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Fictionophile’s JUNE 2025 #BookHaul #Bookbloggers #ForthcomingTitles #TBR #AnticipatedReads #BookSky📚💙 | Fictionophile
This month I added 3 new review commitments to my TBR mountain. All were offered to me - I didn't request any this month due to the fact that I am moving house. My reading and reviewing have suffered as a result. (All book descriptions are linked to Goodreads.) I received ONE of these titles…
JUNE was audiobook month – here are some stats from Libby #Audiobooks #LibbyApp | Fictionophile
As many of you know by now, I have recently embraced the practise of listening to audiobooks. I have a subscription to Audible, but I also frequently listen to audiobooks via my local public library using the Libby app. Compared to last year, audiobook checkouts on Libby have increased 14.3% Here are the TOP TEN…
“The Last Days of Kira Mullan” by Nicci French – #AudiobookReview @HarperCollins #HarperAudio #LibbyApp #TheLastDaysOfKiraMullan @FrenchNicci | Fictionophile
In March of 2024 I read "Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?" and in my review of that novel wrote: "If there is a star of the novel, for me it was Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor. If the authors decide to feature her in future books, I will be first in line to read them." Well…
“The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans – Book Review @CrownPublishing #NetGalley #TheCorrespondent #VirginiaEvans #BookReview | Fictionophile
Written with empathy and wisdom, this debut epistolary novel was an easy five star read for me. The protagonist, Sybil Van Antwerp, is a fiercely intelligent woman who is riddled with guilt and self-recrimination. She has now retired from a distinguished career in the law, is divorced, and is mother to two adult children. Her…
“Three Days in June” by Anne Tyler – #AudiobookReview #BookReview #ThreeDaysInJune #LibbyApp #BooksOnTape | Fictionophile
narrated by J. Smith-Cameron After years and years of reading fiction, I'm ashamed to say that this is my first time reading the work of Anne Tyler. This novel was entertaining and thought provoking. The main topic was marriage - both old, new, broken, and repaired. The way we as human's tend to gravitate toward…
“This Ruined Place” by Michael Lawrence – Book Review | Fictionophile
"Easier to see with your eyes shut. See what you want - and remember - block out what you don't." Though I realized that during the war many manor houses were taken over by the army for use as medical hospitals etc., I did not know that sometimes entire towns were commandeered. This is the…
“Tell Me Something Good” by Court Stevens – Book Review #AudiobookReview #TellMeSomethingGood @harpermusebooks #NetGalley #Audiobooks🎧📚 #BookSky #BookX | Fictionophile
narrated by Marin Ireland with Charlie Thurston The past rears its ugly head in rural Kentucky. Listening to this audiobook was a memorable experience. It was a story of the 'haves' and the 'have nots". Kentucky, like many places, seems to have both extremes with little of the population falling safely somewhere in the middle.…
“Nobody Saw Him” by Liz Lawler – Book Review #BlogTour #NobodySawHim @bookouture.bsky.social #LizLawler #BookReview #BookoutureBooksOnTour #BookSky💙📚 | Fictionophile
A unique spin on the missing child trope puts "Nobody Saw Him" at the forefront of this type of domestic thriller. Jo's five-year-old son Sam goes missing from a public pool on a family swim day. Jo's firefighter husband Pete is away for work at the time. The police are called and events spiral as…
Fictionophile’s MAY 2025 #BookHaul #Bookbloggers #ForthcomingTitles #TBR #AnticipatedReads #BookSky📚💙 | Fictionophile
This month I added 8 new review commitments to my TBR mountain. TWO were titles that I requested; THREE were 'Read Now' titles; I was sent THREE email invitations with 'widgets'. (All book descriptions are linked to Goodreads.) I received four of these titles from NetGalley. My favourite author! Finally, my request was approved! I received…
“Our Last Wild Days” by Anna Bailey – Book Review @atriabooks.bsky.social #OurLastWildDays #AnnaBailey #BookReview | Fictionophile
"Hopelessness makes men do unimaginable things; women too." Many novels are described as atmospheric, and this one would definitely qualify. Set in a sultry, cloyingly humid summer, in an alligator infested Louisiana bayou, I almost had heat stroke reading it. Add to that the fact that the tiny town of Jacknife was also the home…
