First month of our new year is up, and what did I get up to? Back to school with 7 new whippersnappers starting in Nursery! It’s been busy. Plus I went out with colleagues one evening for a Thai meal and to watch a really funny panto, Robin Hood in Space, starring an old colleague of ours!
A few thousand words more on my newest writing project, which I need to concentrate on, especially now that I have no publisher! I wrote a synopsis for it, which I will break down into a more detailed plan, but for now, it’s getting words on that page.
I read, and I listened to a variety of books, and though it’s not as many as I can read, I have been exhausted over the month, so I was quite pleased with what I achieved! I have also tried not to go too mad with Blog Tours as I do need to write, but my NetGalley habit is still strong, so my TBR list is still filled with ARCS! Will I never learn?
So, I Met This Guy by Alexandra Potter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Loved this fab story, which was a bit like a Thelma and Louise style story, only they are chasing after someone, and no one dies in the end!
Maggie is a 49 year old, living in a caravan with nothing to her name. Declined cards, and even her cat, George, has disappeared. Well, I lie there. She has a £20 note but in this cashless society, even that is not worth the paper it’s printed on.
Into her life comes Flick, a 20-something journalist with a story in mind, that is, in fact, Maggie’s story.
Together, after a little umm-ing and ahh-ing, they embark upon a cross continent trip to chase down a romance fraudster who has stripped Maggie’s life of any meaning, to get, hopefully, some answers, and for Flick, the recognition she needs to become a renowned journalist, not just the local rag’s regional news reporter.
So many locations, so many laugh-out-loud moments, which I have come to expect from Potter’s books, and a good few little twists within, too.
I especially loved the side character, Birdy ‘with a y, not an ie, because no one wants die at the end of their name!’ She’s a mature lady with her wits about her, and a few secrets of her own.
Maggie and Flick are two very different characters, but how they begin to mellow towards one another, and the development of their relationship are beautiful to watch (read) as they unfold.
A thoroughly fun, fab book!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC.
The Secret Diary of a Bengali Newlywed by Halima Khatun
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don’t know how to explain just how much I am enjoying listening to this series by Halima Khatun, but it is just brilliant!
Our Bengali heroine is now married, after going through the (not quite) arranged marriage process, and having been the crazed Bridezilla, too.
She not only has a new hubby but also a new city to live in and new colleagues to get to know.
I have to say that I laughed and sniggered out loud at some situations she found herself in, and could relate to so many of them, too. But I also felt her struggles, especially for her emotions towards her own family, and how it felt not living there anymore. Just the descriptions of how her dad would wordlessly describe so much through his actions got me a bit teary.
Honestly, such a true reflection of life as a second-generation British Asian, with a foot in one culture and the other in another world, navigating one traditional family for another, with a difference.
I cannot wait to listen to the next one!
Love Is A Question by Liam Livings
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Love is a Question is a beautifully crafted story of three men, and how their lives entwine.
The way Livings navigates those tough years when Nicholas and Bobby were both younger, and being gay wasn’t as easy to admit, the mixed feelings from family, and how they blossomed, stepping up for each other… so, so beautifully done!
And the introduction of Guy, and again, him being such a sensitive soul. I was so glad Nicholas found someone to continue living with, as well as honouring Bobby’s memory.
I laughed a little and shed a tear. Two, at times.
Beautifully written.
The Secret Diary of a Broody Bengali by Halima Khatun
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved listening to this, the fourth book in Halima Khatun’s Secret Diary of a Bengali Woman series.
In this instalment, we follow our MC through her thought process as she navigates the next step in her life: contemplating whether she and M are ready for children.
Again, plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and so much relatable content. The pressure you feel to keep going to the next level of life, from studies to job to marriage to parenthood and beyond.
It’s like playing a computer game and being happy at the level you have got to, only for the outside to be pushing you, metaphorically, to conquer the next one.
Khatun has put her special spin on the level, with humour and emotion. I could feel the pull our MC feels to keep going with her career, something she has worked so hard to succeed in, alongside being a good daughter-in-law and a faithful daughter. Seeing her own parents growing older, beginning to identify with her own mother differently.
And then finally identifying that need, to get pregnant.
Wonderfully written and entertainingly narrated. I cannot wait to listen to book five when it finally comes out!
A Shore Thing by Portia MacIntosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Portia MacIntosh’s books are a surefire light-hearted read, and I was excited to read A Shore Thing.
