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Short Book and Scribes

Month: September 2024

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Fledging by Rose Diell

Posted on 4th September 2024 By Nicola

Fledging by Rose Diell is published by Renard Press and available now. My thanks to Will Dady for the proof copy and for asking me […]

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4

Reviews

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Lights Out by Louise Swanson

Posted on 3rd September 2024 By Nicola

Lights Out by Louise Swanson will be published by Hodder & Stoughton on 5th September 2024 in hardback, eBook and audiobook. My thanks to the […]

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Reviews

ShortBookandScribes August 2024 Reads

Posted on 2nd September 2024 By Nicola

In my last monthly round-up post I lamented the fact that not only had I read fewer books than normal, but also that I had […]

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Monthly Reads

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shortbookandscribes

UK book blogger (Sheffield), Bookstagrammer and lover of all things bookish.
Just one person trying to read all the books.
Physical books only.

New review: Dead as Gold by Bonnie Burke-Patel. Pu

New review: Dead as Gold by Bonnie Burke-Patel. Published by Bedford Square Publishers and out now.
⭐
Dead as Gold is set in a fictional coastal town called Morrow-on-Sea. Adam Conlon resides there, making his living as a goldsmith and co-parenting his son, Felix. A number of unusual things happen all at once: a mysterious face at the window, an item missing from the workshop, an animal heart in the post, a break in and robbery, and the entrance into his life of Ophelia Richards. Ophelia visits Adam's workshop to sell some jewellery but her life seems to become more and more entwined with Adam's as time goes on.
⭐
As with I Died at Fallow Hall, Bonnie Burke-Patel's first book, Dead as Gold has a beautiful pared back clarity to the writing, a kind of melancholy feel to the daily lives of the characters in the quiet seaside setting. Adam and Ophelia are the main protagonists but there is another, DI William Kent, who adds an additional voice to the story when he is called in to investigate the robbery. Each character is very different to each other but as an ensemble piece they complement each other perfectly.
⭐
The story is interwoven with fairy stories, ostensibly Morrow's tales, but based on dark fairy tales of old. A clever device by Burke-Patel and one that gelled really well with the overall themes and style of the novel. The plot itself took one or two quite unexpected turns, just when it seemed that the outcome was going to be pretty straightforward, and it added a nice twist to this gothic crime novel.
⭐
I really enjoyed Dead as Gold. It kept me turning the pages, interested in the characters and what was happening to them. As with Farrow Hall, there are no chapters, but there are section breaks and each section is only a few pages at most, often just a few paragraphs. I found this meant that the book flowed really well. I can't wait for book three now.
⭐
I was lucky enough to win this in a giveaway from the author. Thank you Bonnie.
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#DeadAsGold #bookreview #gothiccrimenovel #fortheloveofbooks #reader #bookblogger #booksread #reviewer #reviewbooks #booklover #readersofinstagram #bookish #bookphotography #shortbookandscribes

A green Last Now Next 📗Last📗 #DeadAsGold b

A green Last Now Next

📗Last📗
#DeadAsGold by Bonnie Burke-Patel

📗 Current 📗
#25LibraryTerrace by Natalie Fergie

📗Next(ish)📗
#TheHometownBookshop by Jenna Warren and
#WatchingYou by Helen Fields

I say 'ish' as they may not strictly be my next reads but I will definitely be reading them in the next couple of weeks or so. Green must be the colour of the moment and I couldn't resist putting these books together.

Ad/PR products. Thank you to the authors and publishers who sent me these books.
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#LastNowNext #LastNowNextReads #contemporaryfiction #historicalfiction #crimebooks #thrillerfiction #reader #reviewbooks #reviewer #bookblogger #ilovereading #bookish #fortheloveofbooks #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: Six Poppies by Lisa Car

