Tag: murder on the rocks

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!

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May Book Releases

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all well today. I am going to be sharing with you just a few of the books being released in May. Just a few things to say to start: first, the dates I give are the UK release dates that I can find and I do not show a full list of releases, I only share a few of the ones that I have heard a lot about or that I know about because I am interested in buying them.

Bloodbound by Ellis Hunter – 7th May

You duel or you die.

Astrid has always known she is destined to die. She is the last Nachstern witch and heir to the Queendom of Arturea, cursed by a centuries-old covenant to duel the heir to the Kingdom of Vatra for the source of all magic: the Heart. And now Astrid’s time is up. She is heading into enemy territory to face Prince Zryan, the most powerful dragon rider in eons, with only her familiar, her potions, and her wits to aid her. She is going to die, and any chance her queendom has of curing the Blight that’s ravaging the lands and killing her people will die with her.

Meanwhile, deep in dragon country, Skylar and her travelling troupe arrive in Vatra’s capital, ready to profit off the legions of spectators swarming to the city ahead of the duel. She despises the royals and all they stand for, especially as the King’s guard murdered her mother. But when her best friend disappears, suspected to have been taken in the conscription, her search takes her closer to the royals than she ever could have imagined.

As the duel looms over the kingdom, Skylar and Astrid’s fates intertwine. They must battle a growing rebellion, their inner demons, and ultimately, those they love most, to determine if together they will save—or doom—their world.

Our Lady of Blades by Sebastien de Castell – 14th May

Blood Week may have been banned in Rijou, but the streets still run red – and now murder is being sanctioned by the courts. Only a reckless fool would believe they can beat the system. But then, the Greatcoats have always been more than a little reckless . . .

Rijou’s notorious Court of Blades is as corrupt as it is cutthroat, destroying lives with impunity. Now the city’s all-powerful Ascendant Houses have started buying and selling verdicts to enslave and even execute those who oppose them.

Into this depraved world of licensed death comes a mysterious duellist who dares to foil the intrigues of the city’s elite. They call her Lady Consequence, but years ago she had a different name, until her family was slaughtered and she was consigned to the hellish prison known as the House of Tears.

Lady Consequence means to rescue her idealistic younger brother, restore their House and wreak vengeance upon those who betrayed them. But a far more dangerous game is unfolding in the shadows, one which threatens the freedom of the entire nation.

The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A Parker – 19th May

“Moonbeam. A moonfall is coming.”

Raeve’s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor—a staunch beacon from a past she’s yet to face. With Rekk’s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the world will face its most devastating moonfall yet, forcing her to pick a

Chase death.

Or life.

Desperate to save his kingdom from ruin, Kaan’s crown has never felt so heavy. His many larks to scattered friends and family remain unanswered, and time is running out.

As allies merge and enemies surge with bloodlusting agendas of their own, secrets brew hot enough to burn, but none so mighty as the truth nesting within the icy depths of Raeve’s long forgotten past.

Something … Other.

Something with the knowledge to change it all.

A Dark and Wild Wood by Sarah Nicole Lemon – 21st May

Ever since she was a child, Salomé has been plagued by visions of spirits and dangerous powers she can’t control. After watching her foster mother burn as a witch, she and her beloved sister Rochelle are raised together in a convent, a grim and dreary existence. Until one day, Rochelle vanishes.

Determined to find a way to save her, Salomé runs: first to a brothel, and then, after a terrible accident, away from the village and into the woods. Deep amongst the trees of the wild Black Forest, she comes face-to-face with Lord Death.

Rather than taking her life, he brings her to his home at the heart of the woods, a strange manor full of locked rooms and mysterious corridors, crumbling one moment, magnificent the next. He promises to make her his apprentice and teach her how to harness her mind and magic. His words are as seductive as his presence—but should one trust Death?

A swirling mirage of dark fairy tale, gothic romance, and historical fantasy, A Dark and Wild Wood is a novel best devoured all at once. But proceed with caution, as everything is not what it seems…

Murder on the Rocks by T E Kinsey – 26th May

February 1913. Lady Hardcastle and her diminutive but mettlesome lady’s maid, Flo, have been invited by their friend JB McIntyre to spend the weekend at his recently renovated Tudor fort on a remote island off the Devonshire coast. But the holiday quickly turns sinister when first a number of valuable jewels go missing—and then a fellow guest is murdered with a most unusual weapon.

Asked by JB to investigate, the stakes are raised for the sleuthing duo when a violent storm traps the group on the island and cuts them off from help. Is the murderer in their midst? With everyone claiming to have an alibi—but each also having a skeleton in their closet—can Lady Hardcastle and Flo unravel this complex web of secrets and deception before the killer strikes again?