Thursday, February 20, 2025

My Review for Happy Place by Emily Henry, read by Julia Whelan



How have I not read an Emily Henry book before?! 

This is my first venture into Emily's stories, and it won't be my last. I especially loved listening to the audiobook and was drawn into the friends lives, hook, line and sinker. The story flits between when the friends all first met, the following years, and the present day. It was great to hear how they all got together, and of course what they're all doing now. 

Emily writes about the importance of friendship, but also how people can and do drift apart as life continues for them all in different directions and the difficulties that can occur whilst trying to maintain the relationships. I liked Harriet, but I loved Wyn, he's insecure and constantly putting himself down, together they make a magical couple - if only they could see that. 

I can't relate to meeting up with old friends once a year, because a) I'm not in touch with any friends from my dim and distant past and b) I can't think of anything worse haha! Sociable I'm not!

Thank you to #BookstaBritsBookClub for choosing Happy Place as February's book to read.

About the Book


Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?


About Emily

Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Happy Place, Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites.

 





Monday, February 17, 2025

My Review for Love & Misdirection by Mari Jane Law



Loved it! I've enjoyed all Mari Jane's books, but this one has just become my favourite. If you like a good rom-com then you need to read this series!

Harmony and James are an incredible couple - well, not a couple at the beginning, but you'll soon work out where it's going! There wasn't a thing I didn't enjoy about this book. Tim was adorable, Saskia was hilarious, James was a sweetie and Harmony just didn't want to upset anyone. There was heartbreak and some difficult decisions to be made, but with the love and support from friends (and sometimes family), everything in Love & Misdirection slots nicely into place as the story progresses. Mari Jane Law intertwines several difficult subjects into the storyline, and it works well as we get to know all the new characters, as well as catch up with old friends. I laughed out loud at parts and my heart was breaking in others, but I loved it a lot. 

Each of Mari Jane's books can be read as a standalone, but if you start at the beginning, you'll be introduced to the characters and their lives from the start, rather than then appearing randomly in the middle of the story. 

Thank you to Mari Jane Law and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review Love & Misdirection.




About the Book

Two people. Two personal tragedies. Can an outrageous lie bring them together?

Harmony Payne is at breaking point. She’s survived being dumped, losing her musical career and a lifesaving operation that rendered her childless. But when she discovers an abandoned newborn, the door to her agonising past re-opens. Hope and longing for motherhood grow—but can she keep the baby? Being engaged might increase her chances of adopting the foundling, but the only eligible man she knows is her judgemental new neighbour…

James Traffurth is still grieving for his wife and younger child. Moving into a cottage opposite the children’s home where Harmony lives and works, the fresh start he wishes for with his wayward older son becomes complicated. The last thing James needs is a fake engagement. Yet...

Life is never simple with troubled youngsters, a clueless employee and mums with adorable babies. While Harmony’s yearning to build a family, James is valiantly trying to rescue what’s left of his.

Will Harmony ever become a mother—and will she and James find happiness together?



About Mari Jane

Mari Jane Law lives in the UK and loves cats and chocolate – and books, TV series and films that make her laugh, preferably while making an emotional connection.

Her Catholic upbringing inspired some great fictional characters – whether Catholic or not – helping her to write humorous stories with protagonists readers could engage with, root for and follow to a satisfying conclusion. Having read many romances, Mari wanted to write off the beaten track and, if using a trope, develop it very differently from how it has been executed before in her reading, bringing freshness to her writing, surprising and delighting romance lovers.

There is a new romance in each title of the Love & Mishaps Quirky Romantic Comedy Standalone Series, and the world in which the characters live remains the same. As sub-plots run throughout the series, reading the books in order will maximise enjoyment. 

She hopes those who buy or borrow her work have as much fun reading it as she had in writing it.

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and The Society of Authors.





Thursday, February 13, 2025

My Review for Love in the Cupboard by Mari Jane Law


Hope sleeps in a hearse - but this is a romantic comedy though, so don't be alarmed! 

The storyline of a Catholic priest, (who doesn't want to be a Catholic priest any more), and his new life, as a sacramental photographer is hilarious, as he tries to wend his way through life 'on the outside'. His naivety, and the sheltered life he's led, away from the real world, make for an unconventional read. But who wouldn't want to meet the future love of their life in a cupboard?!!! It would be a funny story to tell the grandkids. 

