Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

“To find a rainbow, you’ve got to have some rain and I’d certainly experienced one heck of a storm before I’d found mine.” A gorgeous addition to the Hedgehog Hollow series, and this one focuses a lot more on Josh and Samantha's families and the past history which goes alongside. Thankfully, the two have each other, and it's lovely to see how supportive they are together.  I loved that we see lots more hedgehogs in this book, and some with super-cool names, well done Jessica for coming up with those! I learnt lots about hedgehog rescue and actually, just how much work has to go into it, from staying up through the night to feed the hoglets, to mending them when they've been in accidents! As always, with Jessica's books, I came away from this one feeling happy and relaxed, she definitely always makes my mood so much better. I was trying to decide what to do with some old towels I have. After writing the two reviews for the first two Hedgehog Hollow books, over the last f...

“The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become. Find your peace” Hedgehog Hollow was my first venture into Jessica's books, way back at the beginning of the summer of 2024 - yes I'm only just now writing my review! 🙊 What can I say? Life gets in the way! Anyway, I'm here now and I adored it. I saw the word 'hedgehog' and I knew I'd love it. Samantha was so deserving of finding a new life in a new place and making new friends, after having so much taken away from her, and so many mean people in her life. I admired her stoicism and endeavours to open a hedgehog rescue centre and make Thomas's dreams come true. Emma Swan was brilliant at narrating this, she drew me into Sam's life, hopes, and dreams and all the itsy, bitsy, cutesy hedgehogs. I've already listened to the second one in this series, which I loved just as much.  Jessica fast became one of my favourite authors, and now I am looking forward to working my w...

“What can be done when you’re eleven can often never be done again.” I enjoyed IT a whole lot more than Carrie. Even though it was a stonker of a listen at 45 hours, I was invested in the story, the kids, as they navigated their way through their traumatic teenage years in Derry. Twenty-eight years later, when they returned to their hometown to fight whatever the monster is, all over again.  Occasionally I got lost in the narration as the story skipped from the past to the present and occasionally somewhere in-between, but aside from that, I did actually like it. I definitely wouldn't like the movie version, but I treated the monster as some sort of paranormal fantasy creature that I've encountered in numerous other books, and it was all good. I'm sure I'm not the first person who's thought this, but whether intentional or not, I think some of J.K. Rowling's ideas came from this book. The monster is eerily reminiscent of Aragog, and, she moves around in the pipe...

'She was going to make the inn feel welcoming again, one cosy bite at a time.' I really enjoyed listening to this, even though there is a massive miscommunication overload! Madison and Zack are loveable, cute and so right for each other, but they are also very, very annoying. Talk to each other, stop running away and stop being pig-headed! OMG they are so frustrating, I needed to bang my head against a wall, never mind theirs! 😂 The Cinnamon Spice Inn has a huge autumnal vibe, it's gorgeous, with the vivid descriptions as the leaves on the trees change their colours and the mouthwatering cooking and baking that's going on. You'll be popping on that autumn jumper and running out to buy a pumpkin before you can say 'pumpkin latte'! The book is a dual narration, with Andi and Brandon playing the parts of Madison and Zack brilliantly. I felt welcomed into Maple Falls, right from the beginning, and loved their interpretation of the characters. Thank you to Booko...

'She is your darkest thoughts, your darkest fears. She will feed off your fear and hatred and grow stronger.' The second book and another mission for the Union Jacks, only these time, there appears to be more than one of each of them! Doppelgängers, spirit doubles, alter ego or ethereal twin, call them what you like, but ultimately it means double the trouble, or double the support, depending on whose point of view you're looking at! Shadowslayers is a fast-paced, exciting second book from new author, Colin Sephton. The many battles are charged with excitement, blood-soaked detail, and nail-biting anticipation, as Indigo, Ignatius, and their allies fight to uncover the elusive Book of Shadows, contain its horrors, and keep each other alive.  With a tense and open-ended finish, we are left with the potential for another mission. What will come next for our Union Jack agents? Can just the two of them be expected to keep the entire universe safe. Thank you to Colin Sephton and...

“I’d been secretly fantasising about you waking up fully restored back to factory settings.” I Found You is another one that I'm just catching up with my review for. I listened to this in the summer of 2024 and I remember so much about it, which is unusual - I usually forget about a story as soon as I finish it! I definitely wouldn't have done what Alice did, and invited a stranger inside my house to stay with me and my kids! But her heart is in the right place and thankfully, she has the support of her friend to keep an eye on her! The story is written from three points of view, two from the present day and one from 1993, from the point of view of two kids who holidayed in the same place where Alice now lives.  I really enjoyed listening to this, I thought I'd worked out who the man on the beach was, and then there was another twist and I was back to the drawing board! About the Book In a windswept British seaside town, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on the beac...

'But bear in mind, using a dragon as a weapon comes with the risk of its bite'. I'm hooked! When is the next one out? The Luminiferous series is fast becoming my favourite fantasy series. I adore Lilly. She's sassy, she's fearless, she's brave and she doesn't suffer fools. In this one, Lilly sets out on some more adventures with her friends, in an attempt to find the second emanation of Luminiferous. On the way, she encounters enemies, many, many enemies, some who may become friends and inevitable death - thankfully not hers because we still have another five more books to go! After the world-building in book one, we are catapulted straight back into all the worlds that Lilly travels through, and of course she has Hairito by her side once again, such a cheeky, yet loyal gargoyle! Lilly is being forced to grow up fast and for a nineteen-year-old, she really is doing an awesome job of carrying the world's outcome on her shoulders! The book is full of sel...