Tag: c l miller

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: 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.
Monthly Wrap Ups

April Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. It is the first of May and that means it is time to share my wrap up for April.

How was your reading in the month of April? I personally read way more than I thought I would, I managed a reread while on a trip away and I found some new series to continue and some new favourite books.

I will start with the books that were on my April TBR:

  • Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf – I did read this. It was not at all what I thought it was going to be, I will be sharing my full review for this book on the 11th May
  • Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett – I did read this. This is absolutely one of my new favourite books and I will be sharing my full review on the 18th May
  • Pages and Co 6: The Last Bookwanderer by Anna James – the final book in the Pages and Co series, I did read this and I finally finished this series. For me, each book in this series got better. I enjoyed the first three books but I loved the final three books.
  • Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T A Willberg – I did start reading this book but I DNF’d it around 100 pages. It started going in a really strange direction that took it away from what the synopsis had described and that put me off the book completely.
  • The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C L Miller – I did read this and I will be sharing my review on the 15th May
  • The Key in the Lock – I did start reading this but unfortunately this was another DNF. I did not get along well with this story, the pacing, the writing and the story itself being a little boring were things that made it not very enjoyable.
  • Rotten to the Core by T E Kinsey – I did read this and I love the Lady Hardcastle series.
  • Voices of the Dead by Ambrose Parry – I did not read this. This is the fourth book in the series and there were some things that happened in the third book that I didn’t like so much, especially with the way the synopsis suggested they play out in this book so I am putting it off for a little bit longer.
  • Blackthorn – I did not read this. I still want to but I haven’t been seeing the best things from others who are reading it. If you have read it and loved it then let me know!

From my TBR I managed to read: 7 books which is great on its own but I also managed to read books that were not in my TBR: The Carnival Murders by Irina Shapiro, A Fire at the Exhibition and An Assassination on the Agenda by T E Kinsey, The Enchanted Wood and the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and I reread Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Mnaicalco. This means I managed to read 13 books in April.

Monthly TBRs

April TBR!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all doing well today. It is April and that means it is time to talk about what books I am hoping to read in April.

What are you planning to read this month?

APRIL TBR:

Pages and Co: The Last Bookwanderers by Anna James

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T A Wilberg

Antique Hunters Guide to Murder by C L Miller

Blackthorn by J T Geissenger

The Key in the Lock by Beth Underdown

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf

Voices of the Dead by Ambrose Parry

Rotten to the Core by T E Kinsey

Uncategorized

February Book Releases

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is February and that means it is time to share some of the books that are coming out in February.

Let me know, are there any books that you have your eye on this month?

The Dark Mirror by Samantha Shannon – 28th February

The Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli – 27th February

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith- 4th February

Cursebound by Saara El- Arifi – 18th February

The Queen Who Came In From The Cold by S J Bennett – 6th February

The Antique Hunter’s: Death on the Red Sea by C L Miller – 18th February