Category: 8/10

#BookReview Climbing in Heels by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas @StMartinsPress #ClimbingInHeels #ElaineGoldsmithThomas #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview Climbing in Heels by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas @StMartinsPress #ClimbingInHeels #ElaineGoldsmithThomas #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Climbing in Heels

Author: Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Apr. 29, 2025

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Climbing in Heels, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas’s debut novel, is a fictional tale of the rise of three secretaries at the hottest agency in 1980’s Hollywood, giving you a glimpse into the boys-will-be-boys club and the women who wanted a seat at a table where they were expected to serve. It’s the story of friendship, betrayal, survival, standing up when they pass you by, and saying I won’t go when they want you gone. And it’s also a story about how some of those women became very much like the monsters who trained them.

Meet Beanie Rosen, the fast-talking and even faster-thinking Valley girl who knows where she wants to go, and doesn’t care if she doesn’t look the part.

Mercedes Baxter, who learned early on how to leverage the monied friends of her monied friends’ parents until she found a foothold in Hollywood.

And Ella Gaddy, a sexy free-spirit anti-debutante from a white-glove Kentucky home who shakes up any room she walks into.

Read Climbing in Heels and watch these women meet, meld, fight, strategize and climb their way into your heart.

A rollicking tale of sex, drugs, and power – in heels.

Review:

Addictive, salacious, and entertaining!

Climbing in Heels is an immersive, provocative tale that takes you into the lives of the rich, glamorous, and famous, as well as the not-so-important people of 1980s Hollywood and reminds us that not everything is always as it seems and amongst all the designer clothes and extravagant mansions there’s also an abundance of sex, power, ambition, temptation, rivalry, jealousy, and deception.

The writing is effortless and fun. The characters are self-obsessed, relentless, and driven. And the plot is a captivating mix of life, love, fame, fortune, secrets, despicable behaviours, friendship, drama, and the intricacies of movie-making.

Overall, Climbing in Heels is an exciting, seductive, amusing tale by Goldsmith-Thomas that highlights her impressive behind-the-scenes knowledge of the motion picture industry.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas

ELAINE GOLDSMITH THOMAS began her career at the William Morris Agency and rose by the late 1980’s to become the Senior Vice President of the WMA, and later the Senior Vice President of ICM, guiding the careers of, among others, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Nicholas Cage, and Madonna. More recently, she has produced a broad, successful slate of films and television series including Maid in Manhattan, Mona Lisa Smile, Hustlers, Marry Me, Emily in Paris, The Fosters and many others.

Photo Credit: Ian Buiosi

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#BookReview Favourite Daughter by Morgan Dick @PenguinCanada @PenguinRandomCA @doubledayca #FavouriteDaughter #MorganDick #PenguinReads #PenguinCanada

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#BookReview Favourite Daughter by Morgan Dick @PenguinCanada @PenguinRandomCA @doubledayca #FavouriteDaughter #MorganDick #PenguinReads #PenguinCanada Title: Favourite Daughter

Author: Morgan Dick

Published by: Doubleday Canada on Apr. 29, 2025

Genres: General Fiction

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

After her father abandoned Mickey and her mother for his new family, Mickey resolved never to think of him again. Years later, she’s fine without him. Yes, she drinks, but only sometimes—and, really, she can’t not. But with only $181 to her name, she’s not above attending some mandated therapy to access the not-insignificant inheritance he’s left her in the wake of his death. She’ll happily kneel at the Kleenex altar if it means she’ll soon be bingeing Bridgerton with a bottle of Russian Standard, five million dollars richer.

One town over, Arlo has more issues than most of her clients. Being a therapist has not prepared her for grief. She adored her father—his laughter, his charm, the smell of his cologne. She thought he adored her, too, but now he’s given his inheritance to a daughter no one knows, and Arlo is at a loss.

But unbeknownst to either woman, their problematic father had one dying wish, throwing them together on a crash course that will either break—or save—them both.

Review:

Intense, sobering, and thought-provoking!

Favourite Daughter is a perceptive, compelling tale that takes you into the lives of Mickey and Arlo, two young women who are both struggling to come to grips with the loss of their father, pasts filled with secrets and abuse, familial relationships that are strained and fractured, and a half-sister they’ve never met.