If you enjoy the miscommunication trope, then this is definitely a book for you. I think every relationship in here lacks communication at one point or another, and many a time I wanted to bang their heads together! However, as expected, everything has its 'happy ever after', and I dare you to try not to laugh out loud, at least a few times, as you're reading. 

I found this to be a quirky and fun book in the next in Mari Jane Law's Love and Mishaps series. It can definitely be read as a standalone, but you'll have more of an idea who the characters are if you read Love & Pollination first. I'm thinking that Miranda will be our protagonist in the next in the series??

Thank you to Mari Jane Law and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review Love in the Cupboard.


About the Book

A Catholic priest seeks a wife. A betrayed woman needs an honest man. What could possibly go wrong?

When Father Thomas Sheridan encounters Faith in a dark cupboard, he believes he’s found his future wife. But Tom isn’t brave enough to tell her the truth...

When Faith meets Tom in the office kitchenette, she can’t stand him. No matter, she’s fallen for the mysterious man she met in the cupboard and can’t wait to meet him again. Oh, and she’s got a new rule: one lie and he’s out. She’s not getting duped again.

But everyone loves Tom. From Perdita, Faith’s friend, to Hope, her chronically ill sister—who’s on the lookout for a man herself. And neighbours Luke and Gavin—who’ve fallen out over Luke wanting a baby. They urge Faith to give Tom a chance. But how can she have strong feelings for two men? And even worse, how will she react when she discovers that Tom is the man in the cupboard—and, heaven forbid, a Catholic priest?

Love in the Cupboard: A charming, sweet, quirky, farcical, hilarious, enemies to lovers, forbidden love, contemporary romance set in Bristol, UK. It is the second in the series but can be read as a standalone novel.


About Mari Jane

Mari Jane Law lives in the UK and loves cats and chocolate – and books, TV series and films that make her laugh, preferably while making an emotional connection.

Her Catholic upbringing inspired some great fictional characters – whether Catholic or not – helping her to write humorous stories with protagonists readers could engage with, root for and follow to a satisfying conclusion. Having read many romances, Mari wanted to write off the beaten track and, if using a trope, develop it very differently from how it has been executed before in her reading, bringing freshness to her writing, surprising and delighting romance lovers.

There is a new romance in each title of the Love & Mishaps Quirky Romantic Comedy Standalone Series, and the world in which the characters live remains the same. As sub-plots run throughout the series, reading the books in order will maximise enjoyment. 

She hopes those who buy or borrow her work have as much fun reading it as she had in writing it.

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and The Society of Authors.

















Wednesday, February 12, 2025

My Review for The Color Purple by Alice Walker, read by Alice Walker



The Color Purple is one of the most amazing, heart-breaking, and powerful novels I have ever listened to.

Chosen as February's book for our #classiclitbookclub, I did start to read the physical book, but the language was difficult, and I soon opted for the audiobook version, read by the author. This is the way I would 100% recommend anyone who isn't au fait with the African American vernacular English, broach the novel, as it will make a lot more sense and adds to the authenticity of the entire story. 

I especially loved the strength and tenacity of the female characters, as they grew in age, and confidence, eventually standing up to their male counterparts and becoming forces to be reckoned with, in their own right. 

The entire book is written as letters, initially from Celie to God and then from the sisters, Celie to Nettie and vice versa. I cannot express how much I enjoyed listening to this, and I will definitely be revisiting it, and I will probably be giving the physical book another try.

About the Book

The Color Purple is a classic. With over a million copies sold in the UK alone, it is hailed as one of the all-time 'greats' of literature, inspiring generations of readers.

Set in the deep American South between the wars, it is the tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker - a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually, Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.

About Alice

Alice Walker (born February 9, 1944, Eatonton, Georgia, U.S.) is an American writer whose novels, short stories, and poems are noted for their insightful treatment of African American culture. Her novels, most notably The Color Purple (1982), focus particularly on women.

