Good afternoon everyone I hope you’re having a good day. I was lucky enough to receive this amazing book post this week.

Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is the fifth book in the brilliant Before The Coffee Gets Cold series and is out on the 19th September 2024. I’m seriously so excited to read this as I’m such a huge fan of this series and am planning on bumping it up my list immediately!

Huge thanks to @bookbreakuk and @picadorbooks for sending this to me it’s really appreciated.

Find out more about the book below ⬇️

Have you read this series?

Book Synopsis:

In the fifth book in the sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold series translated from Japanese, the mysterious Tokyo café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests:

– The father who could not allow his daughter to get married
– A woman who couldn’t give Valentine’s Day chocolates to her loved one
– A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents
– A wife holding a child with no name . . .

They must follow the café’s strict rules, however, and come back to the present before their coffee goes cold.

Another moving and heartwarming tale from Toshikazu Kawaguchi, in Before We Forget Kindness our new visitors wish to go back into their past to find closure and comfort so they can embark on a beautiful future.

About The Author:

Toshikazu Kawaguchi was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the coffee gets cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize.

Book Synopsis:

She’s a small-town schoolteacher, he’s a hotshot creative director. Together, it’s hate at first sight.

Sophie Taylor has a secret and Joe Walsh is the last person she’d tell. He’s devilishly handsome, incredibly hot – and far too sure of himself.

But Sophie desperately needs his help.

Because she’s not just hiding something small. She is Este Cox, the mysterious romance author the entire world is desperate to unmask.

When a trip to the countryside means sharing a cottage with only one bed, it’s a short step to sharing a whole lot more besides… Can Sophie trust Joe with the truth – and be herself?

My Review:

Love Story is an absorbing, funny and heartwarming read that I really enjoyed. Lindsey is one of my auto buy authors as her books are always fantastic!

Firstly I absolutely loved the characters the author has created and I enjoyed getting to know them throughout the book. Sophie was such a real character who I found really relatable. She was super confident in some areas while being nervous about other parts of her life which I found very endearing. I loved hanging out with her madcap family and the scenes involving them were my favourite as they were often very funny.

The author is clearly a reader and I loved her accurate descriptions about how books can make a reader feel. Charlotte in particular does a great job of evoking the joy a book can give and I loved the sound of her bookshop filled with books she loved rather than books the critics deemed worthy. The author uses this book to have a dig about some people’s attitude to romance fiction which was good to see. Too often people look down at romance fiction, despite it being the top selling genre, and it was nice to see this being addressed.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I absolutely loved this book and I can’t wait to read more from Lindsey in the future. I was quickly absorbed into the story and I thought the book had a great pace to it as there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. There were a few twists that kept me guessing and I often went from cringing to laughing out loud in one chapter which I always enjoy. If you’re a fan of romance fiction or just a great story then I highly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Lindsey Kelk is the internationally bestselling author of books including I Heart New York, On A Night Like This, The Christmas Wish, and Love Me Do.

As well as writing books, Lindsey co-hosts Tights and Fights, a pro-wrestling podcast on the Maximum Fun network. She also hosts and produces the award-winning beauty podcast, Full Coverage.

Born and raised in South Yorkshire, Lindsey lived in Nottingham, London and New York before settling in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and three very rude cats.

Good morning everyone. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by Kate Mosse.

I’m a huge fan of this author and have loved all of her previous books so I was so excited to receive a copy of The Map Of Bones especially as it’s the next installment in one of my favourite series. I’m really looking forward to reading this book soon.

Huge thanks to @panmacmillan for my copy of this book.

If you’re local to Monmouth @rossiter_books has an event with Kate Mosse on the 9th October 2024. Tickets available via their website.

Find out more about the book below ⬇️

The Map Of Bones by Kate Mosse

A sweeping story of love, adventure and adversity, The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse is an epic tale of courageous women battling to survive in a hostile land.

Olifantshoek, Southern Africa, 1688. When the violent Cape wind blows from the south-east, they say the voices of the unquiet dead can be heard whispering through the deserted valley. Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, arrives in search of her cousin ― the notorious she-captain and pirate commander Louise Reydon-Joubert ― who landed at the Cape of Good Hope more than sixty years before, then disappeared without a trace . . .

