Freed fifty Shades by E L James

Freed by E.L. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 768

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

An instant #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and international bestseller!

You are cordially invited to the wedding of the decade, when Christian Grey will make Anastasia Steele his wife. But is he really husband material? His dad is unsure, his brother wants to organise one helluva bachelor party, and his fiancée won't vow to obey . . .

And marriage brings its own challenges. Their passion for each other burns hotter and deeper than ever, but Ana's defiant spirit continues to stir Christian's darkest fears and tests his need for control. As old rivalries and resentments endanger them both, one misjudgement threatens to tear them apart.

Can Christian overcome the nightmares of his childhood and the torments of his youth, and save himself? And once he's discovered the truth of his origins, can he find forgiveness and accept Ana's unconditional love?

Can Christian finally be freed?


My Review

So I read the original 50 shades books and then the two from his point of view so I absolutely had to read this, continuity. If you are familiar with the series there isn't vast amounts of new stuff in this, same situations but of course hearing from him not Ana.

I did like hearing more about the Mrs Robinson interaction, the night he ran after *that news* I won't say what incase you haven't read it before. The hold she had over him and we know how their relationship came to be as he told Ana already. I am nosey though so wanted to know what was said that night he got el wrecko.

The biggest thing in this as with the others is we get to hear his inner thoughts on everything and I can't say it made me like him more, if anything the opposite. I absolutely prefer Ana's point of view and the originals but I am glad I read them all because that is them complete, 3/5.

View all my reviews

Noone Keeps A Secret by Denise Brown

=No One Keeps a Secret by Denise Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 288

Publisher - Hashtag Press

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

When three teens track down a missing chihuahua to an abandoned theme park, they stumble upon a chilling discovery: a corpse, strangled by his own camera strap. The victim was meant to be 400 miles away in London, where he'd promised a lot of people a lot of money. But every one of them has a solid alibi. As Haigh, Cherry, and Sunrise get pulled into the murder investigation, they uncover mafia connections, a still-operating ghost train, and gossiping grannies, revealing their quiet village is far more dangerous than they ever imagined.


My Review

Young adult, mystery, the main characters are Haigh and Cherry, teens, told in first person point of view. Haigh's mum is dating Oz, a not very nice guy at all, the duo Haigh and Cherry become a trio when they meet Sunrise. The three end up meeting whilst chasing down a temperamental bitey chihuhua and bond over the trauma of finding a dead body, that of Oz and things go from there. Haigh has ADHD so we see snippets of that in different situations whilst trying to investigate what happened and be "the man of the house".

So there is a fair bit to unpeel in this, friendship, teen attraction, murder, investigation like the kids are on the case a bit like maybe the secret seven or something. It is super busy and sometimes, some of the elements like the ADHD could have been either much more in depth or just left off. I think people will be happy to see more representation absolutely but whilst we get glimpses and moments of how Haigh lives with it they are fleeting. Like maybe if he was not a main character? Also the characters are sixteen but come across so much younger in a lot of it. So it was a bit mixed for me at times.

The adults/secrets part I did like and wanted to know all of what Oz's chat was, I feel so much was touched on or hinted at but then didn't give us as much as I would have liked. If they book was chunkier and we got more backstory and depth I think I would have liked it a lot more. I also felt some things came so left of field and I do love when an author shocks you and or pulls the rug but, I don't know instead of ooooh I was a bit more oh, wait hang on. If that makes sense? I liked it, I didn't love it. Small village, secrets, murder, teen protagonists, kid working through some big developments/shocks with his friends and living with ADHD. It was different, 3/5, this was my first time reading her, I would read her again if I come across the book(s).

View all my reviews

My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood

My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - Penguin UK

Source - Given by a friend

Blurb from Goodreads

Are You Brave Enough To Go Back?

Kate Rafter is a successful war reporter. She's the strong one. The one who escaped Herne Bay and the memories it holds. Her sister Sally didn't. Instead, she drinks. But when their mother dies, Kate is forced to return to the old family home. And on her first night she is woken by a terrifying scream.

What secret has Kate stumbled upon?

And is she strong enough to uncover the truth . . . and make it out alive?


My Review

Well this was different and not what I was expecting at all, Kate is a reporter, covers war torn countries. Home now after finding her mother has died (she missed the funeral) and her sister Sally is still not speaking to her. Kate has PTSD, medicated to try and get through the recurring traumas, the first half of the book focuses on her being back home and facing old trauma from her past and alcoholic father. The second half of the book really changed in pace, we then go to Sally and see her POV of the things Kate told us she suffered as a kid, now we see Sally's version. Sally is an alcoholic and only when something forces through the haze of booze is Sally forced out of her bubble, further pushing her already strained marriage.