Walker was the eighth child of African American sharecroppers. While growing up she was accidentally blinded in one eye, and her mother gave her a typewriter, allowing her to write instead of doing chores. In an interview with The New York Times in 1983, Walker described her parents as “both storytellers. They always spoke with metaphorical richness.” When she was eight years old, Walker was sent to live with her grandparents for a year in rural Georgia. In a TimesTalk interview in 2015, she remembered them both as “so kind, so giving,” but they had had a turbulent past caused by her grandfather’s alcohol use. Her grandfather eventually recovered from alcoholism and changed his life for the better. (During her TimesTalk interview Walker said that this experience led her to wonder “how could people who were so wonderful, when I knew them, be terrible when I didn’t know them?” Her wondering led her to write The Color Purple, because she “had to show what happened to them and why they were like that,” describing the experience of writing the novel as a form of “reclamation.”).

Walker received a scholarship to attend Spelman College, where she studied for two years before transferring to Sarah Lawrence College. After graduating in 1965, Walker moved to Mississippi and became involved in the civil rights movement. She also began teaching and publishing short stories and essays. She married Melvyn Rosenman Leventhal, a white Jewish civil rights attorney, in New York City in 1967, after which they moved to Mississippi, becoming the state’s first legally married interracialcouple. In her introduction to a collection of her journals, Gathering Blossoms Under Fire (2022), Walker wrote: “There was a long tradition of white men having Black mistresses in the South. That was not going to be my path. So I proposed to Mel, and he happily obliged. Apart from our love, it was important politically for us to be legally married.” They had one daughter, the writer and feminist activist Rebecca Walker, but their life in Mississippi was isolating and lonely, as Walker recorded in her journals. The family was subject to threats from the Ku Klux Klan, and Leventhal was often away working on legal cases involving civil rights throughout the state. The couple divorced in 1976.



Tuesday, February 11, 2025

My Review for Love & Pollination by Mari Jane Law (February 2025)


It isn't very often that I re-read a book, however when the opportunity arose for me to read the next two books which Mari Jane Law has written, I just had to go back and re-read her first book which I remembered absolutely loving!

Love & Pollination is brilliant. The story is funny, the characters are hilarious, Perdita is quirky and adorable, and in her own, neurodivergent way she creates a whole new set of words for human reproduction, including 'pollination' for pregnancy! I'm sorry Mari Jane Law, but the 'uprooting' reference reminded me of the mandrakes in Professor Sprout's greenhouse - probably not the image you were going for!

With a lot of miscommunication, and men who just don't listen, a few busybody villagers and an adorable interfering aunt, if you're in the mood for an uplifting comedy with a massive dose of romance, then I highly recommend this one. I can't wait to start the next book.

Thank you to Mari Jane Law and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review Love & Pollination.



About the Book

Perdita Riley is facing the greatest dilemma of her life. 

Why had she taken Violet Freestone's advice on how to make herself look more alluring? It led her into the arms of a womaniser. And now Perdita has to deal with a huge setback. Actually, Setback Number One isn't huge yet, but it won't be long before it is. To cheer herself up, Perdita goes shopping, where an extraordinary encounter deposits her, literally, into the lap of Saul Hadley. She would like to stay there, but Setback Number One is going to get in the way.

Will she find a way to deal with what has happened? Can she manage the complications of her growing attraction to Saul?

This hilarious situational romantic comedy will keep you gripped until the very end.


About Mari Jane

Mari Jane Law lives in the UK and loves cats and chocolate – and books, TV series and films that make her laugh, preferably while making an emotional connection.

Her Catholic upbringing inspired some great fictional characters – whether Catholic or not – helping her to write humorous stories with protagonists readers could engage with, root for and follow to a satisfying conclusion. Having read many romances, Mari wanted to write off the beaten track and, if using a trope, develop it very differently from how it has been executed before in her reading, bringing freshness to her writing, surprising and delighting romance lovers.

There is a new romance in each title of the Love & Mishaps Quirky Romantic Comedy Standalone Series, and the world in which the characters live remains the same. As sub-plots run throughout the series, reading the books in order will maximise enjoyment. 

She hopes those who buy or borrow her work have as much fun reading it as she had in writing it.

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and The Society of Authors.




Friday, February 7, 2025

My Review for The Cul-de-Sac by Christopher Null


I'm so pleased I agreed to read and review a copy of Christopher Null's latest book, The Cul-de-Sac. It only took me a couple of days to read and was a complete page-turner. The story was told from multiple points of view, I think it was primarily six, with the odd contribution from a few others. I know some people find these complicated, but I love them, once I get to know who people are and how they fit into the story. 