Set in the world of Reality TV, we have our FMC, Cleo, who is a behind-the-scenes hero. She casts for a show that is waning in popularity, given the glut of reality TV. And she is introduced to the MMC, Lockie, in an unconventional manner, only to find out he will be working closely with her.
Their chemistry is immediately palpable, and how Cleo tries to keep it all simmering, but not boiling over, is an art in itself, especially when their show goes a bit wrong, and she finds herself in an unexpected situation.
There are hilarious moments, high tension, and a few scenes that you know might be spicy, but the reader can use their imagination instead of getting blow-by-blow accounts.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
I’m on the Blog Tour for this one next month!
Look Up, Handsome by Jack Strange
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love romances of any sort, so this MM story was right up my alley! And set in the village of Hay in Wales, with its bookish connections, was a great boost.
Quinn is a bookseller specialising in all things queer, from the books he sells to the services his unique bookshop provides. But he’s struggling. Not only in life but also in his business.
Threatened with being evicted, he’s clueless about what to do, apart from burying his head in the sand.
Noah is a successful author who originally hails from Hay, though he has his own demons to deal with there, so he much prefers London life.
You can feel the chemistry between the two characters, highlighted in some humorous scenes, as well as plenty of heartrending ones, too.
There is great backstory, especially the one detailing Quinn’s connection with books and his late father, as well as the reason Noah finds being home hard.
Books, romance, Christmas – what’s not to love!
House of Crimson Hearts by Ruby Roe (That is Sacha Black for all my older followers, responsible for organising the Annual Bloggers Bash!)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve systematically read everything by Ruby Roe so far, before this, and if you thought Girl Games was a little spicy, boy, have I got news for you!
The gripping, high-octane, fantastical, sapphic, vampire story also proved jaw-droppingly naughty!
We follow Octavia, one of the original three vampires – a powerful woman in her own right, and Red, one of the city’s Hunters – and someone out for Octavia’s demise after some pretty messed history.
But they have an attraction, a pull towards one another that they cannot ignore.
This book sets the scene for the ones that follow, with a dangerous trial they are paired for, competing against other pairs of vampires/hunters to help open a portal that is threatening to be lost forever.
Okay, so I won’t say more about that because it is an integral part of the story. As is the SPICE!
OMG, I can tell you from experience that if you are listening to the audiobook, which I was, be prepared to not listen on a loudspeaker or in the car if you have anyone around you, as it is pure filth!
Naughty Ruby!
Having said that, I am already partway through book 2 (through earphones or when alone, as it promises the same heat factor, lol!).
Love by the Book by Jessica George
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed Jessica George’s Maame and was delighted to get a chance to read Love by the Book, her second novel.
Though it was a little slower-paced than some of my recent reads, it was no less enthralling.
The story is told from two POVs: Remy, an author struggling to write her second book after a successful debut built on her wonderful friendship group, and Simone, a Primary school teacher with a bit of a different side hustle to make more money.
Their paths cross as adults, and two very different characters begin to forge a tentative relationship.
This entire book really explores the dynamics of female friendships and the intricacies of balancing those friendships as life moves along.
Beautifully told.
Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
House of Crimson Kisses by Ruby Roe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I listened to the audiobook of this straight after finishing the first one, because, quite frankly, I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next!
This ultra steamy sapphic fantasy continues with the two MCs, Red and Octavia, partnered in an epic trial, and oh so much angst!
Red is a hunter, and Octavia is a vampire. They shouldn’t be partnered together, let alone be amicable, but their bond is something altogether quite different.
We learn more about Octavia’s vampire mother, Cordelia, and a past relationship of hers that has a huge effect on the trials being carried out, and I relished the scenes that brought us closer to understanding why she is who she is.
The chemistry, the steam, the extra hot spice – oh my.
I said this before, but wow – you gotta be hella careful where you listen to this one!
House of Crimson Nights by Ruby Roe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A short, sweet, spicy prologue to help understand the characters of Red and Octavia, prior to all the craziness of the main series.
It is best read after the first book, and really gives a softer view of their romance, and also, as is usual with Ruby Roe, a nice shot of sapphic spice to go along with it!
And this one is narrated by the author, too, which gives it an extra bit of oompfh!
So, that was 11 books over the last month. Not bad for the first month of the year! Which one caught your eye?
But I Smile Anyway... 