But I Smile Anyway…

2023… I read many, many books, which were wonderful, but I am glad to see the end of you, as a year. It’s not been my best… Goodreads I completed 157 books this year, and that isn’t counting some I proof read or read as an alpha reader! When they send me my update, I’ll be sure to share!

I’m starting the month with no arcs… You know it won’t last. It never does! (Okay, so there were at least 7 by the end of the month that were arcs!)

Small Hours by Bobby Palmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Isaac and the Egg was a brilliant read, making me eager to get into this second novel by Bobby Palmer.
Jack is a man who thinks he’s got everything he wants in life until he doesn’t. His job suddenly disappears, and then he gets a call to scare him. His mother has disappeared.
Somewhere along the way, he saves a fox, who ends up following him as he goes to help his sister in finding his mother. Once home it becomes apparent how distant his relationship with his father has become.
I don’t want to go into it too much, but just, WOW!
A delicate, unique way of detailing the complex relationship of a father and son, with the added bonus of a talking fox!
Palmer has an intriguing writing style, and the book’s different voices are highlighted in different ways through the prose format.
It may not be for everyone, but if it is for you, it is guaranteed to be a hit!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for an ARC.

Releasing 14th March, 2024

The Lifeline by Tom Ellen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book so much!
The scene is set five years ago with a young journalist and the lead singer of an up-and-coming band meeting at an interview and hitting it off in multiple ways.
Fast forward to the present.
Annie is stuck in a mediocre job for an online website, writing content that is nothing groundbreaking. Then her boss throws her a lifeline, but it means interviewing someone she really doesn’t want to.
Will is in a dead-end job, barely existing, and he spends his spare time helping out on an anonymous crisis line. This wasn’t the life he dreamed of.
Through twists of fate, Annie and Will end up on the phone, unidentified, and they develop a strong bond despite not knowing anything about one another.
But fate has other ideas…
I was gripped through the whole story and whizzed through it in a day. As a reader, you know what you want to happen, but you have to see the grizzly bits through first until fate finally delivers!
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC.

Releasing 29th February, 2024

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a beautiful book!
I love GBBO as much as anyone else, and preparing to read a story based on a similar programme excited me. But the biggest pull was that the main character was a woman in her senior years.
Jenny Quinn is seventy-seven years old. She doesn’t feel like she has achieved much in her life, apart from being a brilliant baker, her husband of fifty-nine years, Bernard, would agree. As would her neighbours and family, who are treated to her baking delights regularly.
She watches Britan Bakes regularly, and this year, something prompted her to apply. She is probably the most shocked when she is invited to an audition. Keeping that a secret is one of the hardest things for her, as she hides nothing from Bernard.
Well, almost nothing. There is one more secret. Something huge that eats away at Jenny. It is revealed in short bursts through the story, as we see Jenny’s journey through the contest, how she has to deal with modern life alongside her traditional way of baking and living, and how she interacts with the different people she meets along the way.
I don’t quite know how to praise this book as much as I want to. I loved it. Jenny is a beautiful character, as is Bernard. I already recommended this one to my mum!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, for an ARC.

Releasing 28th March, 2024

Starting Over by Kay Bratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With this eighth instalment in the Hart’s Ridge series, Kay Bratt has done it again!
We have each family member beginning to move forward in their disrupted lives, and of course, there is an awful case that Taylor has to help solve, too.
Initially, this was meant to be the last in the series, but I am thankful that Bratt has decided to continue for now with another story in the series, and now I can’t wait for that, too!

Hunter’s Christmas and Other Stories.: A gripping collection of short stories especially for crime fiction readers. by Val Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve not read Val Penny’s books as yet, but I was sent this collection, and I must say that this collection of stories has whetted my appetite for the different series Penny writes.
Each of the stories hook you in. Some are slightly longer, involving two of Penny’s famous DIs, and some are shorter, but each story is captivating, and I thoroughly enjoyed each one!
It has made me want to add the rest of Penny’s books to my neverending TPR pile!

Out 16th January, 2024. Bettina will be joining me for a Book and a Brew in January, so I will share my review then!

The Household by Stacey Halls
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having read The Familiars, I was intrigued to read another of Stacey Halls’s historical books, and The Household did not disappoint.
With a base planted in truth, Halls adds a layer of imagination to the story of Charles Dickens’ home for fallen women, Urania Cottage, backed by Miss Burdett-Coutts and some of its earliest (fictitious) residents.
In the 1800s, Dickens had the idea of creating this refuge or home to rehabilitate those known as fallen women, teaching them household jobs and skills, with a view to transporting them to Australia to start new lives.
In reality, he had much to do with choosing the women granted access to this opportunity. In the book, we don’t see much of Dickens. The story revolves around the girls who are the first residents and their backstories, as well as the horrific stalking that Angela Burdett-Coutts experienced for a length of time.
The historical aspect of the story, peppered with facts but liberally seasoned with fiction leaves readers with a wonderful reading experience.
And a mention of Gravesend (my home for 20 years!) at the end made my day!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Books for an ARC.

Releasing 11th April, 2024

Christmas at the Keanu Kindness Café by Isabella May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Evie meets Joe while she is dressed as the Sugarplum Fairy and he the Nutcracker. Sounds like it was meant to be from the off… however, if that were that, we would be finished within the first couple of chapters.
No. Evie is not feeling things at work as an editor or in her personal life. The chance meeting with the fancy-dressed Joe sparks a moment of reprieve until he disappears.
Disheartened, she takes extended leave from her job and disappears to Glastonbury, recommended by a work colleague, Milly.
There, she meets a host of intriguing characters who take an interest in her life, and she is led to the Keanu Kindness Cafe. I LOVED this concept. Keanu Reeves is one of the most amazing souls out there, and to have a cafe dedicated to him and his philanthropic work was an idea of genius, as was the RAOK jar!
Oh, and Joe? He turns up, too! What a coincidence! There is a brilliant ‘will they/won’t they?’ aspect of the story as it builds, and faces Evie would rather not see turn up, too.
Great fun, and a wonderful way to get into the Christmas Spirit!

Very Very Lucky by Amanda Prowse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another beautiful story written by the queen of women’s fiction, Amanda Prowse!
This story follows the lives of two individuals, with no real connection, from different walks of life, who somehow meet and enrich the life of the other.
Emma is drowning in responsibility, with three children, each with different needs and demands, a husband who does try to help, a best friend with a bombshell of her own, and an ailing mother who requires her support, all while grieving her father.
Thurston is an octagenarian, recently bereaved, losing his beloved wife of sixty-two years. He feels life is not worth living without his precious wife.
A chance meeting sparks the beginning of an unconventional friendship, where they slowly change each other’s thinking.
I loved the main characters Prowse created here. Both are relatable to readers. Emma, the rushed off her feel mother, with so much going on, hit a nerve with me. Thurston is the nail on the head as that man who devoted his life to a woman and feels lost without her beside him. The cast of side characters was brilliant, too, from Roz, Emma’s best friend, to Nancy, Thursston’s niece and the piece in the puzzle that initially connects the two.
Grief is the story’s main theme, and how we can overcome it without forgetting.
A beautiful read, as always.

