I love to get lost in a book. Ever since I was a child I’ve spent my spare time curled up in a chair engrossed in a book. Stories have taken me to far off places, magical worlds, back in time, and forward into the future. Stories have taught me more about history, shown me that other people have the same problems as me, and given me the knowledge and confidence to make the decisions I’ve made. Stories are important, and to me there is nothing better than a story that reels you into its world and makes you forget all about your problems for a while.
I love a psychological thriller that pulls me in right away, keeps me hooked all the way through and delivers a jaw-dropping twist at the end, and this books does just that.
The characters are so convincing but then Freida is a practicing physician specialising in brain injury. When I first started reading I was worried for Millie, the housemaid. Those creepy Winchesters weren’t to be trusted and I was convinced something awful was going to happen to her.
By the time I was halfway through the story I realised that the Winchesters had more than met their match. This book really did keep me up half the night as I kept reading ‘just one more chapter’.
Don't miss the New York Times and USA Today bestseller and addictive psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist that’s burning up Instagram and TikTok--Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid is perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, and Verity.
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies…
I love stories of adventure set in alternative magical worlds and was enchanted by this one. The world building is incredible with a wealth of interesting characters and a riveting plot. The writing is so beautiful and evocative it sang from the pages.
The protagonist of the story is Zarya who has been trained to fight but forbidden to use her magic by her guardian, who has kept her a virtual prisoner by a magical force that won’t allow her to venture far. One day she breaks free and goes in search of the truth of her past and is swept into an adventure with demons, dark magic and romance.
A real escapist read inspired by Indian mythology and culture. It’s the first of a quartet so I can’t wait to read the rest.
“OMG I AM PRACTICALLY CRYING… AMAZING found family… So many secrets and twists and turns throughout—I straight up gasped and yelled out loud towards the end. I just couldn’t put this book down.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A passion that will set her world aflame…
All her life, Zarya has lived in a gilded prison. When she escapes to Dharati—a dazzling city of marble and gold—she finds romance, adventure and friendship for the first time.
But a mysterious stranger haunts her dreams. Rabin is powerful, arrogant and handsome. And as much as Zarya tries to deny it, he ignites a desire…
I love reading about characters and relationships, and Sue is a master at writing about relatable characters that have depth and a back story.
The story is centred around a bunch of long-lost love letters that Raff brings to Maddy’s Great Aunt Ruthie, who has poor eyesight. As Maddy reads the letters to her bit by bit, Maddy discovers a big secret. Maddy has her own heartbreak, a husband who disappeared years ago when she was pregnant leaving her to bring up their daughter alone.
It’s a heartwarming story with lots of love and laughter that I really connected to.
'The Queen of Christmas feelgood novels' The Independent
Dive into the gorgeous new Christmas novel from Sunday Times bestseller, Sue Moorcroft - the perfect companion for a cold winter's night!
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A secret romance was just the start of the story...
Tucked into a crook of the Norfolk coast lies Nelson's Bar - an idyllic village where time seems to stand still. Maddy Cracey has called this beautiful spot home all her life, as had her husband Adey - until an epic row sent him storming out into a blizzard, with no sign of him since that fateful…
I read this brilliant psychological thriller years ago and it has stayed with me.
I was fascinated by the concept of losing your memory every night and having to start all over again the next day. How do you know what is real, who to trust? Memory is so important, it links us to our past and helps form our future.
Christine wakes up from an accident and can’t remember anything, who she is, the man who says he’s her husband, anything from her past. When her doctor encourages her to write a diary before she goes to sleep every day, to help record her memories she opens a can of worms and realises that she’s in terrible danger.
A spine-chilling, page turner that had me completely gripped.
I love reading uplifting stories showing how the actions of others can affect our lives, and this emotionally engaging story was a fascinating read.
A dual timeline story, about Mattie and granddaughter Ashlee, it relates how Mattie made an important decision after witnessing Rose Parkes’ refusal to give up her seat. Years later, Ashlee is a young, successful lawyer who also has an important decision to make. She returns to her family home to visit her dying grandmother, Mattie.
As she reads the story her grandmother has written Ashlee realises that it is the real story of her grandmother’s life, and reading it has a big impact on Ashlee’s life and decisions. Beautifully told, with strong, warm characters.
I watched in awe as Miz Rosa stopped those men on the bus with her clear, calm “no” and I thought about that word. What if I said no? What if I refused to follow the path these White folks wanted for us? What if I kept this precious baby?
Montgomery, Alabama, 1955
On a cold December evening, Mattie Banks packs a suitcase and leaves her family home. Sixteen years old and pregnant, she has already made the mistake that will ruin her life and disgrace her widowed mother. Boarding the 2857 bus, she sits with her case on her…
My partner José and I have poured everything into opening this rustic farmhouse retreat nestled high in the Spanish mountains. Finally we’re ready to welcome our first guests.
But a cold chill comes over me when I recognise Saskia. She’s part of my old life, the one I made sure to leave behind, and that José knows nothing about. Saskia knows everything about me – even the terrible secret I’ve carried for so long.
But when I see that our beautiful water fountain is stained a deep red I’m certain it was her. She’s here for revenge. Then I find the body floating in the pool. My stomach drops as I realise it can’t have been Saskia – because she was with me.
Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.
The team attempts a new route up the East Face without the use of supplemental oxygen, Sherpa support, or chance for rescue. When three climbers disappear during their summit attempt, Zieman reaches the knife edge of her limits and digs deeply to fight for the climbers’ lives and to find her voice.
The plan was outrageous: A small team of four climbers would attempt a new route on the East Face of Mt. Everest, considered the most remote and dangerous side of the mountain, which had only been successfully climbed once before. Unlike the first large team, Mimi Zieman and her team would climb without using supplemental oxygen or porter support. While the unpredictable weather and high altitude of 29,035 feet make climbing Everest perilous in any condition, attempting a new route, with no idea of what obstacles lay ahead, was especially audacious. Team members were expected to push themselves to their…
