Review: Under The Spanish Stars

Read from 10th – 21st September 2023

Synopsis: 

Charlotte Kavanagh’s beloved grandma Katarina Sanchez is gravely ill, so when she begs Charlotte to travel to her homeland in Andalucía to uncover the truth behind a mysterious painting, Charlotte agrees.  Taking leave from her soul-destroying job and stalled life in Australia, Charlotte embarks on a quest through Granada’s ancient cobble-stoned streets and vibrant neighbourhoods. There she meets Mateo Vives, a flamenco guitarist with a dark past, and through him she quickly becomes entangled in the world of flamenco and gypsies that ignites a passion she had thought lost. 

But the mystery surrounding the painting deepens, reaching back in time to the war-torn Spain of the 1940s and Charlotte discovers her grandmother’s connection to the Spanish underground. Who is her grandmother, really? What is Mateo’s connection to her family history? And why is finding answers to a family mystery turning into a journey of self-discovery for Charlotte?

Weighed down by secrets, betrayals and shattered relationships, Charlotte finds herself questioning the true meaning of heritage, family and love.

Bookish Things: 352 pages. The cover is pretty stock standard for this type of genre from a big publishing house. Didn’t really grab me or encourage me to read the book more than any other.

Review: Her Dark Enchantments

Read from 16th July – 11th August 2023

Synopsis: The Wicked Fairy. The Mistress of All Evil. The villain of Sleeping Beauty goes by many names, but where did she come from?

Myravelle Spinner grew up in a tower with only spiders, spindles, and stone walls for friends while her mother spun gold for the king. She wondered why her mother refused to teach her fairy magic until one fateful mistake led Myravelle to become the healer in the king’s Sleepy Wood Company…

Drained from years of waking soldiers from a cursed sleep, Myravelle must now choose a new canvas–a man whose life she drains with a dagger to fuel her healing powers. A ritual binds her to Byzarien Dumont, who loathes fairies for the fires that left his family impoverished and his body riddled with scars. His burning hatred causes Myravelle’s enchantments to wilt, leading the king to threaten her mother’s life.

Byzarien can only see Myravelle as a beautiful spider who strings men along her web, while Myravelle considers love a weakness for the king to exploit. With their families in danger and soldiers rotting in a death-like sleep, the pair must learn to trust one another before the dark magic spinning in Myravelle’s soul unravels once and for all.

The Wicked Fairy never asked to become a monster…

Review: Memory of Dragons

Read from 29th June to 6th July 2023

Synopsis: With a dragon’s magic, even a memory can be dangerous…

Austin is an American grad student, on leave to mourn the death of his girlfriend, Rhi. Yet during a pilgrimage to her favorite place on the Welsh coast, he finds she may not be as dead as he thought. A pickpocket named Corinna claims to have stolen her memories. Rhi was a wizard from another world, she insists, and if Austin doesn’t trust her, that world will perish in an apocalypse of dragons.

Austin rejects Corinna’s story. Magic? Stolen memories? Dragons? Yet soon, a sinister figure begins stalking him. A glowing crystal speaks with a voice in his mind. When a creature too horrible to be natural attacks, snarling Austin’s name through mangled mandibles, he must reexamine his grasp of reality, or die.

Corinna might be his only hope. Can he trust her, an admitted thief, when the voice from the crystal calls her a liar? Meanwhile, Austin’s stalker creeps ever closer, murderous, implacable, and seeking a confrontation on which hinges Austin’s life, Rhi’s death, and the fate of two worlds.

Memory of Dragons imagines our fairy tale monsters are another world’s criminal castoffs, and that magic can exist, if we can stomach the cost.

Bookish Things: 315 pages. The cover is quite eye-catching. Lovely font!

Review: Victim Without a Face

Read from 25 May to 7 June 2023

Synopsis: 

THE SWEDISH BESTSELLER.

Two gruesome murders have shocked the Swedish town of Helsingborg. The first victim, a thug who liked using his fists, died with his hands sawn off. His sidekick, a fan of steel-capped boots, was crushed feet-first by a JCB. Both men were bullies in the same class at school. Is someone serving justice after thirty years?

The killer leaves no trace behind. But for lead investigator Fabian Risk, the lack of forensic evidence is not the only problem. He too was a student in that class – which makes him both a potential victim and a potential suspect…

Full of unremitting suspense and unexpected twists, this is a sensational thriller from a superb new storyteller.

‘More gripping than Jo Nesbo, blacker than Stieg Larsson and more bleakly human than Henning Mankell… This is high-octane Scandinavian crime that knows where all the bodies are buried’ Tony Parsons author of The Murder Bag.

Bookish Things: 601 pages. The cover is quite basic but still suits the story.

Review: Just a Little Crazy

Read from 15-21st May 2023

Synopsis: 

The second novel in the hit “Just a Little” series brings you “Just a Little Crazy” – the story of courageous and fierce women who aren’t all-together sane.

Brave, heart-wrenching, comical, and uplifting…these two stories will thrill you. Be prepared to be hooked from the very first page and stay up all night reading.

Just a Little Crazy
Wilhelmina “Willie” Bonham is a hard living dangerous woman. She won’t commit to a man, a pet, or even a potted plant. She’s a stunning force of nature that doles out her own version of justice, which includes taking down anyone that gets in her way.

So when volatile Willie gets paramedic Jon Marchetti into her bed, Jon has no idea of the wild ride he’s about to get on. He blissfully ignores the warning signs and plunges headfirst into her world of crazy without a net or a safe word.

She soon realizes he can give as well as he gets.

Jon will be damned if he’ll let Willie kick him out of bed the next morning or ever.

Quiet & Crazy
“Quiet & Crazy” is the second in the three-part “Quiet” series – interwoven tales that feature heroines who are deaf…but that doesn’t stop them from going after what they want.

Noel Lang was born deaf and many people in her life have underestimated her because of it. She takes no shit, makes no excuses, and does exactly what she damn well pleases.

Men aren’t high on her list of priorities.

Until she gets another look at her brother’s best friend, Rick Yates. She tries to keep things casual – neither wanting or expecting promises of happily ever after – but Rick has other plans.

Crazy loves company.

A perfect mix of fearlessness, erotic romance, suspense, and superb characters, meet Willie, Jon, Noel, & Rick today.

Scroll up and click the button to instantly start reading Just a Little Crazy right now.

NOTE: Contains explicit sexual language and references. This book is intended for mature audiences. Do not read if these things offend you.

Review: Power Exchange by A.J. Rose

Read from 7-9th May 2023

Synopsis: 

From the moment Detective Gavin DeGrassi steps into the world of BDSM to solve the brutal slaying of Dom George Kaiser, his course is not his own. Mesmerized by the context in which the victim lived and the images seared into his soul, Gavin has to find a way to navigate these unknown waters. With his personal life in upheaval due to a marital split, and his professional life uncertain with the assignment of a new partner, Gavin needs all the help he can get understanding the case.

Enter Ben Haverson, a psychologist and a well known Dom. With Ben’s help as a consultant on the case and attention to Gavin himself, Gavin delves deeper than he ever thought he would into the world of restraints and paddles. Forced to take a closer look at himself, his true nature, and his innermost desires, Gavin has a choice: keep the fear of submitting at bay, or dive in and solve the case with the knowledge he gains? When another victim is discovered, Gavin’s choice is made for him, and he’s pulled headlong into the deepest, most emotional journey of his life.

Unfortunately for him and Ben, a killer has noticed, has taken stock, and has set his sights on the D/s pair. Can Gavin outwit him, or will his first exchange of power be his last?