Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

Let's dive into the mystery of Astrology. It's been a long while since I listened to this, so I did have to delve into a few reviews to remind myself, but then it all came flooding back.  There are a lot of characters, and each one was narrated by someone different, so this helped massively. It didn't take me long to work out who was who, how people were linked, and their purpose to the story. As expected from the title, there is a huge focus on astrology and how your star sign, your birth chart and what planets and stars are arising and descending when, can determine the person you become. The Astrology House is full of secrets, with a thrilling twist at the end. I would definitely like to read more from this author.  Thank you to Libro FM and Simon & Schuster Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review The Astrology House by Carinn Jade. About the Book A group of wealthy Manhattanites escapes to an astrology-themed retreat, where simmering resentments and long-...

Missing girls but no bodies.... This was an audiobook listen for me and made all the more enjoyable because of the four narrators, who really made the story their own. It became quite apparent from the beginning that the majority of this small community has had a strict religious upbringing and continues to follow their faith. The wife's role was to bring up the kids and look after the house, and absolutely everything has to be run past their husbands first. I appreciate that there are many, many communities in the US that put their faith above everything, but I don't think I've read a book that focuses highly on this, not one set in the 21st century anyway.  I worked out pretty early on who the bad guy was going to be, but that didn't spoil the enjoyment at all. There were still plenty of moments when I nearly changed my mind, as every now and then the plot took a diversion! A great story with underlying themes of grief and the difficulties of motherhood.  Thank you to...

Told through the words of someone with severe OCD, anxiety and depression. This is an eye-opener. First, my sincere apologies to the author who kindly gifted me a copy of her book back in 2023, and I'm ashamed to say it's taken me two years to read it. Over commitment is my only excuse, but I am trying to do better this year! A short read, I found The Existence of Amy to be so informative, yet entertaining. None of us are fully aware of how another person is feeling, and if you are good at hiding the real you, quite often, no one will find out. This is how Amy has been living, but at some point, it's all going to get too much, and she won't be able to hide it any longer.  I think we all have an element of OCD, but thankfully, the majority of us can go about our daily lives without it affecting us too much. I am pretty sure that this is based on the author's own experiences, and I loved how raw and honest this book was. All the way through I was rooting for Amy, her...

'In love, we find out who we want to be. In war, we find out who we are'. Historical fiction, particularly that set during World War II and inspired by true events, is my first love as a genre. The Nightingale is incredible. I cannot even begin to explain how this book made me feel. I was in awe of the two female protagonists, who both became a part of the Resistance in order to help others. Isabelle - the Nightingale - took many treacherous journeys across the Pyrenees, to help downed Allied airmen return home and Vianne helped to hide Jewish children who were forcibly abandoned by their mothers. The Nightingale is a book about determination, perseverance and love. It is heart-wrenching, but positive, harrowing, yet encouraging. It will fill you with every emotion you have, a million times over, Every single time I read a book like this, I always turn the last page with a gut-wrenching thought that all of these things happened.  Thank you so much to #BookstaBritsBookClub for ...

Well, that was a dark ending! I'm flying through my audiobooks this year, and The House on Cold Creek Lane was another good one. I seem to be picking up the thriller audiobooks rather than the physical or digital copies, and I'm loving the immersiveness of them. A good narrator makes for an even better story, and Emily Ellet and Gail Shalan did a fantastic job of picking me up and depositing me into the lives of those who live or have lived on Cold Creek Lane.  I didn't care for Laurel's husband, yep, he might have wanted what was best for her, but he didn't handle her very well. He came across as controlling and bossy, many a time I wanted to throw that influencing attitude right back at him.  Told alternatively from Laurel and Corey's point of view, both characters were pretty screwed up in different ways.  I worked out pretty early on who the bad guy was, but what I wasn't expecting was that ending! Wow, Liz, just wow! As an author I'm pretty sure you...

So many plot twists that I didn't see coming! I'm pretty sure this was my first venture into Linwood Barclay's world, and I was hooked from the time I pressed play that first time, until I removed my AirPods after the final chapter and wondered to myself what I had just listened to! Tense and frantic, I was pulled this way and that as chapter after chapter brought more surprises and WTF moments. I felt for Richard, our protagonist, as he has to spend the entirety of the book trying to prove his innocence, whilst investigating just what the hell is going on. This seems to be a theme right now for my books! Fancy an adrenaline rush, where at the end of the book, you'll physically feel like you experienced absolutely everything, then grab yourself a copy of I Will Ruin You. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Thank you to Harper Collins UK and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay. About the Book How would you re...

