Tag: helena dixon

Monthly Wrap Ups

February Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day and a good start to the month of March. February is over and that means it is time to talk about all the books I read in February.

From my TBR:

  • Murder At The Wedding by Helena Dixon – I did read this. It is the seventh? I think, book in the series following Miss Kitty Underhay and her murder mystery adventures. It is a series set in the 1930s and it is a cosy mystery series. It’s so bingeable, fast paced and action packed.
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas – I did read this. Okay, so I loved it because it’s Feyre and Rhysand and everyone but as far as a book goes I don’t think it had enough to fully pull me in. I enjoyed it but I am glad it was only a short novella and I am excited to read the final book A Court of Silver Flames while waiting for the next book to be written and published.
  • The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis – I did read this. This is the second book in the Bronte mystery series. The three bronte sisters are the main characters and they trek all over the moors solving murder mysteries happening in their home town of Haworth. I love the almost gothic feel of these novels, they are dark and atmospheric and I can’t stop reading them. There’s two more in the series so far and I need to go out and buy them immediately.
  • The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee – I am currently reading this and planning on finishing it today, the day I am writing this which is the 20th February. It is the first in a series about a princess who is hiding her identity after escaping her cruel Father and she ends up in the rebellion. So far it is good, I find the writing a bit young even though the topics talked about make it firmly adult so I’d say I like it but currently it is not a new favourite.
  • Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros – I did read this. It is the second book in the Fourth Wing series.
  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros – I read this too. The third and most up to date book in the Fourth Wing series. I will be posting my full reviews of Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm this month so keep an eye out for that!

So, from my TBR I read all 6 books (yay for me!) and then outside of my TBR I read: Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin which I ended up LOVING, surprisingly. I also read The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter and This Is Not A Game by Kelly Mullins and the Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.

Altogether that means I read 10 books in February which I am very happy with. How was your reading in February? What was your favourite read?

Monthly TBRs

February TBR

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is time for me to share my TBR with you for the month of February.

February is a month that I always think goes by really quickly compared to other months even though it only has 2/3 days less in it. I am hoping to have enough time to tackle some big fantasy books this month.

  • A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas
  • Murder at the Wedding by Helena Dixon
  • The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis
  • The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee
  • and finally….. Iron Flame or Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros depending on how far I get through Fourth Wing and Iron Flame at the end of January.

So that is what I am planning on reading in February, what books are you all thinking about reading?

Monthly Wrap Ups

January Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well. It is time to bring you my January wrap up.

How was your reading in January? Any new favourite books?

I had a pretty good month, as I am writing this it’s only the 16th of January so I have some more time to read more, and there’s one book I am planning on reading by the end of the month that I think might be five stars.

From my TBR:

  • Way of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell – I read this FOUR STARS
  • An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson – I read this FOUR STARS
  • Murder at the Belltower by Helena Dixon – I read this FOUR STARS
  • A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S Olson – I read this FIVE STARS
  • A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas – I am currently reading this but I already know it is going to be FIVE STARS
  • Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this one and only because I don’t want to read two Sarah J Maas books in a row so I am going to finish the ACOTAR series and then continue with the Throne of Glass series.

Outside of my TBR I have also read Murder at Elm House by Helena Dixon and… I plan on reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros before the month is over.

Monthly TBRs

January TBR!

theblindscribe

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

It is 2025! Can you believe it? 2024 was such a long year, both in good and bad ways and I am hopeful that 2025 will see better books and better things in general. Do you have any goals for 2025? Reading or otherwise I’d love to hear about them. A goal for me is to make progress in my series’, I have a habit of reading the first book, buying the whole series and then they just sit there on my shelves waiting for me to read them while I read newer and shinier ones instead. I want to do better with that this year.

Today I am bringing you what I will be reading in January:

Murder in the Belltower by Helena Dixon

Forgery of Roses by Jessica S Olson

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Way of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell

What are you reading in January?

Monthly Wrap Ups

December Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. It is time for the final wrap up of the year, and what a reading year it has been. I was struggling to find time in most of the months but since October I have been enjoying my reading again, and picking up brilliant books too.

