Book After Book

Publication: 4th July 2024 – HarperCollins UK

Gwen Jackson is a musical prodigy – but she fought hard for everything she now has.

Xander Thorne comes from musical royalty. He’s a genius – but it all fell in his lap.

Already tensely opposed, when Gwen takes the spot of First Chair in the New York Pops Orchestra – a position Xander has coveted for years – their hostility goes up a notch… and their chemistry on stage goes off the scale.

Forced to find a grudging respect for one another’s music, suddenly they are box office dynamite. And as the respect turns to admiration and then heated attraction, they must decide – will a note of discord ruin their perfect harmony or can this fragile romance reach its breathtaking climax?

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Julie Soto is officially my new auto-buy author. I loved Forget Me Not, but I am obsessed with Not Another Love Song. I couldn’t put it down! The chemistry between the two protagonists is off the charts and the romance is just perfect!

The story is set in the music world. The protagonists are two musical prodigies. Gwen Jackson started playing the violin when she was eleven years old and she went from playing it in the subway to becoming the first violin in the Manhattan Pops. Xander Thorne is the leader of the band Thornes and Roses, a rockstar with the cello and an arrogant, whose attendance at rehearsal at Manhattan Pops depends on his engagements with the band. Despite being members of the same orchestra, Gwen and Xander have never directly crossed paths until they both attend the same wedding where Gwen has a second job playing the violin and Xander is one of the guests and criticizes her performance. And when Gwen is chosen for the role of first chair that had previously been promised to Xander, their relationship takes an unexpected turn. They start playing together, creating music that feels like magic.

I know nothing about orchestra workings and instruments, but the author’s descriptions are so beautiful and lyrical that they made me wonder why I never learned to play an instrument. The characters are flawed and relatable, Gwen with her insecurities and Xander with his past, and I adored them and their journey of growth as the story develops. Their love story is passionate, romantic, and so steamy and I never wanted it to end!

Not Another Love Song is a fantastic romance novel. Sexy, engrossing, and very well-written, I can’t recommend it enough!

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

Originally from Sacramento, Julie spent many years bouncing between New York and California before eventually settling in coastal Fort Bragg, CA. She is a musical theater geek, fandom nerd, and the author of many spicy fanfictions as Lovesbitca8, including the popular fanfic The Auction.

Forget Me Not is her debut novel.

Julie now lives in Fort Bragg, California, with her dog, Charlie.

Publication: 4th July 2024 – Electric Monkey

School outcasts-turned-detective duo, Kerry and Annie, are BACK – and after solving last summer’s menstrual murders, they’re now known as The Tampon Two. (Kerry is uncomfortable with this level of attention, Annie is refreshing her follower count every two seconds.)

When they attend the Festival of Fame, it’s the chance to meet their favourite feminist influencer IRL – along with a host of social media stars, including a tiresome prankster Timmy, super-glam beauty vlogger Celeste and Mystic Millie, who makes very vague predictions.

But then one of the influencers ends up dead.

The festival goes into lockdown, Annie is delighted that she and Kerry are trapped in a yurt with celebrities – Kerry is more concerned that there’s a killer among them. Will the Tampon Two find out who it is before they strike again?

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After solving a series of murders in their hometown of Barbourough (in Murder on a School Night), best friends Kerry and Annie are now known as Tampon Two and while Annie is ready to get in the most ridiculous situations to attract more followers on social media and become an influencer, Kerry would rather stay in the shadows, but the journalist in her is always ready to report. The Festival of Fame has arrived in Barbourough, organized by Heather, the most popular girl in school, once their enemy, now their (sometimes reluctant) friend, and some of the most famous influencers are there for a weekend of events. Annie is super excited but, somehow, she manages to start a prank war with the most famous (and obnoxious) influencer who then is found dead with a condom on his head. While the police thinks the death was somehow an accident, Annie and Kerry are convinced that it’s murder and that it may not be the only one of the weekend so they start investigating.

I loved Murder on a School Night, but Murder on a Summer Break is even better and a brilliant sequel. Annie and Kerry have grown (although Annie’s obsession with popularity is as strong as ever) and I really like the character of Kerry, from whose perspective the story is narrated. She is smart and, with her determination, her humor, and the way she admits her flaws, she kept me glued to the pages and made me laugh out loud as I was reading.

The plot is intriguing and well-developed with the right balance of mystery and humor. I am keeping my fingers tightly-crossed that this is not the last book, because I really need more of these hilarious and fantastic Kerry and Annie adventures.

