Book After Book

Publication: 11th February 2025 – Orbit

The third instalment in the enchanting light academia Emily Wilde books, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves, from Sunday Times bestselling author Heather Fawcett.

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of a faerie realm-as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival-now fiancé-the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare, filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world-how could an unassuming scholar like herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in-Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic-and Emily’s knowledge of stories-to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is the third novel and the delightful ending to this amazing series by Heather Fawcett, although I am keeping all my fingers crossed for more Emily and Wendell’s adventures! 

I really enjoyed this series from the very first book. It’s an atmospheric cozy fantasy with magical folklore, intrigue, wit, and romance and a wonderful cast of characters, especially the protagonist, Emily Wilde, a highly esteemed professor of Folk studies and now their reluctant queen, and the always charming heir to the throne Wendell Bambleby. I have loved Emily and Wendell’s relationship from the very beginning, with their banter, her resolve and scholarly attitude against his easy and striking disposition and the way their rivalry turned into love. 

In this third book, Wendell and Emily are ready to take Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, but there are challenges and enemies to face and curses to break, everything faithfully narrated through Emily detailed journals, which also include Wendell adorable love letters to her. Old friends return to help them save the realm, as Emily delves into old stories to also save the man she loves.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is an enchanting, heartwarming, and thrilling story with an ending that both gave me a nice sense of closure, but also left me wishing there was still more to come!

A huge thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the proof of this fantastic novel in exchange of my honest opinion.

Heather Fawcett is the author of the middle grade novels Ember and the Ice Dragons and The Language of Ghosts, as well as the young adult series Even the Darkest Stars. She has a master’s degree in English literature and has worked as an archaeologist, photographer, technical writer, and backstage assistant for a Shakespearean theater festival. She lives on Vancouver Island, Canada.

Publication: 13th February 2025 – Bantam

Six thriller authors. One writing retreat.
You’d die to be on the guest list . . .

The Host
Legendary mystery author J. R. Alastor’s books are sold all over the world, but no one knows his real name. After years hiding in the shadows, he has sent out six invitations to an exclusive murder mystery retreat on his private island.

The Assistant
Mila del Angél has been hired to ensure the week runs smoothly. She has yearned for revenge on a ghost from her past for years – and this could be her chance to get it.

The Players
The six bestselling thriller writers accept their invitations without question – it’s an opportunity any author would kill for.

The Game
What should have been a week of trope-filled games takes a sinister turn when one guest is found dead, and the others find themselves in the midst of a nightmare drawn from Alastor’s dark imagination. They may have written thrillers – but now they and Mila must survive one…

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

If you love locked-room mysteries full of puzzles to solve and twists then I can’t recommend this book enough. I was quickly caught in You Are Fatally Invited and I stayed up late at night to finish reading it. I am not sure what attracted me most, if the reclusive author no one has ever met, the remoteness of the setting, the riddles to solve and the secrets to unravel, or the tribute it pays to one of my favourite books ever, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Probably, all these things together, and all I know is that I couldn’t put it down until I reached the end.

Told from different perspectives, the story revolves around J. R. Alastor, a legendary author whose identity no one seems to know. He has invited six authors to his remote manor off the coast of Maine for an exclusive writing retreat, but, when they arrive there, the big author is not there welcoming them as they expected, but there is Mila, an event planner hired for the occasion. There are games and riddles planned for the guests, but what they don’t know is that both Alastor and Mila have their own secret plans for the guests. For Mila is murdering one of the guests, but what is exactly Alastor’s agenda? As the guests start to disappear and are being murdered one by one, Mila discovers that she is trapped in a house with people full of secrets and crimes and that Alastor has every intention to reveal them. Who will survive? And who can she trust?

This is such a brilliant, suspenseful, and smart read. You never know what to expect next (although I managed to figure out a few things in advance), you don’t know who is telling the truth, you don’t know who will make it out alive. I loved it!

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

Ande Pliego began writing stories when she discovered she could actually wield her overactive imagination for good. A lover of stories with teeth, she writes books involving mind games, dark humour, general murder and mayhem, characters pushed to the edge of themselves, and most importantly, finding the hope in the dark.