“Nosy Neighbors” by Freya Sampson – #AudiobookReview #BooksOnTape #NosyNeighbors #FreyaSampson #BookSky🎧📚 | Fictionophile
narrated by Sarah Lambie This is the second time I've had the opportunity to listen to Freya Sampson's novels and, it turns out, that they have both been wonderful, warm stories that will reside in my mind for years to come. I thought that she couldn't outdo herself after "The Lost Ticket", but this one…
“Count My Lies” by Sohpie Stava – Book Review @simonandschuster.bsky.social #BookSky #CountMyLies #SophieStava #BookReview | Fictionophile
Sloane Caraway is a compulsive liar. A life-long habit of lying has buoyed her life up so that she feels less ordinary, less lacklustre, and more interesting. She is quite intelligent and once worked as a teacher in a prestigious preschool. She adores children and is very good at relating with them. However, her teaching…
“Black Rock Bay” by Brianna Lubuskes – Book Review #BacklistReview #BlackRockBay #ThomasAndMercer #BookReview | Fictionophile
Detective Mia Hart grew up on a tiny island off the coast of Maine. When she was just a teenager, she lost two of her best friends to a suicide pact, an event where she too almost lost her life. Scarred both physically and mentally, Mia left the island of St. Lucy's and hasn't been…
“Killer At The County Show” by Kate Wells – Book Review @BoldwoodBooks @KatePoels @rararesources #KillerAtTheCountyShow #boldwoodbloggers #BlogTour #BookReview | Fictionophile
Our protagonist, Jude Gray, is a young, childless widow who now runs her large sheep farm with the help of Noah, her shepherd, and her loyal dogs, Pip and Archie - with memories of her late husband never far from her mind. When she met her husband Adam, he introduced her to his life-long friends…
“The Island Of Small Misfortunes” by Jackson Kuhl – Book Review @regalhouse.bsky.social #JacksonKuhl #TheIslandOfSmallMisfortunes #BookReview #BlueSky📚💙 | Fictionophile
" ... a man who cannot tolerate small misfortunes will never accomplish great things" Always entranced by novels set on islands, this time I learned of the Thimble Islands. The Thimble Islands is an archipelago consisting of small islands in Long Island Sound, located near the southeast corner of Branford, Connecticut. Many of these tiny…
“Coram House” by Bailey Seybolt – Book Review @atriabooks.bsky.social #BaileySeybolt #CoramHouse #BookReview #BookSky💙📚 | Fictionophile
"You can leave Coram House but you can't leave it behind." On the cold and wintery shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont lies an old, atmospheric house with a tragic history. Coram House was once a Catholic orphanage, and true to the reputation - it was a place where the children were abused under the…
“April Storm” by Leila Meacham – Book Review @harpercollins.bsky.social #AprilStorm #LeilaMeacham #BookReview | Fictionophile
I think it is very sad that this novel was published posthumously. The author will never get to realize how much the readers appreciated her work. I read this novel in April, but I'm just now getting around to writing my review.It has been some time since I've read a romantic suspense novel, and I…
Fictionophile’s APRIL 2025 Reading Wrap-Up #bookblogger #MonthlyWrapUp #Fictionophile #AprilReads #BookSky📚💙 | Fictionophile
April by the numbers: Total titles read: 11 three of which were audiobooks Published recently: 6 Backlist titles: 5 Five star reads: 1 Blog Tours 1 Books that are part of a series: 0 Reviews pending 2 Audiobooks 3 Goodreads challenge: 56/150 (37%) GR NetGalley challenge: 31/70 (44%) GR Edelweiss challenge: 10/30 (33%) In April,…
Fictionophile’s APRIL 2025 #BookHaul #Bookbloggers #ForthcomingTitles #TBR #AnticipatedReads #BookSky📚💙 | Fictionophile
This month I added 11 new review commitments to my TBR mountain. I requested ONE title from Edelweiss. Temptation won me over... ONE was a NetGalley 'Read Now' title; I was sent NINE email invitations with 'widgets' or links to download books (All book descriptions are linked to Goodreads.) I received five of these titles…
“Lula Dean’s Little Library Of Banned Books” by Kirsten Miller – Book Review @kirstenmiller.bsky.social #LulaDeansLittleLibraryOfBannedBooks #AudiobookReview #BookSky🎧📚 | Fictionophile
narrated by January LaVoyThough the cover of this novel might lead you to believe that it is a 'light' upbeat read, I found it quite misleading. Yes, the story was told with heart and humour, but the underlying topics were very serious indeed. Lula Dean is a very unhappy woman. A widow, with adult children…
“The River Knows Your Name” by Kelly Mustian – Book Review @tantoraudio.bsky.social @kellymustian.bsky.social #TheRiverKnowsYourName #AudiobookReview #BookSky 📚🎧 | Fictionophile
Sisters Nell and Evie were brought up in North Carolina by a taciturn, enigmatic, and reclusive woman named Hazel. One day the inquisitive girls find an old copy of "Jane Eyre" with a paper tucked inside. The paper is Evie's birth certificate - stating that she has another mother named Becca... This moving novel brought…
“The Sirens” by Emilia Hart – Book Review @stmartinspress.bsky.social @emiliahart.bsky.social #TheSirens #BookReview #BookSky 📚💙 | Fictionophile
I thoroughly enjoyed this author's debut novel and wanted to see if her second novel would be as good as her first. My verdict? "The Sirens" was very good, but not quite as good as "Weyward". "The Sirens" is a triple-timeline novel infused with a lot of magical realism. As is often the case, I…
“The Impossible Thing” by Belinda Bauer – Book Review @groveatlantic.bsky.social #BelindaBauer #TheImpossibleThing #BookReview | Fictionophile
I’ve really enjoyed several of Belinda Bauer‘s novels, so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to read her newest story The Impossible Thing. The main topic of this dual time-line novel was egg trafficking. The first I had ever heard of such a thing. And it WAS a big thing! And IS still a big thing.…
“The Brontë Plot” by Katherine Reay – Book Review #ThomasNelson #TheBrontePlot #BacklistReview #KatherineReay #BookReview #BookSky📚💙 | Fictionophile
Lucy Alling, our protagonist, is besotted with all things literary. She dotes on the classics and loves nothing more than to spend an afternoon with her nose deeply embedded in a book. She also has a keen eye for decorating, and she makes use of both her interests when she works for Chicago's premier interior…
“Where The Story Starts” by Imogen Clark – Book Review @imogenclark.bsky.social #WhereTheStoryStarts #LakeUnionPublishing #BookSky💙📚 #BookReview | Fictionophile
Why did I wait so long to read this wonderful novel? As I attempt to get a handle on my backlist of NetGalley titles, I encountered this gem from spring of 2019... The synopsis above refers to only one of the timelines in this dual timeline novel. This is a novel of four women and…
“The Story She Left Behind” by Patti Callahan Henry – Book Review @simonandschuster.bsky.social @atriabooks.bsky.social #TheStorySheLeftBehind #PattiCallahanHenry #BookReview #Booksky💙📚 | Fictionophile
The author was inspired to write this story after learning about the true literary mystery of Barbara Newhall Follet. Having enjoyed this author's previous novel "The Secret Book Of Flora Lea", I felt quite certain that I would enjoy this latest novel. I was right! In 1927 Clara's beautiful mother disappeared. This happened after Clara…
“The Marriage Rules” by Samantha Hayes – Book Review @bookouture.bsky.social #TheMarriageRules #SamanthaHayes #BookReview #BookoutureBooksOnTour #BookSky 💙📚 | Fictionophile
A twisty domestic thriller that will keep you up late! So many twists. So many questions. It always astounds me when intelligent people find themselves entrenched in a situation or relationship that clearly should be ringing their warning bells... In this instance, a nurse and a psychiatrist meet at work and become a couple. Just…
Top Ten Tuesday – Books With Spring Covers #TopTenTuesday #TuesdayBookBlog #bookbloggers @ArtsyReaderGirl #BookSky💙📚 | Fictionophile
The rules are simple: Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name…
“End of Story” by A.J. Finn – #AudiobookReview #NetGalley #EndOfStory #BookSky 📚🎧 | Fictionophile
The blurb sounds great doesn't it? If only the book measured up to it... I was profoundly disappointed with this novel and couldn't really engage with any of the characters (except perhaps with the French bulldog named Watson). The setting was marvellous, a lavish mansion in San Francisco, California. I found the plot confusing and…
“The Almost Truth” by Anne Hamilton – #AudiobookReview @wfhowes.bsky.social #TheAlmostTruth #BookSky 📚🎧 @annehamilton.bsky.social | Fictionophile
