Reconnect with the seasons in Britain and Ireland with this month-by-month guide to the world around us – including key dates, tide tables and garden tasks; constellations and moon phases; sunrises, folk songs, seasonal recipes plus a ‘bun of the month’; and – because 2023 will be a good year for planet spotting – the solar system and the zodiac.

The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2023 gives you the tools and inspiration you need to celebrate, mark and appreciate each month of the year in your own particular way. Divided into the 12 months, a set of tables each month gives it the feel and weight of a traditional almanac, providing practical information that gives access to the outdoors and the seasons, perfect for expeditions, meteor-spotting nights and beach holidays. There are also features on each month’s unique nature, with this instalment following the swirling micro world of the garden pond through the year.

My Thoughts:

This is such a brilliant book, it has everything you could possibly want to know about the different months. There is a whole range of different information which is practical and useful to know. Including the moon, gardens ( what to look out for and the wildlife) recipes, different starsigns and also with each month it tells you what dates certain things are happening. It is a very handy and useful book that I will be using every month. It is packed with a lot of information and some beautiful sketches too. It is a great gift idea for someone who likes their seasons.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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HE’S WON EVERY TRIAL. BECAUSE HE’S BEHIND EVERY MURDER.

Ambitious District Attorney Randal Korn lives to watch prisoners executed.
Even if they are not guilty.

An innocent man, Andy Dubois, faces the death penalty for the murder of young girl. Korn has already fixed things to make sure he wins a fast conviction.

The one thing Korn didn’t count on was Eddie Flynn.

Slick, street smart and cunning, the former con artist turned New York lawyer has only seven days to save an innocent man against a corrupt system and find the real killer.

In a week the Judge will read the verdict, but will Eddie be alive to hear it?

My Thoughts:

This is my first book by Steve and will not be my last. It was so good and captivating. I read this book in half a day and didn’t want to put it down. There is so much tension to the build up and I felt on edge wondering what was going to happen. I can’t wait to read more about Eddie Flynn, he seems like a right character. I love the way the story unfolds and all the characters really make this book intense, that Korn is a right character loving watching people suffer whether they are innocent or not. It was creepy, tense, fast paced and a great thriller, everything I love in a book. I look forward to reading more by Steve, this one was right up my street.

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Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

My Thoughts:

This is the first book I have read by Colleen and I can’t believe I have waited so long to read one of her books. This was such a brilliant read, definitely in my top ten of books I love this year. It is such a page turner that I read it in half a day, it is not all about romance, there are some serious issues raised too. I went through some many emotions reading this book and I couldn’t put it down. Such a beautiful story and I feel as though it will stay with me for a long time.

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Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of the night their family was forever altered.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already-grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue loving her . . .

My Thoughts:

Wow this is my second book by Colleen and I wish I had read her books a long time ago, I have a lot of catching up to do. If you want a creepy book then this will be right up your street, it was so good and kept me captivated that I read it in one day. It is fast paced and a great story to get caught up in. You don’t know what is going to happen and that’s what I liked best about it. I didn’t work out the twist and I could not believe the ending, it was a real shocker to me. I loved it and cannot wait to read more by Colleen. Highly recommend.

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A soaring, breathtakingly ambitious novel that weaves together the astonishing lives of a 1950s vanished female aviator and the modern-day Hollywood actress who plays her on screen.
_______________________
From her days as a wild child in prohibition America to the blitz and glitz of wartime London, from the rugged shores of New Zealand to a lonely iceshelf in Antarctica, Marian Graves is driven by a need for freedom and danger.

Determined to live an independent life, she resists the pull of her childhood sweetheart, and burns her way through a suite of glamorous lovers. But it is an obsession with flight that consumes her most.

Now, as she is about to fulfil her greatest ambition, to circumnavigate the globe from pole to pole, Marian crash lands in a perilous wilderness of ice.

Over half a century later, troubled film star Hadley Baxter is drawn inexorably to play the enigmatic pilot on screen. It is a role that will lead her to an unexpected discovery, throwing fresh and spellbinding light on the story of the unknowable Marian Graves.

My Thoughts:

This is quite a long book but I wanted to give it a go as I had heard so many great things about it. The first half of the book is all set in the modern day that runs alongside the main story and to be honest I felt it a struggle to keep reading, I didn’t enjoy it at all but was told to persist as the second half of the book is so much better and it was good. We follow Marian who wants to escape and wants to be able to fly and Hadley who is an actress who plays Marian in a film about her life. I was surprised by the ending too.

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They say you can’t choose your family. But you can kill them.

Meet Grace Bernard.
Daughter, sister, serial killer…
Grace has lost everything.
And she will stop at nothing to get revenge.

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this book, it sounded so different and unique so I couldn’t wait to start reading it. I have to say I didn’t find it as funny as I thought it would be. Yes there are some parts that are amusing but nothing really funny. Grace is the main character she has been through a lot and is set out on revenge to all members of her family. It is quite a dark story line and I feel that Bella has done a good job with Grace and the plot line. I did feel near to the end it was dragging a little and the ending was not as good as I thought it would be.

