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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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Today I am on the tour for The Sleeping Beauties by G N Lawson, 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: 240

Synopsis: Gordon White has a problem: there is a hole in his memory and four murders he may be connected to. Fleeing to a remote seaside town, the retired civil servant does not know whether he is hiding from danger or from the police. When news breaks of an arrest, fragments of the missing hours begin to surface.

Pushed by a Catholic priest to write down everything he can recall, and drawn into an uneasy relationship with Josie, aunt of one of the victims, Gordon starts piecing together the truth. Notes left by a former colleague point him back to Manchester’s long-abandoned underground railway, where two of the killings took place, and where Gordon now realises he had been.

Twenty years later, living in a care home, Gordon is given an identity tracking chip that maps every step of a person’s life. It finally reveals part of what happened during those lost hours, but not everything. Some answers remain buried, and some memories refuse to return.

My Thoughts: this was a really intriguing book, imagine being able to look back on your life when you’re older, just by being given a tracking chip, you can look back and relive all your favourite moments, but also try and remember the things you may have forgotten.

Gordon is given this exact opportunity, the problem being he doesn’t necessarily want to relive parts, he knows he connected to, but he doesn’t know how or why or if he was even the culprit! His brain had blacked it out for a reason.

The book is fantastically written, the writing flows so easily whilst also being eerie and a little creepy, I don’t know how the author has done it but the book is written in a way that makes you as the reader feel like you’re the one missing chunks of your memory, yet gives you enough to get glimpses whilst still leaving most of it just out of reach.

I really enjoyed the whole experience, I thought I would be disappointed after reading the synopsis at the idea of not getting all the answers but really it just added to the overall intrigue of the book and made it feel more real.

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Today I am on the tour for The Cold Shore by Rachel Amphlett, 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 chilling murder.

A coastal town full of secrets.

A detective with everything to prove.

When a man is found savagely murdered on an abandoned vessel off the north Kent coast, what begins as a routine inquiry turns deadly.

Detective Gavin Piper had intended only a brief visit to assist his superior officer – but when circumstance forces him to take command, he finds himself leading his first homicide case in a place that feels both unfamiliar and unforgiving.

As the investigation deepens, a key witness is found dead and dark secrets begin to surface. With the body count rising and the pressure mounting, Gavin must race against the clock to find the only surviving link – before the killer strikes again.

Will Gavin’s inexperience cost him more than just the case?

Or can he uncover the truth before it’s too late?

My Thoughts: I am almost ashamed to admit that this is my first Rachel Amphlett book, but what a perfect place to start with it being the start of a new series! I am aware it is a spinoff of one of her previous series but I found it read perfectly fine without reading that.

We’re following Gavin Piper, who just so happens to be in the area of a murder so is asked to help out until someone else can get there.. he’s nervous, this is the first investigation he’s been in charge of, but after soon realising that most of his team are newbies he knows he has to dig deep and exude confidence even if he doesn’t always feel it!

Someone had been found washed up on a boat, a boat that shouldn’t be there.. with an axe in his chest and the boat in complete disarray,

They really are working with nothing, no clues, no idea who the victim is, or even why the boat is somewhere is shouldn’t be.

Questioning the locals gives them both nothing concrete and far too many questions.. they just need a break in the case, can they find it before someone else has to take over?

The book was perfectly paced, giving us enough hints to keep the pages turning and the intrigue needed to make the book impossible to put down.

It was eerie, gave me chills and left me excited to read the next instalment in the series a definite must read!

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Today I am in the tour for Love In A Hurry by Mari Jane Law, 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 my copy.

Pages: 432

Synopsis: A Catholic priest needs an heir. A virgin mother wants another baby.
Will they need a miracle to make it work?

Father Kieran Quinn is in crisis. His brother does not want children, so there won’t be anyone to inherit the long-standing family business—unless Kieran defies the Church by seeking marital bliss. Then he meets Miranda with a child in her arms, looking like a Madonna. But isn’t she taken?

Miranda Morton’s time is running out. She yearns to have a baby conceived naturally by a man who loves her, yet she’s never even been kissed! When she meets Kieran, he talks of returning to Ireland, but her life is bound in Bristol, where she’s a live-in help for arthritic Judith, her snappish, flame-breathing dragon of an employer.

Judith Gold generally can’t stand Catholics, especially priests. She must make her best-personal-assistant-ever see sense over this Kieran nonsense, before Miranda’s life echoes her own tragic past. But how?

The clock is ticking. Can Kieran and Miranda find happiness together before it’s too late?

Tropes:

• Catholic priest romance
• Forbidden love
• Cinnamon roll
• Virgin
• Single parent
• Found family
• Grumpy/Sunshine

My Thoughts: what a perfect ending to what has been a really good series, I was really hoping both of these characters would get they’re happy ever after and this book gave me everything I wanted and more.

We’re following Father Kieran who is having a bit of a midlife crisis after realising that no one will inherit the family business once he’s gone.. so he had to work out what means more to him, the church or the want to have a family? add to that he’s just found out his brother is gay so starts to doubt wether everything his religion has taught him is still accurate today.

Then we have Miranda who despite giving birth to a baby to help her friends become dads she is still a virgin, she wants another baby, but also want to find and experience love and being a proper family.. the only problem is her biological clock is ticking!

This book has so much heart and humour that I really struggled to put it down, I laughed out loud several times & had a smile on my face for most of the book!

Their are told from the past, which gives us a proper look into Judith’s life, to everyone she is just a cantankerous old woman stuck in her ways, but seeing the reasons why honestly shattered my heart just a little.

You get a real sense of community in this book & that made me feel all warm and fuzzy, like I was part of the gang too.

If you’re looking for a feel good romance that doesn’t shy away from dealing with some harder topics then look no further because you’ve found it.

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Today I am on the tour for Sleuth by Charlotte Langley, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pages: 329

Synopsis: Two women hunting the same killer. One seeks justice. One seeks fame. Both have something to hide.

In a remote Scottish town where everyone knows everyone, the disappearance of local girl Lily Howard should be impossible to hide. But as Detective Ruth Lindsey discovers, some secrets run deeper than blood.

When internet sensation Mia Chaplin arrives to investigate, her viral YouTube videos about the case spark a media frenzy. The town divides: some worship Mia as a crusader for justice, others see her as a dangerous provocateur. For Ruth, she’s a threat – not just to the investigation, but to the fragile peace of a community already fracturing under pressure.

As Mia’s revelations start destroying lives, Ruth realises she’s dealing with something far more sinister than a fame-hungry influencer. Because Mia knows things about Lily she shouldn’t. And Ruth is beginning to suspect that the real predator isn’t hiding in the shadowy hills of Galloway, but broadcasting to millions from plain sight…

My Thoughts: Christ what a wild ride this was! – this is my first book by Charlotte and I promise you it won’t be my last, it had me itching to pick the book up, and hating the fact that I had to put it down to go work!

Fast paced, the action just doesn’t stop, and every new character added left you reeling whilst you try to find the connections, I found myself feeling a bit like Mia, trying to see if I can pick up on all the little crumbs and piece it together myself… I failed 😂

Mia was a likeable character to begin with, and then the secrets and lies kept coming, I started to hate her but also empathising with her, what a weird mix of emotions this book had me feeling. At times I did feel like maybe Ruth was too close to the family to be productive but a little nudge from Max every now and again kept her on the straight and narrow.

I cried, like full on sobbed at this book, there was a part I didn’t see coming and it absolutely broke me, but what an incredible book!

1000% you should add this one to your TBR.

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