October – well, it’s definitely autumn, as the nights are drawing in earlier and the mornings darker. Perfect weather for snuggling up with a book, isn’t that right?
I am on the first half-term break of the academic year, and I can honestly say I am SHATTERED! Fewer children, but more that need us on our toes constantly, definitely make me feel my age! (I am also toying with the chance of this being either Fibromyalgia related, or possibly a lack of Vitamin B12, so the Dr is on the case as I am far too tired!)
We had the first anniversary of losing my brother-in-law right at the beginning of the month, which was emotional, as you can imagine, for all the family in different ways. And once term finished, I made sure I spent the first few days back home with my darling parents and Lil Princess decided to join us, too!
Did I write? No… however I did have a wonderful experience at the end of the month, where I visited the gorgeous bookshop of fellow author Kim Nash, and we had a great natter, she met Pops, Mum and Lil Princess, then one of my dreams came true. My three books are sitting on a real life bookstore shelf! Please share in my joy and have a look at my little reel!
So I read and listened as best I could. And I didn’t do too badly, even if I do say so myself! A few festive reads too, to get prepared for the Christmas season that will be upon us before we even know!
Architecti by Ruby Roe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Will I ever learn my lesson? Nope, obviously not. Listen to a Ruby Roe in the car, then frantically try to pause it when you remember who is in the passenger seat next to you! 🤦🏾♀️
But seriously, I think this was my favourite Ruby Roe spicy sapphic fiction so far.
Dark Academia meets Gothic Fantasy brilliantly, with a lot of sapphic smut on the side.
We have angels and demons, mortals and reapers, an academy where a professor finds herself in a relationship with a student, but they are so wrong for each other – as well as being so right.
The storyline hooked me completely, and I wasn’t as aware of the naughty bits because I was so mesmerised by what was happening to the characters.
The ending was a little devastating, but knowing I have another in the series to listen to gave me the strength to carry on.
The Winter Guest by Karen Swan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another beautiful story from Karen Swan.
This dual timeline follows Lise Erlach, a young woman married to a diplomat in the 60s, living in Paris, and her journey, which is peppered with secrecy and that of her granddaughter, Dulcie, in the present, as she sits by her frail grandmother, awaiting the day they all know is coming.
An unexpected visitor for her grandmother, another elderly man who knew her from the Paris days, keeps dropping cryptic hints of a secret he wishes to divulge to Lise only; however, the woman in question is rarely lucid enough to have a conversation.
Flashbacks begin to fill the gaps in a complex puzzle Dulcie starts to piece together, ultimately with the help of Alé, a Spanish artist she meets under unexpected circumstances.
This book is filled with mystery, espionage, and forbidden love, making it a beautifully tragic page-turner.
A New Start at the Happily Ever After Bookshop by Emma Bennet
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I LOVED my first visit to Castle Cove on the Cornish coast.
Carrie is a single mother trying to provide for her delightful daughter, Poppy, and hoping for some support from the father, who lets them down at every turn. His disappointment pushes her to take her aunt up on a job at her gorgeous bookshop in Castle Cove over the summer, while her aunt is away.
Let’s be honest, a summer in Cornwall is always going to beat London, and what an experience for her little girl, too!
Carrie has so many memories from her own childhood holidays there that she wants her own child to experience, and that is exactly what she does.
What she doesn’t expect is the connection she feels with Michael, the bookshop’s neighbour, and his teenage daughter, Layla.
There are some wonderful scenes involving pets, especially Monty, Michael’s inherited mongrel, running off with Carrie’s bra at the beach, and a haughty cat, also inherited, who adds more drama!
I loved every aspect of this book, including the original characters from the cove we get to meet, and knowing there are more stories to come, I knew I’d get to know more of them soon enough!
Christmas at the First Sip Coffee Shop: A feel-good, small town, festive romance by Emma Bennet
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was so glad I could jump straight into this second book after reading the first in the series, as all the characters were familiar to me, and I read it in an afternoon, cosy on my sofa, thinking of Christmas!