Ad/PR product. New review: Six Poppies by Lisa Carter. Published by Michael Joseph and out now.
❤️
Six Poppies is the story of Sarah and Carl who met at Camp Bastion whilst serving with the British Army in Afghanistan. Sarah has followed her teen sweetheart out there, whilst Carl is serving alongside his best friend, Fridge. The story begins with a group photo being taken of the four along with other soldiers and friends they are serving with.
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We hear from both main characters, in Afghanistan and at home once they have returned. Sadly, as is often the case, some of the group didn't make it back and Carl decides to have a tattoo of a poppy inked on his back, one for each of the lost heroes. However, for Carl it's not enough. He has immense survivor's guilt, feeling somehow responsible for the deaths. Maybe if he had been on patrol instead or if he had stopped them being there…..
❤️
Carl and Sarah have feelings for each other and when they meet up again at home those feelings are stronger than ever. Can they ever be together given all the baggage they both carry? I had a lovely time finding out. Six Poppies is a romance novel but there's nothing romantic about being in the middle of a warzone or dealing with the aftermath and the author explores fully the difficulties that returning servicemen and women experience in trying to fit back into civilian life, not to mention contending with the death of comrades while they get to carry on living their lives.
❤️
I really enjoyed this book. It's easy to read and yet doesn't shy away from the hard-hitting aspects, and it's a love story that doesn't descend into anything that is overly saccharine. It's emotional, moving and heart-rending and yet ultimately uplifting and enriching. I was intrigued to read the author's note at the end about where her inspiration came from. Such a great basis for a lovely debut novel.

❤️
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy for review.
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#bookreview #SixPoppies #lovestory #movingreads #reader #bookblogger #reviewer #booksread #reviewbooks #fortheloveofbooks #bookloversofinstagram #bookish #ilovebooks #reading #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: Watch Me Watch You by @

Ad/PR product. New review: Watch Me Watch You by @lilysamsonauthor. Published by @centurybooksuk and out now.
👁️
Watch Me Watch You is a taut and addictive psychological thriller. I've been looking forward to it since I read Lily Samson's debut, The Switch, and I enjoyed this one just as much.
👁️
Alice lives in a spacious flat in Kensington yet has just started a position as an intern at a publishing company. From the beginning there's a disconnect between what Alice has and who Alice is but it all becomes clear as the story progresses. She agrees to let her boss, Mina, who is married to a powerful MP, use the flat for what turns out to be a rather dubious and unexpected reason and the tale then spirals into a tangled web of deceit that thrilled me.
👁️
I loved the voyeuristic style of this book, the dark and sexy aspects of it. I also enjoyed the publishing angle. The story is told from the points of view of both Alice and Mina and I didn't know if I could trust what either of them were saying. It was clear that there were some murky corners in their pasts and as narrators they were totally and excitingly unreliable.
👁️
I found Watch Me Watch You absolutely compulsive reading. As with The Switch, in the wrong hands some of the action could have simply been too far-fetched, but in Samson's hands it just felt plausible and ominously exhilarating. If you like a twisty story filled with power and seduction, with characters who are morally grey, then this is one for you. I loved it.
👁️
Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy.
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#bookreview #WatchMeWatchYou #psychologicalfiction #psychologicalthriller #fortheloveofbooks #reader #reviewer #bookblogger #booksread #reviewbooks #ilovebooks #bookloversofinstagram #bookish #shortbookandscribes

Thank you so much @faberbooks for this fabulous #H

Thank you so much @faberbooks for this fabulous #HarrogateAtHome box of epic goodies. Such a wonderful treat.

✨ #MurderTakesAVacation by @lauramlippman

✨#TheGoodPatient by @nileshachauvet

✨ #TheChristmasClue by @nicolaupson

✨ #TheConfessions by @paulbradleycarr

With these books which sound brilliant, Sanpellegrino to keep me refreshed, cocktail recipes and the Faber Crime Times, I'm in for a very good weekend.

#BookPost

Ad/PR product. New review: Killer Instinct by @nic

Ad/PR product. New review: Killer Instinct by @nicolawilliamswriter. Published by @vikingbooksuk and out now.
⚖️
Killer Instinct is the third book to feature barrister, Lee Mitchell. I've also read book two, Until Proven Innocent, which I thought was brilliant, and I can give that same accolade to Killer Instinct too which had me gripped from start to finish.
⚖️
This story focuses very much on the Senior Clerk at Lee's chambers, Tom Mannion. Nobody could say they liked him, but he ruled chambers and most of the tenants respected him for the work he could get for them and for his ruthless attitude when doing so. When he is murdered it is a massive shock to all concerned, and then when Junior Clerk, Dean Carter, is arrested for the crime, Lee takes on the case, hoping to prove his innocence.
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Whilst this is a Lee Mitchell story, much of the focus is around Tom and Dean, and also the police's investigation. There is plenty of courtroom action though and a legal thriller is always a draw for me. There's a lot of attention on Tom's famous diary too, a tatty notebook that contained a multitude of secrets. What happened to it when Tom was killed is a question many people would like the answer to.
⚖️
I thought Killer Instinct had a killer storyline and I loved every bit of it. It's written with style and knowledge and it grabbed me and didn't let me go until I knew the outcome. The characters are diverse and interesting to read about and I really hope there will be more about Lee and Maple Court Chambers. I'd love to know how chambers fares without Tom. In the meantime, this one comes highly recommended by me for its twisty storyline and legal drama.
⚖️
Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy.
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#bookreview #KillerInstinct #crimethriller #legalfiction #legalthrillers #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogger #reader #reviewer #reviewbooks #booksread #ilovebooks #booklover #bookish #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: The Girl with the Suitc

