Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

“Marriage and piracy do not go together.” 🏴‍☠️⚓ I read Frenchman's Creek many, many years ago and I had no recollection of what it was about, so when it was chosen as the September read for #classiclitbookclub 📚 I was excited for the re-read. I felt it was a more light-hearted read than other Daphne du Maurier books that I've read. There was a touch of fun, but it was incredibly scandalous for a lady of her time, who basically left her children with the Nanny and ran away to sea with a pirate – even if only for a short time! 😱 Dona was longing for the freedom away from the stuffy confines of her marriage and she finds it aboard La Mouette with her Frenchman. ❤️⛵ I loved William, the butler, who was complicit in Dona's wanderings and helped her cover up her assignations with the swashbuckling pirate. More than once, he put his life on the line to save hers. 👏 When we chatted about this one in our book club, many people were shocked she could leave her children to focus ...

“I’ve discovered that it isn’t so much the eyes of strangers you miss in old age as the pleasure in your own eyes at the sight of yourself.” ⚠️  Warning – mini spoiler alert at the end of my review! I'm still unsure how I feel about Havoc, two months on. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. I had imagined a sweet old lady, living out her days in a hotel on the banks of the Nile. It definitely isn't that! Dark is a huge understatement. Maggie is evil, and Otto is an eight-year-old boy who is already meeting his nemesis. There were parts that were incredibly slow-paced and others that were so fast I had trouble keeping up. It was quite a contrast! The ending was totally unexpected, twisted and dramatic, with a few WTF moments, especially in the last few chapters. Maggi-May Reed did a good job narrating this one, and her portrayal of Maggie was brilliant. 🎧 And now for the important bit... THE CAT DIES!  🐈💔 You need to know this so you can mentally prepare yourself for...

“The idea of writing a murder mystery called to her. Her fingers touched the keyboard and began to move.” Everybody is a Liar is a very quick listen at just three and a half hours, and an entertaining story. I was a little bit disturbed by some of the sound effects that appeared in my ears. For example, the clickety-clack of the keyboard as Julie is writing. It's just weird when you're not expecting it! 😂 The title is very apt. Everybody is indeed a liar! Although I did work out what was going on pretty early on, I was gripped by the story and there were quite a few WTF moments, for me as well as for Liza, the therapist. It was difficult to work out where her loyalties should lie, and she was probably the character I liked the most. Barrie Kreinik is currently one of my favourite narrators, so I was thrilled to see she was one of the narrators for this book. 🎧 If you haven't heard her and you love an audiobook, go and find something she's narrated. You won't be di...

"I'm no expert but I don't think a ghoul can wield knives." 🔪👻 Let's Split Up was the September read for the Chiller Shelf for #thatbonkersbookclub and I really enjoyed it! 📚 It's very much a Young Adult story with Enid Blyton's Famous Five vibes, albeit a more adult and darker version. A group of kids who defy all the adults and head off to solve a mystery, but with a lot more death and destruction than Enid Blyton ever wrote about! 😂 All the kids have something going on at home and, as they throw themselves into the mystery, I liked how it allowed them to forget about their own problems for a while and focus on identifying the murderer. The final reveal was a complete shock to me. I didn't see it coming and I was so far off guessing correctly! Who was the wrong-un? Well, it certainly wasn't who I thought it was! 😲 You need to read this for what it is. Don't go in expecting an adult thriller; it's very much written for teens, and it...

"The world's ending in seven hours." 🌍💥 This is officially one of my top reads of 2026. I bloody loved it! ❤️ I skipped between reading and listening to the iconic tones of Derek Jacobi and the inimitable style of Joe Jameson. So, so good! It's not really my usual genre, but I've already got the second one lined up and ready to go. 🙌 Miss Decima Stockingham and Stephen Pike are awesome sleuths and make a brilliant team as they set out to solve the locked-room murder at Tithe Hall in 1910. 🕵️‍♀️🔎 The book gave me Downton Abbey vibes with a dose of Daisy Darker thrown in. It made me laugh out loud and spit out my PG Tips more than once! ☕😂 And I was absolutely in awe of Miss Decima and her octogenarian wit. What a woman! With the world about to end and a murder to solve, what on earth can go wrong?! 🤣 Thank you to Viking Books UK and Penguin Books Ltd for the gifted copies of  The Murder at World's End  by Ross Montgomery. All thoughts are entirely my ow...