The majority of the characters have a backstory, some of them we find out about and others are just as much a mystery at the end, as well as at the beginning. I think this is what made the book so entertaining for me. All the characters are so very, very different, with one common denominator....they all pretty much keep themselves to themselves within their cul-de-sac...to a degree.

I hope to goodness that there is at least one more book to follow and that this cliffhanger ending isn't the last we see of these quirky neighbours and their hidden secrets. 

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read and review The Cul-de-Sac by Christopher Null.

About the Book

How well do you really know your neighbors?

Veteran serial killer Klaus Fischer is determined that his most recent murder will be his last, but like many retirements, this one isn’t sticking. No one has come close to suspecting he’s buried the victims on his quiet suburban California cul-de-sac property—but he’s feeling the urge to kill again, and this time he’s set his sights on a target dangerously close to home.

Widowed Peg Jurgensen has lived on the cul-de-sac for the past fifteen years, and she’s ready to shed her doldrums and re-enter the world around her. And where better to start than with mothering the curious young teen Eliza van Damal, whose family just moved to the cul-de-sac in order to expose their daughter to a better life.

Eliza, however, prefers to coerce the enigmatic hermit next door, Alex, into helping her pass math. Alex wishes the lot of them would disappear.

The closer these misfits become, the more danger even the most ordinary conversations invite. As the body count rises, can these residents trust anyone hiding behind their doors on this street?


About Christopher

Christopher Null is an award-winning journalist, editor, and novelist. He is best known as the founding editor of Filmcritic.com, which was launched in 1995 and acquired by American Movie Classics in 2009, and the founder and editor of Drinkhacker, which launched in 2007. He was also the founding editor of Mobile PC magazine in 2003, the first ever periodical focused exclusively on mobile technology, before spending 4 1/2 years writing about tech daily for Yahoo! Tech as “The Working Guy.” He was the tech columnist for Executive Travel magazine (published by American Express) from 2008 to 2014.

Today Null runs a media company, Null Media, which provides editorial consulting, strategic direction, and writing services to media and non-media companies alike. He continues to contribute regularly for Wired, PC World, and other outfits online and off. His 2015 Wired article about his unique last name went viral and became the subject of an episode of Radiolab, and featured in segments on Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! and the British quiz show QI. He still regularly answers reporter queries about the “Null” phenomenon.

Null's long-form work includes two novels and two-non-fiction books. His first novel, Half Mast, arrived in bookstores in 2002 and was heralded as “the best of contemporary American fiction” by the New York Resident. His second novel, The Cul-de-sac, arrives in February 2025. Null's 2005 book, Five Stars!, a how-to guide for aspiring film critics, is often used as a textbook for film criticism curriculum at a number of colleges and universities. A second edition was released in 2013.

Chris has been featured in dozens of publications and programs, including Wired magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ESPN, Folio, and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He received a BBA and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin in 1993 and 1996, respectively.



My Review for The Last Letter From Your Lover by JoJo Moyes, read by Julia Franklin



I'm a bit late writing my review for this one, as I listened in October 2024 as a bookclub choice for 
#BookstaBritsBookClub. I always love a time slip novel and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one. We flip between the 1960s and 2003, with Jennifer a young married woman in the 60s and Ellie, a similar age in 2003. 

This was such a beautifully written, nostalgic book and is very poignant when we think that this generation probably won't be writing letters and so there won't be any letters to discover. Texts and emails don't quite have the same mystery!

I loved Ellie's investigative streak as she sought to discover the history behind Jennifer's letters and her husband and lover and how Jennifer's story is similar to her own. 

The Last Letter From Your Lover is a beautifully written book about missed chances and relationship consequences and I'm thankful it was one of our bookclub choices last year.

About the Book

When journalist Ellie looks through her newspaper's archives for a story, she doesn’t think she'll find anything of interest. Instead she discovers a letter from 1960, written by a man asking his lover to leave her husband – and Ellie is caught up in the intrigue of a past love affair. Despite, or perhaps because of her own romantic entanglements with a married man.

In 1960, Jennifer wakes up in hospital after a car accident. She can't remember anything – her husband, her friends, who she used to be. And then, when she returns home, she uncovers a hidden letter, and begins to remember the lover she was willing to risk everything for. Ellie and Jennifer's stories of passion, adultery and loss are wound together in this richly emotive novel – interspersed with real 'last letters'.

