Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

This was such a brilliantly written book. I loved it from start to finish, and what a whirlwind of a story it was. There were so many times that I thought I’d worked out what was what, only to be flummoxed yet again. I couldn’t decide who were the good characters and who were the bad ones, and although I thought I’d worked it all out about three-quarters of the way through, I couldn’t be sure and there were lots more twists to come. I listened to this one as an audiobook, and the narrator, Tanya Eby, was really good. I’ve listened to books which she has narrated before and always enjoyed them. She played Emma, the female main character, well, and as with any good narrator, I could well believe that she actually was Emma, lying in that hospital bed. One of the best thrillers I’ve listened to (or read) for a long time, and although this was my first by Leslie Wolfe, it definitely won’t be my last. There were so many moments when I thought ‘no way’, that can’t be how it happened and I lov...

I love a book set in beautiful, scenic countryside, and so when the opportunity arose to read Kennedy Kerr’s recent novel, set in the Highlands of Scotland, I couldn’t turn it down. An Invitation to the Cottage by the Loch is slow to begin with, but as soon as I become familiar with the characters (some of who are loveable and some who grow on you), the story picked up speed and I soon became immersed in Deb’s new challenge at Loch Cameron and invested in her story. The author deals with several challenging issues alongside the lightheartedness of planning a party and forming new friendships, and I enjoyed the contrast between the two.  Although this is the fifth book in the Loch Cameron series, it’s the first I’ve read and I don’t think it matters that I haven’t read the others and can definitely be read as a standalone.  Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review An Invitation to the Cottage by the Loch by Kennedy Kerr. About the Book High o...

Jaimie blows it out of the park. Every. Single. Time. I adore her books, I love the ‘Ever After Street’ series, and I am constantly impressed by the ideas she comes up with for her books. Of course, A Wonderland Wish on Ever After Street is no exception, and for this book we see Cleo open The Wonderland Teapot, an Alice in Wonderland-themed teashop, complete with Wonderland-inspired cakes, and its very own Mad Hatter, aka Bram. Jaime’s latest creation is full of romance, friendship, secrets and baking. The characters are fanciful, delightful and full of creativity. I wish Ever After Street was a real live place because if it were, I’d be there in an instant. If you’ve read the other books in this series, then you’ll be familiar with the other characters, but you don’t need to read them in order. Each can totally be read as a standalone, but read them all. Go on, why wouldn’t you? Imagine yourself all cosy and warm, wrapped up in a great big bear hug from the person you love most in t...

Over the last few months, I have been enjoying more and more fantasy books, usually listening to them as an audiobook. When the opportunity arose for me to listen to Compass Points on audio, I leapt at the chance. Slow to begin with as we are immersed into the world in which Rose lives, the story soon picks up as I become familiar with the characters and their purpose in the fae world.  Compass Lake is the home of the four Compass Points, north, south, east and west. Each worships a different God and each has their own magic. I really enjoyed this one. Rose is one bad-ass-bitch who is determined not to take any shit from anyone. Even when Luc happens upon her in the market, looking for the weapons master, she tries her hardest to remain aloof and independent. Hats off to Jillian Witt for a great debut novel with loveable characters, fascinating world-building and a truly great story. I loved listening to Kari Hollowell read this. She totally throws herself into each character and ...

I’ve been waiting to read this since Madeline announced when the last book in the Emily Fallon series was coming out! It’s definitely been worth the wait and we pick up exactly where we left Emily, Xander, Maverick and Uncle Paul in the second book - in the throes of trying to bring the head of the US Navy to justice.  Once again, Madeline Vaughn has written a fast-paced story with an intriguing and thrilling plot. It gripped me from the start. There were loads of ‘WTF’ and ‘no-way’ moments and I was totally gobsmacked at how some things played out! No spoilers from me, but I really didn’t see what was going to happen and part of me thought a miracle might occur! This definitely needs to be read as part of the series, so get out and there and buy all three now! Once again, thank you to Madeline for including me in her ARC Street Team. I’m looking forward to the next book she writes. About the Book Her opposition's reach is unparalleled. Who will be left standing? In the gripping fi...

The second in the East End Library Girls series and a welcome return to Cordelia, Jane and Mavis. Since Cordelia arrived at the library, the three have become firm friends. This book continues where the first one left off and we follow the lives of the three women and how they are surviving the war. Houses are bombed, children are evacuated and soldiers are injured, but the three are resilient and manage to cope with whatever is thrown at them. I loved catching up with these three again. Despite the harrowing circumstances of war, the book has a lovely warm feeling. I enjoy reading about life during the war, the difficulties with housing, finding food and not knowing from one day to the next what will happen. It makes us appreciate everything we have today. The library helped bring the community together and for those who were lonely, I can only imagine that this must have been a godsend.  Although the second in the series, this could be read as a standalone. However, the first one...

Although I have The Silent Patient on my bookshelf, it remains unread, and therefore this is my first venture into Alex Michaelides’ world. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure about this one at the beginning. I don’t know how to describe the style of writing apart from that it’s narrated from the point of view of one of the characters. However, as I settled into the writing and read on, I understood more about what was happening and why it was being written such as it was, and I began to enjoy it - a lot. The Fury is full of deception, lies and intrigue from beginning to end. I’m not sure I actually liked any of the characters very much, each having their own secrets and reasons for being who they want others to perceive them. Only an accomplished writer can portray their characters as such and hats off to Alex for achieving this. I found the story to be full of twists and an ending I didn’t see coming. A Fury is a local Greek term for strong winds and storms and the fury in this case provid...