"We were better off here, even though we were making do with less than we'd ever had before." Luck is book number 4 in Natalie's Eventing series, and honestly, it's the best equestrian series I've read since I was a pre-teen devouring pony books! 🥰🐴 Luck is definitely something Jules and Pete need right now. They have nowhere to live, and there's a very real possibility that they'll have to give up their horses and their dreams if things don't work out. My heart was breaking for them so many times while listening to this book, and I genuinely couldn't see how they were going to turn things around. 💔 But Jules is a fighter, and as she starts teaching teenagers and passing on everything she knows, she begins to find strength and a new sense of purpose. Sometimes it's other people who help us see things differently, and I loved watching Jules start to look at her future in a new light. ❤️ I'm already looking forward to listening to the ...

“They don't deserve your protection or allegiance. They deserve nothing from you.” 📚 Britannia Hunts is the third book in the  Britannia  series and, although it's not my usual genre, I've really enjoyed this series! Yes, it's complicated, and there are a lot (and I mean a lot) of characters, but as soon as I started reading, I soon remembered them all – well, mostly! 😂 Each location brings its own set of characters and seemingly separate stories, but when you start to read between the lines, you realise that everyone has their own agenda, which ultimately leads to a much bigger picture. 🕵️‍♀️ ⚡ Fast-paced, as we jump from England to Nepal, Italy to America and beyond, this alternate, parallel world to our own could be frighteningly accurate, considering the way the world is right now. 🌍 The story is political, violent, intriguing and addictive. Russell's writing is exceptional and, even when I got lost in the plot, his skill at putting words on the page just ke...

"This wasn't a yacht; it was a floating palace.". I'm hanging my head in shame that it's taken me over five years to read this gorgeous debut novel, an ARC of which I received back in 2021! 🙈 Carol's sense of humour and personality have stayed with me since I used to listen to her on Radio 1 and 2 while driving to work, and when I saw she'd written a book, I knew I needed to read it. 💕 I loved it, from start to finish. Young Shauna, older Shauna, the beautiful Greek setting, the cocktails, the food and the romanticism. 🇬🇷🍹 I devoured it all! There was mystery and secrets, heartache and passion, and the unbridled closeness that only best friends can know. ❤️ I read this during the summer heatwave of 2026, but it would have been much more pleasant to be on the beaches of a secluded Greek island, with my toes digging into the sand and a delicious cocktail in my hand. ☀️🏖️🍹 In the time it's taken me to read Carol's debut novel, she's written...

“I’m done hating myself for something I can’t change” 💔 📚  Light Wielder  was August’s read for the sequel shelf for #thatbonkersbookclub, and although it didn’t wow me as much as the first book in the series, I still really enjoyed it! We pick up four years after  Metal Slinger  ended, which did feel kinda strange. Didn’t anything happen in those four years?! 🤔 Aside from that, it was good. The characters we loved in  Metal Slinger  are back. Some are just as obnoxious and annoying as we remember them, while others maybe garnered a little more sympathy from me. However, one thing I will say is that all the bad stuff, the conflict, the war… it’s all brought on by themselves and their inability to coexist. But they’re dragging innocent people into it too. Not good! 😬 The relationships were addictive! ❤️ When Irina and Jovie had to travel together in the carriage, that was pure genius 😂 And ultimately, teamwork won the day! 🙌 I loved the Messer twist, a...

“Refusing to accept what society expects doesn’t make us cowards.”   This Might Hurt  was August’s read for #thatbonkersbookclub, and I really liked it! 📚 The cult scenario didn’t really register with me until someone else mentioned it, so yes, perhaps I do overlook the things I don’t want to see! 🙈😂 In my head, Wisewood was just a weird retreat that people often didn’t leave… yeah, Sam — a cult! 🤦‍♀️🤣 I did get confused with the main characters from time to time. Those I thought had ended up at Wisewood turned out not to actually be them after all! 🤔 The book was also written across different timelines, let’s call them before and after Kit goes to Wisewood. It took me a while to work out what was going on, who was who, and how they were all relevant to each other. That aside, I enjoyed the story and the characters, and I’ll definitely be reading more books by Stephanie Wrobel. 😊📖 A very belated thank you to Michael Joseph for the free copy of  This Might Hurt ...

"I'm an introvert. I recharge my batteries by being alone. This week is going to be a lot of people-ing for me."  What an excellent quote! I know so many of you reading this will be nodding and agreeing! 🙌💕 Will There Be Time  is the third book in the series but can totally be read as a standalone. 📚 This has to be my favourite, although I've loved them all. ❤️ Whitney has a knack for picking you up off your sofa and gently placing you back down in the Parisian streets, with the aroma of coffee drifting from cafés ☕, fresh bread being baked somewhere behind closed doors 🥖 and posh Parisian ladies swanning along the pavements. 🇫🇷✨ I always enjoy it when we see glimpses of characters from previous books as they're woven into the current story. Austen (from the first book) and Matt are central to this one, as their wedding is the main theme of the story. 💒💍 Vivienne and Oliver are the love interests, though, and what a complicated story theirs is turning out ...