Franschhoek, Southern Africa, 1862. Nearly one hundred and eighty years after Suzanne’s perilous journey, another intrepid and courageous woman of the Joubert family ― Isabelle Lepard ― has journeyed to the small frontier town once known as Oliftantshoek in search of her long-lost relations. Intent on putting the women of her family back into the history books, she quickly discovers that the crimes and tragedies still shadow the present. And now, Isabelle faces a race against time if she is to discover the truth, and escape with her life . . .

Painstakingly researched and beautifully told, The Map of Bones is the fourth – and final – novel of The Joubert Family Chronicles, following the bestselling The Burning Chambers, The City of Tears and The Ghost Ship.

The Map Of Bones by Kate Mosse

A sweeping and epic love story, The Ghost Ship is the swashbuckling third volume in Kate Mosse’s enthralling series, The Joubert Family Chronicles.

The Barbary Coast, 1621. A mysterious vessel floats silently on the water ― its hull splintered and its sails tattered and burnt. For months the Ghost Ship has hunted pirates to liberate enslaved prisoners. Now it, too, finds itself hunted.

But the ship’s crew hides a secret, and the stakes could not be higher. The bravest among them are not what they seem: if arrested, they will hang for their alleged crimes. Can they survive their journey and escape their fate?

A tale of adventure and buccaneering, love and revenge, stolen fortunes, piracy and hidden secrets on the high seas, The Ghost Ship is the third instalment in The Joubert Family Chronicles. The series concludes with The Map of Bones.

About The Author:

Kate Mosse is an international bestselling author with sales of more than five million copies in 42 languages. Her fiction includes the novels Labyrinth, Sepulchre, The Winter Ghosts and Citadel, as well as an acclaimed collection of short stories, The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales (2013).

Kate is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of the Women’s Prize for Fiction (previously the Bailey’s Prize and the Orange Prize) and in June 2013, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to literature.

Good morning everyone I hope you’re having a good Monday. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this fabulous looking book last week. I’ve been a huge fan of this author’s previous books so I’m very excited to read this!

The Blue Hour is out on the 10th October 2024.
Huge thanks to the lovely @alison_is_reading and @doubledayukbooks for sending this to me.

Is this one on your radar?

Book Synopsis:

The global No.1 bestselling author of The Girl on the Train invites you into her most suspenseful and powerful thriller yet.

Eris, an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.

Once home to Vanessa. A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace. A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge . . .

About The Author:

PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over fifty languages, it has been a Number 1 bestseller around the world and was a box office hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Paula’s thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant Number 1 bestsellers.

Good morning everyone I hope you’re having a good Sunday. I’m very excited today as I’m posting the first review that my 11 year old has written. He’s always been an avid reader but since I started working at the bookshop he’s started to enjoy giving me recommendations for kids his age which has gradually drifted to him wanting to write reviews!

He absolutely loved this book and flew through it in a few days. He’s keeps talking about it and has recommended it to loads of his friends.

His review is below, he’s really nervous about posting so please give him lots of encouragement !

Huge thanks to Indie Thinking and Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this book.

Book Synopsis:

Gaming, adventure and an incredible friendship combine in this one-of-a-kind, heart-pounding, spine-tingling adventure that takes place in the space of a single night. Eerie, exciting, funny and deeply moving, THE LAST LIFE OF LORI MILLS is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.

Eleven-year-old Lori is home alone for the first time in her life, and she’s immediately done all the things she’s TOTALLY NOT allowed to do:

1. Turned the heating up to the max.
2. Built a GIANT blanket fort in the living room.
3. Switched on Voxminer, aka the greatest game in the history
of the universe.

But quickly, Lori realises something is wrong. She can hear strange whispers coming from the screen – and soon, they’re in the house with her. Could it be Voxminer’s most terrifying legend: Shade Girl?

Trapped in her home as the doors and windows start to vanish and her phone goes dead, Lori must use all her bravery, wits, gaming skills – and the love and deep bond she shares with her BFF, Shoelace – to survive until Mum gets home…

A unique and unforgettable read that’s perfect for fans of Jennifer Killick, Christopher Edge, Minecraft and Stranger Things.

