Matt
It's a disarmingly simple premise: take 6 friends, trap them in an RV in the middle of nowhere, with no cell reception at all, and a sniper outside ready to kill anyone who runs, and who is waiting to kill the one person who is holding a deadly secret.
Every one of the friends has a secret, and as the night progresses, they all unravel as time, tiredness and death creep up on them.
It's tense and claustrophobic. I found myself rooting for all of them, to start off with, until true natures began to be revealed, then I was very firmly not liking one specifically.
One of the characters says at one point, that they shouldn't go all Lord of the Flies, which is a really great description of how the friendships start to deteriorate and suspicions grow.
I took so many notes while reading this, about layering secrets, and hinting at deeper motives.
It was such an enjoyable read. If you like something to keep you guessing, and on the edge of your seat, this is a good bet!
This review comes to you from a face full of tears and a nose full of snot.
I should caveat this by saying that having lost our Mum unexpectedly, nearly a year ago, any topic of grief is still very raw.
Hannah and Huia is a deft exploration of mental health, and the way in which people are so often left to wend their own way through its nightmarish mazes, or to simply get lost.
The author has incredibly deftly woven together two deeply heartbreaking stories of loss - the two women of the title.
Their two stories intertwine with such pain and poignancy, and incredibly heartbreaking loss that it's almost impossible to put the book down.
There's a beautiful emotional shift during the book, where Hannah starts off almost disconnected from events, and we almost read as an observer. She notes that at times she's watching her body perform functions without any real sensation. Later she feels, and we feel intensely with her.
During her time in a psychiatric ward, in an attempt to help her confront the nightmares from losing her husband and baby, she meets a variety of other people.
It's here that we see them the way she does, each as individuals with their own personalities and quirks. Yes, they all have mental health problems that need support — and the author does note that the staff are so often undersupported themselves — but she takes the time to flesh out the characters as people who deserve to be heard.
We meet Huia, an old Māori women, who's been in care for most of her life. Hannah stumbles across what seems to be a pattern in her behaviour and takes the time to listen to her.
Along the way, we see a portion of Huia's history that ties so many threads together. We see her come to life as more than just some random old woman in the corner, but as a vibrant young woman who has deep and intense hopes and dreams.
About 2/3 of the way through I found myself hoping for Hannah to find the success that she herself was hoping for, and hoping that the end of the book wasn't going to be some cruel crushing defeat.
A little after this, I began to cry with almost every page, and by the end I was a sobbing mess.
The whole story is wound together so beautifully, so deftly, and so sensitively. It's a story that I wholeheartedly recommend and only wish that my mother had been here to read, as she adored supporting local authors.
Get it. Read it. Be prepared for a whole lot of tears.
Garth and Eloise are just trying to enjoy a simple life running a bookshop in the quiet village of Havelock North, and doing so quite well until they are thrust into a decades old murder mystery.
This cozy mystery is full of charm, even more so because I grew up in the area they've chosen to centre it in, and I can see places and people so clearly.
They have populated the cast with a beautifully rich cross-section of characters — diverse, helpful, quirky and downright murderous — quietly layering in elements and reveals as the story progresses.
I'll confess to having worked out the ‘scene of the crime' but definitely not the final details - they were an absolute treat, and very rewarding to read.
As a small-town slice-of-‘life' murder mystery, this is a hugely entertaining and enjoyable story.
This is a super helpful little book.
Packed full of simple, actionable tips and ideas.
Presented in a non-judgemental way, that empowers and encourages you to consider your digital use, and where you might be able to cut back on some of that time (he says as he types on his iPad!)
If you're looking for a quick read, with support for positive lifestyle changes then this is a great start.
Okay, I just finished it this evening.
I won't say it's a must read. I will say that it's a very intriguing psychological story.
I'm pleased I've read it. I don't think I'll be recommending it to everyone - purely because it just won't be everybody's cup of tea.
I did find myself, up till about 1/3 of the way through, reminding myself that it is the author's first book.
I think the fairest way to describe it would be to say that it's a book with an incredible, and scarily all-too-real premise, that takes such a deep and painful idea (both the child murder, and the concept of families meting out justice), and finds itself as the story progresses.
