Author: bookafterbook

Publication: 20th July 2023 – HarperCollins

IT WAS A CASE THAT GRIPPED THE NATION
LUKE RYDER’S MURDER HAS NEVER BEEN SOLVED

In December 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home in London, leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything.

Now, secrets will be revealed – live on camera.

Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence on Infamous, a true-crime show – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on?

Or does the truth lie closer to home?

Can you solve the case before they do?
The truth will blow your mind.

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I am a huge fan of Cara Hunter’s novels. Her DI Adam Fawley series is one of my favourite and I am always looking forward to the next novel. I was really excited about Murder in the Family, which is a stand-alone, and I wasn’t disappointed.

On the 20th anniversary of the murder of Luke Ryder, a true crime series, Infamous, wants to reopen the case to solve his murder once and for all. Twenty years ago, the lifeless body of 26-year-old Luke had been found in the garden of the family home by his stepdaughter. The police never found the killer and, now, six experts have been called to study the case. There is a retired Met police officer, a freelance journalist, a forensic psychologist, a lawyer, a former NYPD officer, and a forensic pathologist. The team also includes Guy Howard, stepson of the victim and ten years old at the time of the murder. Guy wants to find out the truth to bring closure to his family, no matter the cost and what uncomfortable truths about his family may come out during the investigation. 

The story is written in script format and, as the author’s previous novels, is accompanied by news clippings, maps, text messages, email exchanges, and comments on forums. Luke’s murder had been sensational at the time as he had recently married a wealthy widow older than him. At the time of the murder, only ten year old Guy was in the house sleeping, but could his wife have come back from the party and killed him? Or maybe her stepson Rupert, who had introduced them a few years earlier? Or maybe someone from his past? As you read you realize that everyone on the show was chosen for a reason as secrets are revealed and twists just keep coming. I don’t usually watch true crime documentaries, but I think I would watch Infamous, if only for the cliffhangers at the end of each episode that made it almost impossible to put the book down.

Masterfully executed, addictive, and thrilling, Murder in the Family kept me up late at night reading until the one final shocking revelation that you can always expect from Cara Hunter’s novel and that makes you gasp in surprise. Highly recommended!

A huge thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for a proof of the novel.

Cara Hunter is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling crime novels Close to Home, In the Dark, No Way Out, All the Rage, The Whole Truth and Hope to Die, all featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. Close to Home was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick (as is her latest) and was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2019. No Way Out was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best crime novels since 1945. Cara’s novels have sold over a million copies worldwide, and the TV rights to the series have been acquired by the Fremantle group. She lives in Oxford. Murder in the Family is her first stand-alone crime novel. The Fawley series will also continue.

Publication: 6th July 2023 – Penguin UK

Chandler Cohen lies for a living.

When she accepts her next ghostwriting gig penning a memoir for cult actor Finnegan Walsh, it should be a dream job.

However, Chandler knows him best as something else: her worst-ever one-night stand . . .

She’s determined to keep things professional. But when she finally admits to Finn that their night together wasn’t as mind-blowing as he thought, he’s mortified, and determined to make amends.

So, they strike a deal. During the day, they’ll work on the book, and at night, she’ll school him in the art of satisfaction.

As they grow closer, the line between business and pleasure starts to blur.

Can Chandler and Finn have both, or will they have to choose?

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I enjoyed all novels by Rachel Lynn Solomon (her adult novels): her writing is addictive, her stories are enjoyable and immersive, and her characters are well-developed and relatable.

Business or Pleasure is her latest novel and I think it’s my favourite so far. The protagonist is Chandler Cohen, a thirty-something woman living in Seattle. She went to university full of dreams of becoming a journalist, but that’s not what happened. All her friends seem to have pursued their career, while Chandler, after the closure of the newspaper she worked for, has only found work as a ghost-writer for a few influencers. The job is not satisfying, especially when the fitness celebrity, whose book she wrote, has no idea who she is, but it pays the bills. Also, it keeps her distracted from the secret manuscript on her computer that she hasn’t opened in months and from her unrequited crush on her friend from college.

One night, in a bar, she meets a man. He is handsome, witty, and they have fun exploring Seattle together. They go back to his hotel room where they have the worst sex of her life. Chandler is sure she will never see him again, but then, the next morning, her agent calls her to offer a ghost-writing job for an actor mostly known for a ten-year-old werewolf TV show she’s never seen and she is shocked to find out that he is none other the man from the night before, Finnegan Walsh. She wants to refuse the job not only for the awkwardness between her and Finn, but also because it would mean leaving Seattle for the first time, following him around for two months from Comic-Con to Comic-Con, while working on the book together. But the pay is good and they can keep things professional, right? Except, when she admits the truth about their night together, Finn asks her to help him improve in the bedroom and how can she refuse?

