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My Favourite Spooky Books

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. As it is getting so close to Halloween and October/Autumn is when we all start reading the spooky/atmospheric books I thought I would share some of my favourites with you all.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Mansicalco

This novel follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth, an upper-class woman in Victorian London and her desire to train as a surgeon in a time when women were not allowed to, alongside this it features the murders of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Audrey Rose teams up with Thomas Cresswell to solve the mystery. This is one of my favourite books of all time, I love the mystery and I love the romance. The time period provides a spooky, dangerous atmosphere that keeps you reading.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

This novel follows Emilia, a witch and when her Twin Sister Vittoria is murdered she summons a prince of sin to find out what happened. It is dark, brooding, enchanting, just overall incredible.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

I have seen that a lot of people are divided on this book, some like it and some don’t. For me personally I loved the isolating feeling of the location and the mental confusion of whether there was something fantastical and at the same time sinister going on or whether Effie is imagining it. I devoured this book in one day.

Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

I believe this book is listed as a YA read but it is still sufficiently spooky. It follows a girl who enrolls in a prestigious school to find out more about her father and she gets dragged into a mystery concerning the school library, a curse, and an annoyingly handsome ghost.

Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin

This novel is somewhere between cosy crime and historical crime. It follows Arbie and Val as they team up to solve mysteries. I absolutely loved this series. Arbie is a writer whose books send him to locations to explore ghost hunting, even though he doesn’t believe in ghosts, and due to this keeps accidentally running into val and running into crime scenes. These two characters are the epitome of chalk and cheese and yet they work together so well. I can’t wait for the next book coming in 2026.

Murder at Highgate Cemetery by Irina Shapiro

This novel opens with the body of a young girl who has been murdered, suspended from an angel grave in the cemetery. It goes from there to be told from two perspectives, Gemma Tate a crimean war nurse who has returned to London and found herself in trouble when her brother dies, and Sebastien Bell a Police Detective who is strugglign in his own personal life. They keep running into each other and although Sebastien keeps telling Gemma to stay away from the crime for her own safety, they end up working together anyway.

The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis

This series follows the Bronte sisters as they solve various mysteries. For me this is the spookiest in the series. The sisters end up investigating a woman who it seems has vanished into thin air and there are constant references to dark, gothic manors and ghostly occurrences. Very creepy but very good. I have just read the last in this series and I loved them all.

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

Graveyard Shift by M L Rio

This is only a short novel but I loved how it all came together, how slowly we learnt things about the group of people who accidentally ended up together in the wrong place at the wrong time and witness something they shouldn’t have.

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

City of Ghosts by V E Schwab

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

What are some of your favourite spooky books?

Book Tags

The Book Boyfriends Book Tag

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. Seeing as it is Valentine’s Day today, what else could I bring you except a post celebrating some of my favourite book boyfriends. I have to say, it was hard to choose. I made a list of them all and then picked the best ones for the questions and it was a long list.

I found this Tag on Got Meghan’s Blog if you want to check out how they answered the tag.

  1. The Most Romantic Boyfriend: LORD PHILLIP STANTON from The Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson. Phillip is a bit of a rogue for most of the book but by far out of my fave book boyfriends he would be the most romantic. He is a Lord in the Tudor period brought up on chivalry and how he should treat a lady.
  2. A Dark and Moody Bad Boy With A Good Side: KAI from Powerless by Lauren Roberts. He is the epitome of dark and moody especially for the first half of the book but deep down he’s a softie, he just doesn’t want everyone to know that.
  3. Paranormal Boyfriend: WRATH from Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. I wasn’t sure who to put to start with then I remembered, he’s a prince of hell so a demon of sorts. Which I am saying counts, okay.
  4. Boy You’d Be Friends With Benefits With: JULIAN SANTOS from Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Now, I wouldn’t be friends with benefits at all but for the purpose of this tag it would be Julian. I love him and he had to make it onto this list somewhere, so I put him here because he dresses like a cross between a circus performer and a pirate.
  5. Your Soul Mate: THOMAS CRESSWELL from Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri maniscalco. You can’t convince me otherwise. He is my favourite book boyfriend by a mile.
  6. Boyfriend You’d Venture Anywhere with: NATHANIAL HAWTHORNE from Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. He’s magic, it would make life interesting.
  7. Boyfriend You Want to be Stranded on a Desert Island With: KELLEN ARGOSI from Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell. He literally spends most of the series trekking across a desert trying to survive so he must have picked up some skills from all of that which could help us.
  8. Most Badass Boyfriend: RHYSAND from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas. I don’t think I need to explain this one, if you’ve read the series then I am sure you will understand.

