My Review for Christmas Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft

I've literally just finished this book and I can't stop smiling, for lots of reasons, just one being that the lovely Donna Ashcroft has included me in the acknowledgements of her latest book. As a book blogger, it's the little things like this that make all the reading and reviewing worthwhile.

The entire book made me smile, it was Christmassy, and cuddly, and cosy and I loved it. I have to admit there were tears at the end, but I promise, they were happy tears.

Christmas Resort is a holiday village in the Scottish Highlands where it's Christmas all year round and where people visit to experience mince pies, hot chocolate, sparkling reindeer statues, crackling log fires and twinkly fairy lights everywhere. Many of the people who live, work and visit Christmas Resort find themselves on a journey of self-discovery and through a myriad of emotions usually leave in a better place than when they arrived....or just don't leave at all!

I'd thoroughly recommend that you buy yourself a copy of Donna's latest book or add it to your Wishlist for Christmas. It's such a lovely read, whatever the weather and will make you dream of Christmastime.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Christmas Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft.

Book Description

Welcome to Christmas Resort, the festive retreat where the scent of cinnamon is in the air and chocolate yule log is eaten all year round! But with the resort in trouble, can Holliday Harrison save Christmas and find true love along the way?

Thirty-year-old Holliday Harrison is throwing herself into the festive season to give her life some purpose after losing her fiancé three years ago. Working at Christmas Resort, an all-year-round holiday village, with its sparkling lights and community of quirky characters, is the warm environment she needs right now. But everything is about to change…

When handsome, blue-eyed businessman Damon MacAndrew arrives to stay in one of the cute log cabins, at first Holly is intrigued. Why has this serious stranger come to such a jolly place? But then he makes his plan clear: Damon wants to buy the resort and change everything about it.

Determined to put Damon off Christmas Resort, Holly is soon engineering cold showers and setting him up to get lost in the maze. But with freshly baked cookies and delicious hot chocolate available on tap in such a magical setting, it’s hard to find ways to make the resort seem unappealing… Holliday tries her hardest to fight for the resort but the romance of Christmas seems to have other ideas.

As they take sleigh rides together and spend long evenings in front of the log fire she can’t deny the sizzling attraction between them. But has Damon really fallen in love with the magic of Christmas, or is he still a cold-hearted businessman? And will this this turn out to be the best Christmas ever… or will it end in heartbreak?

This sparkling, festive read featuring an enemies-to-lovers romance is completely addictive and moreish! A gorgeous winter romance that will have you glued to the pages. Fans of Cathy Bramley, Trisha Ashley and Debbie Macomber will love this delicious Christmas romance.

Author Bio

Donna Ashcroft was born in London, England and grew up in Buckinghamshire. She went to university in Lancashire and, among other things, worked as a copywriter, buyer, waitress, secretary and marketing manager.

Donna was shortlisted for the RNA Debut Romantic Novel of the Year in 2019. She lives in Hertfordshire, with her own romantic hero, two grown up kids (who aren't always home) and two very grumpy cats. She loves a happy ending and is never happier than when she's escaping into a romance novel or movie.

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My Review for The Christmas Promise by Lindsay Gibson

I don’t live in the US, and I’ve never visited New England, but now I want to go and visit the fictional town of Seabreeze and stay at Cove Hill Inn. I want to watch the snow falling, make gingerbread cookies and curl up in front of a roaring fire.

The Christmas Promise is my second Christmassy read. It’s beautiful and warm and cosy and romantic and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in Charlotte’s family’s lives for just 24 hours, because that’s how long it took me to read it. Granted, I was in the car for 6 of those hours (I wasn’t driving) and I read for the whole time!

Charlotte is on a mission to discover the history behind a painting she’s recently purchased for the art gallery she works at and the answers will hopefully lie in the small coastal town on Seabreeze.

If you’re ready for a Christmas read then I’d thoroughly recommend that you get yourself a copy of this, make yourself a hot chocolate, pretend that it’s already snowing outside and lose yourself in this snuggly story.

