Tag: lauren roberts

Monthly Wrap Ups

December Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today, and Happy New Year! For this, my first post of 2026, I am bringing you the usual monthly wrap up for December, but later in the month I will be sharing an all-encompassing 2025 Wrap Up that covers genres, favourite books etc. Check back later for that if you are interested.

December was a month that felt insanely busy and yet, I couldn’t tell you what I spent the month doing, it is all just a blur. Plus, I was sick for the whole month with different things. Hopefully January will be better.

From my December TBR:

  • Murder at the Orpheus Theatre by Irina Shapiro – I did read this.
  • Pages and Co: Tilly and the Lost Fairytales by Anna James – I did read this.
  • The Dog Sitter Detective: Christmas Tails by Antony Johnston – I read this too.
  • Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd – I did start to read this but unfortunately, I ended up DNF’ing it quite early on. I did not enjoy the writing style of this book and I struggled to be able to tell which time period it was set in.
  • Traitor’s Legacy by S J Parris – I did read this.
  • Fearful by Lauren Roberts – I did read this.
  • Death and the Harlot by Georgina Clarke – I did not read this.
  • Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards – I did read this.
  • A Quiet Life in the Country by T E Kinsey – I did read this.

So, from my TBR I read 7 books from my TBR, DNF’d 1 and I did not manage to read 1. Overall, that’s pretty good, even though I did not complete my TBR. Outside my TBR, I read The Austen Christmas Murders, The Mythmakers by Tamzin Merchant, Murder at Christmas, A Dangerous Train of Thought by Faith Martin and, I FINALLY read Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas.

That means, in December, I read a total of 12 books and I DNF’d 1.

What did you read in December? What did you think of the books you read?

Monthly TBRs

December TBR

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is now December and that means it is time to talk about what books we will be reading this month.

What books do you hope to read in December and before the end of 2025?

December TBR

Murder at the Orpheus Theatre by Irina Shapiro

Pages and Co: Tilly and the Map of Stories by Anna James

Dog Sitter Detective Christmas Tails by Antony Johnston

Miss Beetons Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd

Traitors Legacy by S J Parris

Fearful by Lauren Roberts

Death and the Harlot by Georgina Clarke

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

Book Tags

Halloween Book Tag

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I am bringing you my answers to a Halloween Book Tag, I found it last year and I was curious to see if any of my answers would have changed between now and then.

1. carving pumpkins: what book would you carve up and light on fire – A Novel Murder by E C Nevin

I did not enjoy this book, actually I DNF’d it after only a couple of chapters, honestly I could not do a cosy crime novel with a main character who is so self deprecating, I couldn’t continue.

2. trick or treat: a character who is a treat and one who is a trick – Adena in Powerless, Eli from Vicious

Adena is one of the sweetest characters in any books I have read and she did not deserve her ending, on the other hand Eli from vicious started my obsession with morally grey characters and he did deserve the ending he got.

3. candy corn: what book is always sweet – What Would Jane Austen Do?

This book is one of few romance novels that I have actually enjoyed. It merged classic romance of Jane Austen with a light, fluffy, funny, romance plot.

4. ghosts: a character you would like to visit you as a ghost – Ferrius Parfax from Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell

She takes no nonsense and she will give you the harsh truths that you need to hear.

5. Dressing in costume: a character you would want to be for a day – Violet Sorrengail from Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

I had a stall at London Film and Comic Con July 2025, and I dressed as Violet Sorrengail for that. First time ever wearing leather trousers – they’re not the easiest to wear! But I thought it was great fun to dress as a favourite character for a day or two.

6. blood and gore: a book so creepy you had to take a break – A Gift of Poison by Bella Ellis

This book has a big focus on the dead coming back to take revenge on the living and I made the mistake of reading it at night, I thought the book was excellent but it was creepy.

Monthly Wrap Ups

August Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is the end of August and that means it is time to share my wrap up for the month.

In the UK, August is the summer holidays for most people, lots of people have time off and the kids aren’t in school so it’s always a busy month for my family, especially now that my Sister has a new baby. Alongside that I’m still plodding along with my PhD and we have been redecorating the dining room. It’s not left a lot of time for reading, however, I have been reading such good books lately that it’s looking like August will be one of my best months for reading and the most books I have read in a month so far this year.

What has your reading looked like in August? Have you read any great books? Any not so great books?