Warning, as well as things witnessed in an active/ongoing war country/flashbacks, we have memories of abuse/violence/DV/alcoholism/exploitation and a horrific scene of animal death. I wasn't prepared for it and despite maybe showing just how far Sally has falling I just don't think it was needed and the scene is brutal (its a bird).

The narrators are unreliable, it jumps about, it is really dark and whilst there were things I really didn't like there is no denying the book has a pull about it. It is a very dark read so proceed with caution, this was my first by this author, I would absolutely read them again. They have a knack for painting very vivid scenes and lots of it is brutal and gives authentic vibes, 3/5.

View all my reviews

The Baby Trail by Sinead Moriarty

The Baby Trail by Sinéad Moriarty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 320

Publisher - Atria

Source - Friend gave me it

Blurb from Goodreads

Makeup artist Emma Hamilton is thirty-three when she and her husband James decide it's time to start a family. She has it all mapped out: Go off the pill in December, have sex, get pregnant by January, have the baby in September. With the help of a personal trainer, she figures she'll be back to her fighting weight in time for Christmas. But when three months of candle-scented sex fails to produce the desired result, Emma decides that maybe Mother Nature needs a helping hand.

Soon her life is a roller coaster of post-coital handstands (you can't argue with gravity), hormone-inducing (sanity-reducing!) drugs, and a veritable army of probing specialists (torturers, more like). It's out with alcohol and spontaneous sex, in with green tea and ovulation kits. Emma and James try everything from fertility drugs to in vitro, but all their carefully laid plans seem to go south -- along with Emma's rapidly plummeting self-esteem.

The members of her support team are unquestionably loyal, but distracted by their own personal dramas. There's Babs, her younger sister, who prescribes Emma half an Ecstasy pill to treat her depression. Her friend Jess is pregnant with her second child and gives Emma an earful about the downside of motherhood. The glamorous Lucy, Emma's closest pal, fears she might be stuck in her "single rut" forever -- that is, until she meets Donal, a rough-around-the-edges rugby player who passes out on their first date but quickly proves that he is worth a second chance. And last, but certainly not least, is James, Emma's rugby coach husband, who quite unhelpfully manages to give himself a groin injury just when she is ovulating.

But just when Emma feels as if her obsession may have alienated all of her loved ones, including James, events take a ninety-degree turn that will have unforeseen consequences for everyone.


My Review

Meet Emma, thirty three, Irish, happily married to an English guy and the time is right to have a baby. All seems straight forward but as the months go by and still no pregnancy Emma gets more erratic and obsessed. Her bestie is desperate for a date, her other pal has a baby and healthy sex life and Emma is getting it from all areas as her biological clock is ticking as folk like to keep pointing out.

I can't say I loved Emma, she is funny and God knows I felt heart sorry for her as she goes longer and longer unable to get pregnant. Before hormones take over and everything else she does say and do some questionable stuff. I did laugh out loud at some of her besties experiences with the rugby player and their date(s) and or aftermath.

The book deals with emotive and serious subjects infused with humour and showing just how much a woman goes through when conceiving doesn't come naturally. Easy enough for a wee poolside read, I think this was my first time reading this author, it wouldn't be the last. I think if you have struggled with pregnancy/conceiving this book with either resonate or maybe just be a wee bit too close to home, 3/5 from us.

View all my reviews

What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges

What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 319

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Just about everything in Endora, Iowa (pop. 1,091 and dwindling) is eating Gilbert Grape, a twenty-four-year-old grocery clerk who dreams only of leaving. His enormous mother, once the town sweetheart, has been eating nonstop ever since her husband's suicide, and the floor beneath her TV chair is threatening to cave in. Gilbert's long-suffering older sister, Amy, still mourns the death of Elvis, and his knockout younger sister has become hooked on makeup, boys, and Jesus--in that order, but the biggest event on the horizon for all the Grapes is the eighteenth birthday of Gilbert's younger brother, Arnie, who is a living miracle just for having survived so long. As the Grapes gather in Endora, a mysterious beauty glides through town on a bicycle and rides circles around Gilbert, until he begins to see a new vision of his family and himself.


My Review

So I know this is a movie with Johnny Depp and a very young Leonardo DiCaprio, I don't think I have seen it but little bits, I recognised the bath scene. The main character is Gilbert Grape, 24 years old, living in a small town and quite angry and over the hand life has given him. Going through the motions until a young lassie appears on her bike and captures Gilbert's attention and seeing his life through new eyes.

I can't say Gilbert is a nice character, he is a bit of a tool, not a great pal nor brother although he does have his moments with Arnie, his miracle brother the doctors had told would never make his 18th birthday. As Arnie's birthday gets closer the family make big plans for the monumental achievement. Amidst this we meet Gilbert's mother, once the town sweetheart and now hugely overweight and stays indoors 24/7 to keep from ridicule and gossip. Two older siblings who managed to escape, his older sister who lives at home and his younger sister who is a bit high maintenance, Elvis loving and newly finding the attraction to/of boys.