Each of the characters take a little time to really find their individual colours, but once they do, it's the depth of character, pain and nuances with their interactions - along with the deeply moral conflict - that drive the story.
I'm not sure that ‘enjoyed' is the right way to describe my feeling about having read it, but I am very pleased that I have done.
Where on earth do I start?!
Book 1 ended on a whopper of a cliffhanger. Octavia - the vampire love interest - had just erased a whole whack of Red's memories - the human hunter who just also happens to be her lover.
Of course, no good ever came from hiding things, even when it's been done because the person begged you to.
While the spice content in this book is off the charts, and nothing is left for you to guess (believe me, by the end of book 3 I expect to be fully blown lesbian), it truly is the story and the desperate emotional pain at the heart of the two main characters, that drives everything.
Octavia wants to be seen, to be accepted and to be loved, not to be seen as a monster.
Red wants honesty, safety for everyone she cares about, and to be secure, not to be turned into a monster.
Both of them hold secrets that will only tear them apart, that will only confirm their deepest fears.
And of course, there's the even darker secret at the heart of the kingdom that threatens to destroy their entire world.
But how can they hope to overcome that if they can't overcome their own sins?
If you want saucy, if you want spicy, if you want dark, treacherous and dangerous with incredibly painful emotional stakes, then this is the book you need!
I received an Advance Reader Copy - this is my honest review.
Emma is a Hunter. She's extremely good at what she does – hunting the Cursed and bringing them in so that everyone remains safe. Anyone with magic, anyone who suddenly develops magic, are cursed.
Of course, life becomes a little bit more complicated when she suddenly develops magic herself.
The Bartender Between Worlds is a cozy fantasy, set in an England that, as the title suggests, is part of a multiverse.
True to the genre, there's nothing world-shattering – the story hinges on these people.
The core cast of Emma, Professor Aldrich and Vespa all have personal stakes that propel the story forwards – not least of which is making sure that the world they start in, doesn't hunt them down.
Emma wants somewhere quiet to be safe, where she can learn about bartending. Professor Aldrich is a man away from his world, and wants to return, but also to continue his research. Vespa has a desperate need to help people, but also needs to acknowledge what she wants in life.
The character interactions are what really make this story shine, and in following them all through, you really get a strong sense of who these individuals are. By the end of it, it's heartwarming to see how they've all found each other as family.
Sprinkled throughout are recipes for various drinks that Emma encounters, which adds not only an element of believability to it, but also a fun way for readers to engage in the world.
This is a fun, light easy read. If you're looking for something that doesn't require you to know the 7 centuries history of an ice kingdom's beef with a neighbouring desert tribe, or to have memorised an entire magical grimoire and it's companion encyclopedias, then this could be the book for you to curl up with.
The Bartender Between Worlds, by Herman Steuernagel, is available now.
Glass by SW Millar is Cinderella but not like you've ever seen her before.
No swooning damsels. No handsome Prince Charming. No fairy godmother transforming pumpkins into carriages.
There is magic, and of course mayhem, but of the darkest and most brutal kind. You know you're in for a vicious ride when our dear Elle attends a public execution, one of her closest friends is killed in front of her, then she witnesses both her parents slain before she is dispatched of.
This is like the brothers Grimm had a love child with Anne Rice and decided to upend the fairy stories we grew up with.
Numerous other beloved characters make appearances – Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Thumbelina – but not as we know them.
Be prepared to have your stories and memories upended, as you dive into an extremely adult world of fairy tales.
It's viciously dark, relentless, twisted and brilliantly sinister, and it's only the beginning of his plans to warp all we knew and loved.
I can't wait for the next in the series!
Glass by SW Millar is Cinderella but not like you've ever seen her before.
No swooning damsels. No handsome Prince Charming. No fairy godmother transforming pumpkins into carriages.
There is magic, and of course mayhem, but of the darkest and most brutal kind.
You know you're in for a vicious ride when our dear Elle attends a public execution, one of her closest friends is killed in front of her, then she witnesses both her parents slain before she is dispatched of.