My August Wrap Up: From my TBR

  • A Novel Murder – I started this book and I am counting it as read because I actually ended up DNF’ing this book. At 24 pages. That is so early in a book to decide not to carry on but I could not get along with the main character, she was so self-pitying it was every few sentences my life is awful and I was losing the will to read.
  • A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber – I did read this and that means I have finally finished the whole Caraval and Once Upon A Broken Heart series’. I loved this book, it was so close to being a five star and was easily my favourite book in the series even though it contains one of my most hated tropes. I thought it was done well.
  • How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin – I did read this. This is the second book in the Castle Knoll mystery series. I did not like the first book, How To Solve Your Own Murder, but this second book surprised me because I actually enjoyed it and gave it four stars. I will give a deeper insight to my thoughts in a book review coming the 15th September.
  • Fearless by Lauren Roberts – What I think is the final book in the Powerless series. I am currently reading this and as I am typing I will be finishing this book today.
  • Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – I did read this and I will be giving a spoiler filled review on the 19th September.
  • This Monster of Mine – I have not read this yet but I still have ten days before the end of the month so I am still planning on finishing this one.
  • Knife Skills for Beginners – another book I am yet to read but I do still plan to read this before the end of the month.

Outside of my TBR I also read: Grimstone by Sophie Lark. Murder at the Highland Castle, Murder at the Island Hotel and Murder on the French Riviera by Helena Dixon and Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas.

This brings my current total for the month to: 10 so far, but if I manage to get to those two final books on my TBR then it would bring my total to 12 and easily be the month so far this year that I have read the most books even though it has also been my busiest month so far.

Monthly TBRs

August TBR!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a wonderful day today. It is August, the middle of the summer holidays in the UK, and time to pick what books I will be reading this month. Or hopefully reading at least. I have a few things to be doing during the month: my PhD work, redecorating the dining room, taking a trip to see family in Hampshire, it is going to be a busy month. Which means I need some good books to get me through it. For some reason, summer months I get really into reading fantasy, their covers give Autumn vibes, but I love reading them in summer so you won’t be surprised to know the bulk of my reading is fantasy this month.

A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber

Fearless by Lauren Roberts

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

This Monster of Mine

Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin

A Novel Murder

How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin

I have also put together a small list of books I would also like to get to but only if I have time, which are: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas which was on July’s TBR but I ran out of time, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas, Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, The Stolen Heir by Holly Black, A Gift of Poison by Bella Ellis and the Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping.

What are you planning on reading in August?

Monthly Wrap Ups

April Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. What a month April was. For me personally, there were many highs and lows to do with family and learning how to juggle those things alongside my PhD was difficult but here we are finally at the end of the month and things have settled down a bit. Anyway, in terms of reading I had a good month. I finished my TBR and I got through a couple of extra books too which was surprising alongside everything else but a nice bonus. It was also a good month for enjoying the books I was reading.

What was your favourite book that you read in April? I have started making a list of my favourite book that I read in each month of this year and then in December I’ll be able to see what my top ten books of the year could be. So far the list is: January – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, February – Murder By Candlelight by Faith Martin, March – Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun by Elle Cosimano and April – Capturing The Devil by Kerri Maniscalco.

What I read in April: from my TBR –

  • Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun by Elle Cosimano – I had written my TBR for April around the middle of March and it turned out that I had time to squeeze this one into my March reading instead. I had been putting off this book for a while because I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue the series after book two, it was starting to feel a bit samey but I decided to read it and I ended up loving it and subsequently bought the next two books in the series which i am excited to get to.
  • Phantasma by Kaylie Smith – I did read this. After all the hype I was excited but apprehensive to get to this one because I had heard so many opinions, mostly positive, and I thought it probably wouldn’t live up to the hype. I will be posting my full review of this book on the 12th May.
  • The White Queen by Philippa Gregory – I did read this – there may be some historical inaccuracies within the novel but as a lover of history from the 1400s to the 1600s I still enjoyed this novel.
  • Capturing The Devil by Kerri Maniscalco – as you can see from above I did read this and it was my favourite read of April (though it was a close race between this one, unravel me and murder at highgate cemetary). This was the final book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and I will be posting my full review of it on the 19th of May.
  • Reckless by Lauren Roberts – I did read this and I did enjoy it, I see where the negative reviews are coming from with the lack of substance to the plot but I generally just enjoy being in this world with these characters and that cliffhanger was quite something. I am looking forward to reading the final book in the series and seeing what happens.
  • Murder At The Country Club by Helena Dixon – I did read this and like all the other books in the Miss Underhay series it was fantastic.
  • Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi – I did read this. This is the second book in the Shatter Me series. This series has a way of sucking you in. I had some issues with Juliette’s character in this book and how little she stood up for herself but I also recognise that she needs the time to grow into that and I have a feeling it is going to happen in the third book. Otherwise I loved this book, its nearly 500 pages and I devoured it in a day easily.

