Of Sands and Tides: The Chronicles of Captain Georgianna Forsythe

by Jan Edwards

Of Sands and Tides is completely different to what I would generally read, but I’m always happy to try something new and I have enjoyed losing myself in Georgianna’s story.

Georgianna is an interesting character leading an interesting but risky life as a special agent for the Ministry of the Arcane. She certainly isn’t one to shy away from danger! This she proves repeatedly in the eight adventures featured in this book. Each is as compelling, chilling, and suspenseful as the next. I found myself easily captivated and immersed in each case. Perfect escapism!

If you’re looking for something to help you to forget about reality for a while, then this is perfect for you.

** Many thanks to Jan Edwards for my epub review copy **

When the old god Nyarlathotep lures Captain ‘Georgi’ Forsythe – special agent for the Ministry of the Arcane — to the Valley of the Kings, the battle for her place in this world begins. Eight thrilling adventures packed into one volume, taking us from ancient Luxor to the Loch Ness of 1932. Conflicting pantheons of myth and legend plunge Captain Georgi into cosmic battles beyond wildest imagining. Will she remain a force for good or be lured into the world of chaos? The choice is hers!

Treat yourself!

Happy reading!

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! xx

Here are my reviews from October 2023 + a link to previous October FBFs….

happy reading!

OUT NOW!

A collection of short stories, raising funds for the British Deaf Association.

Plan B

by Alison Lingwood

Happy reading!

The Dilemma

by B A Paris

The Dilemma is the first book I’ve read by B A Paris but I hope it won’t be the last.

Livia is turning 40 and had promised herself a lavish party to celebrate. She has pretty much been planning it for 20 years and really wants it to be everything she dreamed it would be. She has her reasons.

Her husband, Adam, is more than happy to allow Livia the party of her dreams and has even arranged for an extra special surprise for her.

However, before the party begins, he suspects something which will devastate Livia if true and he battles with himself over whether to tell her before the party or not, especially as he hopes he’s wrong and all will be fine.

Livia has been keeping her own secret from Adam. Worried that her party would be ruined if she told him beforehand.

They are both avoiding the truth. Both not wanting to spoil the party for the other.

I could kind of understand both of their reasoning, although I did want to bang their heads together at times. I did really feel for Adam. I can’t even begin to imagine how I would deal with the same situation. It did make me question what I would do, and I honestly don’t know. Livia’s initial reaction was understandable, and my heart broke for her.

This is a compelling, emotional read. One I will happily recommend.

** I purchased the Kindle edition of The Dilemma on the 2^{nd of} September 2024 so I could join in with this month’s buddy read along with my Bookstagram friends. Good choice, Lucie! **

It’s Livia’s 40th birthday and she’s having the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding she never had. Everyone she loves will be there except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But although Livia loves Marnie, she’s secretly glad she won’t be at the party. She needs to tell Adam something about their daughter but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.

Adam wants everything to be perfect for Livia so he’s secretly arranged for Marnie to come home and surprise her on her birthday. During the day, he hears some terrible news. He needs to tell Livia, because how can the party go on? But she’s so happy, so excited – and the guests are about to arrive.

The Dilemma – how far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness?

Happy reading!

The Sentinel (The Sentinel Series Book 1)

by Holly Martin 

The Sentinel is very different to most of the books I read. It’s YA fantasy and I didn’t really know what to expect from it. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I might. It’s been like a breath of fresh air to step completely out of my comfort zone and try something different for a change.

Eve is a very likeable character, with the weight of the world on her shoulders. What she discovers after being rescued from a crash would be a lot for anyone to come to terms with. I could fully understand her feelings regarding the unusual situation she finds herself in.

This is a fast-paced story which has inspired me to add book two in the series to my reading list.

** According to Amazon I purchased the Kindle edition of this book on 28th June 2015. I am working my way through my TBR slowly, but surely 😊 **

When Eve is rescued from a horrific coach crash by her teachers, she is shocked to discover they possess super strength and speed. But what happens next is even more harrowing.
In the aftermath of the crash she discovers that everyone in her life from neighbours, doctors, dentists, teachers, shop keepers and even her family and friends are actually super strength Guardians sent to protect her. They all have one thing in common, a single minded ferocity that she must be kept alive at all costs.
However, she is surrounded by secrets and lies. Those in the know deny all knowledge of what happened that fateful night. Everyone else carries on as normal, seemingly unaware of the new strange world that she has stumbled against.
With the help of Seth, her best friend, Eve discovers the prophecies surrounding her true identity and the super strength she too holds. With her Guardians pledged to protect her, her closest friends ready to die for her, her own hopes and dreams are put on hold whilst she battles to control the amazing powers she has been bestowed with.
But those that seek to destroy her move ever closer. Will the Guardians be enough to protect her when so many are prepared to stop at nothing to see her dead? And will she be strong enough to fulfil her destiny when the time comes?

Happy reading!

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! xx

Here are my reviews from September 2023 + a link to previous September FBFs….

happy reading!

Under a Greek Moon

by Carol Kirkwood

Under a Greek Moon is a such a lovely story set, for the most part, on a gorgeous sounding Greek island. Honestly, this book, and those by Emma Cowell, have really made me want to visit Greece. It sounds amazing!

This story centres around Hollywood star, Shauna Jackson, who has enjoyed a successful career and seemingly happy marriage. She has never forgotten her first love though.

When her heart is broken after a devastating, sudden loss, she returns to the Island for a holiday and the hope of putting the past behind her. Little does she know….

Shauna is a very likeable character, as are most of the characters throughout this story. I very much enjoyed the stories they had to tell. I was never quite sure where I thought the story was going, but I knew the direction I wanted it to go in! There are one or two surprises along the way. One I never saw coming at all. One I twigged quite quickly but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the characters finding out.

Just beautiful! I LOVED it!

** This is the first book I have read by Carol Kirkwood, but I hope it won’t be my last. I read the paperback copy. Her other books are now on my Wishlist **

One woman returns to the island that changed her life forever

A-list actress Shauna Jackson has the perfect life. Fame, fortune, marriage. Or so it seems.

Running from a scandal, Shauna flees to the place that changed her life twenty years ago, the idyllic Greek island of Ithos.

Captivated once more by the azure seas and scented olive groves, bittersweet memories resurface of one summer, one unforgettable man, and a long-hidden secret.

Shauna can escape Hollywood, but can she escape her past?

Happy reading!

It Ends With Us

by Colleen Hoover 

I know I’m very late to the party, so to speak, but I also know I’m not the only one to bump this to the top of my TBR list in anticipation of seeing the film at the cinema! I already owned a paperback copy, which I won via a giveaway.

Anyway….

OH. MY. GOODNESS!

What an emotional read!

I liked Lily immediately. I liked that teenage Lily was kind enough to help Atlas in his hour of need. I like how their friendship develops, and I love how she writes her diary in the form of letters to Ellen. I really felt her mixed emotions towards her father, and her mother for ‘putting up’ with him.

I love that Lily bites the bullet and opens her own florist.

I love Allysa!

When Ryle wanders back into her life the chemistry between them is palpable and my heart was so happy for her. That is until the first time he lets his temper get the better of him. My heart broke with hers as she faces the hardest of decisions.

Thankfully I have no personal experience to draw from, but I could understand her reluctance to just leave Ryle immediately. He’s not a completely bad guy and is very likeable in many ways. It’s easy to see why she fell for him, and he obviously adores her. It’s just the most heart-wrenching of situations.

I cried a lot reading this book, especially towards the end and especially during the hospital scene. I can’t even begin to imagine going through such heartache.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though….

I’m looking forward to reading book 2, It Starts With Us.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel, IT ENDS WITH US is a heart-wrenching story and an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price. 

Happy reading!