This is like the brothers Grimm had a love child with Anne Rice and decided to upend the fairy stories we grew up with.
Numerous other beloved characters make appearances – Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Thumbelina – but not as we know them.
Be prepared to have your stories and memories upended, as you dive into an extremely adult world of fairy tales.
It's viciously dark, relentless, twisted and brilliantly sinister, and it's only the beginning of his plans to warp all we knew and loved.
I can't wait for the next in the series!
The best and quickest description I can give it is, “The Hunger Games” meets “Harry Potter” with dragons.
I utterly devoured this book, staying up far too late reading it!
I've loved it so much I am buying it so that I can go back and dissect what and how the author has done, because she's done it so well.
The story follows Violet as she is required to try out to become a dragon rider.
There are a brutal series of obstacles to overcome, and at the very least, Violet herself doesn't expect to survive because she's most definitely not the strongest among the contenders.
However, she is cunning and smart, and over time she comes to realise that if she can keep her wits about her, she might just last another day.
That is, of course, if she doesn't get killed by the other contenders, and doesn't fall for the one person there who's sworn to kill her as vengeance for his parents deaths at the hands of her mother.
If you get just one book this year, make it this one!
This has to be the most stunning fiction Ruby Roe has released yet! There is a serious level-up here, and I'm now panting and gagging to read her next series.
In this final release for the Girl Games trilogy, the story and characters feel like they're more layered – now this could be because I feel more familiar with them, as they've been side characters in the previous two novels, but this time they just seemed a little ‘more' than before.
Maybe this is because there's a larger cast outside the core circle, which is teasing us by scattering breadcrumbs for future worlds, but it's all so damn interesting!
The world building description is definitely up a notch or three and it's beautiful to read and compare. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books but this was Deep.
It also feels like the characters communicate with a greater depth of intention and clarity – even during the sex scenes. And there are Plenty! Sizzling, and multiple.
The stakes are as high as ever – a grand competition, enemies to lovers, planned prison breaks, twists and traitors – but this is all excellently balanced. Description gives way to dialogue, gives way to action, gives way to sex, gives way to description...
The plotting and the pace is superb, and this is not just a fitting ending to the Girl Games series, but a fantastic story in its own right.
I'd be remiss not to mention the previous two books: A Game of Hearts and Heists, and A Game of Romance and Ruin. If you haven't read them, do your sweet literary sapphic-loving hearts a favour and grab them. If you just like a great, fast-paced, competitive romance, in a fantasy world, then A Game of Deceit and Desire is for you.
I recieved an advance copy and this is my honest review.
I don't usually enjoy non-fiction, but this book is written in such a clear, conversational way that you forget that you're reading factual information and feel more like you're sitting down to have a chat with a friend.
One of the key things that makes it so accessible is that every chapter includes stories of real people, and actual accounts either from, or about them. There is also the narrative of one specific person, their court case and experience with injustice, as a thread that runs through most of the book, which also helps to humanise the whole.
While there are many details and statistics that are confronting (HIV/AIDS, swine flu, Covid), they are not there to be salacious or horrifying but rather serve to highlight the throughline - being that rampant consumerism and unchecked capitalism is the virus that actually holds humanity in its grip.
This is not, however, a railing against the corporate system, but more a compassionate plea to remember that we are all interconnected and dependent on each other. That if we are to thrive as humanity, we need to stop placing people into classes that are ‘less than' and treat each other as equal - as human.
I started with really enjoying the story, mentally noting everything I thought, would be used against the characters, or that they could use against the killer. The twist threw the expectation and trope right out the window.
While I accept that there are characters within the horror genre of a similar nature to this one, I didn't feel like there'd been enough foreshadowing offered, and it felt like a cheat.
Sadly, because the story was very solid and otherwise enjoyable.
After reading about 1/4 of this I seriously considered putting it down. I understood the gist of what was being set up but I wasn't feeling connected to any of the characters - I didn't feel invested in their stories. I had a quick scan through Amazon reviews, which were all Glowing, and decided to continue.
I am SO pleased I did!