Outside of my TBR I also read: Murder On Board by Helena Dixon, Murder At Highgate Cemetary by Irina Shapiro and Graveyard Shift by M L Rio that I was gifted for my birthday. Overall this means I read 10 books in April which I am very pleased with. There was only one that was a bit of a slog to read but everything else I really enjoyed, hopefully my reading in May will be just as good!

Uncategorized

April Book Releases

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Happy friday bookish people! It is time to bring you a list of some of the book releases of April.

There are two releases on the 1st of April: the first being Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez and the other is Vera Wong’s Guide To Snooping

On the 3rd of April there is one release: Fearless by Lauren Roberts

On the 8th April there is a release of the second book in the Phantasma series: Enchantra by Kaylie Smith

On the 15th April there are two releases: Watch Me by Taherah Mafi and Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage

and finally on the 24th April: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Monthly TBRs

April TBR

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is already April, I don’t know about anyone else but that has snuck up on me. What are you planning to read this month?

For this month I have tried to put together books that are a mix of genres so that I can have something fresh in between the big fantasy books.

My April TBR is:

Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun by Elle Cosimano

Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Capturing The Devil by Kerri Mansicalco

Reckless by Lauren Roberts

Murder At The Country Club by Helena Dixon

Monthly Wrap Ups

March Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. Today I’m bringing you my March Wrap Up.

I set myself a longer TBR for this month because I have been doing so well the past couple of months finishing the TBRs I set so I thought I would add a few more. So, as I am writing this I have just over a week left of March and two books left to read which SHOULD be possible but we shall see on that count.

From my TBR:

  • Powerful by Lauren Roberts – I did read this one, I originally wasn’t going to read this because I wasn’t sure about the character in Powerless but I decided it might have an impact on the rest of the series so I read it this month.
  • Murder In First Class by Helena Dixon – I read this one
  • The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C M Waggoner – I read this book but I really disliked it.
  • The Last Word Is Death by Faith Martin – I read this – and it is a new favourite series.
  • The Dog Sitter Detective Takes The Lead by Antony Johnston – I did read this
  • A Court Of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas – I have not read this yet but I am hoping I will have by the end of the month
  • Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco – I have started this novel but I haven’t finished it yet but again I hope to by the end of March

Outside of my TBR I also read Murder On The Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood.

What did you all read in March?

Monthly TBRs

March TBR!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a great start to the month of March.

It is time for me to share my TBR for the month and I have given myself some book choices this month because I am travelling with a friend to London for a weekend and I need some good books for travelling in the car. Onto the TBR!

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

This is the fifth book in the ACOTAR series and it will bring me up to date with the series until the next book comes out and also it will tick off some of my 50 books to read this year list.

Powerful by Lauren Roberts

This is the novella that goes alongside the first book in the series, powerless, following one of the side characters and I am looking forward to reading it then reading Reckless in April before the final book comes out that month but I have to say I didn’t love the character this one follows so we shall see what I think of it.

Murder in First Class by Helena Dixon

The next book in the Miss Kitty Underhay mystery series, I am reading one of these every month so soon I will have finished the series which is heartbreaking but also quite satisfying.

Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco

This is the second book in the princes of sin series, the spin off series from Kingdom of the Wicked, these books are SO good. I can’t explain anything about this series as its a spin off of the other and it would spoil things but all I can say is everyone should read these books. I will read anything Kerri Maniscalco writes.

The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by

I have no idea what this book is about really but it said something about a mystery and it has the word library on the cover so I am intrigued to read this book.

The Last Word is Death by Faith Martin

After reading the first in the series, Murder by Candlelight, in February and devouring it in a night I am excited to jump straight into the next one in the series.

The Dog Sitter Detective Plays Dead by Antony Johnston

This is the third book in the Dog Sitter Detective, a modern cosy mystery series that I like, I am looking forward to reading this but I am hesitant because there is a side character who keeps appearing and I don’t really like him so I will see how I feel after this book.

What are you excited to read in March?