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A pool-side weekend in Portugal is the perfect way for five lifelong friends to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of their group, Will, and a chance for the rest of them to get to know Will’s fiancée, Ali, a little better. A newcomer to their group, Ali seems perfectly nice, and they are pleased to see Will finally happy after years of bad choices.

But Ali is hiding secrets and by the end of the holiday one of the group will be dead, with the rest returning home as suspects, wondering if they really know each other at all . . .

My Thoughts:

I was intrigued by the sound of this book and couldn’t wait to start it. A weekend away with a bunch of friends sounds pure bliss doesn’t it? well does it still sound bliss when you have five friends who are all guilty of something and one of them ends up dead. No I didn’t think so. It was an ok read that kept me engaged as I wanted to know what the outcome would be, however I did get confused with who is who and had to keep going back to remember all the characters. The murder itself I found confusing too but I am not going to say anything else as it will give it away. The pace I felt was good and there are plenty of twists and turns. It was alright but I don’t feel as though I would read any more by this author.

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All is not well in Castleby.

Her life hangs in the balance… He needs to be sure she’s dead…

Jesse Stevens lies in a coma after being pulled off a cliff by a psychopath who escaped from prison to find her.
He is in hiding, also hurt from the fall, but fuelled with rage. He needs to make sure she’s dead. If she isn’t, he’ll finish the job once and for all.
Military Intelligence Officer, Sam Jones, missing presumed dead, returns from Afghanistan after two years of brutal torture in captivity. Struggling to cope, Sam has no desire to carry on living, or return to family life, with his wife, Sophie, and son, Marcus. Sophie is desperate to help Sam recover and leans heavily on her friend and ex-forces soldier Foxy for support.

Castleby is plagued by a series of unexplained deaths among the elderly and that of a local fisherman. Inspector Steve Miller works closely with the new local GP, Kate Cooper, to try and find an explanation and they eventually uncover the sinister truth.

My Thoughts:

This is the third book in the Castleby series but can be read as a standalone. I have to say I enjoyed the story and there is a lot going on. There are plenty of interesting characters maybe a few too many as I kept on getting a bit confused as to who was who. There is like three stories intertwining throughout the book, you get plenty of emotions reading this book, the drama and the suspense hits you wanting to know what the outcome will be. I am not sure I would like to live in Castleby it reminded me a bit like Midsummer Murders. I feel as though I want to read book one and two now.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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When Paige turns up unannounced at Wynthorpe Hall, she discovers the place she knew when she was growing up has changed beyond all recognition. She’s only planning to stay for a short time, but is quickly pulled into local life.
 
One night while driving home after delivering library books and shopping to residents she stumbles across an isolated cottage and meets Albert, its elderly and rather grumpy owner. She quickly realises there’s more to Albert than meets the eye and the same can be said for the other man she can’t seem to help running into, handsome but brooding Brodie.
 
All three of them have a secret and a desire to hide away from the world, but with Christmas on the horizon, is that really the best way to celebrate the season?

My Thoughts:

I love the cover of this book, it is very eye catching, I picked this book up in the hottest time of the year, I thought if I thought about Christmas and snow, it would make me feel less hot and it did help slightly. The story centres around Paige who is going back to where she grew up but everything has changed and she doesn’t know if she likes it and feels as though she wants to leave but then she meets Albert and even though he doesn’t want her help, he really does need it. Add in a dashing young man and you might see a little romance at Christmas. We discover all three of them have kept a secret but will they be able to help each other. A lovely story that pulled at my heart strings with a wonderful bunch of characters. Pure Joy.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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There is a renewed interest in the nature on our doorsteps, as can be seen in the work of amateur botanists identifying wildflowers and chalking the names on the pavements.

But beyond the garden wall lies a wealth of cultivated plants, each with a unique tale to tell. In The Grove, award-winning writer and head gardener Ben Dark reveals the remarkable secrets of twenty commonly found species – including the rose, wisteria, buddleja, box and the tulip – encountered in the front gardens of one London street over the course of year.

As Ben writes, in those small front gardens ‘are stories of ambition, envy, hope and failure’ and The Grove is about so much more than a single street, or indeed the plants found in its 19 ½ front gardens. It’s a beguiling blend of horticultural history and personal narrative and a lyrical exploration of why gardens and gardening matter.

My Thoughts:

I could not wait to get my hands on this book and start reading it. I absolutely love being in my garden and feeling at one with nature. I love tending to the plants that I have in my garden and seeing them grow but I also love looking at other people’s front gardens to get ideas and to see what they are growing. The book is divided up into a different plant for each chapter and what I love also are the illustrations that just seem to bring the book to life. It is such a charming and beautiful read, I really felt as though I learnt some new things about some of the different plants that Ben writes about. It is such a lovely and inspiring book to make you get out into your garden and smell the roses.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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