“Because of all the raindrops I have watched fall over the years — of all the clouds I could read from a mile away and protect myself from if necessary — that was one storm I never saw coming.” I loved  The Cassandra Complex  by Holly Smale, so I immediately knew I was going to love  I Know How This Ends  as well. And Holly knocked this one out of the park! ⚾📚 With its humour, awesome characters and a small smattering of magical realism thrown in, what's not to love? ✨ Margot and Henry — two people who are destined to be together, according to Margot's visions. But just how will they get together? Will all Margot's visions become a reality, or is she only seeing a small snippet of the future? 🔮💕 Alix Dumore did a great job narrating this, and her portrayal of Margot, especially, made me want to listen to her voice forever. Maybe we can have an Alix Dumore Siri or Alexa voice! 😂🎧 Holly Smale has made her way onto my list of 'must-read' authors, and I'm excit...

“So you thought a sneak attack with mistletoe would help me get in the Christmas spirit?” 🎄💋 The audiobook contains Teddy Hamilton (sigh)! Review done! 😂 Only kidding! The other narrators are great, and I do love a multi-cast narration. 🎧  Mistletoe All the Way  has scooped me up from autumn and gently placed me down, slap bang in the middle of Christmas. 🎄❄️✨ I loved it. I've only just realised that I enjoy a story that features a miserable main character — in this case Noah as the Grinch — who slowly and surely, as if by the magic of Christmas, finally begins to see what all the fuss and happiness is about. 🎅🏻❤️ I love the addition of the older characters, and Eloise's feisty grandmother and her 'boyfriend' Henry are brilliant. They are supportive, independent and certainly aren't taking any nonsense from anyone. 👵💕 I also enjoyed the added suspense and mystery as Eloise investigates Stephen to find out just what he's up to. And the fact that she...

“Food without wine is like a car without wheels.” 🍷🚗 The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules was my August read for #NeglectedFaithfulsReadingChallenge and a book that's been sitting on my shelf for a while. I think it originally came from a charity shop a few years ago. 📚 Anyway, I enjoyed it, even though it's kind of a cosy mystery, which really isn't my thing at all. 🔍 I laughed at the antics of the four elderly characters as they attempted to find a better way of life than the care home in which they currently reside. 👵👴😂 I'm not sure they went about it in quite the right way, though — I mean, robbery, blackmail, extortion and deception never really got anyone anywhere! 😂🙈 If you treat this book as the humorous, comedic and fun mystery that I think it's meant to be, then you'll enjoy it. It's a lighthearted and entertaining read, so don't go expecting high-stakes thrills and suspense. 😄📖 Instead, sit back, have a giggle and enjoy the a...

“Hollowpark Hall protected its own, and she would never leave.” The Belladonna Maze is another book that's been sitting on my NetGalley shelf for far too long, and, as usual, as I was reading it, I found myself wondering why I'd left it for so long! This one gave me all the feels! It's packed with mystery and suspense, and twists that might have appeared somewhere at the back of my mind, but ones I didn't actually believe — until I had to! 😱 I love a dual-timeline story, and The Belladonna Maze didn't disappoint. We flit back and forth between the 1840s and 2007 to discover the secrets of Hollowpark Hall and its maze, the secret passages and the residents who never leave. 👻🏚️ Thank you to @megbatsbooks for suggesting we read this one together. I'm finding it a lot more fun to buddy read than I thought I would! 📚💕 A very belated thank you to Head of Zeus for the free copy of The Belladonna Maze by Sinead Crowley. All thoughts are entirely my own. 📚💕 About ...

“I feel no need to break the silence. This silence is perfect – this silence is sparkly.” I love Scrabble, and seeing the cover of this book just made me want to listen. The story is about Wordle, but you catch my drift! 😉🔤 I play an online app version of Scrabble every single day with my Mum and, although we might not talk all the time, we both know each other is OK if we've played our turn. 💕 I think that's why the whole idea of communicating through a word game really appealed to me. Emily and John are so cute, and both a little nerdy. Emily just needs to realise that she's happier in a small town rather than a big city! I loved the small-town vibe, the friends Emily makes and the house she lives in. 🏡💕 It's a cosy listen and Katie was a lovely narrator. I will definitely pick up more books that Amy has written. 🎧📚 A very belated thank you to Libro.fm & Avon Books for the free audio copy of A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James. All thoughts are entirel...