I love the characters of Chandler and Finn. Chandler feels trapped in her life, living with her accomplished cousin and stuck in a career writing for others because she is afraid to write on her own. Finn is a bit shy, nerdy, and I love that he can talk the Elf language from Lord of the Rings. After the TV show ended, he’s acted in a few Hallmark movies, but he wants more and he hopes that the book will help him. Together, they are adorable and have great chemistry and I loved how their relationship develops. 

Full of saucy scenes, honest conversations, and nerdy moments, Business or Pleasure is a witty, compelling, and amazing story with a cast of wonderful characters!

A huge thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Rachel Lynn Solomon is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk, Weather Girl, and other romantic comedies for teens and adults. Originally from Seattle, she’s currently navigating expat life in Amsterdam, where she can often be found exploring the city, collecting stationery, and working up the courage to knit her first sweater. Connect with her on Instagram @rlynn_solomon or online at rachelsolomonbooks.com.

Publication: 22nd June 2023 – HarperCollins UK

After that night, nothing was ever the same again …

Fifteen years ago, Sara Linton’s life changed forever when a celebratory night out ended in a violent attack that tore her world apart. Since then, Sara has remade her life. A successful doctor, engaged to a man she loves, she has finally managed to leave the past behind her.

Until one evening, on call in the ER, everything changes. Sara battles to save a broken young woman who’s been brutally attacked. But as the investigation progresses, led by GBI Special Agent Will Trent, it becomes clear that Dani Cooper’s assault is uncannily linked to Sara’s.

And it seems the past isn’t going to stay buried forever …

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This is one of my favourite series and I am always excited when a new book comes out. I adore Will and Sara, and Faith and Amanda, and it’s always thrilling to see what they are up to next.

The books can be easily read as a stand-alone, but if you’ve read the previous novels, you already know that Dr. Sara Linton’s life dramatically changed fifteen years earlier when she was sexually assaulted. Her attacker was sent to prison, but now, following her testimony in a wrongful death case, her past is back to haunt her.

After That Night is not at all an easy story to read. There are scenes that were really hard to go through. They can be chilling, disturbing, and highly emotional, especially the descriptions of assault narrated from the victims’ perspectives. In particular, Sara’s account of her own assault, the trauma and the consequences on her life, how it affected her relationship with her family and friends, was candid and brave and it will stay with me for quite a while.

Will Trent and Sara Linton are one of my favourite couples in fiction and I love how close and honest their relationship is in this latest book. And Faith and Amanda are as amazing as ever. Faith’s worry about her son Jeremy wanting to join the forces is heartfelt and relatable, while Amanda proves, once again, that nothing goes past her and it is always best to get her involved.

Full of twists and turns, high tension, a shocking ending, and the author’s skilful and addictive writing, After That Night is another brilliant and thought-provoking novel by Karin Slaughter and I am already looking forward to the next one!

A huge thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this novel.

Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe, her novels have all been Sunday Times bestsellers. Slaughter lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and is the founder of the Save the Libraries project―a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. Her standalone novel Pieces of Her is now a Netflix series, and the Grant County and Will Trent series are in development for television.

Publication: 27th June 2023 – Hodderscape

Words sting. Songs kill.

The Cruel Prince meets To Kill a Kingdom in this seductive YA fantasy debut, in which a siren must choose between protecting her family and following her heart in a prejudiced kingdom where her existence is illegal.

Saoirse Sorkova survives on secrets. As the last siren in her kingdom, she can sing any man to an early grave – but her very existence is illegal, and if her true identity were ever discovered, it would be her life on the line.

By day, Saoirse disguises herself as a fae, pretending to be the perfect soldier-in-training. By night, she satisfies her darker urges working as an assassin for dangerous mercenaries. And all the while, she keeps the biggest secret of all: that she is not always in control of her Siren powers, or her desire to kill.

Then a blackmailer threatens her sister, and Saoirse’s investigation takes her to the royal palace, and her most dangerous job yet: personal bodyguard to the Crown Prince.