About JoJo

Jojo Moyes is a novelist and journalist. Her books include the bestsellers Me Before You, After You and Still Me, The Girl You Left Behind, The One Plus One and her short story collection Paris for One and Other Stories. Her novels have been translated into forty-six languages, have hit the number one spot in twelve countries and have sold over fifty million copies worldwide.

Me Before You has now sold over fourteen million copies worldwide and was adapted into a major film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke.

Jojo’s next book, Someone Else’s Shoes, is out now in hardback, eBook, and audiobook.

Jojo lives in Essex.




Wednesday, February 5, 2025

My Review for Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, read by Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton, Jasmin Walker and Justis Bolding


I loved Onyx Storm! There has already been such a lot written about it, and people have differing views, but for me, it was a great continuation of the Empyrean series. In my opinion, it's written differently to Fourth Wing or Iron Flame. There is a lot more world-building in this book. We learn more about the history of what is known as the Continent, as well as the isles and the people who inhabit them, and I was so invested in this and discovering lots of new things.

Violet grows massively in Onyx Storm, she's maturing both emotionally and physically and rather than her being a bit whiny and stroppy, she is now centred and assured. She has her head screwed on and makes some really great decisions.

The dragons continue to be sassy and sarcastic and honestly, in my opinion, they make the books what they are. Tairn and Andarna are the ones that have me laughing out loud as I spit my coffee out! One of my favourite quotes from this book is this...

Violet....talking about carrying Xaden out of a battle... "Take us both"
Tairn "I am not a horse"

I listened to the audiobook and Rebecca Soler in particular, was brilliant. She has some great character voices and made it all the more enjoyable for me. I am going to go back and read the actual books for each of the three, though and see if I get anything different from them, than I did the audiobook.

Theories after theories are coming in, as to what's going to happen next, and I'm sure there will be more as the months (and years) pass before we get the next book. Roll on 2027....!

About the Book

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.

But a storm is coming … and not everyone can survive its wrath.


About Rebecca

Rebecca Yarros is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over twenty novels including Fourth Wing and In the Likely Event, with multiple starred Publishers Weekly reviews and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. 

She’s the mother of six children, and is currently surviving the teenage years with two of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time while guzzling coffee. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and a Maine Coon cat named Artemis, who rules them all.

















My Review for Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, read by Rebecca Soler and Teddy Hamilton

After a second listen, in anticipation of the release of Onyx Storm, I have finally got around to writing my review for Iron Flame. Violet and her 'classmates' are like old friends now. I know who their dragons are, I know what signets they've manifested, and I know their strengths and weaknesses.  'It is therefore only natural, that the more powerful the dragon, the more powerful the signet its rider manifests'.

Some people have said that the first part drags, but I didn't find that. For me, Rebecca Yarros just continued to build the world in which Violet lives, and each and every single chapter was written for a reason. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed Iron Flame, the second in the Empyrean series. 

Rebecca Soler, as the narrator, throws herself wholeheartedly into reading this. In particular the battle scenes are hectic, tense and buzzing, I'm exhausted at the end of each one and all I've done is listen!

In Iron Flame, we discover a world outside of Basgiath and what graduates of the war college are participating in during a normal day. Xaden isn't around on a daily basis this year for Violet, but she grows in confidence and skills as the year progresses. 

If I've persuaded you to read Fourth Wing, then I hope you enjoyed it enough to read this one. Iron Flame, the next in the series. 

About the Book

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College, Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College, and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.


About Rebecca

Rebecca Yarros is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over twenty novels including Fourth Wing and In the Likely Event, with multiple starred Publishers Weekly reviews and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. 

She’s the mother of six children, and is currently surviving the teenage years with two of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time while guzzling coffee. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and a Maine Coon cat named Artemis, who rules them all.


















My Review for Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, read by Rebecca Soler and Teddy Hamilton



In September 2023 I listened to Fourth Wing for the first time, mainly because I'm a sheep and I follow the flock, but so began my love of all things dragon, and I was well and truly hooked. 

In November 2023 I listened to Iron Flame and in May 2024 I ordered Onyx Storm. As the publication of Onyx Storm approached I felt that re-listens were essential and as I never got around to reviewing the first two books, here are my thoughts now.