A huge thank you to Electric Monkey and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the 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. The Murder On A School Night series brings together her hilarious feminist humour, an addictive murder mystery and incredibly relatable anti-heroines.

Publication: 4th July 2024 – HarperCollins UK

She’s a small-town schoolteacher, he’s a hotshot creative director. Together, it’s hate at first sight.

Sophie Taylor has a secret and Joe Walsh is the last person she’d tell. He’s devilishly handsome, incredibly hot – and far too sure of himself.

But Sophie desperately needs his help.

Because she’s not just hiding something small. She is Este Cox, the mysterious romance author the entire world is desperate to unmask.

When a trip to the countryside means sharing a cottage with only one bed, it’s a short step to sharing a whole lot more besides… Can Sophie trust Joe with the truth – and be herself?

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Sophie Taylor is the author of the book everyone is talking about. “Butterflies” is the romance novel that has sold millions of copies around the world, it’s been translated into 32 languages, and there is a movie deal in the work. Sophie has written the novel under the pseudonym of Este Cox and, except for her editor and for her literary agent (who is also her brother), no one knows who she really is. Not the people working for her publisher, not her obnoxious ex boyfriend, and, above all, not her literary-snob family. However, the truth risks to come out during a weekend spent at her family home to celebrate her father’s birthday. First, her laptop with her new manuscript disappears and then her new handsome archenemy Joe Walsh is not only invited, but she must also share her father’s new cottage with him.

Love Story is my first Lindsey Kelk’s novel and I loved it! I honestly don’t know why I waited so long, but I must get my hands on all her backlist. I loved the plot, the characters, the setting, and the writing. Sophie is a relatable (we like the same authors), fun, and authentic character and I adored her, but most of all, I adored her banter with Joe. I am not a huge fan of instalove, but here it works very well. Their story develops in a way that feels natural and that kept me completely glued to the pages. I also enjoyed the relationship between Sophie and her family. She is keeping secrets from them and it’s complicated, but it is also entertaining and warm. One another thing that I liked about this book is how the author addresses the theme of being judged for what people read, especially when it comes to smut romance.

As my introduction to the world of Lindsey Kelk it went really well: Love Story is fun, witty, and immersive and I am looking forward to read more by this author!

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

Lindsey Kelk is a Sunday Times bestselling author, podcaster and internet oversharer. Born and brought up in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, Lindsey worked in London as a children’s editor before writing her first book, I Heart New York, and moving to Brooklyn. Lindsey’s novels include the I Heart series, Love Me Do and On a Night Like This. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Publication: 4th July 2024 – Century

Meet Jessica Jones: a private investigator and retired super hero based out of Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, who goes from job to job as a hard living, rough talking, loner.

And then a wealthy Upper East Side woman pays her a visit. Amber Randall is concerned about her twin sixteen-year-olds, Lark and Fox, who have acted and looked very different since they returned from spending the summer with their British father in the UK. She tells Jessica that her children have unnaturally perfect skin for teenagers and have lost all the tics and habits that made them who they were. They are not Lark and Fox, she tells Jessica. Something has happened to them.

To find out more, Jessica travels to Essex to talk to their father and once there meets Belle who is living a curiously isolated existence in a run-down farmhouse with her guardian Debra. Jessica knows that Lark and Fox had spent the summer with Belle―but can this unworldly teenager really be responsible for Lark and Fox’s new personas?

Jessica soon discovers that, behind Belle and Debra, evil geniuses are playing a dangerous game with technology in order to make the world a “better place”, not caring who gets hurt, maimed or even killed in the process. Can Jessica stop them from wreaking destruction on a whole generation of young people?

Nothing is certain in Lisa Jewell’s gripping and most imaginative novel yet.

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Lisa Jewell and Jessica Jones? Of course, I am reading it! And I loved it! Breaking the Dark is a suspenseful and immersive novel and it kept me on the edge until the end.

Still haunted by past events, Jessica Jones is getting on with her life, and trying to avoid alcohol, and her job as a private investigator, when a most unusual case lands on her lap. Amber Randall is the worried mother of two teenage twins. After spending a month in the summer in the UK with their father, they have returned to New York differently. Differently as in where once their skin was marked by spots is now flawless, perfect. Their tics are gone, their eyes seem vacant and their mind is often somewhere else. Amber is not sure who returned from the UK, but certainly not the children who had left a month before and she wants Jessica Jones to find out what happened.

