Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a wonderful day today. I am bringing you my review of the first in the Gabriel Ward mystery series, the first book being called A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith.
Blurb/Synopsis:
The first in a delightful new mystery series set in the hidden heart of London’s legal world, introducing a wonderfully unwilling sleuth, perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Nita Prose.
When barrister Gabriel Ward steps out of his rooms at exactly two minutes to seven on a sunny May morning in 1901, his mind is so full of his latest case—the disputed authorship of bestselling children’s book Millie the Temple Church Mouse—that he scarcely registers the body of the Lord Chief Justice of England on his doorstep.
But even he cannot fail to notice the judge’s dusty bare feet, in shocking contrast to his flawless evening dress, nor the silver carving knife sticking out of his chest. In the shaded courtyards and ancient buildings of the Inner Temple, the hidden heart of London’s legal world, murder has spent centuries confined firmly to the casebooks. Until now . . .
The police can enter the Temple only by consent, so who better to investigate this tragic breach of law and order than a man who prizes both above all things? But murder doesn’t answer to logic or reasoned argument, and Gabriel soon discovers that the Temple’s heavy oak doors are hiding more surprising secrets than he’d ever imagined . . .
My Review: 4.5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I was not sure about this book to begin with. I was intrigued by the blurb but in general books that featured lawyers heavily haven’t been my favourites although those have all been thrillers, except for the series by Rob Rinder which I do love. So I was worried that the main character in this novel would be off-putting and a bit info-dumpy. However, I was proven wrong. I like Gabriel Ward, he is very logical and organised both in his character and his mindset and therefore, the way the crime and the subsequent investigation is presented is also very logical and organised. I don’t think that will work for everyone but it did work for me and it was his personality that drew me in very quickly. I thought the murder itself was very unique and intriguing. Each lead took me in a different direction and I couldn’t predict where the story was going to go next which was something I loved about this book.
Have any of you read this book? What did you think of it?
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a lovely day today. As I do every month, today I am going to share some of the book releases happening this month. Just to say, this is not a complete list only a few that I have seen around and the dates I give are based on the UK release dates.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews – 2nd April
A page-turning, unforgettable fantasy set in a city peopled with ruffians, spies, malcontents and murderers. Experience out-of-this world adventure and dangerous politics as Maggie tries to survive waking up in her favourite fictional world.
A heart-pounding epic from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.
When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy and naked in a gutter, it doesn’t take her long to recognize Kair Toren. It’s a city she knows intimately from the pages of a famously unfinished dark fantasy series – one she’s been obsessively reading and re-reading, while waiting years for the final novel.
Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic and mayhem? Her encyclopaedic knowledge of the plot, the setting and the characters’ ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she’s coming to love – a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to return home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes – and attentions – of duelling princes, dukes and villains. This all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the ending she’s seen on the a cataclysmic war.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse writing duo Ilona Andrews. For fans of Samantha Shannon, Sarah J. Maas, Danielle L. Jensen and isekai portal fantasy.
Release Me by Taherah Mafi – 8th April
The searing second volume in a new series set in the #1 global bestselling Shatter Me universe ten years after the fall of The Reestablishment.
Rosabelle Wolff had a plan. Now she wants revenge. To save her sister she needs to get back home and destroy the system that created her. Rosabelle’s greatest strength is her ability to deaden her mind and body; it’s the only way to survive the surveillance state of Ark Island. But lately her heart has been beating harder; her thoughts are spiraling; her defenses are coming undone.
And there’s only one person to blame.
James Anderson had a plan. Now he has nothing but problems. Rosabelle might be the ally they need in a fight against The Reestablishment, but no one wants to trust an enemy assassin. It doesn’t help that Rosabelle’s not much of a talker, doesn’t work well in groups, and kills people on instinct. Taking her side has cost James nearly everything—but keeping her alive might help save his world.
If only he could convince his older brother.
Aaron Warner Anderson has a headache. Something dark is coming, and Rosabelle’s arrival is just a prelude. In her, he sees shades of himself he can’t trust, and he can no longer get a read on the girl. She’s a dead battery, emanating no emotional feedback. At least not until James walks into a room…
Volcanic tension, breathless reveals, breakneck action—and a dystopian world that never stops raising the
Welcome back to The New Republic.
Flirting With Murder by Amanda Sellett – 21st April
The Agathas meets Thursday Murder Club in Amanda Sellet’s latest YA novel, a cozy mystery with a splash of romance.
Some people visit Florida for theme parks and beaches. High school junior Virginia Tillis is there for murder. Accidents, electrocution, tainted hand every victim meets a different end at her grandmother Lainey’s rococo pink condo. Such is life (and death) when you roll with a crew of theater retirees who roleplay murder mysteries from the comfort of their own home in a game they fondly call Killing Me Softly.
But this summer, fictional murder has given way to the very real death of the building’s beloved owner and his dramatic last testament has the vultures circling, from estranged relatives to sleazy property developers, dead set on getting the most from his will.
Adding to the tension for Virginia is the appearance of Felix, the cute guy she met at the airport who turns out to be the grandson of one of the condo’s residents. With his charm and musical theater chops, he’s the person Virginia most wants to beat at Killing Me Softly. That is, until the day they discover an actual dead body while playing the game, forcing them to work together to figure out whodunit.
In this comedic mystery about finding the Watson to your Holmes, Virginia and Felix must banter their way from rivals to co-detectives in time to save their eccentric grandparents from a shocking disruption to the community they’ve always loved.
The Antiquarian’s Object of Desire by India Holton – 23rd April
When two history professors and best friends are forced to fake hate to protect their reputations, chaos ensues, in the next rollicking historical-fantasy rom-com from beloved author India Holton.
Magical-antique experts Amelia Tarrant and Caleb Sterling have been best friends forever, although lately each has begun secretly wishing for more than friendship. But when rumors about their relationship spread, they’re forced to fake being enemies to protect their reputations and keep their jobs.
The resulting arguments spark havoc across Oxford University, and when they cause an explosion while fighting over a magical antique, it’s the final straw for their exasperated faculty head. He dispatches them to a job in Cumbria where even they can’t get into trouble.…
Which proves just how wrong one man can be. In a stormbound old manor house, Amelia and Caleb face magical mayhem and rampaging ghosts that make the previous havoc look mild in comparison. Most troublesome of all, though, is the secret of how they feel about each other. When it comes to tackling deadly antiques, hiding the truth in their hearts could destroy them for real.
The Thorn Queen by Sasha Peyton-Smith – 23rd April
Wed to one brother. In love with the other.
Bridgerton, The Selection, and The Cruel Prince collide in this Victorian-inspired romantasy; the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Rose Bargain.
Having won the hand of the faerie King Bram, Ivy is now Queen of England.
But with his ascension to the throne, Bram unleashed the fae into the human world. After hundreds of years of being kept from their favorite playthings, the Others are looking to make up for lost time—and they do, with wicked revelry that sweeps through the country.
To survive, Ivy acts the sweet, devoted wife. Behind the smile, she plots to banish her husband, save her sister Lydia, and reunite with the love of her life, Emmett.
Yet Emmet and Lydia are trapped in the Otherworld, where fae games are deadlier than ever—and a queen must play most viciously of all. Or see herself dethroned.
Forbidden romance, deceptive bargains, and lethal court intrigue intertwine in this mesmerizing, fae romantasy sequel that will captivate fans of Once Upon a Broken Heart and Belladonna.
Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan – 23rd April
Faeries disappeared over one hundred years ago, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. It was only the very foolish, or the very determined, who held out hope for their return.
Welcome to Thistlemarsh—a ramshackle estate where an impoverished orphan and a beguiling Faerie collide in an enchanting novel of love, revenge, and ruin.
In the wake of World War I, the world is a decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Battle of the Somme, her cousin’s body disappeared into the mud, and her brother was left with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams.
When Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her brother’s side and return to her childhood home to claim her birthright. But there is a catch in her uncle’s If Mouse does not rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month’s time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother.
It quickly becomes clear it’s impossible to repair the manor in the allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He offers to restore Thistlemarsh…for a price. Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie—especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant—but she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process.
How To Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin – 28th April
From the gritty streets of 1960s Soho to the lofty galleries of present-day West London, two interlocking mysteries decades apart unfold in this latest instalment in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Castle Knoll Murder Mystery series
Some secrets are deadlier than others
1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she’s stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington–a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her.
Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura’s new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest.
Annie is no stranger to murder–after all, she’s solved a few already. And something about this case feels familiar. She’s read about one just like it in the journals of her late great aunt Frances, whose friend Vera was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way.
As Annie investigates, threats pile up on Laura’s doorstep, and it soon becomes clear that she’s next. With her mother’s life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it’s too late?
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
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is the beginning of April, where has the time gone, and that means it is time to reflect on last month’s reading. March was an emotional month, a lot of ups and downs, but I managed to get a nice amount of reading done. Fingers crossed, but so far this year overall the books I have been reading have been great and I have found new favourites so hopefully, this will continue for the rest of 2026.