The prose is sombre and raw. The characters are complex, damaged, and burdened. And the plot uses a sensitive, reflective style to unravel all the personalities, motivations, and relationships within it.

Favourite Daughter is ultimately a novel about life, loss, family, secrets, grief, abuse, alcoholism, addiction, forgiveness, and the long-lasting effects of a dysfunctional childhood. It’s a well-written, emotional debut by Dick that does a great job of reminding us that everyone who enters our lives, no matter the length of time, impacts, shapes, and defines it.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Canada for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Morgan Dick

Morgan Dick is a writer from Calgary, Canada. Her short fiction has appeared in Grain, Geist, CAROUSEL, Cloud Lake Literary, The Prairie Journal, Vagabond City Lit, and The Humber Literary Review. Her debut novel draws from her time working in the mental health field.

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#BookReview What Hunts Inside the Shadows by Harper L. Woods @torbooks #WhatHuntsInsideTheShadows #OfFlesh&BoneSeries #HarperLWoods #torbooks

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#BookReview What Hunts Inside the Shadows by Harper L. Woods @torbooks #WhatHuntsInsideTheShadows #OfFlesh&BoneSeries #HarperLWoods #torbooks Title: What Hunts Inside the Shadows

Author: Harper L. Woods

Series: Of Flesh & Bone #2

Published by: Bramble on Mar. 18, 2025

Genres: Fantasy

Pages: 464

Format: Paperback

Source: Tor Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Once, I fell in love with a man who deceived me.

For weeks, he stood by my side, twisting his words into pretty half-truths. He enraptured me with his smooth temptation, leaving no corner of my being untouched. He consumed my mind and my body, then finally claimed my heart for himself. But Caelum’s true identity is terrifying enough to bring me to my knees.

Then, I discovered the truth of who he is.

Caldris is whispered in the Nothrek wind. The legend we only speak of with hushed words, in shuttered rooms, for fear of drawing his wrath once again. His intentions are a mystery, his desires impure, and he seeks to shackle me to his side for all eternity. With the Wild Hunt as our guard, he points us back to where it all began: the village of Mistfell and the boundary where the Veil once shimmered in the wind.

Now, another secret crouches, poised to change everything.

The Mist Guard have been sworn to keep us from crossing into Alfheimr, and from treading Faerie soil, even if innocents must pay with their lives. They have orders to resurrect Mistfell’s shimmering barrier, but, once again, there’s a greater cost than what has been revealed. Once, the people of Northrek blamed me when the Veil fell.

Soon, they’ll want me to pay the price the magic requires.

Review:

Fantastical, fierce, and slow-burning!

What Hunts Inside the Shadows is a fervent, immersive tale that takes us back into the life of Estrella as her relationship with Caelum unfolds and develops further, she begins to realize everyone has something to hide, danger lurks around every corner, and it suddenly becomes very clear that the line between love and hate is extremely thin.

The writing is edgy and tight. The characters are consumed, devoted, and secretive. And the plot is a suspenseful tale of deception, manipulation, revelations, obsession, seduction, betrayal, violence and magic.

Overall, What Hunts Inside the Shadows is a creative, spicy, entertaining tale by Woods that kept me engaged from start to finish, and with its cliffhanger-type ending has undoubtedly left me counting down the days until I have the opportunity to read the third novel in the Of Flesh & Bone series to find out how this epic battle will continue.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Tor Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Harper L. Woods

Harper L. Woods is the USA Today bestselling fantasy romance alter ego for Adelaide Forrest. Raised in small-town Vermont, her passion for reading was born during long winters spent with her face buried between the pages of a book. She began to pass the time by writing short stories that quickly turned into full-length fiction. Since that time, she has published over 15 books and has plans for many more. When she isn't writing, Harper can be found spending time with her two young kids, curled up with her dog, dreaming about travel to distant lands, or designing book covers she'll never have enough time to use.

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#BookReview One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #OneDeathAtATime #AbbiWaxman #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

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#BookReview One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #OneDeathAtATime #AbbiWaxman #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads Title: One Death at a Time

Author: Abbi Waxman

Published by: Berkley on Apr. 15, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Berkley Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor to solve the murder that threatens to send her back to prison in this dazzling new mystery novel from the USA Todaybestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.