The book covers a whole host of dynamics, relationships, issues, some of the language is not used nowadays (Arnie is referred to as the derogatory R word multiple times). I know some people love this book, I wasn't one of them, I don't hate it but maybe I just didn't get what the author was shooting for? There was a scene I did gasp at and I felt for the wean but a lot of the time I was really annoyed at the characters behaviours and choices. Maybe that is indeed what Hedges was going for, imperfect characters, imperfect life, unlikable but with some redeeming qualities or moments, 3/5.

View all my reviews

A Savage Generation by David Tallerman

A Savage Generation by David Tallerman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 352

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Sickness is ravaging America, driving the infected to savagery. Petty criminal Ben Silensky is determined to get his girlfriend Carlita and son Kyle free of the quarantined city they live in, enough so to risk a foolhardy crime and then to team up with Carlita's equally desperate cop cousin Nando. Once they're out, Nando is certain they'll find a place in the open prison where his uncle works, unbeknownst to him already become a survivalist colony named Funland under the management of entrepreneurial convict Plan John. In Funland itself, guard Doyle Johnson is shocked when his ex-wife abandons his son Austin into his care. Fearing the vulnerable position he's been placed in, he recruits the help of Katherine Aaronovich, the former prison's doctor. But Aaronovich's traumatic past has left her with vulnerabilities of her own, along with radical theories on the nature of the epidemic that will place all their lives in jeopardy. As the last vestiges of civilisation crumble, Funland may prove to be the safest or the most dangerous of places, depending on who comes out on top - and what can't be held together will inevitably be torn apart. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.


My Review

A city under quarentine, the "sickies" are people who have became infected, becoming aggressive and little more than animals at certain stages. Ben wants out with his kid and girlfriend and he knows exactly where to go, "Funland" previously a prison. There are still prisoners and guards but there is an understanding and Ben and co figure it has to be safer in there than it is out here.

So it is giving 28 days later meets the walking dead vibes, the infected are still human but they beat/murder/destroy and are highly contagious. The majority is set in the prison so that is what was giving me echoes of the walking dead along with the power struggles. There is a female doctor and one of the guards is a really good guy who is tough and respected, he helps smuggle Carlita in because it is still a male's prison and her being discovered would be devastating.

I liked the idea of this but did love a lot of it. I felt the atmosphere was well portrayed and I absolutely wanted to know where it was going. When I read it I felt maybe this was book one and setting up for the second yet it isn't, it is a standalone which again left me a bit meh. Like so much of what they went through and did almost seemed pointless at times, like really all that for that?

That being said am sure many will love it, it gives you glimpses of some of the pathetic and bad sides to humanity, Ben ugh I had very little respect for him. Like it was as if he didn't really know who he was or who he wanted to be, he was, to me, a weak guy, I just couldn't with him by the end of the book.

I liked the doctor and would have liked to have had more exploration on what she was doing/looking into. I felt like so much of the story had unanswered or only briefly touched on issues/themes so I think it would be good if the author did go back to this and make more, maybe a series?

It is quite dark at times, I found the more we learned about this sickies, as the story went on the more I wanted to know about them. How they progressed, the ones we met in the book, I would have loved more of there stories, before, during and after but also the meat/origins of the outbreak. For all of that 3/5 for me, tense, dark, horrible characters with a very small mix of decent ones, it is worth a read because I do think many will love it, I am just a fussy potatoe!

View all my reviews

A Glasgow Kiss by Sophia Gravia

A Glasgow Kiss by Sophie Gravia
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 292

Publisher - Orion

Source - Amazon

Blurb from Goodreads

A headbutt or a strike with the head to someone's sensitive area

Meet Zara Smith: 29, single and muddling her way through life as a trainee nurse in Glasgow. With 30 fast approaching, she's determined to do whatever it takes to find love - or at least someone to sext! Cheered on by best friends Ashley and Raj, Zara embarks on a string of dating escapades that are as hilarious as they are disastrous. From online dating to blind dates, hometown hook-ups to flirty bartenders, nothing is off limits.

But when Dr Tom Adams, aka Sugar Daddy, shows interest, it's a game-changing moment. Zara has had a crush on Tom since her very first day at the aesthetics clinic she works at part-time. As things heat up between them, Zara can't help but wonder: is this it? Or is it another disaster waiting to happen?

Filthy, hilarious and painfully relatable, Zara Smith is Bridget Jones for the millennial generation, from the writer of the Sex in the Glasgow City blog. Fans of Fleabag, Girls and Lucy Vine will love A Glasgow Kiss.



