Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books from the fabulous Four Winds series by Alexandria Warwick.

I absolutely loved The North Wind (review coming soon) so I was very excited to receive a copy of the next book in the series The West Wind. I can’t wait to read it and find out what will happen next.

Huge thanks to the lovely Rhys from @simonschusteruk for sending me this to me.

The West Wind is out on the 7th November 2024. Find out more about the book below ⬇️

What’s your favourite fantasy book/ series?

The West Wind by Alexandria Warwick

Brielle of Thornbrook has dedicated her life to the abbey. She spends her days forging iron and her evenings studying the Text, all in preparation of becoming an acolyte. Twenty-one years on this earth and she has never touched a man. And she never will.

But when she finds an injured stranger in the forest, Brielle can’t resist the urge to help him. The encounter leads her to the realm of Under, where the air breathes rot, and the fair folk dance and whisper. Where she discovers that the man she helped is actually a god: Zephyrus, the West Wind, Bringer of Spring.

There are few Brielle can trust in Under, least of all Zephyrus. He is charming, dangerously so, and never has a man so thoroughly ensnared her. As she embarks on a journey through the eerie banks and caves of Under, Brielle finds herself in a perilous situation. For here is where faith and heart collide – and where she risks not only her future… but her life.

Beloved by readers on TikTok, The West Wind is a standalone fantasy romance sprinkled with Greek lore, the second in the Four Winds series. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Scarlett St. Clair and Raven Kennedy.

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick

An absolute MUST-READ for romantasy fans who love the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas! The North Wind is an addictive, sexy and enchanting enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance inspired by Beauty and the Beast and the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. 
 
Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. With her parents gone, it’s Wren’s responsibility to ensure she and her sister survive the harsh and endless winter, but if the legends are to be believed, their home may not be safe for much longer.
 
For three hundred years, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice as the Shade, a magical barrier that protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond, weakens. Only one thing can stop the Shade’s fall: the blood of a mortal woman bound in wedlock to the North Wind, a dangerous immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules. And the time has come to choose his bride.
 
When the North Wind sets his eyes on Wren’s sister, Wren will do anything to save her – even if it means sacrificing herself in the process. But mortal or not, Wren won’t go down without a fight . . .
 
Beloved by readers on TikTok, discover your next fantasy romance obsession with the Four Winds series, inspired by fairytales and sprinkled with Greek mythology. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Raven Kennedy and Scarlett St. Clair.

About The Author:

Alexandria Warwick is the author of the Four Winds series and the North series. A classically trained violinist, she spends much of her time performing in orchestras. She lives in Florida.

Good morning everyone I hope you’re having a great Monday. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Growing Brave by Donna Ashworth this week.

I absolutely love Donna’s books which are always so inspiring and helpful that reading them just feels like being enveloped in a big hug .

Filled with beautiful poems and inspirational quotes this is a fantastic book that I know I’ll be reading often.

Huge thanks to @bwpublishing and @bonnierbooks_uk for sending this to me.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Growing Brave is published 3rd September 2024.

Book Synopsis:

In this powerful new collection of wisdom and poetry, Donna Ashworth helps us to find strength and courage on the days we feel lost, to pick ourselves up when times are hard, to soothe fear and self-doubt when we are in their grip, and to let in more life and love as we brave our challenges.

Every day we are bombarded by thoughts, feelings and information that make us feel anxious and afraid. We worry we don’t measure up, we are scared of failure and we find it hard to be ourselves. We also feel powerless watching the world getting messier. Fear is a limiting factor for many of us and if we don’t challenge it we can find ourselves keeping out more of the good stuff in life than the bad.

With poems such as ‘One Day You’ll See’, ‘Growing in Moonlight’, ‘The Comparing’ and ‘Always There’, bestselling author Donna Ashworth helps us to see that whatever we are facing, no matter how small or afraid we feel, we make the biggest difference in this world and to our own happiness when we are brave enough to show up as ourselves.

About The Author:

Donna Ashworth is a number one Sunday Times Bestselling Poet, whose words you will often find flying around the internet, widely shared daily, by her 1.7 million followers.

Donna’s writing came to spotlight during the lockdown period where she saw her purpose as building a place to find hope, calm and comfort, amidst the collective chaos. She quickly became an internet favourite with one viral post after another and a list of celebrity endorsements.

Having published 8 books since; 3 successful self-published titles and 5 with Bonnier Books/Black & White publishing, her newest collection of words, ‘GROWING BRAVE’ is now on pre-order and set to be received just as warmly as the much-loved Wild Hope.

Priding herself on being ‘imperfectly human’ and ‘sharing the dark with the light to harness hope’, Donna engages constantly with her followers in a bid to find comfort in numbers as we ‘walk each other home’ on this journey of life.

Book Synopsis:

You’ve known her all your life . . .

Or have you?

Tasha and sister Alice look alike, but couldn’t be more different.
Tasha’s married with kids, settled near their home town of Bristol.
While Alice travels the world with her husband. Yet each trusts the other with her life.

So when Tasha wants a break,Alice offers to stay in her home with the kids, so her sister can have a holiday. Tasha knows they’re in safe hands.

She couldn’t be more wrong.

The call sends Tasha rushing home.
Alice is in intensive care.
Her husband is dead.

The police are hunting for suspects and motives.
But Tasha can’t think why anyone would hurt her sister.
Then the note arrives, addressed to Tasha:

It was supposed to be you . . .

My Review:

The Wrong Sister is a twisty, gripping read that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I read this over two days whilst on holiday with three kids and I just couldn’t put it down.  It’s going to be a hard book to review as I really don’t want to give anything away.

