Right from the start I knew I would be hooked! When sworn enemies, Talasyn and Alaric are forced to come together for the greater good, neither of them are ecstatic about the new arrangement. Yet hate and love are closer than either of them realise and a different kind of relationship begins to grow between them.

I think what I loved most about this book, is that it is a realistic portrayal of a war, the outcomes and also how two people from opposite sides are being used by their respective kingdoms. Both are trapped and also fighting each other, whilst failing to see how much they actually have in common. There are so many factors at play, I cannot predict what direction the series will go in and I love this! I cannot wait to read book 2!

An abusive father haunts his daughter and wife from the confines of a nursing home; a couple with an appetite for S&M discover their escapades have led them into something unimaginably bleak; a desperate addict scours the depths of degradation in a nightmare Dublin; an unborn foetus narrates her torturous experience of the Irish legal system; a paedophile acquires a robotic little boy as part of his sex therapy.

Weird was the term used to describe this book by the person who recommended it to me. And dark came to mind when I read the summary. Normally I enjoy a good weird and dark read, but not in this instance. I don’t know what it was but the writing style I could not get used to. It made the stories difficult to follow and the mainly ensemble of unlikeable characters made this book very difficult to connect with. It was a frustrating read for me and unfortunately it has put me off reading any other works by this author.

Chase Myles can throw together a swinging dinner party or redecorate an entire townhouse with jaw-dropping elegance. Followers scroll his Insta and see effortless workouts, exotic travel, and an adoring boyfriend. The world believes Chase is a style icon. The world is mistaken.

Ethan Wells is actually the one who knows what to wear, what to eat and how to do it but he’s happy staying behind the scenes producing their hit LGBTQ show Myles of Style. When Chase walks off set just before the Pride live TV show that will make or break Ethan’s career, Ethan thinks it’s just another tantrum… until Chase’s Instagram shows him partying hard in Abu Dhabi.

Out of options, Ethan drives up to rural New York to convince Chase’s estranged twin, Beau, to pass him off as Chase for a week, but Ethan finds a hairy, rugged mountain man who couldn’t be more different from his social butterfly, influencer brother.

Can Ethan transform Beau into the star of the show and fool his bosses and Chase’s followers? And when Beau turns out to be kind, romantic and everything that Chase is not, does he really want Chase back, anyway?

I really enjoyed the personal journey both main characters went on throughout this novel. Beau reconnected with a world that he had turned his back on and Ethan realises that he has become so caught up in the world of social media that he has lost sight of what is really important.

The romance between the two is unhurried and progresses at a natural pace, as they both navigate their problems supporting and learning more about the other in the process. 

The thing that prevented this being a 5 star review for me was the ending. It was very abrupt and I would have liked to have read a little more about the events after Pride and also Beau reconciling with his brother.  

HEX is an real page-turning chilling horror story in a small town setting. Tormented for hundreds of years, the town has put into place its own set of rules for keeping its dark secret. However, the younger generation want out and this causes the carefully thought-out plans to begin to unravel. 

The backstory / lore is extremely well fleshed out and believable, lending an almost sympathetic edge to the witch. With so many horrifying twists and turns, if you are looking for a spooky read this Halloween season, I highly recommend giving HEX a try! 

The Travelling Cat Chronicles tells the story of Nana, a stray cat who was rescued by his current owner Satoru. Due to circumstances, Satoru is unable to keep Nana. So, with his beloved cat, he visits 3 of his dearest friends to try and find Nana a new forever home. Switching between Nana and humans’ POVs, you get real depth and insight into the characters and Satoru’s sad reason for having to rehome Nana. The parts written from Nana’s POV perfectly capture the world-view through a cat’s eyes.

When I started this book, I felt unable to put it down until I have finished the very last page! A beautiful novel, which cat lovers will enjoy!

I have been eagerly awaiting the penultimate book in this series and The Simurgh did not disappoint. Right from the first page I was hooked, both by the fallout from book 6 and Silas’ determination to save Pitch no matter what. Their relationship and love for each other deepens with every adventure and, despite the fast pace of this novel, the author still was able to include the touching moments and dialogue that I love so much.

The next book will be the last and I cannot wait, although I will be sad that the series is coming to an end.

I really enjoyed reading this lovely little book about cats and how we can adopt some of their approaches to life in our own. Cats have so much to offer and teach us, and the author captures this perfectly. His love for cats is very clear and affection for them runs across each page. I recommend this book to all cat lovers!

This book is a fascinating and insightful read of what we know about the planets of our solar system. It is written in a way that is easy to comprehend the science and not get lost in all the technical aspects. It is a great companion to the television series and showcases all our achievements in exploring our neighbouring worlds. I highly recommend it!  

2022 has been a bit of a roller-coaster of a year so I haven’t been able to read (or write!) as much as I would have liked too. However, I have read some amazing books this year and here is a selection of my favourites!

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