Review - the Ruins by Becky Docton

The Ruins by Becky Docton
Publisher: HQ
Release date: 13 August 2026

Back cover blurb: Devon, 1937. Lucie, just seven years old, newly arrived in England, watches blood drip from her mother’s hem as she crosses the footbridge to the train that will snatch her out of her life, the words, ‘Don’t leave me,’ captured in her throat. Clifford glances at the small girl sitting beside him as they drive back to The Ruins, the ancestral home Lucie has never known. Once alive with weekend parties, croquet and swimming in the lake, ‘These days, nobody is happy here,’ Clifford tells Lucie. Enid, in the vast, dark kitchen, clutches a cigarette and a sour drink, her violet eyes appraising the new arrival like a spider intent on a fly. She murmurs, ‘She’s got Kyte in her. Looks like Ruth.’ But this is not a compliment. Ruth seethes with rage as she studies her own lovely face in the mirror of her cabin, aboard the ocean liner that will carry her and the husband who has betrayed her away from her daughter and back to Malaya. ‘Plenty of mothers do this,’ she tells herself. As Lucie pieces together the story of her family and the mother who vanishes from her childhood, she will make unlikely friendships and discover the joy of imagination; and in the years that follow, will tread a precarious line taking her to unexpected places, both in herself and the rapidly changing world around her.

The Ruins is a beautifully written novel spanning pre-war England, and post-war Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

'You won't like it here', is Lucie's introduction to the Ruins. At just Seven years old she is being sent to live with a family member, Clifford, prior to spending the next decade or so at boarding school.

Having been in England for a family funeral, her Mother is travelling back to be with her husband and their business aboard. She doesn't want to leave her young daughter, but she doesn't have a choice.

Lucie is wise beyond her years, an avid reader, and extremely intelligent. She feels immediately out of place at the Ruins. Unloved and unwanted. A feeling that only grows worse as she writes to her Mother and recieves no reply.

She doesn't want to go to boarding school, she wants to be with her Mother, but Lucie also has no choice.

In time she learns to be herself at school, and grows close to Clifford and some of the house staff when she is home for the holidays. But she still misses her Mother.

As war breaks out in Europe, Lucie's desire to be near her Mother grows stronger, but news is not forthcoming. 

As the war continues, Lucie fears the worst and realises that she must learn to life her new life to the full, or risk losing everything.

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

Thank you to the publishers who approved my request in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The French Resistance Hotel by Ava Miller

The French Resistance Hotel by Ava Miller

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Release date: 13 August 2026

Back cover blurb: On the border between Nazi-occupied France and Switzerland sits a small hotel. Inside, the staircase marks the divide between the two countries. For some, this staircase will become the difference between life and death... France, 1940: Eloise arrived at the Hotel Cordier several years earlier, in the eastern town of Sainte-Béline, straddling the frontier between Switzerland and France, looking for an escape. But when the Nazis invade, everything changes. Trapped under occupation, Eloise finds herself drawn to the local resistance - and to André, its charismatic leader. André is determined to use the hotel's unique position to save as many refugees fleeing persecution as he can. It doesn't take long before the Germans start closing in. Facing the threat of discovery and the shadows of her past, Eloise must decide how much she is willing to risk to save innocent lives. Even at the cost of her own...

Eloise is battered and bruised, both literally and emotionally when she arrives in Sainte-Beline. But she has managed to settle into a relatively quiet and calm existence.

Until the Nazi's arrive.

Eloise works at the local school with Julien, whose Sister, Marie is the propierier of local hotel, the Hotel Cordier. 

The hotel has a special intrigue for the occupying forces as half of it is in the now occupied France, and the other in neutral Switzerland.

When the local Doctor is attacked, simply for being Jewish, Eloise knows that she should do something to help. She just doesn't know what. 

Until Marie's brother, Andre returns, having escaped from a camp, and tells his Sister he is now part of the resistance.

Marie is shocked, but not surprised, for her younger brother has always been a keen risk taker. She doesn't want him to involve her, Julien or Eloise at first. But the others are keen to understand how the hotel might be able to help.

Finally, they are all agreed. It is a dangerous plan that they have made, but they believe it is the right one. They can't just sit back and do nothing. 