Releasing 7th January 2024

The Love Interest by Victoria Walters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first of Victoria Walter’s books I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Firstly, I love a book set in the book world (A library), with literature and writing at the heart, as well as romantic films!
Liv is working in her dream place, in a university library, with a colleague turned best friend, Stevie, living with her brother Dan, in London. Her dream of writing a romantic book floats in her mind, but she feels it will never happen, seeing as she can’t even sort her love life out.
Enter her brother’s best friend, Aiden. Annoying, and her nemesis for the last ten years. She suddenly finds herself living with and working with him as he changes jobs and needs a place to stay,
But, the thing is, they have history. A past event which haunts her, and an annoyingly sexy Irish accent to go with his annoyingly Mr Darcy-esque looks…
As Liv battles to control her emotions, inspiration strikes and she begins writing her first ever romantic novel, with, annoyingly, Aiden as the base for her romantic lead. And as she writes, life begins to imitate her art, or is it the other way round?
This was a fun, easy read, I loved Liv and her fantastic dress sense! Her confusion at her feelings makes for a great story, and Aiden reads like the perfect romantic hero. A great enemies-to-lovers story with a little bit of a spice alert, too!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 12th February, 2024

Courier by Zoe Rosi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Zoe Rosi’s thrillers so far, and Courier was no different, but unique in its way.
Bob is a courier who becomes infatuated with the haunted-looking face of a woman in a house where he makes deliveries. His infatuation leads him to become much more involved in her life than he should, as he begins to dream of a future and becoming her saviour. Something quite easy for a faceless delivery man who no one takes notice of.
Courier is a novella written in the first person, filled with twists and turns that keep a reader involved in the story from beginning to end. I have to say I felt quite sorry for Bob and his life, though I wouldn’t recommend the route he decides to take!
A well-written story about stalking and obsession and consequences.
I will definitely be paying more attention to our couriers in the future, that’s for sure!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lighthouse Press for an ARC.

Releasing 30th January, 2024

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!

Can you believe we are one month away from another year?

Okay, so I got through all the arcs I had been sent by November 5th… Will I have managed to not say yes to anymore? Will that TBR pile get any smaller? BEcause I need to be writing my own book, too!

Christmas Hearts by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a simple, sweet addition to the Soul Sisters collection, where we focus on Leslie and the rekindling of her romance with her ex-husband Eric.
It can’t be easy, living in the same small town and avoiding one another, but somehow she has managed for three years, then fate takes charge, and she ends up with a Christmas wish come true, as well as helping to make the wish of another a reality too.
Sweet story.

Released 17th November, 2023

Back to her future by Cary J. Hansson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We are all flawed.
We, our parents, and our children will be too.
The thing is, some of our flaws will inevitably hurt those we love, even if that is not the desired effect.
Back To Her Future is a deep story of culture, identity and the need to conform.
Meryam is estranged from her whole family, yet on his deathbed, her father calls for her. He imparts a secret buried thirty-odd years previously that impacts everything Meryam’s adult life was built on.
I don’t want to go into detail. Still, the story deals with the sometimes stifling expectations of certain cultures, the necessity of conforming when moving to different countries, and the need to maintain one’s culture.
She’s been through hell as she grew up, but Meryam is unaware of certain reasons behind the decisions that shaped her future.
As she goes on a journey of discovery, she rekindles friendships lost many decades before and learns some upsetting truths.
Sensitively done.

Released 1st November, 2023

Sisterhood by Cathy Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fantastic Cathy Kelly story.
Lou’s life turns upside down on her fiftieth birthday as her mother reveals a huge secret.
Together with her sister, Toni, Lou heads off in search of the truth, as well as to find herself and build an inner strength that she had lost.
There were plenty of twists within this tale, but the character development was fantastic. There could have been a simple HEA, but the way Kelly took the story meant the characters and we, the readers, must work for it.
Lou is there for everyone. She helps to keep her whole family on an been keel, from her husband to her mother, as well as being the organised brain behind the company she works for.
Tori is that confident woman who appears to have it all.
Both sisters learn disturbing facts about their families and lives, which means they end up on a trip to Sicily to find out what the truth is.
Their mother, Lillian, is a nasty piece of work, though.
So many women out there end up like Lou, taken for granted. The ones who keep everyone else going, anticipating all needs, and dropping everything at the drop of a hat to make life easier for others. I love that this ends with Lou finding herself and realising she can still be there for others without losing herself.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC.

Releasing 15th February, 2024

The Eternal Bachelor: The perfect friends to lovers romance to fall in love with by Lizzie Chantree
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Cherry Blossom Lane series and was eager for this third instalment, where the story develops between the third friend in the group, Demi, and the third of the brothers, Miles.
Right from the previous stories, I have wanted to shake Demi. Her relationship with her long-term boyfriend appears a bit toxic, and we see the extent through this book.
Miles’ unrequited love for his best friend, Demi, has been noted throughout the last two books, and his friends are aware, too. Pretty much everyone can see, apart from Demi.
It was great to see Demi’s character develop over this story, and we visibly see her backbone gaining strength as she navigates a breakup, leaving the one job she thought she would do forever and begins to understand the feelings of her best friend and the fact that she may just feel the same way.
Miles is a great character. He’s been touted as the playboy kind, but he has a heart of gold.
The best thing about a series is that you get to revisit some of the characters from past stories, and though this can be read as a stand-alone, it’s always great to find out what is going on with other favourites!
Exactly the HEA we all want, with a few spanners thrown in, because it can’t be that easy, can it? I don’t know if there is scope for any more books in this series, but there are a few side characters who deserve a happy ending, too! (Hit hint, Lizzie Chantree!)

The Single Mums’ Book Club by Victoria Cooke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lovely, easy read about a single mum who finds herself lost in this new world of not being a traditional family unit.
Having lost contact with the ‘friends’ she had with her ex-husband, Steph is struggling.
A chance encounter with a neighbour she barely passes time with starts a chain of events that lead to them starting their own little book club, which, over the story increases in size as they find more and more women whom it will help.
Along the way, Steph finds herself and a new love interest, too!
I enjoyed reading this. It cheered me up no end.

Stand Up Guy: The most uplifting romance you’ll read this year by Nina Kaye
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nina will be on a blog tour stop in January when I will share my review, and possibly a Book & A Brew, too!

Releasing 18th January, 2024

A-Z of Warwick: Places-People-History by S. C. Skillman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A-Z of Warwick: Places-People-History is a fascinating alphabetical collection of facts about Warwick.
I have always enjoyed SCSkillman’s Warwick-related books as I grew up not far from there, and many places she mentions are places I have visited.
It is an interesting read, where we learn many facts about the important people of Warwick, little tidbits of information about historical aspects and some wonderful stories about key locations.
I always enjoy reading about Warwick Castle as we visited there many times as a family.
It’s an interesting read with plenty to enchant you!
https://www.amberley-books.com/az-of-warwick.html

Releasing 7th December, 2023

Blog Tour post will include the review in December.

