Tag: book blog

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July Book Releases

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today! As it is now July it is time to share some of the book releases for this month.

As usual, this is not an exhaustive list. It is simply some of the books I have seen around and some of the books I am personally interested in reading.

Which of these books are you most excited about?

It Could Have been Her by Lisa Jewell – 2nd July

It was the night she almost died.

Jane Trevally, newly divorced and feeling a little lost, agrees to accompany a man she doesn’t know to his house in the darkest corner of Hampstead Heath. She’s offered a drink, goes in, and then – a scream and the sound of something falling upstairs – Jane senses she’s in a bad place. She runs.

Twenty five years later, Jane finds herself outside the same house, this time to return a small white dog who’s been found near her home in the country; a dog whose owner has just been reported missing.

A fleeting glimpse of a haunted looking woman through the window sends Jane on a mission to uncover the house’s secrets – secrets more terrifying than she could have ever imagined, especially when she realises it could have been her. . .

The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren – 14th July

One tragic accident.
One troubled marriage erased from memory.
One extraordinary do-over.

Three years ago, Emery Finch did something completely out of character: she got married. To Luca – the impossibly charming landscaper she met on one blistering night in Vegas who made her laugh, made her dance, made her feel.

But now, Emery is consumed by her top-secret job, missing dinners, forgetting anniversaries, and promising herself Luca will understand once her cutting-edge research comes to light. Until the unthinkable happens: a tragic accident takes Luca from her.

Desperate not to lose him, Emery breaks every rule to bring him back. And Luca would probably thank her for it, if only he could remember her. Their first kiss, their Sunny Sundays at the beach, the life they built together . . . all of it is gone.

It may be a miracle of science, but for Emery it’s her one shot at a second chance. And this time, she won’t waste it – because true love is always worth reviving.

Death on the Lively Sea by Katy Watson – 16th July

A YACHT FULL OF SUSPECTS, ON A SEA OF RED HERRINGS . . .

Rosalind King, Caro Hooper and Posy Starling may be famous for each playing fictional detective Dahlia Lively on screen, but their growing reputation for solving real murder cases has prompted an offer that they can’t refuse . . .

Property mogul and billionaire, Percy Pendleton, has invited them for a two-week trip on his mega yacht this summer to investigate a case of expected murder.

Percy doesn’t believe that his father’s recent death was natural, despite what the police say. In fact, he thinks he’s going to be murdered too – and soon.

Not being one to sit around waiting for things to happen, he’s gathered all the people he suspects of wanting him dead for a luxury cruise around the Mediterranean. He’s giving the three Dahlias the length of the voyage to investigate his father’s demise, figure out who wants him dead, and stop them.

It’s a challenge unlike any they’ve ever tackled before. But at least they get to enjoy the sun, sea and a Limoncello Spritz while they’re interviewing the suspects . . .

The Gilded Blade by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – 16th July

In the stunning finale to the global phenomenon of the Inheritance Games Saga (over 6 million copies sold!), discover danger, riches, romance–and the staggering answers to long-brewing mysteries.
All games must come to an end. In this series-shattering conclusion, everyone is a player, long-held secrets are unveiled, precious threads are unraveled, and impossible mysteries are solved. In the grandest of games, there is so much to win–money, love, power, revenge–but there is also everything to lose.
The truth will be revealed in #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ most masterful puzzle yet.

A Forsaken Prophecy – 16th July

In a world of high-class magic and gangster grit, a star-crossed couple must decide where their loyalties lie in the sizzling romantasy follow-up to BookTok star Stacey McEwan’s New York Times & USA Today bestseller, A Forbidden Alchemy

In Belavere Trench, the Artisans and the Craftsmen are at war. Patrick, the last Alchemist, and Nina, the world’s only known earth Charmer, have been captured by the Artisans, putting Patrick’s rebel union in a precarious position.

Though he hasn’t forgiven Nina her betrayals, Patrick has other things to worry about. He is finally reunited with his father, a prisoner of the Artisans, and the group lands a narrow escape only with the help of Nina’s first love, Theo.

Decoding an ancient prophecy, they set off in search of an infinite supply of idium that will determine the course of the war, should it prove more than a myth. Fleeing across Craftsman towns on the brink, they will encounter old friends – and enemies – in search of answers.