My Review

EVERYBODY has been talking about this book for ages and I hadn't gotten around to it but FOMO (fear of missing out) and it was (and still is at time of posting) only 99p on kindle so I got it. Zara is a student nurse trying to get to her end goal of becoming a nurse and working at an aesthetics clinic in between. One of the docs there is older and HOT but he is her work college so one can but drool and dream. We follow Zara and her dating disasters and what happens when your love life crosses over into your work life EEEK.

Guys this is your warning now, if you don't like spicy books this isn't for you, if you don't like graphic scenes with very descriptive body fluids scenes, this isn't for you. Zara has some "interesting" moments with those she dates and some very cringe moments. She is like Bridget Jones if Bridget covered more graphic/body fluids than the innocent/more gentle side of Bridget J we know.

I laughed, I cringed, I was mortified, I got annoyed at her and wanted her to have a backbone at times. I air punched at one point but that was more to do with someone I hated to someone I actually switched to liking. It is entertaining, shocking, boke inducing at times, friendship, relationships and the old when someone makes dumb decisions when dating someone they are hooked on. Zara tends to fall/forgive quickly which some will identify with some with be irritated with. Modern day dating, shameless, I had a riddy for her at parts but you definitely wanted to see where it went. Loads of folk LOVE this book, I liked it and will read book two but defo not in the omg it is amazing. I would say for those who haven't dated in a long time it is an eye opener of modern day dating, whilst it is fiction, from folk I know who are currently dating in these times, it isn't far off the mark in the truth stakes, it is wild out there, folk be wild lol, 3/5.

View all my reviews

The Christmas she married the playboy & The Greek Secret she carries

The Christmas She Married The Playboy / The Greek Secret She Carries: The Christmas She Married the Playboy (Christmas with a Billionaire) / The Greek ... Diamond Inheritance) by Louise Fuller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Mills & Boon

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Their convenient winter wedding!

To save her pristine image from scandal, Santina must marry notorious playboy Louis. But after a past betrayal, it’s not gossip she fears…it’s the burning attraction that will make resisting her convenient husband impossible.

One scandalous Greek night…

Months after their passionate fling, rumours bring enigmatic Theron to Summer’s doorstep – to discover a pregnancy as obvious as the still-sizzling desire between them! He will give their child the family unit he lost. But Summer’s trust isn’t so easily won…


My Review

Mills and Boon if you have read them you know exactly what you are getting. This book is a two in one. Book one, meet Santina, pristine image and trying to make it in the professional world of ice skating. She has zero interest in the opposite sex especially after having her heart broken and crushed by her ex. Meet Louis, money galore, bad boy reputation, womaniser and often in the press for his antics, so much so it is impacting his work life. When a chance encounter brings them together and the press catch a juicy story the two have to work together to try and salvage both their images.

Story two sees Summer, naive going from university and a mostly sheltered life to trying to find her real father and helping her sick mother. She has a passionate tryst with Theron ending in disaster. He shows up again in her life trying to make amends for his behaviour and assumptions but is it too late.

The first story I did like better and it was very reminiscing of what I remember Mills and Boon to be but with a modern day theme to it. Good girl, bad boy, money, reputation, hard exterior (for both) and absolute attraction they both try to deny and it goes from there.

Book two, I think the whole Greek man and behaviours, for me, didn't work. Instead of passion and sense of wanting to do the right thing as is expected of him I found him to be controlling and really negative behaviours. Summer also came across weak and annoying rather than damsel in distress but also doing the right thing by her family. Maybe if I had read the the other way around I may have taken to it more? Both good stories but I really wasn't a fan of either of the main characters in the second book therefor overall it is 3/5 for me.

View all my reviews

All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time take to read - 5 days

Pages - 305

Publisher - Simon and Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Colleen Hoover delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.

Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.

All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?



My Review

What an opener, we see an infidelity busted and the book then goes from present day back to the time the infidelity was discovered and everything that transpires afterward. Quinn and Graham met under not the best circumstances but fate tends to have better plans for them. Present day and their perfect marriage is suffering, inability to talk about it, game face on and the longer the elephant in the room doesn't get discussed the bigger the rift between them becomes.

This book will have a lot of triggers for many, infidelity, relationship issues, conceiving, issues around it, it is very relationship centric. You know something is between Quinn and Graham but not what and we bounce back and forth past and present. It shows just how huge the issues are between them with stark almost side to side comparison, loves young dream, fresh in the throes of love to present day and struggling to be honest/close.

It is hard to go into it without giving spoilers which we don't do but it covers some heartbreak, some big issues within relationships, fertility and everything that comes with it. I think there are some actions/reactions that will annoy/enrage some readers. I think Hoover is a bit marmite, some folk love her stuff, some not so much. Regardless I think she creates characters/situations that whilst you may not always like them I think you can tune into or relate to, 3/5 for me this time. I have a fair few others of hers on the tbrm and I think they all are pretty different, lied but didn't love.