Fairytale of New York by Zoë Folbigg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charlie Brown is an in-demand make-up artist with fantastic friends, a home of her own, Mabel the cat, and the perfect partner she is off to visit in New York right after her current job ends.
Only, when she gets there, do things start to go wrong.
Stranded in New York, Charlie ends up on a strange journey, meeting handsome strangers, discovering horrifying secrets, and leaving there even more confused than before.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I won’t say it was a light-hearted read, as there are some more delicate matters within, but it was a good read, and I have to say I loved Pete and his family.
Charlie’s support network in London and at home with her parents is awesome, and Mabel the cat is just wonderful.

Enemies to Lovers by Portia MacIntosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Enemies to Lovers gives the game away with the title from the off. Yes, this is a story, and the trope is exactly that. Enemies to Lovers.
Two people who have an age-old vendetta against one another, Lara and Sonny, work together as journalists in the same role, but for two separate magazines. There is plenty of one-upmanship going on all the time.
One such occurrence goes a step too far and their editors decide to send them off on a secret mission, where they will need to spend a lot of time together, which is not something either of them want to do.
The concept is there. It’s an easy read. They hate each other, then they fall in lust/love. With a job to complete on the side!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 4th January, 2023

Releasing 23rd January, 2024

Blog tour appearance in January will contain my review.

Wait for January when Jeevani is visiting my blog for a Book and a Brew. I’ll share my review, then!

Releasing 11th January, 2024

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!

Yes, it is the end of October. Really? How did that happen?

So, somehow, the ARCS kept coming… However I did read a couple of books I already had, and at the last minute, I gave myself another series challenge! This time, it was Tammy L. Grace’s Sisters of the Heart series. She will be a guest on my Book & a Brew with Ritu series soon, so I dived into this wonderfully cosy series!

The Twat Files by Dawn French
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had to giggle when I read the title of this book, and when I was offered a promotional copy. I jumped at the chance.
What a brilliant set of recollections by Dawn French, as well as a reminder that we all have our moments of tw@tiness!
Absolutely loved it and devoured it in a day!

Released 12th October, 2023

The Little Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I think of board games, it is the traditional ones, like Snakes and Ladders and Monopoly, that come to mind. I forget about all the other types that many people obsess over…
What a delight of a book by Jennifer Page.
Emily, the MC, is trying to rebuild her life after losing her job and fiance within a few days of one another.
She’s always had a dream, a shared dream with her mother, of opening a cafe and serving customers delicious cakes and meals in a homely environment.
An opportunity arises, and she has the money, but she’s unsure if she can do this alone.
It’s amazing how you can build a community around yourself, even when you doubt yourself.
Emily has an extra supportive best friend, Kate, and her father, though he struggles with grief. Even though they are apart, her ex-fiance is still a support of some sort, and then you have caring, board-game-obsessed GP Ludek, who comes into her life in a very unorthodox way.
The cast of side characters is delightful, and the idea of a cafe with the delights of board games as an addition to having a sweet or savoury delight sounds amazing. I would visit!
A wonderful, feel-good read, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

A Game of Deceit and Desire by Ruby Roe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, my girl, Ruby Roe, has done it again, hasn’t she?
Another steamy sapphic addition to the girl games trilogy, and what a cracker!
Each book has focussed on a different character from the original group we were introduced to in book one, and this, the final instalment, allowed us into the lives of Remy and Bella, rivals in their field but with a history filled with love/hate experiences.
Of course, they need to solve/compete over something huge, and plenty of suspicion is being thrown around. There is also the HUGE steam factor running through the whole series. This time, we have a true slow-burn element that can get extremely hot as things begin to sizzle!
A great end to the series, and I love the hint of a new story that may just be coming out in the future…

Released 26th October, 2023

Releasing 20th November, 2023

Review to follow in Blog tour post near release day!

Love Letters on Hazel Lane by Jennifer Page
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having recently read and thoroughly enjoyed Jennifer Page’s debut, I was excited to jump into Love Letters on Hazel Lane.
Jo finds it tough settling into a new area with no friends, a job she is not sure she enjoys, and a hidden passion for Scrabble that she feels no one will ever understand. She’s tentatively hopped on the dating app wheel, but that isn’t giving her many positive experiences.
Then she meets a new friend, Kate (who happens to be one of the side characters from the first book), who encourages her to take some chances and suddenly pushes her into directions she didn’t think she would ever take.
One minute, she feels unwanted and unloved, then things change, and she begins to look at life differently, with some interesting dates, and then the start of her association with the local Scrabble club. It is run by quirky local GP Ras, who happens to be one of her previous ‘disaster’ dates.
Jo’s organisational skills are not left unnoticed, and she finds herself in charge of arranging a Scrabble festival, as well as getting her own life into gear.
This time, the story still had all the cosy feels, with a will they/won’t they romance and being able to revisit some of the lovely characters from The Little Board Game Cafe. However, there was an added, more serious thread to it, exploring childhood bullying, merging into workplace bullying, toxic relationships, and coercive control.
Ultimately, the biggest bonus in this story was the theme of self-love, and the author has done very well.
Recommended read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for an ARC.

Releasing 4th January, 2024

The French Chateau Escape by Gillian Harvey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gillian Harvey is fast becoming one of my must-read authors because her protagonists are always so relatable,
This time, we have Emma, a middle-aged woman, married to Mark, a man a little older than her. they take a step to change their lives by buying a chateau in France to ‘do up’, with the hope of creating business opportunities with a venue for weddings and events and living a more relaxed lifestyle once all the renovations are done.
However, it’s unlikely to ever be so easy, especially when there are renovations to do, little spare cash, an overenthusiastic husband with limited capabilities, the language barrier as well and trying to start a family.
An unfortunate accident leaves Mark unable to work on the property and feeling like they should just give up, and Emma goes from feeling despondent to turning around her way of thinking.
I like that this was not a ‘fluffy’ book. Harvey has dealt with real issues, here, from that feeling of insecurity when you move locations, all the anxieties about being somewhere where you don’t really understand anyone, learning to build your independence, the stresses these changes can put upon a marriage, as well as the threat of infertility as age creeps up on you.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and loved the character development of Emma.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 8th November, 2023

The Old Ducks’ Hen Do: A BRAND NEW laugh-out-loud, feel good read from #1 bestselling author Maddie Please for 2023 by Maddie Please
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve not read the linked first book to this; however, it was easily read as a stand-alone.
Denny is hitting a certain age and is welcomed into her older stepsister Juliette’s group of Old Duck friends when a hen do is planned for her wedding.
The group of women end up in Mallorca, where Denny slowly learns to embrace her recent retirement and begins to think about whether she is happy alone or whether it would be good to meet someone to share her upcoming twilight years with.
It is a lovely read, where second-chance romances are discovered, and the author has rightly shown that you can have a good time at any age and dreams can come true!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 16th November, 2023

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A simple tale of relationships and connections, all-encompassing building a love of books and reading.
Takako is a young woman floundering after discovering her boyfriend is marrying someone else.
She responds to a request from her uncle to come to his second-hand bookshop to stay and help out for a while as she gets to grips with her life again.
Translated fiction is always a chance you take. This was an interesting story, but I felt it was sometimes a little disjointed. Still, a short, entertaining read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for an ARC.

