The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Avery's fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help - and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake-and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! We had an excellent week for new books this week, and we are excited to share! We've even already reviewed a couple.

As always, you can click on the cover to learn more about each book.

Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky

One of Us Is Lying meets Lord of the Flies meets Fyre Fest in this wickedly addictive and funny YA thriller.

Rafi Francisco needs something really special to put her true crime podcast on the map. She sets her sights on River Stone, the hearthrob musician who rose to stardom after the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend. Rafi lands herself a ticket to the exclusive Fly Fest, where River will be the headliner.

But when Rafi arrives on the Caribbean island location of Fly Fest with hundreds of other influencers and (very minor) celebrities, they quickly discover that the dream trip is more of a nightmare. And it’s not just confronting beauty gurus-gone-wild and spotty WiFi. Soon, Rafi goes from fighting for an interview to fighting for her life. And, as she gets closer to River, she discovers that he might be hiding even darker secrets than she suspected . . .

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Here is the weekly roundup in case you missed anything you might be interested in.

2023 Nature Month-By-Month: A Children’s Almanac By Anna Wilson & Elly Jahnz

Take an inspirational journey through the seasons with this updated edition of Nature Month-by-Month: A Children’s Almanac.

Beautifully illustrated by Elly Jahnz and written by nature-lover and wild swimmer Anna Wilson, this fantastic, fully illustrated guide to 2023 includes nature spotter guides, indoor and outdoor craft and activity ideas, seasonal recipes and celebrations of religious festivals and special events.

A wonderful gift to treasure and explore over the coming year, this gorgeous almanac, which has been updated with one third new material and revised design throughout, will encourage young readers to connect with nature and the world around them.

Our Big Day by Bob Johnston and Michael Emberly

Uncle David and Simon are going to get married! There's lots to do, from making the invitations to arranging the decorations, but when the wedding rings go missing just before the ceremony, Bear the dog has to use all of his special skills to help save the day!

This fun and engaging picture book is a celebration of love, family and weddings and is a gentle introduction for children to the idea of same-sex partnerships and marriage equality.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday! This week there is ONE book from our lists publishing.

The Liar's Crown by Abigail Owen (spoilers in review)

One born to rule. One to forfeit…

Everything about my life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, I have only one purpose—to sacrifice my life for my sister if death comes for her. I’ve been living under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present.

Now the queen is dead and the ageless King Eidolon has sent my sister a gift—an eerily familiar gift—and a proposal to wed. I don’t trust him, so I do what I was born to do and secretly take her place on the eve of the coronation. Which is why, when a figure made of shadow kidnaps the new queen, he gets me by mistake.

As I try to escape, all the lies start to unravel. And not just my lies. The Shadowraith who took me has secrets of his own. He struggles to contain the shadows he wields—other faces, identities that threaten my very life.

Winter is at the walls. Darkness is looming. And the only way to save my sister and our dominion is to kill Eidolon…and the Shadowraith who has stolen my heart.

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! We had a good week for new books this week, and we're even read one of these already!

As always, you can click on the cover to learn more about each book.

Cat Lady by Dawn O'Porter (one spoiler at end of review)

CAT LADY [n.]

Single, independent, crazy, aloof, on-the-shelf, lives alone . . .

It's safer for Mia to play the part that people expect. She's a good wife to her husband Tristan, a doting stepmother, she slips on her suit for work each morning like a new skin.

But beneath the surface, there's another woman just clawing to get out . . .

When a shocking event shatters the conventional life she's been so careful to build, Mia is faced with a choice. Does she live for a society that's all too quick to judge, or does she live for herself?

And if that's as an independent woman with a cat, then the world better get ready . . .

Fresh, funny and for anyone who's ever felt astray, CAT LADY will help you belong - because a woman always lands on her feet.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We did end up missing one review this week, but otherwise it's been normal.

Fox & Son Tailers by Paddy Donnelly

FOX & SONS - Makers of the Finest Traditional Tails for All Animals and Every Occasion!

Rory’s dad, Fox, is a tailer. The BEST in the business! Animals come from all over to have their tails made by him. Rory helps his dad in the shop and one of his jobs is measuring the customers for the tails - which isn't always easy!

But Rory is bored of making the same old tails. He has his own amazing ideas ...

