The Debutante Dares #4,#5 by Charlie Lane

I picked this book because I was under the assumption that it was the first in the series. I realised later that it was the fourth. That did not impact the narrative but did take away a little from understanding the bonds between the women central to the plot or the concept of 'daring'.The covers…

North to Paradise by Ousman Umar

Translated by Kevin Gerry Dunn I have read quite a few books about the refugee crisis from different countries just this year. This book has a more unique ending than a few others. The entire book feels like a translated work, this being one of the rare occasions that that is actually a bonus.The bewilderment…

Autumn by Ali Smith

I borrowed this book a long time ago and returned it without reading it. On yet another library trip, I ended up wanting to give it another shot and actually read it on my next train journey.I was a little surprised by the content. Somehow, given the cover and the blurb, I was expecting short…

Death at the Manor by Katherine Schellman

I have read and reviewed the first book in the series: here. I am quite surprised at how I wrote it, I liked my own writing when I went back to look at it before I sat down with this. My review of the first book of the series was a lot more interesting than…

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

I have read and reviewed the previous book on the blog : here I picked this book up because I saw it on the library shelf (like I do with most of my library reads). I was not enthralled by the first in this series, mostly because I think the author and the plot are…

The Beekeeper at Elderflower Grove by Jaimie Admans

I have read nad reviewed two other books by the author: The Little Bookshop of Love Stories The Post Box at the North Pole I have read and reviewed two other works by the author, and this review is significantly influenced by my earlier experience because it set up an expectation level. There are parts…

Phosphate Rocks by Fiona Erksine

This is a hard book to classify. It is one of the few books that I did not like at first, but when I came back to it with a fresh mind and renewed interest, I found it an intriguing read.The main reason for my initial reaction was the same reason I was intrigued later,…

The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall

I like this author's writing style. Her characters are engaging, and this book was no different. We plunge right into the chaos of wedding preparations and even a missing peacock! It is at this point that the bride finds out that the wedding is not to be. We follow her on her year of self-discovery…