Thank you to Harpeth Road Press for the opportunity to read and review a copy of The Christmas Promise by Lindsay Gibson.

Book Description

Art buyer Charlotte Moore is given the chance of a lifetime to be head buyer for the esteemed Wallace Gallery’s Christmas charity gala. But when she arrives at auction, after the most prominent pieces are all bought up, in a panic, she bids on the final painting—an unsigned sunset landscape she’s nearly sure her boss will despise.

To save her job, she finds herself in the beautifully festive New England coastal town of Seabreeze, the setting of the painting. When a nor’easter blows through, she’s stuck at the adorable Cove Hill Inn, all decorated for the holiday and brimming with Christmas magic. While it’s not an awful place to be snowed in, her ability to work is at a standstill, with the gala looming closer.

And she isn’t expecting to meet the innkeeper’s soon, ruggedly handsome Aiden Bennett, a distraction she definitely doesn’t need. Even the inn’s cherry scones and the town’s Christmas fair are no match for Aiden’s charm.

However, when she uncovers a family secret that could impact everyone, including herself and Aiden, it might shake up more than just the holiday. Under the shimmer of the town twinkle lights and the snow-covered Christmas trees, will Charlotte find the answers she’s looking for? Or has she unearthed something else entirely?

A heartwarming, holiday love story that will have you on the edge of your seat, reaching for the gingerbread cookies and hot cocoa.

Author Bio

Lindsay’s first book, her memoir, Just Be: How my Stillborn Son Taught Me to Surrender, won the Book Excellence finalist award in 2018. She has been featured in Elephant Journal, Green Child Magazine, and Self Magazine.

Lindsay now writes emotional romantic fiction, full of heartfelt love, good friends, and family, sprinkled with humor and tender warmth, where her characters discover that love is the reason for everything. Her debut romantic fiction novel The Christmas Promise with Harpeth Road Press set in a charming New England town at the holidays is now available.

When not writing fiction, she is working on her exclusive weekly newsletter Love is the Reason about all things love, food and healthy living. She spends the rest of her days chasing her three daughters around their hometown in Connecticut and hanging out with her Irish husband whose brogue still makes her blush.

Lindsay is available for book talks, speaking engagements and interviews both online and in person

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My Review for Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors by Elias Pell read by Jay Forrester

I was lucky enough to receive an Advance Listening Copy of Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors from the author, and I was really honoured to be one of the first to listen.

We are told the story from the point of view of a man called Zoofall, who has shut himself into his room to tell us the tale. Steggie is the boss in the dreamworld and Zoofall is the new recruit. This book is full of fantasy, myth and magic and goes far, far beyond the world of even lucid dreaming. 

I simply loved how Zoofall came to realise that he was different and that he could travel throughout the dreamworld on quests and adventures. Even when you’re dreaming, the world is full of bad people as well as good ones and yes, there is a fair share of enemies for the band of warriors to contend with whilst they’re asleep!

Elias Pell has such a fantastic imagination, writing the story as he does, it’s full of amazing imagery and to me, the sign of a great author is one who can make you believe that what you are reading is true, even in fantasy. When I closed my eyes at night, I went looking for Steggie Belle, Wolf and Zoofall, but alas, I didn’t find them!

If you enjoy fantasy, world-building and a brilliant story, then grab a copy of Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors. The audiobook is awesome, and Jay Forrester’s voice will draw you into Steggie’s world as he talks in your ears! Kindle and paperback versions are also available.

Thank you to Elias Pell for the opportunity to listen to and review Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors. I really hope he has more than one sequel up his sleeve.

Book Description

“What if our understanding of dreams is just a poor reflection of another place… 

a real place?”

During a storm, a man who calls himself Zoofall has barricaded himself inside an attic. He has only seven candles worth of time to reveal his extraordinary secrets. How, when he was a child, he discovered the existence of a wild other world, where Reality and Mythology meet, beyond the limits of Lucid Dreaming.

