📚Book Spotlight:
A Fate Forged In Fire by Hazel McBride

Good evening everyone I hope you’ve had a good day. I was lucky enough to be sent this beautiful looking proof recently.

I absolutely love books that feature dragons so this book instantly appealed to me. I then found out that the story has some Scottish folklore in it which I’m so excited about as I always love stories that include folklore. I’m also half Scottish so I can’t wait to learn more about my heritage!

Huge thanks to @dialoguepublishing for sending me a copy of this book I can’t wait to read it!

Out 27th May 2025 and you can find out more about the book below ⬇️

What’s your favourite mythological creature?

Book Synopsis:

Born to rule. Blessed by fire. Broken by desire. . .

In A Fate Forged in Fire, a powerfully blessed blacksmith must use her wits and fire magic to become the first queen in centuries and overthrow the corrupt powers ruling the kingdom while also fighting her desire for her dragon-riding adversary. The first book in a sizzling Celtic-inspired fantasy romance duology.

Once a territory built on matriarchal rule, Tìr Teine has been without a female heir for centuries. Through a long line of corrupt kings, an oppressive anti-magic teaching has infected the land – leading to the tragic decline of the dragons.

Aemyra was born to rule, gifted with fire magic from the Goddess Brigid. For years she has hidden in the shadows, waiting for the king to die so she can bond to his dragon, claim her birthright and protect her people.

But when her ambitious plan is foiled, Aemyra is thrust into a vicious game of politics and plots. Her biggest adversary is dragon rider and fire wielder Prince Fiorean. A cold and arrogant member of the royal family, he is everything Aemyra despises.

As chaos engulfs the court, Aemyra and Prince Fiorean are forced to forge an uneasy alliance – one that quickly ignites into something more dangerous than either of them expected.

Behind enemy lines and slowly falling for her so-called nemesis, Aemyra uncovers the true weight of the crown. How much is she willing to sacrifice to claim her throne?

About The Author:

Hazel McBride grew up in Scotland, gaining her BSc in Psychology at the University of Glasgow, before moving to the Dominican Republic. Switching the laid-back Caribbean for the sun-drenched Canary Islands a year later, she then moved to the chic South of France and is now fluent in three languages.

As a former animal trainer, Hazel loves writing about magical and fantastical creatures while exploring their connections with her characters. As a bisexual author with anxiety, she focuses on writing queer characters and exploring topics such as mental illness within her work.

Now settled in the Netherlands with her Dutch husband, most of her work draws heavy inspiration from her Celtic heritage and Scottish folklore. After writing her first novel aged seventeen, she stopped believing it was just a hobby aged twenty seven and began writing freelance for publications like The Independent, What’s On, and lifestyle blogs.

Her fantasy fiction has gained a popular fan base across social media and she is currently working on a high fantasy romance series with Gaelic roots – oh, and dragons.

Good morning everyone and happy Wednesday. I saw this on the lovely @nothing.beats.a.good.book ‘s page and knew I had to join in as I have quite a few hardbacks on my tbr pile.

❤️The City Of Stardust by Georgia Summers
🧡How To Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
💛 Junction Of Earth And Sky by Susan Buttenwieser
💚The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff
💙Tales Of A Monstrous Heart by Jennifer Delaney
🩵 Spoilt Creatures by Amy Twigg
💜Januaries by Olivie Blake
🩷 Mongrel by Hanako Footman
🤍The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
🩶The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer

I bought all of these from recommendations from book friends on here and I’m excited to read them soon. I know it sometimes seems like a slog on here but I want you to know your posts matter and they often encourage me to buy books!

I’m off this morning and I’m hoping to do a bit of Christmas shopping followed by some reading. I’m then working this afternoon and I’m hoping it’s a bit busier than yesterday as the snow put a lot of people off visiting. I’m then looking forward to coming home and watching the rest of Wall-e with my kids before some more reading time hopefully.

I’ve tagged a few people who might want to join in and share a hardback tbr pile but, as always, no pressure.

Do you prefer hardbacks or paperbacks?

Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two Christmas reads I’m looking forward to reading soon.