Saoirse expects to despise Prince Hayes. But he is kind, thoughtful, and charming, and she finds herself increasingly drawn to him . . . until he tasks her with investigating a killer plaguing the kingdom. The problem: the killer is Saoirse.

Trapped by her deadly double life, Saoirse can’t leave the palace until she saves her sister . . . but who will save her from herself?

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Sirens, fae, witches, a morally gray heroine, and conspiracies. I loved Sing Me to Sleep!!!

Everyone knows that sirens were killed many years ago when a king created a barrier around his kingdom to protect it from its enemies. Now the fae have control, the witches have their magic, and the humans are servants. What they don’t know is that there is still a siren alive, hiding in plain sight, training to become a guard. Saoirse Sorkova is a siren with a thirst to kill. Beautiful and deadly, her song can persuade anyone, human or magic, to do her bidding. By night, she is a killer for hire, but she doesn’t know who pays her or who her victims are.

Graduating first in her class, Saoirse is chosen as a royal guard for the handsome, charming, and kind prince Hayes. She should refuse because the Palace is a dangerous place for her, but when someone threatens the person she loves most in the world, her sister Rain, and all clues lead to the Palace, she has no choice but to accept the job to find out who is after her family. Once inside the Palace, she discovers that her family may not be the only one in danger and there are much darker secrets to uncover.

Saoirse is a well-developed and fierce protagonist. All her life, she’s been hiding her true identity and her nature, trying to fight the call from the water to kill and destroy. Everything she does, the killing and accepting the job as a royal guard, is to protect her family, but, most of all, her younger sister Rain. She expected to hate prince Hayes, but she didn’t expect to find him funny, benevolent, and almost impossible to resist. 

There are twists, suspense, political intrigue, assassination attempts, blackmailing, betrayals, a fantastic world-building, with a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance filled with witty exchanges and desire that kept me immersed in the story. Sing Me to Sleep is a compelling and thrilling fantasy debut and I am already looking forward to its sequel.

A huge thank you to Hodderscape and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Gabi Burton grew up reading and writing in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Maine where she graduated from Bowdoin College. She now works as a paralegal and author on the East Coast. When she’s not working, writing, or reading, she’s probably watching Netflix, scrolling Twitter, or finding beautiful places to walk – preferably near a body of water.

Publication: 6th July 2023 – Electric Monkey

There’s never a good time to find a dead body. But finding a dead body while you’re trying to kiss your crush?

Dead awkward.

All Kerry wants to do is stay at home with her rom-coms and strict retainer schedule. Instead, her BFF Annie has roped her into going to their first sixth-form party to investigate who’s cyberbullying Heather, the most popular girl in school.

On the cusp of kissing her dreamy crush, Scott, Kerry discovers the body of Heather’s second in command – suffocated with a menstrual cup. Within days, another student turns up dead, this time with a sanitary pad across the eyes. Now Annie and Kerry are officially on the case to stop the menstrual murderer . . . period.

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Incredibly funny, witty, and intriguing with the right amount of suspense, romance, and comedy, I loved Murder on a School Night and I laughed so much!

The protagonist, Kerry, is a bit socially awkward, with a passion for Agatha Christie’s novels and investigative journalism, and she’d rather be at home watching a movie than attending a school party. On the other hand, her fierce best friend Annie, who shares Kerry’s passion for detective novels and is not ashamed to go to school on a Paw Patrol child bike, wants nothing more than to be friends with Les Populaires, who, as the name implies, are the most popular – and mean – kids in school. That’s why Kerry finds herself at a party, talking to Scott, the handsome new boy in school with adorable dimples, pretending to share his love for The Shining and about to have a romantic moment, when she stumbles into into the body of one of Les Populaires, apparently killed by a menstrual cup. The police declares it an accidental death, but when another student is found dead, this time with a sanitary pad on their eyes, it is clear that there is a killer on the loose and Kerry and Annie are determined to find them before they kill again.

The mystery is well-written, with quite a few unexpected twists and the right amount of suspense and hilarity. The friendship between Kerry and Annie is fantastic and relatable. Where Annie is loud, Kerry is more quiet, where Annie wants to be part of the popular crowd, Kerry would rather be left alone, but they always rely on each other and have each other’s back, even when they are at odds. And then, there is the romance. Scott is the new boy in town, he seems interested in Kerry, but the murders started right after his arrival and he seems to be hiding something. Could he have something to do with it?

With snappy dialogues, jaw-dropping surprises, and lots of comedy, Mean Girls meets Pretty Little Liars in this terrific feminist YA novel!

