Good afternoon everyone I was lucky enough to receive this fabulous looking book today. I absolutely love retellings of fairy tales so I’m excited to read this book soon.

Huge thanks to the lovely @chloerose_pr and @bantambooksuk for sending me a copy of this book.

Do you like retellings of fairy tales? What’s your favourite?

Book Synopsis:

Light and dark – this is the destiny placed upon Natasha and Clara, the birthright bestowed on them by their godfather, the mysterious sorcerer Drosselmeyer. Clara, the favourite, grows into beauty and ease, while Natasha is cursed to live in her sister’s shadow. But one fateful Christmas Eve, Natasha gets her chance at revenge. For Drosselmeyer has returned and brought with him the Nutcracker, an enchanted present which offers entry to a deceptively beautiful world: the Kingdom of Sweets.

In this land of snow and sugar, Natasha is presented with a power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who is also a giver of gifts . . . and a maker of dread-filled bargains. As Natasha uncovers the dark destiny laid before her birth, she must reckon with powers both earthly and magical . . . and decide to which world she truly belongs.

About The Author:

ERIKA JOHANSEN grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She went to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania before attending the celebrated Iowa Writers Workshop, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. She eventually became an attorney but she never stopped writing. Her debut was the international bestseller, The Queen of the Tearling – the first novel in a remarkable sequence. This was followed by the acclaimed The Invasion of the Tearling, The Fate of the Tearling and a prequel, Beneath the Keep. Erika now lives in England.

Good morning everyone I was tagged by the lovely @always_need_more_books and @helen_t_reads to take part in this potion challenge. The idea is to make a spell using book titles.

From the Spell Book of Hester this spell has to be created Under The Tamarind Tree.

You will need:
✨ A drop of Salt Blood
✨Some Black Feathers
✨ A Jar Of A Thousand Boy Kisses
✨ Six Crimson Cranes

Mix it together in a Ripe pumpkin. Take 19 Steps to the left and leave it on the doorstep of The House Of Broken Bricks to get rid of all Bad Men.

I have tagged a few people who might want to take part but, as always, no pressure.

What would you make a spell for?

Good morning everyone and happy Wednesday. I was tagged by the lovely @r4ch4elreads to share some books with Aqua Green Spines. Unfortunately I didn’t have too many of those so I think I’ve managed to move more into a green stack than Aqua Green (sorry Rachel)!

The books I’ve featured are:
💚The Other Side Of Mrs Wood
🩵Well Met
💚The Giant On The Skyline
🩵The Physician’s Daughter
💚That Green Eyed Girl
🩵73 Dove Street
💚A Lady’s Guide To Fortune Hunting
🩵Other People’s Husbands
💚A Single Thread
🩵The Cloisters
💚Zero Days

Unusually for me I’ve actually read one of these books – A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier which I highly recommend. This is actually my precious signed copy I got when I met her at Cheltenham Festival a few years ago.

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

See any favourites here?

Good afternoon everyone I’m very excited to receive a copy of this fabulous sounding book recently. I tend to love books about families so this book really appeals to me.

Huge thanks to @faberbooks for sending this to me I’m very excited to read it soon.

Out January 2024

Book Synopsis:

Ain’t nothing wrong with being broken. Nothing at all. You’re like these houses, not a whole brick in em and look how strong they are.

As Tess traces the sunrise over the floodplains, light that paints the house a startling crimson, she yearns for the comforting chaos of life as it once was. Instead of Max and Sonny tracking dirt through the kitchen – Tess and Richard’s ‘rainbow twins’ – Tess absorbs the quiet. The nights draw in, the soil cools and Richard fights to get his winter crops planted rather than deal with the discussion he cannot bear to have.

Secrets and vines clamber over the broken red bricks and although its inhabitants seem to be withering, in the damp, crumbling soil Sonny knows that something is stirring . . . As the seasons change, and the cracks let in more light, the family might just be able to start to heal.

This is the story of a broken family, what they see and what they cannot say laid bare in their overlapping perspectives. It is a tale of life in the cracks, because in the space for acceptance, of passing and of laying to rest, the possibilities of new energy, light and love, are seeded.

About The Author:

Fiona Williams holds a BSc (Hons) in biological sciences from the University of Westminster and an MA with distinction in creative writing from Bath Spa University. She is the winner of the 2021 Bridport Prize, Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award. Originally from south-east London, she now lives with her family on the Somerset Levels. She is currently completing a PhD in creative writing at the University of Exeter. The House of Broken Bricks is her debut novel.

Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by one of my favourite gothic writers C. J. Cooke.

