Review - the Lamplighter's Bookshop by Sophie Austin

The Lamplighter's Bookshop by Sophie Austin

Publisher: HarperFiction

Release date: 1 March 2025

Back cover blurb: When Evelyn Seaton answers an advertisement for an assistant at a forgotten bookshop in York, she is not the only one with something to hide. There she meets the enigmatic and prickly William Morton, an aspiring writer keeping secrets of his own. But when the walls that Evelyn has built around herself start to crumble, there is only one person she can turn to. As the layers are brushed away, can Evelyn and William find the courage to write the next chapter of their story?

The Lamplighter's Bookshop is a beautifully written historical fiction novel. Set in a time where the rich, were ridiculously so, and the poor, mere dirt at their feet.

Evelyn is one of life's wealthy people. A heiress to her Baron Father's fortune ... or at least she was until the Police/Baliff's came knocking at the family mansion one morning to turf them out of the house until her Father pays his debts.

The shame and humiliation is instant. Evelyn has grown up having everything she could ever have wanted, and not knowing what it is like to go without. Her Mother is bereft, she herself was once poor, and married into money against it seems everyone's wishes, particularly those of her own family.

She doesn't want Evelyn to know poverty, and is determined that she marry quickly once they have settled into a temporary home with Evelyn's Aunt in York. But Evelyn is equally determined that she will not marry for the status, and will not be humiliated by the rich that she once was.

Evelyn quickly realises that to forge her own path in life, she must take care of her own destiny. A chance meeting with a grumpy young man of a similar age to her, and an advert for an assistant in a dusty forgotten bookshop is how Evelyn is going to move forward. 

Her Mother has forbidden her to get a job, complaining that it is not ladylike. Evelyn's response that she is a no longer a Lady of course doesn't help her change her Mother's mind. But Evelyn is stubborn, and knows what she wants.

What she doesn't realise then is that her life, already changed, is about to change forever, for the better. A grumpy young man by the name of William Morton, and a dusty old bookshop are exactly what she needs to ensure her future is very different to her past, and all that that entails.

The Lamplighter's Bookshop is available now via Amazon online and all good books.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Always on My Mind by Carys Green

Always on My Mind by Carys Green

Publisher: Vintage

Release date: 27 February 2025

Back cover blurb: When Elijah suggests going to One Mind to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, Anna is dubious about getting the implant that will allow them to hear each other’s thoughts. However, eager to please him, and to make up for the fact she can’t give him what he really wants, she agrees to take this step towards the ultimate intimacy. And at first things are great. Anna feels closer to her husband, and the novelty of communicating mind to mind is a thrill. But then she develops a strange side effect and begins having dreams that aren’t dreams, but memories. Memories that aren’t hers. And if Anna is now seeing Elijah’s memories, what if he can see hers? Will he discover what she's kept buried in her past? Desperate to keep the truth from her husband, Anna's mind becomes a prison she can't escape. How long can she keep the traitorous thoughts at bay before she drives herself mad?

Always on My Mind is an interesting concept for a novel. Futuristic in content, but traditional in romantic (or not?) story telling.

Always on My Mind is a story centered around an implant for couples. Each one of the wearing a high tech implant behind their ear so that they are able to hear each others thoughts.

What could possibly go wrong?

When Anna’s husband first suggests getting them, she thinks that it is another of his tech fads, that they’ll do it, it’ll be great for 6 months and then they’ll move on to something else. She agrees to it based on that assumption.

But both Anna and Elijah have secrets from their University days that they don’t want the other to know about, secrets that must remain hidden or everything they have built together will be destroyed.

When Anna starts getting side effects from her implant being installed too deeply, she begins to see her husbands dreams, and is terrified that he’ll be able to see hers. 

Can Anna persuade Elijah to ditch the implants before it all goes wrong, or is she already too late?

Always on My Mind is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Promise She Made by Julie Hartley

The Promise She Made by Julie Hartley

Publisher: Bookouture

Release date: 12 February 2025

Back cover blurb: As our ship starts to sink, I see flares lighting up the midnight sky. ‘Hold on tight. I will keep you safe. I promise,’ I say to my terrified little sister as I hold back my tears. But I know I can’t hold on for much longer and as she slips away, my heart breaks. Will I ever see her again? York, 1942. On the night of the Blitz, Ruby returns to her beloved hometown with her heart shattered. She couldn’t keep the one promise she made to her dying mother, to keep her little sister Eliza safe from harm. The Germans have taken everything from her – her family, her fiancé Antoine, and now, her home. When she finds her family home destroyed, she falls to her knees in tears. Among the ruins of her life, she wonders if she has the strength to carry on. But then, she finds a mysterious note which gives her a flicker of hope. Eliza is alive. I’ve seen her. You must find her… Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Ruby joins the Special Operations Executive keen to defend all that she has left and fight against the Nazis. Whilst there, she is tearfully reunited with Antoine, who believes he may know what happened to Eliza that dark night on the ocean. Can they reignite their love after all the loss they’ve suffered, and will Ruby ever see her little sister again?