A huge thank you to Electric Monkey and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel.

Kate Weston is an ex-stand-up comedian and bookseller. Her first YA book, Diary of a Confused Feminist, was longlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2020 and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Murder On A School Night is her third book for teenagers. In it, Weston brings together her hilarious feminist humour, a compelling storyline and incredibly relatable anti-heroines.

Publication: 27th June 2023 – Perfectly Proper Press

A chance meeting between the sheltered daughter and the forward-thinking son of rival Victorian families sparks a forbidden romance in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews’s fourth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.

Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the fringes of local society. She’s more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people. But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope that her dreams might finally come true. There’s only one problem: her handsome rescuer is the son of her father’s sworn enemy.

Ivo Beresford doesn’t believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand tour, he’s looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Meg Burton-Smythe, the isolated only daughter of his parents’ oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding.

Resolved to put ancient grudges to rest—at least where innocent young ladies are concerned—Ivo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret friendship. After all, what harm can a friendship do? It isn’t as though there’s any danger of the two of them falling in love…

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It’s publication day for one of my favourite novels and authors. I can’t recommend Mimi Matthew’s novels enough and the Somerset Stories is a beautifully-written, enchanting, and immersive series with a cast of exceptional characters.

Appointment in Bath is the amazing fourth book in the series, a Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending. Two rival families, living side by side. What happens when their two children become first friends and then something more?

The feud between the Beresfords and the Burton-Smythes goes back decades, since when they were children (I highly recommend reading Gentleman Jim!!!). Now, their own children are adults and after a fortuitous and adorable meeting, Ivo Beresford and Meg Burton-Smythes develop a friendship and start meeting in secret. 

Ivo is handsome and charming, kind and gentle. As a second son, Ivo has none of the responsibilities that fall on his older brother James, but he has business ambitions and wants to build something of his own. Meg’s father has always treated her more like a servant than a daughter. Shy, quiet, and mostly isolated from the world, Meg has a stutter that comes out whenever she is nervous and, following her mother’s death and her brother’s escape to Europe, she is the only one left to care for her father. Their friendship and slow-burn romance allow those two characters to grow and also their relationship with their families to develop.

Having had a few glimpses of Ivo and Meg’s story in Return to Satterthwaite Court, I was really looking forward to Appointment in Bath and I was thrilled to get an early copy which I read in one day. There are beautiful descriptions, wonderful characters, interesting and detailed historical facts, and a fantastic swoony and forbidden love story whose only fault is that it was too short. Also, I am excited that it sets the story for the next book in the series, which will see James Beresford, the strict heir determined to restore the family’s name, and Hannah Heywood, the timid daughter of a squire, fall in love. Highly recommended!!!!

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.

To buy the book: https://www.mimimatthews.com/books/somerset-stories/appointment-in-bath/

Publication: 27th June 2023 – Orion

Beatrice Steele has none of the accomplishments of a true lady: she is terrible at needlework, has no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Little does anyone know that Beatrice also harbours a dark secret: an obsession with the true crime cases she reads about in the newspaper.

For her family’s sake, she’s vowed to put this most unladylike obsession behind her. Eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth is set to attend the autumnal ball, and the Steele family hopes that her eldest sister Louisa will steal his heart. Their future depends on this match! Beatrice needs be on her best behaviour… though that’s made more difficult when a disgraced yet strangely alluring detective inexplicably shows up to the ball.

Just as Beatrice thinks she’s gotten away with it, Croaksworth drops dead in the middle of a minuet. As a storm rages outside, the evening descends into a frenzy as it becomes clear they are trapped with a killer. But maybe, just maybe, it’s Beatrice’s time to shine…

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A Pride and Prejudice and Emma retelling with murder: what more do you want? I had so much fun reading this novel. It is absurd, entertaining, and suspenseful and I couldn’t put it down.

The protagonist of the story, Beatrice Steele, has a secret. In a corner of her house, hidden from her family, she collects newspapers that feed her obsession for true crime and a well-known London detective to whom she regularly sends clues and ideas about his current cases. However, tonight is an important night as there is a ball to attend to and she must be on her best behaviour to improve her sister’s chances to attract the attention of eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth and so save her family’s future. When Edmund drops dead in the middle of a dance and a storm stops everyone from leaving or coming, Beatrice puts her detective skills to use and tries to figure out who is the killer with the help of a disgraced and grumpy detective.

