Lady’s Well: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 20) by LJ Ross

Lady’s Well: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 20)

by LJ Ross

I was so excited to finally be catching back up with Ryan and Phillips (and the team). It had been far too long!

I thoroughly enjoyed the story behind Lady’s Well. An interesting tale historically as well as being a suspenseful murder mystery.

It was great to be back in the northeast again. It seemed like only yesterday since I’d read Bamburgh and that was 2022! (I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get back on track with this series. I feel quite ashamed! Sorry, Louise!)

Returning to these characters feels a lot like catching up with old friends. Once again, they have made me smile, laugh, and admire their professionalism and friendships.

I was thrilled to be able to jump straight into book 21, Death Rocks….

THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE WATER…

When the ancient waters of Lady’s Well in the rural village of Holystone begin to run red, it seems to be a nasty Hallowe’en prank and nothing more. But things take a sinister turn when the entire village suffers severe poisoning, and one old man turns up dead.

Accusations abound in the small, close-knit community, and ‘old’ religions spar against ‘new’ while fear runs like wildfire through the streets. With so many potential motives and countless opportunities, there’s only one man who can help solve this particular mystery…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

Death Rocks: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 21)

by LJ Ross

Death Rocks treats us an extremely complex and fascinating case. I had absolutely no idea how these seemingly random murders could possibly be linked. This is possibly one of the cleverest plot lines to date. I raced through this book as I couldn’t wait to see what the team would uncover next. I was absolutely not prepared for what they eventually discover. Traumatic would be an understatement!

Again, I was thankful to be able to jump straight into book 22, Poison Garden….

THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A COINCIDENCE…

When the body of a talented photographer is found on the rocks beneath the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, DCI Ryan and his team of detectives immediately suspect the worst. But, since none of their potential suspects seems to have a motive, the case runs cold.

Then, when another body is found dead on a lonely stretch of road near Hadrian’s Wall and their only suspect has an airtight alibi, the team are faced with another crime without a perpetrator.

With the number of unexplained deaths in the area increasing rapidly and only a series of coincidences to work from, Ryan and his team must find the invisible link between them to crack the case—before it’s too late.

Can Ryan solve his most dangerous case yet?

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

Poison Garden: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 22)

by LJ Ross

Poison Garden carries on where Death Rocks left off and I’m so glad I had it ready to read straight away as I don’t think I could have rested again until I did. I think this might be the tensest book of this series so far and my heart went out to Frank in particular. I do love Frank. He’s my favourite character of the series. I’ve even named my highland cow (soft toy) after him. Lol!

I find the whole Poison Garden thing fascinating too. I’m not sure if I’d like to actually visit or not. Knowing my luck I’d do Lowerson. Lol! (I.Y.K.Y.K). It’s quite scary how easily it is for people to find out, a – how to poison someone and b – where to find what you need to do so.

Another gripping story with the most fabulous cast of characters. If you haven’t started this series yet, you really should. You won’t be disappointed!

I can’t wait to continue with book 23, Belsay….

Watch this space!

The clock is ticking…

For Detective Chief Inspector Ryan, the stakes have never been higher. Most of the world thinks he’s dead, killed by an assasin’s rifle in his own home. But another man took the bullet intended for him, and now Ryan’s living on borrowed time. As long as he stays ‘dead’, in the sanctuary of his parents’ home in Devon, there’s a chance to find the people behind the deadly killing network. It’s only a matter of time before his secret’s uncovered, and nowhere will be safe.

Back in Northumberland, Ryan’s team are called in to investigate the mysterious death of a man in Alnwick, who collapsed yards from the walls of its Mediaeval castle. When a second person is rushed to hospital with the same symptoms, her life hangs in the balance unless they can discover the toxic substance that’s killing her. For DCs Lowerson and Reed, there’s only one place to look for inspiration—the Poison Garden…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

Happy reading!

Winterkill (Dark Iceland Book 6) by Ragnar Jónasson (Author), David Warriner (Translator)

Winterkill (Dark Iceland Book 6)

by Ragnar Jónasson (Author), David Warriner (Translator)

I finally had a chance to read Winterkill, and I am so glad I did as I have loved this series. Ari Thór is a brilliant character who I feel we have gotten to know quite well over the last six books.

I feel sad for him that his relationship with the mother of his child didn’t work out. It sounds like it can be a lonely life in Siglufjörður. Ari Thor has much to occupy his time though with another tragic death on his doorstep to figure out. The very sad loss of such a young life. A case not as straight forward as it first seems to be.