The Nicest Girl by Sophie Jo

Sixth-former Anna Campbell is the go-to girl when anyone needs anything. Teachers, friends, random strangers... It never occurred to her that she could say no. After all, Anna Campbell's always been too 'nice' to say no. But Anna is sick of being that girl, the nice girl, and she's going to do something about it. Only, is she prepared to risk losing everything she cares about - even herself - along the way...? A novel for anyone who's ever struggled to put themselves first.

Happy #BookBirthday! (16/8)

Happy Thursday, all! This week there are FOUR books from our various lists publishing.

Bad Fruit by Ella King

LILY IS A GOOD DAUGHTER

Every evening she pours Mama a glass of perfectly spoilt orange juice. She arranges the teddy bears on Mama's quilt, she puts on her matching pink clothes. Anything to help put out the fire of Mama's rage.

MAMA IS A GOOD LIAR

But Mama is becoming unpredictable, dangerous. And as she starts to unravel, so do the memories that Lily has kept locked away for so long.

She only wanted to be good, to help piece Mama back together. But as home truths creep out of the shadows, Lily must recast everything: what if her house isn't a home - but a prison? What if Mama isn't a protector - but a monster . . .

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! This week we received two new books which we're very excited about! As always, you can click on the cover to learn more about each book.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We've had a usual week here on the blog, despite the heat wave. However, B is not well so we may miss Monday's review - it's unsure as of yet! 

The Lighthouse by Alex Bell

On Bird Rock, gannets circle and thick mist surrounds the lighthouse at its centre, hiding the secrets of a tragic past within …

From the second they set foot on the island to join their dad and his new family, Jess and Rosie feel that something’s wrong. Nightmares haunt their dreams and there seems to be someone, or something, else with them in the lighthouse – their home for the summer.

Counting down the days until they can leave, Jess and Rosie decide to investigate. But when Rosie disappears, the countdown takes on a new meaning. Especially when no one but Jess remembers Rosie at all…

Lucie Yi is not a Romantic by Lauren Ho

Management consultant Lucie Yi is done waiting for Mr. Right. After a harrowing breakup foiled her plans for children—and drove her to a meltdown in a Tribeca baby store—she’s ready to take matters into her own hands. She signs up for an elective co-parenting website to find a suitable partner with whom to procreate—as platonic as family planning can be.

Collin Read checks all of Lucie’s boxes; he shares a similar cultural background, he’s honest, and most important, he’s ready to become a father. When they match, it doesn’t take long for Lucie to take a leap of faith for her future. So what if her conservative family might not approve? When Lucie becomes pregnant, the pair return to Singapore and, sure enough, her parents refuse to look on the bright side. Even more complicated, Lucie’s ex-fiancé reappears, sparking unresolved feelings and compounding work pressures and the baffling ways her body is changing. Suddenly her straightforward arrangement is falling apart before her very eyes, and Lucie will have to decide how to juggle the demands of the people she loves while pursuing the life she really wants.

Happy #Birthday! (11/8)

Happy Thursday, all! This week there is ONE book from our various lists publishing.

The Fox's Tower by Sam Thompson

When Willow witnesses her animal-loving father, Silas, get kidnapped by a group of foxes and a huge wolf-like creature, she pursues them into the woods. There she meets wolves who tell her they know her father. Together they boldly enter the enormous tower the foxes have built deep in the forest. In the tower Willow discovers the dark project of the chief fox, Reynard, to create new life forms from magical clay buried in the Deep Forest where few can enter. To rescue her dad Willow must brave the Deep Forest and dig deep in herself to foil Reynard’s evil scheme to remake the world – but she also finds herself siding with the foxes against their new oppressor, the charismatic but wicked lion Noble.

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! As expected, B had several books waiting which we are thrilled to dig into!

As always, you can click on the covers to learn more about each book.

Tarot by Numbers by Liz Dean

Do you want to learn tarot, but feel overwhelmed by all the card meanings? Tarot by Numbers teaches you one of the easiest ways to read cards in an instant—to look at each card’s number.

Numbers are tarot’s operating system. In a tarot deck, there are 22 major arcana cards numbered 0 to 21, plus four suits of 56 cards, named the minor arcana. Just like playing cards, these minor cards are numbered Ace to 10. Even at a glance, you can see how the Ace might reveal beginnings (the idea) and the Ten, an ending (or ultimate expression of the idea). Combine the numbers with other immediate clues such as the card’s suit (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles), colors, and main image and you will be able to quickly discern the card’s meaning.

