Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

“Hamish’s impression was that kindness itself was a cure, and one that was as powerful as any drug.” 💙

 The Figurine has been sitting on my NetGalley shelf for a while, and when @megbatsbooks suggested a buddy read, it pushed me to finally pick it up. 😊 Now while I didn't hate it, I didn't love it either. 🤷‍♀️ First off, the title is The Figurine and we see no such thing until approximately 70% into the book, which was strange. 😅 There was a lot of (for want of a better phrase) ‘world-building’ in the story. 📚 We learn about the Greek Junta — the military regime which took place from 1967–1974 — and while it was relevant to the rest of the story, there probably didn't need to be quite so much of it. 🤔

 I enjoyed Helena clearing out her grandparents’ apartment, and I was invested in what she was finding. 🏺 I loved the friends she made in Athens, and I was keen to follow along on the investigative journey to search for answers about what was happening in the archaeol...

“We’ve got to treat men like humans, even if some do inhuman things.” My third of @hook.me.a.book challenges is the #NeglectedFaithfulsReadingChallenge, which I’m using to read physical books that have been sitting on my actual shelf for far too long! 📚✨ First up is Truth Be Told by Kia Abdullah, the second book in the Zara Kaleel series. I’ve just checked and I read the first one at the end of 2022, so yes — I’m a bit behind! 😅 In my experience, male assault isn’t something that’s covered often in books, and it’s a difficult subject to write about. However, Kia handles it with sensitivity and a great deal of research, which I really appreciated. 💛 Zara has her own issues to deal with alongside her work as an assault counsellor, and then she takes on Kamran’s case — not an easy one to manage. I went through a whole range of emotions while reading this: angry, empathetic, and sad, often towards the same characters. 😡💔 The immaturity of youth is portrayed in the boys who attended Ha...

Kitty Collins - I love you! This gave me throwbacks to How to Kill Your Family, but way better! I love Kitty Collins. Should I be admitting that I admire a serial killer?! 🤣 She's like Dexter - which reminds me, I need to catch up with that series soon! I laughed, I cringed, and I held my head in my hands as the darkness overtook Kitty as she continued to remove those lecherous men from society. She had a pretty nifty way of disposing of the bodies, that was a cool addition to the plot, a bit mafia-esque.  I'm not sure Kitty actually likes her job as an influencer, she seems to put up with it because it's earning her money and paying her rent, but her role as a serial killer is what she's actually enjoying! Victoria Morrison as the narrator was brilliant, she made everything seem absolutely normal, as though Kitty was just going about her everyday life - which I guess she was!  Thank you to Harper Collins and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review How to...

'A large, dark shape materialised to his right, as though plunging through a thick cloud. The drumming faster, relentless'. I read my first Ross Greenwood novel, earlier this year and loved it, so of course I was going to read this one. Another day and another Norfolk murder! This one reminded me of a Dick Francis book. If you don't know, Dick was a former jockey, turned author and many of his books were set in the horse racing world and featured a murder or two! As Ross was writing about the stable yards, and the beauty and grace that comes with the horses who reside there, I could smell the wood shavings and the gorgeous horsey smell. I could sense the love the people who worked there, had for their charges, and I dropped myself right into the middle of it all, as I set about trying to solve the murder(s) along with DI Ashley Knight. A perfectly written police procedural. Ross kept me guessing most of the way through, and my choice of murderer changed from one chapter to ...

' An innocent soul, walled up and forgotten'. Burying Jericho is the third book in the Scott Jericho series, and it's by far and away the best! I loved everything about it. With each book I read, I'm learning more and more about the fairgrounds, the people who live and work there and the mysticism that often surrounds them. The stories in this instalment just build and build, both with the disappearance of the young lad that Scott is searching for, and the mystery that Harry is looking into. I can't say too much about anything, you'll not hear any spoilers from me. Suffice to say that I was hooked, and along with the million and one curveballs that the author threw us and guessing (incorrectly) who the culprit(s) were, my mind was in turmoil. As I turned the last page, I felt like I had questioned every witness and fought every psychological battle that Scott did. I am excited to see what is next for 'the Great Showman Detective'. Thank you to Zaffre boo...

Scott Jericho is back! I'm loving this series, as I write this review for the second book, I am well on my way to finishing the third. Scott Jericho just can't sit back and forget his past, all he wants is to be in the thick of an investigation and this time, he really is, slap, bang in the middle. Can he discover who the killer or killers are before too many more people get murdered? The book isn't all brutal murders and searching for the bad guys, there is an emotional side to it too. In the first book, Scott hooks up with his old flame, Harry, and in Jericho's Dead, they are still together - sort of. Scott doesn't seem the most stable of men in his relationships, so will they stay together, you'll have to read this to find out. Miscommunication is a huge issue between these two and many a time, I found myself muttering in despair - just talk to each other for heaven's sake! If you love a good murder mystery, with some pretty squeamish bits, then please ch...

A fantastic start to a new series. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I began to read Killing Jericho, those of you who read my reviews regularly will know that I rarely read the synopsis, where would be the fun in that? 😂 Scott Jericho is a former police officer who is having trouble letting go of his detective roots, so when horrendous murders begin to occur, then who better to investigate them. I really enjoyed the weird way in which these victims had been murdered - that sounds wrong, doesn't it? Let's just say the story kept me entertained, 🙈 and I had absolutely no idea who the murderer was until the reveal - well played there to the author. I loved the side story of the fair, where Scott lived much of his childhood. It was fun and interesting to read about what happens behind the scenes in a fairground and the hard work that so obviously goes into moving sites and setting up regularly. I was briefly taken back to Mr Galliano's Circus by Enid Blyton, whi...

Secret societies and sinister goings-on. I liked this one, it took me a while to get into, and it was pretty slow-going, but once I figured out who everyone was, and got my head around the different points of view, I became invested in what happened to Jake and Sasha. Was it really suicide or was there something more ominous going on? I found myself asking whether secret societies do exist in colleges, or whether they are always a work of fiction? I chose not to attend college or university, and I therefore have no firsthand experience of this.  I enjoyed how invested Jake's Mum was in finding out the truth, even if it was sometimes to the point of obsessiveness. Lauren Fortgang as the narrator brought an element of mystery to the story which I'm not sure you'd have achieved from reading it. I would definitely listen to something she narrates in the future. Thank you to Libro FM and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to listen to and review The Wayside by Caroline W...

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...

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...

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...