Ruby a talented pianist, is heartbroken when she is effectively orphaned after a car accident, and she promises her Mother on her deathbed that she will do everything to keep her little sister Eliza safe from harm.

It is a promise she is able to keep with no problem at all, until the Blitz descends on York, and poor Eliza is petrified.

Believing that she is doing it for the best, she applies for the pair of them to leave her Aunt's guardianship and travel to Canada with the Children's Overseas Reception Board initiative. 

But tragedy strikes enroute and Ruby is convinced that Eliza is lost forever to the sea.

Believing she has nothing to live for now, and determined to wreak her revenge on Nazi Germany she joins the Special Operations Executive with very little regard for her own safety.

When she is reunited with her fiancée, he convinces her of the possibility that Eliza may still be alive, and together against the challenges that War throws them, they try to piece together puzzle pieces that might bring them all back together.

Based loosely on the sinking of the SS Benares by the Nazis, and the real life recruitment of female intelligence officers into the SOE, this novel is beautifully written account of one woman's journey through the darkest of times.

The Promise She Made is available now via Amazon online and all book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell

Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell

Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Release date: 30 January 2025

Back cover blurb: On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe. This was meant to be an escape. But with dwindling savings, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara finds herself adrift, facing a broken housing system and the voice of her own demons. As summer passes and winter closes in, she must navigate raising her children in a hotel room, searching for a new home and dealing with her husband Ryan’s relentless campaign to get her to come back. Because leaving is one thing, but staying away is another. What will it take for Ciara to reinvent her life? Can she ever truly break away from Ryan’s control – and what will be the cost?

Ciara Fay has a difficult decision to make, but it's one that she must do for the sake of her young family and herself.

Her husband Ryan on the outside is a loving, attentive and caring individual. He has a good job, is a respectable citizen, the sort of man who'd help your Granny cross the road...

However, on the inside, behind closed doors, he is manipulative, controlling and only one step away from physical violence. 

But the emotional turmoil he throws at Ciara is far worse than any punch he could throw.

One bright Spring afternoon, Ciara makes a split second decision that will change her life forever, she gathers things together, throws them in the car with the kids and does a literal runner.

Her husband is upstairs in the shower, and she has limited time before he discovers that they've gone.

This, you would think was the hard part of Ciara's journey. But escaping such abuse is only the beginning as she is about to find out.

For so long Ryan has controlled all aspects of their lives, including their money, that Ciara only has a minimal amount to her name, she has family in England who she wants to escape to, but Ryan vetoes that idea pretty quickly after he realises she's gone.

Ciara is forced to declare herself and her Children homeless, and they end up in a local hotel, whilst they are put on a housing list, and she attempts to navigate a legal separation from Ryan.

What follows is one woman's battle with the legal system, the housing system and an absolute nightmare of a situation, where she showcases just how brave she is, and how far you can come when you are determined.

Nesting is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Come Fly With Me by Camille Di Maio

Come Fly With Me by Camille Di Maio

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Release date: 18 February 2025

Back cover blurb: It’s 1962, the dawn of the jet-set era. Hope takes flight for two Pan Am stewardesses navigating an adventurous new life in a novel about love, friendship, and escape by the bestselling author of The Memory of Us and Until We Meet. Welcome to a glamorous gateway to the jet age. Judy Goodman and Beverly Caldwell have different reasons for putting continents and oceans between themselves and their disparate pasts, but they have the same desire—to earn a coveted position on an elite team of stewardesses for Pan American Airlines. For Judy, running away from an oppressive marriage in small-town Pennsylvania is a risk she must take. And for Beverly, leaving behind the gilded cage of New York society will allow her to pursue a future of her own making. Embracing the culture, etiquette, and strict rules of a thrilling and unpredictable new world above the clouds, Judy and Beverly are bound for faraway destinations and opportunities that other women dare only to dream about. But as they build a deep friendship, encounter love and danger, and discover what’s truly important, Judy and Beverly must also confront the secrets that could change their lives all over again—and forever.

1962, the new jet-set era, and Pan American (Pan Am) Airways is recruiting for its highly sought after position of stewardesses. For ambitious women across America, it is their dream role.

Some women will do anything to get a role with Pan Am, and there are two woman are even more desperate than the other hopeful recruits. 

Beverly, desperate to escape her family, despite the privilege of her upbringing. She knows that there is more to the World than glitzy parties and champagne, and is determined to make her mark on the world.

