Happy Friday Bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today! It is March, the best month, the beginning of Spring, and my birthday month. I have my fingers crossed that this month is full of only good things, I think we all need a little bit of that at the moment.
What books are you hoping to get to this month?
In terms of my reading, I am excited about all the options and it actually took me a while to make the final decision for my TBR this month but this is what I eventually decided on.
Death and the Harlot by Georgina Clarke
The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster
A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith
A Grave Inheritance by Felicity Epps
The Burning Issue of the Day by T E Kinsey
A Game of Scandal by Laura Wood
Murder on the Prince Regent by Irina Shapiro
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them, if you have?
Happy Monday Bookish People! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is the end of February, for being a short month a lot has happened. I won’t share all the details but I will say that because of everything that has happened this month, my reading took a big dip around halfway through the month. Which is a shame because I am excited for a lot of books so hopefully I can get back to reading soon. In saying this, the first half of the month was great – I made progress on my goals for the year of enjoying the books I am reading and also reading down my series’.
How has your reading been in February?
Let’s get onto the books I managed to read this month!
From my TBR:
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson – I did read this! Finally, after putting off this final book in the series for so long I did read it and I enjoyed it, though I was shocked by how dark it was for a YA book.
A Death in Diamonds by S J Bennett – I did read this which brings me up to date with the books that I own in this series, I believe there is one more after this that is out already but I don’t yet own it. This was one of my favourites from this series so far.
Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco – One of my most anticipated books of 2026, I am currently reading and loving this book. Prince Sloth! I have been waiting forever for Sloth’s book. His castle is literally one massive library.
Murder on Platform Four by Irina Shapiro – Book five in the Tate and Bell investigation series. I did read this.
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo – another series complete because I did read this. This one I was also putting off, I didn’t love the first book in the series but I did enjoy siege and storm and I liked this one overall.
The Midnight Carousel – Oof! I did technically read this… I read 100 pages or so before I ended up DNF’ing it. It was just boring and there were time skips that didn’t make sense, it just was not for me.
Outside of my TBR I read: Gallant by V E Schwaab, A Picture of Murder by T E Kinsey and the fourth and fifth installments in the Pages and Co series by Anna James.
This means, I read all six books on my February TBR (yay!) and I read another four books outside of it which gives me 10 books overall for the month. That is actually a lot more than I thought it would be because of how my life has been this month but I am very happy with that. Currently, my favourite read this month is Gallant by V E Schwaab but… this could change as I am not very far into Throne of Nightmares yet.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day. Today, I am bringing you my review for the fifth book in the Marlow Murder Club series by Robert Thorogood – The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts.
Blurb/Synopsis:
A killer is on the loose. The bodies are piling up. And Judith is hiding a deadly secret …
Someone from Judith’s past has turned up in Marlow and is stirring up trouble. With all the murders that the Marlow Murder Club have had to solve and her work setting crosswords, Judith’s been too busy to give her old life much thought. But now it’s knocking on her door and won’t go away.
On top of that, Marlow’s celebrities are getting murdered! When a footballer and a thriller writer are found dead, Judith, Suzie, and Becks must untangle a web of scandal to find the killer. But with Judith keeping secrets, the Marlow Murder Club find themselves drifting apart.
The pressure is on in more ways than one …
Can they find the killer and help Judith in time, or could this be the end of the Marlow Murder Club?
My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts is the fifth book in the series following Judith, Suzie and Becks. Throughout the books we have seen the trio build an unlikely friendship and that base becomes slightly threatened within this book, adding higher stakes than ever. Of course, as I am keeping this spoiler free it will be difficult to talk about any specifics but as usual this series provides great twists and turns and in this one in particular, I liked how there was a pivotal link back to something that is hinted at in the first book in the series. I like following the characters but in this one Judith is preoccupied from the main investigation and I personally felt that this took away some of the magic that the rest of the books had, there was also less of the relationship between our three protagonists and their friends in the Police this time which again, took something away from the book for my taste. I still loved this book, it was a solid four star read for me but not as good as others in the series I think but I would be intrigued to see where the series goes next.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I am bringing you a review of one of the books that I read in January: A Season for Scandal by Laura Wood.
An all-female detective agency righting wrongs at the end of the nineteenth century; infiltrating a scandalous upper class world straight out of Bridgerton and using their wit and bravery to unmask a villain.