View all my reviews

The Prison Doctor: The Final Sentence by Doctor Amanda Brown

The Prison Doctor: The Final Sentence by Amanda Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 222

Publisher - HQ Stories

Source - bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Revisit the wold of The Prison Doctor, as she describes stories of her time spent with foreign national prisoners.



In true Prison Doctor style Dr Amanda Brown tells heartbreaking stories with warmth and compassion of her time spent working with prisoners whose fate of deportation hangs in the balance.


Including moving and memorable stories, such as a Nigerian man who’s dying of cancer and wants to do so with his family around him rather than be deported back to his country where he will die alone, and a Ghanian who is terrified to return home as he knows certain death awaits him there because he’s gay, Dr Amanda describes how in the end she can only do what she does best. And that’s take care of her patients while they’re in prison.


My Review

I have read the previous two books in this trilogy and followed doctor Brown's storyline of her career working from within a GP and onto prison settings. The stories follow what she has seen, dealt with and the horrific things prisons have seen/done to themselves and had done to them. This book is different, now she is working with prisoners who are up for potentially being deported.

I had expected much of the same as the previous two books but this one has a bit of a hollower feeling - I think that is the word I am looking for. Normally we get lots of different people, cases, emergencies, conditions. I think there are a handful people's stories and some were really sad but I expected more. I just felt like this book hadn't gave me as much both in terms of people featured and their stories.

The writing is fine as it was, I would absolutely read more by her and I am always interested in any kind of healthcare stories. I think in prison and prison stories (true stories) it gives people a chance to see just how tough it can be in terms of management of conditions, mental health, access to care but I didn't really get that from this one. Sure if featured some bit it was flashes.

We also hear a bit more of her career and it was nice to see her reunited with previous colleagues and changes in a place she had previously worked (reshaped for completely different type of individuals).

So whilst I found it interested I felt it had a lot less offered than previous books, 3/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Pages - 422

Publisher - Viking

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club.

An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.

As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.

With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?



My Review

This is book four in the series and I would say you will get more out of it by reading the previous books and getting the backstory(s) of the characters. The books are centred around older characters who have a Thursday Murder Club and they set out investigating crimes/murder(s) and they are actually pretty good at it.

One of the things I love about these books is how quirky the characters are and whilst that is present in some of this one there is a sadder/dark streak in this book I wasn't expecting. I get that the characters growth/arcs need to go a in certain directions but sometimes when you are caught off guard it can impact in your enjoyment of a story. That being said I also know that it might be more of a me thing than the story/author thing.

On the lighter side there is more of a couples theme in this one and Ron puts his foot in stuff as he does, set in his ways stubborn but still. Skulduggery, drugs, murder and investigating, the opening chapter kicks us into the thick of it straight off.

Friendship is quite often at the heart of these stories and it is strong in this one. We obviously have the police investigation, the gang doing their thing, criminals old and new and everyone is looking for the same thing just for different reasons. It is a good story, engaging just not my fave of the series and has some dark/sad themes involved so for me 3/5 this time. Will I read more of the series? Absolutely, I love the characters and their antics just found this one had a bit more sadness than I was expecting.

View all my reviews

Home For Christmas by Jan Ruth

Home for Christmas by Jan Ruth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 112

Publisher -

Source - Bought (I think)

Blurb from Goodreads

An emotive trio of stories with festive themes.
Rudolph the Brown-Nosed Reindeer Rick isn't looking forward to his lonely corporate Christmas, but it's the season of goodwill and magic is in the air. An off-beat love story. It's time Rick wore his heart on his sleeve, or is it too late? Lessons in love from an unlikely source.
Jim's Christmas Carol Santa and Satan pay a visit. One brings presents, the other an unwelcome presence. Paranormal reality. Jim's played with fire it's time he got his comeuppance, but from who?
Home for Christmas Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Fa la-la la-la, la-la la-la. Tis the Season to be jolly... Romantic-comedy. Pip might accidentally find her true vocation, but the folly of her fibs are about to catch up with her.


My Review

The blurb says three emotive stories with festive themes, I didn't find emotive really in any of them, maybe it is just me. The characters aren't exactly the nicest people (not all of them to be fair). The first one a guy goes through the motions and copes with what his relationship was/is whilst away on a work trip over the festive. Alcohol, self explorations/what is important to them plus maybe a wee bit of personal growth.

Story two has infidelity (extra martial affair) the guy is not a very nice chap and mayhap a bit of Karma is on the cards, see what I did there lol. A spiritualist, family, festivities and maybe a bit of comeuppance once can but hope.

The third and final is Pip, returning home from the big city and not wanting to come clean to just about anything and trying to keep the face/imagine she projects. Of them all I think this may well be my "fave" of the trio.

