Book Synopsis:

Magdalen Savoy has just finished her first year of university at Oxford, where she has finally built a life for herself away from the demons she has done everything to try to forget. But, when she can no longer ignore the growing pile of invitations to her sister’s wedding she must leave her feelings behind and return to Italy.

Theo Sinclair was the golden boy of Chivasso: athletic, intelligent, too suave for his own good. So, when he cut all ties and boarded a 5 a.m. flight to Connecticut seven years ago, no one could understand what had pushed him to leave.

Pulled back to their small Italian hometown for the wedding, Magdalen and Theo soon realize they’re no longer the children they once were. In the winding streets of Chivasso and under the burning summer sun, there are only so many corners for the two to hide behind. Confronted with the ghosts of their pasts, they must face both the growing tension between them and the long buried secrets that threaten to tear their worlds apart – secrets that could separate them for ever . . .

My Review:

I’ll Look For You Everywhere is a beautiful, addictive love story that will stay with me.

One of the things that really stood out about this book was the wonderfully vivid descriptions of Italy which has renewed my determination to visit there soon. I loved learning more about the slower way of life there especially the descriptions of meals or drinks outside in the family’s beautiful garden.

The story is told from the point of view of Theo and Magdalen, two people who couldn’t be more different from each other. While Theo is sporty and confident, Magdalen is quieter and doesn’t seem to believe in herself. It was lovely watching the two grow closer as the summer progresses and to see how they help each other for the better. Their families are very close and some of my favourite scenes were when they were all together as it was nicely chaotic.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book. I thought the book had a great pace to it and I soon found myself absorbed in the story. There were lots of surprising twists that kept me guessing and I liked that that the story follows a different route than a traditional romance story. The ending was lovely and while I had hoped for a slightly difficult ending I don’t think it would have been as realistic.

Huge thanks to Chloe from Pan Macmillan for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you are looking for an addictive summer romance read then I highly recommend this one.

About The Author:

Cameron Capello, also known as @ChamberofSecretBooks on TikTok, is a content creator from New York City. She graduated from St. Joseph’s University with a degree in English. An avid reader and writer, she often daydreams about romance tropes and explains them to her sister, who increasingly worries about her imagination.

When she isn’t writing, she can be found lounging around with her English bulldog, Malfoy, scarfing down Korean food and drinking an alarming amount of coffee (with too much vanilla).

Good morning everyone I hope you’re having a good day. I was lucky enough to receive a finished copy of this fabulous looking book recently.

I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, especially if it’s based on real life people or events, so this book really appeals to me. I’ve got a bit of a fascination with Roman history in particular so I’m very excited to read this soon.

Huge thanks to Millie for @dialoguepublishing for sending this to me.

Do you have a favourite period of history?

Book Synopsis:

Rome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin…

Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife – until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.

Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza’s reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.

When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair – and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza’s story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise…

History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Costanza is a dizzying, sensual novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history. This utterly addictive tale of desire and betrayal is perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist.

About The Author:

Born in Birmingham, Rachel spent her childhood in the Northeast, then the Midlands. She studied history at King’s College London, where her fascination for women’s history took root. After a brief stint in politics, Rachel built a senior career in corporate communications. In 2021, she was runner-up in the Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre 2022 Novel Fair.

Rachel collects historical monuments the way other people collect stamps. She loves visiting anywhere old – houses, churches, mills, you name it. She also enjoys baking and once reached the last round of hopefuls to be chosen for the Great British Bake Off, before a millefeuille proved her undoing.

Rachel lives in London with her three teenagers, two cats and one dog.

Book Synopsis:

Ready for a LIFESIZE adventure?

Step into the book and see how you measure up against some of the world’s most incredible LIFESIZE OCEAN ANIMALS. Go face to face with a turtle, see how you’d look with megalodon teeth, dive down for a peek at an anglerfish and open the FOLD-OUT PAGES to discover a GIGANTIC spider crab!

This interactive non-fiction adventure features LIFESIZE illustrations of some of the world’s smallest and largest ocean animals and invites children to think about how they compare with these wonderful creatures.

This huge, playful book is the perfect introduction to animals for children from picture book star, Sophy Henn.

Dive into the book for an underwater adventure . .

