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Today I am on the tour for Fallowfield by Nicole Swengley, thank you to Anne at Random Things Touts for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 349

Synopsis: Fallowfield Hall: once an avant garde art college, now abandoned and decaying. To journalist Rowan Woodhouse it is the fabled backdrop to her parents’ 1970s love story. But is there more to Fallowfield – and her family – to uncover?

Seeking solace after the loss of her artist-teacher father, Rowan accepts a research project to interview college alumni, hoping this may reveal more about him – and her enigmatic mother who died tragically young.

But Rowan soon discovers that Fallowfield had a darker side than hedonistic student life and idyllic picnics on its famous daffodil lawns. Jealousies, betrayals and rivalries emerge when she learns of the mysterious death of one young woman and the unsolved disappearance of another.

As part and present become dangerously intertwined, how will the suspicions sparked by her investigations impact Rowan’s own troubled life?

My Thoughts: You can tell I don’t often fully read a synopsis because this book was a lot darker than I expected!

We’re following Rowan who has been approached by someone who works at the college her dad attended and then later worked at, to find some pieces for them to display, and then later asked to see if she can put something together with anecdotes from others.

Whilst searching her dad’s things she finds a newspaper article about a girl who went missing not long before they left the area.

She doesn’t really think anything of it until she starts trying to collect anecdotes and nobody wants to talk about Fallowfield, they believe the past should stay in the past.

So what starts as a way for Rowan to get to know her dad as more than just dad ends up her realising that everyone was keeping secrets from her for most of her life.

The dark and twisted undertones of this book really leave you feeling like the story could go in any direction, no one can really be trusted and you’re left wondering if digging into the past will become dangerous!

The writing style had a haunting feel to it that left me unable to stop reading, definitely recommend this one it drew me in from the beginning and didn’t let go until the very end.

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Today I am on the tour for The Official Catchphrase Puzzle Book, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 192

Synopsis: Decode hundreds of familiar sayings and sharpen your mind with The Official Catchphrase Puzzle Book.  

Based on the popular TV game show Catchphrase, this official puzzle book includes: 

• 8 fun-packed rounds with over 200 official catchphrases introduced by Mr Chips
• ‘Say what you see’ puzzles where images and symbols reveal hidden sayings.  
• Hidden catchphrases to test your knowledge of classic phrases. 
• Super Catchphrase rounds for fast-thinking, competitive fun. 
• Full answers and score sheets at the end of the book.  

Whether you dip in for a quick brain boost or settle in for a longer solve, there’s always a new phrase waiting to be discovered . . . 

Think you know the phrase? Pick up your pencil and prove it. 

My Thoughts: Now this is something that’s a little bit different for me, but as a lover of catchphrase and someone who tends to be pretty good at “saying what they see” I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity!

As soon as it arrived I dove straight in, I loved the way it was done as I was a bit dubious as to how we make a moving picture from a screen translate into a book, but I was honestly blown away by how well it worked!

I had loads of fun with family members seeing who could get the answer first! It really made us laugh and brought out the competitiveness that we don’t often see.

There’s different rounds and levels to dip in and out of, the perfect activity for you to wind down in your own with some chocolate and a cup of tea, or bring the family or a group of friends together, put the book between you, set a timer and see who wins!

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Today I am on the tour for When The Sky Burns by Isla Lockwood, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 370

Synopsis:

Twelve perilous nights of Yule.

One ancient curse.

Two men who sought to contain her.

Until she became the weapon they feared.

The phoenixes are dying. The kingdom that worshipped them has fallen. When rebel spy Aliwen steals a sentient grimoire, she uncovers a truth the witches buried. The curse that destroyed the phoenixes was never meant to be broken.

But hidden within it is a single flaw.

Her.

On the run with the rebel leader who believes she holds the key to reclaim their kingdom — and hunted by an enemy Rider whose fire would destroy her with a single touch. Aliwen has the twelve nights of Yule to unravel the spell that reshaped kingdoms.

Or burn with it.

When the Sky Burns is a fast paced, action packed dark romantic fantasy with cursed phoenix riders, sentient books, ancient magic, dangerous secrets, and a slow-burn romance. Set over the twelve nights of Yule.

Perfect for fans of One Dark Window, Road of Bones and The Wolf King (but with no wolves!).

Tropes
Christmas fantasy romance
Cursed phoenix riders
Yule reimagined
Winter wonderland
Touch = 💀
Sentient books
Morally grey…everyone
Slow-burn romance
Forced proximity
One horse
Captor / captive
Second-chance romance
Countdown to catastrophe

My Thoughts: fast paced and full of adventure from the beginning. Aliwen is a spy, everything her people have worshipped is gone and she is determined to find a way to get it all back!