When not reading or writing, she can usually be found dabbling in art, scheming up her next trip, or making constant expeditions to the library. Born in Florida, raised in France, and having left footprints all over the globe, Ande is settled in the Pacific Northwest, USA, with her craftsman husband and little son.

Publication: 13th February 2025 – Quercus

Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they’re frozen – or so their inside joke goes. Most people don’t know that they travel back in time to complete their research.

The latest assignment sees Ali venture back farther than they have dared before: to 1850s London in order to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the eccentric great-grandfather of MP Isaac Templeton. Rumour has it that Cain was part of a sinister group called The Collectors; to become a member, you had to kill a woman…

Fearing for her safety in the middle of a freezing Victorian winter, Ali finds herself stuck in time, unable to make her way back to her life, her beloved colleagues, and her son, Finn, who suddenly finds himself in legal trouble in the present day.

Could the two cases be connected?

Set your clocks to February 2025 and get ready for an original, transportive and characterful new crime novel from no. 1 bestselling author Elly Griffiths. Perfect for those missing the Dr Ruth Galloway series and for any crime and historical fiction fans.

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

When I learned that The Frozen People was about a team who investigates cold cases by going back in time, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but years of reading the Ruth Galloway series have taught me that you can’t ever go wrong with a Elly Griffiths novel, so I was quite intrigued.

At the heart of the story there is a secret team of detectives, tech geniuses, and scientists, so secret that only a few people in the high places of the government know about it, and they can travel back in time to find evidence for their cases. The protagonist, Ali Dawson, has already travelled back in time a few times, but, on this occasion, she is asked to go all the way back to Victorian England in 1850. The mission is to find out more about a series of murders happening at the time that could be linked to a mysterious group called “The Collectors” and one of its members is an ancestor of an important MP. And while Ali is stuck in a freezing Victorian winter, in the present time, another murder puts her son in prison. Will Ali be able to return and prove his innocence?

The Frozen People is such a fantastic and engaging read. It’s atmospheric and sinister and I love the dual time perspective: when we were in the past I couldn’t wait to return to the present to see what was going on and vice versa. Ali is an amazing protagonist. Throughout the novel, we learn about her past, how she moved to London and raised a child on her own as a young single mother, while working and going to university, we learn about her three ex husbands and how she entered the police force. Ali is independent, brave, and sassy, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for her!

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

Elly Griffiths is the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and the Brighton Mysteries. She has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, has been shortlisted five times for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for The Lantern Men. Her new series featuring Detective Harbinder Kaur began with The Stranger Diaries, which was a Richard and Judy book club pick and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in the USA. It was followed by The Postscript Murders, shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and Bleeding Heart Yard. Elly has two grown-up children and lives near Brighton with her archaeologist husband.

Publication: 13th February 2025 – Hodder & Stoughton

Loch Down Abbey is full of guests for a Highland Ball. Including several uninvited members of the Inverkillen clan, the Abbey’s former residents. Housekeeper Mrs MacBain thinks her biggest challenge will be finding suitable rooms for everyone and keeping the peace at cocktail hour.

Until the morning after the ball, when one of the guests is discovered inside the Abbey’s library – as dead as a doornail.

Who would have had motive to want them dead? And how did they manage to commit their crime and escape while keeping the door locked from the inside?

With an Abbey full of suspects and secrets, it is down to Mrs MacBain to catch the killer before they strike again…

A brilliantly twisty and deliciously witty Golden Age murder mystery to transport you to 1930s Scotland. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Janice Hallett and Richard Osman.

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

I am delighted to return to Loch Down Abbey and its colorful inhabitants with their secrets and murders to solve.

Set in the 1930s in the Scottish Highlands, the story picks up a few years after the events of Loch Down Abbey. What once was the residence of the Ogilvy-Sinclair family, is now a luxury hotel. While some members of the family have remained on the estate working for the hotel, others have scattered around the world, but they are now returning for the first Highland Ball organized by Mrs McBain, the former head housekeeper and now the owner of Loch Down Abbey Hotel. The return of the Inverskillen clan means drama and having to deal with arguments and rivalries between the siblings. Add uninvited guests full of luggage and secrets and there is enough for Mrs McBain and her staff to keep busy. Luckily, the ball seems to go smoothly until one of the guests is found murdered the next morning. It is up to Mrs McBain to help constable Jarvis find the killer.