Ad/PR product. New review: The Girl with the Suitcase by Lesley Pearse. Published by @michaeljbooks and out now.
💼
I look forward every year to a new Lesley Pearse book and I'm never disappointed. Her latest is The Girl With the Suitcase which follows the life of Beth Manning…except Beth isn't quite who she says she is. Just prior to an air raid, Mary Price meets Elizabeth Manning. When Mary is misidentified as Elizabeth, she takes on the latter's identity and a new life in Ireland, which is everything she has always dreamed of.
💼
Like every Lesley Pearse book, there's a strong heroine at the heart of the story who overcomes a difficult past or situation to triumph in her life and Beth is no exception so don't think that she sounds like a heartless person. I loved following her from London to Ireland, away from uncertainty and towards a new home and a new set of circumstances. I'd call it a slice of life story as it's set over the course of the Second World War and portrays the fortunes of the main character during that time.
💼
I found this book a delight to read and really looked forward to picking it up. There's a lot of sadness for Beth and some horrible things happened to her but I knew that somehow she would be ok and I absolutely loved the ending. Once again, Pearse pulled me right into a story and put me there with the characters that I so enjoyed spending time with.
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#bookreview #TheGirlWithTheSuitcase #LoveLesley #fortheloveofbooks #booklover #bookish #reader #reviewer #reviewbooks #bookblogger #booksread #historicalfiction #shortbookandscribes

June Reads 📚 Goodbye June, I think I blinked an

June Reads
📚
Goodbye June, I think I blinked and missed you, and hello July!

It was another seven book reading month so here's what I read:

✨#CanYouSolveTheMurder by Antony Johnston
This was a quirky and entertaining 'choose your own adventure' style crime novel where the reader is the detective trying to solve a murder at a wellness retreat.

✨#BirthsDeathsAndMarriages by Laura Barnett
An intensely character-driven story of six friends from university told over the course of a year, twenty years later. It felt realistic with all the joy and mess that is part of life.

✨#TheStrangerInRoomSix by Jane Corry
The story of two women, Belinda and Mabel. Belinda is newly released from prison and working at Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart where Mabel resides. Who is the stranger in room six and what do they want with both women? Gripping!

✨#BabyTeeth by Celia Silvani
Claire is lonely and desperate for a baby. She joins internet forums about free-birthing and is sucked into what is basically a cult. A great read, uncomfortable and often true to life.

✨#IsabellasNotDead by Beth Morrey
Gwen lost touch with her best friend, Isabella, fifteen years ago. A school hockey team reunion makes Gwen wonder what happened to Isabella and why she ghosted her so she decides to try and find her. A lovely light-hearted story of friendship and solidarity.

✨#TheWomanWhoLaughed by Simon Mason
A highly enjoyable suspenseful mystery story with an enigmatic protagonist in 'the Finder', a man hired by the police to try and work out what happened to Ella Bailey in Sheffield. Was she murdered five years ago as previously thought or has she been alive all along?

✨#TheFloodTide by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
This is book nine and another brilliant instalment of the Morland Dynasty series. The action takes place at home at Morland Place, in America in the midst of the War of Independence and in France as the revolution looms.
📚
The month's book post and stats can be found on my blog post (link in bio). Have you read any of my books? What was your favourite June read?
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#June2025Reads #JuneReads #JuneReads2025 #monthlyroundup #monthlywrapup #booksread #reviewbooks #shortbookandscrib

Ad/PR product. New review: The Woman Who Laughed b

Ad/PR product. New review: The Woman Who Laughed by Simon Mason. Published by @riverrun_books and out now.
🕵️
The Woman Who Laughed follows the 'Finder', an Iraqi man named Talib, who works with the police to try and locate missing people. It's the third in the series but I haven't read the previous two (I want to now, though!) and it doesn't matter as each case is a self-contained story.
🕵️
The Finder is called to Sheffield to investigate why now, five years after her disappearance and presumed murder, the bag belonging to sex worker, Ella Bailey, has suddenly turned up, hanging on the doorway of a café. The journey to the truth takes the Finder on a twisting and turning search of the streets of Sheffield and Chesterfield.
🕵️
Sense of place is incredibly strong in this book. Being from Sheffield, that really appealed to me and made it all the more interesting as I could imagine the neighbourhoods that the Finder was visiting. The book itself is not a long one at 224 pages but it kept me engrossed and threw quite a few red herrings into the mix.
🕵️
I thought The Woman Who Laughed was a really great read. It's suspenseful, dark and mysterious and the determination of the Finder to learn the truth comes through in his every word, as the whole story is told in his own narrative alongside his reading of a classic novel, in this case Jane Austen's Persuasion. A highly enjoyable, pared back read with an enigmatic protagonist.
🕵️
Thank you to the publishers for the review copy.
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#bookreview #TheWomanWhoLaughed #suspensefiction #mysteryreads #crimefiction #fortheloveofbooks #reader #reviewer #reviewbooks #bookblogger #contemporaryfiction #Sheffield #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: Isabella's Not Dead by

Ad/PR product. New review: Isabella's Not Dead by Beth Morrey. Published by @harperfiction and out now.
🔎
Sometimes you lose touch with friends and you don't exactly know why. That's what happened with Gwen and her best friend, Isabella. Fifteen years ago they went their separate ways at the end of an evening out and never spoke again. A school hockey team reunion makes Gwen wonder what happened to Isabella and why she ghosted Gwen all those years ago. She starts to make some enquiries and investigate but it's not easy as Isabella seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.
🔎
This is such a great read. It's funny and light-hearted but it's also a moving story of friendship and solidarity. Gwen has a calamitous air about her as she veers around Yorkshire, Edinburgh and Rome, crashing into people's lives, questioning them and looking for clues. There's a nice sense of a mystery unfolding and I didn't guess the reason for the ghosting which was really quite unexpected as I was wondering what could be a good enough reason for the friends to lose touch. Gwen makes mosaics from shattered crockery and I thought this was a great metaphor for the shattered friendship, with Gwen desperately trying to put the shards back together.
🔎
Isabella's Not Dead is a really lovely story, easy to read and written with humour and empathy, and I loved all the characters, some of whom were seriously wacky! I found it totally enjoyable from start to finish.
🔎
Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy.
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#bookreview #IsabellasNotDead #contemporaryfiction #fortheloveofbooks #reader #reviewer #reviewbooks #bookblogger #booksread #ilovebooks #booklover #readersofinstagram #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: Baby Teeth by Celia Sil

Ad/PR product. New review: Baby Teeth by Celia Silvani. Published by @orionbooks and out now.
🍼
Baby Teeth tells the story of Claire Hansen. She's trying to get pregnant and as time goes on she falls deeper and deeper into all the good and bad that the internet offers on the subject of pregnancy, birth and motherhood. In particular, she joins forums dedicated to TTC (trying to conceive) and then when she does get pregnant, she visits homebirth and natural birthing sites. Claire is very uncomfortable with hospitals and she finds solace and solidarity with the women who eschew all medical intervention, including scans and other vital appointments, opting to 'freebirth' instead.
🍼
It's clear from the beginning that Claire is lonely in her new life in London, having moved with her husband James from their family homes in the North East. Add to that the fact that she is a very anxious person, soaking up others people's feelings and beliefs and feeling responsibility for their mistakes, and you have somebody who is very susceptible. It takes a tragedy to show her that she must make her own decisions about her own pregnancy and birth.
🍼
This is an excellent debut novel. It highlights the very real issue of health anxiety and how the internet can be responsible for taking over our lives. Claire rarely puts her phone down and every time she picks it up a little bit more of other people's beliefs seep into her own consciousness. It's a distressing read at times and offers a moral dilemma: should you feel compelled to agree to medical monitoring even if you don't want it? What if the consequences harm your unborn baby? The author does a great job at showing Claire's feelings and how intimidated she is in medical environments. I was quite infuriated by her most of the time and I wanted to reach into the book and shake her, but I also felt sorry for her. The epilogue made me cringe!
🍼
All in all Baby Teeth was a great read, uncomfortable in many places but also true to life and rather sad.
🍼
Thank you to the author and the publishers for the review copy.
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#bookreview #BabyTeeth #psychologicalfiction #fortheloveofbooks #reader #booksread #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: The Stranger in Room Si

Ad/PR product. New review: The Stranger in Room Six by Jane Corry. Published in paperback today by @vikingbooksuk.
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I always look forward to picking up a new Jane Corry book and The Stranger in Room Six did not disappoint. It's the story of two women, Belinda and Mabel, and how life brings them together.
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Belinda has just been released from prison after serving time for the murder of her husband. She gets a job at Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart and there meets plucky Mabel Marchmont, the owner of the home but also someone familiar with it for many years after she went to stay with her aunt there in WWII. Belinda and Mabel hit it off and become friends, each sharing their life stories with the other, but the stranger in room six seems determined to wreak havoc on them both.
✨
I so enjoyed this story and was completely gripped by it. Short burst chapters really kept up the pace and kept me happily to-ing and fro-ing between the two women's narratives. There's a fascinating WWII storyline to follow, an aspect of it I hadn't thought much about, and Belinda's tales of her time in prison were totally compelling. Put together they made for such a transfixing and absorbing read. I enjoyed it very much indeed and found it to be a fresh and interesting storyline with two courageous heroines at its heart. Highly recommended for those who enjoy psychological and domestic fiction.
✨
Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy.
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#bookreview #TheStrangerInRoomSix #psychologicalfiction #domesticthriller #5starreads #grippingreads #fortheloveofbooks #reader #reviewer #bookblogger #booksread #reviewbooks #ilovereading #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: Births, Deaths and Marr

Ad/PR product. New review: Births, Deaths and Marriages by Laura Barnett. Published by @doubledayukbooks and out now.
🎊
If a character-driven story set over an intense year sounds like your kind of story then I recommend Births, Deaths and Marriages by Laura Barnett. It tells of six friends who met at university and have stayed friends ever since, through the many trials and tribulations that adult life can bring. By the end of the year there will have been one birth, one death and one marriage but who each of these life events will affect can only be ascertained by the reader following their trajectories throughout the year in question.
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I liked all the characters and their intermingled lives (some of them are not just friends, or have been more to each other in the past) and the fact that despite all that they have been through they've remained friends for twenty years. I particularly liked midwife Zoe and undertaker Al, but this is one of those rare books where every character is pretty likeable. I think the author did a great job with them all.
🎊
This novel felt realistic with lives that are messy and joyful and often hard to cope with. I enjoyed being along for the journey.
🎊
Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy.
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#BirthsDeathsAndMarriages #BookReview #contemporaryfiction #characterdrivenbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booklover #bookish #reader #reviewer #bookblogger #booksread #reviewbooks #ilovebooks #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product - new review. Captain Quirky here to

Ad/PR product - new review. Captain Quirky here to tell you about Can You Solve the Murder by Antony Johnston which is published by Bantam and is out now.
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Like the author (in his Acknowledgements) I remember enjoying the Choose Your Own Adventure books in the 1980s so when I heard about this grown-up version I had to give it a go.
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You are the detective investigating the murder of a man found on the lawn of a wellness retreat. Who killed him, how and why? That is what you must try and work out by reading the first chapter and choosing from two (or sometimes more) options as to where to go or who to interview next.
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It makes for a fun and interesting read with a cast of largely unlikeable characters who may or may not have been up to no good. The storyline itself is more simplistic than many crime novels; it's not about having a convoluted plot but it is about the novelty of trying to solve the crime yourself.
🔍
Did I solve it? Err…..well that would be telling (read that as no) but I did at least do fairly well with my clues and according to the points system at the back of the book I've made it to the heady ranks of Detective Inspector!
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There were a few things I would do differently if I read it again. First of all, when I put it down for a while I would write down the number of the last section I read, mainly because I would have liked to have refreshed my memory but also so that I could pick up the thread of my journey through the book if needed. There are some coded messages and I wish that I had at least written down where they were as later on I had to try and find them again (bad detective). Oh, and don't start trying to decode them when you're laying in bed at night!
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I enjoyed this quirky and entertaining novel and would read another one if more are in the pipeline. Maybe I'll make DCI next time.
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For associated reading, I recommend The Boy in the Book by Nathan Penlington.
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My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy. What's your detective name (photo 2).
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#bookreview #CYSTM #chooseyourownadventure #crimebooks #crimefiction #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogger #reader #reviewbooks #reviewer #booksread #shortbookandscribes

#CoverReveal 🎉🎉 - #TheToken by @sharonjbol

#CoverReveal 🎉🎉 - #TheToken by @sharonjbolton sounds brilliant.
⛴️
Seven strangers, a dangerous crossing, and a fortune to die for.

Linked by a secret and seduced by the fortune of a billionaire, seven strangers board a ship to a remote island. Will anyone make it back to shore alive?

The gripping new thriller from million-copy bestseller Sharon Bolton.

Coming 6th November from @orionbooks and available for pre-order now.

May Reads 📚 Goodbye May, hello June. These roun

May Reads
📚
Goodbye May, hello June. These round up posts seem to come round very quickly, don't they? It's been another seven books month. Here's what I read:

🛍️ New Horizons for the Woolworths Girls by Elaine Everest
This was a bittersweet read as it's the last book by Elaine Everest who very sadly died last year. I loved this story about Annie Brookes who takes a job working for Woolworths during WWII and meets an American soldier who she thinks will make her happy.

🚔 Human Remains by Jo Callaghan
This is book three in a series that I eagerly await the next instalment of. DCS Kat Frank and her AI sidekick, AIDE Lock, are back solving crimes. The end chilled me and made me consider the good and bad aspects of AI.

🍒 Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley
This book follows Coralie and Adam over the course of a decade in London, against a politically turbulent backdrop. It's a superb character-driven debut.

💊 The Chemist by A.A. Dhand
My first book by this author and I really liked the fast-paced and gripping storyline of a chemist who finds himself in the middle of a dangerous turf war between two drug lords.

📿The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster
This fictional story based on real events about Maggie Dickson who was hanged but didn't die is beautifully written and rich with historical detail.

✨ The Chevalier by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Book 7 in the Morland Dynasty series sees Annunciata Morland follow King James II into exile as the Catholic Stuarts are forced out in favour of Protestant William of Orange.

✨ The Maiden by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Book 8 in the Morland Dynasty series and the heir Jemmy and his daughter Jemima take centre stage amidst Jacobite rebellions.
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#MayReads #May2025Reads #MayReads2025 #monthlyroundup #monthlywrapup #bookstack #booksread #reviewbooks #reader #reviewer #bookblogger #historicalfiction #contemporaryfiction #literaryfiction #crimebooks #sagafiction #NewHorizonsForTheWoolworthsGirls #HumanRemains #ConsiderYourselfKissed #TheMourningNecklace #TheChemist #TheChevalier #TheMaiden #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: The Mourning Necklace b

Ad/PR product. New review: The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster. Published by Pan Macmillan and out now.
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The Mourning Necklace offers up a fantastical story, one of Maggie Dickson who was hanged for the murder of her baby and yet lives to tell the tale. What makes this even more fascinating is that it's based on real events and Maggie really did exist, although I think there's rather more owed to fiction than fact in this book. Kate Foster has woven a compelling story around the scant details that are known about Maggie and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
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The book opens on Hanging Day and then takes the reader back in time to Fisherrow, the village where Maggie grew up and where her family lives. We witness her longing to escape the gutting of fish and her boorish da and make her way to London. When events take her away to Kelso in the Scottish borders she believes herself to be well on her way but it seems that nothing really goes Maggie's way, leading to the hanging and all that happens to her afterwards.
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Foster has done a brilliant job of fleshing out the details that are known about Maggie and by using rich historical detail she's written an immersive story that transported me from the harbour at Fisherrow to the sights and sounds of 18th century Edinburgh. Maggie is a survivor in every sense of the word, feisty and wily but still a victim of being a woman in such times.
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This is the third book by Kate Foster that I have read and I've enjoyed them all very much. She's a writer whose books I would pick up without hesitation. Highly recommended for all historical fiction fans.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.
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#bookreview #TheMourningNecklace #historicalfiction #histfic #scottishbooks #fortheloveofbooks #bookishcontent #booklover #reader #reviewer #reviewbooks #booksread #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: The Chemist by A.A. Dha