I liked they have Christmas vibes/theme weaved, I liked the visuals the author creates, wasn't a huge fan of many of the characters (not very nice people), I am the first to admit though short stories aren't my first pic. This was my first dance with this author and I am sure I have actual novels of hers so looking forward to trying them but for me, this one was 3/5. So many folk loved them, I liked them so absolutely check them out for yourself.

View all my reviews

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 284

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger-a boy who seems to fade like smoke-appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know-about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab's debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won't soon forget.



My Review

I think this is my first time reading this author although I have heard the name many times in book groups and sure I have a few others on my tbrm. This is a standalone, punted as a half fairy tale half love story, I am not sure I would use any of them to describe it to be honest. Lexi is really close to her little sister, her mother hasn't been right since her dad died and uncle Otto is taking the lead of man in the house. Lexi is very much like her dad was and into tracking and getting in and about the thick of everything whereas at sixteen in the village it should be more ladylike and focused on wedding, absolutely not what Lexi has in mind. When a stranger is spotted in the village and then a little child goes missing from their bedroom, a hunt for the stranger begins. When another goes missing the townsfolk are after blood rather than answers. Lexi wants to know who the stranger is and she knows exactly where to go to find out.

I don't know for me there was so many seemingly separate threads that didn't exactly gel or come together or in some cases what was the point. The old witch tale that was used to scare the kids, I liked and thought it was well done. The kids disappearing was almost pied piper vibes, there was no harm or force they just seemed to have disappeared with no trace.

The sisters that Lexi goes to I would have loved to have heard more about them, mysterious, elderly witches, the only two left in the village. I think they would have made for great reading and maybe the author will revisit and do a story on them. I just think for a book about witches (ok The Near Witch implies just one) we wold have had more witches.

I didn't get the mob mentality of wanting to hunt down the stranger, surely you would want to capture them and get some answers, most importantly where are the kids. There were things I liked, things I didn't and some missed opportunities I felt but overall it was fine, 3/5 for me.

View all my reviews

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 320

Publisher - Bantam books

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

WANTED - Bloodmaid of exceptional taste. Must have a keen proclivity for life's finer pleasures. Girls of weak will need not apply.

A young woman is drawn into the upper echelons of a society where blood is power, in this dark and enthralling gothic novel from the author of The Year of the Witching.

Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation is all she knows. Despite longing to leave the city and its miseries, she has no real hope of escape until the day she spots a peculiar listing in the newspaper, seeking a bloodmaid.

Though she knows little about the far north--where wealthy nobles live in luxury and drink the blood of those in their service--Marion applies to the position. In a matter of days, she finds herself the newest bloodmaid at the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery--and at the center of it all is her.

Countess Lisavet, who presides over this hedonistic court, is loved and feared in equal measure. She takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, and Marion is eager to please her new mistress. But when her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing in the night, Marion is thrust into a vicious game of cat and mouse. She'll need to learn the rules of her new home--and fast--or its halls will soon become her grave.



My Review

Meet Marion, working for a pittance, scrubbing floors, keeping her addict brother and herself barely making ends meet. When she sees and and advert for a "bloodmaid". The money and conditions is beyond any luxury Marion could dream of but the shame and stigma of such an "occupation". Marion goes for it and is thrust into a world of temptation, debauchery, competitiveness and the letting of blood of course. There is so much to learn, so many dangers and things Marion could not even guess at.

Well this was my first time reading Henderson and I have to say she does write really well and draws you into the atmospheric creepy world inhabited by the rich. Countess Lisavet is rich, beautiful, admired, feared, loved, has her loyal followers and also those who will use and exploit who and what they can.

I felt echos of Caligula/hints of historical figures, the Countess is in need of the maids because of her health issues and we see sparks as we meet the maids and as Marion finds her feet. Gothic, horror veins, spooky, creepy and absolutely not for the easily offended. When a bloodmaid goes missing Marion can't help but poke about, she is smart, inquisitive and we fall down a dark and dangerous rabbit hole with Marion as she questions/explores.

I think this was a good start/introduction to this author, I will check out her other works, 3.5/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

A Rogue's Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh

A Rogue's Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 349

Publisher - Mills and Boon

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

In USA Today bestselling author Eva Leigh’s final Last Chance Scoundrels novel, a young lady and her former betrothed get a second chance at love when they’re stranded at a remote country house…

After Dominic Kilburn left Lady Willa Ransom at the altar, she vowed never to reveal how badly she was hurt. Following a year abroad, Willa wants to move on with her life, so she accepts an invitation to a house party. She’s determined to leave her humiliation behind, as well as the scorching attraction she still feels for the man who jilted her.