My Review:

Lifesize Ocean Animals is a beautifully illustrated, fascinating book that has quickly become my son’s favourite read. My son has always been a very reluctant reader so I’m delighted that we’ve found a book he’s excited about and that he wants us to read to him.

The book covers a huge variety of different ocean animals from different sections of the ocean. Each animal is accompanied by a wonderful illustration and some very intriguing facts that my son loved learning about. He actually remembered a few of them and repeats them to people often. I really loved that the book is so child friendly with sizes of the animals measured by the number of lifesize books they’d be which makes it easier for children to comprehend their size.

If you have a reluctant reader on your hands I highly recommend trying this series. My son takes it everywhere with him and is always trying to find an adult to read it to him. It’s such a huge turning point for him and I’m hoping it’s the start of a new love for reading. We’ve already ordered another book in the series for him!

About The Author:

Sophy Henn lives and works in Sussex, England.

She writes and illustrates children’s books in her studio, with a large cup of tea by her side, and can’t quite believe her luck.

Where Bear?, her first book, was nominated for both the Kate Greenaway Medal and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2015. Pom Pom Gets the Grumps won Junior Design Awards Best Book of the Year 2015, and Sophy won Best Emerging Talent (Children’s Author). She was also the World Book Day Illustrator for 2015 and 2016.

Book Synopsis:

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE meets THE TRAITORS

Five beautiful couples.
One deadly game.
Who will escape alive?

Lyla Santiago has spent months working on a research project that could be the key to getting a permanent job in her field.
So, she can’t really drop everything to go to a desert island with her actor boyfriend Nico to film One Perfect Couple, a new reality TV show that Nico is sure will lead to his big break – can she?
 
Two weeks later, Lyla finds herself boarding a boat to an isolated luxury resort in the Indian Ocean.
 
The rules of the game are simple. Ten strangers have to survive together on the island – and the last couple standing scoops the prize.
There will be sun, sea, laughs and plenty of flirting.
What could possibly go wrong?

But when a huge tropical storm cuts them off from everything, the group must band together. 
As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla realises that someone is playing this game for real – and they’ll stop at nothing to win.
 
Ten might have arrived, but who will survive to the end?

My Review:

One Perfect Couple is a gripping, twisty triller which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve read most of Ruth Ware’s books and I think this one is her best yet!

The story centres around a new reality show that is being filmed on a remote island in the Indonesian Ocean. Somethings seems off with it from the start as it’s soon revealed that the show hasn’t officially got a tv network to broadcast it yet and that no one seems to know what the format of the show is going to be which I found very intriguing.    

The characters/ contestants were all a very diverse, interesting group that I enjoyed getting to know throughout the book.  I especially loved the inclusion of the more ‘normal’ contestants in this book as it made the story seem more real and gave you a insight into how people could behave in life or death situations.  I loved Laura the main character who seemed very level-headed and brave even when faced with horrific decisions.  It was lovely to see her come out of her shell throughout the book and gain in confidence as the situation on the Island becomes more precarious.  I loved learning more about the different relationships between the characters and it was very interesting watching them develop throughout the book.

I though the book had a great pace to it and there was always something happening to ensure that I kept reading.  I found myself unable to guess which way the story was going and I couldn’t decide which part of the story was real as it all seemed to have a nightmarish quality to it.  The ending was brilliant and surprising which I always love.  I especially loved that the story continues a bit afterward, so you get to see what happens next.

Huge thanks to Rhys from Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book.  If you love a twisty thriller or a destination thriller then I highly recommend this one.  

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About The Author:

Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One and The It Girl have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times, and she is published in more than 40 languages. She lives on the south coast of England, with her family.

Visit http://www.ruthware.com to find out more, or find her on facebook or twitter as @RuthWareWriter

Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books published by Dead Ink Books. 

These books were recommended to me by my fellow bookinstagrammers.  They both sound really good and slightly different to what I normally read so I’m excited to get to them soon. 

Both books are out now, find out more about them below ⬇️

Do you like unusual books? Any recommendations for me?

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova 

Grieving mother Magos cuts out a piece of her deceased eleven-year-old son Santiago’s lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her family’s decaying Mexico City estate.

Eventually, Monstrilio begins to resemble the Santiago he once was, but his innate impulses― though curbed by his biological and chosen family’s communal care― threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life.

A thought-provoking meditation on grief, acceptance, and the monstrous sides of love and loyalty, Gerardo Sámano Córdova blends bold imagination and evocative prose with deep emotional rigor. Told in four acts that span the globe from Mexico to Brooklyn to Berlin, Monstrilio offers, with uncanny clarity, a cathartic and precise portrait of being human.

Above Us The Sea by Ania Card

It’s after a night in Cardiff’s loudest gay bar that Toni first lays eyes on Gav, a retired Welsh boxer, and his boyfriend Karol, an aspiring Polish photographer. The trio soon fall into an intimate, ambiguous love triangle.

After a tragic event at a beach in Swansea, the trio are ripped apart, and Toni escapes to London, becoming caught between a convenient, loveless relationship and an illicit, lustful affair.

Lost halfway between the British future she has always wanted, and the Eastern European past she has been running from, Toni can only wonder where and with whom she really belongs.

Above Us The Sea is an ode to the tangled remains of lost loves and the imprints left by grieving souls, yearning for connection. This is a story of aching and emerging, intimacy and distance, set against an increasingly hostile landscape.

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday. Here are six books I’m determined to try and read this month as I keep hearing great things about them.

❤️ Frank And Red by Matt Coyne
🧡 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
💛Death At The Sign Of The Rook by Kate Atkinson
💚 Redemption by Jack Jordan
💙 Mongrel by Hanako Footman
💜 When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker

I’ve heard such great things about these books from my fellow bookstagrammers so I really want to read them soon. It is summer holidays so reading with three kids might be interesting but I’m hoping we can do some reading together so maybe I’ll get to read more than I think.

We’re home from a brilliant holiday now. I’m relieved that it’s a bit cooler finally as I’m not great with the heat. I’m working this afternoon which I’m actually looking forward to as it’s always fun to see what new book we’ve had come in. I’ve also got a few books I’ve ordered that I’m excited to buy and sneak into the house later.

What are your Saturday plans?

Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by CJ Cooke.

I’m a huge fan of her books which are always gripping, gothic reads normally with a supernatural element to them. I think I’ve devoured all of her previous books so you can imagine my excitement at receiving an early copy of her next book The Book Of Witching.

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

Do you like gothic reads? Any recommendations?

The Book Of Witching

Four hundred years separate them.

One book binds them.

Glasgow 2024: Clem waits by her daughter’s hospital bed. Erin was found on an idyllic beach in Fynhallow Bay, Orkney with catastrophic burns and only one memory: her name is Nyx.

But how did she get these burns? And how did her boyfriend end up burned alive?

Orkney 1594: accused of witchcraft, Alison Balfour awaits trial. The punishment? To be burned alive.

Separated by four hundred years but bound by the Book of Witching, two women stand imperilled. Can they unlock a centuries-old mystery? And will Fynhallow Bay give up its secrets before someone else dies?

A Haunting In The Arctic

Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for over a century.

Something that craves revenge…

*Longlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize*

1901. On board the Ormen, a whaling ship battling through the unforgiving North Sea, Nicky Duthie awakes. Attacked and dragged there against her will, it’s just her and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them.

1973. Decades later, when the ship is found still drifting across the ocean, it’s deserted. Just one body is left on board, his face and feet mutilated, his cabin locked from the inside. Everyone else has vanished.

Now, as urban explorer Dominique travels into the near-permanent darkness of the northernmost tip of Iceland, to the final resting place of the Ormen’s wreck, she’s determined to uncover the ship’s secrets.

But she’s not alone. Something is here with her. And it’s seeking revenge…

About The Author:

C J Cooke (Carolyn Jess-Cooke) lives in Glasgow with her husband and four children. C J Cooke’s works have been published in 23 languages and have won many awards. She holds a PhD in Literature from the Queen’s University of Belfast and is currently Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she researches creative writing interventions for mental health. Two of her books are currently optioned for film. Visit http://www.cjcookeauthor.com

Good morning everyone! I hope you’re having a great Friday. I was incredibly lucky to receive a copy of this fabulous sounding book The Coven by Harper L Woods.

As I’ve probably said a few times I absolutely love a witchy book and I’m also very fond of romance books so this seems like a perfect mix of me. I’m so excited to read this book soon!

Huge thanks to the lovely @chloerose_pr and @bantambooksuk for sending this to me it’s so appreciated!

Out 3rd October 2024

Book Synopsis:

“Your destiny is not to do what is right. Your destiny is to destroy us all.”

Willow Madizza never thought she’d accept a place at Hollow’s Grove University, the secret and prestigious institution where the best and brightest of her fellow witches learn to wield their magic.

But Willow has reasons for being at Hollow’s Grove beyond the education it offers. Raised to be a weapon against the Coven that presides over the University, she must find the bones of her ancestors in order to reclaim the magic that is her destiny.

Her only obstacle is Alaric Grayson Thorne, the University’s beautiful and infuriating Headmaster. Gray is ruthless, manipulative, dangerous – he represents everything Willow has been taught to despise. But despite their mutual loathing, Gray understands Willow better than anyone, and he might just be the key to unlocking her full power .

About The Author:

Harper L. Woods is the USA Today Bestselling fantasy romance alter ego for Adelaide Forrest. Raised in small-town Vermont, her passion for reading was born during long winters spent with her face buried between the pages of a book. She began to pass the time by writing short stories that quickly turned into full-length fiction. Since that time, she has published over 15 books and has plans for many more.

When she isn’t writing, Harper can be found spending time with her two young kids, curled up with her dog, dreaming about travel to distant lands, or designing book covers she’ll never have enough time to use.

Good morning everyone and happy Thursday. Today I thought I’d share some of the fantastic sounding destination thrillers I’ve got on my tbr!

I’m a huge fan of destination thrillers, especially during the summer months so I’m excited to read these soon. I’m actually half way through One Perfect Couple and I’m really enjoying it so far.

I’m working this morning which is always fun especially as it’s my last shift before going on holiday. I’m then off to get my son’s uniform for his new school which he’s not happy about but I want to make sure we have everything. I’ll then be starting to pack for my holiday and choosing my holiday books!

Do you like destination thrillers? Do you have any recommendations for me?

The Guests by Nikki Smith

WELCOME TO PARADISE!

Or so the staff say as they greet the Hamiltons on the pristine shores of the idyllic Maldives resort.

And it starts off that way: snorkelling in the serene blue sea, champagne picnics on powder-white sand, and moonlit walks under the stars.

But lies lurk beneath the luxury, because each of the guests has a secret… and they’re not the only ones.

Months later, a grisly discovery is made.

Whatever happened to the Hamiltons? And how did their once-in-a-lifetime trip turn into the holiday from hell?

From the author of THE BEACH PARTY comes a novel of sun, sea and secrets for fans of ONE OF THE GIRLS and WHITE LOTUS.

Bad Tourists by Caro Carver

Best friends Darcy, Camilla and Kate have just landed in to the Maldives for a luxury holiday at the exclusive Sapphire Island Resort.

They can’t wait for ten days of scorching sun, crystal-clear waters, white-sand beaches – and the chance to put a traumatic shared past behind them.

But what awaits them is a murderous revenge plot that none of them saw coming.

Or did they?

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE meets THE TRAITORS

Five beautiful couples.
One deadly game.
Who will escape alive?

Lyla Santiago has spent months working on a research project that could be the key to getting a permanent job in her field.
So, she can’t really drop everything to go to a desert island with her actor boyfriend Nico to film One Perfect Couple, a new reality TV show that Nico is sure will lead to his big break – can she?
 
Two weeks later, Lyla finds herself boarding a boat to an isolated luxury resort in the Indian Ocean.
 
The rules of the game are simple. Ten strangers have to survive together on the island – and the last couple standing scoops the prize.
There will be sun, sea, laughs and plenty of flirting.
What could possibly go wrong?

But when a huge tropical storm cuts them off from everything, the group must band together. 
As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla realises that someone is playing this game for real – and they’ll stop at nothing to win.
 
Ten might have arrived, but who will survive to the end?

The Dive by Sara Ochs

(Now called The Resort)

For fans of The Beach, The Sanatorium and Catherine Cooper

A PARADISE ISLAND
You walk across white sand towards the sparkling ocean. You’re leading a group to scuba dive in some of the most beautiful waters on earth, an experience that will stay with you for ever.

WHERE NO ONE IS SAFE
But twenty minutes later, one diver is dead, another critically injured, and your life is in immediate danger.

AND NO ONE CAN ESCAPE
Because this was no accident. There’s a killer in paradise – and you think you might be next…