Set between New York and the English countryside, Breaking the Dark is not the typical Lisa Jewell novels. Set in the Marvel world, here everything is possible: there are superheroes, vampires, and a villain so obsessed with perfection and popularity that would do anything to get what she wants, including kidnapping and murder. If you are not familiar with Jessica Jones, her past, which has left her emotional scars and at times vulnerable, is slowly revealed while her future promises a few unexpected surprises.

The plot is gripping, twisty, and intriguing and the author’s writing is, as usual, exceptional. Breaking the Dark is a brilliant read, even if you are not a Marvel fan, and I am already looking forward to reading the other two books in the series (Luke Cage and Daredevil)!

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

Lisa Jewell‘s first novel, Ralph’s Party, was published in 1999 and was the best-selling debut novel of the year. Since then she has published another twenty-one novels, most lately a number of dark psychological thrillers, including Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and None of This is True. Lisa is a number one New York Times and Sunday Times author who has sold over ten million books worldwide and been published in over twenty-five languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two daughters and a lovely dog called Daisy. @lisajewelluk on Twitter @lisajewelluk on Instagram @lisajewellofficial on Facebook.

Publication: 28th June 2024 (eBook), 4th July 2024 (paperback) – One More Chapter

Just along the coast from Penstowan, the local festival has filled the area. Former Met police officer Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker has agreed to step in and help run the Pie Hard food truck, along with her rather reluctant fiancé, DCI Nathan Withers.

As they prepare for a weekend of camping and being elbow deep in shortcrust pastry, Jodie hadn’t bargained on witnessing a fight between members of the lead band.

But when the body of one of the band members is found not far from the campsite, Jodie finds it hard to believe it was an accident. Especially when the other members had so much to gain…

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Former detective Jodie Parker and her fiancé, DI Nathan Winters, were supposed to go on holiday in Paris, but, to help a friend in need, they are going to spend the weekend selling pies at a music festival, which it’s not so bad, after all, as it gives her a chance to keep an eye on her teenage daughter Daisy, there with her friends, and to listen to the return of one of her teen idol bands. However, when the ex-member of the band turns up dead, Jodie finds herself deep into the investigation. Was it an accident or someone killed him?

The Cornish Campsite Murder is the seventh book in the Nosey Parker series and the second book I read so I can tell you that they can be easily read as a stand-alone, although I am planning to read all the past book, because I really enjoy these novels. The stories are intriguing and entertaining and the characters are fun, chaotic, and lovable. Jodie is a former MET detective who left the London police for her daughter’s sake and moved back to Cornwall to be nearer to her mother. Now she works as a caterer, but as bodies keep turning up near her and her fiancé is a detective, she finds herself always right in the middle of the investigations and solving cases.

The Cornish Campsite Murder is an enjoyable and immersive read: a once-famous rock band, murder, secrets, and drugs, and there are also witty characters, pies, and friendships which make The Cornish Campsite Murder a fantastic cozy mystery!

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

Fiona Leitch is an author, tea drinker, and cat slave. She writes the Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker cosy crime series for HarperCollins, because she loves thinking about Cornwall, food, and murdering people (not necessarily in that order). She is a sucker for a happy ending (though not for the victim, obviously), a romantic subplot, and the odd cheesy pun.

Fiona is represented by Lina Langlee at the North Literary Agency.

Publication: 20th June 2024 – HarperCollins UK

One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?

Welcome to the McAlpine Lodge: a secluded mountain getaway, it’s the height of escapist luxury living.

Except that everyone here is lying. Lying about their past. Lying to their family. Lying to themselves.

Then one night, Mercy McAlpine – until now the good daughter – threatens to expose everybody’s secrets. Just hours later, Mercy is dead.

In an area this remote, it’s easy to get away with murder. But Will Trent and Sara Linton – investigator and medical examiner for the GBI – are here on their honeymoon.

And now, with the killer poised to strike again, the holiday of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock…

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I can’t never get enough of the Will Trent and Sara Linton series and in this twelfth book they are at last married (how long have I been waiting for this?!). And, for their honeymoon, Will chose a luxury cabin in a remote family-run resort in the mountains a few hours from Atlanta. But what was supposed to be a relaxing week of romance, hiking, yoga, fishing, and canoeing is interrupted on the first night when the resort manager, Mercy McAlpine, is found stabbed by the lake. With no easy access to the resort, the family and the other guests are all suspects and it seems that they are all keeping secrets. And since leading the investigation is an incompetent sheriff influenced by years of prejudices against the victim, Will and Sara call his partner Faith and his boss Amanda for help.

