Monthly Archives: September 2025

Review Card & Book Review – My Daughter’s Silence By Caroline Finnerty

When Charlotte Daly wins a scholarship to the prestigious St Thomas’s school, her mother Ali – who has struggled to bring Charlotte up as a single mum – is so proud. She hopes this opportunity will mean a better life for her clever, brilliant daughter.

Ali worries, however, that Charlotte is having a hard time fitting in with her new, wealthy peers. So when Charlotte is invited to a sixteenth birthday party by popular boy Ollie, Ali pushes her to go, hopeful that she’ll finally make some friends.

Just before midnight, Charlotte calls Ali to come pick her up from the party. She’s shaking and silent: it’s obvious something has happened but she won’t say what.

It’s only the next day, when Ali is at work, that she learns a teenage boy has been seriously injured. Then the police turn up at their house, wanting to question Charlotte about the events of that night. People are pointing the blame at Charlotte, saying the injured boy was last seen talking to her, before he was found unconscious in the pool.

As the investigation deepens, Ali finds that everyone has their own agenda and people will stop at nothing to protect their children – especially wealthy people. Only Charlotte knows the truth about what happened that night. Can Ali get her to tell the truth before it’s too late?

About The Author

My Review

The story follows Ali, a devoted single mother who has worked hard to provide for her daughter, Charlotte. When Charlotte earns a scholarship to the prestigious St Thomas’s school—a place filled with wealthy and privileged students—Ali is proud, hopeful, but also wary. She wants Charlotte to have every opportunity in life, but she’s keenly aware of the social divide and the pressures her daughter may face in this new environment.

Tensions rise when Charlotte attends a party with her new classmates, and shortly afterward, a teenage boy is found seriously injured. As the police begin to investigate, Charlotte becomes entangled in the incident, but she remains silent about what happened that night. Her silence is agonizing for Ali, who is desperate to know the truth but torn between pushing her daughter to speak and respecting her emotional boundaries.

What follows is a deeply affecting story that dives into questions of trust, loyalty, and how far a parent is willing to go to shield their child. Ali finds herself confronting not only the frightening possibility that her daughter may be hiding something serious but also the intimidating power wielded by the families of Charlotte’s wealthy peers—people who are willing to do whatever it takes to protect their own. The novel touches on class divisions, the influence of privilege, and the challenges of single motherhood. It’s as much a character-driven family drama as it is a tense, morally complex psychological suspense. This is a compelling, emotionally charged novel that explores the fierce love of a mother and the moral complexities that arise when protecting a child comes at a high cost.

With heartfelt prose, realistic dialogue, and a plot that keeps you turning the pages, this is perfect for readers who enjoy emotionally layered stories with high stakes, moral dilemmas, and powerful themes of love, protection, and truth.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Happy Publication Day – 10 September 2025

The Breakup Before Christmas By Charlotte Barnes

This holiday season, love is going off-script.

Celebrated advice columnist ‘Dear Dotty’ Ellison has made a name for herself by solving everyone else’s problems.

But her life is upended when she unknowingly advises her girlfriend of ten years to break up with her. Through her own advice column.

Newly single, Dotty realises her life behind the picture-perfect brand wasn’t as flawless as she thought. Determined to rediscover who she really is, she decides it’s time to learn how to take her own advice. She begins writing letters to herself through her column.

But everything she thought she’d learned through her journey of self-discovery is thrown into question when she meets the gorgeous Alia at a cooking class.

Now, with Christmas approaching, will she discover that love and life aren’t something you can write, edit or schedule?

Review Card & Book Review- Under A Riviera Moon By Helen McGinn

When a heartsick Maggie is sent on an errand by her mother to Cannes, she is keen to get it over with as quickly as possible.

She has been tasked with collecting a treasured box of photos from her late grandmother Elizabeth’s best friend, the impossibly glamorous Allegra Morgon who is desperate to tell Maggie all about the year she and Elizabeth spent in Paris. The sixties were in full swing, the air hummed with jazz, artists and students made the streets their own, and the City of Love was weaving its magic. And against this backdrop, two people were beginning a love story that would last a lifetime – but be over too soon.