A Most Agreeable Murder is a unique and unexpected novel. Starting from the weird setting of Swampshire, a village in the English countryside consisting of several mansions and one terrible swamp. And then there is the quirky and bizarre cast of characters. You will recognize characters from Jane Austen’s novels, who are represented in a more ridiculous and hilarious way. Beatrice Steele is the perfect Elizabeth Bennett, smart, witty, and curious by nature, while the grumpy detective is the perfect Mr. Darcy who refuses to dance at a ball.

A comedy of manners with Agatha Christie vibes, A Most Agreeable Murder is an enjoyable and delightful read that will make you laugh out loud and keep you on the edge of your seat at the same time!

A huge thank you to Orion and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Julia Seales is a writer and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. She earned an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA, and a BA in English from Vanderbilt University. She is a lifelong Anglophile with a passion for both murder mysteries and Jane Austen. Julia is originally from Kentucky, where she learned about manners (and bourbon).

Publication: 1st June 2023 – Rock the Boat

It’s not that Alice wants someone to die. It’s just that things were a lot more interesting when she and Iris were investigating a murder. Two months after Alice and Iris solved the murder of Brooke Donovan, Steve Anderson has become a semi-celebrity; Iris Adams and Cole Fielding are almost dating; and Alice Ogilvie is bored out of her brain. Reluctantly attending the school dance at Levy Castle, Alice sneaks away from the party to do some snooping while Iris gets close to Cole. But when she pushes open the door to what was once Charles Levy’s study, she quite literally falls onto her next case…

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They are back! After solving a murder that shocked Castle Cove a few months back, seventeen-year-old Iris and Alice are trying to lead a normal life and do the things that teenagers usually do, like attending a school dance. Except that murder seems to be following them. While Alice is exploring Levy Castle, where the dance is being held and where more than 50 years earlier young actress Mona Moody (accidentally?) died, she stumbles upon the scene of a brutal attack: Rebecca Kennedy and Helen Park had been fighting just a few minutes earlier, and now Rebecca is on the floor bleeding and unconscious while Helen is holding a bloodied letter opener. A weather alert makes it also difficult for emergencies to arrive, so Alice and Iris channel their inner Agatha Christie and get to work to figure out what happened.

I am a huge fan of this series. Iris and Alice use their knowledge of Agatha Christie’s novels and the methods of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot to solve the cases the police isn’t able to, often finding themselves in trouble with the law for trespassing on property or keeping evidence. In this case, they are not entirely convinced that Helen is the attacker and, as their investigation deepens, it seems to be linked to what happened to Mona Moody half a century earlier.

The story is told from the perspective of both Alice and Iris. These two characters couldn’t be more opposite, but they are linked by a very deep friendship. Alice comes from a wealthy and influential family. She has a strained relationship with her parents who have ignored her for most of her life and she’s been raised by her nanny Brenda. Once a member of the cool kids in school, following the events of the first book, The Agathas, she’s found new and more loyal friends with Iris and the Zoners. On the other hand, Iris comes from a financially struggling family and works after school. She lives with her mother after she sent her father to jail and she’s still haunted by her violent past. 

The Night In Question is a gripping and fun novel and I enjoyed seeing how the characters have evolved. I can’t wait for their next adventure!

A huge thank you to Rock the Boat and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Liz Lawson is the author of The Lucky Ones, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020, and the New York Times bestselling YA thriller The Agathas which she co-wrote with NYT Bestselling author Kathleen Glasgow.  She lives outside of Washington DC with her family and two cats.

Kathleen Glasgow is the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and How to Make Friends with the Dark and has been published in 26 countries. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, where she works in an office by day and spins stories by night. You can find her on Twitter @kathglasgow, on Instagram as @misskathleenglasgow or on her website kathleenglasgowbooks.com.

Publication: 13th June 2023 – Sphere

From the author of tiktok sensations and global bestsellers The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain 

Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom.

The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs. 

Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig – until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favourite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job. 

Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but… those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice? 

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Love, Theoretically is another fantastic STEM romance whose protagonist is Elsie, a theoretical physicist (which I am already familiar with thanks to my endless rewatching of the Big Bang Theory), who works as an adjunct professor at several Boston universities that don’t pay much and she shares a crappy apartment with her best friend Cece and her hedgehog. She’s turned to fake-dating to pay off her student loans and, beside a few idiots who tried to ask for more, so far, she can’t complain. Except when it comes to her current fake boyfriend, or better yet, his arrogant and handsome brother, Jack, who seems to see right through her. Things turn more complicated when Jack turns out to be an experimental physicist on the committee for a tenure position at MIT she’s interviewing for and also the same man who ruined the career of her mentor. Elsie is determined to get the job and fight against the man who is her enemy even though she finds him very attractive. How can she fall for the very same man she should despise?