Let me start by saying that this is not an easy read. It’s gripping and suspenseful and immersive, but it’s not for the light-hearted. There are themes of abuse, assault, alcohol and drug abuse, and toxic family relationships. The story is told from many perspectives, including the victim as we relive her last day and discover the events that led to her murder. For Will, the investigation is more personal than usual as one of the suspects is someone from his past and brings back up memories of his childhood and the mother he never met. He’s backed by three strong-minded and resolute women. His partner Faith who doesn’t think twice about giving up her much awaited week off to help him; his boss Amanda who would rather he enjoyed his honeymoon; and his now-wife Sara, who supports him in everything, even when he dangerously jumps in a river to save someone. I love these two characters. They are adorable together and, after many years of problems, miscommunications, and past loves coming between them, they are happy together (murder aside, of course).

This Is Why We Lied is another intense and incredible novel by Karin Slaughter (she can’t ever do wrong). A remote location, murder, dysfunctional family, and secrets and many many twists will keep you glued to the page until the very end!

A huge thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic 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: 18th June 2024 – Penguin Random House Canada / Viking

The third book in the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery series, which finds the amateur sleuths facing their most daunting challenge yet: preventing the murder of the imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Someone is trying to kill Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Esteemed aunt of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, generous patroness of Mr. William Collins, a woman of rank who rules over the estate of Rosings Park with an unimpeachable sense of propriety–who would dare? Lady Catherine summons her grand-nephew, Mr. Jonathan Darcy, and his investigative companion, Miss Juliet Tilney, to find out.

After a year apart, Jonathan and Juliet are thrilled to be reunited, even if the circumstances–finding whoever has thus far sabotaged Lady Catherine’s carriage, shot at her, and nearly pushed her down the stairs–are less than ideal. Also less than ideal: their respective fathers, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Mr. Henry Tilney, have accompanied the young detectives to Rosings, and the two men do not interact with the same felicity enjoyed by their children.

With attempts against Lady Catherine escalating, and no one among the list of prime suspects seemingly capable of committing all of the attacks, the pressure on Jonathan and Juliet mounts–even as more gentle feelings between the two of them begin to bloom. The race is now on to provoke two confessions: one from the attempted murderer before it is too late–and one, perhaps, of love.

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The adventures of Jonathan Darcy (eldest son of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley) and Juliet Tilney (eldest daughter of Catherine and Henry Tilney of Northanger Abbey) as amateur detectives have reached Rosings Park. The tenacious Lady Catherine De Bourgh has been the victim of a few attempts on her life and demands that Jonathan and Juliet investigate the matter and put a stop to it in the briefest time possible. Both accompanied by their fathers, who fear a possible attachment between the two of them, Juliet and Jonathan set out to investigate. The suspects are all inside of Rosings: there is Colonel Fiztwilliam, now married to Lady Catherine’s daughter, Anne: where does he disappear every day for hours? There is Anne who resents her mother for sending her young son to boarding school. And then, there is the loyal Mr. Collins and his family who certainly keep their fair share of secrets. Juliet and Jonathan must discover the truth quickly, as the attempts on Lady Catherine’s life escalate.

As a huge fan of Jane Austen, I enjoy reading adaptations of her novels and the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney series is very-well made. Featuring the protagonists from Pride & Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, it often sees the appearances of other characters from Austen’s other novels. The Perils of Lady Catherine De Bourgh is the third novel in the series and, so far, my favourite. Jonathan and Juliet are wonderful characters and, in this third book, they finally acknowledge the feelings they have for each other, at least to themselves. Following the past investigations, Juliet Tilney has taken an interest in criminology, making experiments in the Northanger Abbey kitchen, even though it’s not proper for a young lady in society. She is fun, smart, and witty and, like Elizabeth Bennett before her, not afraid to speak out in front of Lady Catherine. Jonathan Darcy is my favourite character. Very intelligent and sweet, but also socially awkward, he is considered strange by society. The only person who seems to accept him for who he is (besides his mother) is Juliet. Those two characters are charming and adorable and I can’t wait for more of their adventures!

Well-written, engaging, and immersive, this is the perfect series for all Jane Austen lovers out there!