When Marigold Bloom finds her family business in trouble a chance encounter with the devastatingly handsome and extremely bad-tempered Oliver Lockhart leads her to the Aviary – a secret agency of women who specialise in blackmailing troublesome men. Soon, Mari is the agency’s newest recruit, sent to investigate the mysterious return of Oliver’s long lost sister. Forced to masquerade as a newly engaged couple, it is up to Mari and Oliver to determine if there is an imposter in their midst. But what happens when the line between truth and fiction starts to blur? And what do you do when a pretend romance starts to feel all too real?
My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
My first, and only so far, five star read of 2026. This book is the second in the Agency for Scandal series by Laura Wood, each book in the series follows a separate character within the world – all female characters that somehow interconnect with each other and with the agency. This second book follows Marigold, she and her family live in and own a florist shop. She very quickly becomes involved with the agency who help her sort her own personal matters before recruiting her to their cause, you follow her as she embarks on this journey and the struggles she faces. Alongside this you revisit a character that you meet in the first in the series, Agency for Scandal, Oliver Lockhart and their paths become intertwined. I loved seeing a different side to Oliver’s character in this second book, you only have a fleeting image of him from Agency of Scandal but even then I knew I would love his book and getting to flesh out his character. I enjoyed seeing Marigold’s strength of character and her eternal optimism, definitely a grumpy x sunshine partnership. At the beginning you see a cluster of bad things befall Marigold and the rest of the novel is spent rebuilding her in layers and I think this was done expertly by Laura Wood. It might be a book over 500 pages but I raced through it in what felt like moments.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well! It is almost Valentine’s Day and I am sure many people will be celebrating. Personally, I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. This year I wouldn’t anyway as the relationship I was in, ended in December but even if we were still together it’s not an event I usually celebrate, I think if you want to show you care for someone you should do it any day of the year not just a socially sanctioned day.
Anyway, today I am answering a Valentine’s Day Book Tag that I found on Booksare42.com, just for a bit of fun. Let me know some of your answers too!
Name a stand alone book that you love
Honestly, I don’t read that many standalone books. Most of what I read are series. As with many of these questions I am going to go with the first book that came to my head and that is Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson, it was one of my favourite books of last year and I still find myself thinking about it at random times throughout the day. It definitely captured a piece of my soul.
Name a dystopian book that you love
For this question, I’m quite predictable. I was there for all the Hunger Games and the Divergent era. I loved both of them. In terms of more recently what I have been reading, I only recently started reading the Shatter Me series by Taherah Mafi which I think counts as dystopian and I am really enjoying that, I am currently reading book four Restore Me.
A book that you love that no one else talks about
Lets see, I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner and I never see anyone talking about that book. It was short but pulled me in from the very first page.
Your favourite book couple
This is probably the hardest question here. I love a lot of book couples: Feyre and Rhysand, Xaden and Violet, Thomas Cresswell and Audrey-Rose Wadsworth. The list could go on forever. I think my top choice though, has to be Julian and Scarlet from Caraval by Stephanie Garber, I adore this couple. They’re not perfect but I love them to pieces.
Name a book that other love but you haven’t read yet
Ah, there are a lot of these. I’ll go with an obvious one, Alchemised. I own it, thanks to my friend who bought it for me for Christmas. Fun Fact: I only had to pick it up in its wrapping paper and I knew what book it was from the weight of it. I am put off by it being fanfiction originally and being said to be so dark but I do want to give it a fair chance.
A book with red on the cover
It probably came to my mind first because it is on my February TBR but Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo has some red on the cover. I am excited to finally be finishing the series this month, I didn’t love the first book but I did love Six of Crows so I decided to continue with it and I did enjoy the second book, so now I will finish the series.
A book with pink on the cover
Probably not the best choice for a romantic, loving day but I suppose it is technically a romance? But Butcher and Blackbird was the book that came to mind first with pink on the cover. Honestly, I don’t have very any pink books so I’ll have to stick with this one. I haven’t read it yet, I’m a bit scared about the serial killer element but I have heard good things so I will eventually read it.
If you had a box of chocolates which fictional boy/girl would you give them to?
Ooh, tough question. Same as choosing a fictional couple, there are so many choices for me. I think I am always going to have to go with my favourite man though, Thomas Cresswell from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco. He wouldn’t appreciate the chocolates, he’d probably pull a face and walk away but I’d still try.
If you are single on Valentine’s Day which book will you read and which TV show/Film will you watch?