This story follows Anna, a Native American Indian, living on the reservation, and is so raw and painful on so many different levels: within her family, as they slowly disintegrate; Anna's school life, where she is cruelly and brutally teased, and worse, has zero support from the principal; her brother and sister, who not only see that she is something very different, but taints them by her presence; the desperation and despair surrounding missing women and the search for truth; as well as Anna's underlying search to understand the truth within herself.
There are so many things to love about this story. The author's willingness to tackle so many individual yet interconnected themes. The honesty of the pain and trauma mentioned above. The way the characters are purposefully not given in depth descriptions so that they can all be ‘anyone' - that person we've all seen or met before. The blending of traditional belief with modern life. The slow unfolding of the horror of what's been going on under everyone's noses.
I was in tears by the time I finished reading this, and was totally unprepared for the sucker punch included right at the end.
I am so very pleased I persevered with this as it is not only a raw and honest story, but also a deeply necessary one.
I cannot recommend this enough.
Kaya and her companion, the unicornlet, live in a city in the clouds, and love to eat fresh juicy apples.
One day they see a new tree on a distant cloud.
Kaya isn't sure that she can jump across to it without falling.
Come and follow Kaya to see how she faces her fear in this charming story, made all the more delightful and personal when you know that the author wrote it as a series of postcards to encourage his daughter.
This is a very short story, filled with heart, and illustrated with beautiful simple clear drawings, perfect for bedtime reading or for supporting children to overcome uncertainties.
I received an advance copy and this is my
Although this story is just shy of 40 pages long, it's a highly enjoyable introduction to Tab and Fawn, unlikely lovers who are in a deadly position with limited means of escape.
It offers a world and characters that are intriguing enough to make you want to find out more – where have they come from? what are their individual stories that made them who they are now? how will their love manage to survive beyond the final page?
As a novella, it does what you hope it will – sets the stage for characters that you begin to care about, and ongoing conflicts that you want to see the ramifications of.
Tab's devotion to Fawn is beautiful and fierce, and it's a pleasure to find out why she cares so deeply for her.
There's a truly horrible villain, who seems to hold all the cards and appears set to destroy their dreams.
There's just enough worldbuilding to make it all recognisable, without overloading the reader; giving you detail but space to inhabit the setting yourself.
Although it may only take half and hour or so of your time to read, you may very well find yourself wanting to invest in finding out more about Tab and Fawn, and what their futures hold.
I received an advance copy, this is my honest review.
A hidden princess and the best negotiator in town – fated lovers: if only they can get through this mission, save the kingdom, and get over their very messy history.
Picking up after the events of A Game of Hearts and Heists, Ruby Roe brings us the love and betrayals of Stirling Grey and Morrigan Lee, two of the side characters from her first book.
Once the gauntlet is laid, the pace just doesn't stop. The action – and the sex (oh my god but yes there's sex!) – doesn't let up. One bedroom tryst leads to a clandestine operation, leads to revelations and heartbreaks, leads to messy break-up sex, leads to skulking around trying to find dirt on the villain (and yes – he's fuckin' reprehensible), leads to more sex... you get the idea.
If that sounds like you're kind of panting reading that, then strap yourself in because it's one page turn after another, one climax after another.
Now don't get me wrong, it's not all smut and breathless desire. This tells a great story about a heist with very brutal stakes. It tells about emotional wounds and the lengths we go to, in trying to protect the ones we love. It tells about the price of lies, and the pain of honesty, and the hope of truth.
Ruby Roe has definitely found herself with this second book. Her voice is strong, assured and shines with the sheer joy of one who's got a story to tell, and is telling it on her terms.
The fantasy and magic is fascinating and engaging. The dialogue, the sass and snark is top notch. And all the characters have more than their moment in the sun – I desperately want to know more about all of this beautiful supportive crazy found family.
This is one you don't want to be interrupted reading. Oh, and have a cold flannel handy – I wasn't a lesbian before I read this, but I think I am now!
In a game of power, can love be the deadliest weapon?
I received an advance copy, this is my honest review.
Two sisters trying to share - they're happy to, and that's a charming start.
It's refreshing to see siblings who aren't at each other's throats, and who work together to try to solve their problem.
Mum's solution is absolutely perfect too.
Cute, fun, and funny - a great addition for any adult who wants to remind children that sharing is something we can all help with.
A stunning retelling of the classic Snow White.
This is beautifully restrained but chillingly monstrous.
The story is told from the ‘evil' Queen's perspective and provides an excellent narrative journey, showing all the elements that we know and expect from the original tale but with something new, something unique and something very very dark.
A Game of Hearts and Heists by the sizzling new novel by sapphic author-temptress Ruby Roe.
Sensational, seductive, saucy, spicy, searing (and that's just her TikToks!) this book has it all:
damsels in not-distress (also damsels in undress), heist, hissing hatred, and a distinct lack of penis and patriarchy.
Moving at a break neck orgasmic speed it will leave you panting for more, more, More...
oh damn it, I'll just have what she's having!
(I received an advance reader copy - this is my honest review.
I Could. Not. Put. It. Down!)
This is one of the most unsettling, unnerving books that I've read.
It's utterly exquisite. The sentences drip with atmosphere, and absolutely everything has a sense that if you scratch the surface then a multitude of dead and / or crawling objects are going to emerge.
The plot follows the Hollow Sisters, who disappeared on an open empty street in Edinburgh when they were children, only to reappear a month later with no memory of where they'd been.
Everyone they meet has sense that something isn't quite right about them, and this pursues them throughout their lives.
People die inexplicably, after having met them. Theirs a fascination of death very literally in the air, and a mystery that no-one can answer about all of it - least of all the girls themselves.
Until the oldest sister suddenly disappears, and the remaining two are bound by something deeper than blood that demands they find her.
This book is exceptional. It's not filled with horror and gore, but the sense of horror and unease are on every page.
If you like a good mystery, sentences and places that come alive with incredible detail to description, and with a supernatural tinge around its edges, you'll love House of Hollow.
Ever struggled with what to write or how to get started / motivated with your writing?
Ever wanted a Mamma Bear in your corner shouting ‘You got this!' and encouraging and cheering you on?
Well ‘Writer Fuel' is the book for you!
Cassie Newell has taken her personal experiences as an author and a book coach and wrapped them up in an easy to read set of lessons designed to encourage and motivate you, through your down times and on to the finish line.
With wisdom and gentle humor Cassie offers advice and opportunities to explore when you hit road blocks and don't think there's any way forward.
Topics include:
Start Before You Are Ready
Do The Work And Play
Establishing WHY
and much more.
Chapters are short and have prompt questions to encourage you to reflect on your process, and where you're at with your writing.
It's a good, easy read through, but equally as valuable to tackle the chapter the speaks to what is blocking you right now.
This is an absolutely welcome addition to writing craft books and will be valuable to many writers, new and slightly more seasoned alike.
I received an advance copy and this is my honest review.
I really didn't know quite what to expect (romance isn't the typical genre I read), but I am suitably heart-warmed and impressed.
A quick read (just on an hour), and the plot trots along quickly but touches all the beats you expect and need but doesn't leave you hanging.
A beautiful story and thoroughly enjoyed.
Do you ever read a story and the words grab you by the heartstrings?
Do you clutch your pearls and swoon over beautiful characters?
Do you wonder how authors can put words on paper and twist your emotions?
Well wonder no longer!
The Divine B (the inimitable Sacha Black, that is), has done the work for us.
She has ploughed through fields of books, poring over example after example of how writers make their pens sizzle on the page.
In ‘The Anatomy of a Bestseller' she not only unlocks these secrets, but invites us to drink from the fountain of knowledge with her.
She offers humorous practical advice on how to read your favourite novels like a writer, dissecting them so that you can feast on the juicy goodness that makes you quiver with joy.
Every section includes quotes from different genres, and targeted questions and exercises to help you replicate the tools that make those stories so memorable.
The tips, ideas and tricks are so effortless yet mind blowing at the same time. This is required reading, more than once.
If there's only one craft book that you want to help you level up your writing this year, then ‘The Anatomy of a Bestseller' is it!
(I received an advance copy and this is my honest review).