And so begins an extraordinary story of bravery, risk and the brutality of War.

Based on the true story of the incredible hotel Arbez, the French Resistance hotel is one of those books that I didn't want to end, and it's characters will stay with me for a long time. 

The French Resistance Hotel is available now via Amazon online and all good bookshops.

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

Review - Invitation from a Dictator by Rory Clements.

Invitation from a Dictator by Rory Clements

Publisher: Viking

Release date: 13 August 2026

Back cover blurb: ON THE EVE OF WAR, A ROYAL GUEST IS LURED INTO HITLER'S DEADLY WEB . . . Munich, 1937. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor have arrived in Germany, due at Hitler's mountain retreat at any moment. But that night, a string of attacks devastate the city, soon claimed by the rising Communist group, Red Freedom. Brutal and bloody in their methods, there's no doubt that Edward, Wallis and their host at the Berghof are their next target. They are put in the urgent care of Detective Sebastian Wolff, but the choice between protecting the prince and fighting for his own politics becomes all the more complicated when Wolff realises who is behind Red Freedom: Ulrike, his first love and the mother of his son.

I do love Rory Clements' books, and this one is no exception.

Munich, 1937: Detective Sebastian Wolff is asked to look after the Duke and Duchess of Windsor who are due to meet Hitler at his personal mountain hideaway.

Disgraced and disowned by the British Royal family, the pair already have a target on their back before we even talk about the fact that they might be Nazi sympathisers.

Seb is on the lookout for a communist gang, the so-called 'Red Freedom' group. They are as brutal as the Nazis that they despise, and the ex-royals are likely on their new hit list.

Seb is not at all happy to have been assigned this role, though he understands ultimately how important it is. The thought of having to get up close and personal with the Führer is not on his list of fun things to do.

Meanwhile, his personal life continues to be a source of concern for him. He and his partner are struggling to conceive, and then Ulrike, his first love and Jürgen's Mother appears seemingly from nowhere, and not in a good way.

She has always had 'interesting' political views and now Seb worries that she might be tied up with the Red Freedom group, and unwittingly be putting all of their lives in danger.

Invitation from a Dictator is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

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

Review - My Sister's Secret by Jane Corry

My Sister's Secret by Jane Corry

Publisher: Penguin

Release date: 18 June 2026

Back cover blurb: Two sisters, bound by a secret that could tear them apart . . . Rosy is the responsible sister. Amy is the free spirit. But between them lies a secret; one they've sworn to keep safe, whatever the cost. When Amy confides in James, her new psychiatrist, he begins to suspect one sister is covering for the other. Instinct tells him to run, but his own dark past draws him ever closer to the two women, and they to him. As cracks form in the sisters' facade, something becomes clear: three's a crowd, and one of them has to go.

What if your Father leaving wasn't the worst thing to happen to you?

Even if you are forever convinced otherwise?

Rosy and Amy have the kind of complicated relationship that only siblings can. 

That relationship becomes even more difficult if one of you isn't of particularly sound mind.

Rosy's younger sister, Amy is in a rehab centre for mentally ill patients having suffered a catastrophic breakdown when their Father left the family home. 

Rosy always knew that Amy was fragile, but she never really realised just how fragile she was until she visits her a few years after the incident that left her institusionalised. 

Amy has a new psychiatrist. 'Call me James' is charming, offering his patients music therapy, playing the saxaphone when Rosy visits Amy and meets him for the first time.

He is handsome, charming and charasmatic. 

Rosy is instantly smitten, but Amy is also rather taken with him, and doesn't take kindly to Rosy's interest in him.  Before long the pair of them are both in too deep.

But is he too good to be true?

My Sister's Secret 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 Housewives of Atomic Lane by Andie Newton

The Housewives of Atomic Lane by Andie Newton

Publisher: One More Chapter 

Release date: 7 August 2026

Back cover blurb: Four housewives. One quiet street. A Cold War secret that could destroy everything. In a town built around America’s most secretive nuclear site, housewife Betty Mahoney knows the rules: don’t ask questions, and don’t listen too closely. But when the Beckers move in, Betty and the other wives start to notice things. Headlights in the dark. Whispered voices on the wind. A beautiful new neighbor with too many secrets – and it’s not long before suspicion turns into something far more dangerous. As the women close in on the truth, they must risk their marriages, their freedom, and even their lives… Inspired by the author’s own family history.