The book opens with death and sneaking around and that is really just a taste of what the rest of the book contains.

This book really reignited my love for fantasy, the world building was incredible it draws you in and consumes you entirely, I couldn’t help but feel that none of the characters were really trust worthy, but to me that added to the tension and the intrigue of the story.

I thought the element of Christmas or Yulemas was really cleverly done, it added almost like a whimsical feel whilst putting pressure on the whole thing because you know that by the time it gets to 12 days it’s all done one way or the other.

I found myself reading faster as we got closer to the end, almost feeling like if I didn’t I would run out of time myself 🤣

I was so immersed in the story that everything felt so real, the amount of times I gasped, closed the book in shock is unreal and don’t talk to me about that ending! – I need book 2 now, I need resolutions!

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Today I am on the tour for Assassins Can’t Do It Alone by Shesh, Thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for having me.

Pages: 284

Synopsis: He was once a CEO. He is now an assassin. He kills people who deserve to die. Ishmael Dollah is back!

He excels in his new role for exactly the reasons he excelled at the old one.

When a Singapore family tortures their domestic worker to death and looks certain to walk free, Ishmael adds a mother and her son to his list. Then he runs into the limit every founder runs into: the job is bigger than one man.

So he does what any competent leader would. He builds a team. Starting with the police inspector assigned to catch him.

Because even assassins can’t do it alone.

What follows is a lesson in delegation and control, taught by a man who knows that the most dangerous thing you can give someone is your trust.

The third novel in the Corporate Assassin Series. A dark thriller that is also, unnervingly, the best management book you will read this year.

Assassins Can’t Do It Alone follows Sixty Is the New Assassin and Assassins Are Our Greatest Assets, both of which have delighted readers across the world.

About The Author:

For many years, Shesh was an author in denial. He wrote stories and articles but shared them only with his family and close friends, and felt like an imposter doing so.

Two years ago, Radhika, his wife and muse, gave him an ultimatum. Publish or perish, she said. 

Given that her kitchen was stocked with sharp implements and unlabelled bottles containing suspicious powders, Shesh began writing in earnest. When Earnest objected, Shesh moved to his laptop.

Sixty Is The New Assassin is the first of 12 novels – The CEO Assassin series. Featuring Ishmael Dollah, an unremarkable retired CEO, the series traces the evolution of a corporate honcho into a remorseless assassin. Set in Singapore, the ‘safest country in the world’, Ishmael’s targets find their misplaced complacence fatal. Ishmael Dollah finds that he is well suited to graduate into his new vocation. In his years as a CEO, he has learnt to be amoral, relentless and goal-focussed. The perfect qualities for someone who needs to take a life and then attend a cocktail reception. 

Shesh is a voracious reader. He has always been irritated by protagonists ruled by angst or past tragedies. Ishmael has no such qualms. He is a happy, well adjusted assassin with no dark secrets. Ishmael loves his family, his country, and his life. Murder is just icing on the cake.

The second book in the series, “Assassins Are Our Greatest Assets” came out in January 2026, and the next in the series is slated for September 2026.

Shesh can be reached only if you have an assignment for Ishmael Dollah.

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Today I am on the tour for Buried In Silence by Deborah Stone, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 340

Synopsis: The police say Calvin Cross died naturally.

Former Scotland Yard detective Ember Lockhart lost her career following a scandal. Now working as a private investigator, she is hired by Amelia Cross to investigate her husband’s sudden death on a flight into Heathrow.

Calvin had been frightened before he died, and the corrupted USB stick he left behind suggests he had good reason. As Ember begins asking questions, she is followed, warned and threatened to abandon the case. With reluctant help from her former colleague and ex-lover, Leo Campbell, she traces Calvin’s death to a secretive technology company involved in political blackmail and corporate espionage involving an elaborate plan to destabilise the British government.

Then Amelia is murdered, and the evidence is carefully arranged to frame Ember.

Charged with killing her own client, Ember must prove her innocence while pursuing an organisation prepared to eliminate anyone who gets in the way of their ultimate political goal.

My Thoughts: firstly before I start this review I want to be totally transparent, I haven’t actually finished the book, I still have about 100 pages to go!

But so far an I am loving it, well and truly sucked in! Ember is a character and a half, she has a past, she’s been let go from the police service and is now acting as a private investigator.. but she’s found herself in a situation that she can’t get out of on her own.

The writing is fast paced and has me eager to find out where the story is going because right now I can’t work it out, the twists keep coming, people are dying, others are injured and Ember even has old colleagues willing to put their job on the line for her!

As of right now there are so many different ways this story could go & I am desperate to find out everybody’s fate, I just need to be feeling well enough to give the book the time and attention it deserves!

I have a soft spot for Leo, by the looks of it there is nothing he wouldn’t do for Ember! And don’t get me started on Rohan and Daisy, they don’t have even know her but are willing to help! they must know that deep down Ember is a good person.

I’m looking forward to discovering more about Embers past and seeing where we go from here.

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Today I am on the tour for A Reunion to Die For by K.J. Whittle, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 320

Synopsis: A read-in-one-sitting compulsive thriller about schooldays secrets long-buried, new for 2026

They all wanted their bully dead. Now someone’s granted the wish…

In a dingy pub, a high school reunion after-party brings five old friends back together. As they catch up after twenty years, painful memories surface, all centred around the disastrous prom night that broke them all apart. King of the class turned handsome sport superstar, Eric Stewart has led a charmed life since but his old friends know his cruel streak. The more they drink, the more a morbid plan takes shape, with everyone tossing in ideas for how they could get the ultimate revenge.

The next morning, they discover Eric has been found dead, exactly the way they drunkenly planned it.

When a cryptic, anonymous message containing a recording of their conversation from the night before starts to circulate, the group knows they need to act, and fast – before they’re framed…or worse. Who was listening to them? Who arranged the reunion? And, most importantly, who carried out their murderous plans to the letter?

From the author of Seven Reasons to Kill Your Dinner Guests comes a twisty thriller with a dark puzzle at its heart.

My Thoughts: I have absolutely been spoilt with the amount of good thrillers I have read this year and I have to say this one is one of my favourites.

It’s told in my favourite way with multiple P.O.V’s and dual timeline, I was sucked in right from the beginning, it took me right back to the days of my prom and our first high school reunion too, I found myself trying to work out who in our school year would have been each character, slightly twisted maybe but it added a whole new element of fun for me 😂

We’re following a group of friends, both at the prom in 2006 and in the present day, exactly 20 years later at a high school reunion, we know that there are massive secrets at play, but let me tell you there is no way you can be prepared for how dark and twisty this will get.

Every single one of these characters is hiding something, it’s cryptic and hard to decipher despite us thinking we have all the pieces.

It deals with some very difficult topics, but in a sensitive way that will brought out some pretty strong emotions in me.

I absolutely flew through this one because I found it so hard to put down.

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Today I am on the tour for The Last Time I Saw Her by Rhiannon Barnsley, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 315

Synopsis: The stranger appeared in her dreams. Now she’s invading her life.

Sage has a recurring nightmare: a woman she doesn’t know is drowning, fighting desperately as the dark water closes over her. It’s unsettling, but Sage shrugs it off when she wakes. Until she sees the same woman in a South London supermarket.

Her name is Lara, a psychology student and small-time influencer. And Sage is certain—she is about to die.

Sage feels she has to do everything she can to save Lara, and slowly, quietly, she begins to infiltrate her life—following her online, engineering a chance encounter, earning her trust. When Lara confides she’s being stalked, Sage knows she’s right—the nightmare is coming true.

But what can Sage actually do? She can’t tell Lara she was appearing in her dreams before they ever met—that would sound insane. All she can do is watch over her, try to protect her.

Then, as she gets ever closer to Lara, Sage begins to realize she isn’t a stranger at all, that they are linked by a horrifying secret that will change both their lives forever.

My Thoughts: this was a different kind of thriller for me, in that it took me a while to get into it, I didn’t like either perspective to start with, meaning I didn’t like the characters, the writing was brilliant.. which makes me think this was an intentional choice by the author because something just kept me turning the pages.

At some point without me even really realising I was so invested in finding out what happened, we have Lara, now we know she’s real because we have some chapters from her perspective, but what we don’t know is why Sage is dreaming about her & if she is really in danger?

The twists in this one were unreal, I definitely didn’t see them coming and we all know I’m a seasoned reader of a psychological thriller.

Throughout the whole book I wasn’t really sure who’s side I was on and if I’m being completely honest even a few days after finishing the book I still have no idea 😂

Definitely one to keep you guessing!

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Today I am on the tour for Christmas At The First Sip Coffee Shop by Emma Bennet, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 252

Synopsis: Mince pies. Gingerbread snowmen. Choose your favourite Christmas treat, grab a blanket and settle in with this heartwarming cosy romance.

Lucy Wilson built the First Sip coffee shop from nothing. She loves every mismatched chair, every cosy corner, every friendly face that comes through the door.

She doesn’t love Dylan Benjamin. Charming, cocky and far too sure he can fix everything. He’s the last person Lucy would ask for help.

But when her landlord decides to sell the building, it’s Dylan who steps in and saves her beloved coffee shop. Now he is part owner of First Sip and in her space every single day.

