Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

“...this place has a way of encircling your heart, cocooning you in its warm embrace so that you never want to let go. Of it, or the way it makes you feel.” Falling for Polkerran Point was published in October 2025, and I’ve been putting off reading it. Why? Because it’s the final book in the series. I wasn’t (and I’m still not) ready to say goodbye to Cleggie and old Mrs Lovelace. I adore Mrs Lovelace’s mispronunciations—they’re hilarious, and I always enjoy the chuckles she brings as the story goes on. This book follows Ellie and Will in a second-chance romance, full of friendship, community spirit, and oodles of love. The lovely Anna is still there too, making everyone feel welcome around her kitchen table every single morning with coffee and homemade cakes—far too sociable for me, though maybe I could manage it occasionally! I’ve loved all the books in this series, and it’s definitely one I’d read again—high praise indeed. Please, Cass, I hope you have another equally unforgettable...

'Your robot short-circuited! There was a system failure and a malfunction in the motherboard.' Rebecca Raisin is a must-read author for me, and I really enjoyed this book. It did take me a few minutes to get into the eccentricities of many of the people who were travelling on the Winter Wonderland Express, but very soon I was loving Princess, Sabrina and of course Jasper! Aubrey had my admiration, to have the confidence and wherewithal to travel as she does, is simply amazing. Simply to pack up her belongings and head off to the next destination. I love a cruise. I love going to sleep each night and waking up in a new place each morning. The Winter Wonderland Express was exactly like this, but with the added fun of the Christmas themes onboard. I really hope Rebecca decides to write a sequel to this one. I'd love to find out how Aubrey and Jasper manage on the Camino trail, and I'd delight in spending some time on Princess's yacht in the Cyclades. Thank you to Boldw...

' "Apple and cinnamon latte?" Dylan nodded. "Yep." He took a sip. "Oh, man, why have I suddenly developed a taste for sweet coffee?" ' Gorgeous, autumnal and a great big pumpkin spiced latte of cosiness with whipped cream on top! Those are just a few words to describe the first book in Victoria's brand-new series, Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow.  A smorgasbord of cuteness, pumpkins, community spirit and of course, love. Willow is determined to save her farm from the nasty developers. With help from all her friends, and a dark and handsome stranger, she attempts to create a pumpkin patch, along with all the bells and whistles beside it, to make enough money to ensure her farm becomes profitable.  As October approaches, both Willow and Dylan make discoveries about themselves, as well as each other, and perhaps they might realise that opposites can attract after all. This captivating and heartwarming story gives off huge Gilmore Girls vibes. I...

'Charlotte was alone in the jungle with a creep in Speedos'! I switched between reading and listening to this one, simply because I had so much stuff to do in the garden and I really wanted to finish it. It was gorgeous, in fact no, it was 'glorious'! Charlotte takes up the position of tortoise researcher on the remote island of Tuga, where you can only come and go when the island is 'open'. Even then, only if there is a boat with enough berths to take you. For half the year, the island is 'closed'. The storms are too frequent for it to be safe for any ship to dock safely in Tuga. So if you're there, you're stuck - no matter what happens! There are a lot of stories, interwoven into this book, each one unique in its own way, and I loved this. I enjoyed hearing about all the different characters and how they were surviving, living on such a small island, where everyone knows everyone else's business. I'm not sure if I'd like that, whe...

'The Wale who was the type of prince who would hand me his own sword to help me slay my dragons'. I adored this one. I have Yinka on my TBR, but I just haven't managed to get around to it yet. This one came up on Libro FM, and so I grabbed it.  Temi and Wale are as cute as. Annoying with their miscommunication, and there were so many times I wanted to grab both of them and shake them until eventually the words would pour out of them. 😂 Temi - just be honest for heaven's sake and Wale - you need to learn to listen, ask questions and not jump to conclusions! I loved that Temi names her glasses and puts on a different pair, depending on how she wants to feel/who she wants to be that day. What an inspiring idea! I appreciated Lizzie writing so openly about sexual harassment, racial discrimination and body image, and how positivity emanated from all the negativity as the book progressed.  Faith Alabi was an inspired choice for the narrator for The Re-Write. With her abilit...

'...before she met a tousled American man who'd packed a piece of her heart in his suitcase when he'd left...' Nooooooo! I don't want this trilogy to end, but sadly this in the final book in the series. 😢 This time around, we are living with Valentina for a wee while. She is living a slightly tumultuous life right now, with no job, an errant husband and nothing very positive happening.  But she's off to her cottage on Skye for the summer, to spend some downtime with her sisters and their families - but of course it doesn't turn out to be quite as relaxing as she'd hoped. This one was my most favourite of the trilogy, and I didn't think it was going to be. After reading the others, I thought Valentina was going to be stuck-up and boring, but she was far from it. I loved her. I loved her story, I loved Barnaby, I loved the views from her cottage, and yes, the author made me feel as though I was right there, wandering on the beach and searching in the ...