Nothing ever happens on Atomic Lane. The wives all just play cards and bake whilst they await their husbands' return from work.

At least, that's what an outsider would have you believe. 

But the real housewives of Atomic Lane are much more than just housewives.

They are discreet and efficient spies, tuned into the danger of the work that their husbands are doing, and on the look out for anything or anyone that might be suspicious.

This novel opens with immediate intrigue, Betty, Winnie and Sandra about to be pulled over by the Police in the dead of night.

Weeks earlier, we meet the Beckers, who have just moved onto Atomic Lane. Something about the couple, just seems off. 

Though Betty can't put her finger on exactly what. She knows that she needs to meet Mrs Becker to help her.

When they hear their husbands discussing a missing safe that could contain something deadly, the wives spring into action. They know that the Beckers are somehow involved, they just need to be able to prove it.

As secrets and lies start to unravel, the wives must be careful how they approach the situation...

For America is in the middle of the Cold War, and one wrong move could have devastating consequences for everyone. 

The Housewives of Atomic Lane is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

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

Review - the Truth of Us by Sara Cox

The Truth of Us by Sara Cox
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: 16 July 2026

Back cover blurb: Manchester, 1982. The houses on the street are almost identical but number 51 has always been slightly neater, a shiny penny next to number 49. The people inside have their differences too but still their lives are entwined, most especially for young girls Abi and Christy. From questionable fashion choices, illicit nights out and doomed romances, growing up together they share everything. Including the secret that eventually tears them apart. Two decades later, Abi's life is one of marriage, family and stability. Christy, always the wilder of the two, has travelled and partied and risen high in the world of TV. Until, unexpectedly, they're living next door to each other again. Is it finally time to confront the past and speak the truth?

Firstly, I really hope that this book has a sequel, or that the characters appear in some sort of follow up as the ending for me felt a little bit abrupt.

But let me clear, I absolutely adored this book and genuinely didn't want it to end, hence my disappointment. 

Abi and Christy have the kind of friendship that everyone dreams of growing up. 

Best friends that live next door to each other, and share a birthday! 

They are living the dream.

Abi and Christy's friendship is stronger than most. They navigate a hell of a lot together. 

First crushes, first kisses, fashion faux pas. 

You name it, they have shared it at some point.

Now they are both older, but not necessarily any the wiser. 

Abi is married with kids of her own, and a husband she doesn't much like anymore. Christy is single, living the good life as a hotshot TV producer. 

They both want more. 

Suddenly they find themselves living next door to each other again as Christy returns home for a family emergency. 

Can they pick up where they left off? 

Or has too much changed between them?

The Truth of Us is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

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

Review - Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard

Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard

Publisher: Bantam

Release date: 16 July 2026

Back cover blurb: When Ellie moves into 1 Delaney Row, all she has to her name is the house, a small suitcase and the terrible secrets she’s desperate to keep. But what she doesn’t know is that her new home is already hiding someone else’s secrets – and the people determined to keep them are watching her. When a grim discovery prompts Ellie to find out more about the house’s past, she unwittingly puts herself on a deadly collision course not just with her new home’s history, but with her own as well… Inspired by so-called ‘stigmatised properties’ – houses with dark and violent pasts – Buyer Beware is an intricate puzzle-box of a thriller with a pulsing emotional heart, from an author at the very top of her game.

When Ellie moves into her new property, all she has is the house itself to her name. 

She has no money, no clothes and a terrible secret that needs to be kept.

But the walls seem to have eyes and ears and do not want Ellie living there...

Someone tries to break in the first night she is there, and her neighbours desperately want to help.

But she is terrified of them discovering her past, and doesn't want to let them in. Though she msut for her own safety.

The thing is, Ellie has been to prison.

Albeit for a crime that she didn't mean to commit, a terrible accident that ended up costing her everything. 

But a crime was committed nonetheless. 

And now it seems that someone wants revenge. 

This will keep you guessing until the very end. 

This is one of those books that I can't say too much more about as I don't want to give anything away, but it's a brilliant read, and I highly recommend it.

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

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