Ad/PR product. New review: The Chemist by A.A. Dhand. Published by @hqstories and out now.
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A.A. Dhand is an author I hadn't read before but I was drawn to reading The Chemist after watching the DI Harry Virdee series on the television which I was completely gripped by. The Chemist didn't let me down and I was just as gripped by this story of a pharmacist and the people in the community he serves, both good and bad.
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I hadn't really thought before about how vulnerable a pharmacist is. Dealing with drugs all day long involves Idris Khan supplying methadone to the many addicts at The Mews, the notorious estate where a dangerous kingpin runs the show. Idris manages it all very well and maintains a kind of distance until Rebecca, a woman very close to him, needs his help and he finds himself drawn into a terrifying turf war between the two most prominent drug lords in Leeds.
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I couldn't imagine how Idris would get himself out of the situation he was in but I hadn't bargained for how very cunning and inventive he could be. As the tagline says, he knows how to save you and he knows how to kill you. This is a very clever story written by an author who is himself a pharmacist. It's authentic and informative whilst also keeping up the incredibly fast pace, aided by short and punchy chapters.
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I'm not sure if we'll see Idris again (the ending could certainly lead to more) but I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Chemist and would definitely pick up another book by this author.
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Thank you to the publishers for the review copy.
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#bookreview #TheChemist #crimebooks #thrillerfiction #thrillersofinstagram #fortheloveofbooks #booklover #bookish #reader #reviewer #reviewbooks #booksread #crimethriller #crimefiction #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: Consider Yourself Kisse

Ad/PR product. New review: Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley. Published by Hutchinson Heinemann and out now.
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Consider Yourself Kissed is the story of Adam and Coralie and their lives in London over the course of a decade. Coralie is Australian and meets Adam when she saves his little girl, Zora, from a pond. They're instantly drawn to each other, a whirlwind romance which gave me all the feels as they fall in love and then begin a life together.
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This is a book about real life, about all the highs and lows of being in a partnership with someone, all those moments of feeling like everyone else is getting it right and having such a brilliant time while you slog along day by day, keeping all the balls in the air and seemingly achieving nothing. Coralie feels like her ambitions have been pushed aside in favour of Adam's work, the kids' wellbeing and everybody else in her life's needs (not to mention her frankly hideous father!). All of this is set against a backdrop of the most important political events of the time: Brexit, the conveyor belt of Prime Ministers and Covid, which makes it extremely relevant for the reader who cannot fail to remember it all so vividly.
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This is such a superb character-driven debut from Jessica Stanley. It's funny, it's sad, it's poignant and it has characters to love and relate to. I love this kind of story that is full of the minutiae of life, so rich with detail that I felt I was a part of Adam and Coralie's lives. Highly recommended for a grown up love story, warts and all.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy.
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#bookreview #ConsiderYourselfKissed #lovestory #literaryfiction #5starreads #reader #bookblogger #reviewbooks #reviewer #booksread #ilovebooks #fortheloveofbooks #bookish #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: Human Remains by Jo Cal

Ad/PR product. New review: Human Remains by Jo Callaghan. Published by Simon & Schuster and out now.
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The DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock series has fast become one of my favourite crime/police series and so I was very eagerly looking forward to reading book three, Human Remains. As expected I loved it.
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The main story at first appears to be the discovery of a headless and handless body on a farm and the team's investigation into what happened and who the body belongs to. However, it's not long before Kat's biggest case comes back to haunt her, that of the Aston Strangler. Kat solved the case back then but now a podcast is casting doubt as to whether the right person was caught and imprisoned.
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The team are back together and one of the strongest thing about this series is the characterisations and the way that individual members of the team interact with Lock, not to mention the sheer brilliance of Lock itself. The AI detective is brilliantly written and portrayed and I love how it can read hundreds of articles in seconds, or watch numerous TV series in the same amount of time. There's no denying it is a huge help within the team in terms of doing the work that it would take a human days or weeks to get through, but some developments in this book really highlighted the potential for AI to be misused or relied on too heavily.
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I was absolutely gripped by this book, particularly the last third or so where the pace accelerated rather quickly. I'm desperate now for book four, especially because of how this one ended. Talk about chilling! Human Remains is an absolutely fantastic and thoroughly absorbing read and I very highly recommend it and the whole series so far.
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Thank you to the publishers for the review copy.
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#bookreview #HumanRemains #crimeseries #crimebooks #AIdetective #policefiction #policeprocedural #fortheloveofbooks #5starreads #reader #reviewer #bookblogger #booksread #reviewbooks #ilovethrillers #booklover #grippingreads #shortbookandscribes

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