That’s my answers! Who are some of your favourite book boyfriends?

Monthly Wrap Ups

April Wrap Up!

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well. What a month April was, I realised during the month that I needed to take some time off from working to relax and try to not be so stressed. I think that worked a bit but not as much as I had hoped, generally I feel very tired at the moment but anyway, life goes on. As far as reading goes, April wasn’t a bad month. I was happy with me reading not only because I got quite a bit in but the books I was reading I really enjoyed.

So, let us see what books I did read!

From my April TBR:

  • The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrews: I did not read, I was looking forward to this one but I decided to prioritize series for the moment so I didn’t have time to read this one.
  • Way of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell: I did not read this one either which is a shame because I really wanted to, I love Sebastien’s writing and I can’t wait to get back into this series.
  • The Stolen Heir by Holly Black: I did not read this one
  • Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi: I DID read this one, finally, after so many years of it being on my TBR and wondering if I’d like it or if I should unhaul it. Spoilers for the book review: I loved this book.
  • Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco: As of a few days before the end of the month I am currently reading this and I plan on finishing it before May – again, loving this book and I can’t wait to see how this series ends.

From outside of my TBR I finished From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout which I started from my March TBR but I didn’t quite finish before the end of March. Another book I loved so, all together I read three books this month and loved all of them.

What did you read in April? Any books that you loved?

Monthly TBRs

April TBR!

Happy Friday bookish People! So, it is April already and with that it comes time to share my TBR for the month with you.

Recently, I have been focusing on reading mysteries and crime fiction and they’re all blending into one now so I read some historical fiction and some non-fiction in March and then I went to Gollanczfest and now I am completely in the fantasy mood. To read it and to write it. So, as you can probably tell my April TBR is full of fantasy!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Way of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell

Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco

What are you all hoping to read during April?

Book Tags

Valentine’s Day Book Tag

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today.

I thought it would be fun today to do the Valentine’s Day Book Tag that I found on Words About Words Blog.

  1. What book have you been given as a gift that you loved? I was given the special edition slipcase for ACOTAR for christmas the year before last, it is so beautiful that I don’t want to read that edition though, I will just read my paperback edition.
  2. What book would you like to give as a gift to someone else? It depends, I’ve given my Mum Elise Kova books as gifts before because I know she loves her books but for others even though I know they like reading I wouldn’t know where to start with gifting them a book.
  3. If you could gift a random person an non-bookish item what would it be? I would say maybe an experience, something that wouldn’t end up on a shelf gathering dust.
  4. If you could gift a random person a bookish item what would you give them? I would say probably a bookmark because everyone needs one of those.
  5. What do you say when a person gives you a gift you don’t like? I have to be polite and say thank you but also watch my face, because I know I am quite expressive and give it away so I have to be careful.
  6. Mention a book based around valentine’s day? I don’t know any specifically for Valentine’s but Plus One by Kelsey Rodkey is excellent
  7. Mention a film you love to watch on Valentine’s Day? Again not on the actual day but my favourite romcom is either Dirty Dancing or Pretty Woman.
  8. mention a few of your favourite OTPs. Where to start? Scarlet and Julian from Caraval, Elisabeth and Nathaniel from Sorcery of Thorns, Wrath and Emilia from Kingdom of the Wicked and Thomas Cresswell and Audrey Rose Wadsworth from Stalking Jack The Ripper
  9. Which fictional character would you love to see at your door with a bouquet of roses? Kellen from Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell (and Reichis of course!)

How would you answer these questions? let me know in the comments.

Uncategorized

My Top 15 Favourite Murder Mysteries

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. Seeing as it is spooky season I thought it may be fun to share with you all my top 15 murder mystery books and this is one of my favourite genres to read so this was a difficult choice. Let me know if any of your favourites are on this list or if there are any you would have put on here instead.

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Dangerous Women by Hope Adams

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Finlay Donovon is Killing It

The Windsor Knot by S J Bennett

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Book Tags

Astrological Book Tag

Happy Friday bookish people! I found this Astrological Book Tag from Peace Love Veggies, I hope you all enjoy it!

Aries: Name a book that is full of fire, desire and passion

This is my star sign and there is one book I think of instantly..

Taurus: Name a book you have read that was beautifully written

Gemini: Name a book you have read featuring twins

What a difficult question! I don’t think I have read any books that have twins in them, if you know of one then let me know down below!

