It’s the Fourth of July weekend at the prestigious West Heart country club. Gathered for cocktails on the first evening are just some of the guests: the club president, the treasurer and his pregnant wife, the snooping school boy, the bereaved father, the taciturn caretaker, the prospective member, the private detective…

And there will also be a body.

And a fiendish mystery to solve.

But everything else is to play for.

And you are about to find out that you have a role to play in this mystery too..

My Thoughts:

Wow what a great book. It is a completely original story, one that you will never have experienced in your life and you as the reader are part of it. It is a murder mystery that is set up as a brain teaser and to get the reader working for the story. It is set at a country club where eight people are gathered but there is also one body. As the reader you will need to piece together the who, what and whys in this mysterious whodunit. It is a very clever concept and one I really enjoyed reading. I couldn’t believe this is a debut novel and I look forward to seeing what Dan the author comes up with next. This is going to be a big hit when it comes out.

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

Get your copy here:

The perfect escape, or the perfect trap?

When a select group of influencers and journalists receive an exclusive invitation to a luxury resort in the Maldives, it seems like the ultimate press trip.
But when the island is cut off during a storm and people start dying, it looks like someone has murder in mind.
Are the guests really who they seem to be, or does each one of them have a secret to hide?
Something they would kill for?

My Thoughts:

The book is set in the Maldives at a luxury resort, first off I want to say I have always wanted to go to the Maldives so this was the perfect setting for me. Only specific influencers and Journalists have been invited for a press trip. At the start everything is good, everyone is having a lovely time until bad things start happening. No one knows who to trust anymore and when the island gets cut off something tragic happens. Who really are these people and why would you want to trust any of them? It was a really good page turner, I didn’t want to put the book down and felt really invested in the story. The characters were all great and well rounded, I did suspect one or two of them of foul play but I could never imagined that the ending would turn out like it did. What a hell of a ride.

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

Get your copy here:

Three women. Three secrets.

Claudia‘s life imploded ten years ago when she was convicted of the murder of her child. Now she has done the unthinkable and confessed to manslaughter in order to be granted parole – her only hope of finding out what really happened to Tilly.
Sara is married to Joe, Claudia’s ex-husband, and they have a young child together. She finally has everything she ever wanted, but Claudia’s release threatens the perfect life she has created.
Anna was the babysitter who let Claudia and Joe down on day their daughter disappeared. Married with a child of her own, Claudia’s reappearance in her quiet cul-de-sac is an unwelcome surprise.
These three women are tied together in more ways than they realize. But only one of them is capable of killing.

My Thoughts:

This is the story of three women who are all acquaintances. Claudia is going through hell, she has previous but has she done bad this time? all she wants is to find out what happened to her daughter. Sara is with Claudia’s ex husband and she has created the perfect life but is worried Claudia is going to ruin everything. And Anna was the babysitter at the time that Claudia’s daughter went missing, Claudia’s back and she is out for her. They are all tied in many more ways than you could ever imagine. What is going to happen , there are many twists in this story and I could never of guessed what did actually happen. I was shocked. I like Emma’s writing and how quick paced the read was. It certainly kept me on my toes.

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

Get your copy here:

Reconnect with the seasons in Britain and Ireland with this month-by-month guide to the world around us – including tide tables, sunrises and moon phases; garden feasts, wildlife and folklore; seasonal recipes, snacks and more.

The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2024 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.

This year’s edition focuses on the natural wonders of the garden, celebrating the beautiful flora and fauna at your doorstep. There are also features on each month’s unique nature, plus a flower and a snack of the month.

You will find yourself referring to The Almanac all year long, revisiting it again and again, and looking forward to the next edition as the year draws to a close.

My Thoughts:

After having 2023’s book I couldn’t wait to read 2024’s one. It is a small handy book that is a real keeper. There are many things to read about including what to plant at certain times of the month, what to look out for. There is lots of information packed into this small book but things you will never find boring. I found it useful and insightful as I do lots of gardening. It has really given me some good ideas on how to improve my garden. I also really like the snack of the month. There are pictures makes the book more magical. Overall it is a great book full of tips and tricks. A great gift for any outdoor people.

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

Get your copy here:

Former CIA undercover operative Ellen McGinley is battling to overcome PTSD when she stumbles upon a domestic terror plot. The deadly attack is due to take place in six days and will strike at the very heart of her homeland.

For Ellen, it’s a chance to find redemption for her greatest mistake – one she will never allow herself to forget.

But no sooner than she alerts the authorities, she finds herself diagnosed as delusional and locked in a psychiatric ward. No one believes her story.

She’s the only one who thinks the danger is real, which means she’s the only one who can stop it.

Ellen must draw on all her old skills to escape, stay alive, protect her family, and find those responsible – before all hell breaks loose.

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this story and couldn’t wait to get started. The story is about Ellen who has been through a lot in her past, she was a CIA agent and is now trying to overcome her PTSD when she overhears something that could be detrimental to the world. But when she gets herself involved she doesn’t realise how her world will be crashing down. Locked up in a psychiatric ward she is going to do everything to show people that she is right about this threat and will do whatever she can to protect her family. I liked the way that we hear Ellen’s story but we also hear from a member of the gang who want to bring the world to an end. I found it tense, gripping and heart pounding. Most of the chapters I had my heart in my mouth wondering what would happen. I feared for Ellen’s life a number of times, It was not the outcome I would ever of expected but it was such a great ending.