I didn’t know that Loch Down Abbey was the first in a series so when I saw that there was going to be a new book I was really excited because I adored it. And Only Murders in the Abbey is a fantastic sequel. If you love cozy crimes with humour and eccentric characters, then this is the right book for you. The Ogilvy-Sinclair family is once again self-centered and too immersed in their own problems to notice anyone else around them, while Mrs McBain manages to keep everything under control in a calm and steady manner even in front of the most demanding guests. 

Only Murders in the Abbey is a wonderful read: well-paced, beautifully-written, a murder full of twists, and, my favourite of all, with a Scottish backdrop. I hope there will be more books in the series!

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

Beth Cowan-Erskine wrote her first novel, Loch Down Abbey, during the pandemic, mostly because she had nothing better to do. There is only so much sourdough one can bake. Her second novel came about when her husband, sensing literary fame and an early retirement, moved her to the most depressing place in England so she could turn it into a series. Happily for him, Lady Georgina kept waking her up with plotline notes, and thus we have another book. Enjoy. The author now lives in the Scottish Highlands and there is no telling what will happen next.

Publication: 9th February 2025 – Boldwood Books

Dare she risk her secrets?

In the world of upstairs/downstairs, Housemaid Penny Smith anticipates her employer’s needs and blends into the background making her the perfect spy for the prime minister against a suspected member of the Devil’s Sons. There’s only one problem. When she meets the guilty marquess, his actions don’t match the evidence against him. Lord William Renquist defies her every expectation and sets her traitorous heart racing.

Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway and secret spy to Queen Victoria, must infiltrate the Devil’s Sons, tearing the brotherhood apart from the inside. His mission – to bring evil men to justice while atoning for the sins of his family, proving honour is stronger than tainted blood. There’s only one problem. A canny maid who is always in the right place at the wrong time and who deliciously challenges his every order.

Liam and Penny are unknowingly playing a dangerous game from opposite sides of justice. And at a masked ball, forbidden attraction burns into something far more complex as their secrets spin into daring confessions. This battle against their enemy will only be won if Penny and Liam can work together. But can a maid from downstairs ever trust an upstairs marquess?

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/theconfessionsofalady

It’s my turn on the blog tour for The Confessions of a Lady, the new fantastic novel by Darcy McGuire.

The Confessions of a Lady is the third book in the Queen’s Deadly Damsels series in which an organization known as the Devil’s Sons, consisting of powerful men, is involved in human trafficking. Queen Victoria and the Prime Minister are determined to stop the group once and for all with the help of a separate group of determined and brave women and war veterans.

In this third book, the protagonist is Penny Smith, who all her life has known suffering and poverty, but now has the chance to save her mother from prison. All she has to do is find proof that Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway, is a member of the Devil’s Sons, so she finds a job as a maid at his house, but she doesn’t expect to be so attracted to him. What Penny doesn’t know is that Liam not only is also equally attracted to her, but he is actually working undercover to destroy the Devil’s Sons.

This was such a fun read! There is spicy romance, secret spies, and suspense all set in Victorian England. Penny is resourceful and brazen, while Liam tries to amend for the mistakes of his family by bringing down the organization that destroyed it and I loved their chemistry and their witty exchanges.

Well-written, witty, entertaining, and engrossing, The Confessions of a Lady is the perfect read if you love bold heroines, spy romances, and strong friendships. Also, although this is the third book in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend the entire series. I can’t wait for the next book!

A huge thank you to Rachel and Boldwood Books for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and providing me with a proof of the novel.

Darcy McGuire is an award-winning New Zealand-born writer now living in the Pacific Northwest. She will write a five-part Victorian romance series for Boldwood, focused on a group of ‘Deadly Damsels’.