Cancer: Name a book you read that was a real tear jerker

I am not really the person that cries at books but Gwen and Art are not in love did actually make me cry, I am not even sure why because it was not an overly emotional book

Leo: Name a book you’ve read with courageous characters

Virgo: Name a book you’ve read which was pure perfection

Libra: Name a book you’ve read that was neither good nor bad

Scorpio: Name a book you’ve read that was dark and mysterious

Sagittarius: Name a book that is full of adventure

Capricorn: Name a book that made you think

I am cheating here a little bit, every book makes me think in a different way.

Aquarius: Name a book that is really quirky

Pisces: Name a book you’ve read which was very imaginative

Book Tags

Halloween Creatures Book Tag!

Happy Friday bookish people! Today I am bringing you a book tag perfect for the cosy, spooky vibes of October- the Halloween Creatures Book Tag that I found on blogging with dragons.com

I hope you enjoy!

Witch – A magical character or book

the first book that came to mind for that was A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske because of the highly inventive magical world.

Werewolf – the perfect book to read at night

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, it is my favourite classic novel but it did used to freak me out the first few times I read it. The atmosphere and location make it the perfect book to read at night.

Frankenstein – a book that truly shocked you

moonflower murders by Anthony Horowitz, I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did.

The Devil – a dark, evil character

I have to be honest, no character comes to mind other than the white walkers in Game of thrones because I like to think most characters have more depth than just being pure evil.

Grim Reaper – a character that never should have died

Matthias in Six of Crows duology – sorry if you haven’t read this yet and I just spoiled it for you!

Zombie – a book that made you hungry for more

Easy, it is definitely kingdom of the wicked, I loved that book and now I have the whole trilogy.

Vampire – a book that sucked the life out of you

Wuthering heights by Emily Bronte. I disliked this book, maybe it was because I had to read it at school but it is not in my top classic books.

ghost – a book that still haunts you

this lie will kill you by Chelsea Pitcher. This book honestly gave me nightmares.

Demon – a book that really scared you.

I have to give the same answer as above for the same reason, this lie will kill you by Chelsea pitcher.

Mummy – a book you would preserve throughout time.

the starless sea by Erin morgenstern!

that is it for this book tag, how would you have answered these questions?

Book Tags

Spring has sprung book tag!

Happy Friday bookish people! I am excited to be bringing you another book tag today, the spring has sprung book tag!

Flowers – Look on your bookshelf, what is the most beautiful book inside and out: A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross the Illumicrate edition

This cover is just stunning, I haven’t read it yet but I’m sure that the story is just as beautiful

Grass – what is a book that you find others like way more than you did: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

I have a review post up of this book but I did not like this book very much yet I hear so many people talking about how good this series is

Rain – what is a great book that lifts your spirits when you’re down: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Dew – what’s a book that made you feel alive: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

this mystery book had my heart beating very fast and that’s why I chose it as my answer for a book that made me feel alive

Storms – what’s a book that you found unpredictable: Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Rainbow – what was a book you struggled with but you were glad you finished it: Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Chilly weather – a book you couldn’t finish or didn’t enjoy: Lily by Rose Tremain

Warm weather – a book you loved and you wanted more of: any books by Kerri Maniscalco!

The stalking Jack the Ripper books series and the Kingdom of the Wicked series, I love all of them!

Green – a book you haven’t read yet but really want to: Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments

Pink – a book in which you felt a strong connection to the characters: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Purple – what’s a book that when you read it made you feel safe: I don’t have an answer for this one unfortunately.

Orange – what book do you feel is intelligently written: any Agatha Christie book

Yellow – what book puts a smile on your face: the Pages and Co series by Anna James

That’s the end of this book tag, I hope you all enjoyed it! How would you have answered these questions?

Uncategorized

Book Couples Opinions

Happy Monday bookish people! And Happy Valentine’s day! Today I wanted to bring you some of my opinions on the couples – or characters that are often shipped together in some cases- in some of the books that I have previously read.

There may be spoilers in this post so read at your own risk.

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn – Camille and Ada

Camille and Ada are already dating when the book begins and there is a lot of tension growing between them throughout the book and I enjoyed the relationship because they seemed to be struggling through real problems that readers can relate to even though it is a fantasy book.

Dangerous Remedy (Battalion of the Dead #1) by Kat Dunn

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh – Celine and Sebastian

These two have an enemies to lovers thing going on which I really enjoyed. They are both very strong and feisty characters that bounce off each other. I think their relationship fits well within the plot and doesn’t take over. I am looking forward to seeing how these two characters develop in the rest of the series.