🎄The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gillmore
🍪 Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton

I’ve been a huge fan of the Dream Harbour Series from the start so I’m very excited to read another book in the series. We met the Christmas Tree Farm owner briefly in the last book and she didn’t want to keep it as a Christmas Tree Farm so I’m intrigued to see what happens. Happy Bloody Christmas is a book I’ve been hearing lots of great things about so I can’t wait to read it.

I normally wait until December to start Christmas reads but as it’s the 1st of December next weekend that’s not as far away as I think 🤣

Have you started reading Christmas books yet? Any recommendations for me?

Find out more about the books below ⬇️

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gillmore

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 taking a break from his life in California. And most importantly, taking a break from his latest run of disastrous dates.

After a run in with Kira in her fields, Ben has no intention of offering to help the grumpy owner set up her tree farm, despite the fact she’s clearly got no idea what she’s doing.

Kira knows she should stop being so stubborn, but her farm is not all cute and cozy like people always show on social media, it’s borderline dangerous with no heating, and she’d rather no one saw it.

But somehow fate finds Ben at Kira’s farm once more, and as Kira watches him swing an ax at the first tree, she finds herself appreciating his strength and questioning why she refused help in the first place..

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

Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton

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…

Book Synopsis:

 king by day. Shadow by night…

Long ago, the kingdom’s noble houses rebelled against the goddess… and for their treachery, the firstborn of each noble family was cursed.

One with perilous beauty.
One with destructive knowledge.
One with insatiable bloodlust.

But the royal house Mortara received the worst affliction of all. For while the king exists during the day, he fades into nothingness at night…until his twenty-first birthday, when he will be lost to the shadows forever.

Now an acolyte has arrived at court. Like all the second-born children, she’s destined to serve the goddess and become a Seer…only Cerise Solon has no gift of foretelling. In fact, she has no magical gift at all.

Instead, she’s surrounded by courtiers and priests – smiling sycophants whose hearts are filled with secrets and lies. And at the centre sits His Majesty Kian Hannibal Mortara, with his haunting eyes, sharp tongue, and an unerring ability to send her pulse skittering.

As the spectre of his twenty-first birthday – and the full force of his curse – approaches, the kingdom holds its breath.

There’s only one way to save a dying king… and it lies with the one person who’s hiding the biggest secret of all. Cerise.

My Review:

The Half King is an action packed, magical page turner that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Firstly I absolutely loved the world building in this book. The intriguing world the author has created was fascinating to explore alongside the characters. Each noble family in this world is afflicted by a curse relating to their role in The Great Betrayal of the goddess which I thought was very clever. I really enjoyed learning more about the different curses and the different roles that each family member carries. As the story goes on we learn more about the world and that nothing is necessarily as the characters have been led to believe.

Cerise was a very interesting main character. On one hand I really liked her and admired her bravery as well as her determination to try her best despite not having any skills to help her. However on the other she infuriated me with her naivety and her inability to consider a point of view that was difficult from her own- particularly at the beginning. She often acted a lot younger than her years though this is probably due to her sheltered temple upbringing. It was lovely to see her grow in confidence throughout the book as she gained knowledge about her past and discovered more about her destiny.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending it to all fantasy lovers. I was quickly drawn into the book and into the wonderful world the author has created. There was always something happening to keep me reading and lots of surprising twists that ensured the book was very hard to put down. The romance side of things was a bit of a slow burn but the reasons for this was explained and I felt that it seemed more natural because it. The reveal at the end was very well done, especially as I thought I had everything figured out so it took me completely by surprise which I always love. This is the first book in the series and I can’t wait to read more and see what happens next.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publishers for my copy of this book. If you’re a fantasy fan I highly recommend this book – Particularly if you loved The God Killer series as it reminded me of it at times.

About The Author:

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. She lives with her family in Cincinnati, where she writes romantic fantasy and science fiction adventures for the young at heart.

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday. I was tagged by the lovely @clairesbookobsession to take part in the Great British Bake Off Challenge. As a huge fan of the TV series I knew I had to join in!

🍰ON YOUR MARKS- A Book You Can’t Wait To Read
The Golden Hour by Kate Lord Brown &
The Sirens by Emilia Hart

🍰 SIGNATURE BAKE- A Book From Your Favourite Genre
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lemon

🍰 TECHNICAL ROUND – A Book You Know Nothing About
Late Light by Michael Malay
Surprise book post from a publisher but I’m very intrigued

🍰 SHOWSTOPPER – A Book With A Beautiful Cover
The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Macneal

🍰 SOGGY BOTTOM – A Book That Made You Cry
In Memoriam by Alice Winn &
Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

🍰 HOLLYWOOD HANDSHAKE – Your Perfect Book
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

🍰 LEAVING THIS WEEK – A Book You Didn’t Finish
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
(But I want to finish soon!)

🍰 STAR BAKER – A Five Star Read
The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

🍰AND The WINNER IS – A Book By Your Favourite Author
The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce

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

What’s your favourite thing to bake?

Good morning everyone and happy Friday . With all the hype about the Booker Prize winner you may have missed the winners of the 2024 Books Are My Bag Awards.

These awards are the only book awards with a shortlist curated by bookshops and the winners chosen by readers.

(In my best award show host voice)
The Winners are:

👑 Fiction:
You Are Here by David Nicholls

👑Non Fiction:
Abroad In Japan by Chris Broad

👑 Poetry:
Lobster: and other things I’m learning about love
by Holly McNish

👑 Children’s Fiction:
I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery

👑 Breakthrough Author:
Butter by Asako Yuzuki

👑 Reader’s Choice:
Abroad In Japan by Chris Broad

I haven’t actually read any of these yet, though I do have three of the books on my shelf. I’m particularly intrigued by Butter now as it’s been getting lots of hype recently and Abroad In Japan as I’ve been wanting to read it for a while. Butter is actually a book club choice for my fellow bookclub leader at Rossiter Books @somethingbyjane so I’ll definitely be reading it soon. My eldest son was a big fan of Spellstone by Ross Montgomery so I’ve ordered I Am Rebel as a Christmas present for him.

Have you read any of these? Who would your winners have been?

Good morning everyone and happy Thursday. Today I’m featuring 8 thrillers I’m hoping to read soon!

❤️Ink Ribbon Red by Alex Pavesi

🧡 Butter by Asako Yuzuki

💛The Ice Retreat by Ruth Kelly

💚Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard

💙The Cleaner by Mary Watson

🩵Death In The Arctic by Tom Hindle

💜 Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings

🩷The Troubled Deep by Rob Parker

Ruth Kelly, Tom Hindle and Catherine Ryan Howard are some of my favourite thriller writers so I can’t wait to read them. Butter has been getting lots of hype In the media and my colleagues all speak highly of it so I’m very intrigued. The rest are all new authors for me so I’m looking forward to reading them soon.

Huge thanks to the publishers for sending these to me it’s really appreciated.

Find out more about the books below ⬇️

Who is your favourite thriller writers?

Ink Ribbon Red by Alex Pavesi

Six friends gather at a country house for a birthday weekend. They decide to play a game.

All six names go in a hat. Choose two, and imagine one murdering the other.

Write it down. Type it up. Read it out.

Points are given for making the murders sound convincing.

Of course, when given such a task, it’s only natural to use what you know.

Secrets. Grudges. Affairs.

But once you’ve put it in a story, that secret is out.

So with each fictional murder, someone gets a motive for a real one.

Which leads to the most important question:

When a real murder comes, will you be able to spot it in time?

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?

Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, “The Konkatsu Killer”, Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

The Ice Retreat by Ruth Kelly

From bestselling author Ruth Kelly, The Ice Retreat is a spine-tingling thriller set in the world of controversial wellness treatments. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Sarah Pearse.

HEALER?

Meet Hollie Jenson, presenter of the smash-hit docu-series Bad Medicine, which exposes the perils of extreme therapies. Her next target: a new retreat run by wellness guru Ariel Rose, who claims to have discovered the secret to healing pain through her three-day ice rebirth treatment.

LIAR?

Acting on a mother’s plea to find her son, who vanished soon after his stay, Hollie ventures into the Swiss mountains where the retreat occupies a former observatory. There she will search for the boy, and hopes to expose Ariel as the charlatan she believes her to be.