Facebook: AuthorDarcyMcGuire

Instagram: @authordarcymcguire

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/DarcyMcGuireNews

Bookbub profile: @meleemcguire

Publication: 13th February 2025 – Hemlock Press

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Tiktok sensation MURDER IN THE FAMILY and the DI Adam Fawley series comes a brand new gripping crime thriller about a figure from the past…

In 2016, eight-year-old Daisy Mason vanished from her Oxford home.

Her disappearance made the national press and the final culprit shocked everyone. DCI Adam Fawley remembers the case well, he arrested Daisy’s mother for murder himself.

But her body was never found.

Now, forensic evidence at a current murder scene calls the whole case into question. DCI Adam Fawley and the team are brought back in to investigate. And they all have one question on their minds.

What really happened to Daisy Mason?

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

The DI Fawley series is one of my favourite and I am always looking forward to a new investigation, but Making a Killing even exceeded my expectations. The first book in the series, Close to Home, is actually one of my favourite, not only because it made me fall in love with the series and its characters and become a fan of the author, but also because its ending was so unexpected. And now that case is back to haunt DI Adam and his team.

A few years ago, eight-year-old Daisy Mason disappeared from her home during a party and the investigation was suspenseful and full of surprises. Now, when the body of a woman is found buried in a shallow grave in the woods, the police also finds evidence connected to that case and Fawley is called to reopen the Mason case. And, once again, Cara Hunter proves that she is an incredible storyteller who can keep me on the edge of my seat from the first to the last page with all the twists and turns.  

I was curious to see what the characters were up to: everyone has gone for a different path or has been promoted. DI Adam Fawley is now DCI Adam Fawley, while, on the family side, his six-year-old daughter keeps him on his toes, Quinn is a DI and he’s married, and DC Somer is working as a Ministry of Justice intermediary.

I was happy that the story is again told in different formats, from newspaper articles to readers’ comments, from journals to police reports, and the story is intriguing and addictive with, once again, a surprising ending that makes me wait eagerly for the next one! 

A huge thank you to Hemlock Press and NetGalley for a proof of this terrific book!

Cara Hunter is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling crime novels featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. Her books have sold over a million copies in the UK alone, and have been translated into 27 languages so far. The fifth book, The Whole Truth, was a Richard and Judy summer pick for 2021. The series is now in script development for TV, and the screen rights to Murder in the Family have been acquired by Neal Street Productions.

Publication: 6th February 2025 – Macmillan

From the author of the Legends of Thezmarr series, Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer is an epic romantasy filled with a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance, dark magic and a world of assassins and warriors. Perfect for fans of The Witcher and The Bridge Kingdom.

Alchemist. Poisoner. Storm wielder.

Wren Embervale, alchemist-turned-assassin, finds solace in only one thing: seeking vengeance for the death of her friends from wars past. But when an unknown form of alchemy is used to attack a king of the war-torn midrealms, Wren is charged with finding a cure for the strange new poison. Offered a place at the ancient alchemy academy of Drevenor, she must claim her spot by conquering the Gauntlet – a gruelling series of deadly trials that could cost her sanity, or her life.

Yet the biggest threat of all might come from the man assigned to protect her – Torj Elderbrock, the silver-haired war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge. Their shared history ignites a simmering tension that threatens to consume them both. With peace between the kingdoms as fragile as ever, and enemies lurking around every corner, Wren will discover whether love can truly heal all wounds – or if it is in fact the most lethal poison of all . . .

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

This book had me hooked from the first page. The romance and the chemistry between the two protagonists, the tension and the twists, the world-building and the magic, and that fantastic ending that left me eagerly waiting for the sequel. 

The two protagonists are Wren and Torj. Wren is an alchemist, still haunted from the trauma of the war and from seeing her sister and best friends brutally killed which has set her on her own path of vengeance. All her life she’s dreamed of being accepted into the alchemy academy and her dream is finally coming true. All she has to do is find the cure to a new poison and accept the bodyguard assigned to protect her. Torj is a warrior and war hero and their past history can be better defined as quite complicated. Wren doesn’t want him shadowing her every step and being near her gives him conflicting feelings. However, they don’t have any choice. And between deadly trials, cursed wounds, and hidden enemies and allies, they must learn to trust each other.