The Story is told from the point of view of Tasha, her mother Jeanette and a mysterious lady called Bonnie.  We follow the characters over a period of six months as they try to figure out who broke into Tasha’s house, murdered her brother in law and injured her sister.  I found the mystery surrounding the break in very intriguing and I loved following the characters as they try to solve the mystery.  I wasn’t initially too fond of Tasha as I found her a bit selfish at times, only caring about herself when other people seemed in a worse situation then she was.  She grew on me as the book continued and we find out more about her past, however.  Alice, her sister, seemed almost too good to be true which made me instantly suspicious and I enjoyed finding out more about her seemingly perfect life.

I thought the story had a great pace to it and I quickly became absorbed in the story.  There are many twists that kept me guessing and I enjoyed trying to unpick the mystery alongside Tasha.  The different threads of the story slowly come together and I was blown away by the ending which was completely unexpected.  I actually thought I’d guessed the outcome early on in the book but, much to my delight, I was wrong- very wrong!  

Huge thanks to Michael Joesph for sending me a copy of this book.  

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About The Author:

Claire Douglas is the Sunday Times number one bestselling author of eight stand alone novels: The Sisters (2015), Local Girl Missing (2016), Last Seen Alive (2017), Do Not Disturb (2018), Then She Vanishes (2019) and Just Like The Other Girls (2020). Her seventh, The Couple At No 9 (2021) was an Amazon number one bestseller, a number three Sunday Times bestseller and most recently hit number one on Germany’s Der Spiegel paperback bestsellers chart. The Girls Who Disappeared was a Richard and Judy book club pick for Autumn 2022 and was an instant number one Sunday Times bestseller. Her books have sold over a million copies in the UK and have been published worldwide.

Her most recent, THE WOMAN WHO LIED will be published on July 6th 2023.

You can find Claire on Twitter at @DougieClaire, Instagram as clairedouglasauthor, or visit her Facebook page clairedouglasauthor.

Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by Evie Wood.

I really loved The Lost Bookshop so I’m excited to read her new book The Story Collector. I’m especially intrigued by it as the story seems to involve a bit of magic and Irish Folklore which I always love.

The story collector is out now and you can find out more about the book below ⬇️

Do you enjoy books about folklore? Any recommendations for me?

The Story Collector

In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything…

One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life.

In New York in the present day, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland. But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets – secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.

With a taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Woods’s latest novel is full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales to tell.

The Lost Bookshop

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

About The Author:

Evie Woods is the author of The Lost Bookshop, the #1 Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times and Amazon Kindle bestseller, which was shortlisted for a British Book Award, and translated into 30 languages. Her latest novel, The Story Collector will be published in August 2024.

Evie lives on the West Coast of Ireland where she escapes the inclement weather by writing stories that push the boundary between what is real and what we wish were so. Drawing inspiration from the unseen forces that shape our lives and the healing power of storytelling, she invites the reader to embrace the magic that exists in our ordinary lives.

Book Synopsis:

Welcome to Rook Hall.

The stage is set. The players are ready. By night’s end, a murderer will be revealed.
Ex-detective Jackson Brodie is staving off a bad case of midlife malaise when he is called to a sleepy Yorkshire town, and the seemingly tedious matter of a stolen painting. But one theft leads to another, including the disappearance of a valuable Turner from Burton Makepeace, home to Lady Milton and her family. Once a magnificent country house, Burton Makepeace has now partially been converted into a hotel, hosting Murder Mystery weekends.
As paying guests, a vicar, an ex-army officer, impecunious aristocrats, and old friends converge, we are treated a fiendishly clever mystery; one that pays homage to the masters of the genre―from Agatha Christie to Dorothy Sayers.
Brilliantly inventive, with all of Atkinson’s signature wit, wordplay and narrative brio, Death at the Sign of the Rook may be Jackson Brodie’s most outrageous and memorable case yet.

My Review:

Death At The Sign Of The Rook is another gripping, intriguing book in the fabulous Jackson Brodie book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The story is told from the point of view of a variety of different characters which all cleverly link together to help provide clues as to where the missing painting is. I absolutely loved the characters the author has created and enjoyed following them through the book. They initially seem to be quite random, and I couldn’t figure out how they’d fit into the story but I was so enjoying learning more about them that I didn’t mind. This changes as the story goes on and the different threads gradually join together which I thought was brilliantly done.

It was great being back with Brodie watching him solve another mystery. It was good to see that he hadn’t changed much from the last book with his wry sense of humour and ability to annoy people still firmly intact. As a huge fan of the series I was pleased to see a return for Renee and Louise as it was great to catch up with them too. My favourite character in the book however was definitely Lady Milton who I absolutely loved. Her often hilarious observations, old school mannerism and sense of humour really added to the book. I often found myself laughing out loud when reading about her antics- much to the amusement of my kids. I’m really hoping that she will appear in another book as I’d love to read more about her.

I thought the book had a great pace to it and I was soon drawn into the story and into the lives of the characters. The investigation is an interesting one and it was fun to learn more not just about art but about historical art theft which I hadn’t known much about. There were lots of revelations that kept me guessing and I absolutely loved the locked room ending which led to a very gripping finale.

Death At the Sign Of The Rook is the sixth book in the series and while it is probably better to read the books in order I think you could read this book as a standalone as anything that you need to know is explained.

Huge thanks to @alison_is_reading & @doubledayukbooks for my proof copy of this book.

About The Author:

Kate Atkinson is an international bestselling novelist, as well as playwright and short story writer. She is the author of Life After Life; Transcription; Behind the Scenes at the Museum, a Whitbread Book of the Year winner; the story collection Not the End of the World; and five novels in the Jackson Brodie crime series, which was adapted into the BBC TV show Case Histories.

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.