As a boy, after a freak accident results in him making a peculiar acquaintance, a lengthy initiation follows, and Zoofall finally finds himself welcomed into a group of other young dreamers—who call themselves the Freedivers. They teach him hidden truths and the long-forgotten, true history of humankind. Of how the dream and waking worlds, although now separated, were once united as one, until the “cross-overs” began. They show him that the stuff of ancient myths and fairy tales, of folklore and urban legends have never been imaginary at all. These beings had simply migrated for their own safety, away from the waking world, and that these “crossings” are by no means one-way.

Within this magical and terrifyingly real realm, Zoofall must figure out if his own unusual powers make him a possible saviour or a dangerous burden. As dark forces rise up, threatening to engulf their group, he must uncover the greatest mystery of all. Who their incredible leader—Steggie Belle—really is, how she became so powerful, and if by any chance she can be saved?

About the Author

Elias Pell is a London-born, previously published poet and self-confessed dreamer. Disguised as an adult (children have somehow always been able to see through this facade) Elias left England in 2016, putting all his savings towards the dream of writing full-time. Since then, he has sat, scribbling away on a rooftop in Barcelona, spurred on by the raucous cries of seagulls circling overhead. 

Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors is Elias’s debut Fantasy novel: a story inspired by his own lifelong Lucid Dreaming experiences. In 2020, it was awarded as a Finalist in the Fantasy category of NIEA’s global annual competition (the only self-published novel to reach that shortlist). 

Elias has also published a collection of short stories for adults, entitled Scapegoats & Crowbars, and is currently working on the sequel to Steggie Belle, alongside other new writing projects. He is currently seeking representation, and can be contacted directly at elias.pell75@gmail.com. 

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My Review for The Traitor by Ava Glass

The Traitor by Ava Glass may well be up there with my top reads of 2023. It was soooooo good! I turned the pages so quickly, I’m surprised they didn’t rip! It was simply brilliant, very James Bond-esque, fast-paced, and full of spies, traitors and gadgets. I was just over halfway through when I thought I’d worked out who ‘the traitor’ was and I was right, although as the book progressed I did begin to have my doubts! Working out who the baddie was didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book at all. In fact, it probably made it more fun as Emma and her colleagues tried to work it out, too.

I loved the vivid descriptions which Ava Glass produced as she wrote about Emma’s time on the yacht and in the various European cities. It all just felt so warm and inviting, a great contrast to what was going on in the spy world!

The Traitor is the first book I have read from Ava Glass and although it’s the second in the series, I really don’t think this matters. It can definitely be read as a standalone, but I will be going back and reading the first one.

Thank you to Century Books UK for the opportunity to read and review The Traitor by Ava Glass.

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My Review for Shadow Angel (Detective Beth Katz #2) by D.K. Hood

I love this new team of Detectives Beth Katz and Dax Styles that D.K Hood has created.

They’re back with a new serial killer to bring down. A serial killer who has a very weird set-up, which only becomes more strange as you read further. As with the first book, I was hooked. I wanted to finish it to discover whether weirdo got his comeuppance, but I also didn’t want it to end.

Beth doesn’t like these bad guys in the world and sometimes both she and Styles go rogue and go a little off-piste to remove them from society, but this is what makes both of them such interesting characters. I’d definitely want her on my side in a fight!

I’m hoping I don’t have to wait too long for the next book, but in the meantime, check those trigger warnings and get yourself off to the bookshop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read Shadow Angel by D.K. Hood.

Book Description

An absolutely addictive and nail-biting crime thriller (Detective Beth Katz Book 2):

In a dark cabin, a young woman sits totally still. Long dark hair hangs over her shoulders and heavy makeup adorns her pale face. Cherry red lips offer a hint of a smile, but she won’t ever smile again. Her body is already cold to the touch…

When black crows are spotted circling over an abandoned cabin in the woods near Rattlesnake Creek, FBI agent Beth Katz and her maverick partner Dax Styles fear something is very wrong. Beth has been hunting serial killers for years, and as she races to the forest she vows to serve her own form of justice, whatever the cost…

Cassie Durham’s friends reported her missing when she didn’t return home from a local bar a few days ago. Now, Cassie sits in darkness, her last breath taken days before. Beth notices the rouged cheeks and bright blue eyeshadow are nothing like the pictures she’s seen of Cassie alive. Did someone add the heavy makeup and pose her like this after death?