It was a good thing that I read Iron & Embers during my Christmas holidays as I couldn’t put it down. And I was so engrossed in the story that it took me a while to figure out that Iron & Embers is actually the first book in the sequel of The Legends of Thezmarr series, so now I need to get my hands on the other series. The plot is intriguing and addictive and I loved the slow-burn romance, the found family theme, the forced proximity, and also the flashbacks to the past that gives a glimpse of the tension and attraction that has been burning for five years between Wren and Torj.

The ending was explosive and completely unexpected and I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2!

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

Helen Scheuerer is the author of the bestselling fantasy series, The Oremere Chronicles, the Curse of the Cyren Queen quartet and The Legends of Thezmarr. Her work has been highly praised for its strong, flawed female characters and its action-packed plots. Helen’s love of writing and books led her to pursue a creative writing degree and a Master’s in Publishing. She has been a full-time author since 2018 and now lives amidst the mountains in New Zealand, where she is constantly dreaming up new stories.

Publication: 7th January 2025 – Quercus

Two twins. An unbroken bond. A truth unspoken.

The only thing James and Johnny Golden have ever had is each other. For as long as she can remember, James’s deep connection with her twin brother, Johnny, has gone beyond intuition – she can feel what he feels. So, when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone and that she’s alone – truly alone – for the first time in her life.

When James arrives in the rural town of Hawthorne, California to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to rehash the ominous past she and Johnny shared and finally face Micah, the only person who knows about it. He’s also the only man she’s ever loved.

But James soon discovers that the strange connection she had with Johnny isn’t quite gone, and the more she immerses herself into his world, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew. Johnny was keeping secrets, and he’s not the only one.

What she uncovers will push her to unravel what happened in the days before Johnny’s death, but in the end, she’ll have to decide which truths should come to light, and which should stay buried forever.

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

I love Adrienne Young’s novels. I adore her immersive stories, her wonderful cast of complex and intriguing characters, and her beautiful writing that captivates you from the first to the very last page.

A Sea of Unspoken Things is her latest fascinating novel set in the small town of Hawthorne. The protagonist, James Golden, left the town when she was 18 years old and she hasn’t been back until now, following the mysterious death of her twin brother Johnny. She’s always had a special connection with her brother Johnny so that she knew the exact moment he died and now she is back to get his affairs in order, including finishing an environmental project he was involved in. But James has other reasons to return to Hawthorne. First of all, she is convinced that her brother’s death was no accident and may also be connected to the tragic event that made her leave town. And then there is Micah, her first love and the boy, now a man, whose heart she broke when she left. And he is probably the only person she can now trust. 

While The Unmaking of June Farrow still remains my favourite novel by Adrienne Young, I really enjoyed A Sea of Unspoken Things. It is haunting, chilling, and atmospheric with evocative descriptions and interesting characters together with supernatural elements, an intriguing and intense mystery, and an exciting romance. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

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

Adrienne Young is the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of Spells for Forgetting, the Sky in the Deep duology and the Fable series. When she’s not writing, you can find her on her yoga mat, on a walk in the woods, or planning her next travel adventure. She lives and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

Publication: 2nd May 2024 – Macmillan

Ten days. Eight suspects. Six cities. Five authors. Three bodies. One trip to die for.

Eleanor Dash, bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series, is on a book tour along the gorgeous Amalfi Coast when life starts imitating art as her ex-boyfriend (and book protagonist) Connor Smith is targeted by a killer.

Eleanor’s sleuthing skills are about to be put to the ultimate test as – among literary rivals, rabid fans, a crazed stalker and another ex-flame on tour with her – suspicions are flying faster than paperbacks off a bestseller shelf. But who is really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is The White Lotus meets Only Murders in the Building and the first in an irresistible and whip-smart mystery series.