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

Get your copy here:

A joyful celebration of food, family and the magic of cooking together.

At Zee’s Grandma’s Christmas party, there is the smell of sugar and spice, calypso music and dancing, and lots and lots of friends and family . . . but no Grandma! Where could she be? She’s in the kitchen, of course, waiting for Zee to help her turn dough into yummy ginger biscuits. Join them as they celebrate a plant-powered winter in this heart-warming story and recipe book.

My Thoughts:

What a lovely warming and comforting children’s book. It reminded me of my childhood and baking with my grandma, it bought back some special memories for me. Zee helps her grandma bake some delicious sounding treats in the kitchen. The illustrations are bright and colourful and brings the story to life. It is a wonderful story and will encourage kids to get into the kitchen and discover what they can bake. It is about family and good food. There are also a couple of yummy recipes at the back that a parent can help the kid to make which is also a fun idea. A great story for kids.

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

Get your copy here:

What’s the one dish you’d do anything to taste just one more time?

Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner treats its customers to wonderfully extravagant meals. But that’s not the main reason to stop by . . .

The father-daughter duo have started advertising their services as ‘food detectives’. Through ingenious investigations, they are capable of recreating a dish from their customers’ pasts – dishes that may well hold the keys to unlocking forgotten memories and future happiness.

From the widower looking for a specific noodle dish that his wife used to cook, to a first love’s beef stew, the restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to the past – and a way to a more contented future.

My Thoughts:

What a lovely and surprisingly good read, I was not expecting much but was pleasantly delighted by this uplifting read. Father and daughter duo run a restaurant where they serve delicious sounding food, my tummy was rumbling reading about all the delicious dishes they serve. Everyone knows them and their food but on the side the duo run the food detectives where they recreate a dish from the customers past. It is such a lovely story and I loved seeing the father and daughter relationship, and how lovely it was to see how well they worked together and what they were doing for people. It really warmed my heart reading this story. It is one I will always remember.

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

Get your copy here:

The countdown to the millennium has begun, and people are losing their heads. A so-called Y2K expert gives a presentation to Scotland’s eccentric Tech Laird T.S. Mole’s entourage in Edinburgh, and soon long hours, days, weeks and months fill with seemingly chaotic and frantic work on the ‘bug problem’. Soon enough it’ll be just minutes and seconds to go to midnight. Is the world about to end, or will everyone just wake up the next day with the same old New Year’s Day hangover? A book about what we know and don’t know, about how we communicate and fail to, My Book of Revelations moves from historical revelations to the personal, and climaxes in the bang and flare of fireworks, exploding myths and offering a glimpse of a scandal that will rock Scotland into the twenty-first century. As embers fall silently to earth, all that is left to say is: Are we working in the early days of a better nation?

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this book, and it is a really thought provoker. When its just minutes to go before midnight on the millennium what is going to happen when the clock strikes midnight? what if the world was going to end? what would you do if you had minutes left of your life? It was a really interesting and eye opening story that will get your pulse racing and your blood pumping. It is so much more than just a story, it has myths and other things to entertain you.

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

Get your copy here:

You should never talk to strangers

With his flight delayed, Ted Severson meets Lily Kintner, a magnetic stranger, in an airport bar. In the netherworld of international travel and too many martinis, he confesses his darkest secrets, about his wife’s infidelity and how he wishes her dead. Without missing a beat Lily offers to help him carry out the task.

My Thoughts:

Peter is a new author to me, I really do not know why I have never picked up one of his books because this one was absolutely fantastic. It grabbed my attention from the first page and I felt drawn into the story. Perfect escapism from the big wide world. Ted meets Lily at an airport bar when his flight is delayed after too many drinks he confesses a secret to her that he has never told anyone else. But Lily is determined to help him carry out this task, but who really is Lily? It is a story about lies, deceit and betrayal that makes it on the edge of the seat reading. The story really centres on Lily and how she is out to seek revenge on those that have wronged her in the past, but it is well worth a read. I loved it and cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I knew this book would be good but I didn’t realise how good it was.

Get your copy here:

A listless aristocrat, Lord Jones, finds himself in London during the Blitz, attending to insurance matters. A zebra and her foal, having escaped from the London Zoo during a bombing, cross his path, and he decides to take them back to his estate in Pembrokeshire. Little loved by his fascist-sympathiser parents, something in Lord Jones softens, and he realises he is lost, just like these zebras. The arrival of the zebras sparks a new lease of life on the Pembrokeshire estate, and it is not only Lord Jones but the families his dynasty has displaced that benefit from the transformation. Full of heart and mischief, The Zebra and Lord Jones is a hopeful exploration of class, wealth and privilege, grief, colonialism, the landscape, the wars that men make, the families we find for ourselves, and why one lonely man stole a zebra in September 1940 – or perhaps why she stole him.

My Thoughts:

This is the story about Lord Jones and whilst out attending to some business, comes across a Zebra and her foal. Whilst at the time of the Blitz in London, Lord Jones wants to help these two. He takes them back to his estate and looks after them. I love seeing their journey and their life together. As the reader I found it was full of grief and love. I loved the sound of the story line and it was such a quirky story but I really enjoyed reading it and seeing the magic between human and animal. It is a wonderful read.

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

Get your copy here: