Tag: 4 Stars

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Secrets of the Bees by Jane Johnson

Published June 5th, 2025 by Head of Zeus
Literary Ficiton, Contemporary Fiction

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this delightful and compassionate story. Thank you to Head of Zeus for the invitation to take part in the blog tour and for senidng me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Time has forgotten this remote corner of West Cornwall, and left its many secrets undisturbed. Until now…

Ezra Curnow has lived in the little cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life. He was born there, as was his
father, and his grandfather before that. It is his own little Cornish paradise.

Then the mistress of the estate, Eliza, dies without leaving a will, putting the cottage’s ownership into question. London financier Toby and his wife Minty are soon enticed by Trengrose’s charm and, worse still, see a lucrative rental opportunity in Ezra’s cottage.

But Ezra is prepared to battle to save his beloved home, and has a number of secret weapons in his armoury. What Ezra doesn’t know is that Eliza also took some secrets to her grave – and she doesn’t intend to rest quietly until they come to light…

A sumptuous Cornish tale packed with heart, relationships and mysteries from the past, from the bestselling author of The Sea Gate.

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MY REVIEW:

Ezra Curnow has lived in the little cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life. Like his father and his grandfather before him, he was born there, has worked the land, and plans to die there. When Eliza, mistress of the estate, dies without a will, the ownership of his slice of Cornish paradise is in question. Her estate is sold to Toby and Minty Hardman, a wealthy London couple looking for a fresh start and an escape from the city.  To them, Trengrose is a lucrative rental opportunity that includes the cottage, which they believe is theirs. The battle lines are drawn in a fight where both sides will do whatever it takes to win. 

Compassionate, immersive, transportive and witty, I adored this book. With her skilful storytelling, layered choreography and richly drawn characters, Jane Johnson pulled me into the pages, and I lost myself within this story of family, secrets, mystery and Cornish folklore. 

At the heart of this story is Ezra, a gruff, curmudgeonly recluse who may appear spiky on the outside, but has a heart as sweet as the honey from his beloved bees. I loved him immediately, not followed by his hardened facade, but charmed by his love of Cornwall, nature and the home he’s always known. In flashbacks we learn more of Ezra’s story, slowly understanding why he prefers isolation. These sections were moving and mysterious, sometimes offering us more questions than answers. One of the things I enjoyed most about Ezra is how he may come off as a doddering old man, but underneath he is wily, and as he fights to keep his home he proves himself a more formidable opponent than the Hardman’s anticipated, particularly Toby who believed Ezra would be easy to intimidate. I took an instant dislike to Toby, who was pompous, rude and vindictive. The rest of the Hardman family were likeable, and I particularly loved the multi-generational friendship between Dom, the Hardman’s son, and Ezra. And I can’t talk about the characters without mentioning Bucca, Ezra’s grumpy and malevolent cat who cracked me up with his cunning antics. I could have happily read a book with him as the main character and couldn’t get enough every time he was on the page. 

A delightful story full of surprising twists, this is another must-read from Ms. Johnson. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jane Johnson is from Cornwall and has worked in the book industry for 30 years as a bookseller, publisher and writer.

For many years she was responsible for publishing the works of JRR Tolkien, and later worked on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, spending many months in New Zealand with cast and crew (she wrote the official visual companions to the films). The authors she publishes include George RR Martin (creator of A Game of Thrones), Dean Koontz, Robin Hobb, Stuart MacBride, Mark Lawrence, Raymond E Feist and SK Tremayne.

While she was in Morocco in 2005 to research The Tenth Gift she met her soon-to-be husband Abdellatif, a Berber tribesman from a village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. Returning home, she gave up her office job in London, sold her flat and shipped the contents to Morocco and they were married later that year. They now split their time between Cornwall and Morocco, and Jane still works remotely as a Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Double Room by Anne Senes

Published June 19th, 2025 by Orenda Books
Crime Fiction, Psychological Ficiton, Literary Fiction, Translated Fiction

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this beautiful fever-dream of a novel. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Orenda for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

London, late 1990s. Stan, a young and promising French composer, is invited to arrange the music for a theatrical adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The play will never be staged, but Stan meets Liv, the love of his life, and their harmonious duo soon becomes a trio with the birth of their beloved daughter, Lisa. Stan’s world is filled with vibrant colour and melodic music, and under his wife and daughter’s gaze, his piano comes to life.
 
Paris, today. After Liv’s fatal accident, Stan returns to France surrounded by darkness, no longer able to compose, and living in the Rabbit Hole, a home left to him by an aunt. He shares his life with Babette, a lifeguard and mother of a boy of Lisa’s age, and Laïvely, an AI machine of his own invention endowed with Liv’s voice, that he spent entire nights building after her death.
 
But Stan remains haunted by his past. As the silence gradually gives way to noises, whistles and sighs – sometimes even bursts of laughter – and Laïvely seems to take on a life of its own, memories and reality fade and blur…
And Stan’s new family implodes…
 
For readers who love Laura Kasischke, David Nicholls and Kazuo Ishiguro

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MY REVIEW:

Melodic, haunting, achingly beautiful, sensual and heart-wrenching, Double Room is like nothing I’ve ever read before. Anne Senes has a style that is all her own; a lyrical and moving prose that was enthralling and I savoured every sumptuous word. I was lost in these pages, completely enveloped by this strange and hypnotic tale. A fever-dream of love, loss and grief.  

The story follows Stan, a composer who returns to his native France to try and put his life back together after the tragic and sudden death of his wife, Liv. Unable to deal with his grief, he spends his nights creating an AI machine endowed with Liv’s voice. In time he moves on, creating a blended family with Babette. But the machine – Laively – seems to take on a life of its own and Stan’s life begins to spiral out of control, threatening the new life and family he’s created. 

Told in dual timelines, the flashbacks begin twenty years ago on the day Stan and Liv first met. She was the love of his life and they enjoyed a fairytale romance. Meanwhile, in the present he’s still trying to move on from Liv’s death and navigate the minefield that is blending a family. He’s not over Liv and it’s affecting his new family. Also, his reliance on the AI machine is unhealthy and unnerving, and Babette understandably isn’t happy about it. Strange things start happening and Stan loses himself in his dreams or locks himself away in his studio rather than dealing with his problems. He struggles to differentiate between reality, fantasy and memory and I was concerned he was descending deeper and deeper into madness and what effect it would have on his already troubled family. I had so many questions: were the strange occurrences real? How could a machine be acting of its own accord? What was real and what was imagined?

Stan starts as a romantic character in his flashbacks with Liv and I enjoyed reading their love story. There is an overwhelming sense of grief that runs through the present narrative, and Stan is a withdrawn and sorrowful character. It was impossible not to feel heartbroken for him and his daughter, but as the story went on he got more unlikeable. I also began to wonder if everything was what it seemed, and felt like there might be something more going on under the surface of this story. Slowly and expertly, Senes revealed the truth and it was apparent that nothing was as it had first appeared to be. 

Original, delicate, passionate and beguiling, this is an unforgettable debut. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anne Senes is a writer, translator and former journalist. She was born in Paris and studied at the Sorbonne, where she obtained a PhD in English studies. Her passion for Anglo-Saxon literature and culture has taken her all over the world, from London to Miami, via the south of France. She is currently based on the French Mediterranean coast. Chambre Double (Double Room) is her first literary novel.

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ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:

Alice Banks was born in Shropshire and completed her MA in Literary Translation at the University of East Anglia. She now lives in Madrid where she works as a translator from French and Spanish into English. Her first translation, Deranged As I Am, by Comoros writer, Ali Zamir, was published in 2022 and was followed by Madrid Will Be Their Tomb, by Spanish political spokesperson and author, Elizabeth Duval, published in 2023. Alice collaborates with Hablemos, escritoras to translate their podcasts and content into English, and also with The European Literaturen Network, where she worked as Assistant Editor on their Spanish edition of The Riveter magazine.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Orenda Books | Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These links are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: The Mistake by M. J. Arlidge and Lisa Hall

Published May 29th, 2025 by Orion
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Hardboiled

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this gripping thriller. Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours for the invitation to take part and to Orion for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

In this family, everyone is telling lies.

Pete never wanted another child. Before baby Erin was born, they were happy. If Natalie hadn’t got pregnant, he would never have done what he did.

Natalie knows things have been difficult since the surprise arrival of Erin. Life with Pete and their two other children – Emily and Zadie – has been balancing on a knife-edge.

Now their home is full of guests at a party Natalie didn’t want to throw – and she’s about to reach breaking point.

But so is her family.

Because everyone has a secret that they’ve been hiding and when Erin suddenly disappears everyone becomes a suspect.

Surely no one here would want to harm their baby? But after the events of the party there are plenty of people who would want to hurt Natalie.

Including her husband…

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MY REVIEW:

When Natalie unexpectedly becomes pregnant at almost forty, it isn’t exactly welcome news. Her eldest daughter, Emily, is about to leave for university, while her youngest, Zadie, is now eight. Life is comfortable and she and her husband Pete are full of dreams for their future when the nest is empty. Another child now would disrupt all their lives. Ultimately, Natalie decides to go ahead with the pregnancy. Erin arrives after a traumatic birth and is a difficult baby who screams incessantly and doesn’t sleep. Natalie is in a downward spiral and her days are spent trying to survive. Pete is never home and the older children are also struggling. This is a family at breaking point. It all comes to a head the night of Emily’s 18th birthday party, when all the secrets, lies and resentments finally boil over and little Erin disappears. But which of their closest family and friends took their daughter? And why?

M. J. Arlidge has long been one of my favourite thriller authors and I’ve been loving his Crime Writers Room collaborations, so I was excited to read this collaboration with Lisa Hall. As I hoped, it was another cracking thriller that I devoured in just a few hours. Expertly written and deftly choreographed, Arlidge and Hall have crafted a thriller that keeps you guessing from the first page to the last. The heart-stopping prologue reeled me in and I remained glued to the pages as the story  switched to a slower burn as we went back to the time where Natalie first found out she was pregnant. I was on the edge of my seat as tension escalated and suspicion swirled with multiple suspects in the frame when Erin went missing. I had my theories about who it was, but that did change a few times as Arlidge and Hall skillfully kept their identity hidden and created believable red herrings. 

The story is told from Natalie and Pete’s perspective, offering us an insight into their mindset and motivations, allowing us to understand their actions. While they were relatable characters, they weren’t always likeable and I often just wanted to shake them. I did have a lot of sympathy for Natalie, who showed signs of postnatal depression, but I’d want to hug her one minute and be frustrated with her the next. I wanted to tell her to reach out for help and just talk to her husband. Meanwhile, Pete was useless both practically and emotionally, but reading his perspective made me confront the shades of grey that led to his withdrawal from his family and other bad decisions. I still wanted to yell at him to help his wife though. And at both of them for refusing to see how their other children were struggling. 

The other characters are brilliantly written but Eve, Natalie’s best friend, is most memorable. Unnerving and manipulative, she gave me the ick from the start, and I didn’t like how she behaved around Natalie’s youngest kids. It was obvious that Natalie relied on her, but this girl was toxic and I was yelling at the pages for Natalie to cut her out of her life and talk to Pete instead. 

Suspenseful, dark, emotionally and totally addictive, The Mistake is a must-read for all thriller lovers. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

M.J. Arlidge has worked in television for the last 15 years, specialising in high end drama production. Arlidge has produced a number of prime-time crime serials for ITV In the last five years, and is currently working on a major adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans for the BBC.

Lisa loves words, reading and everything there is to love about books. She has dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl – either that or a librarian – and after years of talking about it, was finally brave enough to put pen to paper (and let people actually read it). Lisa lives in a small village in Kent, surrounded by her towering TBR pile, a rather large brood of children, dogs, chickens and ponies and her long-suffering husband. She is also rather partial to eating cheese and drinking wine.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: The Quiet by Barnaby Martin

Published May 15th, 2025 by Pan Macmillan
Suspense, Science Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Cyberpunk

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this thing riveting debut. Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Bookbreak for the invitation to take part and for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

‘Riveting. Martin weaves an inspired premise into an engrossing and wholly original adventure.’ – Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One

‘An intellectually compelling, emotional and timely read. Martin has taken a motif of dystopian writing and films – a single parent and child – and has reworked it within a fresh landscape. The Quiet is a feat of writing that foregrounds the value of kindness and communication in a world bent on segregation and misinformation.’ – The Bookseller

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A mother’s love can be deafening . . .

Isaac is Hannah’s entire world. She knows that her son is gifted, and that those gifts make him vulnerable. To keep him safe, she spends every waking moment by his side. If she lets her guard down, lets him out of her sight, lets him show what he’s capable of, he will be taken from her.

When the Soundfield arrived twenty years ago, the world changed with it. Now, people are forced to live at night due to the deadly heat of the day, food and water are scarce, and everyday life is punctuated by the constant and disconcerting hum from the Field. A brilliant scientist, Hannah spent her early career working on the enigma of the Soundfield, looking for answers; now, resigned, she has focussed all her energies on keeping Isaac living, not just alive.

To do so, she will have to lie to the people she knows and hope she can trust the ones she doesn’t. Because the only thing more dangerous than her lies, is the truth of what she has done.

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MY REVIEW:

What would you do to keep your child safe? That is the question at the heart of this original debut. Isaac is Hannah’s whole world. He can’t speak but he loves music and singing; a dangerous talent in this dystopian world. If his talent is discovered then Isaac will be taken from her. And Hannah will do anything to ensure that doesn’t happen…

From its heart-stopping prologue I was hooked to the pages of this riveting debut. Thought-provoking, emotional, intelligent and terrifying, The Quiet is humanity and science blended in perfect harmony. Set in a future where a soundfield appeared 20 years earlier, exposure to the sun is life-threatening and where people live by the night and sleep during the day. An ever-threatening presence lingers over every page, making my heart race and keeping me on the edge of my seat as I read.

Hannah is a mysterious character. We only know she is Isaac’s mother, she’s fiercely protective of him and that she lives in fear of him being taken. It’s her and Isaac against a frightening and dangerous world and she lives in a constant state of anxiety, her fear radiating from the pages. Slowly, we learn she has a past she feels the need to atone for, revealing itself in flashbacks to her time at university, and we follow on her journey of reckoning self-discovery and redemption. Our other main character, Isaac, never says a word, yet his presence is strong and memorable. But, like his mother, Isaac is a mystery. We don’t know why he is unable to speak yet he can sing. He clearly has a love of music and the joy he feels when he hears it – including the hum from the soundfield – is infectious. His relationship with music is beautiful and pure, and a stark contrast to the dangerous world around him that his mother experiences. 

And we have to talk about the soundfield, which is like a character in its own right. It has an eerie, curious and ominous quality but it is also strangely beautiful and I loved listening to the sound the author imagined it creating on the audiobook. I could see why Hannah found it terrifying and why Issac was drawn to it.

Powerful, heartbreaking and immersive, don’t miss this unforgettable debut. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barnaby Martin is a multi-talented storyteller and creator. Besides his writing, he is an award-winning and self-taught composer, video essayist and teacher. His music has been performed widely in the UK and internationally by groups including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of Opera North and Westminster Cathedral Choir. His YouTube channel, Listening In, which he began in 2019 and for which he makes videos that explore the cross-section between pop culture and classical music, has garnered over 200,000 subscribers and ten million views. He studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge and now teaches in London, where he lives with his husband.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Featured Books Uncategorised

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: Cat Fight by Kit Conway

Published May 15th, 2025 by Bantam
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Welcome to my review of this riveting debut. Thank you Bantam for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

A gripping and suspenseful debut, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Jane Fallon and Tiger King!

‘Original, sharp, clever, and wonderfully observed’ Andrea Mara, bestselling author of No One Saw a Thing
‘Twisty, sharp (clawed) and deliciously unhinged‘ Catherine Ryan Howard, bestselling author of 56 Days
‘FABULOUS . . . Desperate Housewives meets Tiger King meets Motherland‘ Sarah Turner, bestselling author of Stepping Up

When the peace shatters in suburbia, the claws come out . . .

Coralie King, Emma Brooks and Twig Dorsett are friends. Sort of. They’re neighbours on an exclusive Sevenoaks estate who get along. It’s convenient.

But one May bank holiday, Coralie’s husband insists he saw a panther on the bonnet of his car. And cracks between the elite of the Briar Heart Estate begin to emerge.

As the summer wears on and there are more sightings, the big cat frenzy reaches a fever pitch. Tensions between neighbours threaten to boil over. Everyone is watching their back. But is the real predator a seventy-kilo cat with razor-sharp claws? Or is the actual danger of a much more domestic variety?

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MY REVIEW:

As soon as this stunning proof landed on my doorstep I couldn’t wait to read it. I mean, that cover just screams ‘read me’. Now, as Cat Fight is the SquadPod Book Club pick this month, it was finally time to dive in. And the claws are out in this suspenseful, twisty and humorous debut that follows the trials and tribulations of a suburban neighbourhood one summer. 

On a warm bank holiday evening, Emma, Twig, Coralie and their families are enjoying a get together in Coralie’s garden when the peace is shattered by a scream. Coralie’s husband, Adam, insists he saw a panther on the bonnet of his car. But no one else saw it. Rumours soon fly around their exclusive estate that there’s a panther stalking the neighbourhood. Further sightings are reported, turning the big cat mystery into a frenzy and tensions rise between the neighbours. But is the danger they face really coming from a big, wild cat? Or somewhere closer to home?

THIS is how you write a gripping summer read! It’s a story filled with drama, heartache, love, lust, grief, secrets, fights and (possibly) a big cat. Kit Conway’s writing and plotting is every bit as sharp as a panther’s claws, keeping me glued to the pages as I ferociously turned them. Drenched with the heat of summer and artfully foreshadowed, Conway dropped clues like breadcrumbs, keeping me guessing as I tried to predict what had really happened that crazy summer. But Conway shrewdly planted red herrings, making the book unpredictable, and almost all of my guesses were wrong. I didn’t see most of the twists coming and that jaw-dropping finale hit me like a bolt out of the blue. 

Emma, Twig and Coralie narrate the story, taking turns to share the events of that summer from their point of view. They are familiar but unlikeable and delightfully deranged characters, though my heart did go out to them at times, especially Twig. The women claim to be friends but frenemies would be more appropriate. And they were so much fun to read. The background characters were also richly drawn and I had a real soft spot for Twig’s son, Elwood.

A superb summer read that needs to be on everyone’s TBR.

Rating: 🐱🐱🐱🐱

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kit Conway lives in Kent with her husband and three sons. Prior to writing she worked as a corporate lawyer in London.
Cat Fight, her debut book club suspense novel, will be published by Transworld (UK) and Atria (US) in Summer 2025.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews

BOOK REVIEW: A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon

Published April 28th, 2022 by The Borough Press
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction

Welcome to my review for this compelling black comedy. Thank you Borough Press for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

MEET LINDA.

Linda lives a nice, normal life, on a nice, normal street with Terry, her perfectly ordinary husband.

Linda’s not like everyone else, she keeps herself to herself. But she’s good at solving puzzles and there are times she sees things other people might have overlooked.

Because nothing on Cavendish Avenue is quite as it seems. People have started to go missing in the neighbourhood and Linda will soon discover that some secrets can’t stay buried forever…

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MY REVIEW:

In an ordinary English neighbourhood local girls are being murdered by someone the papers have dubbed The Hexford Stranger. As suspicions swirl and everyone is trying to figure out who could be responsible we follow Linda, a normal woman who is one of the residents. She lives with her husband, Terry, and those who know her would say she keeps to herself. But Linda also notices things that other people miss. And lately she’s been noticing strange things that she slowly begins to piece together….

Darkly funny, sinister and deeply human, A Tidy Ending is a captivating and atmospheric read that feels like  peeking out of your living room window. Deftly written, skillfully constructed and acutely observed, Joanna Cannon vividly transported me into Linda’s world. Cleverly concealed clues are dropped like breadcrumbs for us to follow, and I don’t mind admitting that I missed a lot of them. And that ending! My jaw dropped. As Linda says repeatedly, appearances can be deceptive.

Now, we need to talk about Linda. Quirky, cringey, sad, lonely and needy, she’s a memorable and compelling but not particularly likeable protagonist, though as I love an unreliable narrator I did find myself warming to her as the story went on. In a loveless marriage, ignored by her husband, put down by her mother and with no friends, you can’t help but feel for her, especially as her traumatic backstory is revealed. She is also socially unaware, cringey, and easy to take advantage of, often making me want to ride in and rescue her when others were mistreating her. 

Tense, twisty, complex and full of heart, this is an entertaining domestic noir with heaps of black humour and an appropriately tidy ending. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

*I listened to this on Bookbeat. Click here to get 60 days of listening for free*

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joanna Cannon graduated from Leicester Medical School and worked as a hospital doctor, before specialising in psychiatry. Her novels, The Trouble With Goats and Sheep and Three Things About Elsie, were both Sunday Times bestsellers and Richard and Judy picks. Her new novel, A Tidy Ending, was published in April 2022. She lives in the Peak District with her dog, Lewis.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Gifted & Taleneted by Olivie Blake

Published April 3rd, 2025 by Tor
Fantasy Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Thriller, Adventure Fiction, Urban Fiction

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this spellbiding family saga. Thank you to Bookbreak and Tor for the invitation to take part and for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six, Succession meets magic in Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake. This is the story of three siblings who, upon the death of their father, are forced to reckon with their long-festering rivalries, dangerous abilities and the crushing weight of all their unrealized adolescent potential.

Where there’s a will, there’s a war.

Thayer Wren, brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech, is dead. As the ‘father of modern technology,’ he leaves an incredible legacy. But which of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children could inherit the Wrenfare throne?

Meredith, head of her own profitable company, has recently cured mental illness. If only her journalist ex-boyfriend wasn’t set on exposing what she really is: a total fraud. Arthur, second-youngest congressman ever, wants to do everything right. Except his wife might be leaving, and he’s losing his re-election campaign. Heading Wrenfare could relaunch his sinking ship. Eilidh was a world-famous ballerina, until a life-altering injury. Gaining the company might finally validate her worth.

On the pipeline of gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins. Yet as they gather to read his final words, which Wren will come out on top?

This is a compulsive contemporary fantasy of family, twisted love and dangerous secrets from a writer at the height of her powers.

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MY REVIEW:

Thayer Wren, CEO of Wrenfare Magitech, is dead and he has left behind an incredible legacy. But which of his three uniquely gifted children will inherit his throne? That’s the question at the heart of this original story of complex dysfunctional family, sibling rivalry, mysterious curses and magic.

I’ve read a few of Olivie Blake’s books now and love how each one is immediately identifiable as hers thanks to her singular writing style. You know when you pick up an Olivie Blake book that you’re getting an intriguing, original and entertaining story filled with fascinating characters, witty banter and magic. Gifted & Talented is all of that and more. The writing is poetic and enthralling but also sharp, snarky and feisty, keeping the reader entertained from beginning to end. 

There is a large cast of richly drawn, quirky and morally grey characters, but the ones at the heart of it all are the three Wren siblings: Meredith, Arthur and Eildih. Each of this spoiled sibset have magical abilities that are both a blessing and a curse. Told in the first person, we spend a lot of our time in the heads of these characters, and boy are they a mess. Money sure didn’t buy happiness for the Wren family. They are a cauldron of catastrophe, depression and woe. As the siblings come all together for the first time, all of their past bitterness, rivalry and insecurities come to the surface and create a battleground. It’s intense and emotional, Blake expertly putting us in their shoes but avoiding it feeling heavy thanks to the moments of humour that pepper the narrative.

Spellbinding, twisty and totally riveting, I think this is Ms. Blake’s best book yet. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alexene Farol Follmuth, also known under the pen name Olivie Blake, is a lover and writer of stories, many of which involve the fantastic, the paranormal, or the supernatural, but not always. More often, her works revolve around the collective experience, what it means to be human (or not), and the endlessly interesting complexities of life and love.

Alexene tripped and fell into writing after abandoning her long-premeditated track for Optimum Life Achievement while attending law school, and now focuses primarily on the craft and occasional headache of creating fiction. Under her Olivie byline, New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling The Atlas Six released 2022 from Tor Books, followed by its sequel The Atlas Paradox and the re-release of her viral literary romance Alone With You in the Ether. She has also been published as well as the writer for the graphic series Clara and the Devil and a variety of other books. As Alexene, her debut YA novel My Mechanical Romance released May 2022 from Holiday House (US) and Macmillan Children’s (UK).

Alexene lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband and goblin prince/toddler, where she is generally tolerated by her rescue pit bull.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for readinng, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews for the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Featured Books

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOK: From London with Love by Katie Fforde

Published February 13th, 2025 by Century
Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Urban Fiction

Welcome to my review for this delightful romcom. Thank you to Century for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

A beautiful Chelsea town house. A chance to fulfil her dreams. A life adventure awaits…

‘The queen of uplifting, feel good romance.’ AJ Pearce
‘A force to be reckoned with for her uplifting tales of romance’ Daily Express
‘Top-drawer romantic escapism.’ Daily Mail
‘Warm, brilliant and full of love.’ Heat
‘Warm, wise, witty and with a wonderful retro flavour, From London With Love is a trip to the city you won’t want to miss!’ Lancashire Telegraph
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It’s 1968 and it’s cold when Felicity arrives in London to stay with her mother, improve her English, do a secretarial course – and meet a suitable man.

She is already missing her home in Provence and her father and his new wife and their extended family. But it’s only for a year she tells herself – and then she can go back to France and do what she really wants and become a painter.

And then she bumps into Oliver who is quite the most interesting young man she has ever met. He lives on a barge for one thing and has a collection of jobs, but his passion is looking for hidden treasures along the shores of the river Thames.

In a word, he’s a mudlarker – and before long Felicity is mudlarking too. She is also pursuing her dreams and painting scenery for Oliver’s actor friends.

But is Oliver a Suitable Man of whom her mother will approve? Felicity knows she will not …

Love, tangled relationships, and a real life adventure lie at the heart of Katie Fforde’s heart-warming new novel.

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MY REVIEW:

London, 1968. Felicity has moved from Provence to London to live with her estranged mother for a year before she goes to Paris to study art. While here she plans to improve her English, take a secretarial course and meet a suitable man. She’s feeling homesick but things start to look up when she meets Violet, who has recently moved from the countryside, works in a bookshop and is living in her godmother’s flat, which happens to be in the old servants quarters of the house that Felicity’s mother rents.  The pair quickly become friends and help each other as they adjust to life in the city. And when Felicity meets Oliver, a man like no-one she’s ever met before who lives on a barge, works a number of jobs and enjoys mudlarking as his hobby, Violet is there for her to talk to. But is Oliver the suitable man that Felicity is searching for?

Katie Fforde can always be relied upon to deliver a heartwarming and uplifting romance and her latest novel, From London with Love, has all of that and more. Charming, witty, romantic and nostalgic, this is a story about family, friendship and falling in love that will take you back to when you were young and finally discovering the world for yourself. 