Then the consequences of the night neither of them will talk about come to light and keeping her distance gets a lot harder. Because Lucy is starting to see the man behind the cocky smile.

It’s Christmas in Castle Cove. The tree’s going up on the High Street, the choir’s singing and First Sip is filled with gingerbread lattes, mince pies and unexpected second chances.

Dylan has proposed twice. Lucy has said no twice.

But with Christmas Eve approaching, she’s running out of reasons to say no again.

My Thoughts: this was officially my first Christmas book of the year and I honestly cannot think of a better one to start with, this was just so good!

It is the second book in the Castle Cove series and I think it would work fine as a standalone but I have read both and loved the appearance of the characters in the previous book it gave it a real feel of community.

This time we’re following Lucy who owns The First Sip Coffee Shop and Dylan who is the joker of Castle Cove, he has a reputation of being a real ladies man.

Lucy is an independent woman after having her life torn about by a man in the past she’s very reluctant to even let friends get too close incase it all comes crashing down again, but after a town meeting she finds herself being nurse to Dylan after he slips on her doorstep.. could there be more to him than she thought?

Right from the start I adored this, you could tell very early on that Dylan was a total goner for Lucy, the only person who couldn’t see it was her..

This had me squealing and giggling, getting shy and hiding my face behind my hands, Dylan really was swoon worthy, but in subtle ways, he gave off real golden retriever energy 😍

Lucy’s inner monologue made me want to hug her at times she was so unsure of herself and her emotional insecurities really broke my heart.

One of my favourite parts of this was Lucy helping Dylan discover the love and magic of Christmas that he didn’t get to experience back then. It really brought the saying “like a kid at Christmas” to life and it really was just everything. 🥺

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Today I am on the tour for Good Twin Bad Twin by Renita D’Silva, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 307

Synopsis:

I’m shaking as I turn the postcard over. A picture of a pretty Cotswold village.

And a message: Bitter Honey, here I come.

It’s in my twin sister’s handwriting. She’s the only person who ever called me that.

Except that can’t be true. Because, if it is, then whose body is buried under the patio?

She was the golden one. I was the shy, bookish one. Living in her shadow.

Now I have everything I ever wanted. A stunning home on the Dorset cliffs. A handsome husband. A beautiful teenage daughter.

But my husband disappears at night. Our dog is the only member of the family that really loves me.

And if my twin sister is alive, then everything I believed about my life is a lie.

My Thoughts: oh my god this book, it had me tied up in knots and questioning everything more than once!

I loved everything about the way this book was written, the style, the format it was just incredible.

We’re following twins Nish and Ash, and not only are we seeing 2 different points of view, we’re seeing two different timelines too, now if you’ve been reading my reviews for a while you’ll know I love a multi p.o.v or timeline book because it gives you a more rounded look at the story, so to get both in one book?! I felt like I was being spoilt.

So with the chapters told from the past we very much get the picture that one twin is front and centre whilst the other I overlooked and quite often forgotten about, which left the present chapters more intriguing because we don’t know who we’re with, there are little hints that make you think your right… but are you?

This book gave me chills, like actual goosebumps down my spine, it was fast paced at times, but then slow and repetitive in others, but I think that was fine on purpose to throw you off the scent.

The twists in this one were off the charts, I didn’t feel like I could turn the pages fast enough.

Such a fantastic book, very well written.

Renita is another new author for me and what a book to start on!

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Today I am on the tour for Mystery In The New Forest by Carol Cole, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 263

Synopsis: A single shot fired. A body lying dead in the heather. A village with something to hide.

On a raw March morning in the New Forest, a man is found dead on the open heath. Angus Darnell was shot through the heart while out for his morning run.

Detective Inspector Callum MacLean is used to dealing with shootings after his time on the Glasgow force, but never expected to come across one on this quiet patch in Hampshire.

Angus was a photographer, Sunday school teacher and chairman of the local gun club. A man everyone agrees had no enemy in the world.

So why can’t MacLean’s team find any trace of him before 2005?

Whatever Angus Darnell was trying to hide goes back a lot further.

And MacLean and his team must unpick thirty years of secrets to find out who was waiting for him in the heather.

My Thoughts: firstly let me start by telling you this is book four in a series, I went in not knowing this and it read perfectly fine, but it did make me twitchy to read the others so I may go back at some point.

You get the feeling very quickly that the team are well established and very close knit with the casual use of nicknames and banter that actually had me giggling.

There was obviously seriousness thrown in with the banter too and they worked so well together, throwing ideas back and forth.

A Police procedural is one of my favourite genres to read and this one really reminded me why, the pacing was perfect, the story was gripping lots of little pieces were dropped throughout to keep you on your toes and constantly second guessing yourself.

Will definitely be looking out for more from Carol in the future.

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