Good morning everyone I hope you had a great weekend. I’m back with another reading update for you today.
❤️Last: The Philosophy Of Love by Rebecca Ryan
I’m a huge fan of this author and absolutely loved this book, giving it 5 stars. It was such a fun, relatable and just hilarious read that I was sad to finish as I didn’t want to leave the fabulous characters behind. You can read my full review on my blog.
🧡Now: Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook & One Love by Matt Cain
I’ve been looking forward to reading these two books so I’m excited to finally read them. I’m a couple of chapters into both and I’m enjoying them so far.
I’m also listening to The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose which I’m absolutely loving so far. The narrator is brilliant and I love the different voices she does for the different characters.
💛Next: The Fury by Alex Michaelides & The Secrets Of Blythswood Square by Sara Sheridan
I’m then hoping to read two more books that I’m very excited to read. I’ve been a huge fan of both these author’s previous books so I’m very intrigued to read these!
I’ve got a day off today and I’m going to the Spa which I’m very excited about. It was a Christmas present from my mum and husband so I’m looking forward to a relaxing day. I’m going with my mum and I’ve already checked it’s ok for me to bring my book 🤣
Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. I hope you’re having a great weekend so far. Here are some of the fabulous looking books that I’ve added to my tbr pile this week:
💛Token by Beverly Kendall 💙 When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein ❤️Grow Where They Fall by Michael Donkor 🤍 Error Of Judgement by Chris Mullin 💙The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell ❤️ Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson 🤍Listen To The Lie by Amy Tintera 💙The Grand Illusion by Syd Moore ❤️The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden 🤍Three Burials by Anders Lustgarten
Huge thanks to all the publishers for sending these to me, it’s really appreciated.
We had a great time celebrating Burns Night yesterday and teaching the kids a little about their Scottish heritage. I don’t think I’ll ever forget my youngest’s face when Stu started doing the traditional Burns poem. I’m working at the book shop today which is always fun, while the kids are going to cinema, birthday parties and the eldest to the golf range.
Have you read any of these? Any I should bump up my list?
What is love? Is it something spiritual or wholly physical? Can our feelings be explained and quantified? Or are we all actually two halves of a whole?
Ask Alice and Luke and you’d receive vastly different answers.
Despite her world having been recently dismantled by a messy break-up, Alice would tell you that love is the most important – albeit ineffable – human experiences. But when she once again crosses paths with her old school nemesis, Luke, he challenges this. Luke is a scientist and he’s certain love can be measured and explained – just like everything else.
So the two decide to make a bet: they’ll each venture back into dating and if one of them falls in love, Alice wins, if not, then Luke does.
But can anyone win when you’re playing with emotions?
My Review:
The Philosophy Of Love is another heartwarming, hilarious and relatable read from one of my favourite authors.
Firstly I absolutely loved Alice and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s such a lovely, relatable character that I found myself warming to her instantly, wanting to keep reading as I cared about what would happen to her next. Her family were wonderful creations and I loved the way they rallied around to support her, making her get out of the house to experience their interests with them. Her aunt Moira in particular was a very colourful character whose many outlandish sayings often had me laughing out loud and made me wish I had an Aunt Moira in my life.
The book is divided into 6 parts each dedicated to a different man that Alice tries to date to win her bet with Luke. Every date is a chance for Alice to find herself and to discover what she doesn’t like about a man. Some of her experiences had me laughing out loud while others had a poignant edge to them as we discover how much past dating experiences have affected Alice. It was great to see Alice slowly rediscover herself and grow in confidence as the book continues.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author in future. There are some surprisingly serious subjects mentioned in this book which took me by surprise but which I think would make this book a great book club read as there would be lots to discuss. I loved watching the different relationships develop and it was fun seeing what would happen with Luke and Alice who I had quickly grown fond of. The ending was brilliant and I closed the book very sad to leave the wonderful characters behind.
Huge thanks to Sara-Jade for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. Having really loved this author’s first book I was a tad nervous to read more from her as I didn’t think I could possibly like another book as much but I was wrong as I absolutely loved this one too!