When Julia Mann, a bad-tempered ex-actress and professional thorn in the side of authority, runs into Natasha Mason at an AA meeting, it’s anything but a meet-cute. Julia just found a dead body in her swimming pool, and the cops say she did it (she already went to jail for murder once, so now they think she’s making a habit of it). Mason is eager to clear Julia’s name and help keep her sober, but all Julia wants is for Mason to leave her alone.

As their investigation ranges from the Hollywood Hills to the world of burlesque to the country clubs of Palm Springs, this unconventional team realizes their shared love of sarcasm and poor life choices are proving to be a powerful combination. Will secrets from their past trip them up, or will their team of showgirls, cat burglars, and Hollywood agents help them stay one step ahead? Are dead piranhas, false noses, and a giant martini glass important clues or simply your typical day in Los Angeles? And will they manage to solve the crime before they kill each other, or worse, fall off the wagon? Trying to keep it simple and take it easy is one thing—trying to find a murderer before they kill again is a whole other program.

Review:

Atmospheric, witty, and entertaining!

One Death at a Time is a charming, captivating tale that transports you to the Hollywood Hills and into the life of Julia Mann, a formerly successful actress turned lawyer who, after the body of one of her previous co-workers, now enemy winds up dead in her pool, finds herself, with the help of a handful of people, doing whatever she can to prove her innocence so she doesn’t wind up an inmate once again for a crime she didn’t commit.

The writing style is humorous and light. The characters are sharp, quirky, and impulsive. And the plot is a pacey whodunit full of friendship, danger, oddball situations, red herrings, amateur sleuthing, lies, secrets, deception, deduction, attraction, revelations, the cutthroat work of movie making, and new beginnings.

Overall, One Death at a Time is a mysterious, amusing, satisfying treat by Waxman that had just the right amount of suspicious personalities, zany antics, and an abundance of drama to keep me engaged from start to finish.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Berkley Romance for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Abbi Waxman

Abbi Waxman is the USA Today bestselling author of Christa Comes Out of Her Shell, Adult Assembly Required, I Was Told It Would Get Easier, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, Other People’s Houses, and The Garden of Small Beginnings. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her three children.

Photo by Photo by Dina Waxman

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#BookReview A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #AProposalToDieFor #MollyHarper #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

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#BookReview A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #AProposalToDieFor #MollyHarper #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads Title: A Proposal to Die For

Author: Molly Harper

Published by: Berkley on Apr. 8, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Berkley Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

A fast-paced, witty, and delightful new mystery about a marriage proposal planner whose biggest job yet is threatened by a dead body (or two).

Jessamine Bricker loves a plan. Contingency plans and pros-and-cons lists are her love language, and because of that, her proposal planning business is thriving. But with rent costs rising at her office building, Jess jumps at the chance to plan a proposal between her snobby high school classmate, Diana, and her very wealthy boyfriend, Trenton Tillard…the Fourth.

Roped into joining Diana’s ”pre-bridal” retreat at the exclusive Golden Ash resort, Jess hopes to fade into the background, get some work done, and maybe find some time to unwind. Their first day is anything but relaxing: Diana is furious about the mountain spa’s lack of cell phone reception, the couple next door argues constantly, and Jess swears she just saw a drug deal go down. To top it all off, she’s warned to stay out of the woods by the gruff and sexy chef, Dean Osbourne. Is this a retreat or a horror movie?

As Jess tries to do her job while placating the bride-to-be and her increasingly over-the-top demands, she spends more and more time with the resort owners, finding herself much more in tune with the laid-back Osbourne family than her social climbing “boss.” Between a meditation garden-related drowning and Jess’s discovery of a body in a sauna, it’s clear that deadly secrets abound at the Golden Ash. Now it’s up to Jess to unravel the mysteries here in the mountains—before all her plans are cancelled…permanently.

Review:

Whimsical, engaging, and satisfying!

A Proposal to Die For is a well-paced, amusing murder mystery that takes you into the life of Jessamine Bricker, a young woman who, after a high school classmate she never really liked hires her to plan her engagement proposal, finds her life turned upside down when while at a pre-wedding retreat, more than one person winds up dead.

The writing is playful and light. The characters are inquisitive, clever, and determined. And the plot is a delightful mix of misdirection, deduction, clues, suspects, mishaps, drama, amateur sleuthing, and murder.

Overall, A Proposal to Die For is a humorous, charming, quirky whodunit by Harper that is the perfect choice for anyone looking for a fun, lighthearted read.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Berkley Romance for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Molly Harper

Molly Harper is the author of more than forty paranormal romance, contemporary romance, women’s fiction, and young adult titles. A lifelong romance reader, she graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts from Seton Hill University, focusing on writing popular fiction. She lived in Kentucky for most of her life before recently moving to Michigan with her family…and she’s still figuring out how to choose outerwear and play complicated winter card games.

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#BookReview When She Was Gone by Sara Foster @BlackstoneAudio #SaraFoster #WhenSheWasGone #BlackstonePublishing #BlackstoneInsiders

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#BookReview When She Was Gone by Sara Foster @BlackstoneAudio #SaraFoster #WhenSheWasGone #BlackstonePublishing #BlackstoneInsiders Title: When She Was Gone

Author: Sara Foster

Published by: Blackstone Publishing on Apr. 1, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Blackstone Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Rose once walked away from her daughter. Now she may be the only one who can save her.

Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australian–and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care–Rose is asked to help bring Lou home.

This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood’s illustrious career–and there’s a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood’s neck, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn’t know who he can trust.

Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter’s innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she’s no longer part of Lou’s life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers’ secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers, and Rose, and soon it’s clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?

Review:

Sharp, intricate, and gripping!

When She Was Gone is a well-paced, engrossing thriller that sees former London police officer Rose Campbell heading to Australia when her estranged daughter and two of the children she nannies go missing, but as the investigation unfolds and dangerous secrets start to come to light, it quickly becomes apparent that this case is a lot more sinister and complicated than anyone could have imagined.

The writing is tight and intense. The characters are layered, secretive, and persistent. And the plot is an ominous tale full of twists, turns, red herrings, secrets, deduction, revenge, adultery, power, control, mayhem, and manipulation.

Overall, When She Was Gone is a relentless, simmering, eerie tale by Foster that keeps you guessing from start to finish and is a wonderful reminder of the lengths a parent will go to protect their child.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sara Foster

Sara Foster writes page-turning psychological suspense thrillers with strong female leads. Her latest novel, When She Was Gone (2025), begins when an au pair and two small children vanish from a remote Australian beach, and is a race-against-time thriller, exploring themes around misogyny, wealth, power and control.Sara is also the author of the acclaimed dystopian thriller The Hush and seven more bestselling psychological suspense stories: The Deceit (novella), You Don't Know Me, The Hidden Hours, All That is Lost Between Us, Shallow Breath, Beneath the Shadows and Come Back to Me. Two of her novels have been optioned for television, and You Don't Know Me was adapted into a chart-topping drama podcast series by Listnr. Sara has a PhD in creative writing (studying maternal representations in fiction) and lives in Perth, Western Australia, with her husband, two daughters, three cats, Luna the cavoodle and Sunny the bearded dragon

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#BookReview Swept Away by Beth O’Leary @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #SweptAway #BethOLeary #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

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#BookReview Swept Away by Beth O’Leary @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #SweptAway #BethOLeary #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads Title: Swept Away

Author: Beth O'Leary

Published by: Berkley on Apr. 1, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Berkley Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend’s daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.

Review:

Romantic, tender, and sentimental!

Swept Away is a sweet, amusing tale featuring the loyal, dependable Lexi and the patient, contemplative Zeke as they discover over twelve days stranded at sea that there may be a lot more depth to their relationship than just instant attraction, miscommunication, forced proximity, and an unforgettable one-night stand.

The writing is passionate and light. The characters are endearing, awkward, and troubled. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, love, friendship, family, secrets, revelations, light drama, self-discovery, and romance.

Overall, Swept Away is another charming, addictive, compelling tale by O’Leary that was a real treat to read.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Berkley Romance for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Beth O'Leary

Beth O'Leary is an internationally bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her debut, The Flatshare, sold over a million copies and is now a major TV series. Her subsequent novels The Switch and The Road Trip were instant Sunday Times bestsellers. Beth writes her books in the English countryside with a very badly behaved golden retriever for company. If she's not at her desk, you'll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea, and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).

Photo by Ellen O'Leary.

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#BookReview The Ice Retreat by Ruth Kelly @ruthywriter @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheIceRetreat #RuthKelly #PGCBooks

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#BookReview The Ice Retreat by Ruth Kelly @ruthywriter @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheIceRetreat #RuthKelly #PGCBooks Title: The Ice Retreat

Author: Ruth Kelly

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jan. 21, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

From bestselling author Ruth Kelly, The Ice Retreat is a spine-tingling thriller set in the world of controversial wellness treatments. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Sarah Pearse.

HEALER?

Meet Hollie Jenson, presenter of the smash-hit docu-series Bad Medicine, which exposes the perils of extreme therapies. Her next a new retreat run by wellness guru Ariel Rose, who claims to have discovered the secret to healing pain through her three-day ice rebirth treatment.

LIAR?

Acting on a mother’s plea to find her son, who vanished soon after his stay, Hollie ventures into the Swiss mountains where the retreat occupies a former observatory. There she will search for the boy, and hopes to expose Ariel as the charlatan she believes her to be.

KILLER?

As the isolation of the valley sets in, Hollie finds herself in an increasingly dangerous situation. There is much more to the retreat than meets the eye, and she must confront explosive secrets from her own past if she is to ever make it out alive . . .

Review:

Ominous, sinister, and intense!

The Ice Retreat is an eerie, suspenseful tale that takes us into the life of Hollie, a young investigative journalist who, after a desperate mother asks her for help to find her missing son, travels to Switzerland to uncover what’s really going on at a wellness retreat that seems too good to be true.

The prose is sharp and crisp. The characters are secretive, determined, and multilayered. And the plot, using a past/present, back-and-forth style, builds and unravels quickly into a foreboding tale of lies, secrets, abuse, deception, drama, manipulation, desperation, experimentation, and murder.

Overall, The Ice Retreat is another dark, taut, unnerving thriller by Kelly that did a wonderful job of keeping me mystified, surprised, and guessing from start to finish while at the same time reminding me that everything is not always what it seems.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

  

 

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Ruth Kelly

Ruth Kelly is an award-winning journalist who has ghosted a string of Sunday Times top ten bestsellers - most recently The Prison Doctor, which sold over 250,000 copies, and The Governor, which went straight in at number one on the Amazon charts and number five in the Sunday Times bestseller list. The Villa is Ruth's debut thriller. She's drawn inspiration from her years working as a reporter for national newspapers as well as her experience writing for TV shows, most notably with Endemol, the creators of the original reality show Big Brother.

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#BookReview What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L. Woods @torbooks #WhatLiesBeyondTheVeil #OfFlesh&BoneSeries #HarperLWoods #torbooks

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#BookReview What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L. Woods @torbooks #WhatLiesBeyondTheVeil #OfFlesh&BoneSeries #HarperLWoods #torbooks Title: What Lies Beyond the Veil

Author: Harper L. Woods

Series: Of Flesh & Bone #1

Published by: Bramble on Feb. 11, 2025

Genres: Fantasy

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Tor Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Once, we’d worshipped them as Gods.

For nearly 400 years, the Veil has protected us from the Fae of Alfheimr. In their absence, our lives have shifted from decadence and sin to survival and virtue under the guidance of the New Gods. I’ve spent my entire life tending to the gardens next to the boundary between our worlds, drawn to the shimmering magic like a moth to the flame.

Then, we died on their swords.

All of that changes the day the Veil shatters, unleashing the fae upon our world once again. The magic of faerie marks those of us they mean to take, but the Mist Guard protecting Nothrek will kill us all before they let the fae have us. There’s no choice but to flee everything I’ve ever known, not if I want to live to see my twenty-first birthday as a free woman.

Now, they’ll claim what’s theirs.