Well-written and enthralling, it is filled with compelling characters who I loved reading. Felicity and Violet were fantastic central characters and I adored their friendship.  Fforde also explored the complicated relationship that can exist in our families but also the great relationships, such as the sweet relationship that Felicity shared with her stepmother which proves not all of them are wicked. The romantic interests were superb and Fforde perfectly captured the pain, uncertainty and misunderstandings that can come with the joy of falling in love, which is made all the more complicated by the class element that surrounds these characters. But my favourite character was Mrs. Wynter, who was delightful comic relief and I loved reading. 

A gorgeous escapist romcom that will make you smile, add this to your TBR now.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

From Amazon:
Dear readers, thank you for visiting my Amazon Page.

I live in the beautiful Cotswold countryside with my family, and I’m a country girl at heart.

I first started writing when my mother gave me a writing kit for Christmas, and once I started I just couldn’t stop. Living Dangerously was my first novel and since then, I haven’t looked back.

Ideas for books are everywhere, and I’m constantly inspired by the people and places around me. From watching TV (yes, it is research) to overhearing conversations, I love how my writing gives me the chance to taste other people’s lives and try all the jobs I’ve never had.

Each of my books explores a different profession or background and my research has helped me bring these to life. I’ve been a porter in an auction house, tried my hand at pottery, refurbished furniture, delved behind the scenes of a dating website, and I’ve even been on a Ray Mears survival course.

I love being a writer; to me there isn’t a more satisfying and pleasing thing to do. I particularly enjoy writing love stories. I believe falling in love is the best thing in the world, and I want all my characters to experience it, and my readers to share their stories.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: Dangerous by Essie Fox

Published April 24th, 2025 by Orenda
Gothic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Historical Mystery

Welcome to my stopy on the blog tour for this mesmerising gothic tale. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Orenda for sending me a proof copy in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

When the disgraced Lord Byron is associated with the deaths of women in Venice, he turns detective to unveil the killer and clear his name. A dazzling, riveting historical mystery by the author of the Sunday Times bestseller, The Fascination.
 
‘Brooding and brilliant’ A.J. West
 
‘What could so easily have been a risible premise for a novel becomes, in Fox’s expert hands, the starting point for an atmospheric thriller’ Sunday Times
 
‘As mesmerising and charismatic as Byron himself can ever have been … a magnificent gothic tale of scandal, secrets and murder’ Janice Hallett
 
‘Evokes all the grimy charisma of eighteenth-century Venice … a mystery as sinuous as the city’s alleys and canals. I was enthralled’ Elizabeth Fremantle
 
‘A dark treat … splendidly gothic and impressively researched’ Andrew Taylor
 
‘Essie Fox breathes new life into the “mad, bad and dangerous to know” Lord Byron as the notorious poet turns detective … Rich with decadent imagery and dark, gothic atmosphere, Dangerous intricately blends historical fact and fiction’ Culturefly
 
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Fiction can be fatal…
 
Living in exile in Venice, the disgraced Lord Byron revels in the freedoms of the city.
 
SCANDAL
 
But when he is associated with the deaths of local women, found with wounds to their throats, and then a novel called The Vampyre is published under his name, rumours begin to spread that Byron may be the murderer…
 
MURDER
 
As events escalate and tensions rise – and his own life is endangered, as well as those he holds most dear – Byron is forced to play detective, to discover who is really behind these heinous crimes. Meanwhile, the scandals of his own infamous past come back to haunt him…
 
MYSTERY
 
Rich in gothic atmosphere and drawing on real events and characters from Byron’s life, Dangerous is a riveting, dazzling historical thriller, as decadent, dark and seductive as the poet himself…

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MY REVIEW:

“Oh, the power found in words! How the smallest drop of ink may fall like few upon a thought, which may reach the minds of thousands.”

Lord Byron is living in exile in Venice and enjoying all the delights the city has to offer. But his Venetian refuge is threatened when he becomes embroiled in a scandal, associated with the brutal deaths of two local women who had wounds to their throats. When a novel called The Vampyre is then published under his name, rumours quickly spread that Byron is the killer. Determined to clear his name, Byron begins his own investigation which soon puts his own life at risk. Can he find and expose the killer before they get to him? 

Darkly atmospheric, decadent, eerie, and alluring, Dangerous is a seductive slice of gothic Victoriana. Seamlessly weaving a rich tapestry of meticulously researched historical detail with evocative imagery and lyrical prose, Essie Fox has  created a labyrinthine mystery that is drenched with horror yet so compelling that you can’t turn away. A story of dark deeds, depravity and murder, Fox explores the dark underbelly of Victorian Venice and its literary scene, exposing the horrors lurking beneath the glamorous facade. 

Many of the story’s characters are real people from history, including Lord Byron himself, though Ms. Fox has fictionalised aspects of their lives and characters. Complicated, unreliable, unlikeable and libertine, but also charismatic, beguiling and magnetic, Byron is a fascinating protagonist. It’s easy to understand his charm yet also easy to believe he could be the murderer. I loved how that ambiguity ramped up the tension and kept me guessing. There is also a large cast of richly drawn background characters, many of whom are also possible suspects. 