About The Author:
Rebecca Ryan lives in Bradford with her three young children. Although she always loved writing, it hadn’t really occurred to her that she could do it professionally. She recently left her job as a teacher to pursue writing full-time. She enjoys walking in the countryside and takeaways (if that counts as a hobby).
When a British RAF Whitley plane comes under fire over the French coast and is forced to drop their cargo, a spy messenger pigeon finds its way into unlikely hands…
The occupation has taken much from the Cotillard sisters, and as the Germans increase their forces in the seaside town of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Gabriella, Martine and Simone can’t escape the feeling that the walls are closing in.
Yet, just as they should be trying to stay under the radar, Martine’s discovery of a British messenger pigeon leads them down a new and dangerous path. Gaby would do anything to protect her sisters but when the pianist is forced to teach the step-daughter of a German Commandant, and the town accuses the Cotillards of becoming ‘Bad French’ and in allegiance with the enemy, she realizes they have to take the opportunity to fight back that has been handed to them.
Now, as the sisters’ secrets wing their way to an unknown contact in London, Gaby, Martine and Simone have to wonder – have they opened a lifeline, or sealed their fate?
My Review:
The Secret Pianist is a gripping and absorbing read from a new author for me.
Firstly I thought the author did a great job setting the scene for this book and I loved her vivid descriptions of occupied France. It must have been such a difficult time to live through with no one trusting each other and everyone feeling they were being watched. The sense of fear emulating from the page was almost palpable at times as I watched the sisters, and the villagers, going about their everyday lives.
The sisters were fantastic creations who I really enjoyed following throughout the book. They are such realistic characters and I loved how different each sister was, with everyone bringing something different to the table. I warmed to them instantly and found I had to keep reading to see what would happen to them.
I thought the book had a great pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me glued to the page. The use of carrier pigeons during the war was a new concept for me and I enjoyed learning more about how they were used by the resistance to pass messages. There were lots of twists or revelations that kept me guessing and my heart was in my mouth at times as I watched things unfold. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ll definitely be reading more in the future.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to One More Chapter for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
USA Today bestseller
Publisher’s Weekly bestseller
Amazon Kindle top 5 bestseller
Andie Newton is a bestselling author of historical fiction. Her titles include A Child for the Reich, The Girls from the Beach, The Girl from Vichy, and The Girl I Left Behind.
She writes gritty and emotional war stories about strong women. Andie holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in teaching. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, her two boys, and one very lazy cat.
You can find book club discussion questions on andienewton.com.
LIES COST LIVES THE BRAND NEW KATE DANIELS THRILLER
Three years ago police officer Georgina Ioannau was murdered, her killers never brought to justice. Now the prime suspects have been shot dead within hours of their return to the UK. Has someone finally taken the law into their own hands?
Seeking out the truth will force Kate Daniels to confront her own past mistakes, and put her career, and her team’s lives, on the line.
The gripping new Kate Daniels thriller about what happens when someone takes the law into their own hands from awardwinning crime writer Mari Hannah.
My Review:
I’m a huge fan of this series so I was very excited to get a chance to read The Longest Goodbye her latest book. Once again the author has written a gripping, absorbing read that I found very hard to put down.
It was great being back with the team, watching them solve another murder together. Throughout the series they have started to seem like old friends and I always love witnessing their interactions, especially the fabulous banter they have with each other. Kate has always been one of my favourite characters and I feel she really came into her own in this book. I found myself admiring her toughness in most situations as she deals with staff complaints regarding some of her decisions. We also see a softer side to her though as she is able to help her team through some of the tougher, emotional moments during the investigation.
I thought the book had a great pace to it and I was soon drawn into the story. There were lots of different threads to the story which I enjoyed following and seeing how they all came together in the end. I liked that the book wasn’t always just about the investigation but did focus a bit on the teams personal lives and the impact that the investigation had on them as I think it made the story seem more realistic. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing, including a huge one at the end that I definitely hadn’t predicted. I thought I had guessed who the killer was half way though but I was wrong, and really wrong. I always love a crime book that keeps me on my toes.