Douglas’s Review:

Lori is home alone and breaks all the rules her mum set her. It is all fun and games until she starts hearing voices coming from the console?

Then just like that she has to tread through treacherous places and somehow find a way to escape to the real world but it isn’t that easy as she thought it was.

The main character was fun and brave and has a friend that she can only call shoelace. This book is great for people that like Minecraft or other video games. It’s fast paced and really gripping. I really recommend it to all kids who like gaming.

About The Author:

Max Boucherat (he/they) was born and raised in Cardiff, where they spent more time than is probably healthy hunting for ghosts in a vast nearby graveyard. They gained an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University and now live with their wife and a very old, very loud cat in a mercifully ghost-free house in Caerphilly, South Wales.

Max’s debut, The Last Life of Lori Mills, was published by HarperCollins in July 2024. It is Max’s love letter to both horror and videogames, and is the book their ghost and game-obsessed younger self would have loved to read. A sequel will follow in 2025.

Book Synopsis:

THE PERFECT ESCAPE. THE PERFECT NIGHTMARE.

Martha and Finn’s marriage is hanging by a thread. Martha, crippled by paralyzing climate anxiety, finds herself at odds with Finn, who steadfastly refuses to confront the demons of his past.

In a desperate attempt to repair their relationship, they join a group of privileged tourists on a pilgrimage to The Salt Centre, a mysterious retreat nestled deep within the Bolivian salt flats.

United by a shared quest for spiritual enlightenment, the group embark on a journey guided by an elusive shaman. As a series of salt ceremonies unfold, hallucinogenic episodes force each of them to confront their own versions of reality.

When the final ceremony descends into a nightmare, Martha and Finn are met with an ultimatum. Forced to grapple with the moral implications of their trip they must ask themselves: are some wounds too deep to heal?

My Review:

The Salt Flats is a dark, intense and atmospheric read that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.  It’s going to be a difficult book to review as I don’t want to give anything away.  

The story follows Finn and Martha who are experiencing a few marriage problems so decide to attend a well-being retreat for some guidance.  The author does a great job at describing the salt flats and the beautifully desolate landscape that they find themselves in.  The 3 couples in attendance at the retreat are very isolated and right from the start I felt a little bit uneasy about what this might mean for the characters.  The retreat itself was very intriguing from the enigmatic but secretive leader to the salt ceremonies which seem to have hallucinogenic effects.  The parts of the book describing these were fascinating as the author’s descriptions were really vivid, so I felt that I was going through it all with the characters.  It was also the part that made them the freest and it was very interesting to see what was revealed.  

I though the book started off a bit slowly as the author sets the scene but soon become very gripping indeed as we learn more about the retreat and are introduced to the characters.  The fear and uncertainty about what was going on slowly increases as the book goes on until I felt very afraid for what was going to happen to the characters. The ending was brilliant, though a bit sudden, and I loved that the author left it open ended for the reader to draw their own conclusions, though my horror slowly increased as I realised what the character’s actions could potentially mean for them.

Huge thanks to Alainna for Hodder and Stoughton for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.  If you are looking for a tense, dark thriller then I highly recommend this one.  

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About The Author:

Rachelle Atalla is a Scottish-Egyptian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter based in Glasgow. Her debut novel The Pharmacist was published by Hodder & Stoughton in May 2022.

Book Synopsis:

Everyone knows her life story.
But who will win her heart?

Gertie has always had her head in the clouds, wondering what her life might be like if she could only pluck up the courage to leave the remote Scottish island where she was born.

It’s the only place she knows, but you can’t do anything there without everyone knowing – the glue of this close-knit community is the Knitting Circle, a group of strong, capable and frankly nosy women who work hard, gossip, knit and support each other through thick and thin. At the centre of this sisterhood is Gertie’s mum Jean and her grandmother Elspeth, and the three generations of women live together, surrounded by wool, in one small cottage.

When the chance comes to make changes – a new job working with old schoolfriend Morag on the local airline, new friends and even a possible new romance – a world of possibilities opens up before Gertie. Is this the way to make her dreams come true?

Fifteen million copies sold. A readership that spans the world. It’s time to fall in love with Jenny Colgan.