I will be reading one of my February TBR books, most likely A Death in Diamonds by S J Bennett, the fourth book in her Majesty the Queen investigates series. I am currently rewatching old Merlin episodes so that’s probably what I will be watching that day too.
Finally, if you were in a bookshop and shot by Cupid’s arrow, what new release will you love?
I already know the answer to this one! As I am writing this I am waiting for my pre-order of this book to arrive. I will read absolutely anything this author puts out. It is of course, Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco. This is the third book in the Princes of Sin series, the spin off to the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy. Each book in this series follows a different prince of sin, we have had envy and gluttony so far I think, but this one is Sloth! He has a castle full of libraries and books, I have been waiting not at all patiently for this book. I am literally going into hospital for a big operation two days after it releases so I will be taking that one with me to take my mind off everything.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is February and that means it is time to think about my TBR for this month.
February is only a short month so I have made my TBR a bit shorter too, if I finish it then I get the fun of choosing any books I like from my shelves.
One thing I wanted to achieve this year was to continue (and finish!) the series’ that I have already started so this month I am making some progress with this plan.
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. It is February and that means it is time to discuss what I read in January. I had my Phd Viva exam in the middle of January (which I passed!), so I was worried that I wouldn’t get much reading done this month but I was happily surprised that I had a good month of reading, sprinkled with some disappointing reads too.
From my TBR:
Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber – I am currently reading this, I am only a few chapters in so far but I am curious to see where the story will go next.
Restore Me by Taherah Mafi – I have not yet read this, but I still have a week until the end of January as I am writing this so I should have plenty of time to get this one read also.
A Disaster in Three Acts by Kelsey Rodkey – technically, I did read this. Unfortunately it was a DNF for me quite quickly as the main character was too unlikeable for me to become invested in the story.
A Matter of Murder by Tirzah Price – I did read this, it was my first full read of January and I very much enjoyed the conclusion to the Lizzie and Darcy duology.
A Season for Scandal by Laura Wood – I loved this book, it is my first and so far only five star read of this year and I am excited to continue with the rest of this series.
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead – I did read this, it was a nice, quick reread for me.
Book of Night by Holly Black – Again, technically, I did read this. This was another DNF for me, it was taking too long to get into the story and I was losing any enthusiasm for it.
The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood – One of my most anticipated reads of the year, it did not disappoint, it was a strong read for me this month.
The Mythmakers by Tamzin Merchant – I read this.
Outside of my TBR I also read: In the Market for Murder and Death Around the Bend, books 2 and 3 in the Lady Hardcastle Mystery series by T E Kinsey. This means I managed to read 9 or hopefully if I can read Restore me in time, 10 books this month.
What books have you read in January? Which ones did you enjoy?
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well. Today I will be doing a full rundown of all the books I read in 2025, starting with my least favourite book that I read and ending with my number one book of the year. What are some of your favourite and least favourite books of 2025?
The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee A Novel Murder by E C Nevin The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid The Village Library Demon Hunting Society The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie To Sway A Bard The White Queen by Philippa Gregory Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison A Rivalry of Hearts by Tessonje Odette The Ripper of Whitechapel by Yvette Fielding The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman This is Not a Game by Kelly Mullen Traitors Legacy by S J Parris Graveyard Shift by M L Rio Phantasma by Kaylie Smith The Murder Hypothesis by Sarah Wishart The Coven by Harper L Woods I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrews The Painted Dragon The Austen Christmas Murders by Jessica Bull Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson Pages and Co 3 by Anna James A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore Us In Ruins by Rachel Moore A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas Murder at Christmas The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson Grimstone Close to Death by Antony Horowitz Fearful by Lauren Roberts The Agency of Scandal by Laura Wood Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man The Guest List by Lucy Foley Murder at the Wedding Murder in First Class Murder at Midwinter Farm Murder at the Country Club Murder on Board Murder at the Charity Ball Murder at the Beauty Pageant Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood Murder at the Village Fair Murder at the Highland Castle Murder at the Island Hotel Murder on the French Riviera Murder in the Countryside Murder in New York Murder on the Cornish Coast Murder in Paris Murder at the English Manor Murder at Traitor’s Gate by Irina Shapiro A Quiet Life in the Country by T E Kinsey Murder at the Foundlings Hospital by Irina Shapiro The Dog Sitter Detective Christmas Tail by Antony Johnston The Highgate Cemetary Murder by Irina Shapiro In Want of a Suspect by Tirzah Price Powerful by Lauren Roberts The Dog Sitter Detective Plays Dead by Antony Johnston The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristin Perrin Reckless by Lauren Roberts Fearless by Lauren Roberts The Mythmakers by Tamzin Merchant A Deadly Night at the Theatre by Katy Watson A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry Murder at the Orpheus Theatre by Irina Shapiro Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi Ignite Me by Taherah Mafi The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis A Gift of Poison by Bella Ellis Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco The Killer Question by Janice Hallett Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera Fate of the Argosi Fall of the Argosi Way of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell The Protest by Rob Rinder Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano A Dangerous Train of Thought by Faith Martin Seige and Storm by Leigh Bardugo Crown of Midnight Heir of Fire Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson The Last Word is Death by Faith Martin Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today.