As Maggie hears more about Allegra’s life, first in Paris, then New York, and finally on the Riviera, she is captivated and inspired. Was life always leading Maggie to this moment, this beautiful place so she could finally learn to stop living in the past? Because if she can, then another love story for the ages might just be within her reach… ❤️

About The Author

My Review

Under a Riviera Moon by Helen McGinn is a beautifully written dual-timeline novel that weaves together the lives of two women—Maggie in the present day and Allegra in the past. Maggie, a divorcée living in the UK, finds herself at a crossroads. Her life hasn’t turned out quite the way she imagined, and she’s feeling somewhat adrift. When her mother asks her to travel to Cannes to collect a box of her late grandmother’s belongings, she expects a quick and simple trip. However, this journey leads to unexpected discoveries that begin to shift her perspective and open her heart to new possibilities.

The second timeline introduces Allegra, who now lives in Cannes but recounts her younger days as a student in 1960s Paris and her later adventures in New York. Allegra’s story is rich with emotion, passion, and the pursuit of dreams, painting a picture of a young woman navigating love, ambition, and heartbreak in two of the world’s most iconic cities.

As Maggie learns more about Allegra and her grandmother’s past, a deep connection forms, bridging generations and revealing how the choices of the past can shape the present. The novel tenderly explores themes of love and loss, the power of second chances, acceptance of the past, and the importance of friendship that transcends time. With heartfelt emotion and beautifully drawn characters, this is a compelling and uplifting story of personal growth, healing, and the magic of unexpected connections.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Review Card & Book Review – Bold Moves By Emma Barry

Working with your ex isn’t that bad an idea—not with artistic integrity on the line. Jaime Croft is determined to prove his directorial range, and Scarlett Arbuthnot’s biography is the perfect project. He once thought Scarlett was his perfect match too, but it’s been seventeen years. Surely he’s over it by now.

Or maybe not.

Scarlett is a grand master taking the chess world by storm. If she can handle that pressure, she can handle Jaime Croft. Even if that means working together in close quarters…and constant reminders of how she broke his heart. She didn’t do it without reason, but if he knew the details, he would despise her even more.

As Jaime and Scarlett pore over her memoir, they unlock their own memories, and old feelings rise to the surface. But giving in means abandoning the walls they’ve built to protect themselves, and that’s a move neither one seems ready to make.

About The Author

My Review

This book follows Scarlett, a competitive chess player, and Jaime, a filmmaker, who reunite after 17 years when Scarlett’s autobiography is adapted into a series. Despite their undeniable chemistry, their reunion is complicated by unresolved issues from their past, and Scarlett’s prickly, arrogant demeanor. While the story promotes female empowerment and the challenges Scarlett faces in a male-dominated field, her character’s “not-like-other-girls” attitude and emotional dysfunction make it hard to connect with her. Jaime, too, struggles with his role as the emotional caretaker in their dynamic. The relationship feels exhausting, with both characters repeatedly clashing without significant growth or resolution. Though well-written and engaging, with memorable supporting characters and witty moments, the novel’s emotional turbulence may be a turnoff for readers seeking growth and compromise in a second-chance romance.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Happy Publication Day – 9 September 2025

Winter Nights At The Bay Bookshop By Jessica Redland

Nestled amongst the comforting shelves of her beloved Bay Books, Lily Appleton finds the peace and quiet she needs. But with Christmas just around the corner, Lily has to find an extra pair of hands to help her share the bookish magic.

After selling his business, Lars Jóhannsson is feeling lost. A job at Bay Books would give him the space he needs to contemplate his next move, but returning would mean confronting a painful past he’s been avoiding. He’s also fairly sure he’s the one person Lily would never want to see again.

Lily is torn. Lars could be the perfect fit for Bay Books, but he once rejected her friendship and the hurt still lingers. But working together, Lily discovers a vulnerability that Lars has kept hidden away, along with a few surprising secrets. And as the Christmas season sprinkles its magic, Lily discovers the warmth of renewed friendship and the joy of heartwarming traditions from Lars’s Icelandic roots.

All In For Christmas By Ginny Baird

One woman, two lives—but did she choose the right one?

Practical-minded Paige Pierce has her life in order. She’s got a job she loves, teaching English, and is launching a new “Paws and Read” literacy program for struggling students at her school. Despite her dismal dating record, Paige rarely thinks about her old college boyfriend, Dean Burton. Then dreamy Dean surprises her at her school’s faculty holiday party, upending her world. When she learns Dean’s been hired as their replacement physics teacher, Paige can’t help getting stars in her eyes and wondering what her life might have been like if they’d never said goodbye.