I love the police procedural aspects of this series, and I love the insights we get into the character’s personal lives. The descriptions of the location and weather conditions always add to the tension surrounding these cases, and the desperate need to find out the truth as quickly as humanly possible.

Another excellent addition to a brilliant series.

A blizzard is approaching Siglufjörður, and that can only mean one thing…

When the body of a nineteen-year-old girl is found on the main street of Siglufjörður, Police Inspector Ari Thór battles a violent Icelandic storm in an increasingly dangerous hunt for her killer … The chilling, claustrophobic finale to the international bestselling Dark Iceland series.

Easter weekend is approaching, and snow is gently falling in Siglufjörður, the northernmost town in Iceland, as crowds of tourists arrive to visit the majestic ski slopes.

Ari Thór Arason is now a police inspector, but he’s separated from his girlfriend, who lives in Sweden with their three-year-old son. A family reunion is planned for the holiday, but a violent blizzard is threatening and there is an unsettling chill in the air.

Three days before Easter, a nineteen-year-old local girl falls to her death from the balcony of a house on the main street. A perplexing entry in her diary suggests that this may not be an accident, and when an old man in a local nursing home writes `She was murdered´ again and again on the wall of his room, there is every suggestion that something more sinister lies at the heart of her death…

As the extreme weather closes in, cutting the power and access to Siglufjörður, Ari Thór must piece together the puzzle to reveal a horrible truth … one that will leave no one unscathed.

Chilling, claustrophobic and disturbing, Winterkill is a startling addition to the multi-million-copy bestselling Dark Iceland series and cements Ragnar Jónasson as one of the most exciting and acclaimed authors in crime fiction.

Happy reading!

Too Late by Colleen Hoover 

Too Late

by Colleen Hoover 

Too Late is quite different to what I typically read, but I really enjoyed it.

I soon found myself immersed in Sloan’s messed up world. She’s a likeable character. Caught in a seemingly impossible situation, sacrificing her own happiness, and safety even, in the belief that at least she’s keeping her brother safe and comfortable in the facility he needs. I can’t see any reason why she would be with someone like Asa otherwise. What a nasty piece of work he is. However, as the story progresses you can sort of understand him a bit better. You could never condone any of his behaviour but it’s easier to understand how he turned out the way he is.

Enter Carter and Sloan’s world is turned completely upside down. The chemistry between them is off the charts, but both of their situations make it extremely difficult for them to just run off into the sunset to be together.

A captivating read which I found to be heart-wrenching and disturbing in equal measure.

Sloan will go through hell and back for those she loves. And she does so, every single day. Caught up with the alluring Asa Jackson, a notorious drug trafficker, Sloan has finally found a lifeline to cling to, even if it’s meant compromising her morals. She was in dire straits trying to pay for her brother’s care until she met Asa. But as Sloan became emotionally and economically reliant on him, he in turn developed a disturbing obsession with her – one that becomes increasingly dangerous every day.

When undercover DEA agent Carter enters the picture, Sloan’s surprised to feel an immediate attraction between them, despite knowing that if Asa finds out, he will kill him. And Asa has always been a step ahead of everyone in his life, including Sloan. No one has ever gotten in his way.

No one except Carter.

Together, Sloan and Carter must find a way out before it’s too late . . .

Happy reading!

Rewrite the Stars by Emma Heatherington 

Rewrite the Stars

by Emma Heatherington 

First, I need to start by apologising to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this incredibly late review. When I first joined NetGalley it was all very exciting (it still is to be fair) and I didn’t then know how to say no. I was very new to book blogging and didn’t want to refuse any arcs or let anyone down. I soon realised though that there are only so many hours in a day, days in a week, etc. etc. I’m much better at not over committing myself now. However, it has left me with a significant number of archived books still on my NetGalley shelf. I have now set myself the challenge of clearing my unread shelf entirely before I read any other Kindle books. They’re all on a separate wheel on my spin-the-wheel app. This was chosen at random.

Rewrite the Stars is the first book I’ve read my Emma Heatherington, and I hope it won’t be my last.

It’s a far from straight forward story about love and family loyalty.

I was torn between really feeling for Charlotte. Missing out on potentially the love of her life out of loyalty to her brother. Having no real option but to attempt to move on. Then, as her story progresses, to risk turning her comfortable life upside down, and breaking the heart of a good man, on a what if!? By this point I was willing her to make the right decision, although I could understand her conflicted feelings.

A real rollercoaster of emotion!

Loved it and will happily recommend.

I look forward to adding more of this author’s books to my TBR.