KILLER?

As the isolation of the valley sets in, Hollie finds herself in an increasingly dangerous situation. There is much more to the retreat than meets the eye, and she must confront explosive secrets from her own past if she is to ever make it out alive . . .

Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard

A ghostwriter is locked in an interview room with a man who might be a murderer, in this gripping new mystery thriller from the #1 bestselling author of 56 Days and The Trap.

‘The perfect thriller’ — L. V. Matthews, author of the Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Twins

The night Jack Smyth ran into flames in a desperate attempt to save his wife from their burning home, he was, tragically, too late – but hailed a hero. Until it emerged that Kate was dead long before the fire began.

Suspicion has stalked him ever since. After all, there’s no smoke without fire.

A year on, he’s signed a book deal. He wants to tell his side of the story, to prove his own innocence in print. He just needs someone to help him write it.

Emily has never ghostwritten anything before, but she knows what it’s like to live with a guilty secret. And she’s about to learn that there are some stories that should never be told . . .

The Cleaner by Mary Watson

It’s not dust she’s looking for.
It’s dirt.

Esmie is supposed to be invisible. Just a cleaner with a foreign accent that no one quite has time to place. Her uniform of leggings and a duster allows her to explore the homes of the wealthy, unseen; an outsider creeping around the edges of privilege.

But as she sweeps through the exclusive Woodlands gated neighbourhood, cleaning is the last thing on her mind. Treading silently over the polished wooden floorboards and cloud-soft carpets, Esmie gathers up the mess of broken marriages, quiet deceptions and careless failures. She tucks away their fragments, keeping them safe. For now.

Because one of the residents took from her the person she loves most. She’s not here to clean; she’s here for revenge – and she’ll get it using the weapons her employers unwittingly handed her along with the keys to their homes: their own secrets…

This beautifully sinister, propulsive page-turner that explores themes of identity and privilege is perfect for fans of Harriet Tyce and Lisa Jewell.

Death In The Arctic by Tom Hindle

A frozen wilderness.

A killer in the skies.

When aspiring travel writer Chloé Campbell is invited aboard a luxury airship flying to the North Pole, she thinks she’s bagged the opportunity of a lifetime.

But she hasn’t had long to admire the dazzling icy views before a fellow passenger is found dead in their cabin.

Trapped at the top of the world, the group agrees a tragic accident has occurred. But as the hours tick by, fear turns to doubt.

It seems everyone’s a suspect.

And it isn’t long before the passengers begin to turn on each other . . .

Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings

When Victoria escapes her broken home for university in London, she is determined to reinvent herself and make a fresh start. She falls in love with Nick, who welcomes her into his privileged circle of friends, opening her eyes to a world she only ever dreamt of.

Then life takes a darker turn.

Twenty-five years later, the circle is reunited alongside a host of glittering guests to celebrate the wedding of Hollywood darling Ingrid Olsson to ruthlessly well-connected Julian Draper. Victoria has spent years trying to forget Nick and put the horror of what happened behind her. Now she has to face the past she tried so hard to bury.

As the champagne flows and painful memories resurface, Victoria can’t shake the feeling that some people seem to get away with everything.

But maybe not this time.

Maybe this time, someone will pay the ultimate price.

The Troubled Deep by Rob Parker

A gripping, propulsive and atmospheric crime thriller perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Peter James and Elly Griffiths. Your new Norfolk crime obsession starts here…

Nobody ever knew what happened to the Brindleys. One summer they were there – flashy, loud and beautiful – and then they were gone. A mother, father and two children, vanished into the East Anglian night.

Some said the family never made it home from the party; their speeding car thrown off the tracks and the four of them silently buried in the marshes. Others said they had simply moved on. For thirty years, the case remained as cold as the freezing waterways of the Norfolk broads.

Until Cam Killick found the car.

An ex-marine and ex-SBS officer, Cam Killick’s PTSD has made the return to civilian life a living nightmare. The only place he can find peace is underwater, where the world is muffled to white noise. As a cold case diver it is his job to scour the waterways of the country for the lost, the submerged, the drowned, laying their stories to rest alongside them.