Judy, trapped in an abusive marriage, the Pan Am job is her only hope of escape and survival. But Pan Am do not accept married women.

Can Judy overcome the first hurdle of the application? Or has her escape plan failed before it can even be put into action.

The two of them have very different lives and upbringings, but they are more alike than they first realise.

As they embark on a rigorous training regime together, they become firm friends. Both sense that the other is holding something back, but each of them is a little afraid to let their truths escape.

When they do, they realise they are even more alike. 

There is a tragic ending to this novel, which is hinted at most of the way through, but it is handled sensitively and is worth the tears that will inevitably fall.

Come Fly With Me is available via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent

I Bet You'd Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent

Publisher: HQ Digital

Release date: 30 January 2024

Back cover blurb: My name is Kitty Collins and I’m a serial killer. I don’t want to kill. It’s just so hard to resist. Some men really, really deserve it. Men like Blaze Bundy, an anonymous influencer spreading misogyny online. He’s making it very hard for me to control my murderous urges. Meanwhile I’m in the South of France to watch my mother marry a man I’ve never met. I should be drinking cocktails and focusing on my tan, not plotting a murder. But a woman’s work is never done. Surely one more teensy little kill wouldn’t hurt, would it?

I've not read the first book in the series, but I wish I had. Although I had read something very similar, which is also highly recommended.

This is not your conventional heroine story, Kitty Collins is not your average heroine, in fact she is a serial killer. But she only kills very bad men.

She has been on a reformative streak more recently, having met one of the 'good ones', she has been determined to make her life more 'normal' and settle down with her man.

But fate (if you will) has other ideas. 

Kitty is receiving messages online from the misogynistic Blaze Bundy. He is exactly the sort of man that the old Kitty wouldn't have thought twice before killing.

Now she is desperate to show some self restraint, and also doesn't want to jeopardise her new relationship. But Blaze must still be stopped somehow.

Meanwhile Kitty learns that her Mother is getting married, to a man she barely knows, and who Kitty has never met. 

Her Mother is wealthy... Surely this can't be good?

Can Kitty keep her reservations to herself and attend her Mother's wedding, or should she dig a little deeper into the fiancée's life, and find out if he is worthy of her Mother's love and affection.

Whatever path Kitty decides, she knows it is going to be tough, and that's without Blaze constantly messaging her. He seems to know so much about her. 

It's high time he was stopped....

I Bet You'd Look Good in a Coffin is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Instructions for Heartbreak by Sarah Handyside

Instructions for Heartbreak by Sarah Handyside

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Release date: 30 January 2025

Back cover blurb: What if heartbreak came with a manual? It starts with a late-night knock on the door. Dee, Liv and Rosa share a flat in south London, while Katie lives close by with her boyfriend. But, when Katie’s nine-year relationship ends – suddenly and brutally – she turns up on their doorstep with no idea what to do next, or how to do anything after spending so long with her life entwined with someone else’s. Out comes the martini shaker (an old, well-washed gherkin jar) and, with an unused sketchbook, an idea. They’ll make Katie the handbook that she needs to process her heartbreak and start rebuilding her life. There are notes on tears, hangovers and roast chicken, scribblings about music, new bedding and pure, white-hot rage. But Katie is not the only one nursing a broken heart. Rosa is a hopeless romantic, despite still reeling from her ex’s infidelity. Scarred by her ex’s parting words, Dee is committed to being commitment-free. And while Liv knows that breaking up with her girlfriend was what she wanted, she can’t help but wonder if she did the right thing. Tested by big life changes, even the closest friendships can fray – could the heartbreak handbook they intended for Katie contain the words they all need to hear?

Katie, Dee, Rosa and Liv have been best friends since they met at Manchester University. They are all happy with their lives, Dee, Rosa and Liv sharing a flat, and Katie living with her boyfriend nearby.

When Katie turns up on the girls doorstep unexpectedly after having her heart broken, they rally round to get her back on her feet. Katie doesn't know what to do with herself, as she was with him for nine years. 

Nine years, and he ends it just like that.

She is to put it simply, devastated.

Who wouldn't be?

But the girls have all had their own share of heartbreak over the years, so in their quest to getting Katie feeling back to normal, they start to write her a book, 'Instructions for Heartbreak', or what to do when your nine year relationship ends and you think the world is ending around you...

Personally, Instructions for Heartbreak is a book I needed to read two years ago having just gone through a messy break up myself. 

Unlike poor Katie I 'only' had almost three years of 'perfect' relationship to pick through, and thankfully had my own circle of friends to get me through, but this book and the fictional book within it, would have been a godsend!

This is a brilliantly written novel about women who bring out the best in each other, and help each other when times are tough!

Instructions for Heartbreak is available to pre-order now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.