From the moment they meet one December day there’s something between Charlotte Taylor and her brother’s best friend, Tom Farley. But Tom’s already taken and Charlie has to let him go…

It’s another five years before their paths cross again only a secret from the past forces Charlie to make a choice. She promises herself she’ll never look back…

The years pass and Charlie moves on with her life but she can never forget Tom. He’s always there whispering ‘What if?’.

Can Charlie leave the life she has built for one last chance with Tom? Or is the one that got away not really the one at all…?

Happy reading!

#FlashbackFriday September 2026

Hi, and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature!

On the first Friday of each month, I like to look back at the books I was reading the previous year during the same month.

Please do join in if you have the time, I’d love to see your posts 🙂

A big thank you to those who already join in regularly! x

Here are my reviews from September 2025 + a link to previous September FBFs….

Happy reading!

The Saboteur of Auschwitz: A British POW’s Eyewitness Account by Colin Rushton 

The Saboteur of Auschwitz: A British POW’s Eyewitness Account

by Colin Rushton 

The Saboteur of Auschwitz is another heart-wrenching account of the atrocities that went on in Auschwitz. It’s incredible that anyone managed to survive. It must have seemed like such a hopeless situation. I can’t even begin to imagine.

This is the first book I’ve read from the point of view of a British prisoner of war though. I wasn’t even aware there were British POWs held there, which shows my ignorance. I’ve learned new things again from this perspective and I think it’s important that we learn as much as we can about this horrific time in history. I can understand why those who survived are telling their stories. Especially those who are keeping promises to others who asked them to make sure they tell the world what they went through, if they survived long enough to do so.

It’s shocking that there are a massive number of children in this world that actually think these stories are fictional! That really needs to be rectified.

In 1942, young British soldier Arthur Dodd was taken prisoner by the German Army and transported to Oswiecim in Polish Upper Silesia. The Germans gave it another name, now synonymous with mankind’s darkest hours. They called it Auschwitz.

Forced to do hard labour, starved and savagely beaten, Arthur thought his life would end in Auschwitz. Determined to go down fighting, he sabotaged Nazi industrial work, risked his life to alleviate the suffering of the Jewish prisoners and aided a partisan group planning a mass break-out.

This shocking true story sheds new light on the operations at the camp, exposes a hierarchy of prisoner treatment by the SS and presents the largely unknown story of the military POWs held there.

Just Between Friends by Rosie Nixon 

Just Between Friends

by Rosie Nixon 

First, I need to start by apologising to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this incredibly late review. When I first joined NetGalley it was all very exciting (it still is to be fair) and I didn’t then know how to say no. I was very new to book blogging and didn’t want to refuse any arcs or let anyone down. I soon realised though that there are only so many hours in a day, days in a week, etc. etc. I’m much better at not over committing myself now. However, it has left me with a significant number of archived books still on my NetGalley shelf. I have now set myself the challenge of clearing my unread shelf entirely before I read any other Kindle books. They’re all on a separate wheel on my spin-the-wheel app. This was the third, chosen at random.

I really, really enjoyed Just Between Friends.

It has been a long time since I was pregnant, but I remember it well, so I found many aspects of this story relatable. I never joined any baby groups though. I don’t think there was much opportunity to back then (my children are 26 & 24!). Things are very different these days. There weren’t gender reveals and baby showers etc. when I was having my two! We weren’t rich either.

This book is full of interesting characters. Some more likeable than others! It’s funny at times, tense at other times, moving also. Having a baby undoubtedly changes your life and comes with many worries. In Lucy’s case more worries than most.

I must admit I did twig what was going on with Lucy quite early on in her friendship with Aisha. My heart went out to Aisha. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out how it was all going to pan out. Such a heart-breaking situation to find yourself in, let alone when you’re pregnant.

I didn’t see the ending coming though.

An entertaining read, I highly recommend!

Aisha Moore is eight months pregnant. She’s thrilled, and a little scared. Not least because her husband Jason hasn’t quite wrapped his head around the fact.

Lucy is having her first child too. She has finally got her wish – although the circumstances aren’t quite what she had hoped. Oscar will be a great dad though, won’t he?

When the two women join the same baby group, they quickly become friends and before long they’re confiding in each other.

Only there’s one thing Lucy hasn’t told Aisha. And while a baby may turn your life upside-down, a secret this big will change everything.

Happy reading!

Spare, Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex – Audible Audiobook

Spare

Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex

Format: Audible Audiobook

I have conflicted feelings since listening to the Audible edition of Spare. Prince Harry was always one of my favourite royals. I’m not entirely sure what I think these days if I’m honest. No matter what anyone says we will never really know what goes on/has gone on behind closed doors. I can only assume everything he tells us in this book is true because as far as I’m aware he hasn’t been sued for libel.