With Tarot By Numbers, you’ll discover what numbers mean in a reading, along with some professional number techniques, such as finding your tarot Birth Card by adding up the numbers in your date of birth, and discovering your ‘tarotscope’—which tarot cards influence each year of your life.

This book is perfect for tarot newbies who need an accessible route into tarot (without having to read all the history, myth, and symbolism), as well as the more experienced practitioner looking to refresh their tarot connection.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to this week's roundup of activity here on the blog.

If you're willing, I'd really appreciate you letting us know if you find this roundup useful or if you'd rather see something else here instead?

The Gathering Dark anthology

A cemetery full of the restless dead. A town so wicked it has already burned twice, with the breath of the third fire looming. A rural, isolated bridge with a terrifying monster waiting for the completion of its summoning ritual. A lake that allows the drowned to return, though they have been changed by the claws of death. These are the shadowed, liminal spaces where the curses and monsters lurk, refusing to be forgotten.

Hauntings, and a variety of horrifying secrets, lurk in the places we once called home. Written by New York Times bestselling, and other critically acclaimed, authors these stories shed a harsh light on the scariest tales we grew up with.

Cake Eater by Allyson Dahlin

She has a million followers on social media.

She uses her fashion-forward eye to pick the perfect angle and filter on every photo.

She’s iconic.

She’s a trend-setter.

She’s Marie Antoinette, the year is 3070, and she’s arrived in the Franc Kingdom to marry the prince, secure an alliance, and rake in likes from her fans.

Versailles is not the perfect palace Marie’s seen on The Apps. Her life is a maze of pointless rules, and the court watches her every move for mistakes. Her shy husband Louis is more interested in horses and computer-hacking than producing heirs. Versailles seems like a dream full of neon-lit statues, handsome android soldiers, and parties till dawn. Under the surface, it’s a creepy den of secrets: surveillance in Marie’s bedroom, censored news feeds, disappearing courtiers.

When Marie and Louis become king and queen long before they’re ready to rule, any efforts to aid their suffering subjects are stamped out by the mega-corporations of the First Estate. Between riots in Paris and image-wrecking social media firestorms, Marie can’t afford to lose her head. Using her social media savvy and Louis’ hacking knowledge, they try to fix their reputations and change their kingdom for the better, but the royals may find it’s already too late. They’re ruling over the end of an era.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This week there are FOUR books on our various lists publishing.

Cuts Both Ways by Candice Brathwaite

London is all Cynthia knows, so when her parents abruptly uproot the family after a traumatic incident, to a place where there is only one bus an hour and the faint smell of horse manure continuously permeates the air, it's a culture shock, to say the least. As is transitioning to a private school.

At her new school, Cynthia is one of the only black students. Goofy Thomas, her white lab partner, immediately takes her under his wing. He's kind and sweet, and her parents are pleased - someone like Thomas will be good for her 'future prospects'.

As much as Cynthia likes Thomas though, she can't help noticing Isaac, the only other black student in her year. He is aloof and doesn't seem to like her, but there's something about him she cannot quite get enough of...

But when it turns out both boys have been keeping secrets from her, secrets that link back to the life Cynthia thought she had left behind in London, she realises that not everything is as it seems.

Will Cynthia be able to forgive the lies and follow her heart?

#Bookpost

Happy Tuesday all! Just one book this week as we wait for B to return, no doubt to shower us with new reads!

As always you can click on the cover to learn more about the book.

The Story of Greenriver by Holly Webb

The animals of Greenriver are in danger. Can Sedge and Silken find their way along the river to each other in time to save their home? A gorgeously illustrated adventure story that readers aged 8+ will treasure.

Last spring, the otters’ home flooded. Now the water is high again.

Young otter Sedge believes he can save his holt from another flood – but he has to be brave enough travel downstream for help.

Downriver, the beaver lodge is also at risk. Silken – who is too small and weak to do the work needed to strengthen the beavers’ dam – feels something calling her up the river.

As the two animals unknowingly swim towards each other, they are drawn to the spirit of Greenriver, who takes the form of a snow-white otter, Lady River.

But will Lady River hear their plea for safety?