'Nuturing drooping aspidistras and desiccated begonias back to full health'. I've been reading so many more books recently where the protagonist is middle-aged. As a 52 year-old in reality, a 30 year-old in my head, and a 70 year-old in my body, I love that Celia, Amanda, Terri, and Enzo made me feel that there are still hundreds of opportunities, just waiting around the corner.  When I read that Celia ran her very own houseplant hospital, I found myself wondering whether I knew enough about plants to run my own… I definitely don't! 🤣 But Celia did, whether it was a poorly Peace Lily, a sickly spider plant or a finicky Fiddle Leaf Fig, she somehow manages to find a cure and send them on their way. Does she cure Spike? You'll have to read the book to find out! 🌵 I think you'd need to be in the UK, and old, to remember a character called Beryl the Peril in a comic called the Beano. Well, Mathilde is Enzo's nine-year-old daughter and that's who she dresse...

'He felt that Seaspray was simply waiting for someone to come along, hack through the thorns like the prince in Sleeping Beauty and save it from eternal slumber.' I loved reading Phillipa's new book. It was full of sunshine and happiness, beautiful sand art and the promise of a gorgeous garden - reminding me of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  Tammy and Ruan have a really sweet meet-cute, as he sits on the seawall, watching her create her amazing art on the beach, and you just know that they're going to end up together. Of course there are some obstacles which pop up along the way, secrets that they keep to themselves for just a little bit too long and Tammy's inability to trust someone with her heart. But of course it all comes good in the end, as all great romance reads do.  We nearly moved to Cornwall a few years ago, but opted for Norfolk instead, so I relish a book where I can lose myself in the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean, with the drama...

'The sing song of conversation was punctuated by cups clinking in saucers and plates being passed around. A Mad Hatter's tea party of sorts - with less hats and perhaps slightly more madness'. 'It's beginning to feel like all roads lead to Polkerran Point.' In this visit to Polkerran Point, we are with Kate, who has made the move to Polkerran to get away from her ass of an ex-husband, and brought along her teenage daughter Mollie. I predicted that the love-interest this time around would be Dev, and I was right!  Once again, Cass has brought me sunshine and joy with her book, as I excuse myself from real life and disappear into the gorgeous community that makes up Polkerran. I love that Cass can pick me up and deposit me around Anna's kitchen table, as I mingle with the batty locals. Or sit me on Kate's terrace with a glass of wine, listening to the sea in the distance and contemplating life.  The 'Friends' reference at the beginning of each chap...

'Would he be a better person if he drank lemonade instead?' 'At least it might fizz him up a bit!' I don't ever want this series to end, not ever! 💖 I'm sure this is the effect that Ever After Street is having on many readers. This time we get to read Mickey and Ren's story. They are polar opposites, Mickey has dyed red hair like Ariel from the Little Mermaid, she wears seashells in her hair and loves everything mermaid 🧜‍♀️ and believes in fairytales. Ren is sensible, strait-laced and Ava, his teenage daughter thinks he's boring. But together they work - well eventually they do - as they set off on a mermaid adventure together. Ava was awesome, for a thirteen-year-old, she was pretty perceptive and not without her wily ways to try to get her grumpy Dad and awesome new friend together. She's sassy and fun and I liked her a lot.  We have shops like Mickey's Curiosity Shop close to where I live. Sort of antiquey crossed with a jumble sale! 🤣 Y...

'She never stayed in one place for long… Until she felt the sweet sting of love'. A Honey for the Beekeeper was a gorgeous and beautiful book. From beginning to end, it made me feel all warm and cosy inside. Brooke and Gable were adorable, and at first, they appear to be on the very same page, just up for an 'in the moment' relationship. No strings, no ties, and all ready to enjoy spending time together while they're living in the same place. Short-term is what they both want...or is it? If I had the space and an agreeable husband, I'd love to try my hand at beekeeping, what better way to spend those summer days than caring for the delightful honeybees. Surprisingly I learnt quite a lot, just from reading Nina's lovely book! I loved how Nina sensitively dealt with both Gable and Brooke's individual stories, how they come to terms with loss and eventually how communicating with other people, can actually help. If you are in the mood for a cute, sweet rom...