Books I’ve Read Recently!

Hey, everyone! Sorry for disappearing for a couple of months. I felt like I needed a break from blogging and reviewing because I was feeling a bit burnt out from it all. I have actually been reading though, so I’ll just go through everything I’ve read over the past few months. Hope you enjoy!

July wrap-up

The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson: What an incredible sequel! The murders in this story were even more chilling than the ones in The Jigsaw Man and made for a very disturbing read. The urgency of the case and the race against the clock to catch the killer had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Matheson is a fantastic writer and I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series.

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber: I’m sad to say that I didn’t love this as much as the Caraval trilogy but I still fell in love with the world and the characters. Garber writes beautifully and I was completely swept away by the magic. Also, I was actually surprised by how much I liked Jacks because I wasn’t a fan of his in Caraval. It kind of ends on a cliffhanger, so I’ll definitely be picking up the second book as I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

ARC REVIEW: Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Title: Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published by: Penguin
Publication date: 30th August 2022
Genre: Literary Fiction
Amazon UK

Synopsis:

Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the ‘Battle-Axe’ anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season.

BLOG TOUR: Urban Scarecrows by Jim Chambers

Title: Urban Scarecrows by Jim Chambers
Published by: SilverWood Books
Genre: Political Thriller
Amazon UK

Synopsis:

The Labour Party election victory of 2019 ushers into power a radical socialist government which swiftly mutates to a British form of totalitarian Marxism in its quest for social justice and equality. Dominic Green, a Labour Party activist and celebrity chef, is caught up in the economic and social crisis as the country lurches towards civil war.

Taunted by the jibes of his volatile Spanish wife, Rosa, he moves from denial to acceptance to opposition and becomes a totemic media figure in the struggles. His marriage is in terminal decline; Rosa cannot forgive his philandering or his support of the government. His family falls apart as Rosa leaves him and one son is incarcerated, whilst the other attempts to liberate his sibling. Labelled a turncoat terrorist he is hunted by the brutal SNPS state police whose attempts to subjugate the population includes ‘urban scarecrowing’.

Who can he trust as he goes on the run whilst assisting the resistance movement? Will Rosa forgive him as she tracks his public pronouncements and his efforts to free their son? Will Dominic escape the clutches of the SNPS as the net closes? Will international outrage translate into military intervention as sections of the armed forces rebel? And can Dominic survive and recover his relationship with Rosa and their surviving son?

ARC REVIEW: The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

Title: The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
Published by: Century
Publication date: 21st July 2022
Genre: Crime & Thriller
Amazon UK

Synopsis:

LONDON. Early morning, June 2019: on the foreshore of the river Thames, a bag of bones is discovered. Human bones.

DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene and quickly sends the bag for forensic examination. The bones are those of a young woman, killed by a blow to the head many years ago.

Also inside the bag is a trail of clues, in particular the seeds of a rare tree which lead DCI Owusu back to a mansion in Chelsea where, nearly thirty years previously, three people lay dead in a kitchen, and a baby waited upstairs for someone to pick her up.

The clues point forward too to a brother and sister in Chicago searching for the only person who can make sense of their pasts.

Four deaths. An unsolved mystery. A family whose secrets can’t stay buried for ever …

June 2022 wrap-up!

Hey guys! Today I’m sharing my June wrap-up. I’ve been in a fantasy mood recently so I read a lot of fantasy books this month. Also, if you weren’t aware, one of my reading goals this year is to read all of my Illumicrate books so you’ll see a couple of those on the list. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Breaking Time by Sasha Alsberg: I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book ever since Sasha first announced she was working on it. I was a bit hesitant going into it after how much I disliked Zenith, but I was curious to see how she’d do on her own and it did sound interesting. I needn’t have worried because I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m glad Sasha took her time with it. It was easy to see how much research she had done and it didn’t feel rushed at all. It ends on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger and now I’m going to be impatiently waiting for the second book!

BLOG TOUR: The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson

Title: The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson
Published by: HQ
Publication date: 7th July 2022
Genre: Crime & Thriller
Amazon UK

Synopsis:

In this room, no one can hear you scream…

The Serial Crimes Unit are called in to investigate when a local pastor is found stabbed to death. As DI Henley assesses the crime scene, she discovers a hidden door that conceals a room set up for torture – and bound to the bed in the middle of the room is the body of a man.

When another body is found, also tied down, Henley realises there’s someone out there torturing innocent people and leaving them for dead. But why?

There’s nothing that connects the victims. They didn’t know each other. Their paths never crossed. But someone has targeted them, and it’s up to Henley and the SCU to stop them before they find another binding room…

May 2022 wrap-up!

Hey guys! Today I’m bringing you a very late May wrap-up. I read ten books and the majority of them were review copies so I was trying to focus on getting the reviews published. Here’s what I read:

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister: First up was this very interesting crime thriller mixed with time travel. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the time travel would be a bit confusing but it’s actually brilliant and the timeline is easy to follow.

His Other Woman by Sarah Edghill: Next up I read this domestic thriller. I did enjoy the suspense and the toxic relationships between certain characters but the main character was quite irritating in the way she behaved and acted. I don’t want to spoil the plot but I thought she was responsible for a lot of what went wrong. Also, I wasn’t very satisfied with the ending and thought it was abrupt. I would have preferred a different ending.

ARC REVIEW: Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza

Title: Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza
Published by: Raven Street Publishing
Publication date: 7th July 2022
Genre: Crime & Thriller
Format: eBook
Amazon UK

Synopsis:

How do you find a killer who has destroyed all the evidence?

Detective Erika Foster is on a late-night walk near her new house in Blackheath when she stumbles upon the brutal murder of Vicky Clarke, a true-crime podcaster.

Erika is assigned to the case and discovers that Vicky had been working on a new podcast episode about a sexual predator who preys on young female students around South London, staking out his victims in their halls of residence before breaking in at the dead of night. When Erika discovers that Vicky’s notes and sound recordings were stolen from her flat at the time of her murder, it leads her to believe that Vicky was close to unmasking the attacker, and she was killed to guarantee her silence.

The case takes on a disturbing twist when the body of a young Bulgarian student doctor is discovered in the same building, and this makes Erika question everything she thought she knew about Vicky. With very little evidence, the clock is ticking to find the killer before he strikes again.

ARC REVIEW: Throw Me to the Wolves by Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks

Title: Throw Me to the Wolves by Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks
Published by: Black Spot Books
Publication date: 24th May 2022
Genre: Horror/Science fiction/Fantasy
Format: eBook
Amazon UK

Synopsis:

Some evil wants to live forever.

Ten years ago a witch sacrificed Britta Orchid’s family and turned her into a werewolf. Selena Stone’s spell failed, and she was never seen again. Until now.

Officer Aaron Labaye has discovered Selena’s remains in the house where Britta’s family died, and dragged Britta back to Louisiana to aid the investigation, hoping her past will break the case. Britta has a hard time resisting the handsome rookie, especially when he shows her a new drawing by her murdered little brother: Britta in her wolf-form.

As an unseen hand sets events in motion, Britta has to help Labaye dig into the murders old and new. The bloodthirsty ghost of her brother, a jealous member from her pack, and a former friend with a serious prejudice against wolves all stand to stop Britta as she fights to finally get the truth about that night ten years ago. But, as she looks harder than ever into her own dark past, Britta will confront more than just her own demons as she fights for peace for herself and for her family. She can’t hide anymore, but must find her place in a world she’s avoided—and discover what it truly means to be a wolf.