Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

“The ocean is big enough to take your grief and keep it safe for you, freeing up space in your heart for other things.” Told between the dual timelines of 1941 and 2011, The Storyteller of Casablanca features two female main characters. Josie, in 1941, is twelve years old. She is strong, feisty and determined to make the most of her unexpected time in Casablanca. Zoe, on the other hand, is completely out of her depth. She's struggling with her new surroundings, a baby daughter and no friends, and seems much happier behind the closed doors of her home. 🏡💕 I love any dual timeline novel, but it fast becomes a favourite if one timeline is during the Second World War. ❤️📖 I relished the author's insights into the sights, sounds and smells of Morocco. With the muezzin's call to prayer echoing across the city in the early morning and the fragrant smells as restaurants and homes begin cooking for the day, I found myself fully immersed in the lives of our two protagonists. 🇲🇦✨...

“Good will always battle evil,” he said. “Light will always fight the dark. In those moments, you’ll learn who you truly are.” ✨ OMG, I love this series. ❤️ Rites of the Starling was our Sequel Shelf pick for June for #thatbonkersbookclub, but I listened to it the week it was released—I just couldn't wait! I'd had it reserved on Libby for months. 🎧📚 I had absolutely no idea what was going on. 😂 I couldn't work out whether the two stories were dual timelines or running simultaneously, which, for me, made the story even more addictive. And no... I didn't guess! Every reveal came as a complete surprise. 🤯 Everything clicked into place in the end, but honestly, trying to figure it out was half the fun. The multiple storylines and narrators were incredible, and all three narrators brought so much passion to the story. ❤️ So many questions were answered, but even more have appeared—or are still complete mysteries. I loved the politics, the romance, the battles, and of cou...

"You have bacon, which, to be honest, I might recommend a total planet takeover just to have. Like, complete human annihilation." 🥓😂 The Bones Beneath My Skin is the fourth T.J. Klune book I've read this year, and I absolutely adore his writing. 💙 This one was our June read for #thatbonkersbookclub, and I managed to nab the sprayed-edge paperback edition. I tried very hard not to crack that gorgeous spine! 📚✨ This one has more of a sci-fi feel than the other Klune books I've read, but there's still plenty of magic, fantasy, and very real humans sprinkled throughout. Artemis (Art) is hilarious as she comes to grips with the outside world, learning how to be around people and working out the social and life skills she needs to blend in. She loves bacon—all the bacon—and honestly, I know exactly how she feels. 🥓😂 American bacon is so much better than what we have here in the UK! One of my favourite moments was when Nate first realised that Art was different, as...

"Love is the beginning and the ending, the space between heartbeats, the infinite everything that gives meaning." ✨ If fantasy, magic, romance, and incredible settings are your thing, then if you haven't already, you need to read this series. 📚✨ Ascended is the fourth and final book, and it's just as gripping and enthralling as the first three. The only difference this time is that all the questions are answered, and everything is wrapped up beautifully. ❤️ I loved everything about Ascended. I don't even know where to begin. 🥹 Of course, our favourite characters are back—some a little lost and perhaps fighting on the wrong side—and there are a few new ones thrown into the mix, which is always fun. I really enjoyed the 1920s New Orleans setting, the jazz scene, and all the characters that Cordelia, Raf and Rory came across. 🎷✨ There are so many twists, none of which I guessed, especially the big one... IYKYK! 👀🤯 This is a really, really long book, but it doesn...

"Other people's choices are not your failures." ❤️ I listened to Fury Bound immediately after Dire Bound, so I had no trouble remembering everything that had happened. It's definitely addictive, and now I need the next one! 😅 When does it come out again? Stark grew on me just as much as he grew on Meryn, and the bond between them and their wolves is so strong. 🐺❤️ If you've read Fourth Wing, then you'll know how sassy the dragons are—I loved that these wolves are just as full of attitude! 😂 There were some shock moments in Fury Bound that I definitely wasn't expecting. But hey, if you're in the middle of a war, there are bound to be deaths, right? 💔⚔️ I'm really keen to see what happens with the siphons and how they'll all pan out in the final book. Thank you to Libro.fm and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review Fury Bound by Sable Sorensen. 🎧📚 About the Book Against all odds, Meryn Cooper has inherited the crown—and...

“Confidence makes men sloppy. And sloppy men are easy targets.” I saw that Dire Bound was on the Libro.fm choice list and decided it was time for me to jump on the Wolves of Ruin series. I mean, I'm only a year or so behind, right?! 😅 I loved it. With its Fourth Wing and The Hunger Games vibes, I was invested from the beginning. Unusually for me when listening to an audiobook, I didn't feel like I'd zoned out at all. The dual narration brought the characters right into my ears as I joined every battle with Meryn and shared her frustration at being bonded to the ass of a Dire Wolf that is Anassa (see, it's even in her name! 😂🐺). A wolf who seems to have no patience or tolerance for the girl who really doesn't want to be bonded at all and is only there because she has no other choice. There are secrets around every corner, and just about everyone seems to have something against Meryn... or do they? 🤔 Maybe they're just trying to keep her safe. I listened to Fu...

"Sally lifts the fishfingers from the grill pan and turns off the gas under the tinned spaghetti." This quote is so English and so comforting. 🇬🇧✨ I love fishfingers and spaghetti hoops, ideally with homemade chips! 🍟 Anyway, I digress. This is my first book by Simon Michael, and I really liked it. A lot of the book is written across two timelines, 1942 and 1970, and is set predominantly in a tiny village in France. Much of it is loosely based on true events and characters, which makes it all the more chilling. 👀 Once Charles arrives in the small French village, he discovers, in a somewhat strange way, that he is surrounded by secrets, strangers, and a lot of anger. Seemingly without reason, he is thrown into the middle of the village's version of a court case and finds himself defending the accused. ⚖️ Eventually, all the mysteries are solved, but not without upset and danger along the way. 😬 Even though this is the eleventh Charles Holborne thriller, it doesn't...