Huge thanks to Anne from Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publishers for a copy of this book. I can’t wait for book 10!
About The Author:
Multi-award winning Mari Hannah is the author of the Stone & Oliver crime series, the Ryan & O’Neil series and the DCI Kate Daniels series.
In July 2010, she won a Northern Writers’ Award for Settled Blood. In 2013, she won the Polari First Book Prize for her debut, The Murder Wall. She was awarded the CWA Dagger in the Library 2017 as the author of the most enjoyed collection of work in libraries. In 2019, she was awarded DIVA Wordsmith of the Year. In that same year, Mari was Programming Chair of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Festival. In 2020, Mari was named as DIVA ‘Wordsmith of the Year’ and won Capital Crime’s ‘Crime Book of the Year’ award.
She lives in Northumberland with her partner, an former murder detective.
To find her or see where she’s appearing, visit her events page at: marihannah.com or follow her on Twitter @mariwriter.
Good morning everyone I was tagged by the lovely @nothing.beats.a.good.book to take part in the highlighter challenge. The idea is to match books with your highlighters and I’ve borrowed my daughter’s sweetie shaped highlighters for the challenge as they’re actually the only highlighters we have!
🩵The Memory Library by Kate Storey 💚Martyr by Kaveh Akbar 💜The Book Of Love by Kelly Link 🩷 Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll
All of these books are tbr but I’m hoping to read The Memory Library and The Book Of Love next month.
It’s my day off today and it has seemed like a long, exhausting week. Our WiFi is going off this morning (twitch) as we’re getting full fibre! I’m hoping to do a bit of housework while listening to my new audiobook The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose and then I’m hoping to finish my fabulous read The Philosophy Of Love by Rebecca Ryan which I’m absolutely loving.
I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to take part in the highlighter challenge but, as always, no pressure.
Q: What’s your favourite type of sweets? A: I love rhubarb and custard, Black Jacks and fruit salads!
The soldier looks her dead in the eye, his weapon raised. “You must leave now,” he warns. But this is her last chance to save her husband, and she won’t be silenced…
1943. Fleeing Germany had been EdithFalkenstein and her Jewish husband Julius’s last hope, selling their remaining precious possessions to make the gruelling journey. But to their horror, they are turned away at the Swiss border. Devastated, they return to the tiny Berlin apartment they share with other Jewish families, with its peeling wallpaper and bare kitchen cupboards. It is a world away from the heady glamour of their lives before.
Edith’s worst fears come true when Julius is brutally arrested and imprisoned alongside thousands of other Jewish men, destined for the camps. When she hears the news, Edith feels her heart crack wide open with unbearable grief.
But then she hears of women gathering outside the prison in their hundreds—wives and mothers from every walk of life whose relatives have also been taken. They are united by a single, desperate wish. She links arms with the woman next to her and takes up the chant.
Standing among these brave women offers Edith a flicker of hope. But can they really save their loved ones? And as Edith faces the lines of German soldiers with cold savagery in their eyes, will she pay the ultimate price for this small act of courage?
An absolutely unputdownable, heartbreaking and hopeful story of love and courage. Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, My Name is Eva and The Nightingale will be swept away by this book based on incredible true events.
My Review:
I’m a huge fan of this series and I’ve been looking forward to reading another instalment. Once again the author has written a powerful, emotion book that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
Firstly I absolutely love the character’s in this book and I’ve enjoyed following them throughout the series. They’ve started to seem like old friends which has made events in the books harder and more emotional to read about. It has been very sad to see them reduced throughout the series as more anti Jewish laws are created and see how different their lives are now from how they were at the beginning of the series. Edith’s relationship with Helga is also lovely to witness and I felt glad that they had each other in these difficult circumstances.
I’m a huge fan of historical fiction set in the Second World War, especially if they cover events that I hadn’t heard of before. This book covers the Rosenstrass Protest which I hadn’t heard about before, a protest that was significant because it was one of the only known protests against the treatment of the Jews. My heart was in my mouth as I read as I wasn’t sure what was going to happen and feared the worse knowing with hindsight how cruel the Nazi’s could be.