How was your reading in March? Did you have any stand out reads?
What I read in March:
From my TBR:
The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster – I did start to read this but about halfway through I did soft DNF it. Not because there was anything wrong with the book, there wasn’t. I was actually enjoying the story but it was a little slow going and at the time I had a lot going on in my life so it was a combination of pacing and outside of reading events that led to this DNF. I am sure I will finish it in the future though.
Death and the Harlot by Georgina Clarke – I did read this. This was a book that I wasn’t sure about, the premise sounded intriguing and I love a period mystery but it did take a minute to get into the action of the story. Once it did though I read it in one sitting and I really enjoyed it.
A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith – I did read this. I have recently discovered that a trope I enjoy in books is following a character who is a lawyer. This was such a fun mystery book and I am really looking forward to the second book.
A Grave Inheritance by Felicity Epps – I did read this. Not only did I read it, but it turned out to be my favourite read of March! I had no five stars this month but A Grave Inheritance and A Case of Mice and Murder were both very close.
The Burning Issue of the Day by T E Kinsey – I did read this. The next installment in the Lady Hardcastle mystery series, and another solid book for the series. (spoiler: I read another two of this series in March)
Murder on the Prince Regent by Irina Shapiro – I did read this. Actually it was one of my favourites in the Tate and Bell series so far. I do enjoy a mystery set on a boat.
A Game of Scandal by Laura Wood – I am currently reading this book and I am enjoying it but not as much as the second in the series.
Outside of my TBR I also read: A Fatal Obsession by Faith Martin, Death Beside the Seaside and The Fatal Flying Affair both by T E Kinsey, and I read Message Not Found by Dante Medema.
That means I did complete my TBR this month and I managed to read 11 books this month. I am very pleased with that amaount.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today.
Today I am bringing you my book review for the short novel Gallant by V E Schwaab. If you’ve read this book, let me know your thoughts down below. I’m interested because I saw lots of people’s opinons on this book ranging from the negative to the meh side of things before I read it and I think seeing these opinions are part of the reason I put this book off for so long despite loving most books by this author. Then I read it and I was annoyed at putting it off for so long because I really enjoyed it.
A darkly magical and thrilling tale of a young woman caught between the world and its shadows, who must embrace her legacy to stop the approaching darkness. The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black and Susan Cooper.
Fourteen-year-old Olivia Prior is missing three things: a mother, a father, and a voice. Her mother vanished all at once, and her father by degrees, and her voice was a thing she never had to start with. She grew up at Merilance School for Girls. Now, nearing the end of her time there, Olivia receives a letter from an uncle she’s never met, her father’s older brother, summoning her to his estate, a place called Gallant. But when she arrives, she discovers that the letter she received was several years old. Her uncle is dead. The estate is empty, save for the servants. Olivia is permitted to remain, but must follow two rules: don’t go out after dusk, and always stay on the right side of a wall that runs along the estate’s western edge. Beyond it is another realm, ancient and magical, which calls to Olivia through her blood…
My Review:
As I said, I put this book off for ages and I regret that now because I sat down and didn’t move again until I had finished the book. I really enjoyed it. It has this secluded, tense, gothic atmosphere surrounding it and everything is a bit confusing and mysterious – maybe there’s something wrong with me because I love that feeling where you are confused alongside your main character. I especially loved that aspects that perhaps shouldn’t feel alive, very much did. For example, the house Olivia arrives at – Gallant – it’s just a house but it seems to be full of its own life and its own ideas that makes it feel like a living, breathing thing. In such a short book it is very clever to be able to give that feeling. This books gave me the feeling of a lighter version of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, which I also love.
Happy Monday Bookish People! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is the end of February, for being a short month a lot has happened. I won’t share all the details but I will say that because of everything that has happened this month, my reading took a big dip around halfway through the month. Which is a shame because I am excited for a lot of books so hopefully I can get back to reading soon. In saying this, the first half of the month was great – I made progress on my goals for the year of enjoying the books I am reading and also reading down my series’.
How has your reading been in February?
Let’s get onto the books I managed to read this month!
From my TBR:
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson – I did read this! Finally, after putting off this final book in the series for so long I did read it and I enjoyed it, though I was shocked by how dark it was for a YA book.
A Death in Diamonds by S J Bennett – I did read this which brings me up to date with the books that I own in this series, I believe there is one more after this that is out already but I don’t yet own it. This was one of my favourites from this series so far.
Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco – One of my most anticipated books of 2026, I am currently reading and loving this book. Prince Sloth! I have been waiting forever for Sloth’s book. His castle is literally one massive library.
Murder on Platform Four by Irina Shapiro – Book five in the Tate and Bell investigation series. I did read this.
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo – another series complete because I did read this. This one I was also putting off, I didn’t love the first book in the series but I did enjoy siege and storm and I liked this one overall.
The Midnight Carousel – Oof! I did technically read this… I read 100 pages or so before I ended up DNF’ing it. It was just boring and there were time skips that didn’t make sense, it just was not for me.
Outside of my TBR I read: Gallant by V E Schwaab, A Picture of Murder by T E Kinsey and the fourth and fifth installments in the Pages and Co series by Anna James.
This means, I read all six books on my February TBR (yay!) and I read another four books outside of it which gives me 10 books overall for the month. That is actually a lot more than I thought it would be because of how my life has been this month but I am very happy with that. Currently, my favourite read this month is Gallant by V E Schwaab but… this could change as I am not very far into Throne of Nightmares yet.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is February and that means it is time to think about my TBR for this month.
February is only a short month so I have made my TBR a bit shorter too, if I finish it then I get the fun of choosing any books I like from my shelves.
One thing I wanted to achieve this year was to continue (and finish!) the series’ that I have already started so this month I am making some progress with this plan.
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is December and so it is time to share some of the books that are being released this month. As always, I am nowhere near a complete list, most of the time I have only seen a couple but I am glad to share any that I can.
Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson – 9th December
Spanning the genres of fantasy and science fiction, this collection features stories from beyond the bounds of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe.
Along with the never-before-seen novella ‘Moment Zero’, Tailored Realities will include ‘Snapshot’, ‘Perfect State’, ‘Defending Elysium’ (a novella set within the world of Skyward), and five other stories that were originally published individually elsewhere – never before collected into one volume, and many never before available in print.
In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams – 30th December
🥕 Chef x Farmer 🥕 Brother’s Best Friend 🥕 He Fell First 🥕 Friends to Lovers 🥕 Meddling Townsfolk
Madison Walker was determined to make it in the culinary world of New York. But with her dreams shattered, she returns home to Rome, Kentucky, where an unexpected chance to rebuild her life awaits her – a head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant.
Better In Black by Cassandra Clare – 4th December
Ten couples. United by love. Divided by danger.
Jace and Clary seek out an exiled Shadowhunter and learn that love can save the world – or destroy it. Will and Tessa are enjoying their honeymoon in Paris when a séance sends them down an unexpected path. Simon and Izzy are together in New York when they observe increased demonic activity.
These are just a few of the beloved couples whose romantic escapades will have you on the edge of your seat across time and storylines from Cassandra Clare’s expansive Shadowhunters series. Don’t miss a chance to reunite with:
Anna and Ari Emma and Julian Kieran, Mark, and Cristina James and Cordelia Thomas and Alastair Sebastian and the Seelie Queen Jocelyn andLuke
A love letter to every Shadowhunter fan, and perfect for any romantasy lover, this riveting story collection also includes a sneak peek at The Wicked Powers, the majestic trilogy that will be the grand finale of the entire series.
Relive the love stories that started it all or begin your Shadowhunters obsession with the first in each series: City of Bones, Clockwork Angel or Chain of Gold.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. Today I am bringing you my book review for Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man by Jesse Sutanto. This is the second book in the Vera Wong series about a chinese mother who gets herself involved in murder investigations.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Vera Wong is back and as meddling as ever in this follow-up to the hit Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.…
Ever since a man was found dead in Vera’s teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She’s surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly’s girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn’t be ungrateful, even if one is slightly…bored.
Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena’s, Vera finds a treasure Selena’s briefcase. Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer—who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for.
Online, Xander had it all, a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can’t seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.
Vera is determined to solve Xander’s murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and there is nothing she wouldn’t do for her future daughter-in-law.
My Review:
This being the second book in a series there’s always the chance that the second book is not as good as the first but I definitely enjoyed this one as much as Vera Wong’s unsolicited advice for murderers. I like the character of Vera Wong because although she can be abrasive and difficult sometimes but she is loyal and lends her strength to other characters who need it. She just wants to help and that’s a nice thing to see in a character. I enjoy the mystery portions of these books too because they are just complicated enough, not too overcomplicated but intriguing and there is definitely breadcrumbs left for the reader to find along the way. I will be awaiting the third novel.
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