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the publication of the book that made her a best-selling author, Eleanor Dash is in Italy for a promotional tour. Accompanying her are Connor, the charming and yet annoying former private investigator she fell in love ten years earlier and took her on the investigation that inspired her novel; Harper, her sister and assistant who seems to be keeping secrets from her; Oliver, her ex-boyfriend who she is still in love with; Allison, Connor’s ex-wife who is always so nice; Guy, a former private investigator carrying a gun; Shek, a disgruntled author; Emily, a young publishing sensation whose book looks to be the exact copy of Eleanor’s debut novel; Isabella, the stranger girl that Connor picked up on the plane and who doesn’t mind all their shenanigans and drama; a group of fans that includes Eleanor’s own stalker; and let’s not forget the tour guide who seems to have no knowledge of Roman history.

Between the ruins of Rome and Pompeii and boat tours around Capri, someone seems determined to get rid of Connor and, as Eleanor uses her detective skills to figure out who may want him dead (and the list is long), she discovers that Connor may not be the only one in danger. Partly funny, partly twisty, I honestly adored this novel and I read it in one sitting. I loved the characters, especially as I rooted for Eleanor and Oliver to get back together, and I loved the author’s writing and how the narrator interacts with the reader, involving them in the investigation as it progresses throughout the novel.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the first book in the Vacation Mysteries series and I am already looking forward to reading its sequel, No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding, of which the ending already gives us an exciting and captivating peak! Highly recommended!!!

A huge thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for a proof of this brilliant novel.

Catherine Mack (she/her) is the pseudonym for the USA Today and Globe & Mail bestselling author of over a dozen novels. Her books are approaching two million copies sold worldwide and have been translated into multiple languages including French, German, Portuguese, and Polish. Television rights to Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies and its forthcoming sequels sold in a major auction to Fox TV for development into a series, with Mack writing the pilot script. A dual Canadian and US citizen, she splits her time between Canada and various warmer locations in the US.

Publication: 28th November 2024 – Viking

I WOULD TURN THE WORLD TO DARKNESS FOR YOU

In a world ruled by the Stars, cruel and merciless gods, Elara has been cursed by fate.

A prophecy promises she will fall for a Star, but it will kill them both.

When the Star of wrath and war descends to hunt Elara, the neighbouring kingdom sees an opportunity to take her from her home, the Kingdom of Night, to Helios, the Kingdom of Light – where she strides straight into the arms of an enemy prince.

There, Elara is forced to either let Prince Lorenzo train her into a weapon worthy of battling against the tyrannical reign of the Stars, or to accept her fate.

But there are shadows even within the Kingdom of Light, and they threaten to reveal the darkness in Lorenzo’s past and the ancient magic that slumbers in Elara’s veins – and with it all, the undeniable, star-crossed pull between them…

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

Lately I have been a bit dissatisfied with my latest romantasy reads, so I went into Heavenly Bodies a bit wary, afraid that, despite the good reviews I read, this would be another disappointment for me, but I was delighted to find that it hooked me from the very first page. Right from the strong badass heroine, a princess without a kingdom who is taken prisoner from the enemy king to be used as a weapon against the cruel Stars who rule their world. Enter a charming and handsome prince tasked with helping her develop her power and the tension and the banter between these two kept me glued to the pages.

There is also a dooming prophecy, complex magic, a ruthless king and brutal gods, a fantastic cast of side characters, masked balls and sexy dances, and quite a few twists and turns that took me by surprise.

I genuinely liked the two protagonists and how their enemies-to-lovers story develops: smart, loyal, and determined, Elara can walk through dreams and is shadow, while adorable and fearless Lorenzo “Enzo” is light and he would do anything to protect Elara. Both are haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, by their losses and griefs, and I was completely invested in how they find each other and go through them.

I loved everything about this book: the brilliant writing, the incredible world-building, the addictive and riveting story, the wonderful and engaging characters, the slow-burn romance between the star-crossed lovers, and that unexpected ending that left me in absolute need of the sequel. Highly recommended! 

A huge thank you to Viking and NetGalley for a proof of this fantastic novel.

Imani Erriu is the author of the romance fantasy series Heavenly Bodies. She is a graduate from the Manchester Metropolitan University where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.

A Lake District born girl, she spent most of her childhood in the forests of the English countryside, which definitely gifted her an overactive imagination. When she isn’t crying over her own fictional characters or daydreaming up her next plot twist, she can be found eating pasta and watching The Office on repeat.