Here is what I read in December,

From my TBR:

  • A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson – I did read this and a review is coming on the 20th December
  • Everyone this Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson – I read this
  • The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose – I did read this
  • Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah – I read this
  • Murder on the Dance Floor by Helena Dixon – I also read this

Which means…. I completed my TBR this month! I only had five specific books that were christmas themed that I wanted to read and I am very happy that I got the chance to read them all this month. Not only that but I also got to read some books outside my TBR, which were:

  • Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan – review coming on the 13th December
  • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I know, I FINALLY read this book and yes, I absolutely loved it. So much so that I went and bought the complete hardback series immediately after I finished it..
  • Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – At the time of writing this post I am currently reading this book and I will finish it before the end of December
  • Shadowscent by P M Freestone – I started this book and I have decided to soft DNF it, I still want to try it again but what I read wasn’t keeping my interest so I decided to leave it for later

So, in December I read 9 books – so far at least, as I am writing this it is the 15th December so it is likely I will read something else this month too, but right now I’m not sure what book that will be.

What did you read in December?

Uncategorized

Top Five Favourite Books of 2024!

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Happy Friday bookish people! How are you all today? I hope you are all good. This is the big one everyone. Today I will be sharing my favourite books that I have read this year.

Share with down in the comments what some of your favourite books have been this year, I could easily have done a top ten with almost all five star books that I have read this year but I decided to stick only with a top five, the best books I have read this year.

In at number five is…

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

I was torn on this decision, actually until I was writing this list down to make this post I had a different book in this spot but I have just read Powerless and I gave it a 4.5 stars to begin with and then I just could not stop thinking about it. I had to change it to a five star and put it in spot number five.

In number four is…

Murder At The Dolphin Hotel by Helena Dixon

This is a series I have discovered this year, this book is the first in the series, and I absolutely adore it. If you love cosy mysteries set in the 1930s then I am sure you would love these as much as I do.

In number three is…

Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco

Kerri Maniscalco is now definitely one of my favourite authors, I loved her Stalking Jack the Ripper series and then her Kingdom of the Wicked series and now this is the first in the spin off series and this one follows Prince Envy. It is a brilliant book, I loved it.

In number two is…

The King’s Mother by Annie Garthwaite

This novel is a follow up to her first novel, Cecily, it follows Cecily Neville – the mother of King Edward IV, his wife Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort – the mother of Henry VII as they navigate the royal court as women. It is powerful and beautiful and emotional and it will always be one of my favourite books I have ever read. Especially as I got to visit the Neville’s family Castle the day after I read this book.

And finally, in my number one spot is…..

A Study In Drowning by Ava Reid

This novel is gothic and enchanting and just everything I hoped it would be. I know some people don’t love this book but I honestly can’t think of one thing that I did not like about it.

Monthly TBRs

December TBR!

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Happy Friday bookish people! How are you all doing today? It is December, the final month of 2024, and I am excited to get stuck into reading the christmassy books that I have, admittedly I don’t have very many but the ones I have, I plan on reading.

December for me is looking like it will be a busy month, my diary is already getting pretty full so hopefully I will still have some time to read.

What are you planning to read in December? Any special plans for Christmas?

December TBR

A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson

Everybody This Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

Hercule Poirot’s Silent night by Sophie Hannah

Murder on the Dancefloor by Helena Dixon

Okay, this one isn’t exactly christmas but it is set in winter and I have been reading one a month of this series so I want to continue this.

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

Monthly Wrap Ups

November Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! How are you all today? It is December, the final month of 2024 but before that we need to talk about how November went.

As a month in general, not the best honestly. It seemed to be a month of one bad thing after another, but hopefully we are past all of that now. Onwards and upwards. In terms of reading, it was actually one of my best months of the year. I have started doing an hour or two of reading every evening instead of watching something on TV and it has made me feel much better, not only in terms of loving what I am reading but also I just feel better within myself, most of the time. Reading has been a great escape from everything this month.

How was your reading this month? Any new favourite books?