This book had a great pace to it and I soon found myself drawn into the story. I’ve grown very fond of the character’s and the author’s vivid descriptions made me feel that I was actually there experiencing everything alongside the, mainly women, protesting. There were lots of twists that kept me guess and the tension slowly increases as the story continues making it very difficult to put down. The ending was brilliant and I now can’t wait to read more from this fantastic series.
Huge thanks to Sarah from Bookouture for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of historical fiction I highly recommend this series.
About The Author:
Marion Kummerow writes historical fiction that explores the dark side of human history. A USA Today Bestselling author, she has received rave reviews from readers and critics for her novels about the German resistance during World War II. Her books feature characters who face moral dilemmas, make difficult decisions, and fight for what is right. She also infuses her stories with humor and undying love, because she believes that love is what makes the world go round.
Born and raised in Germany, Marion has lived in various countries before returning to Munich with her family. After writing several non-fiction books, she felt drawn to the past and the subject of resistance to the Nazi regime. It took her years of courage and hard work to turn the true story of her grandparents Ingeborg and Hansheinrich Kummerow into a trilogy: “Love and Resistance in the Second World War”. UNRELENTING is the first book in this series.
Bringing history to life through her books is Marion’s passion. She visits museums, travels to memorials and the locations in her books, reads original source material, and consults experts to meticulously research the historical facts and details in her novels.
Her stories are authentic and immersive, transporting readers to another time and place. She writes with the conviction that we must never forget the past, so it won’t repeat itself.
When she’s not writing or researching, Marion likes to travel, do yoga, and spend time with her family. She also enjoys reading books by other historical fiction authors.
Good morning everyone I have another One Book Leads To Another feature for you today.
I read Why Mummy Drinks At Christmas over the Christmas period and the author mentions Death And The Penguins as a book she’s loved. I was naturally very curious, even more so when I saw that it had been chosen as a Between The Covers pick too.
I haven’t read it yet but I’m excited to read it soon especially as I could use it as part of my 24 Countries In 2024 challenge.
What book have you read after hearing about it in another book?
Why Mummy Drinks At Christmas By Gill Sims
I absolutely loved this book when I read it and think it’s the perfect book to read on the run up to Christmas. It was a surprisingly emotional read and made me contemplate the reality of future Christmasses without my three kids.
All that stands between one man and murder by the mafia is a penguin.
Viktor is an aspiring writer in Ukraine with only Misha, his pet penguin, for company.
Although Viktor would prefer to write short stories, he earns a living composing obituaries for a newspaper. He longs to see his work published, yet the subjects of his obituaries continue to cling to life.
But when Viktor opens the newspaper to see his work in print for the first time, his pride swiftly turns to terror. Viktor and Misha have been drawn into a trap from which there appears to be no escape.
‘A striking portrait of post-Soviet isolation… In this bleak moral landscape Kurkov manages to find ample refuge for his dark humour’ New York Times.
Your family has been attacked. Now you have to choose between law… and justice.
Jason Bennett is a suburban dad whose life takes a horrific turn. He is driving his family home when a pickup truck begins tailgating them. Suddenly two men jump from the pickup and pull guns on Jason, demanding the car. A horrific flash of violence changes his life forever.
Later that awful night, Jason and his family receive a visit from the FBI. The agents tell them that the carjackers were members of a dangerous drug-trafficking organization ― and now Jason and his family are in their crosshairs.
The agents advise the Bennetts to enter the witness protection program. But WITSEC was not designed to protect law-abiding families. Trapped in an unfamiliar life, the Bennetts begin to fall apart at the seams. Then Jason learns a shocking truth and realizes that he has to take matters into his own hands.
Sometimes justice is a one-man show.
My Review:
What Happened To The Bennetts is a fast paced, gripping thriller which I raced through in a few days. It’s going to be a hard book to review as I don’t want to give anything away.
The book opens very explosively with some truly gripping but shocking scenes that took me by surprise and the tension never really let up as the book continues making it very hard to put down. The Bennett family were all such realistic characters and it was very emotional to see the happy, successful family changed by events. It was very poignant to see all they were going through and I felt they were so vividly described that I felt like I was experiencing everything alongside the characters.
Jason was my favourite character and I loved how he went from a normal guy to fighting for his family. I found it very intriguing to following him on his mission to find out what has is going on and why someone has it in for his family. Some of his actions were perhaps a little unrealistic but I found I didn’t care as I was still routing for him to succeed and get the answers he desperately needed.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. It is an incredibly fast paced book and the tension gradually increases as the story progresses making it very hard to put down. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing and a few scenes that had me holding my breath as I watched the action unfold. The ending was brilliant and while it was a little bit more violent than I was expecting I was happy to see how everything worked out.
Huge thanks to Anne from Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the blog tour and to No Exit Press for my copy of this book. If you are a fan of fast paced, gripping thrillers than I highly recommend this book.
About The Author:
Lisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of 33 novels. Lisa’s books are book-club favorites, and she and her daughter Francesca Serritella have hosted an annual Big Book Club Party for over a thousand readers at her Pennsylvania farm, for the past twelve years. Lisa has been President of Mystery Writers of America and she reviews fiction and non-fiction for the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter for The Philadelphia Inquirer entitled Chick Wit, a witty take on life from a woman’s perspective, which have been collected in a bestselling series of humorous memoirs. Lisa graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.A. degree in English, and cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she taught Justice & Fiction. She has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives with an array of disobedient pets, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
The globe-trotting spy thriller that inspired the upcoming action blockbuster Argylle , featuring a star-studded cast including Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Cena.
One Russian magnate’s dream of restoring a nation to greatness has set in motion a chain of events which will take the world to the brink of chaos. Only Frances Coffey, the CIA’s most legendary spymaster, can prevent it. But to do so, she needs someone special.
Enter Argylle. His life came to a crashing halt as a teenager. Since then he has been treading water, building barriers between himself and the world. Until one moment of compassion and brilliance will bring him to the attention of the most powerful woman in the secret world.
Coffey knows all about Argylle’s dark past. She knows it haunts him. But she also knows it may give him the skills to join the team going up against one of the most powerful men in the world. His crash course in espionage will take him from the jungles of Thailand to the boulevards of Monaco, from the monasteries of Mount Athos to a forgotten cavern buried deep in the mountains.
It is a deathly rollercoaster ride that will either make him – or break him…
My Review:
Argylle is a gripping, fast paced spy thriller which will be interesting to see made into a film.
Firstly I really liked the main character Argylle and enjoyed following him through the book. He seemed a genuinely nice guy and I like how much he seemed to care for his team mates, even when it was unlikely to be reciprocated. If anyone was likely to hold back and help someone Argylle was your man and as such he was there for of the other characters crucial moments. It was quite amusing to see him learn to be a spy and some of his earlier missions had me laughing out loud with some of his attempts at subterfuge.
The author does a great job at describing some of the fantastic locations featured in this book so that I felt like I was actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. There were some locations that I hadn’t heard of and I enjoyed spending time googling them to find out more. I felt that some of the action scenes in the book were slightly overdone at times, with long descriptions about what was happening when I didn’t feel it was needed. I do wonder if they were done with the film in mind though as I felt they would make great action sequences and they did help me to visualise what was going on.
I listened to the book on audiobook and found the book hard to pause once I had started. I often found myself stopped whilst doing a task as I was so absorbed in what was happening. Some of the events in the book where perhaps a little cliche at times and I felt borrowed from other popular franchises (a Russian bad guy, a mission involving the Nazis, a difficult motorcycle chase) which did frustrate me at times. I think I actually groaned out loud at one point much to my kids amusement.
The ending was interesting and while I did guess quite early on who the mole in the group was, I was satisfied with how everything was tied up in the end. The ending hints at a possible sequel and despite my reservations listed above I think I would be interested to read more from this author in future.
Huge thanks to libro.fm for giving me an audiobook of Argylle in exchange for an honest review.
About The Author:
Elly Conway was born and raised in upstate New York. She wrote her first novel about Agent Argylle while working as a waitress in a late-night diner.
Over The Rainbow Blog 