This book focuses on Lucy, the owner of the First Sip Coffee Shop, located right next to the bookshop featured in the first book.
We get into the nitty-gritty of the romantic twist pretty fast, as Lucy finds herself in a situation with Dylan, best friend of her best friend’s husband, right at the start of the story.
I loved how it all came together in this enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story, where things go a little back to front, but as we get to know the characters, we also get to experience some wonderful festive moments as Lucy helps Dylan enjoy Christmas, since he has never had a chance to before.
This can be read as a standalone; however, I had picked up on some angst/chemistry between Lucy and Dylan in the first book, so the story felt even more complete for me!
A New Dawn at Brightwater Falls by Kim Nash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It is always a pleasure to read a Kim Nash book as her stories are filled with characters who you come to care for, and want to know what is going to happen to them.
A New Dawn at Brightwater Falls introduces us to a new set of characters, namely three sisters; Imo, Ally and Kate, as well as Dandy, their Godmother and surrogate mother, when their own passed away.
Set in Brightwater Falls, the resort was a labour of love for Dandy and the girls’ mother, and now, she needs the girls to help her, after a nasty fall and injury.
The story centres around Imo, the youngest of the sisters. Younger by quite a stretch, she spent the longest time with Dandy, especially when her mother passed away, and is the only single one of the three.
She has a brilliant career, but feels no sort of approval from her sisters, especially Ally, the older one, who seems to think she is above the others, and Kate appears to be the one who sides with the strongest.
Well, that is how the scene is set at the beginning, but through the story, we get to learn more about all three women, and see Imo finally follow her heart in all aspects.
There is the expected sisterly angst, as well as a gentle romance, and learning more about the other two sisters makes me wonder whether we will be visiting Brightwater Falls again, soon, with a slightly different POV?
ReTreat Yourself by Jo Lyons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A cute, funny story based around sibling rivalry, a sudden flit, mindfulness, mistaken identity, and life coaching!
Nell disappears on her birthday, away from her family and younger sister and arch rival, Ava, when she finds herself losing out to a promotion to her sister and out of a job, too.
She ends up in Spain, and plenty of hilarity ensues as she tries to build a new life for herself on a web of lies.
I had to giggle when she ends up at a retreat that is less relaxation and more self-flagellation. But she meets someone who gives her all the feels; just the situations she finds herself in don’t always paint her in the best light.
She starts a new career as a life coach after a (very brief) online course and finds herself in charge of a business when her boss has to disappear. Then that guy turns up. And her sister, not long after.
This was an easy read with a little spice and a lot of laughs.
Interitus: A Dark Gothic Romantasy by Ruby Roe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am so glad that this was available to read as soon as I finished Architecti, because that was one heck of a cliffhanger we were left with!
Still gothic, still fantasy, still spicy, but with added demon and angel energy!
This story continues, but instead of focusing only on Midnight and Lucy, we get to know a lot more about Architecti and her twin, Interitus.
The story is addictive, and I just had to know how it ends.
Of course there was smut. It wouldn’t be Ruby Roe’s book without it, but the whole plot was brilliantly executed.
The Twenty Dates: Warm, endorsing and authentic – about marriage, mid-life and the quiet re-evaluation when the kids leave home. by Ko Porteous
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the first book in the Empty Nester series, so I dove into this with anticipation, and I wasn’t disappointed.
A couple celebrating their 19th anniversary finds itself in a rut. A husband who is very busy with work and appears to take his wife and life for granted. A wife who has recently experienced two significant losses: her son disappearing to university and leaving her stable job.
An inopportune anniversary present sparks the thought that they are no longer in this marriage for the reasons they were, and so comes the idea to live apart and have 20 special dates to mark the next significant anniversary, to see if they can salvage their marriage.
Claire and Mark are such believable and likeable characters, and I challenge most folks of a certain age to say they have never felt taken for granted, and that life is just as it is.
The story sees them face challenges, overcome misunderstandings and begin to rediscover the reasons they are together, but not without plenty of will they won’t they moments, too!