I think this will become a favourite... The Haunting of Hill House was one I listened to last October for #classiclitbookclub. I don't usually read or listen to horror, but this sent me down a rabbit hole of defining horror. According to Wikipedia, 'Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience'. According to what I researched, Dracula, Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray can all be classified as horror. I've read all of these, and I wasn't disturbed, frightened or scared by any of them. I was entertained, immersed and enthralled by them all. The things that I class as horror are that vile doll Chucky (was that his name) and The Exorcist, so maybe I need to be a little less judgmental of the horror genre from now on, and perhaps it isn't reading horror that I don't like, it's watching it! Anyway, back to the review...I liked it, I liked it a lot. The author didn't just create the atmosphe...

He loves the spice as much as she does..... For the first couple of chapters of this audiobook, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I don't know why, I just didn't get that initial vibe, but, OMG, I am so glad I carried on with it. What a cute, spicy listen this was. First off, Jack loves books as much as Hannah does. Now I love my husband more than anything in the whole wide world, but sometimes I just want to tell him about what I'm reading, and he just doesn't care! Although he did say some book mail I received yesterday was pretty so......! The hitman thing worked well, from one extreme to another though - he's the hitman, and she's the librarian, but hey, when you get into her character, Hannah is quite good at holding her own! Feisty little thing she is! The story is told alternately from Jack and Hannah's point of view, and the two narrators, Rock Engle and Gail Shalan were so good. Rock in particular, I could have listened to those dulcet tones...

Unusually, it's the woman who is the grump in this one.... I'm a bit late with this review, but I did read it in December when I was feeling Christmassy! The Christmas Tree Farm is the third in the Dream Harbor series and I loved this one, although Cinnamon Bun is still my favourite! Kira is awesome. Despite her tetchy exterior, we soon discover that deep, deep down, beneath all the crotchetiness, she has a heart of gold, and she loves dogs so yep, that's more than enough for me! I adored her dogged determination as she tried to make her farmhouse at least a tiny bit habitable, and little by little she lets Bennett in to help her. Bennett had the patience of a saint, dealing with Kira's mood swings and stubbornness, but of course they get there in the end. As others have mentioned, this would be great as a Christmas rom-com - think The Holiday! I love that movie! I've already read and reviewed The Strawberry Patch Pancake House, so go back and read my review for tha...

Vampires and Jay Gatsby...... I love The Great Gatsby, and when I saw the opportunity to listen to a retelling, with vampires no less, then I had to download it, grab my AirPods and head off into the garden with Jay and Daisy. Now I didn't particularly like Daisy's character in The Great Gatsby, but she was pretty cool in this one, a great girlfriend, awesome mate and pretty great cousin. I loved how vampires weren't the only paranormal aspect of Beautiful Villain, and I'm not going to give you any spoilers, I'm just going to say that Daisy has a pretty impressive talent which could come in useful in the real world! If you've read The Great Gatsby, you'll have a fun time seeing how Rebecca slots things into the retelling, I thought it was cleverly done and to be honest, the characters are a whole lot better in this version! Ruby Cherise is great as the narrator, she made the audiobook experience fun and enjoyable, and I'm hoping she narrates the others t...

'We're all sprinkled with crazy. Some of us are just better at hiding it.' You know those books that stay with you for a long time after you've read it? Well, I think this is going to be one of those. The Drowners was incredible, from start to finish. I never know what to expect from a new author, and I often open that first page with a certain amount of trepidation. I needn't have worried about this one though, I was hooked.  Set in the early 1990s, Aaron is just beginning to understand his sexuality, and it's difficult, the stigma, the apprehension and the judgment of being queer in 1990s Ireland. Aaron is funny, so funny, and when he and Robbie get together the puns are never-ending. I highlighted just a couple of the lines, which had me spitting my coffee out! 'All those years without draining your nuts is enough to send you loopy.' 'That miserable old bollix isn't knocking on Heaven's door, he's booting it off its hinges.' It was...

My head is spinning, and my heart is racing with the fast-paced thrill of this book.  I found Famous Last Words to be such an incredible book to listen to, it was so, so good. Full of a million twists and turns which were intricately woven into the plot, I couldn't keep up with what was happening, and I didn't want to. Not knowing what was coming next made each chapter more riveting than the last.  The synopsis tells you all you need to know, anything else will just spoil it for you and to be honest, anyone who knows me will already appreciate that I probably didn't even read the synopsis anyway! You'd be 100% accurate! For me, that just makes it even more of an unknown and even more compelling.  Emilia Fox was absolutely incredible, narrating this. She is so calm and collected, but somehow she captures every plot twist, feels every emotion and filled my ears with excitement as I listened. I'm off to discover more books by Gillian McAllister and more audiobooks that...