Hello Goodbye by Kay Bratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ll say it now, and I’ll repeat it. Kay Bratt, you might need to keep going with these wonderful Hart’s Ridge books. I fear eight won’t be enough!
We are back in Hart’s Ridge with our favourite Deputy, Taylor Grey, who is again embroiled in a dark investigation regarding a double murder.
As usual, plenty of things are going on in her personal life, too, which take up a lot of her headspace.
Newly engaged, she’s trying to support her fiance with some unexpected news and dealing with a much more personal investigation that, if solved, will make her future feel more secure.
The twists and turns throughout this story take your breath away, and Bratt’s story-telling is fantastic, as always.
I cannot wait to read the next (hopefully not the last) instalment when it is out!

Releasing 16th November, 2023

Greetings from Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a stunning introduction to a new series by Tammy L. Grace, which I admit to downloading immediately after reading.
The book shares journal entries from a wonderful woman, Jewel, a foster mum with her husband, Clive.
Through her years of being there for different children, she also, alongside Clive, ran a dog and animal sanctuary, as well as a Lavender farm.
We are given a glimpse into her experiences with five specific young wards who stayed with them throughout a couple of decades, and we also learn a little about their lives after they leave the safety of Jewel’s care.
This lays a brilliant base for the journey the rest of the series will take us on as the five women come together, never having met one another as their times with Jewel never crossed.
I can’t wait to get into this series!

Pathway to Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am so glad I downloaded the rest of this series, knowing I would want to keep reading, after each instalment finishes.
After reading Jewel’s journal entries in the first book, I couldn’t wait to learn more about the five girls she had fostered long-term.
Harriet McKenzie, better known as Harry, has just retired after thirty years in the Salem Police Department. Her job has been all-consuming, leaving little to no time for a personal life. Her only comforts are Chief, the dog she inherited after her long-term police partner passed away, and the letters and phone calls from Jewel, her precious foster mother.
Fresh from packing away her desk, she is confronted with a letter containing news she never wanted to hear. Jewel was no more. But more than that, she left Harry as the executor of a slightly complex legacy. The hardest part was to contact four other women whom Jewel had fostered, whom Harry had never met, and to pack up her life in Salem and head back to her childhood home in Lavender Valley to try and complete Jewel’s other requests.
Certain jobs never leave you alone, and Policing is one of them. While there, she finds herself at the heart of a local investigation, helping the sheriff and community.
This was a moving story of a more mature woman coming to terms with some huge changes in her life and dealing with a loss greater than she could have expected. Along the way, she finds a tribe who could be her people and new friends, a renewed sense of belief in love and quite possibly a new vocation!
Wonderfully written with a rue moreish quality. So moreish that I am diving into the third right away!

Sanctuary at Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Did I mention how much I am enjoying this series?
Tammy L. Grace has a beautiful way with words, and this little town she has created with such caring folk… well, I want to live there, too!
The next Sister of the Heart who we meet is Olivia. Foster parents Jewel and Chuck helped her navigate out of a tough childhood, which left her with scars, both internal and external.
Her love of animals is credited to the caring nature of Jewel who, along with her canine friend, Willow, helped Olivia to come out of the darkness.
When she arrives, Olivia is reeling from losing her son, Simon, and a divorce. She’s apprehensive but finds that she feels Jewel at every turn once she is at Lavender Valley Farm.
Restarting the animal rescue centre that Jewel and Chuck started when she was living with them is just the tonic for her, and getting to know her new ‘sister’, Harry, as well as her new neighbours and the local folk, especially Duke, the vet, helps to build Olivia’s self-esteem back up.
A beautifully crafted story, and I am about to dive into the next one right now!

Blossoms at Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know when you’ve worked out the formula for a series of stories, and the familiarity of how things pan out feels comforting? That is how I feel with the Sisters of the Heart Series right now! Almost as comforting and soothing as the scent of lavender…
Book 4 concentrates on the third ‘sister’ story, Micki. She’s also floundering in life, and it seems like her foster mother, Jewel, even in death, knows exactly what her special girls need. When Micki was living at the farm, she was the one who helped Jewel and Chuck set up the lavender fields and more on top, so she was the perfect person to help get ready for the Lavender Festival.
Micki arrives to a heap of affection from her new ‘sisters’, Harry and Olivia, but has a few nasty surprises in the form of her estranged real sister.
All this, along with problems with her relationship with her daughter, Meg, cause heartache, but with the aid of her new ‘sisters’, as well as a newfound friend, Buck, Jewel’s attorney, and the serenity gained from working with the earth, again, prove to be the formula for a peaceful, fulfilled future.
Sometimes, you need happy endings. I love that each book dives into the separate sisters, giving us readers plenty to form our bonds with the characters and the development of relationships, proving that you can still find happiness, no matter your age.
Also, I still want to visit this make-believe place!
On to book 5!

Comfort in Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had thought this next book would have been about Georgia, the oldest of the Sisters of the Heart since Harry had been unable to find Lydia, but the epilogue in book 4 had me informed that the prodigal sister was on her way back.
And her story didn’t disappoint!
Lydia has been running away for most of her adult life. The brief five-year stint with Jewel in her teens was the best time in her life, but since then, even though she enjoyed many successes with her cooking and love of food, her experiences with men left a bad taste in her mouth.
When she arrives at Lavender Valley, she comes to fulfil the last wish of her beloved Jewel, intending on heading off, as soon as she is able, frightened of something catching up with her.
What she doesn’t expect is that feeling of home that engulfs her and how every person she encounters in the small town welcomes her with open arms.
Still, secrets that haunt don’t stay silent forever, and she has her fair share of drama that her new-found sisters and friends help her navigate. That chance of a future settled in one place becomes a distinct possibility.
This is another wonderful addition to the series, and I cannot wait to learn more about the final sister, Georgia, in the last book, which is loaded up and ready to read!

Reunion in Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel rather sad now that I’ve read the last of the Sisters of the Heart books…
This last story focused on the oldest of the foster sisters, Georgia. She arrived late because of an injury sustained just as she was preparing to leave for Lavender Valley.
Another soul tormented by loss recently, Georgia arrives hoping that, like before, the farm and Jewel’s memories will help her.
And it does.
The lavender festival brings so much joy to everyone, and she even manages to meet someone she never thought she would see again. Someone with whom she could possibly enjoy the rest of her life.
Each story was so well rounded off within this book that readers were happy they all got the happiness they deserved.
And I must admit speaking to the Hubby about a dream of getting a dog one day…
Tammy L. Grace, I blame you!