My November TBR was:

  • Murder At The Playhouse by Helena Dixon – the third book in the Miss Underhay cosy mystery series – I did read this and LOVED it, it might be my favourite one in the series so far.
  • Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett – I did not get to this one, I really wanted to and still do but it wasn’t at the top of my priorities for this month.
  • Curtain Calls to Murder by Julian Clary – I did read this book. It looked like something i would love from the description and I didn’t hate it but it also wasn’t something I loved. If you’re interested in knowing why I will be writing a review soon.
  • Powerless by Lauren Roberts – I finally read this and again, I loved it. I will be putting up my review for this in December so look out for that if you are interested.
  • The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannon – I am currently reading this book and honestly, I’m not sure at the moment if this is going to be a soft DNF and I will come back to it later or if I am going to push through and see if I like it. I am 100 pages ish in and I have no idea what is going on so we will see.
  • People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield – I did not read this. I just was not in the mood this month for a gothic feeling book.
  • The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton – I did not get to this either which was a shame because I was hoping to get a series finished and crossed off my list.
  • Queen B by Juno Dawson – I did read this, I love anything Anne Boleyn so I wanted to make sure that I gave this book a go.
  • Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis – I did not get around to this book either unfortunately.
  • Pandora by Susan Stokes Chapman – This was one book that I really wanted to get around to but it just didn’t happen this month.

So, from my TBR I read five books this month which I am pretty happy with but, I also read two books outside of my TBR. I finished Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco and then I also read The League of Lady Poisoners.

So, overall I read seven books this month. Which is a great amount in my opinion. I am happy with it and excited to get started on my December TBR.

Monthly TBRs

November TBR

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today! Today I am sharing with you the books that I hope to get to in November. I have been a little ambitious this month, my TBR is long but I wanted to give myself a lot of choice so I could also sort of mood read at the same time.

What are you planning to read in November?

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

People of Abandoned Character by Claire Whitfield

Queen B by Juno Dawson

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett

Pandora by Susan Stokes Chapman

Curtain Calls to Murder by Julian Clary

Murder at the Playhouse by Helena Dixon

Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis

Monthly Wrap Ups

October Reading Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. It is the first of November and the cold weather has arrived which means it is time for my October Reading Wrap Up! Enjoy!

What I read from my TBR:

  • Murder at Enderley Hall by Helena Dixon – I did read this! This is absolutely my new obsession. It is the second book in the Miss Underhay mystery series. Kitty Underhay and her Grandmother run the Dolphin Hotel and Kitty ends up getting involved with investigating thefts and murders alongside an ex-military man named Matthew Bryant. I love this series, I am planning on reading one a month so I should finish the series in around eighteen months….
  • Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft – I did not read this, I am interested in the premise but this month there were other books I was more excited about.
  • Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco – As I am writing this post, I am currently 100 pages into this books so I should get it finished by the end of October. Another book that I am loving, it follows Envy, the brother of Wrath from the Kingdom of the Wicked series, he is a prince of sin and I am very intrigued so far about what Envy needs the main female character, Camilla, for.
  • A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn – I did not read this, again there were other books I wanted to read more.
  • Belladonna by Adalyn Grace – I did not read this. Honestly, in September and October I have been redecorating parts of my house and I am not sure where I have put my copy of Belladonna so I wasn’t able to read this in October.
  • A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik – similar to Belladonna, I didn’t read this because my copy is hidden away on my bookshelves for the time being.
  • Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson – I have not read this yet but I am hoping to still get to it by the end of October, I am going on holiday so I will have some travel time to do some reading.
  • Shadowscent: The Darkest Bloom by P M Freestone – Same as Enchantment of Ravens I have not got to this book yet but I am still hoping to by the end of this month. Fingers crossed.

Outside of my TBR, I also read The Examiner by Janice Hallett, The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman and also, (I haven’t yet, as I am writing this my copy will be arriving tomorrow but I will be reading it immediately), Spectacular by Stephanie Garber.

Overall, that means I have read 5 books and hope to finish two more on top of that by the end of the month. I am happy with that, I didn’t realise I had read as much this month as I have.

How has your reading been this month? Any new favourite books? Let me know in the comments!