All I Want for Christmas Is Hugh by Julia Boggio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I will admit to this being my first Julia Boggia book, though her previous novels are on my TBR.
Early autumn, and reading about Christmas, with a Hugh Grant twist, gave me British Hallmark vibes!
Henrietta, or Hen, is on the lookout for a real British gentleman to romance her and sweep her off her feet, hopefully with the looks and demeanour of the aforementioned Hugh Grant – partly because of a promise made at a critical time.
Hen has an invisible disability, FND, something I hadn’t ever heard of, so this was a mini education in itself. She likes to work from a specific cafe, where she has her ‘people’ who know her, and her condition, and they all want the best for her.
She is an American photographer living in London and tasked with getting a good headshot of a rather grumpy American author, Graff. He’s moody, gruff, but hot. If only things weren’t so complicated in the world of Hen.
When a ‘perfect’ Lord, Albert, walks into the cafe she frequents, the idea of him really does sweep her off her feet, she is confused, but follows her brain, when he shows interest in her, though her heart may be thinking something else…
Okay, so there are the Hallmark vibes here, and though I can confess to not being a big Hugh Grant fan, I can appreciate that for a huge period (namely the 90s), he was that quintessential English hero in all the major movies, so this is a cute/comical addition to the story, especially as Hugh, in different character forms, manages to encroach upon the story regularly.
A cute, funny read with British heart and American soul.
Together For Christmas: The new festive holiday romance from the bestselling author, the perfect feel-good read to curl up with this winter! by Emma Heatherington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another beautiful, heartwarming Christmas story from Emma Heatherington.
I loved this story about two people, both in their mid-30s, and how their connection built.
Cara is reeling from her engagement being broken, with no warning. Her family rallies round to support her, and help her put that part of her life to one side. Her work involves inviting influencers to a venue, to give them experiences which will create good content and promotion for the castle.
Declan is a single father to Callum, but with a tight blended family situation including Callum’s mother and her husband. Father and son run a successful social media account, after going viral.
Cara has sworn off men, and Declan is on a year-long flirting/dating ban, not due to end until Christmas Eve.
Well, I am sure you can guess what happens… chemistry, and plenty to stop them, including the pledge of no dating, but you have Christmas fun, and what I really loved was how it went full circle in how and where they reunite. I don’t want to give much away, but it was a very satisfying ending.
The Christmas Cookie Bookshop by Anita Faulkner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was really looking forward to reading this, having enjoyed Anita Faulkner’s previous novels, and I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Set in the fictitious town of Hazel Blooms in the Cotswolds, the story centres around Noemi, the owner of a quaint bookshop among a host of other beautiful independent shops. Life is getting hard, financially, and with trying to finance her mother’s residential home costs, as well as running a business, she fears she has failed.
Noemi fears change. Or rather, something happened which made her far too cautious about change because of a tragic accident which affected her and her best friend.
But something has to give. She needs to find a new USP for her shop and get customers back in.
Her talent for baking phenomenal cookies could support the business, but even that is tied to emotional memories.
All it takes is a whirlwind of an Irish man, Shay, to whoosh into her life and that of all the locals, with his devil-may-care attitude and his new business that threatens to topple any interest in hers.
Only there is a little chemistry bubbling under all the rivalry.
I was totally invested in this slow-burn, beautifully festive, cookie-craving-inducing story!
Dina Gets Lucky: A Novel by Uzma Jalaluddin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have wanted to read a book by this author for a while, so I was pleased to receive this ARC
We meet the main characters in a prologue scene, when Dina, Lucky, and Arshad are still in college, and it sets the stage for what we know will be a rocky road.
When we are brought to the main story, hotshot lawyer Dina is due to be a huge part of her influencer sister Hania’s wedding, and nothing can go wrong – except she is hiding a huge secret from the whole family for fear of how it might look or affect her sister’s special day: she and Arshad are divorced.
Through the wedding, she comes into contact with Lucky again, their old college friend, and someone Dina liked a lot at college. Crossed wires, and some of those aforementioned lies surface as the story progresses.