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

CLAUDIA GRAY is the pseudonym of Amy Vincent. She is the author of the Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney Mysteries, which began with The Murder of Mr. Wickham. She is also the writer of multiple young adult novels, including the Evernight series, the Firebird trilogy, and the Constellation trilogy; in addition, she’s written several Star Wars novels, such as Lost Stars and Bloodline, and is one of the story architects of the High Republic series. She makes her home in New Orleans with her husband Paul and assorted small dogs.

Publication: 20th June 2024 – HarperCollins UK

When family life gives you lemons, trade them for grapes!

Mummy Ellen is on a well-earned sabbatical from work, and she has A Vision. She is going to cherish *every* moment this holiday with her Precious Moppets Peter and Jane, alongside her ride-or-die best friend, Hannah. There will be wicker baskets! Vintage bicycles! Pink sunshine wine! And not an electronic babysitter in sight.

But as she strives for her picture-perfect “Ultimate Family Summer” in the sun-kissed bliss of her almost-chateau, reality crashes the party. With small feral hell-beasts to keep alive on the daily, and Hannah suddenly and mysteriously MIA, wine o’clock gets earlier and earlier as each day crawls by.

Can she keep The Vision alive without resorting to nightly beige ‘freezer tapas’ (aka guilt-flavoured chicken nuggets)? Or will she reach the end of her Gentle Parenting book and her tether as her dream holiday descends into a nightmare?

Join Ellen on her uproarious quest to salvage one of the #18PreciousSummers, or simply find her Grape Escape.

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She’s back! The funniest and most chaotic mother in the world is back right on time for the summer holidays. This year, Ellen has decided to take a two-month sabbatical from her work (which she hates, by the way), so that she doesn’t have to juggle babysitters and summer camps during the school holidays, and she has decided to make the most of it. Together with her best friend Hannah, she’s organized fun activities, picnics and adventures (lots of “japes and frolics”) so that they can have their Summer of Happy Memories. Of course, things never go according to plan. First, Hannah leaves her alone to go and spend three weeks with her ex-husband in Cape Town, so Ellen decides to make new friends (and make Hannah jealous) by spending time with perfect yummy mummies Fiona Montague and Lucy Atkinson’s Perfect Mummy which involves healthy food, intellectual activities, and Fiona’s ever-present clipboard. Then, her disapproving mother moves in with her, luckily Ellen and her family are going to France to spend two weeks at her in-laws “chattete”, but the presence of her crystal crazy sister-in-law (who lives nearby in a house paid for by her) doesn’t help things. Also, it may be time to decide what to do with her life and the job she dreads returning to.

I love the Why Mummy series and I am always looking forward to a new story. I don’t know how many times I laughed out loud while I was reading this book. Why Mummy Drinks on Holiday is hilarious, entertaining, but also relatable as it addresses topics of friendships, how to juggle friends and family, and trying to appear different to be accepted by new friends. Highly recommended!

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

Gill Sims is the author of the hugely successful parenting blog and Facebook site ‘Peter and Jane’. Her first book Why Mummy Drinks was the bestselling hardback fiction debut of 2017, spending over six months in the top ten of the Sunday Times bestsellers chart, and was shortlisted for Debut Novel of the Year in the British Book Awards. Her globally bestselling Why Mummy… series has now sold over a million copies.

She lives in Scotland with her husband, two children and two Border terriers, because apparently one terrier didn’t cause her enough trouble.

Gill’s interests include drinking wine, wasting time on social media, trying and failing to capture her lost youth, and looking for one of the dogs when he decides to go on one of his regular jaunts, while trying to stop the other one eating unspeakable things.

Publication: 20th June 2024 – Simon & Schuster UK

She only wants three things. He isn’t one of them… 

Dumped by her cheating ex, fired from her dream job, about to lose her flat: Clementine Monroe is not having a good day. So when her sisters get her drunk and suggest reviving a childhood ritual called the breakup spell, she doesn’t see the harm in it.
 
But now Clemmie has accidentally ruined a funeral, had her first one-night stand, and she’s stuck with a new job she definitely doesn’t want – spending six weeks alone with the gorgeous and very-off-limits rock star, Theo Eliott. 
 
He’s the most famous man on the planet. Her life’s a disaster. When it comes to love, Clemmie is learning you should be careful what you wish for…

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I have read some of Laura Wood’s young adult novels, especially I enjoyed her historical romance series, The Agency for Scandal, so I was excited to read her adult debut and I can’t tell you how much I loved this book. Under Your Spell is, without any doubt, at the top of my favourite books of the year and one of the best romcom I’ve read in a while. I adored the characters, the story, the setting, and the writing is exceptional.