The Beautiful: Amazon.co.uk: 9781524738174: Books

Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen – Petula and Jacob

This was one of the first books I read that fit properly within the contemporary romance genre. It has a simple enough story but it is full of heartache and delving into characters with mental health issues that are also trying to navigate a relationship. I liked the build up to Petula and Jacob getting together but their relationship throughout the rest of the book was difficult to read about because I didn’t completely understand the struggles they were experiencing.

Optimists Die First : Nielsen, Susin: Amazon.co.uk: Books

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton – Ned and Cecelia

Again these two characters start off as enemies which I love in books, also the reason they meet was one of my favourites in the books that I read last year. Their personalities lend to some very sassy dialogue and I enjoyed their pairing. The only thing is that both of them love their freedom and don’t seem the type to be in committed long relationships.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – Lira and Elian

To be honest this book didn’t get much emotion from me, it was an average rating from me and so I didn’t feel that much for either of these characters or their relationship. I feel that the two characters were thrown together to make it into a Little Mermaid retelling but actually neither of them fit together well in my opinion.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern – Zachary and Dorian

I don’t feel like I saw enough of this couple. The Starless Sea is my favourite book ever and I would enjoy any couple that was written into it. It was great to see LGBTQ representation in this book and the only way to describe the way this couple was portrayed is enchanting.

The Starless Sea: TIKTOK MADE ME BUY IT! The spellbinding Sunday Times  bestseller.: Amazon.co.uk: Morgenstern, Erin: 9781784702861: Books

Not Here To Be Liked by Michelle Quach – Eliza and Len

This is another book that I struggled to get any enjoyment from. I felt that the whole romance was forgotten generally or just used to forward the author’s views on feminism and the place it has in relationships. I really like Len as a character but I didn’t feel that Eliza was fleshed out more than a 2D character.

Not Here To Be Liked : Michelle Quach: Amazon.co.uk: Books

The Upside of Unrequieted by Becky Albertalli – Molly and Reid

I love this pairing. Reid was one of my favourite male characters until I properly started reading fantasy and he’s nerdy and sweet and exactly the type of man I like in books, and in reality actually. Molly is a very interesting character and I enjoyed being taken along with her as she discovered so much about herself and what she wanted.

The Upside of Unrequited : Albertalli, Becky: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco – Thomas Cresswell and Audrey Rose Wadsworth

One of my all time favourite couples. Thomas Cresswell is charming and intelligent and completely annoying but I love him. Audrey Rose is also incredibly intelligent and full of fire and personality, she lets nobody stand in her way and that sets them up for very interesting moments.

Stalking Jack the Ripper: 1: Amazon.co.uk: Maniscalco, Kerri, Patterson,  James: 9780316273497: Books

Caraval by Stephanie Garber – Julian and Scarlett/ Tella and Legend

Okay so there are two main couples in the Caraval series of books. The first is Julian and Scarlett, which I think are probably my favourite book couple ever. They start as enemies – do you see the trend starting here?- and develop feelings later but I love that Scarlett struggles to trust him, it fits perfectly with the plots and if there was a lot of tricks happening I would have trouble trusting him too.

Then there is Tella and Legend. Currently, I haven’t read the third book yet, I don’t love them as much. I think they would make a good pairing, he offers her the enchantment and the mystery that she craves but they don’t have as much of a spark in my opinion.

Caraval (Caraval, #1) by Stephanie Garber

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – Cath and Levi

I don’t usually like romance books but this one I ended up loving. Cath reminds me of myself in a lot of ways, particularly her shyness and then Levi is cheeky and cute and I would honestly love to find a Levi in real life to be with, you just know that no matter what he would be there for her.

Fangirl : Rowell, Rainbow: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco – Wrath and Emilia

Emilia is a headstrong witch who, when her sister is murdered, decides to investigate for herself and summons a demon, Wrath. Wrath is so morally grey that I never know if he’s on the good side or the bad and this just draws me to him, the same as it does for Emilia and I think they challenge each other both physically and mentally which is great to see in book characters.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

The Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson – Eleanor and Phillip Stanton

Another pairing that starts off as enemies, I really can’t help but have a type. I love the historical nature of the relationship, the bending of the boundaries. He is so charming and charismatic that I can’t help but like him even when the main character doesn’t. I liked the way this was a slow burn and you saw the moment when it all changed for Eleanor and she realised her feelings.

The Lady in the Tower - Scholastic Shop

I am going to leave this post here as I have included a lot of great pairings but if everyone enjoys this I have plenty more couples to make a part 2 or part 3!