Elsie is a brilliant character. Her weakness is – beside cheese – that she can’t never say no to people. She can’t say no to her mother when she wants her to play negotiator between her two brothers; she can’t say no to her mentor when he wants her to keep doing multiple jobs instead of trying to get the tenure position; she can’t say no to the many students who ask her for an extension with the most absurd excuses. She has the unique skill to read people and adapt to them so that she can win them over. However, Jack is the exception. She can’t understand him, can’t figure out what he is going to do next. Elsie is funny, smart, and determined, while Jack is probably my favorite of Ali Hazelwood’s men: behind that tough and grumpy exterior there is an adorable, honest, and reliable man. 

Ali Hazelwood never disappoints: the enemies-to-lovers trope, the witty banter and the sexy chemistry between Elsie and Jack, the women in STEM theme who have to deal with sexism in the workplace, nerdy and fantastic characters, and the rivalry between experimental and theoretical physicists… witty, immersive, and romantic, I read Love, Theoretically in one day!

A huge thank you to Sphere and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Ali Hazelwood is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain, as well as a writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the US to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband).

Publication: 8th June 2023 – Zaffre

Motherland meets Midsomer Murders in this fresh and funny mystery about a group of soon-to-be mums who turn detective when there’s a murder at their antenatal class.

For Alice and her partner Joe, moving to the sleepy Cotswold village of Penton is a chance to embrace country life and prepare for the birth of their unexpected first child. He can take up woodwork; maybe she’ll learn to make jam. But the rural idyll they’d hoped for doesn’t quite pan out when a dead body is discovered at their local antenatal class and they find themselves suspects in a murder investigation.

With a cloud of suspicion hanging over the heads of the whole group, Alice sets out to solve the mystery and clear her name, with the help of her troublesome dog, Helen. However, there are more secrets and tensions in the heart of Penton than first meet the eye. Between the discovery of a shady commune up in the woods, the unearthing of a mysterious death years earlier and the near-tragic poisoning of Helen, Alice is soon in way over her head.

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Today, I am thrilled to be on the blog tour for The Expectant Detectives, the fantastic debut novel by Kat Ailes.

Alice and Joe are expecting their first baby and they have decided to leave behind the chaos of London and move to the quiet town of Penton in the Cotswold Hills. With just a few weeks before the birth, they have just the time to organize their new house for the arrival of their baby and attend antenatal class. Alice hopes to bond with other future mothers and make a few friends, but what she gets is mopping the floor while one of them gives birth and being involved in a murder investigation.

This was quite an enjoyable and intriguing cozy mystery and I had so much fun reading it. There is a lot going on. A picturesque setting, a small community, an organic farm commune with a few secrets, gong baths (a meditation thing), and lots more. The author put together an eclectic cast of characters with little in common, except for pregnancy and murder. And it is the murder that allows Alice to bond with the other expectant mothers as, helped by three adorable and funny dogs (especially Alice’s dog, Helen, who was my favorite character in the entire novel!), they start their own investigation, first out of curiosity, and then to help one of their own under suspicion. 

The story is told from Alice’s perspective. She is funny, smart, and authentic. Her dry humour made me often laugh, and I found her approach to motherhood, her fears, and her doubts, relatable and honest. Initially, she starts snooping together with her new friend Poppy for fun – and to avoid unpacking all the boxes in her new house -, but then the investigation turns more serious and things hit closer to home when she starts suspecting that her partner Joe is hiding something.

I really liked The Expectant Detectives. I enjoyed the writing, the humour, the characters (especially the dogs), and the mystery where I figured out some of the things on my own, but I was mostly taken by surprise. Immersive, fun, and refreshing, The Expectant Detectives is a fantastic read!

A huge thank you to Tracy and Zaffre for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a proof of the novel.

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Kat Ailes‘ debut novel, The Expectant Detectives, was runner-up for the Comedy Women in Print Unpublished Prize 2021. She works as an editor and freelanced for several years to allow her to take a couple of belated gap years, including hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. She now lives in the Cotswolds with her lovely husband and son and her beautiful but foolish dog.