No. 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I do love a bit of early 20th century-based fiction and this truly did the job!
Agnes Humphries is looking for a new lodger to fill the void after the sudden death of one of her long-standing paying guests, and she is stuck deciding between three candidates: Clara, her niece; Stephen, a respectable bank clerk; and Mercy, a young widow.
The book has a wonderful parallel timeline as we learn plenty about each of these prospective lodgers. The three stories intertwine beautifully, to bring more and more about the characters and the current lodgers in the house, as well as about Agnes, her past, and how she came to be alone in this large house in the middle of London.
I loved learning all the different stories, and absolutely loved the ending!
A great set of characters with plenty to hide, and a wonderful MC, Agnes, whose habit of speaking what she thinks all the time isn’t a bad thing at all!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Published 31st October, 2023

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!

The first month of school! I had plenty to keep me busy, so what time did I have for reading?

Well, I can tell you honestly that I started the month with NO ARCS on my list! That is a little less pressure since it is the beginning of the school year.

By the end… There were a couple or more, but no pressure to read… though I did! And I created my own little Series reading challenge, too, which I completed before the 10th September! (Fiona Leitch will be a guest on Book & a Brew with Ritu, soon, too!

15 books read, as well as being unwell, and battling schoo stuff, too… not bad, eh!

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An engaging story about two people who end up sharing a bed in a flat at different times, but they somehow build a friendship through post-it note messages until, eventually, they meet.
I enjoyed this story,and it dealt with some important issues around emotional abuse within relationships, as well as giving people a chance.
How the two POVs were written helped mould the readers’ understanding of the two main characters.

The Cornish Wedding Murder: Book 1 by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have wanted to read this series for a while and finally started book one, The Cornish Wedding Murder, yesterday.
And what can I say?
I LOVED it!
Jodie (Nosey) Parker is an ex-police officer. She moves back to her old home town in Cornwall with her daughter, Daisy, after one too many close calls working in the London Met makes her give up for her daughter’s sake.
A relatively unassuming, risk-free job as a caterer takes a turn for the murderous. Jodie cannot stop her instincts and get involved in the investigation, not least because she knows the people involved.
Jodie battles with herself internally, as she knows she shouldn’t be getting involved, and outwardly, with the Detective Inspector assigned to the case, who also happens to be rather handsome and insists upon coming to different conclusions from her.
I loved meeting all the different characters and look forward to learning more as I read the rest of the series. (Yes, I enjoyed it so much that I already downloaded the rest!)
This cozy mystery has twists and turns, humour and that dash of romance to keep readers hooked.
Roll on, book 2!

The Cornish Village Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the first book so much that I got straight on to the second and was glad I did.
Back in the world of Nosey Parker, aka Jodie, the ex-police officer turned caterer who can’t keep her nose out of local crimes and mysteries.
This time, as she innocently caters at a local event, she catches the eye of the celebrity guest at the (not) fete, artist Duncan Stovall.
But he is married. And his wife is there.
An altercation at the event, followed by the suspicious death of another of the event’s guests, means Jodie and her instincts are piqued.
She is joined by the crew we met in the first book, including her daughter, Daisy, and mother, as well as her best friend, Tony, and the rather dishy DCI, Nathan.
A whole host of will they/won’t they with more than one coupling and plenty of twists and turns as Jodie assists Nathan on another befuddling mystery.
I loved every minute of it, and I can’t wait to dive into the third one now!

The Perfect Cornish Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have loved the Nosey Parker Mystery series!
I read this in one day, on my birthday, and loved it!
We are with Jodie Parker, again, and this time, she ends up embroiled in an investigation on a movie set, where filming is taking place.
There are the twists of the actual mystery, as well as a romantic will-they/won’t-they situation, too.
Love, love love it!
I hopped straight onto Book 4!

A Cornish Christmas Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed that festive addition to the Nosey Parker series!
Jodie Parker is off to cater a special Christmas party for some children at a fancy stately home. A perfectly innocent event. There should be nothing untoward happening. She goes with her mother, daughter and friend, who have been roped in to help.
The weather takes a turn for the wintery worst, and they have to stay over, along with others who are stuck.
A little inconvenient, but nothing too bad.
Until they wake in the morning and find one of the guests dead… in a rather compromising situation.
It’s winter. They are snowed in. The Police are having trouble getting there. Who else will step in and begin investigations, though she really ought not to get involved?
Well, you know who it will be. Our Jodie, who can’t seem to shake the detective out of her!
I loved it. It’s another tale filled with twists and turns, giving you hints but not letting you figure out the true series of events until the end!
Fantastic!

A Cornish Recipe for Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another wonderful addition to the Nosey Parker series by Fiona Leitch!
I do love a bit of GBBO, and this time, we are taken to a similar style of reality baking competition, where, surprise, surprise, the lovely Jodie Parker has been selected as a contestant.
She is loved up with DCI Nathan Withers, the catering business is doing well, and she seems to have kept her nose out of any extra-curricular police work so far.
But you know that isn’t going to last that long!
There are a few characters on set, from some of her fellow contestants to the drag queen presenter of the show, and after noticing friction (she can’t help it. It’s in her blood…) one evening, she begins to put two and two together, when a body is discovered, connected to the production team.
Cogs begin whirring, and she ends up helping out her boyfriend and trying her hardest to juggle the requirements of the competition.
This was a great story, filled with the twists and turns I have come to expect in the Nosey Parker books, and the cast of characters feels like part of my own family now, so it is wonderful to revisit them all!
Great read!

A Cornish Seaside Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can’t believe I have finished the series! (Or at least what is available to read! Thank goodness there is another one to get excited about next year…)
Our Nosey Parker, Jodie, is now officially a part of the Police force, albeit in an ad-hoc position, so she doesn’t feel so bad, sticking her nose into the investigations her now firm partner, DCI Nathan Withers, is involved in.
She’s still going strong with her catering business, which is going from strength to strength; however, in this book, we really feel her feeling the stretch of her time and capabilities: Police duty, work commitments, as well as being there for Daisy, her teenage daughter, her mother, and her dog, let alone keeping a relationship afloat.
The community are readying themselves for the annual mermaid festival, and as Jodie waddles around in a particularly unflattering siren mermaid costume, another murder is brought to their attention. Of course, being part of the official investigations eats away at her time for everything else in her life. Still, she tries to balance all the calls on her attention, helping to solve the mystery as well.
This book in the series felt a little more serious, given the dilemmas Jodie found herself in, but that didn’t detract from the read at all.
Another brilliantly thrilling story.