My Review:

Close Knit is a lovely heartwarming and funny read which is perfect for cosying up with this summer.  

Firstly, I loved this authors wonderful descriptions of the remote Scottish town which seemed like a really nice place to live in.  The community seemed really close and I like that they all seemed willing to help each other when needed.  The Knitting Group seemed like a really fun place to be, with the author’s vivid descriptions often making me feel like I was actually there in the group joining in with everyone.   I’ve often thought about joining a knitting group and I think this book has given me the push that I needed to try to find a local one.

Gertie was a wonderful main character who I couldn’t help but fall in love with.  She starts off the book as a shy, quiet character so it was lovely watching her gain confidence and find her calling as the book continues.  She’s a bit of a day dreamer and often finds herself daydreaming about people or imagining romantic situations which I thought was really sweet.  Her new job as an airhostess was fascinating to follow and I loved learning more about what the job entails.  

This book isn’t particularly fast paced but I didn’t mind as I was just enjoying hanging out with Gertie and living precariously through her.  The pace does pick up towards the end however as we follow Gertie through a rather hair raising incident through her job as an air hostess.  I found this part very gripping and it made the book very hard to put down as I wanted to see if everyone would be ok.  The ending was lovely and I closed the book quite sad to have to leave Gertie and her friends behind.  

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

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About The Author:

Jenny Colgan (born 1972 in Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland) is a writer of romantic comedy fiction, sci-fi and has written for the Dr Who line of stories. She writes under her own name and using the pseudonyms Jane Beaton and J. T. Colgan.

Book Synopsis:

Three women. One Killer.
Talking to strangers has never been more dangerous…

When the body of forty-four-year-old Karen Simmons is found abandoned in remote woodland, journalist Kiki Nunn is determined this will be the big break she so desperately needs.

Because she has a head start on all the other reporters. Just a week before Karen was killed, Kiki interviewed her about the highs and lows of mid-life romance. Karen told her all about kissing strangers on the beach under the stars, expensive meals, roses. About the scammers and the creeps…

While the police appear to be focusing on local suspects, Kiki sets out to write the definitive piece on one woman’s fatal search for love. But she will soon learn that the search for truth can be just as deadly…

My Review:

As a huge fan of Fiona Barton you can imagine my excitement when I was invited onto the blog tour for her latest book Talking With Strangers.  Once again, the author has written an absorbing, thought provoking read that I found hard to put down.

The story follows the investigation into the murder of a middle aged, single lady who had a real zest for life.  I really liked the descriptions of her, especially that she didn’t let being single slow her down in any way.  We learn more about the investigation from a variety of angles and through the eyes of three main characters.  We have DI Elise who is assigned to work the case but has just recovered from breast cancer and still has a slightly foggy brain from the chemotherapy she received, Kiki a reporter who interviewed Karen about the dating app she uses and is now hoping to score a big break by reporting on her murder and Alice who sadly lost her son in the same location 15 years ago.  I really liked all these women and enjoyed following them throughout the book.  They seemed very real which made me warm to the quickly as I wanted them all to succeed.  The author does a great job in describing their feelings so I understood what the three were going through as the investigation continued so I could emphasise with how they were feeling.  

The story does start off a bit slow as the author sets the scene but soon becomes very intriguing indeed.  The book covers some quite serious topics at times including the public’s reaction to a murder investigation and victim blaming which is sadly common in these cases.  People’s assumptions about dating apps and the people who use them is also explored which I found really interesting, especially as a lot of the prejudice that is discussed in the book is the same as those often found in the media.  There are a few trigger warnings in this book so do check them before reading.  

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it other people who like crime fiction.  I did guess a few of the twist early on, despite numerous red herrings, but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all as I wanted to keep reading to find out if I was right.  This is the second book featuring DI Elise but it isn’t part of a series and can be read as a standalone.

Huge thanks to Sophie Ransom for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Transworld Publishers for my copy of this book. If you are a fan of police procedurals than I highly recommend this book.  

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About The Author:

Fiona Barton’s debut, The Widow, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and has been published in 36 countries and optioned for television. Her second novel, The Child, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Born in Cambridge, Fiona currently lives in Sussex and south-west France.

Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards.

While working as a journalist, Fiona reported on many high-profile criminal cases and she developed a fascination with watching those involved, their body language and verbal tics. Fiona interviewed people at the heart of these crimes, from the guilty to their families, as well as those on the periphery, and found it was those just outside the spotlight who interested her most . . .

Eeek I’m so excited to have received this amazing book post today. I absolutely loved this author’s previous book Weyward and as I have a bit of a fascination with stories involving Sirens I’m very intrigued to read this soon.

Huge thanks to @indie_thinking and @boroughpress for kindly sending this to me it’s really appreciated.

Out 13th February 2025.
Find out more about the book below!

What’s your favourite mythical creature?

Book Synopsis:

Sisters separated by hundreds of years.

Voices that can’t be drowned out.

Lucy is running from what she’s done: the terror of waking with her hands around her ex-lover’s throat, his face turning purple and eyes bulging. Pursued by nightmares – and with nowhere else to go – she makes for her big sister’s clifftop home. But when she arrives, Jess is nowhere to be found.

The town is strange and full of rumours: a dozen men disappeared, without a trace. Women’s voices murmuring on the waves. A foundling discovered in a sea-swept cave.

As Lucy searches for Jess, her dreams seem to draw closer. She can see two sisters in a murky past. She can see a world where men always seem to get their way. And something in her body wants to fight back.

Could the answer to who she is – and what’s happening to her – lie in this quiet, sea-soaked town? Could it lie two hundred years deep in the past?

About The Author:

Emilia Hart is a British-Australian writer. She was born in Sydney and studied English Literature and Law at the University of New South Wales before working as a lawyer in Sydney and London. Emilia is a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative’s Three Month Online Novel Writing Course and was Highly Commended in the 2021 Caledonia Novel Award. Her short fiction has been published in Australia and the UK. She lives in London. You can follow Emilia on Twitter at @EmiliaHartBooks.

Good morning everyone I have a special Two For Tuesday today as I was lucky enough to go to a fantastic double author event last night.

The event was brilliant! It was great learning more about the books, the authors inspiration for the stories and how they did their research. I can’t wait to read these books now as they sound fantastic! Both books have links to Leominster which made the event extra special as it was great to be in one of the settings of the books as we were learning more about them!

Huge thanks to Rossiter Books for hosting and the lovely @somethingbyjane for coming with me.

Do you like author events? What was the last one you went to?

A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike

Listen. My one-time friend Maria did tell me once: “Make your own paradise, Tibb, since this world is no sweet place for people like us.”

Born a vagabond, Tibb Ingleby has never had a roof of her own. But her mother has taught her that if you’re not too bound by the Big Man’s rules, there are many ways a woman can find shelter in this world. Now her ma is dead in a trick gone wrong and young Tibb is orphaned and alone.

As she wends her way across the fields and forests of medieval England, Tibb will discover there are people who will care for her, as well as those who mean her harm. And there are a great many others who are prepared to believe just about anything.

And so, when the opportunity presents itself to escape the shackles society has placed on them, Tibb and her new friends conjure an audacious plan: her greatest trickerie yet. But before they know it, their hoax takes on a life of its own, drawing crowds – and vengeful enemies – to their door…

A Little Trickerie is blazingly original, disarmingly funny and deeply moving. Portraying a side of Tudor England rarely seen, it’s a tale of belief and superstition, kinship and courage, with a ragtag cast of characters and an unforgettable and distinctly unangelic heroine.

The King’s Mother by Annie Garthwaite

1461. Through blood and battle Edward has gained England’s throne – king by right and conquest – eighteen years old and unstoppable. Cecily has piloted his rise to power and stands at his shoulder now, first to claim the title King’s Mother.

But to win a throne is not to keep it and war is come again. As brother betrays brother, and trusted cousins turn treacherous, other mothers rise up to fight for other sons. Cecily must focus her will to defeat every challenge. Wherever they come from. Whatever the cost.

For there can be only one King, and only one King’s Mother.

From the Wars of the Roses to the dawn of the Tudor age, this is a story of mothers and sons; of maternal ferocity and female ambition – of all they can build and all they can destroy.