When dark secrets from his past surfaced right before his wedding, Dom knew he didn’t deserve Willa. So, he bolted. But he still burns for the only woman who ever claimed his heart. To escape the memories of all he lost, Dom heads to a friend’s estate on an isolated Scottish isle. Yet one of the other guests is the very woman who haunts his every thought and makes him wish for the impossible.

Thrown together by well-meaning family and friends, Willa and Dom try to resist the fiery pull between them. Soon the line between love and loathing begins to blur, and their attraction explodes. But Dom’s past lurks on the edge of their rekindled passion and Willa fears she’ll be devastated all over again. Can these star-crossed lovers find their happily ever after, or will everything detonate a second time?


My Review

Willa and Dom have a past, they broke up badly and haven't seen each other since. They have a linked group of friends/family and now find themselves thrust together on a deserted island for an event. Willa and Dom are in a world hurt, Willa after being jilted at the alter, Dom by causing her so much pain and leaving her as he did. Now there isn't anywhere to run and both are confronted with the fact that underneath the anger (her) and shame (him) they both still are very attracted to each other and have unresolved feelings.

I am a bit conflicted, I really liked the writing and scene setting but some things I liked and thought worked well and somethings really ripped my knitting. Willa absolutely reacted how one would expect after being left at the alter. I struggled with her brothers and her response to them in everything, I would absolutely have done my nut! Her anger/humiliation I think anyone can empathise with but Leigh gives us a bit more of Dom and despite the terrible thing he done he seems like a genuinely nice guy, if you can get past leaving the love of your life at the alter. The build up, scenes, interactions, I think Mills and Boon have certainly branched out over the years and this book gives a bit more bite with the story.

As with the other books, not for the easily offended, there is sex scenes, smut, dirty talk and the C word, I have to admit I cringed a wee bit at some of their scenes/smut dialogue but I know others will love it, 3/5.

View all my reviews

The darkest Lullaby by Jonathan Janz

The Darkest Lullaby by Jonathan Janz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 304

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Ellie Crane doesn't believe in demons or vampires, but she still hates the idea of moving into a creepy old house. But when her husband's aunt bequeaths them a sprawling forest estate, Ellie finds herself stuck in a setting straight out of a horror movie. Then the real horror begins.

After a gruesome accident on the night of their arrival, Ellie awakens to find something lapping at her wounds. Her husband Chris undergoes a radical change--and not for the better. The darkness dissipates, however, when Ellie learns that after three years of trying, she and Chris have finally conceived.

But Ellie and her unborn child are in terrible danger. For fifty years Chris's Aunt Lillith lived a secret life of demon worship, vampirism, and violent eroticism. She and her lover believed they'd have to undergo death and resurrection to continue their reign of terror.

Now Chris, who has been enchanted by a mysterious woman in the woods, is determined to help them. Ellie will have to overcome her husband's madness, her personal demons, the supernatural creatures whose powers are growing--even the very forest, which has grown sentient and malevolent--if she is to save her baby and herself.

But the reach of Lillith's power is unimaginable. And she needs innocent blood to make her resurrection complete.


My Review

Guys this is a dark read, haunted house, satanic worshipers, ghosts (or rather demons with vampireyness tones). Ellie & Chris are moving to Chris's aunts old huge house, small town, quite isolated & financial necessity than want. Ellie was never a fan of the aunt, Chris was the apple of the aunt's eye and death isn't always the end especially if you are into the dark/evil arts.

I liked the creepy haunted house style parts, you know evil forces at at work but you really have no idea what all is going on. I had echoes of The Amityville (the changes in Chris and effect the house had), I felt I was reminded of a few old horror movies in parts as I went along, not rip offs but absolute echoes/influences of them.

I disliked the animal harm and at the opening chapter you know what is going to happen with the innocent wee baby. There is gaslighting, manipulation, the dog stuff - animals is always a hard no for me.

I think the book really gives a suspenseful eerie horrible creepy foreboding atmosphere and you know a book with have dark/ugly sides of humanity/evil when satanicism is involved. Haunted house meets dark spirits with some twisted obsessive/adult themes. It is a bit of a mixed bag, 3/5 for me.

View all my reviews

The Last Passenger by Will Dean

The Last Passenger by Will Dean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 482

Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing.

And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that’s just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.



My Review

Caz and her new boa Pete are going away for a bit of luxury, booked onto the cruise liner The Atlantica. Caz feels a bit guilty leaving behind her job, family/mums care even for just a few days but her and Pete are getting to know each other and she deserves a wee bit of time away. However after the first night of fabulousness and being spoiled she goes to sleep and awakes to find the ship completely abandoned. No guests, no staff and no clue as to what happened. The ship is in the mid-Atlantic ocean, surrounded by water/elements and silence. How will Caz survive and can she find out what happened to the rest of her crewmates/staff and Pete?