The protagonist of the story is Clementine “Clemmie” Monroe. As the daughter of famous rockstar Ripp Harris, she’s always been under the spotlight, especially because she and her sisters Serena and Lil were born almost at the same time from three different women and were raised together in a big house (without their rockstar father). Whenever things were bad, they did a breakup spell, but they haven’t done it since they were teenagers, when Clemmie had her heart broken. Following another break up, the loss of her job and soon of her house, Clemmie and her sisters perform another breakup spell and make three wishes. 

After a one-night stand with a stranger she met at a funeral, Clemmie is offered a very well-paid job by her sister Serena. Famous rockstar Theo Elliot is two years behind delivering his new album so his record company has organized for him to stay in a family cottage in Northumberland for six weeks, away from everyone and everything, and they need someone to babysit him and make sure that he works. With no other prospects in sight, Clemmie accepts the “babysitting” job, after all, how hard can it be? If only Theo wasn’t so handsome and charming and she wasn’t so attracted to him…

I couldn’t put down this book. Clemmie and Theo’s slow burn romance, their witty banter, the painful revelations about their past, the hilarious interruptions from their families kept me glued to the pages. I loved these two characters and how relatable and authentic they feel. She is introvert, bookish, with a love for vampire drama tv series, Chaucer and Enid Blyton, while he is honest, with a big heart and currently rediscovering his love for carbs and sugar.

Under Your Spell is a brilliant, funny, and addictive story of romance and family, but the author also addresses themes of mental health, grief, and parental neglect and it’s a story I will be thinking about for a long time (and probably rereading many times)!

A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this wonderful novel.

Laura Wood is a bestselling and acclaimed author of mostly children’s and young adult novels. Under Your Spell is her first adult novel. With a PhD in 19th-century literature, Laura lives in Warwickshire, England, with her husband, and their dog, Bea.

Publication: 6th June 2024 – Penguin Books UK

From the moment Lily Harper arrives at a remote retreat on the breath-taking Scilly Isles, she is itching to get back to civilisation – and her thriving business.

Slowing down simply isn’t in her vocabulary, and so she quickly clashes with the gorgeous but dour Sam who runs the retreat.

Just as Lily is about to give up and leave, disaster strikes, and she is involved in an incident that changes her perspective on everything.

Lily is no longer sure she wants to return to the life she thought she loved. But will she have the courage to give the retreat, and Sam, a second chance?

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Lily Harper is a workaholic and high-achiever with her own company, that promotes hand-made products, and little time for herself and for her family. After passing out in her own office and urged by her personal assistant and her brother-in-law, Lily decides that maybe it’s time to take a break so she books a two-week stay in a resort on the Scilly Islands. Except, where she expected luxury, massages, and time to make the occasional phone and video call for work, she finds a work in progress. The cottage where she will be staying is the only one finished and the only person working at the resort is the grumpy yet handsome owner, Sam Teague. With no phone signal or internet on the island there is no way she is going to survive, yet alone relax, for two weeks. Except, as she spends time drawing the beautiful Cornish landscape and helping Sam decorate the cottages, she finds herself finally relaxing, and Sam may not be as grumpy and unapproachable as she initially thought.

Second Chance Summer is my first Phillipa Ashley novel and what initially attracted me to it is the setting. Cornwall is at the top of my bucket list of places to visit and I love reading about it in novels and the author’s beautiful and detailed descriptions only increased my desire to visit it (and probably stay there forever!). While the setting was my favourite part of the novel, I also really enjoyed the story and the characters. There is romance, of course, but also friendship, family, self-discovery and new beginnings, with also a touch of intrigue thanks to ghost legends and threatening messages. Lily and Sam are two wonderful and well-developed characters, both with past experiences that still torment them. The two weeks they spend together forces not only to face their problems, but also the attraction they feel for each other.

Second Chance Summer is a well-written, heart-warming, and entertaining novel and it introduces me to an author whose past (and future) books I am already planning to read!

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

Phillipa Ashley is a Sunday Times, Amazon and Audible best-selling author of uplifting romantic fiction.

After studying English at Oxford University, she worked as a copywriter and journalist before turning her hand to writing. Since then, her novels have sold well over a million copies and have been translated into numerous languages.

Phillipa lives in an English village with her husband, has a grown-up daughter and loves nothing better than walking the Lake District hills and swimming in Cornish coves.