The Fk It! List by Melanie Cantor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this very much with an interesting storyline that kept you guessing, made you think you knew what would happen, and ended with a different but still pleasant note.
Daisy Settle is celebrating her 40th birthday at a huge party thrown by her partner. All is well in her life. Business is fantastic, she’s in a secure relationship, they have great financial prospects, and it’s finally time to start trying for that baby…
But apart from her business, a rather unpleasant surprise gift leaves her with none of the above.
She is a woman who has a dream: becoming a mother. And through her grief, she wades through her options after making a Fk It! list, and with the support of her friends and some of her family, she embarks upon a journey to become a solo parent.
IVF, anonymous sperm donors, trawling sites and clinics to find the right one… We are with her for it all.
Along with an interesting friendship that starts so negatively but ends up being something she will cherish forever.
Daisy is that midlife character we women of a certain age need to read about. Life doesn’t stop once you hit a certain number. Opportunities still come knocking, and dreams most definitely can still come true.
Loved it from start to finish! I only wish I didn’t have work as I read it because I could have read it quicker!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC.

Releasing 1st February, 2024

The Happiest Ever After by Milly Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a beautiful book by fabulous author Milly Johnson.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to reinvent yourself, especially when things go wrong?
Polly Potter is not in the best place. Stuck in a job filled with misogynistic management, a relationship where she is not appreciated and feeling unfulfilled in general, she has a plan to get out.
Then something else happens. A twist of fate, which means she can live the life of Serena, who is essentially a character she was writing about in her creative writing group previously,
I shan’t go into too much detail, but I was rooting for Polly throughout, gasping in shock at a particular moment which became the catalyst for her change, and then rooting for Serena, too!
Romance? Yes, both failed and new chances.
There are plenty of obstacles to overcome and a great cast of characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC.

Releasing 20th March 2024

Maya’s Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maya is about to get married. She’s not had the best of luck in life. She attributes every bit of misfortune to a curse she is convinced was put on her as a child.
She’s off to Pakistan, alone, to meet the rest of her family and fiance, who are already there, waiting for her arrival so they can start the celebrations.
What could go wrong? All she has to do is get there…
The thing is, no one can account for who you end up sitting next to. And who ever knows what the weather is going to do?
A fourteen-hour plane trip, followed by a planned seventeen-hour bus ride to her destination, takes nearly ten days, and she finds herself with an unlikely travel companion.
Throughout the book, we are invited to learn about Maya’s Laws of Love… She’s had things tough, and it feels like every turn of her life, especially in the romantic sense, is tainted. But no one knows what the future holds.
This was a fantastic Desi Fiction book, with characters from a Pakistani Muslim background and well-defined East/West cultural clashes. Wanting to fit in, but knowing there were certain things you couldn’t do or say as a Pakistani woman, albeit one brought up in Canada. Maya was torn throughout the book, but Khawaja portrayed her well as a young woman with dilemmas she needed to face.
As she mentions in the Author’s notes at the beginning of this book, the story is not halal… This equates to not a clean romance. There are some slightly risque scenes, but nothing that would hit a spice factor on the ratings. But this shows the consideration of Khawaja in her honesty. After all, a woman is a woman, and regardless of religion or culture, we all have base feelings and desires. This story embraces the dilemmas Maya has to work through. However, some readers of the Islamic persuasion would rather not read books with anything considered ‘haram’.
I loved reading this story. It is good to have characters and cultures I can relate to. I may not be Muslim, but I have grown up with close Muslim friends, and some South Asian traditions span most cultures regardless of religion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC.

Releasing 28th March, 2024

Mr Make Believe by Beezy Marsh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This has been sitting on my Kindle for a while, and I finally decided to read it. It is a story of jaded relationships, feeling underappreciated, and dreaming of an alternative life, which isn’t always what it’s made to look like.
Marnie is a SAHM with a part-time reporting job. It’s a far cry from her pre-mummy day job as a full-time reporter. Right now, she is writing nothing of substance, and even that, she can’t seem to get right. And her husband is slowly slipping away. She’s put on weight, hasn’t got time to look after herself and feels like a pile of the proverbial. Then she finds out he’s been playing away…
The story ensues, with her making a stand in her own way, and what happens fulfils some fantasies, but, are fantasies always as good as we thought they’d be?
It was an easy read, but POVs did jump a bit, meaning I had to keep checking who I was reading about!

Take Me Home by Beth Moran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a woman at a crossroads in her life. Filled with her own grief, Sophie Potter has made a career of helping others clear the lives and memories of lost loved ones, but she can still not process her own loss.
A slightly different job arises, meaning a lovely place to stay and a chance to centre herself again, but she doesn’t expect to find all that she does when she arrives at Riverbend.
What a wonderful story, filled with sadness, love, friendship, and dogs!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 13th October, 2023

Snow Days With You by Leonie Mack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel like I have been on my little winter escape, reading this despite never having been a skier!
Luna is on a journey of discovery. After a mystery windfall, she is determined to find out why a stranger left her a large sum of money before spending it. She ends up in Chamonix, and her trip starts with drama as she runs out of petrol. A chance meeting with a gendarme who leaves his mark on her after that short encounter seems to pave the way for a trip willed with many revelations, including her learning many secrets about her mother and father and the fact that she can ski, given a chance!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 20th October, 2023

The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another heartwarming tale by Christmas feel-good story queen Sarah Morgan!
When three friends end up at a tine country inn for their usual summer book club week, in the run-up to Christmas, none of them are prepared for the revelations that hit them one after another. And the same goes for the owner, too.
Erica, Claudia and Anna have been friends for a long time, and though life commitments mean they can’t be together all the time, they always make time for their annual meet-up. This time it was delayed, and they ended up meeting at Christmas.
Erica is a successful career woman who has learned to live independently. She doesn’t need anyone to help her live. Her friends are there for her and are the people she chooses to let into her life.
Anna is happily married and a mother to two teens, who are almost ready for college. Empty nest syndrome is hitting hard.
Claudia is floundering after a terrible breakup. She’s the reason their summer meet ends up in the winter.
Hattie owns the Maple Sugar Inn. She runs it alone and looks after her young daughter, having been widowed a couple of years earlier.
Life has dealt all these women interesting hands, and they are all at a point where changes are afoot. What is beautifully done in this tale of friendship and support, as well as family, is how the story unfolds, bringing all four of these women together in an irreversible way.
Everyone deserves love, and love comes in many forms. I felt that throughout this book.
Lovely read!

Releasing 26th October, 2023

Review to follow in a future Book & a Brew with Ritu Post!

But it’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ !

Releasing 24th October, 2023

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!

This year I have a full August off from school. The last few years, we have started back in the last week of August, so aside from trying to get words down, I hope I get a load of reading done, too!

Who am I kidding? Words? My own? They did not flow. I was caught up in an awful exhaustion. However, I did get to read plenty and so far, my arc list is empty, but I am sure that won’t be for long! (It wasn’t. I read a lot of arcs!)

I can try and get some of my actual TBR books read now!

End of month Update: I finished all my arcs! And I managed to read at least five books from my TBR pile and on my Kindle, so I think that is a win! Seventeen books, bringing my yearly total on Goodreads, so far, to 103 books read. I have read more, but some are betas which aren’t on Goodreads so far!