Getting Away With Murder by Shari Lapena – 16th July

She loves her husband. But she might love their house more . . .

Jill and Ted adore their New York brownstone the way others adore their children. They have carefully, expensively, made every inch of it their own. It reflects who they are, their status and tastes. With the grand mahogany staircase and state-of-the-art kitchen, it is the stuff of glossy magazines and real-estate dreams. It is their sanctuary.

So when Ted’s inheritance runs out and he makes a bad investment, they panic. How can they protect their beloved home and enviable lifestyle?

The answer is obvious. Or at least, it is obvious to Jill and Ted. The death of one wealthy family member could solve all their problems. Together, they will get away with murder.

As long as they trust each other.
And as long as there are no surprises . . .

Theodora’s Tea Shop by Christy Anne Jones – 28th July

Nothing is more dangerous than a witch with secrets.

Dorothy Louise Walcott should have died at fourteen. She is now twenty-three, timid, chronically ill, and yearning for a life she can never have. Her dreams of studying magic and publishing her discoveries feel impossible: even if license-less magic weren’t outlawed, her family would never allow it. But if Dot stays at home any longer, she will wither and fade away. So with nothing but a carpetbag and her ambergris tonic, Dot flees dreary Seafarthing for the capital city of Alliaster, where she tumbles headfirst into an apprenticeship with the most powerful witch in the city: Theodora.

Empress of an underground syndicate peddling magic through the quaint façade of her tea shop, Theodora is everything Dot wants to be: beautiful, witty, confident. An esteemed oil painter one day, a member of parliament the next, the many faces of Theodora have charmed power from the city’s elite. Under her tutelage and in the company of the tea shop’s eccentric staff – headstrong teenager Rupert, brooding and Byronic magician Lio, and the kindly spirit Belchambre – Dot finally has the chance to be her true magical self.

But the dazzling and enigmatic Theodora has more secrets than she does faces. When her dark past comes calling, it threatens to drown her entire empire – and take Dot, the tea shop, and the city of Alliaster with it.

Prince of Swords by Elise Kova – 21st July

I am terrified. Yet my heart skips a beat. This man might be a monster, but he is my monster.

Clara Graysword is Oricalis’s most wanted. Hunted and cornered, not even her mastery of tarot can save her this time . . . until the mysterious Worldkeepers appear. This secretive order may hold the key to changing Clara’s fate. If she dares to trust them.

But the most dangerous alliance of all is one she’s already deeply ensnared within: Prince Kaelis.

Kaelis, second-born prince of Oricalis and headmaster of Arcana Academy, is the one man she can’t escape – maybe she doesn’t want to escape. Ruthless, dangerous, and bound to Clara by destiny and desire, Kaelis tests her heart as much as her loyalty. Together, they grow closer to the most powerful secrets of the tarot . . . and to the truths they both hide that could destroy the passion that they no longer deny.

Hidden in plain sight within Arcana Academy, Clara walks the dagger’s edge. Revelations about Oricalis threaten everything she thought she knew, and every choice she makes is the difference between salvation and ruin.

To change the world, Clara must risk everything – her power, her beliefs, and her heart.

Heathermoor by Shannon Meyer – 23rd July

Still reeling from the betrayal that shattered her at Neverthorn, Harlow Daygon is in hiding.

Again.

Magically disguised and barely holding it together, she and the rest of House Phoenix are masquerading as students at Heathermoor, Neverthorn’s mysterious Scottish sister school.

The castle looks like a fairytale on acid, the Fae here wield wild magic like it’s a contact sport, and the headmaster might be one cryptic riddle away from full-blown villain.

But for the first time in a long time Harlow feels almost at home.

Too bad peace never lasts in the Dwimmer world.

The Grym Dunaras is still lost. The kraken gold has vanished. And Typhon has found them.

And this time, he’s not the only danger. Close on his heels is a member of the Senate who’d love nothing more than to burn Heathermoor to the ground.

If Harlow can’t hold her team—or herself—together, she’ll lead her found family straight into a war they can’t win.

Or survive.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses by Reverend Penny Stephens – 16th July

When Reverend Clare Brakespear is invited to lead the Morva Hotel’s annual ‘Refresh and Renew’ retreat, she’s excited about the change of scene. A weeklong trip to Cornwall promises quiet reflection, sea air and a chance to unwind.