Winner of the Irish Novel Fair 2021 With three separate settings, this novel is a complicated story of one woman's choices and how they affect her own future and the future of others. Alina, who is of mixed race, lives with her grandparents in Dublin, Ireland where she is attending Trinity College. When she is…
Top Ten Tuesday – Books you’d be a FOOL not to read #TopTenTuesday #TuesdayBookBlog #bookbloggers #GreatReads @ArtsyReaderGirl #BookRecommendations #BookSky | Fictionophile
The rules are simple: Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name…
Fictionophile’s MARCH 2025 #BookHaul #Bookbloggers #ForthcomingTitles #TBR #AnticipatedReads #BookSky | Fictionophile
This month I added 7 new review commitments to my TBR mountain. I requested 1 audiobook title from NetGalley. Temptation won me over... I was sent SIX email invitations with 'widgets' or links to download books (All book descriptions are linked to Goodreads.) I received four of these titles from NetGalley. I was sent a…
“Strange Flowers” by Donal Ryan – Book Review #DonalRyan @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social #ReadingIrelandMonth25 #StrangeFlowers #BookReview #BookSky | Fictionophile
"You can change memories to suit yourself, to fit across the shapes of your wounds" This is the fourth time I've had the pleasure of reading Donal Ryan's work, and once again I am struck by his empathy and deep, intrinsic understanding of human nature. I had the pleasure of touring Ireland this past spring,…
Fictionophile’s MARCH 2025 Reading Wrap-Up #bookblogger #MonthlyWrapUp #Fictionophile #MarchReads #BookSky | Fictionophile
March by the numbers: Total titles read: 13 four of which were audiobooks Reading Ireland Month 2025 titles 5 Published recently: 3 Backlist titles: 10 Five star reads: 1 Blog Tours 1 Books that are part of a series: 1 Audiobooks 4 Goodreads challenge: 45/150 (30%) GR NetGalley challenge: 22/70 (31%) GR Edelweiss challenge: 8/30…
“The Coast Road” by Alan Murrin – Book Review #ReadingIrelandMonth25 #IrishFiction #AlanMurrin #TheCoastRoad @harpercollins.bsky.social #BookSky | Fictionophile
A beautifully written debut novel about three women who live in a small, coastal Irish town. Women in their mid forties who are married and have few options as they are living in a patriarchal society. Set during 1994/95, the time that Ireland voted on the right to divorce. Catholicism permeates the story and these…
“Tell Me A Secret” by Samantha Hayes – Book Review @bookouture.bsky.social #TellMeASecret #SamanthaHayes #BookReview #Backlist | Fictionophile
Therapists keep secrets. Their clients heap all their innermost feelings - and secrets - at their door. Lorna, our protagonist is a therapist, but she is one that I wouldn't recommend... She really has little to recommend her. She is very self-centered and manipulative. She lies her way through life to mask her sordid secrets.…
“The Family Plot” by Megan Collins – Book Review @atriabooks.bsky.social @simonandschuster.bsky.social #BacklistReview #TheFamilyPlot #BookReview #BookSky | Fictionophile
The Lighthouse family are an eccentric lot. They live on an island in a mansion in the woods. Their parents are obsessed with 'true crime' - so much so that they hold ceremonies to honour the victims of true crime. Oh, and did I mention all the children are named after true crime victims! When…
“Broken Country” by Clare Leslie Hall – Book Review @simonandschuster.bsky.social #BrokenCountry @clareleslieh.bsky.social #BookReview | Fictionophile
Beth and Frank lead a fulfilling life. They love each other deeply and work alongside each other, and Frank's brother Jimmy, on the Blakely family farm in Dorset. It is back-breaking, arduous work, but they all love it, and the pastoral life they live. However... two years ago, their nine year old son died on…
Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my spring 2025 TBR #TopTenTuesday #TuesdayBookBlog #bookbloggers #AnticipatedReads @ArtsyReaderGirl #BookSky | Fictionophile
The rules are simple: Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name…
“The Secret Inheritance” by Rachel Lynch – Book Review #TheSecretInheritance #StormPublishing #RachelLynch #BookSky💙📚 | Fictionophile
I have been a fan of Rachel Joyce's D.I. Kelly Porter police procedural series for some time now, so when I learned she had released a stand-alone novel, I was eager to read it. "The Secret Inheritance" has a very different vibe when compared to her series fiction. While reading I felt it similar to…