But before they capture me, Caelum saves me from the Wild Hunt. Fae-marked and on the run, he is able to fight back in ways I only dream of. From tentative alliance to all-consuming passion, our bond strengthens as the fae close in and evil lurks ever nearer. With my life on the line, he is everything I shouldn’t dare to want and a distraction I can’t afford. I can’t seem to stay away, not even with something greater on the line.

My heart.

Review:

Complex, adventurous, and seductive!

What Lies Beyond the Veil is a suspenseful, action-packed tale that takes us into the life of Estrella Barlowe of Mistfell, who after the veil protecting the land from the Fae of Alfheimr shatters, and her skin becomes marked by the magic of Faerie, embarks on a treacherous journey with the help of a mysterious marked stranger, Callum, to flee to a haven of safety before she can be captured by her fated mate.

The prose is brisk and tight. The characters are multilayered, dependable, and fearless. And the plot is a riveting tale full of twists, turns, angst, loyalty, duty, heartbreak, danger, deception, family, friendship, sizzling tension, tormented pasts, and supernatural abilities.

Overall, What Lies Beyond the Veil is an imaginative, passionate, epic, fantastical first novel in the Of Flesh & Bones series by Woods that is bursting with soul-searching dilemmas, ancient prophecies, sizzling romance, dangerous quests, unforeseen twists, and complex, intriguing characters.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Tor Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Harper L. Woods

Harper L. Woods is the USA Today bestselling fantasy romance alter ego for Adelaide Forrest. Raised in small-town Vermont, her passion for reading was born during long winters spent with her face buried between the pages of a book. She began to pass the time by writing short stories that quickly turned into full-length fiction. Since that time, she has published over 15 books and has plans for many more. When she isn't writing, Harper can be found spending time with her two young kids, curled up with her dog, dreaming about travel to distant lands, or designing book covers she'll never have enough time to use.

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#BookReview The Garden by Nick Newman @PenguinRandomCA #TheGarden #NickNewman #PenguinReads

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#BookReview The Garden by Nick Newman @PenguinRandomCA #TheGarden #NickNewman #PenguinReads Title: The Garden

Author: Nick Newman

Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons on Feb. 18, 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction

Pages: 313

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

A beautiful eerie, hypnotic novel about two elderly sisters living alone at the edge of the world, and how their lives unravel when their sanctum is breached, for fans of Piranesi and The Testaments.

In a place and time unknown, two elderly sisters live in a walled garden, secluded from the outside world. Evelyn and Lily have only ever known each other. What was before the garden, they have forgotten; what lies beyond it, they do not know. Each day is spent in languid service to their tending the bees, planting the crops, and dutifully following the instructions of the almanac written by their mother.

So when a nameless boy is found hiding in the boarded house at the center of their isolated grounds, their once solitary lives are irrevocably disrupted. Who is he? Where did he come from? And most importantly, what does he want?

As suspicions gather and allegiances falter Evelyn and Lily are forced to confront the dark truths about themselves, the garden, and the world as they’ve known it.

Review:

Unique, chilling, and atmospheric!

The Garden is a sharp, engaging tale that takes you into the life of two elderly sisters, Evelyn and Lily, who have been content to spend the majority of their lives contained to the boundaries of their property and following the rules their mother left for them, until one day a strange young man breaks into their home, and they suddenly start to question everything they’ve ever known or believed about the world at large, the past, and themselves.

The writing is tight and intense. The characters are obedient, lonely, and intelligent. And the compelling plot sweeps you away into an intricately woven tale that touches on life, solace, sacrifice, dread, beliefs, fears, and survival.

Overall, The Garden is, ultimately, a speculative, haunting, well-written story by Newman that did a wonderful job of incorporating a creative storyline, postapocalyptic fiction, and an atmospheric setting into a compelling tale full of isolation, reflection, compliance, loneliness, and sisterhood.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Nick Newman

Nick Newman is the adult pen-name of Nicholas Bowling, author of several children’s novels including Witchborn and In the Shadow of Heroes, which was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award. He has previously worked as a teacher, musician, and a stand-up comedian and is currently working as a bookseller at Daunt Books in London.

Photo by Robin Christian

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