2025 and is the second book in the fabulous Martini Club Series. The first book, The Spy Coast, is available now and is highly recommended by me.

Find out more about the book below ⬇️

Do you like Martini?

Book Synopsis:

THE MARTINI CLUB ISN’T OPEN TO EVERYONE . . .

Maggie Bird’s ‘book group’ is an unusual one – a group of retired spies living an anonymous life in the seaside town of Purity. And this summer they plan little more than ‘reading’ (whilst sipping martinis), and some gentle birdwatching.

But trouble is just around the corner as the summer guests arrive.

For acting Police Chief Jo Thibodeau, summer brings its own problems – packed streets, bar brawls, petty theft. And now, a missing teenager down by the lake.

When their good friend becomes a prime suspect in the girl’s disappearance, Maggie and her Martini Club must put down their binoculars and roll up their sleeves. Leaving Jo to deal with not only a powerful family desperate for answers, but a meddlesome group of retirees.

Can Jo and the Martini Club find a way to work together, as they uncover one of the deadliest scandals their small town has ever seen?

About The Author:

Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D.

While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction and in 1987, her first novel, Call After Midnight, was published. It was just the first of 32 suspense novels that she’s written over a 36-year writing career. She also wrote a screenplay, “Adrift,” which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.

Tess’s 1996 medical thriller, Harvest, marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list and her novels have hit bestseller lists around the world ever since. Among her titles are Gravity, The Surgeon, Vanish, Listen to Me, and her upcoming spy thriller, The Spy Coast, which has just been optioned by Amazon Studios for a television series. Her books have been translated into 40 languages, and more than 40 million copies have been sold around the world.

Her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the hit TNT television series “Rizzoli & Isles,” starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.

She lives in Maine.

For more information on Tess Gerritsen and her novels, visit her website: http://www.tessgerritsen.com or

http://www.tessgerritsen.co.uk.

I’m scared of big books and I cannot lie…

Good morning everyone and happy Wednesday. I’ve seen this challenge around Instagram and knew I had to join in. These are some of the chunky books I’m hoping to read soon:

❤️ Empire Of The Vampire by Jay Kristoff
💛House Of Earth And Blood by Sarah J Maas
💚A Voyage Around The Queen by Craig Brown
💙 When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker
💜The Road Of Bones by Demi Winters

All of these are tbr but I’m hoping to read When The Moon Hatched soon as I keep hearing great things about it and one of my book colleagues has chosen it as one of her books of the year which has made me very intrigued. Big books scare me a little so I’ve been putting off reading these. I’ve also got All The Colours Of The Dark to read but it’s on the bookshelf behind our Christmas tree so I can’t get to it at the moment.

I’m off this morning and I’m going to my youngest’s nativity play this morning. He’s a police sheep which is one of the main characters who is on stage most of the time. I’m a little bit nervous for him as he’s not got great concentration skills but he apparently did amazingly well yesterday so I’m sure he’ll smash it. I’m then coming home, tidying our room as it’s become a bit of a dumping ground before going to work and having supper at my mum’s as it’s my husband’s Christmas do tonight.

I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to take part and share some of the chunky books in their tbr pile but, as always, no pressure.

Do you like chunky books?

Book Synopsis:

On the first day of the monsoon an old ramshackle building appears.
This is The Rainfall Market.
Inside you will find magical bookstores, hairdressers, perfumeries and anything your heart desires.

But you cannot enter without an invitation.

Serin, who lives in a small flat with her mother and dreams of a bigger, better life, can’t believe her luck when she receives a ticket inviting her to step inside The Rainfall Market.

Once inside she will have the opportunity to swap her life for a new one.
A better one.

Accompanied by Isha the cat and followed by a mysterious shadow, Serin tentatively steps inside. There she is told she has just one week to choose the perfect life and find true happiness.

However, there is a catch.

If she doesn’t find her dream life, she’ll be trapped inside the market forever . . .

My Review:

The Rainfall Market is an enthralling, magical read unlike anything I’ve read before.

Firstly it was wonderful to explore the Rainfall Market alongside Serin and to meet all the different doekobi who live there. The author’s vivid descriptions made me feel like I was actually there exploring everything alongside the characters- so much so that I was disappointed when I looked from reading to find that I wasn’t there. Serin’s journey to find a new life takes her through some amazing places including a magical bookstore, a hairdressers and a very interesting perfume shop which I wish I could visit in real life.

All of the characters were wonderful creations and I enjoyed getting to know them throughout the book. I loved that all the doekobi’s were in charge of collecting a different emotion, sometimes for touching reasons but other times just for their own amusement. Some of the reasons had me laughing out loud like the doekobi whose job it was to take away human’s decision making and liked to strike when people were trying to decide what to eat at a restaurant!

Overall , as you can probably tell, I loved this book and will be recommending it to everyone. The book was incredibly gripping and I quickly found myself drawn into the story. I was thinking about it constantly when I wasn’t reading and wishing I could get back to the fabulous world the author has created. There were moments that made me laugh out loud and some that made me cry as well as some very clever twists that I didn’t see coming. The ending was just brilliant, so lovely, heartwarming and thought provoking as well. I left the book very sad that I had to leave the Rainfall Market and all the lovely residents behind. I’m really hoping there will be a sequel as I’d love a chance to visit it again.

About The Author:

You Yeong-Gwang was born in Seongnam in 1984. He wrote this story during breaks while delivering food for a living. He felt truly happy while writing this story and wishes for all readers to find healing and courage through it so that they may go out and find their own happiness.

Good morning everyone and happy Monday. I realised I hadn’t done a reading update recently and wanted an excuse to show off our lovely tree!

🎄 Last – Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton

I’ve just finished Happy Bloody Christmas and I really enjoyed it. An easy to read, hilarious festive mystery which I’ll be recommending to everyone. Review coming soon!

🎄Now- Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey

I’m currently reading Our Last Wild Days which I started yesterday and am already half way through. It’s absolutely brilliant and very gripping so I’m excited to read more today.

🎄Next- The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gillmore

I’m then hoping to read The Christmas Tree Farm which I’m really looking forward to as I’ve loved the previous two books in the series. I’ve seen a few people on here say it’s the best one yet which is just adding to my excitement!

I’m off today and I’m hoping to start wrapping some presents while watching a Christmas film this morning. I’m undecided whether to go for Love Actually an old favourite or try a friend’s recommendation in The Holiday. I’m then hoping to read some more of Our Last Wild Days which I might have mentioned I’m really loving so far!

What are you cutting reading?

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday. The lovely Ben & Susan are back with another fabulous Silly Stack. This month it’s Polar Bears (white) and Chillies (red).

🌶️The Cleaner by Mary Watson
🐻‍❄️The Unwilding by Marina Kemp
🌶️ Witchcraft For Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
🐻‍❄️By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
🌶️ Above Us The Sea by Ania Card
🐻‍❄️The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
🌶️Death At The Sign Of The Rook by Kate Atkinson
🐻‍❄️The Map Of Bones by Kate Mosse
🌶️How To Sleep At Night by Elizabeth Harris
🐻‍❄️The Proof Of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe
🌶️Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd

Unusually for me I’ve actually read 2 of these, Death At The Sign Of The Rook and The Blue Hour both of which I highly recommend. The rest are tbr but I’m hoping to get to a few of them this month especially The Cleaner as it’s out next month and Miss Beeton as it’s set at Christmas.

We’ve got a busy day today. The youngest two have swimming first thing and then my daughter is helping her friend’s brother’s party while my youngest son is going to a bowling party. We’re then hoping to put the Christmas tree up before enjoying mulled wine with a Christmas film.

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

What are your Saturday plans?

Good morning everyone and happy Friday. I was lucky enough to get this gorgeous book post recently.

The Fisherman’s Gift sounds wonderful and I’m very excited to read it soon. The fudge didn’t last long though I can honestly say I was helped by three very enthusiastic kids!

Huge thanks to the lovely Ellie Pilcher and Harvill Secker for sending.

Out 6th March 2025 and you can find out more about the book below ⬇️

Book Synopsis:

The sea stole him from her. Could it bring him back?

Winter, 1900. A little boy washes up on the beach of a small fishing village in Scotland, barely alive. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy’s son, lost to the sea many years before.

When the village is snowed in, Dorothy agrees to look after the child until he can be returned home. But, as the past rises to meet the present, long-buried secrets in this tight-knit community start to come to light. And Dorothy finds herself thrown together again with the reclusive fisherman Joseph, after years of keeping their distance.

Bursting with tension and tenderness, this is an exquisite love story that delves into the griefs and hopes that can lie behind village gossip.

About The Author:

Julia Kelly has been longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Prize, the Exeter Novel Prize, PenguinWriteNow, and the Bath Novel Award. In 2021 she won the Blue Pencil First Novel Award. Having grown up in a house without television, Julia read anything she could lay her hands on, and as an English teacher, she has tried to pass on her love of stories to the next generation of readers and writers. Since becoming a wheelchair-user, Julia has learned to appreciate even more fully the journeys the written word can take us on. She lives in Herefordshire with her partner and between them, they have raised five wonderful children. The Fishersman’s Gift is her debut novel.

Book Synopsis:

From the author of the Legends of Thezmarr series, Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer is the first book in The Ashes of Thezmarr series. Perfect for fans of The Witcher and The Bridge Kingdom, Iron & Embers is filled with a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance, dark magic and a world of assassins and warriors.

Alchemist. Poisoner. Storm wielder.

Wren Embervale, alchemist-turned-assassin, finds solace in only one thing: seeking vengeance for the death of her friends from wars past. But when an unknown form of alchemy is used to attack a king of the war-torn midrealms, Wren is charged with finding a cure for the strange new poison. Offered a place at the ancient alchemy academy of Drevenor, she must claim her spot by conquering the Gauntlet – a gruelling series of deadly trials that could cost her sanity, or her life.

Yet the biggest threat of all might come from the man assigned to protect her – Torj Elderbrock, the silver-haired war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge. Their shared history ignites a simmering tension that threatens to consume them both. With peace between the kingdoms as fragile as ever, and enemies lurking around every corner, Wren will discover whether love can truly heal all wounds – or if it is in fact the most lethal poison of all . . .

Set five years after the events of the Legends of Thezmarr series, Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer is the breathtaking first instalment in an epic new fantasy romance trilogy.

My Review:

Iron & Embers is a gripping, fast paced, absorbing read from a fantastic new romantasy series.

Firstly I loved the world the author has created in this book and I really enjoyed exploring it alongside the characters. I loved learning more about the different parts of Thezmarr but my favourite part was definitely the academy that Wren attends. It seemed to be a mix of Hogwarts with the magical elements and the Zodiac Academy for the brutality of some of the lessons which made for a really interesting read.

The story is told from the point of view of both Wren and Torj which helped me get to know both of them. I started off not liking Wren and feeling sorry for Torj but that completely flipped as the story continued. It was lovely to see Wren change from quite a prickly character who’s determined to do everything herself to a more lovable character who has a group of friends which I loved to see.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more in the series. The book is very gripping and I quickly found myself drawn into the story with the fast pace making it hard to put down. The romance side of the book is a bit of a slow burn and I did groan out loud at one point at Wren & Torj constant skirting around each other as I just wanted them to get together. The ending was very surprising and not at all how I expected the book to end but I think sets up the story nicely for the next book in the series which I’ll definitely be reading. I’m now excited to go back and read The Legends Of Thezmarr series which is set in the same world.

Huge thanks to Book Beat and Pan Macmillan for inviting me onto the read-along and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Helen Scheuerer is the fantasy author of the bestselling series, The Oremere Chronicles, the Curse of the Cyren Queen quartet and The Legends of Thezmarr. Her work has been highly praised for its strong, flawed female characters and its action-packed plots.

Helen’s love of writing and books led her to pursue a creative writing degree and a Masters of Publishing. She has been a full-time author since 2018 and now lives amidst the mountains in New Zealand where she is constantly dreaming up new stories.

Good morning everyone and happy Wednesday. Here are some of the books on my tbr list this month and as it’s Wednesday I’ve made it wonky cos…why not!

🎄 Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton
🎁Letters From The Ginza Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda
🎄 Butter by Asako Yuzuki
🎁Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
🎄And He Shall Appear by Kate Van Der Borgh
🎁Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard
🎄The Cleaner by Mary Watson
🎁The Favourites by Layne Fargo
🎄The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gillmore
🎁The Eights by Joanna Miller
🎄Death In The Arctic by Tom Hindle
🎁So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne
🎄Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey
🎁Ink Ribbon Red by Alex Pavesi
🎄Every Moment Since by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
🎁 Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lemon

I don’t seem to do very well with sticking with these piles and at this stage I’ve probably cursed these books to never be read now 🤣 December is a busy month so I’ve tried to choose books that I think will grip me.

I had a busy day yesterday which ended with a really lovely bookclub. It was nice to catch up again and enjoy mince pies with mulled wine. I have to go pick up some Christmas cards for the kids as my daughter’s been nagging me. I’m then hoping for a quiet morning reading before working this afternoon. It’s getting busy in the bookstore in the run up to Christmas so work is very exciting atm. Just a polite message if you’re in an Indie bookstore and a bookseller has spent ages giving you suggestions – it’s polite to then not turn round and say thanks you’ll get them on Amazon….. Happened twice yesterday and so disheartening!

What books are you hoping to read this month? Do we have any in common?