The last thing Clare expects is to find herself in the middle of unfinished business. As the guests arrive, tensions rise and old wounds reopen. Everyone’s harbouring a secret and one of them may be the key to solving a year-long missing person case. When new evidence comes to light, Clare must team up once again with the prickly DCI Jackie Carter to uncover the truth – before the retreat turns deadly.

Daybreak by Autumn Woods – 3oth July

Alex Corbeau-Green’s world is burning. Ophelia Winters is desperate to prove she didn’t start the fire . . .

Ophelia came to the elite Sorrowsong University to destroy Alex and his family. But that was before she knew him. Before their love became each of their reasons for living.

Now, after an unthinkable betrayal and the disappearance of his father, Alex is forced back to New York. He is desperate to forget what they had – and salvage his empire. Ophelia is left behind in the Scottish Highlands, reeling, alone . . . and watched.

When a new, anonymous tormentor threatens to reveal evidence that Ophelia and Alex committed a murder on campus, it’s clear they’re going to need each other once again. But can they find a way to trust each other and repair the love they had?

And even if they can – will it be enough this time to keep them alive?

From Autumn Woods, Daybreak is the stunning conclusion to the Sunday Times bestseller Nightshade – a dark academia romance brimming with snarky banter, shadowy figures, and sizzling tension.

Monthly TBRs

July TBR

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all doing well today. It is time to reveal what books I am hoping to get to read in July!

If you have read any of these books, let me know what you thought of them!

The Cut by Richard Armitage

I am meeting this author soon at an event so I want to read this book in preperation.

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

I have read the Emily Wilde series by this author so I want to try more of her books and see if I enjoy those also, I am not usually into cosy fantasy so this will be interesting.

When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker

I just recieved the second book in this series so I thought July is the right time to get stuck into this fantasy world and see if I enjoy it.

The Antique Hunter’s Murder at the Castle by C L Miller

This is the third installment in this series and I am looking forward to seeing how this book goes with a focus on one of the characters who has been in the sidelines up until now.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I have heard so many good things about this book and this series so I am excited to get into it.

I Know You Did It by Sue Wallman

Sue Wallman’s YA thrillers are enjoyable one sitting reads for me so I hope that this one is no different.

The Dreadfuls by A Rae Dunlap

This book is a new take on the Victorian era and the Jack the Ripper mystery. I am always interested in reading more of these.

Flirting With Murder by Amanda Sellett

I read one other book by this author a while ago and it was a romance book where this is a romance cross mystery so I hope that this will have a good blend of both genres and won’t focus too heavily on one or the other.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix

This is the second book in this series. It has been a while since I read the first one but I remember loving it and I love Garth Nix’s writing so this should be a good read.

The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs

This is the fifth book in the Miss Peregrine’s series and I have just read the fourth book which made me excited to continue and hopefully finish the series this month.

The Desolation of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs

This is the final book in the Miss Peregrine’s series and I am really looking forward to finishing it off.

Monthly Wrap Ups

June Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all doing well. It is now July which means it is time to talk about what we read in the month of June.

I think June may be my worst month for reading so far this year. The books haven’t been bad, actually some of them have been excellent, but I have had better books in other months and I have read more in other months.

How was everyone else’s reading in June? Any new favourite books or authors?

From my TBR:

  • A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs: I did read this! Actually this was a five star read for me. This book is the fourth book in the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and I read the third book in this series about four, maybe even five, years ago, so it has been a while and I was worried that I wouldn’t find it interesting anymore. I was very wrong about that. Reading this book reignited my love for the series and I have put the fifth book on my July TBR.
  • Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell – I did not read this. I wanted to but I just didn’t gravitate to it at all in June. Some point this year I will definitely get to this book, just not yet.
  • How To Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin – I did read this and I am conflicted. This series is very up and down for me. I hated the first book and I wasn’t sure I would continue the series but I gave the second book a try and loved it. So, I was nervous for this one. Honestly, the mystery element was good. Not mindblowing, but good. However, the end ruined this book for me. The way the relationships between the characters changed, I didn’t like it at all and I personally feel the writer threw this twist in there to create unnecessary drama. I am not sure if I will read the next book or not.
  • The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig – I did not read this. I was hoping to get to it before the sequel comes out but unfortunately this month I didn’t have enough time for it.
  • Murder at the Palace by N R Daws – I did read this and I will be sharing a full review for it on the 13th July.
  • The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers – I did sort of read this. I started it but I did unfortunately DNF this book around 100 pages. I am thinking I might go back later in the year and try and finish this book but as it stands I just was not engrossed, actually I was a little bored and I couldn’t get behind the main character.
  • Sabriel by Garth Nix — I did read this. I read Lireal a long time ago and I have been waiting for the time where I want to pick this book up so I am glad I finally got to this book.
  • Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb – I did not read this. I just didn’t have the energy to start this series right now but hopefully I will get to it later in the year.
  • King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – Again I did not read this, generally I haven’t been reading much fantasy at the moment and this book did not get read because of this.
  • The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer – I am currently reading this book and I should have it finished by the end of the month.
  • A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft – I did not read this.

Outside of my TBR I also read: The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea by C L Miller, Murder on the Rocks by T E Kinsey and The Defence by Rob Rinder

That means in June I read: 9 books which is pretty good, less than other months this year as I said but still pretty good – and I had two five star reads this month so I should not complain about that.

Has anyone else read any of these books? If you have, let me know what you thought of them!

Book Reviews

Book Review: Tea and Alchemy by Sharon Lynn Fisher

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. I am bringing you my review of Tea and Alchemy by Sharon Lynn Fisher, my favourite read of May. Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Blurb/Synopsis:

A tea leaf reader in nineteenth-century England falls in love—and in danger—with a reclusive alchemist in an enthralling historical fantasy by the author of Salt & Broom and Grimm Curiosities.

Cornwall, 1854. The people of Roche have always whispered about the recluse in the black granite tower that looms above the moorland. But one young woman is driven to discover the truth behind the old tales.

Her life overshadowed by family tragedy, Mina Penrose escapes her lonely days by working at The Magpie, a cozy tearoom on the village’s edge. Lately she’s been seeing shapes in the sodden leaves that hint at the future. After one such omen, Mina stumbles upon a murdered man on the heath. Villagers immediately suspect Harker Tregarrick, a living, breathing mystery who never ventures beyond the bounds of his centuries-old estate.

Until the day after the murder, when the handsome and compelling recluse visits The Magpie…leading to a meeting that will change both their fates. Captivated by a man around whom danger and rumors of death swirl, Mina has never felt more alive. Can she uncover Harker’s heartbreaking history—and the truth about the murder—before tragedy strikes again?

My Review:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I was first drawn to this book because it sounded different to anything I had read before and I do enjoy books that have a slightly gothic feel to them. I liked the introduction of tea leaf reading. It is hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything, but you get introduced to a bunch of intriguing characters, and they all have their own secrets which slowly get revealed alongside the main mystery. I honestly spent the whole book on the edge of my seat, unable to trust anyone and unsure how everything could possibly come together in any semblance of happiness. The only thing I was unsure on was the Cornwall links, I live down by Cornwall and parts about the dialect and the language was a little grating but that was only a small issue.

If you enjoy gothic mysteries then this book is definitely for you.

Uncategorized

Book Releases June

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is now June and I am going to share with you some of the book releases this month. As always, this list will not be an extensive one, it will be just a few of the books that I know are coming out this month. Also, I will give the release dates but they will be the UK release dates.

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden – 2nd June

With her country’s future and her own life at stake, an orphaned duchess must journey into a world of myth and there discover a power that may be her salvation—or her demise—in this enchanting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Winternight Trilogy and The Warm Hands of Ghosts.

Anne of Brittany was a child when her realm was invaded, her home besieged, and her royal father driven to his death.

Now her treasury is empty, her land occupied by her enemies, and she is ordered, under threat of renewed war, to become queen of her conquerors and marry the King of France.

This marriage means her country’s annexation. But Anne promised her father that Brittany would never be conquered.

Defiantly, she betroths herself in secret to France’s greatest enemy. But in a world where courts may spy on each other by magic, there is only one way to solemnize this illicit union.