With a rare comet passing overhead and the aid of a mysterious holiday market vendor, the universe grants Paige a chance to find out… The next morning, she wakes up in an alternate reality, greeted by Dean’s sunny optimism, their two kids, and a dog. Suddenly in way over her head with myriad household chores, a precocious little girl and a toddler boy who’s—yikes—potty training, Paige is desperate to scramble her way back home. Until her heart starts melting under the mistletoe, due to Dean’s swoony kisses and the cute shenanigans of their sweet kids and loyal pup, and she finds herself questioning where her home is truly meant to be. Yet the enchantment that’s brought her here won’t last forever.

With the clock ticking on Christmas magic, can the past be undone?

Review Card & Book Review – Love To Hate You By Marina Adair

Summer Russo believes in destiny and true love . . . which is why she sank her life savings into reviving a nearly bankrupt indie bookstore. But just as she starts to get the hang of the business, a big-box shop moves in next door.

Wes Kingston is the cut-throat CEO of the bookstore chain, and he doesn’t believe in love—or failure. He runs his business the way he runs his life, alone. And he isn’t going to let a fiery femme fatale change that (even if she’s gorgeous).

At least Summer has her family’s annual vacation to look forward to. But when she arrives at the beachside cabin, she realizes her sister has brought along not only her boyfriend but a second guest—his brother, who just happens to be the same surly-but-infuriatingly-sexy bookstore mogul.

Neither Summer nor Kingston will go down without a fight. But when one thing leads to another and fighting turns to foreplay, both find themselves stuck in a battle for the block—and for their hearts.

About The Author

My Review

This is a delightful enemies-to-lovers romance that blends humor, heart, and emotional growth. The story follows Summer, a fiercely independent bookstore owner, and Wes, a polished British businessman whose chain store threatens her livelihood. Their initial interactions are full of witty tension and clashes, as both try to protect what matters most to them.

Things take a turn when they’re unexpectedly forced together at a family gathering, leading to meaningful conversations and surprising emotional connection. As they begin to see past their assumptions, mutual respect and attraction grow. Summer’s loyalty to her family and deep connection to the bookstore make her a compelling character, while Wes’s hidden vulnerability and devotion to his brother give him unexpected depth.

The story is filled with warmth, funny family dynamics, and believable emotional development. With themes of vulnerability, second chances, and understanding, Love to Hate You is a satisfying, feel-good romance about learning to open your heart to love—even when it starts with conflict.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Review Card & Book Review- The Summer Of You And Me By Denise Hunter

Five years after her husband’s death, Maggie is finally ready to let go of him and the dreams she had for their future. A summer at Seabrook, where she and Ethan first became childhood sweethearts, seems the perfect time and place to find closure. Plus, she gets to spend time with his family, the Reynoldses, whom she loves like her own.

Unbeknownst to Maggie, her brother-in-law, Josh Reynolds, has been in love with her since they first met all those years ago. But his brother ultimately won Maggie’s heart, and Josh’s unrequited love has ruined all his relationships. If Maggie is ready to move on, then Josh is ready to lay it all on the line and come clean about his true feelings for her.

But his plans soon get put on hold when, shortly after Maggie returns to Seabrook, she runs into a man who could pass for Ethan’s twin. But he disappears into the amusement park crowd before she can confront him.

The event rattles Maggie, stirs up impossible questions, and sends Josh and her on a quest to discover the man’s true identity. But their search ends up raising more questions than answers—and soon Maggie isn’t sure she wants those answers after all.

About The Author

My Review

The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter is a heartfelt, well-paced romance with short chapters that make for a quick, engaging read. The central love story is clean, emotional, and thoughtfully developed, with characters whose struggles feel authentic and relatable.

A standout is young Zoey, written with charm and age-appropriate dialogue—something often difficult to capture well. She adds warmth and heart to the story.

While most of the characters are strong, Will’s storyline feels less believable. The mystery around his lineage unfolds late and in a way that seems far-fetched, with a resolution that may feel a bit uncomfortable due to past circumstances.

Still, the book handles emotional themes with care and honesty, offering a satisfying blend of romance and depth. It’s an enjoyable, uplifting read about love, healing, and the complexities of relationships.

My Rating

Link To Purchase