Lucky is a guy from a simple family – he’s done well for himself, but his trade is still not what is considered ‘worthy’ by some: a contractor, whereas Dina is working in her family business with her ex-husband, who is bandied about as the perfect partner.
I loved all the over-the-top pre-wedding and wedding scenes, and I could feel the tension as Dina fights to keep an enormous secret from everyone while wrestling with her feelings for someone else.
Just for the Plot by Meghan Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed the second book in this series, though I totally forgot that I had said I would be prepared for the spice the next time round. I was NOT, lol! And that is my fault. I had a few quick pause moments when listening in the car when I had a passenger with me! 🫣
This book centres around Bennett, a baseball golden boy, who has also been selected as one of three sportsmen, as poster boys for their teams to build positive publicity, so he is volunteering at the zoo, with his two compadres, cutely named the Gladdy Daddies in the previous book, as his guiding lights for his own romantic problem.
Namely, he has a HUGE crush on someone he has known for many years: his sister’s best friend, Bower. Not only is she older than him, but she is also out of bounds because of being so close to Bennett’s sister.
What follows is a chance move on Bower’s behalf to live closer to where Bennett is, and that is where chemistry begins to occur, but not without its hurdles.
Again with the SPICE! 🥵🌶️🥵🌶️🥵🌶️ As things heat up, my, is there some naughtiness going on, as well as crossed wires, angry sisters and a book wagon! Cannot forget that book wagon!
This is a real friends-to-lovers, forbidden romance ride!
I am on the blog tour for this wonderful 5-star read in November, so make sure you pop over to see the full review!
I beta-read this for an author friend this month, and it will be out in January. A story based around a woman who finds herself in a wheelchair after a tragic accident. There is sadness, and hope, and a story that leaves hope intact for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.
Strictly Pleasure by Carrie Elks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this second book in the Salinger Brothers series, this time centred on Liam, the second-eldest brother, and Sophie, the best friend of one of the MCs in the first book.
Liam has a rep for being a bit of a playboy, and only ever spending one night with any woman.
He’s gorgeous and has plenty of these women ready to spend that one night with him.
Sophie is a meteorologist on the weather team at the local TV station.
Somehow, they wake up together after a wedding, and that one-night thing kicks in.
But both of them strain to fight a deeper attraction and chemistry that is bubbling over.
I loved how protective Liam was of Sophie, and how they both tried so hard to deny any spark, even though it was SOOO obvious!
Of course, a little while into the book, the inevitable spice kicks in, and it doesn’t disappoint, either!
Though this is part of a series, you can read it as a standalone. However, it’s even more enjoyable with some of the backstory.
Nightingale Hall: An atmospheric dual-timeline historical mystery from Rachel Burton by Rachel Burton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have always enjoyed Rachel Burton’s stories, and Nightingale Hall was a wonderfully nuanced, atmospheric novel that I absolutely loved.
A mystery painting, an artist who seems to have disappeared, and a deep, unknown connection keep the pages turning.
Rosie is grieving the loss of her darling grandmother, someone who brought her up after her flighty mother kept disappearing and reappearing every few years. The women in the family were strong and independent, and though there were men in their lives, none filled the father-figure gap.
A postcard featuring a print of a hauntingly familiar painting and building, found by Rosie while she tries to clear out her grandma’s flat, becomes the catalyst that brings many hushed secrets to the surface, giving Rosie answers to questions she didn’t know she wanted answered.
The story uses a dual timeline: Rosie’s POV in the present, and her grandmother’s from the 50s, which continues and morphs into her mother’s as time goes on.
The supporting cast was also brilliant, with brief connections to Rosie, her mother, or her grandmother that moved the story along, and a little love interest for Rosie added that romantic touch.
I loved this entire premise, and though it is not always pleasant to not know everything about your past, the way Burton unravels and reveals little tidbits within the story, using both the past and the present, I felt Rosie was given a chance to process all the truths in a way that she didn’t find them too much. The women were the stars in this story: strong women with independent souls and minds.
So I read/ listened to 17 books this month, not bad for a busy school month,with a week of hols at the end! Which ones caught your eye?