I absolutely loved The Ghost Wood when I read it last year so I was very excited to see that she had a new book coming out. The Haunting In The Arctic sounds like a perfect book for me as not only is it meant to be a bit creepy,it’s also set in the Arctic which is one of my favourite settings for a book as it’s so unpredictable.

I’m hoping to read The Haunting In The Arctic next and I’m really looking forward to it.

What’s your favourite spooky/ gothic read?

A Haunting In The Arctic

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

Something that craves revenge…

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…

The Ghost Woods

In the midst of the woods stands a house called Lichen Hall.

This place is shrouded in folklore – old stories of ghosts, of witches, of a child who is not quite a child.

Now the woods are creeping closer, and something has been unleashed.

Pearl Gorham arrives in 1965, one of a string of young women sent to Lichen Hall to give birth. And she soon suspects the proprietors are hiding something.

Then she meets the mysterious mother and young boy who live in the grounds – and together they begin to unpick the secrets of this place.

As the truth comes to the surface and the darkness moves in, Pearl must rethink everything she knew – and risk what she holds most dear.

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

Book Synopsis:

One was raised to rule. One was trained to die. Welcome to the Chronicles of Castellane.

In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, a young orphan named Kel is stolen from his old life to enter a new one of luxury and peril. He’s to become Prince Conor Aurelian’s body-double, shielding the Prince from all dangers. As his ‘Sword Catcher,’ he and Conor become close as brothers – yet Kel lives for one purpose: to die for Conor.

Lin Caster is an Ashkar physician, part of a community ostracised for its rare magical abilities. But events pull her and Kel together and into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King who rules Castellane’s criminal underworld.

Together, they’ll discover an extraordinary conspiracy. But can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war and the world into chaos?

Lose yourself in a vibrant world of power, intrigue and magic in this spellbinding epic from an internationally bestselling sensation.

My Review:

The Sword Catcher is a gripping, immersive and hugely enjoyable read. It’s the first book in what promises to be a fantastic fantasy series.

Firstly the author has created a fascinating world in this book and I enjoyed exploring it alongside the characters. It’s a world that seems set somewhere in the past with an interesting class system and harsh punishments to anyone caught breaking the rules. The reader learns a little bit about the country’s complicated history as the book goes on, finding out more about who the country’s enemies are and an event which made most of the magic disappear from the world.

My favourite character in this book was Kel who I felt had a difficult job trying to protect the prince while not really fitting in his world. His relationship with Connor was wonderful to read about and I loved reading about how close the two where. Despite their positions they are like brothers and obviously care a great deal for each other. Lin was another fascinating character and I loved how strong minded and clever she was in a world which didn’t appreciate this trait in women. The daily injustices she faces because of her genre made my blood boil and I found I was completely behind her, wanting her to succeed.

The book does start off a bit slowly as the author sets the scene but soon becomes very gripping indeed. The story is told from Lin and Kel’s point of view which was really interesting and I enjoyed following both character’s equally. The plot was quite fast paced at times and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me interested. Even in the slightly slower moments I was just happy hanging out with the characters. There were a few twists that took me by surprise and I loved the ending which points to a very intriguing sequel which I can’t wait to read.

Huge thanks to Tandem Collective for inviting me onto the read-along and the publisher for my copy of this book. If you are looking for a brilliant new fantasy series I highly recommend this book.

About The Author:

Cassandra Clare is the author of the #1 New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestselling Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices trilogy, and coauthor of the Bane Chronicles with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson. She also wrote The Shadowhunter’s Codex with her husband, Joshua Lewis. Her books have more than 36 million copies in print worldwide and have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Cassandra lives in western Massachusetts. Visit her at CassandraClare.com. Learn more about the world of the Shadowhunters at Shadowhunters.com.

Good evening everyone.  I’m a huge fan of this author so you can imagine my excitement when she offered to send me a copy of her new book The London Bookshop Affair.  It sounds brilliant, not only is it set in a bookshop which I love but it’s set in the cold war which is one of my favourite eras.

Huge thanks to the lovely @louisefeinauthor and @harper360uk for my copy of this book.

Out February 2024.

Book Synopsis:

Two courageous women. One astonishing secret. A world on the brink of war.

London, 1962: The world is teetering on the brink of nuclear war but life must go on. Celia Duchesne longs for a career, but with no means or qualifications, passes her time working at a dusty bookshop. The day a handsome American enters the shop, she thinks she might have found her way out of the monotony. Just as the excitement of a budding relationship engulfs her, a devastating secret draws her into the murky world of espionage.

France, 1942: Nineteen-year-old Anya Moreau was dropped behind enemy lines to aid the resistance, sending messages back home to London via wireless transmitter. When she was cruelly betrayed, evidence of her legacy and the truth of her actions were buried by wartime injustices.

As Celia learns more about Anya—and her unexpected connection to the undercover agent—she becomes increasingly aware of furious efforts, both past and present, to protect state secrets. With her newly formed romance taking a surprising turn and the world on the verge of nuclear annihilation, Celia must risk everything she holds dear, in the name of justice.

Propulsive and illuminating, The London Bookshop Affair is a gripping story of secrets and love, inspired by true events and figures of the Cold War.

About The Author:

Louise writes historical fiction, focusing on unheard voices or from unusual perspectives. Her debut novel, Daughter of the Reich (entitled People Like Us in the UK edition) was published in 2020 into 13 territories and is set in 1930’s Leipzig. The book was shortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2021 and the RNA Historical Novel of the Year Award, 2021. Louise’s second novel, The Hidden Child, was published in 2021 and is centered around the eugenics movement in 1920’s England and America. It was a Globe & Mail bestseller in Canada. Her third novel, The London Bookshop Affair, about one woman’s journey to uncover secrets of her past, set against a backdrop of espionage and looming nuclear war in 1962 London, will be published in January 2024.

Louise, previously a lawyer and banker, holds an MA in Creative Writing from St Mary’s University and now writes full time. Equally passionate about historical research and writing, she loves to look for themes which have resonance with today’s world. Louise lives in the Surrey countryside, UK, with her family, and is a slave to the daily demands of her pets.

Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. Here’s some of the fabulous books I’ve been sent this week:

❤️The Tempest Of Tea by Hafsah Faizal *
🧡The Royal Windsor Secret by Christine Wells
💛Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook *
💚The Night In Question by Susan Fletcher
💙The London Bookshop Affair by Louise Fein
🩵The Giant On The Skyline by Clover Stroud
💜The Wedding Of The Year by Jill Mansell
🩷The Lost Supper by Taras Grescoe
🤎Joe Nuthin’s Guide To Life by Helen Fisher
🩶The Four by Ellie Keel
🤍The Cat Who Solved Three Murders by L. T Shearer

It’s been a bit of a bumper book post week! Most of these are for blog tours, some were kindly sent to me by authors and the starred books were from work.

Huge thanks to all the tagged publishers for sending these to me, I can honestly say I’m so excited to read all of them.

Book spotlights coming soon!

What book would you read first?

Good morning everyone. It’s finally the weekend, this week seems to have gone so slowly.

I thought I’d do a little reading update today as I haven’t done one for a little bit.

Last: The Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

At the time of writing this I’ve actually got a few more pages to read but I’m so close that I’m counting it as finished. I’ve really enjoyed this first book in what promises to be an epic new fantasy series. Full review coming soon but I really recommend this book.

Now: A Demon’s Guide To Fake Dating A Demon by Sarah Hawley

I wanted an easier read after The Sword Catcher and this has just been perfect. I’d heard a lot about it do I was very intrigued and I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s really funny and I love the characters in it. I’ve already preorded the next book in the series which is always a sign of a great book.

King Of Greed by Ana Huang

I’ve enjoyed previous books by this author so I’m excited to read this book. It’s book three of the series which I didn’t realise but it can apparently be read as a standalone. I love the cover, especially the crown in the corner showing what book it is.

Next: The Other Lives Of Miss Emily White by A. J Elwood

I’m reading this for the historical fiction book club I’m part of. It sounds great and perfect for October as it sounds a bit creepy.

What are you currently reading?

Good morning everyone and happy Friday. I was very excited to receive a copy of this book recently. I’ve heard some amazing things about this author so I can’t wait to read this book soon.

Huge thanks to Joe Thomas and Headline for sending me a copy of this.

You can find out more about the book below.

Out 18th January 2024.

Book Synopsis:

2002

Danny arrives at Manchester University determined not to hide from the world any longer. This is the year his life will begin.

He locks eyes with a handsome stranger across the hall at the Fresher’s Fair. It starts with a wink and soon Danny and Guy are best friends.

2022

Now, both single for the first time in years, Danny and Guy return to the confetti-covered streets of the Gay Village for Manchester Pride.

After years of shared adventures and lost dreams, Danny finally plans to share the secret he has been keeping for two decades. He has always been in love with Guy.

Could this weekend be the end of a twenty-year friendship . . . or the start of something new and even more beautiful?

About The Author:

Matt Cain was born and brought up in the North West of England. He spent ten years making arts and entertainment programmes for ITV before stepping in front of the camera in 2010 to become Channel 4 News’ first ever Culture Editor. Now a full-time writer, his first novel Shot Through the Heart was published by Pan Macmillan in April 2014. It was followed by his second, Nothing But Trouble, in July 2015. He lives in London, where he’s currently working on the third….