Anne takes her court deep into a legendary forest, where the court diviners’ skill cannot reach. The world thinks they are only a hunting party, coursing after unicorns. But that is a lie, a trick, a feint. No one in living memory has seen a unicorn. All Anne wants is this secret wedding, which is her only hope of salvation.

But when against all hope a unicorn appears and a stranger out of legend stumbles from the trees and falls at her feet, Anne is plunged into a world of enchantment where a doomed sovereign might find the power to change her own and her country’s destiny—or be lost in the shadows forever.

This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint – 4th June

The epic, captivating tale of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who must reconcile her mind and heart when she is drawn against all odds to Ares, the god of war, from the internationally bestselling author of Ariadne and Hera.

From the moment Aphrodite emerges fully formed from the sea, she is devastatingly beautiful and imbued with ancient power. Driven by passion yet strategic in how she moves through the halls of Olympus and the earthly realm alike, the free-willed goddess wields unparalleled influence over every living being.

When fate brings her face to face with Ares, she bristles at this surly, hot-tempered warrior who’s seemingly her disliked by everyone and devoted to stirring up conflict. Yet these gods are no more immune to the dizzying highs and lows of love and loss than anyone else, and soon, they are irresistibly drawn to one another.

As their love affair spans mortal lifetimes, Aphrodite begins to question the gods’ games and her role in them. But there’s only so much room for fire and passion in Zeus’s kingdom. Before long, she must test her devotion to her own divine purpose—and to a love that can only lead to ruin.

Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver – 9th June

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brynne Weaver comes the second book in the devilishly steamy Seasons of Carnage trilogy where dark romantic comedy meets thrilling suspense—and where love is ripe for ruin.

It’s time to reap what you sow.

Cape Carnage is blooming with secrets, and they’re ready to harvest. But every time Nolan Rhodes digs one up, another grows in its place. Harper isn’t who he thought she was. Arthur might be more sinister than he first thought. And Sheriff Yates? The man is everywhere he turns. When true crime fanatics descend on the town looking for answers about the death of their leader, Nolan finds himself at the center of a search and rescue operation for missing people he knows are already dead. Cape Carnage teeters on the brink of chaos. And the harder Nolan tries to keep it together, the closer Harper comes to unraveling.

Harper Starling has risked everything to bury her trauma in Cape Carnage. But now that Nolan has unearthed her past, her whole life seems ready to break apart. And who can she trust? The enigmatic man she’s falling in love with? He came to kill her. The serial killer mentor she’s vowed to protect? He’s become an unpredictable menace. The woman in the mirror? She might be the most dangerous of all.

Loyalties are tested. Bonds are bent to a breaking point. And love? That might be the deadliest trap of all.

Harvest Season is a dark romance with mature themes. Please check content warnings at the beginning of the book.

Tropesick by Lauren Okie – 18th June

In this lush, slow-burning romance, two childhood neighbors, connected by a shared tragedy, unexpectedly reunite to ghostwrite a love story for a reclusive author. Spending the summer at her secluded Hamptons estate, they soon discover that dozens of classic romance tropes, including the ones they’re crafting on page, are mysteriously playing out in real life.

Katie Caruso is a completely normal twenty-five-year-old girl. At least, for the past eight years, she’s tried to be. She likes glitter and sequins and flirting with cute boys at New York City bars. She’s also a ghostwriter for Meredith Bradford, the bestselling romance novelist of all time. But then Tyler McNally walks back into Katie’s life, and that bedazzled facade crumbles at her platform-sneakered feet.

Katie and Tyler haven’t seen or spoken to each other since the overdose death of Katie’s older brother, a standout MLB pitching prospect. Tyler was her brother’s best friend, and Katie—naturally—was the girl next door. But now, Tyler is a sleeve-tattooed, Ivy League-educated aspiring literary fiction novelist, nine years sober . . . and Katie’s writing partner for the summer.

As genre conventions require, Katie and Tyler soon find themselves removed from Manhattan and instead writing their love story in “forced proximity” at Meredith’s isolated Southampton home. As the summer unfolds, the tropes Katie and Tyler have written into their novel begin to play out in their own lives. Call it destiny, fate, or magic It’s clear their love story is unfinished. This time, though, they’ll fight for their happy ending.

