Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

“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...

"I hate how much I love it out here. I shouldn't. But the thrill ignites me, even as it terrifies me". Dark Academia is becoming a firm favourite of mine, and Masquerade of Mirrors by Samantha Hartwood just blew me away. 🖤✨ Packed with magic, mages, devious students and a school that is more illusion than reality, I was hooked. Now, remember that I rarely read the synopsis of a book, so when I was thrown into the middle of a deadly desert at the beginning, I began to wonder if this was Star Wars all over again! 😂 Where was the magic? Why was I just reading about sand and an ill old man? But OMG — the magic was coming, as was the hot mage and his curious secrets. 🔥🪄 In Samantha's incredible debut novel, you'll watch Taera go from an inexperienced young girl, with no knowledge of what lies outside her hut in the desert, to an awesome, sassy young woman who is so powerful it makes even Nikolai step back in wonder. ⚡️ Nikolai himself wears a virtual coat of armour...

“Good will always battle evil,” he said. “Light will always fight the dark. In those moments, you’ll learn who you truly are.” ✨ OMG, I love this series. ❤️ Rites of the Starling was our Sequel Shelf pick for June for #thatbonkersbookclub, but I listened to it the week it was released—I just couldn't wait! I'd had it reserved on Libby for months. 🎧📚 I had absolutely no idea what was going on. 😂 I couldn't work out whether the two stories were dual timelines or running simultaneously, which, for me, made the story even more addictive. And no... I didn't guess! Every reveal came as a complete surprise. 🤯 Everything clicked into place in the end, but honestly, trying to figure it out was half the fun. The multiple storylines and narrators were incredible, and all three narrators brought so much passion to the story. ❤️ So many questions were answered, but even more have appeared—or are still complete mysteries. I loved the politics, the romance, the battles, and of cou...

"Other people's choices are not your failures." ❤️ I listened to Fury Bound immediately after Dire Bound, so I had no trouble remembering everything that had happened. It's definitely addictive, and now I need the next one! 😅 When does it come out again? Stark grew on me just as much as he grew on Meryn, and the bond between them and their wolves is so strong. 🐺❤️ If you've read Fourth Wing, then you'll know how sassy the dragons are—I loved that these wolves are just as full of attitude! 😂 There were some shock moments in Fury Bound that I definitely wasn't expecting. But hey, if you're in the middle of a war, there are bound to be deaths, right? 💔⚔️ I'm really keen to see what happens with the siphons and how they'll all pan out in the final book. Thank you to Libro.fm and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review Fury Bound by Sable Sorensen. 🎧📚 About the Book Against all odds, Meryn Cooper has inherited the crown—and...

“Confidence makes men sloppy. And sloppy men are easy targets.” I saw that Dire Bound was on the Libro.fm choice list and decided it was time for me to jump on the Wolves of Ruin series. I mean, I'm only a year or so behind, right?! 😅 I loved it. With its Fourth Wing and The Hunger Games vibes, I was invested from the beginning. Unusually for me when listening to an audiobook, I didn't feel like I'd zoned out at all. The dual narration brought the characters right into my ears as I joined every battle with Meryn and shared her frustration at being bonded to the ass of a Dire Wolf that is Anassa (see, it's even in her name! 😂🐺). A wolf who seems to have no patience or tolerance for the girl who really doesn't want to be bonded at all and is only there because she has no other choice. There are secrets around every corner, and just about everyone seems to have something against Meryn... or do they? 🤔 Maybe they're just trying to keep her safe. I listened to Fu...

“You turned a dark magic spell into a field full of flowers?” 🌸✨ Shaedes of War is the fourth book in the series and such a fun read! It starts a little slow, but the intensity really builds as you go. 🔥 The trials gave me Hunger Games meets Triwizard Tournament vibes, and I loved them—especially the last one. 👀💥 Edmyn and Markis bring such a great contrast to the purity of the Shaedes, and their love for their mates is intense .❤️‍🔥 And wow… the spice in this one 🌶️🔥 let’s just say… toe-curling and mind-spinning. 😮‍💨 Oh—and Collin.🥹 You will fall in love with him. Such a sweet kid who just wants to protect the realm and become fae… but will they let him? 👀✨ As with the other books, I loved discovering the different Shaedes and their powers. Honestly, I’d take a bit of each… plus a dragon 🐉 (her name would be Cora. 💁‍♀️) Thank you so much to Jenny Grimes for including me on her ARC team. 💖📚 About the Book With everything to gain and even more to lose, will their love sur...

“I don't like holding hands.” “How do you know? You've never held mine.” I have a beautiful sprayed edge copy of Shield of Sparrows, but I really didn't want to read that one. So, I grabbed a copy on Libby, plugged myself in, and immersed myself in the beautiful narration, primarily from Samantha Brentmoor. I knew I'd enjoy this. Marketed for lovers of SJM, what would there be, not to love? It turns out, nothing. I devoured every word, I was invested in Odessa's story, I was with her every step of the way, as she fought the monsters, cared for Evie and snuggled up with Faze, her cute but little scary baby monster! I adored the Guardian - should I have done? Probably not! 😉  I really wanted to stay in that treehouse that Odessa made home for a while, it seemed so cute, and I know that here in the UK at least, you can rent out treehouses for holidays! How cool would that be? Of course, it's similar to every other romantasy book out there, but give me any sort of ...