I find the whole situation really, really sad. We never know how long we have people for and I always find it sad when families are estranged, although I do understand that some people are negative influences in our lives and, blood or not, we do sometimes have to distance ourselves for the sake of our own mental health.

Do I agree with the way he has handled certain situations over the last few years, no. Having said that I think there’s a lot more to his story than we’ll ever know.

Losing your mother at such a young age must be devastating, especially in such horrific circumstances. I don’t think he has ever really grieved properly. He has absolutely no privacy. None of them have. The Royal Family are owned by the public and I absolutely agree that certain aspects of their lives should be public. Especially the happy occasions. I personally love a Royal wedding and a Royal baby announcement for example. I do think they should be allowed some privacy when dealing with much more sensitive/difficult times in their lives though.

I absolutely agree that his priorities are his wife and children. That’s how it should be. I do think it’s really sad that he wasn’t able to maintain his relationships with his family at the same time though. They might be royal, but they are still human beings.

The British press has a lot to answer for!

I respect the fact that he served (or at least attempted to serve) in the British Army. The press had a lot to do with ending that career too. He couldn’t do his job properly because as soon as they found out where he was, they published it which instantly made him, and those serving with him, a target, so he had to be sent home. He obviously saw and dealt with a lot within his short time in the military though and I wouldn’t be surprised if he still suffers with PTSD. He was well liked by his colleagues. My husband was an avionics technician in the Army for 22 years. He fixed, and serviced, the Apache helicopters that Harry piloted. Harry was training back in 2008 when my husband received his MBE from our late Queen Elizabeth II and it was one of the things they talked about as he received his award. It seems like Harry had a close relationship with his grandmother and this book ends just after she very sadly passed away. It’s a beautiful ending and tribute to his granny. Family is obviously important to him. I think he feels let down, unsupported, and not listened to. This is why I can understand him wanting to step away from royal life. I do think this can’t be done half-hearted though. Where the royal family is concerned, I think you must either be fully in or fully out.

I wouldn’t want to be born into it and I’m glad I never fell in love with a prince. I would never cope living under the scrutiny of the entire world. Those born into it though don’t have much of a choice.

I hope there are happier times to come for all of them.

Sunday Times Memoir of the Year 2023

It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow-and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling-and how their lives would play out from that point on.

For Harry, this is that story at last.

Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness-and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.

At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.

Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .

For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.

The One Who Got Away by L.A. Detwiler 

The One Who Got Away

by L.A. Detwiler 

First, I need to start by apologising to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this incredibly late review. When I first joined NetGalley it was all very exciting (it still is to be fair) and I didn’t then know how to say no. I was very new to book blogging and didn’t want to refuse any arcs or let anyone down. I soon realised though that there are only so many hours in a day, days in a week, etc. etc. I’m much better at not over committing myself now. However, it has left me with a significant number of archived books still on my NetGalley shelf. I have now set myself the challenge of clearing my unread shelf entirely before I read any other Kindle books. They’re all on a separate wheel on my spin-the-wheel app. This was the second, chosen at random.

I was easily gripped by The One Who Got Away. My heart went out to Adeline. Dementia must be terrifying, especially the early symptoms. I also felt for her daughter having to make the difficult decision to move her mother into a care home. It’s a heart wrenching decision to have to make, but often necessary for the safety of your loved one. Well, under normal circumstances anyway. In Adeline’s case, not so much. When unsettling things start to happen, no-one believes her assuming it’s just all part of her deteriorating condition. I could feel Adeline’s fear and frustration.

The story flits between Adeline now and in her younger years. As the story progressed, I did twig who the psychopath was, but this didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the story in anyway. If anything, it made me more intrigued and more invested in the hope that someone would help Adeline before it was too late.

A very tense and compelling read.

“Get out while you can. You’ll die here…”

Adeline Evans has recently moved into a home for the elderly. A safe space, where she can be cared for.

When she begins to receive cryptic and threatening notes, she is certain that someone is out to get her.

But the residents are warned against listening to a woman who is losing her memory. It would seem Adeline is tormented by the secrets in her past, and that the menace is all in her mind.

Until danger comes down the corridor and starts knocking in the night…

Happy reading!

#FlashbackFriday August 2026

Hi, and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature!

On the first Friday of each month, I like to look back at the books I was reading the previous year during the same month.

Please do join in if you have the time, I’d love to see your posts 🙂

A big thank you to those who already join in regularly! x

Here are my reviews from August 2025 + a link to previous August FBFs….

Happy reading!