Today, I am sharing with you my book review for the first novel in the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Enter the world of the hidden folk – and discover the most whimsical, enchanting and heart-warming tale you’ll read this year, featuring the intrepid Emily Wilde. . .
Emily Wilde is good at many things: she is the foremost expert on the study of faeries; she is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encylopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby
But as Emily gets closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones – the most elusive of all faeries – she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all – her own heart.
My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I was unsure what I would think of this book going into it. I bought it because I love everything fairies and whimsical, I just love it. However, I then read some other cosy fantasy books and I think I have decided that cosy fantasy is not something I will usually enjoy. This book is an exception, perhaps because I read it in the car on the way to Scotland for a funeral and the light heartedness of this book was exactly what I needed at the time.
I loved the rival academics thread that underly this story, it gave their relationship an enjoyable tension which I am looking forward to seeing where it goes from here with Emily and Wendell – as you can probably guess I will definitely be continuing this series, I actually got the second book for christmas. The isolated, wintry feeling landscape gave me the same feelings I had while reading the Bear and the Nightingale and I loved that book too. It is hard to talk about this book without giving any spoilers but I loved its whimsical writing style and the way the plot is presented as ‘cosy’ but actually surrounds darker, higher stakes.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today.
Today, I am sharing with you my thoughts on the most recent S J Parris novel – Traitors Legacy. Funny enough, my Dad wanted to read this book also and he put it on his Christmas list for my Sister and I to choose his presents from, and he had no clue I already owned it – so, after I finished reading it I gave this book over to my Dad to read also.
Blurb/Synopsis:
England, 1598. Queen Elizabeth’s successor remains unnamed. The country teeters on a knife edge.
When a young heiress is found murdered at the theatre, the Queen’s spymaster Robert Cecil calls upon former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate.
A cryptic note found on the dead girl’s body connects to Sophia’s previous life as a spy, and her quest soon takes her into dangerous waters. Powerful enemies emerge, among them the Earl of Essex: the Queen’s favourite courtier and a man of ruthless ambition.
This is a murder that reaches directly into the heart of the court. And Sophia is concealing a deep-buried secret of her own. She must uncover the truth before her past threatens to destroy her.
My Review:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
I often enjoy historical mysteries, and I adore anything from the period of Edward IV to the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, so I thought this book would be a good one no matter what, it had all the makings of a new favourite. However, that is not what happened. First, the good things: I did enjoy the mystery elements – working out who could be suspects, all the normal good parts of a mystery plot. Parris did well to keep your mind always turning in new directions, honestly the ending could have said anyone was the killer – they all had their suspicious activities. This, I liked. I liked not being able to guess where the mystery would go next and, though the beginning half is slow, the mystery picks up in the second half and this is what earned this book a three star rating.
Now, the not so good bits. I found this book to be boring – as I have just said, not because of the mystery, because of the characters and the writing. Let us talk the writing first: there was too much information given in large chunks for a start, there was no space for the reader to try and work things out themselves, it was all spelled out to them in backstory and it took a lot of the tension away which I did not enjoy. Also, there was a lot of repetition – this overlaps with character – the main character we follow, Sophia, has only one driving force it seems and this is what forms her entire personality and all her choices, but the reason was repeated so often I had to keep physically putting the book down and read something else before going back to it. So, character. I like that the lead character is female, and the novel touches on how that would have been viewed in this time period and it did not skirt around the topic. However, I needed more substance to her character to be invested and actually want her to succeed. Alongside this, there were many characters introduced in this novel but they also often lacked the page space to give them substance and to actually feel any connection to any of them.
Overall, I am glad I read this book and I did keep reading until the end to find out the answers to the mystery but I do not think I will continue the series or read any other books by this author.
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