Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

"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...

“She would work hard, save money and buy every single book that she liked.” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith was the August choice for #classiclitbookclub. I hadn't heard of this book, let alone read it, but I was absolutely blown away. 📚❤️ I can't even explain why. I loved the writing, the characters and the insight into 1900s Brooklyn. There isn't much of a story, not a lot happens, and yet so much does. Am I making sense? 🤔 All Francine wants to do is learn, to read as many books as she possibly can and to try and get herself, her brother and her mother a better life. 📚✨ The children's life is tough. They have little money, an alcoholic father and a mother who works as many jobs as she can to make ends meet — but still, it's not enough. And yet, for the most part, they are happy. I found the story an honest depiction of what life would have been like for those living in poverty in Brooklyn in the early part of the twentieth century. Yes, it's bleak....

"To think of any one of them not there anymore was to think of a hole at the heart of a mosaic." I really enjoyed this story. It sent me reeling back forty years to my days of reading the Famous Five and Secret Seven books by Enid Blyton. It had the same sort of cosy mystery feel for younger readers. 🥰📚 I loved that Meredith, Macy and Colin joined forces to try to solve the murder, with the assistance of a dotty old lady who also lives in the hotel. 🔍🏨 This is one of those stories where you want to be a kid, living alongside the kids and helping them solve mysteries. With secret passageways, corridors and lifts that guests aren't allowed in, it's exciting and fun, and a really cool way to introduce kids to reading and enjoying books on their own. ✨🔎 Thank you to Scholastic for the free copy of Murder at the Ivy Hotel by Emily Hourican. All thoughts are entirely my own. 📚💕 About the Book Twelve-year-old Meredith and ten-year-old Macy feel like the luckiest girls...

"As soon as she walked through that exit, the spell would be broken, and she'd be back to reality." I had a physical and audio copy of this book but chose to listen to it during our long, long hot summer in the UK. ☀️ I really enjoyed it. The characters were funny, and Maggie especially, I thought, had a very sarcastic sense of humour. 😏 Maggie and Flick bounced off each other — once they actually decided they wanted the same thing — to bring down the man who had wronged Maggie. 👀 As the two travelled across Europe, chasing a cruise ship, I slipped into their adventures with them. I mean, who wouldn't fancy a flutter in Monte Carlo or a cocktail in Sicily?! 🍸🇮🇹 The twist towards the end was unexpected but kind of made sense as to why Flick was so invested in Maggie's story. 🤔 A very belated thank you to Pan Macmillan for the free print copy and to Libro.fm & Zibby Books for the free audio copy of So, I Met This Guy... by Alexandra Potter. All thoughts ar...

"The house sighs, and eases, an overwhelming emptiness subsiding into a quiet melancholy." This quote! It instantly made me feel like I was the house and a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I loved it. And houses are alive, aren't they? You can just tell whether someone or something belongs there or not — or perhaps that's just my airy-fairy brain talking! ✨🏡 Such a gorgeous idea, that Nicole, our protagonist, is 'told' when to move an object and, equally as lovely, that she knows where it's meant to be 'relocated' to when the time is right. I wonder if there are people out there who are really like this? I'd like to think so. 🥰 With a large dose of magical realism, Other People's Things made my heart soften and my tummy flutter, and I really want to be able to have the ability to 'relocate' items! ✨📚 I chose this one for July's read for #kindlecrushchallenge. A very belated thank you to Lake Union Publishing an...

“To all the nerds out there, we think you look hot in your glasses” 🤓❤️ The sixth visit to Dream Harbor and I really enjoyed following Daisy and Elliot’s relationship, as they begin with fake-dating and inevitably end up falling in love. I don’t think that’s a spoiler — we all know it’s going to happen in Dream Harbor! 😂💕 Elliot is so sweet, kind and thoughtful, and always seems to be putting Daisy’s feelings first. Daisy was a bit naughty at times, and I did feel she was stringing him along a little because she didn’t know whether she wanted this relationship or not. Just as with all the other Dream Harbor relationships — which pop up every now and again in this one too — it’s all about the thoughts and feelings. Daisy and Elliot work well together, and their friends all love them. It’s cute, easy-to-read and a little bit spicy. 🌶️🥰 I loved it! Thank you to HarperCollins and Libro.fm for the opportunity to listen to and review The Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore. 💕📖 ...

“All the other children at my school are stupid. Except I'm not meant to call them stupid, even though this is what they are.” I'm probably not supposed to like this quote, but I do! 😂 All this kid is doing is speaking the truth as he sees it! The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time  was my July read for #NeglectedFaithfulsReadingChallenge 📚 and one that has been sitting on my shelf for a few years. Now, the dog dies — right at the beginning — and this isn't a spoiler, it's what much of the book is about, but I still wasn't prepared for it! 😲 Christopher, a teenage boy with autism, then sets out to solve the mystery. 🔎 I really enjoyed reading the story from the point of view of a neurodivergent child. I was fascinated by how his brain worked, with the lists, patterns and his absolute need to tell the truth. 🤔 I wasn't as interested in the dog mystery itself, but all the challenges that Christopher and his family faced as he attempted to make his ...

“The kind of love that anchors you and sees right into the messy core of you.” 🖤 Broken Dove was our August read on the Sequel Shelf for @thatbonkersbookclub, but I couldn't wait that long! So, as soon as my hold came in on Libby at the end of June, I popped in my AirPods 🎧 and let Teddy Hamilton's luscious voice sweep through my ears. 🫠 I have absolutely no idea how I feel after listening to Broken Dove! 🤯 Wren has confused me, just as she's confused herself, with the hint of a love triangle that looks inevitable. I have so many theories! Is Gray a double-double agent? 🧐 Now I'm even more perplexed — does this mean he's on the side of the Primes or the Mods? Who are the good guys? I thought I knew... now I'm not so sure! 😵‍💫 Full of action, Broken Dove was a joy to listen to. Both narrators are incredible and threw me straight into the heart of the Continent, and that ending left me breathless! 😱 How long do I need to wait for the next book??!! 😭📚 Abo...

“In her head, she always just referred to him as Grinchy Grincherson because he never smiled.” Hmm, listening to a Christmas book in one of the hottest summers the UK has ever had – only me?? 😂 Oh well, I don't really pay attention to what I'm reading or when! 🤷‍♀️ I loved Baking it Merry. Such a cute story and lovely characters (even Tristan)! 🥰 Daphne's dream of owning a bakery is starting small, with a pop-up shop in the entrance of the building where Tristan works, and he's not feeling very Christmassy. 🎄 He's definitely a grumpy old Grinch for a lot of the story! 😆 Cosy, cute and Christmassy. 🎄❤️ Baking it Merry is a predictable seasonal romance, with a happy ending (of course!) and lots of talk of mouth-watering bakes, loyal friends and family. 🧁☕️ Read this any time of year – you don't need to wait until Christmas! 😉 Thank you to Libro FM and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to and review Baking it Merry by Samantha Chase. 🎧📚 About...