The Defence by Rob Rinder – 18th June

At MP-turned-wellness-guru Adrian Wells’s glitzy launch event for a bath salt that promises to reverse ageing, someone is about to turn up the heat. . .

As Adrian lowers himself into the architectural copper tub to showcase his miracle product in front of countless influencers, it soon becomes clear that something is amiss.

The bath salt has been poisoned. And now Adrian is dead. His long-suffering assistant Jules is the prime suspect.

Barrister Adam Green is tasked with Jules’s defence, and he quickly realises that there were many more people with a score to settle against Adrian.

Can Adam win the day, or is he in too deep?

The Raven at the Ash Door by K A Linde – 18th June

Can love survive an unbreakable curse?

Kierse McKenna’s magic is bound to a man she hates―one who has spent lifetimes fighting the man she loves.

To end this binding, Graves―her winter god, her monster―will stop at nothing. He discovers that the only hope of freeing Kierse is to locate a stone relic of legend, rumored to lift any curse.

The only problem? The stone has been missing for a century.

And the Oak King is on their trail.

Now Kierse is trapped at the heart of a centuries-long battle while the rest of the world comes unraveled. The Fae Killer is hunting. The peace with monsters is fracturing. And as the very rules of their myth start to shift, escaping the Oak King’s hold may demand more than stolen artifacts and clever heists.

For Kierse and Graves, it may mean risking the only thing they have left to lose.

Monthly TBRs

June TBR!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all doing well today. It is now June, which means it is time to talk about what I will be reading this month. I have noticed this year that I have been reading mainly mystery books and not much fantasy so I tried to make my TBR for this month a bit more fantasy heavy.

What are you planning on reading in June?

Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell

How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

Murder at the Palace by N R Daws

The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?

Monthly Wrap Ups

May Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a wonderful day. It is time to go over what I managed yo read in May.

May was definitely a busy month, I’ve had some health things going on and also I was finishing up my PhD thesis – which I have now sent in, so I should officially have my Doctorate very soon. Fingers crossed. In between all of this, I was enjoying my reading for this month. So far this year I have had amazing luck, most of the books I have got to I have loved or at least liked, there have been some disappointments and a few DNF’s but overall my reading is going well. I have noticed that although fantasy is my favourite genre, out of the nearly 60 books I have read so far this year, less then 10 have been fantasy. Which is a surprise.

How was your reading in May? Did you find any new favourite books?

First I will mention the books from my May TBR:

  • A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith – I did read this and I enjoyed it. This is the second book in the Gabriel Ward series, following Lawyer Gabriel Ward as he ends up tasked to solve different mysteries. Gabriel as a character is very endearing to follow. I am excited to continue this series when book three comes out.
  • It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh – I did read this. I was recommended it while I was in a bookshop browsing and I thought the premise sounded interesting, but this was actually my least favourite read this month. As the book goes on it becomes heavily political and I did not enjoy that.
  • Manslaughter Park by Tirzah Price – I did read this. I am glad to finally have read the last book in the Jane Austen Murder Mystery series. In my opinion this was my least favourite of the trilogy but I still thought it was a nice read.
  • Tea and Alchemy by Sharon Lynn-Fisher – I did read this. I bought this on a bit of a whim, I loved the cover and when I read the premise I was intrigued by the idea of a tea leaf reader. I will be sharing a full review of this later in the month but I loved this book.
  • The Corpse Played Dead by Georgina Clarke – I am currently reading this and I plan on finishing it today so this one also counts. This is the second book in the Death and the Harlot series.
  • The Beast of Littleton Woods by T E Kinsey – I did read this and that brings me up to date with the Lady Hardcastle series until the next one comes out.
  • Traitors Blade by Sebastien de Castell – I did read this also. I had been putting off starting this series because I loved his other books and I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy this one as much but I loved the travelling/adventuring style of this novel.

So, from my TBR I read all the books I had and outside my TBR I also read three nonfiction books (a surprise for me as I don’t read much nonfiction): The Waiting Game, The Five by Hallie Rubenhold and Life Inside by Linda Calvey. I also read: An Archive of Romance by Ava Reid, and The Ending Writes Itself. This means I read 12 books this month. My favourite was Tea and Alchemy and my least favourite was It’s Not What You Think.

Have you read any of these books, what did you think of them?

Book Reviews

Book Review: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well. Today I am bringing you my review for Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands, the second in the Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies series by Heather Fawcett.

Blurb:

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby.

Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers.

She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby’s realm and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.

But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart.

My Review:

When I read the first book in this series, I remember thinking it was pretty good, I enjoyed it and I wanted to continue the series, but I didn’t absolutely love it. This second book, I loved. We got a new adventure with Emily and Wendell and their growing relationship is definitely one of my favourite parts of this series. We got to see more of them being vulnerable in this book than we did in the first novel and I really enjoyed getting to see that, in book one Emily especially was very emotionally distant as a character and it was nice to see her soften slightly.
You also get two new, I’d say background characters, but they aren’t really background as they are a huge part of the plot. I liked both of the new characters, they were very complex and helped to drive points of the plot in interesting ways. Overall, I really loved this book and I consider it a new favourite. I am looking forward to getting to the final book in this series.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C L Miller

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day. Today I am sharing my review for the Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C L Miller.

If you have read this book, let me know what you thought of it!

Blurb:

In this irresistible and thrilling debut novel, a former antique hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her back in the dangerous world of tracking stolen artifacts.

What antique would you kill for?

Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.

Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

My review:

This was an interesting book, it combined a lot of the traditional mystery elements that I and many other readers, enjoy, but took them in a new direction that I sort of liked. I liked this book enough to continue the series, my issue with it is that a month after reading it while writing this, I can’t remember much about it.
I had a real dislike while reading this book, of Aunt Carole. Anytime Freya had a problem or a boundary Carole treated it as insignificant and that gave me a bit of an ick to her character. I am hoping, with the way this book wrapped up, that she will be better in the rest of the series.
I enjoyed the mystery plot of this book, which I think is why I want to continue the series, this part was well developed and had a few unpredictable twists that I liked. One thing I did not like was that Freya constantly is described as being known for antiques and knowledgeable in that area but the proof of this is not consistent throughout the book, there are moments where the details are vague or brushed over so that they aren’t explained the way a character like that would. It’s just a small, but noticeable, problem.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Book Reviews

Book Review: Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf

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Happy Monday Bookish people! I hope you are all well today.

Today I am bringing you my review of a recently published novel, Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf. I am not sure what genre this can fit into, I found it in the general fiction section but it has mystery elements, fantasy-ish elements. It’s a combination of genres.

Let me know your thoughts if you have read this book!

Blurb/Synopsis:

Within the walls of Winterbourne dwells a secret room, with an unspeakable collection of books.

Librarian Anne Adams has found the perfect a job cataloguing the library of Winterbourne, an architectural masterpiece on a remote island off the west coast of Scotland. Surrounded by an awe-inspiring landscape, the library is magnificent, with priceless first editions, a librarian’s dream.

However, Anne’s early weeks in her new job are beset by obstacles – no internet, a house plunged into darkness every night and unexplained mysteries on the island. After weeks of isolation, upon meeting the mysterious owner Lucien Broussard, Anne is puzzled. Eloquent and well-travelled, his reclusive nature seems uncharacteristic. But after finding a cryptic clue within the pages of a book, Anne discovers that Broussard’s collection includes everything from the mundane to the books no one should ever open . . .

Get swept up in Elisabeth Wolf’s chilling and unpredictable mystery.

My review:

I was very excited to start this book because it had all the elements I enjoy. A grand house setting, a librarian protagonist to root for and a dark mystery that had a slightly gothic feeling to it. Honestly though, I am still confused about how I feel about this book. It started off well, you begin with a bit of background into Annie and what happened to her to send her to a job at Winterbourne and as a reader you do start to feel for her, you want her to take the job, to get away from everything in her personal life. You think Winterbourne will be her easy, fresh start. Then all these suspicious things start happening and you have to piece the mystery together. I think the blurb is a little misleading in how it describes this story, I can’t say why because it would be a big spoiler but I felt misled by it. The blurb also has the main plot twist written in it so it fell a bit flat when it was finally revealed, and it was revealed much too late in the book also. overall, it is a book that I am glad that I read and I did like, I think? But, I don’t think it is a book I would read again.

Rating: 3 out of 5.