Six friends gather at a country house for a birthday weekend. They decide to play a game.

All six names go in a hat. Choose two, and imagine one murdering the other.

Write it down. Type it up. Read it out.

Points are given for making the murders sound convincing.

Of course, when given such a task, it’s only natural to use what you know.

Secrets. Grudges. Affairs.

But once you’ve put it in a story, that secret is out.

So with each fictional murder, someone gets a motive for a real one.

Which leads to the most important question:

When a real murder comes, will you be able to spot it in time?

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this read, it sounded different and unique and I could not wait to get started. How the book is set out, it makes you as the reader become the detective and work out who the real killer is. Six people, six names in a hat, they have to make it sound as though it happened, but with secrets and many other things thrown in who really is telling the truth. I felt as though I had to concentrate on this read as I did not want to miss a thing. I failed miserably but when I did find out the outcome I was like oh yeah. I would not make a good detective but I had lots of fun along the way. A great read.

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

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Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good.

Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor taking a break from his life in California. And most importantly, taking a break from his latest run of disastrous dates.

After a run in with Kira in her fields, Ben has no intention of offering to help the grumpy owner set up her tree farm, despite the fact she’s clearly got no idea what she’s doing.

Kira knows she should stop being so stubborn, but her farm is not all cute and cozy like people always show on social media, it’s borderline dangerous with no heating, and she’d rather no one saw it.

But somehow fate finds Ben at Kira’s farm once more, and as Kira watches him swing an axe at the first tree, she finds herself appreciating his strength and questioning why she refused help in the first place..

My Thoughts:

This is the third book in the Dream Harbour Series and you can read this book as a standalone but I would recommend reading the other two books also. When Kira buys a Christmas tree farm little does anyone know how much she hates Christmas, she does not know what she is doing and it does not help when people are getting in her way telling her how to do her job. Ben is in Dream Harbour on his holidays, he does not realise what he has got himself into when he tries to help Kira but can the two really make a go of it? It was a well rounded story. It felt festive and cosy and I was excited to see if Kira would melt her tough exterior to really make a go of her business. I liked the fact that it was centred around a Christmas Tree Farm, I found that side of things fascinating.

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Tree-Farm-TikTok-Harbor/dp/0008610746/ref=sr_1_1?crid=LIAUWIS6RSTW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nnMbj5TKsCm1_u3DcmzweeV0Bwkwa-4rTJlxpqtxqF_c7sfFa1D6fMimi6I-h28VFDV9QlOGitntIxuwKWiesFvb7u5BMkN-2DlUXp3y_kF4wfyHchgvWThS7RM4U9NmHXz6v5Op3BdDnIhxzqg5OihX6RfDkM-Ic6mVewyWhOd93D0ha5BbZkq5lNHETf3iYgrHYrSkNnzKUG4l0xw3-RJw9q7IpLSgG220TeTiKtY.Wcsifc-rqdFh_p-HVcBeTJW4ILckxhh7ZEfIHj9tM3E&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+christmas+tree+farm+laurie+gilmore&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1730881786&sprefix=the+christmas+tree%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1

When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can’t understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues… she just need someone to help her out.

Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he’s been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!

Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells…

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the Dream Harbour Series and is centred around Hazel and her bookshop. Hazel feels as though she is a nobody, she does not have an exciting life, nothing is happening for her and she just feels down. Until secrets codes keep popping up in her bookstore but who is leaving her the clues to a better life? she also has the hots for Noah who is a local but she thinks he would never even look at her. Little does she know she is wrong big time, as the pair start working on who is leaving the clues will pair see more than meets the eye? It was a great second book in the series. I like that this one was set in a book shop, and that we catch up with characters from the previous book. You can read these books as a standalone but I would recommend reading them all because why not. This one is quite spicy with what happens through the story. Dream Harbour is definitely a place I can imagine going to, it seems like a lovely place.

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When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor’s gossip at all costs. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts Logan’s routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie’s happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won’t fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…

My Thoughts:

This is the first book in the Dream Harbour Series. In this story we follow Jeanie and how she is starting a new chapter in her life running her aunts Pumpkin Spice Café. But not everyone is happy that she is there and things start happening at the café that Jeanie does not like but is determined to make a go of things. Logan is a local and finds himself drawn to Jeanie and the both of them try to solve the puzzle but will they get more than they were bargained for. It was a nice easy read, you kind of can guess what will happen but it did not really matter when you just want to escape from the world for a bit. I like the fact that this is a series so we can catch up with all the great bunch of characters that are in this book. It is quite a nice and gentle cosy read that I really enjoyed.

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Nothing surprises Adam Brandt anymore. As a forensic psychologist, he’s seen and heard everything.

That is, until he meets Kassie.

Because she claims to have a terrible gift – with one look into your eyes, she can see when and how you will die.

Adam doesn’t believe her, obviously.

But then a serial killer starts wreaking havoc across the city, and only Kassie seems to know where he’ll strike next.

Against all his intuition, Adam starts to believe her.

He just doesn’t realise how dangerous this trust might be . . .

My Thoughts:

Kassie has a gift but it is not one she would ever want. She has a power that when she looks into your eyes she can she when and how you will die. But no one believes her. When she has to see a psychologist called Adam, he does not believe her either, but he wants to get into her head to understand what is going on in there. When a serial killer is on the loose, Kassie is the only one that can help the police with their enquires, but this is a dangerous game to play. I normally like all of M. J’s books but this one I felt a little odd and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. I found it quite a slow start and I didn’t feel connected to the characters. I am glad I finished it though.

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When 3-month-old Max is abducted, his parents are plunged into their worst nightmare. Devastated mum Sarah only took her eyes off him for a second, but that doesn’t stop her guilt. Even husband Jake can’t hide his anger that their little boy went missing on her watch.

By contrast there are smiles and celebration at a caravan park in Lincolnshire, as baby Blaze is introduced to the Star family. Jenna and Gary are delighted with the new addition to their family. He is their fourth child and a real object of delight to their eldest – fifteen-year-old Willow – who once again will raise the child.

But trouble is brewing for the Star family. Willow is concerned by the desperate online appeals from Sarah and Jake, baby Max has neonatal diabetes and without regular treatment will die. As baby “Blaze” becomes seriously ill, Willow makes a shocking discovery. What is the truth about her family? And how far will they go to hide their deadly secret?

My Thoughts:

M. J. Arlidge is one of my favourite authors of all time, so I could not wait to read this one that he has collaborated with another author. I always wonder if the story will be any good when two authors collaborate but it worked perfectly. Sarah and Jake are married and have kids, but when one fateful day their three month is kidnapped, they cannot believe what is happening. The story opens up more about Sarah and how she is feeling after giving birth to him, and this questions Jakes mind and also other people about what really happened to their son. The story is split into two so we also see a family that live on a caravan park and do what they have to do to make ends meet. How both stories are connected is heartbreaking on both sides. Will the baby ever get back to his real parents? I devoured this story in a day, it was very addictive and the chapters are short which makes you want to read more. I loved it.

We assume we can spot a psychopath from across the room…

Nineteen years ago, Ruth-Anne Baker’s childhood friend was murdered by convicted killer, Ethan Oswald. With Oswald dead and the case closed, everybody tells Ruth it’s time to move on – but she believes there is more to the story.

And only the wilfully ignorant or easily duped would fall for their charms.

When another young girl goes missing from their small town, Ruth becomes convinced that Oswald had an accomplice, someone the police overlooked.

If no one has told you this yet – it’s not quite that simple.

So begins a journey that will draw Ruth across continents and perilously close to three women, each connected to Oswald in a different way. The deeper she delves, the more she suspects one of them knows the truth. About her childhood friend. About the missing girl. And, perhaps most dangerously of all, about Ruth herself…

My Thoughts:

This story is about Ruth and how a tragedy many years ago, is still affecting her day to day life now. As a child her best friend was murdered, Ruth finds out that her friends murderer is now dead but Ruth cannot leave it, when Ruth sees the news and a girl has gone missing in the same circumstances as her friend, she wonders if something is not right and it is bringing back lots of memories about that fateful day many years ago. It was a slow burner of a read, which does get better, it shows how a terrible tragedy can affect a persons life many years later and how it can change that persons life indefinitely. I found it a read that I did not know what to expect and what would happen in the end. It was a creepy and unnerving read.

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

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