When another woman vanishes from a night out, Beth is convinced a twisted killer is in town. A clue on the dark web leads her to a local late-night hangout. Going undercover, she learns that when both girls vanished they were being watched by someone at the back of the crowded room.

Noticing a man following her every move, Beth knows she has one chance to capture him. With a knife in her pocket and hellbent on saving another innocent life, Beth is already sure she’s going to be the killer tonight. Otherwise she will become his next victim…

Author Bio

D.K Hood is The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 Amazon Million Copy Bestselling Author.

D.K's spine chilling, fast paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex- special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K 's imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title "Queen of Suspense" by her reviewers, D.K 's writing style offers her readers a movie style, sizzling fast thrill ride.

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My Review for Dark Angel (Detective Beth Katz #1) by D.K. Hood

Wow! What a start to a brand-new series by D.K. Hood. Detective Beth Katz is great, I loved her and her sidekick, Dax Styles. We have recently visited Montana, so the mentions of bears and elk, and the scenery, had me invested from the beginning.

Hood brought me right into the heart of the story with her writing, describing scenes in such detail I could almost smell the metallic tang of the blood and the yummy smells of TJ’s diner.

Beth has her own unique way of dealing with serial killers, but you’ll have to read Dark Angel to discover just what that is and what happened in her tragic past.

There are lots of trigger warnings so check these out before you buy the book, but as long as you’re ok with them all and you enjoy an FBI police procedural with a difference, then I’d highly recommend Dark Angel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Dark Angel by D.K. Hood.

Book Description

A gripping and unputdownable FBI agent thriller (Detective Beth Katz Book 1)In the dark pine forest surrounding the quiet town of Rattlesnake Creek, the body of a young girl lies on the ground. Her angelic blonde hair spills over her shoulders and her unblinking eyes stare up toward the sky…

It was Beth Katz’s serial killer father who made her like she is: a successful FBI agent and an unstoppable vigilante dedicated to hunting down murderers who have evaded capture. Beth will push herself to the limits to deliver justice. Even if it means killing those who deserve to die.

When the body of missing schoolgirl Brooklyn Daniels is discovered in a secluded patch of woodland on the outskirts of town, Beth and her partner Dax Styles race to the scene. Brooklyn and her best friend left home to pick wildflowers a week ago and vanished without trace.

Taking in Brooklyn’s body carefully laid on a blanket and the dress neatly folded next to her, Beth suddenly freezes. She’s seen this before: in the files of a cold case. The perpetrator takes two girls—one vanishes, the other is killed and left with her clothes beside her. Now Beth knows she has a twisted serial killer on her hands, she’ll stop at nothing to catch him. Even if it means going against Dax’s orders…

Desperate to find the other missing girl, Beth’s heart pounds as she puts herself up as bait and walks into the secluded forest, knowing evil is lurking nearby. With Dax watching her every move, Beth prays the gamble pays off. Can she outsmart the murderer, or did she just walk into a trap? And when Beth finally comes face to face with the killer, will she hand him over or serve justice of her very own?

Author Bio

D.K Hood is The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 Amazon Million Copy Bestselling Author.

D.K's spine chilling, fast paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex- special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K 's imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title "Queen of Suspense" by her reviewers, D.K 's writing style offers her readers a movie style, sizzling fast thrill ride.

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My Review for I'll Miss You This Christmas by Lucy Mitchell

I cried, I laughed, and I talked aloud to the characters. I’ll Miss You This Christmas is my first seasonal read for 2023 and it’s set the bar high for the others on my TBR.

I had to shout at Emily and Rory often throughout the book. They were frustrating and neither of them was admitting to what they wanted, which was ultimately each other. Felix was adorable, and I loved how he was communicating with his Mum. Such an awesome thing to do to keep her memory alive. Baxter was a sweetie but I have to admit, I was a little worried that he’d get squished somewhere on all those long train journeys!

Lucy Mitchell writes sensitively about some heart-crushing subjects and she does so with love and compassion.

If you want a book for Christmas, then I’d definitely recommend asking Santa for this or just buy it for yourself at any time of year. Hell, I read it in 30 degree heat in the garden in September!

Thank you to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read and review I’ll Miss You This Christmas by Lucy Mitchell.

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My Review for The Island of Adventure (Adventure Series #1) by Enid Blyton

This weekend was hot, far too hot to do anything at all. This is unusual in September in the UK, but there you have it. I needed something easy to read that was going to require zero effort, so I reverted back to my childhood and picked up one of my Enid Blyton books. The Island of Adventure is the first in the Adventure series and one I haven’t read for aeons! I remembered the characters' names, Philip, Dinah, Jack and Lucy-Ann, but that’s all I remembered. I didn’t recall how they met or how their adventures started, so it was like going in as a first-time reader.

The Island of Adventure is fast-paced, exciting and, as the title suggests, adventurous. I love Enid Blyton’s writing, her sense of wit and all her old-fashioned ideals. You know the ones, where women should stay at home and do the housekeeping, the kids should probably be at boarding school and the Dad earns the money. Well, as long as you see past all this - the book was first published in 1946, so just keep that in your head - it’s a brilliant escapism for a few hours. Oh and it’s also full of bad men who lock kids in a cave when they get caught and don’t care if they get lost and starve to death in mines! What isn’t to love! I forgot how I used to read quickly to find out what was going to happen next, and this hasn’t changed. I often skimmed to the end of the page to see if the baddies were going to get away!

From what I can gather from my Bookstagram friends on the other side of the pond, Enid Blyton, although known worldwide, never quite made it across the Atlantic, and I have no idea why, but honestly, I would urge you to introduce yourselves and your children to this amazing author. I promise you won’t regret it.

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My Review for The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, read by Samara MacLaren

If you love witches, fantasy, magic and a book that can make you believe all this could be real, then I can guarantee you will love The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Mika Moon packs up all her belongings and takes herself and her dog to a remote location in Norfolk, and very quickly finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of Nowhere House.

Until I started listening to this book, I had no idea that it was set in Norfolk in the east of England. I moved here just last summer, so a book set in the same place I’m living gets a huge tick. Then I found out that the author lives just a few miles up the road in Norwich, a city in Norfolk, so I get even more excited!

Each and every character is unique and quirky and lovable. There’s excitement and magic, spells and romance, acceptance and family and love.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narrator, Samara MacLaren, was outstanding. She brought the characters to life and added atmosphere along the way. 

If all this sounds like your sort of thing, then I’d urge you to grab a copy for yourself ready for the witchy season.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

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My Review for The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Classic Lit Book Club’s August read was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and I was so excited to read this one. I chose the Wordsworth Edition just because the cover was so pretty.

I had already seen the movie, the one with Leonardo DiCaprio, but I couldn’t remember much about it apart from the parties! I gained so much more from reading the book. Gatsby very much wanted to be the life and soul of the party and thought he could buy people’s love and affection. It was sad that most of the people (in fact probably all of them apart from Nick) couldn’t have cared less about Gatsby. They turned up to his parties, had a good time at his expense, and went home again.  

I really disliked Daisy, whether it was intentional or not, she used people. In my opinion, she was selfish and didn’t think about how her actions would affect those around her.

The ending is tragic and not something I remembered from the movie. I kept going back over the same page time and again, asking myself whether I’d really just read that.

I am definitely going to re-read this when I get a gap in my schedule. I think it is the sort of book where you would discover something different the next time around. 

This is one of my favourite quotes from Nick and sums up the book nicely I think. 

“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”

Thank you to #classiclitbookclub for choosing The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald as August's book to read. I'm looking forward to Frankenstein in September.

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