Except when Cam throws open the doors to the Brindley car, all four bodies are missing. And Cam will soon learn that some secrets, once submerged, are better off staying that way.

Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring the two books I’m hoping to read next.

💙The City And It’s Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

💚 Poor Girls by Clare Whitfield

I’ve been a huge fan of Murakami for ages so I’m very excited to read his new book, especially as it’s set in a library. I’ve had a bit of a fascination with the Forty Elephants gang since reading another book called The Dazzle Of The Light by Georgina Clarke which featured them a few years ago. I’ve been hearing lots of great things about Poor Girls so I can’t wait to read it soon.

i have a few more pages of The Baby Dragon Cafe to read but I’ll then be diving into these.

Poor Girls is out now and The City And It’s Uncertain Walls is out on the 19th November. Find out more about the books below ⬇️.

What are you currently reading?

The City And It’s Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

STEP INTO THE CITY

When a young man’s girlfriend mysteriously vanishes, he sets his heart on finding the imaginary city where her true self lives. His search will lead him to take a job in a remote library with mysteries of its own.

When he finally makes it to the walled city, a shadowless place of horned beasts and willow trees, he finds his beloved working in a different library – a dream library. But she has no memory of their life together in the other world and, as the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur, he must decide what he’s willing to lose.

A love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a parable for these strange times.

Poor Girls by Clare Whitfield

Men steal everything. Now we want our share.

1922. Twenty-four-year-old Eleanor Mackridge is horrified by the future mapped out for her – to serve the upper classes or find a husband. During the war, she found freedom in joining the workforce at home, but now women are being put back in their place.

Until Eleanor crosses paths with a member of the notorious female-led gang the Forty Elephants: bold women who wear diamonds and fur, drink champagne and gin, who take what they want without asking. Now, she sees a new future for herself: she can serve, marry – or steal.

After all, men will only let you down. Diamonds are forever.

In Poor Girls, Clare Whitfield exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London – but this isn’t a morality tale, it’s an adventure for the willingly wicked.

Book Synopsis:

ONE WAY IN. NO WAY OUT.

‘Deaf teenager goes missing in Esseberg. Mountain rescue are launching a search party but conditions hinder their efforts. The tunnel is being kept open all night as an exception.’

When journalist Tuva Moodyson reads this news alert she knows she must join the search. If this teenager is found, she will be able to communicate with him in a way no one else can.

Esseberg lies on the other side of a mountain tunnel: there is only one way in and one way out. When the tunnel closes at night, the residents are left to fend for themselves. And as more people go missing, it becomes clear that there is a killer among them …

ICE TOWN is an unputdownable new standalone Tuva novel, which will delight existing fans of the series and bring many new readers to it.

My Review:

Ice Town is a tense, atmospheric and gripping read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Firstly the author has done a great job with the setting in this book and I loved the vivid descriptions of the isolated, snowy town which made me feel cold as I read it.  The single entry in or out of Ice Town helps create a bit of a locked room mystery which I found very intriguing and a little bit claustrophobic at times as the number of victims slowly increases.  This is further added to by the weird set up of the town which has no police force and a rector who seems to be in charge aided by some scary looking bikers.  The cold artic conditions also play a factor with limited daylight and visibility due to the snow hampering the investigation.

Having loved all the previous books in this series I was very excited to be following her in another investigation.  As she’s not on her own turf this time it was very interesting to see how she starts an investigation in a new town and what she tries to do in order to gain the residents trust.  This book had lots of surprise twists in it, and I enjoyed the unpredictability of the investigation as I was never sure which direction it would go in next.  I had lots of theories about who was behind the murders, but I was ultimately unable to guess which I always love.  The ending was really fantastic and I really hope there will be more from this series in the future.

Huge thanks to Alainna from Hodder and Stoughton for inviting me onto the blog and for my copy of this book.

If you are a fan of dark, gripping crime fiction then I highly recommend this book.  

About The Author:

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the LSE, and working many varied jobs in London, he settled in rural Sweden with his wife. He built a wooden house in a boggy forest clearing and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.