The Last Train Home by Elle Cook
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I steamed through this one, I have to say!
I love a book that is set a little while back. Not enough to be deemed proper historical, but old enough for me to feel that nostalgia… more modern history, I guess.
The Last Train Home felt exactly like that.
Abbie and Tom meet, officially, on a train in 2005, and their introductory conversation goes from that to a disaster movie scene in what feels like seconds.
A derailment. A blackout. An unexpected hero. A lot of confused feelings.
Being two people involved in such a tragedy can bring them together like nothing else could.
But is it friendship, a mutual support acquaintance, or something else?
Set over seven years and told from the viewpoint of both Abbie and Tom, this was a beautifully heartrending story where, as a reader, I wanted to bang heads together but felt the internal pull of conflicting thoughts that both characters were feeling.
I loved the will-they/won’t-they element of the story, and a little further on, I was in love with Teddy! A cute little person is always a bonus to bring that ‘awww!’ element.
So many moments from the not-so-distant past are mentioned, including the London Bombings, the awful recession of 2008 (and ongoing) and how these events fractured people’s lives and brought others together.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, and Penguin, for an ARC.

Releasing 9th November, 2023

Swimming For Beginners: The emotional and uplifting new read of 2023 by Nicola Gill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a beautiful story.
A woman with her life planned, finds everything deraild by a young child.
After being present during a tragedy that has nothing to do with her, Loretta can’t stop thinking about that little girl. Even though she has never had any interest in children in her life.
This was a lovely tale about how sometimes we need a catalyst to find that human compassion side within.
There are hints of different ASD behaviours in both the MC and the child, which was interesting to read.
And the way Loretta’s connections with her colleagues, friends and loved ones, also evolves in a satisfying manner.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square Publishers for an ARC.

Releasing 14th September, 2023

A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three estranged half-sisters are brought together after the death of their father.
Each woman is a very different character from three different mothers, and after a relatively close childhood, spending idyllic summers together, they drifted apart.
But a few stipulations in their father’s will leaves them with little choice but to spend time together to complete certain tasks and try and get on.
Maggie is the oldest, the strong one, who seems to be left holding the fort all the time. She finds it hard to accept happiness.
Simone is in a good career and struggling with pregnancy issues, which strain her relationship with her wife.
Star is a lone spirit, drifting here and there but also trying to run away from a toxic ex.
They each have an opinion on each other’s predicaments, which aren’t always favourable.
I loved the curio shop that Augustus, the father in question, left for the girls, filled with amazing objects and fascinating tat.
Each woman has a romance to either start or allow to bloom, and we, as readers, see that.
A lovely easy wintery read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

Releasing 9th November, 2023

Nobody Told Me by Kay Bratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know I love Kay Bratt’s Hart’s Ridge series, and I was privileged to receive an ARC before the publication date.
Again, we have Taylor Grey, the main character who runs throughout the series. She is the older sister and a cop in the small town of Hart’s Ridge. Each story concentrates on a specific crime that has been committed, and each book’s crime is based on something that has happened in reality.
This time it is about the disappearance and suspicious death of a young lad known to Taylor and her family, as well as her also investigating another assault that was committed against her a few years before.
The other person who Nobody Told Me concentrates on is the younger sister, Lucy. We were already introduced to her in a previous story and learned of one part of her past. However, another secret in her life is unearthed and stalker issues cause her great distress.
Together with her daily load of work and helping out at the family shelter, Taylor tries to assist her youngest sister but is filled with scepticism based on past experiences.
However, after a good few twists and turns, they come together and there are several great plot endings, as well as more to really get us ready for the next couple of books!
An engaging, fabulous read as always!

Released August 21st, 2023

Starlight at Snow Pine Lodge by Rachel Barnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Since the weather has made a bit of a downturn, it feels right to be reading Christmas-themed books in August, and I dived into Starlight at Snow Pine Lodge with high hopes.
Tania and Rose are staging an intervention for their close friend Clara.
Having faced a huge loss, Clara is floundering in life, and her friends think a week away at Tania’s family lodge for a spot of skiing and a Christmas that means she won’t be alone is the best thing for her.
Though both the other women are struggling with their own battles.
Tania is the daughter of an uber-famous Hollywood actor and half-sister to Lysander, a huge name in his own right in modelling. She’s spent her life in the spotlight, but never for what she wants to be known for. And this trip might be just what she needs, as she flees the paparazzi and rumours circulating about her.
Rose, on the face of it, seems to be the one who has everything together; however, she’s got her own secret turmoil. She invites one of her own friends to the trip, who brings a different spin to all their problems.
There is beautiful scenery, uninvited guests, sadness, happiness, romance and relationships; plenty to keep a reader busy!
An easy read, filled with lots of threads and points of view, so you have to keep on your toes to know who is thinking what.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for an ARC.

Releasing 26th September, 2023

Christmas At the Snow Covered Inn by Lucy Coleman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ria is an interior designer flying out to a snowy village in New Hampshire, USA, to complete a very important job.
Hayden is the man who employed her to help his parents update an old family business.
The inn in question is beautiful, set with a gorgeous wintery backdrop; however, it has lost its edge, which Lucy is set on finding again.
But she ends up not only helping to redecorate the inn but help with some family issues that have cropped up too.
Meanwhile, Hayden finds this trip back home eye-opening, and there appears to be something happening in his heart, as well…
A simple, festive love story with an inevitable happy ending.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for an ARC.

Releasing 12th October, 2023

Say You’ll Be My Jaan by Naina Kumar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Meghna is at that age when her parents seem just to want her married and settled. She is already in a job of her choosing, which isn’t what her mother wanted.
Karthik has made a deal with his mother. She can introduce him to as many women as she wants for one year. He has no intention of getting married but this will placate her.
Somehow they get introduced and end up settling for an engagement of convenience, since he needs to show his mum he is willing, and she needs a date to an awkward wedding invitation.
But things never quite run to plan. Feelings and the heart have a funny way of making themselves known at the most inopportune moments too.
A fun read with a lovely happy ending!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an ARC.

Releasing 18th January, 2024

Beer Fest: Epic friends-to-lovers romance by Lilo Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you want a quick spicy romcom read, this is definitely one to jump on!
Fi is travelling to Germany to the Oktoberfest and to see her best friend, Max, as well as some of the other friends she made fifteen years ago when she was studying abroad.
She’s working for a promotion, but she feels stagnant in her love life.
Then when she sees Max, after four years, feelings she never expected rise to the surface.
The story sees the group of friends accept a challenge to do a series of silly activities and dares in a group, as well as in partners, and the knock-on effect of these things creates a fantastic build-up for a perfect friends-to-lovers story.
And yes, there is a bit of graphic naughtiness!
Many thanks to NetGalley and LM Books for an ARC.