I LOVED the start of this book and how we are teased into the dramas/shocks and surprises. I mean you immediately think well you are just needing to sit it out and wait for help, you have electricity, food and luxury at your disposal and yet as the layers of the story are revealed we find just how horrific things are and are to become for poor Caz.

For me the book is a mixed bag, what I liked I really liked and what I disliked I really disliked. It is hard to go into it without risking spoilers which we never do. The book bounces between current day on the ship and the survival that is endured and going back into Caz's past and her reflections on her father and the huge impact his betrayal/choices have had on her.

Tense, atmospheric, shocking the book certainly has you turning the pages wanting to see what is coming next. The characters I didn't like for the most past, in fact the majority I wasn't a fan of but unlikeable characters can make for a great book. 3/5 for me this time, I love a story of abandoned places/spooky/weird and this book has a bit of all of that with some curve balls along the way.

View all my reviews

A Tiding of Magpies by Steve Burrows

A Tiding of Magpies by Steve Burrows
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Point Blank

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

When his most celebrated case is suddenly reopened, Detective Chief Inspector Jejeune‘s long-buried secrets threaten to come to light. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Lindy, faces an unseen threat of her own, one from which even Jejeune may not be able to protect her. Between fending off inquiries from the internal review and an open murder case that brings more questions than answers, Jejeune will have to rely on the help of the stalwart Sergeant Danny Maik more than ever. But Maik is learning things that cause him to question his DCI‘s actions, both past and present. In the current case, and in the former one, the facts seem clear enough. But it is in the silences, those empty spaces between the facts, that the truth is to be found.



My Review

Ooft Jejeune is under investigation from internal affairs, well his most high profile and celebrated case. Jejeune's girlfriend Lindy is under threat (and not aware) and Jejeune tries to protect her from an evil adversary who will stop at nothing. As well as all this we have a new case/death to be investigated, this is book five of a series, I would recommend reading them before this.

So I really like these books, they are different, murder mystery but also has birds mentioned, Jejeune is an avid bird watcher/lover and I do like learning about species and googling books that come up. There is talk of murdering birds in this one, like on a mass level, rewarded by the government (basically a threat to one species purity by another). I looked this up because I am nosey and it was an actual thing :(

I didn't find myself engaging as much with this one, the things you come to like about Jejeune isn't quite there in this one, to the point his colleagues notice his change too. Preoccupation with the threat to Lindy, his big case and a secret he has been keeping.

It is still an interesting story for sure but not my favourite of the series, I have another to read after this so hoping it gets back to what it was in the previous four books, 3/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 287

Publisher - Mass Market Paperback

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There's an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE on the planet...


My Review

these books have been around for decades, I am sure I read Mort or Equal Rites as a teen but don't remember them much at all and this is book one in the series. I don't know if the characters we are introduced to are all throughout the series or just an opening/foundation building book. We get glimpses and back story on how the world came to be. Class divisions, for example we have a wizard who only knows one great spell and seems to be not very good at much else, maybe being lucky. There is a vip visitor (Two flower) to their side of the world and after getting into some trouble Rincewind (the wizard) is to be his guide.

I loved the suitcase, talk about a minute *character stealing the show lol, I loved when it was in a scene. I can't say I clicked with any other characters or had any stand out moments but there is humours, nonsense, silliness, plots for muuuuuuuurder, magic, spells, mystical creatures.

Fantasy book, quirky characters, skulduggery, adventures, so many people love this book and series, I think it was a good start and likely once I have read more of the series this book would have a better impact with me. Glad I started the series and plan to read more at some point 3/5.

View all my reviews

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 333

Publisher - Atria books

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.



My Review

Tate meets Miles, her brothers best pal, Tate has moved across the way and Miles is a current feature, the two are instantly attracted to each other. Thing is Tate is a girl who totally wants the whole love/9 yards, Miles absolutely does not do nor want love. He is very attracted to Tate and he would never disrespect his friend or sister but the attraction is too much too ignore. How can two people wanting the same but opposite things, keep their "relationship" a secret and not hurt each other because neither can give what the other wants.

So the book goes between two timelines, the now with Tate and Miles and the past where we get snippets of what happened to Miles for him to be so adverse to love and the concept of relationships/love. I got a bit twitchy, we know they are bootie calls (some graphic scenes) but the way Miles treats Tate at times I was like come on!

The book covers some sad/emotive topics and if you have read Hoover before you know she touches on some dark themes. I found some of it really good and absolutely wanted to get to the bottom of why Miles was the way he was. Sometimes I wanted to deck him, sometimes I wanted to hug him, Tate really got me wound up, doormat, where is the self respect, girl come on! The stuff that annoyed me really annoyed me but I was interested in seeing what was coming next for them. For all of that its a 3/5 for me.

View all my reviews