If you're a fan, then there isn't a lot I can say, so my review is for those who haven't ventured into Navarre and Basgiath War College but feel that they might like too.

Fourth Wing is the first in a five part series, primarily with Violet Sorrengail as our female main character. She's a badass twenty-year-old who is going down a path rather different to the one she envisaged for herself. Think a mismatch of Harry Potter and Hunger Games, but way, way better and with a huge dollop of s*x, oh and dragons, lots and lots of dragons. Some scary, some sassy, some with a hilarious and very dry sense of humour and some just plain evil. One thing is for sure, once they belong to a rider, they're never going to let them down. 'A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead'.

I loved Violet's feisty character and strong sense of friendship. Unless someone does something terrible to annoy her, Violet will be a friend for life. She's a little immature at times, but she is only twenty. There aren't many twenty-year-olds who have their head screwed on, especially when it comes to emotions and relationships.

Does this sound like your kind of book? If you enjoy fantasy, dragons, battles and comradeship then try it, see what you think and let me know.

About the Book

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.


About Rebecca

Rebecca Yarros is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over twenty novels including Fourth Wing and In the Likely Event, with multiple starred Publishers Weekly reviews and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. 

She’s the mother of six children, and is currently surviving the teenage years with two of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time while guzzling coffee. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and a Maine Coon cat named Artemis, who rules them all.




Tuesday, February 4, 2025

My Review for The Hero Virus by Russell Dumper


Warning! The dog dies! This isn't a spoiler because it's in the synopsis - I just never read them! However, it happens early on, and I soon got past that tragic event as the story picked up pace and, despite the murder, death, blood, guts and gore, I absolutely could not get enough, I was eager to find out what happened, and those pages just weren't turning fast enough! 

I had no idea how I'd feel about this book, Russell is a new-to-me author and the subject, a little outside my comfort zone. There definitely aren't any cute bookshops and happy-ever-afters in The Hero Virus! Think thriller, crime and suspense with a dystopian undertone, the world looks like it's going to end, and that might just well be due to just one man. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, it's fast-paced, entertaining, has great character development and I didn't know how it was all going to end. At one point I thought there might be a sequel coming. The author wrapped it all up nicely though, but there is definitely scope for another book if the characters fancy another outing! Oh, and that last sentence..... I thought that might happen!

I'm looking forward to going back and reading Russell's first novel, Britannia Rises - I just hope that no dogs die!

Thank you to Russell Dumper and The Conrad Press for the opportunity to read and review The Hero Virus. 

About the Book

‘The Hero Virus’ tells the thrilling story of Chris Taylor, who is hanging on to life by a thread. Recently widowed, his only reason to carry on is his faithful Labrador, but even that doesn’t stop his willingness to gamble with death every day. When his companion suffers a violent demise, Taylor thinks he has nothing left to live for, until he discovers he has chanced upon a precious gift… he has become very ill. 

The illness gives him special powers and, fairly soon, the authorities are swooping on to the ever-increasing list of cases. The Hero Virus might be different to other illnesses, but it’s no less dangerous. The effect it has on the world, though, is wildly different to any other virus that has come before. The unique reaction of the human body to infection means that everyone wants it. And some will do anything to get it.

How do you stop a pandemic when there are people who will kill for the virus? How do you stop people getting infected when they’re willing to die for it? How do you stop the infected when they have abilities nobody has ever seen before?


About Russell (taken from The Spalding & South Holland Voice)

Russell Dumper has followed his childhood dream of becoming an author. “I’ve always loved writing and it has brought be so much joy since I was a small boy. It’s a fire that burns inside of me, a passion that I’ve always had. I have so many more books to write, and I can’t wait to write them,” he said.

His book, Britannia Rises, is set in an alternate near future ruled by the British Empire.
“There are all kinds of characters, twists, links into modern events, action, suspense and surprises galore. “When asked, I describe it as a kind of modern Game of Thrones meeting a James Bond origin story. There are many plots overlapping each other and the main characters are deep and complex,” he added.

The father of two small children, who lives in Spalding, said he had the idea for the story aged 14 or 15.

“It’s developed a lot over the years, as you can imagine, with several rewrites to get to where it is now. It will appeal to anyone who loves thrillers and suspense books, from young adults upwards.

“It’s a story that will make you love and hate the same character. I suspect the full series will be seven or eight books,” said Russell.