Releasing September 1st, 2023

The Knowing by Emma Hinds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a stunning debut by Emma Hinds!
The Knowing is set in 19th-century New York, where a young slum-dwelling girl has a gift for card reading and communicating with ghosts. The voices that guide her steer her away from any dialogue with the spirit world, but circumstances keep bringing her to face them.
Flora is young but has seen a lot in her life already, including witnessing the person who cared for her and looked out for her as a child being abused and abducted. She ends up in the care of a tattooist who gives her affection for a while, protection, tattoos, and a roof over her head, but at a cost.
Then she meets Minnie, who turns her life upside down. She flees her home, then lives a life filled with worry that she will be found and ‘dealt with’ in an unpleasant manner, as well as the added concern about the man under whose roof she now resides.
Her inked body becomes a lure for people keen to watch the freak shows common at that time and the chance to hear from a ‘painted mystic’. Yet the spirits keep knocking at her door, despite her trying not to listen.
Events occur which push her and Minnie to a different destination in another country, where her nightmares follow.
I was intrigued by the characters, the story, and the twists and turns. I love a bit of supernatural!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square House for an ARC.

Releasing 18th January, 2024

The Catch by Amy Lea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Melanie is an influencer who is losing her influence, so a chance trip to a small Canadian town to promote a new hotel is a bonus. However, dates get mixed up, and she ends up there early, at the height of the fishing season, with nowhere to stay. Luckily, there is one Air BnB booking.
But that is a bit of a let down too. The grumpy owner, fisherman Evan, is hellbent on getting her to leave until his cousin convinces him otherwise.
A reluctant boat trip to spot whales, a tragic accident, and Melanie finds herself with a fisherman fiance! (Pretend, of course…).
It is an enemy-to-lovers story, with a heap of family drama, some sizzling romance and a sprinkling of spice!
The Catch is #3 in the Influencers series, but you can read it as a stand alone.
An easy read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK – Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, Penguin for an ARC.

Releasing February 13th, 2024

Join me in September for a special Book and a Brew with my dealer friend and writerly sister, Lucy Mitchell, where I share my review of this 5-star read!

Releasing 15th September, 2023

Shame Travels: A Family Lost, a Family Found by Jasvinder Sanghera
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read the first and it was horrifying, and I applaud Jaswinder Sanghera for coming out into the public with this story.
The second, again, highlighted the awfulness of these forced marriages, and honour crimes.
This, the third, felt a little repetitive in places.
I know it is her own story, however, there wasn’t much new in in, apart from the travelogue to India, and her amazement that Indians in India are more progressive than their NRI counterparts.
A sad story in many ways, but good to see she got some sort of closure.

The Faking Game by Portia MacIntosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve meant to read a Portia MacIntish book for ages, but life got away with me.
First, I didn’t know this was a follow-up story to characters introduced in a previous book, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. In fact, it’s made me want to get the first book so I can learn more!
Cara and Millsy are the perfect couple in everyone’s eyes. Only they’ve broken up but can’t tell anyone until a huge planned Christmas holiday is over.
It has a delightful cast of characters and a few annoying ones. But you need that. We all have those annoying people in our lives, don’t we?
Tally being one of them. I wanted Millsy to man up and tell her to disappear, but he never did!
I wish Millsy’s gran Iona had a bigger part, though. Even from the few scenes she was in, you could feel the power she would hold over things. A true character.
You could feel the romantic tension between both characters throughout the book. There were a few moments where I thought Cara would find her true love somewhere else but that wouldn’t be second-chance romance, would it?
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 5th October, 2023

Ninja School Mum by Lizzie Chantree
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve read a good few of the more recent releases by Lizzie Chantree and finally got around to reading one of her earliest novels, Ninja School Mum.
Skye is a widowed mother in the run, so it seems, from something dark. She has skills that she needs to hide, but they become more and more apparent as she navigates her son being bullied by a child in his school.
Another carer is facing similar problems, and slowly, they forge a friendship that is the start of more for the children.
Skye’s landlord is a single father and seems pretty unapproachable. However, somehow, their paths cross in a more personal way, sparking a romance that Skye never thought she would be ready for.
Then we have some big twists and turns as secrets are unveiled and old faces come out of the shadows.
I enjoyed the unravelling of mysteries in this story and read it quickly!

The Woman Who Felt Invisible by Lizzie Chantree
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another twist and turn-filled tale by Lizzie Chantree.
This story is about a woman of a certain age who feels as if she is beyond that age where anyone notices her. Olivia works a rubbish job in a large firm, replenishing stationery around the office, and no one notices her.
However, just because she looks and acts the way she does doesn’t mean people should dismiss her.
Over the story, we find out why Olivia feels so downtrodden, and slowly, the secrets she is hiding and her skills are revealed.
She has a best friend, Darius, who is like a brother to her, but he has different feelings for her.
Connie, her boss’s wife, becomes a good friend, too, as she leans on Olivia for help.
And then there is Gabe, in the police, trying to solve a crime and getting involved emotionally with someone he shouldn’t.
Some so many twists and turns are brought out into the open at the end; I wasn’t expecting them at all! There were lots, but they were all tied together brilliantly!

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trigger Warnings: Domestic Abuse
It Ends With Us is one of those books that has been hyped up and talked about all over the internet.
BookTok was crazy over it; the #CoHo fans were crazy for it.
So, only when it was on offer I bought it. And it has sat on my TBR shelf for a while until I had time to reach for it. It was my first Colleen Hoover book.
The story is sadly beautiful.
Lily comes from an abusive household. She’s witnessed things. And seen them brushed under the carpet.
Then she meets Atlas, a homeless young man, who somehow becomes her closest friend and more until he has to leave her life.
Fast forward a few years, and she lives happily in Boston.
She meets Ryle under strange circumstances, and through twists of fate, their lives intertwine until the inevitable happens.
As Lily begins to live her dreams, opening up a business with the help of a new, good friend, she can’t help but revisit things that happened when she was younger, and a set of journals she used to keep gives the readers the voice of the younger Lily.
I’m not going into it too deep, but there is a time when the past and present meet, and it isn’t always pretty.
Domestic abuse is a heavy part of this story, and then I read the acknowledgements at the end. (after I finished the book. Don’t read them before; it will ruin the story. Unless you don’t like surprises.)
It’s a poignant story that was possibly quite painful yet cathartic to write.
Three very damaged souls portray an echoing sentiment from the book. There aren’t bad people, just those who make bad decisions sometimes to the detriment of their loved ones.
Was it the best book I have ever read? Not quite. Does it deserve the hype heaped upon it? I’m not sure.
However, if you like emotional YA fiction, I am sure you would enjoy it.
I read it in a day. I didn’t want to leave the story. And I got It Starts With Us to read after. So I was invested enough. A very good read.

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this straight after finishing It Ends With Us, and I am glad I did, as it capped the story off in a positive way.
A more lighthearted conclusion to a rollercoaster of a story focussing more on Atlas and Lily in a dual POV, and how they navigate life after Ryle and his behaviour towards his now ex-wife, Lily, with a small child in tow.
I enjoyed it.

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!