Haunting, sinister and tantalising, I highly recommend this mesmerising gothic masterpiece. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Essie Fox was born and raised in rural Herefordshire, which inspires much of her writing. 

After studying English Literature at Sheffield University, she moved to London where she worked for the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, then the book publishers George Allen & Unwin – before becoming self-employed in the world of art and design. 

Always an avid reader, Essie now spends her time writing historical gothic novels. Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club. The Last Days of Leda Grey, set in the early years of silent film, was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. Her latest novel, The Fascination is based in Victorian country fairgrounds, the glamour of the London theatres, and an Oxford Street museum full of morbid curiosities.  

Essie is also the creator of the popular blog: The Virtual Victorian. She has lectured on this era at the V&A, and the National Gallery in London.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Orenda Books | Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These links are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

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SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOKS: The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner

Published February 13th, 2025 by Aria
Historical Fiction

Welcome to my review for this heart-wrenching and moving story. Thanks to Aria for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘A sumptuous and gripping read… [Nicola] writes with humour, heart and humanity’ – Kate Thompson

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A heart-wrenching and unforgettable story of courage, friendship and resistance, inspired by the incredible true story of a Jewish ballroom dancer in Paris during WWII, perfect for fans of The Paris Library.

Paris, 1938. Annie Mayer arrives in France with dreams of becoming a ballerina. But when the war reaches Paris, she’s forced to keep her Jewish heritage a secret. Then a fellow dancer offers her a lifeline: a ballroom partnership that gives her a new identity. Together, Annie and her partner captivate audiences across occupied Europe, using her newfound fame and alias to aid the Resistance.

New York, 2012. Miriam, haunted by her past, travels from London to New York to settle her great-aunt Esther’s estate. Among Esther’s belongings, she discovers notebooks detailing a secret family history and the story of a brave dancer who risked everything to help Jewish families during the war.

As Miriam uncovers Esther’s life in Europe, she realises the story has been left for her to finish. Grappling with loss and the possibility of new love, Miriam must find the strength to reconcile her past and embrace her future.

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MY REVIEW:

Historical Fiction is my favourite genre, and I have always been drawn to stories about World War II, so when the SquadPod were offered the chance to read The Paris Dancer I didn’t hesitate to sign up. The story follows Mim, who has flown to New York to sort through her late Aunt Esther’s belongings, including notebooks that tell the long-hidden story of what happened to their family during World War II and of Annie, a brave Jewish dancer who risked everything to help other Jews during the war. Moving between timelines, we follow their stories as Esther navigates the brutality while Mim tries to come to terms with not only the heartbreaking revelations in the diaries, but also her own trauma. And when a Swing Dancer named Lucky offers her the chance at a new beginning, Mim must decide if she’s brave enough to take it. 

Beautiful, moving, heart-wrenching and hopeful, Nicola Rayner brought history to life with her skillful storytelling, meticulous research and evocative imagery. A story of love, loss, courage and resistance, Rayner also explored the importance of family and friendship, especially when we are at our lowest ebb. Trauma and grief are themes throughout the story, with Rayner examining how they can affect us differently and how trauma can sometimes impact those around us for generations. 

The characters were fascinating, likeable and easy to root for. Esther and Mim were great narrators who pulled you into their stories, making you invested in their lives and what happened to them. I loved the friendship between Esther and Annie and her sweet relationship with her youngest sister. In Mim’s timeline, my heart broke for her over the loss of her best friend and found her fear of what she’d possibly found with Lucky very relatable. I was rooting for her to heal and to take a chance at happiness. One of my favourite characters was Bibi, Esther’s neighbour, who was so wise and entertaining. I loved her story arc, which showed that the small background characters can often be some of the most interesting ones you will read.

Powerful, tender and immersive, I highly recommend this book. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nicola Rayner is the author of The Girl Before You, which was described as “the new Girl on the Train” by the Observer, picked by the same newspaper as a debut to look out for in 2019 and translated into multiple languages. Her second novel, You and Me, another psychological thriller, was published by Avon, HarperCollins in October 2020. A work of historical fiction, The Paris Dancer, will be published by Aria, Head of Zeus in February 2025. In her day job as a journalist, Nicola writes about dance and travel and her articles have appeared in a number of publications including the Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Stage, Dancing Times and easyJet Traveller.

Nicola is active on social media, where you can find her pondering important issues such as Strictly Come Dancing, musical theatre and her new favourite books. She promises she won’t talk about herself in the third person there.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx