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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\nFirst a quick explanation!<\/strong><\/p>\n Due to some severe health issues over the last few years, and a lingering chronic condition, my planned review schedule went right out of the window and I have been scrabbling ever since to get it back on track.<\/strong><\/p>\n In an attempt to try to regain some lost ground, I have been scrunching some of my (overdue) NetGalley reviews together into one or two posts each week: shorter reviews, but still covering all of the points I intended to.<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s the plan anyway, so let\u2019s\u00a0spring into my latest selection!<\/strong><\/p>\n Title:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0The Mystery Writer<\/em><\/strong> Blurb: \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>She needs to write the ending before she meets hers.<\/strong><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Theo has one dream \u2013 to become a bestselling author. Determined to make her mark in the literary world, she heads to the US on a whim to stay with her brother Gus and focus on her writing. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she befriends a famous author, Dan Murdoch, at a local bar \u2013 and then he turns up dead. Suddenly, Theo finds herself as the prime suspect.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n As Theo grapples with the shocking turn of events, she realizes that Dan may not have been the person he seemed to be, and there is something sinister going on in the world of publishing. Desperate to clear her name and uncover the truth, Theo sets out on a quest to find out who killed Dan and why.<\/em><\/p>\n As she digs deeper, Theo uncovers a web of deceit, conspiracy, and hidden motives, with clues leading her to a shadowy online platform called The Shield. With her own life in danger, Theo must unravel the mystery before she becomes the next victim.<\/em><\/p>\n Review:<\/strong>\u00a0Very far-fetched but great fun, this mystery thriller has a really clever hook, all centred round the writing (and writers) of mysteries and thrillers.<\/p>\n I spotted some comparisons to The Firm<\/em> quite early on in the story, but was nevertheless hooked right in and found myself desperately hoping that Theo, Mac and Gus not only survival the conspiracy they become embroiled in, but manage to untangle and resolve their personal lives too. <\/p>\n Mac and Gus are especially entertaining characters and really carried a lot of the action and investigation side of things, while Theo\u2019s role was mainly to stumble into as many bad situations as she can find and then panic and make them worse, but she brought the writerly insider info that I dearly love finding in any book and so I was willing to let her off for being a bit of a blinkered damsel in distress!<\/p>\n Again, the main storyline was pretty ridiculous by the reveal, but the execution of it was very entertaining and made this book a definite page-turner and a stay-up-all-night-to-finisher too! If you\u2019re willing to suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow, then this is a well-written, entertaining and immersive read.<\/p>\n Title:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0The Montford Maniac<\/strong><\/em> Blurb: \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>A crazed killer. A town in terror. A mystery ten years in the making\u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Lady Violet Thorn\u2019s awful Aunt Igitha arrives uninvited to stay, wreaking havoc in the household. When Violet plucks up courage to ask her to leave, Igitha\u2019s chilling threats are soon realised with deadly effect.<\/em><\/p>\n In a devastating series of events, a woman is impaled, another is hanged outside Violet\u2019s window, and a wild beast is delivered to her house.<\/em><\/p>\n Violet is soon struck by the similarities between these events, and the unsolved murders committed ten years earlier by the sadistic serial killer known as the Montford Maniac.<\/em><\/p>\n Could he have returned? Is Igitha behind the crimes? Or could there be someone even more terrifying on the prowl? The horrors have only just begun.<\/em><\/p>\n A rollicking, unputdownable Victorian mystery perfect for fans of Janice Hallett and Anthony Horowitz.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Review:<\/strong>\u00a0I really enjoyed the first book, The Horror of Haglin House<\/a><\/em>, and I loved this second one even more, even though the main character Violet seems to be getting more and more eccentric (and possibly suffering from absinthe-induced hallucinations or increasing schizophrenic symptoms). You will definitely<\/em> want to read that first book first, as this story continues and concludes the very personal backstory that was teased behind that previous adventure.<\/p>\n Violet and her fictional friends Ruby Gibson and Inspector Hefty return here, plus my personal favourites Agnust, Gerrund, Friendless and Old Queeny as comic relief, and Albert, Anthony and Romulus to provide a touch of procedure, romance and sense respectively. And yet again, they all bicker, bluster and snark their way through another unique investigation, this time involving numerous impalements (both minor and major), threatening letters, and a rampaging serial killer with a flair for the overdramatic. <\/p>\n While the plot is well-constructed and bizarre, I mainly just adore Violet and all of her companions \u2013 real and imaginary \u2013 and their dialogues and inner monologues here made me smile and smile, and read (out-of-context) snippets aloud to my long-suffering and bewildered husband.<\/p>\n On finishing this book, I immediately added it, plus its predecessor and the upcoming sequel, to my keep-copy buy list, as I already know I will want to re-read this series again and again. It may not be your typical mystery story, but its all the better for its many eccentricities, in my opinion.<\/p>\n Title: Funny Story<\/em><\/strong> Blurb: \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Daphne always loved the way Peter told their story.<\/em><\/p>\n That is until it became the prologue to his actual love story with his childhood bestie, Petra.<\/em><\/p>\n Which is how Daphne ends up rooming with her total opposite and the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra\u2019s ex, Miles.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n As expected, it\u2019s not a match made in heaven \u2013 that is until one night, while tossing back tequilas, they form a plan.<\/em><\/p>\n And if it involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their adventures together, well, who could blame them?<\/em><\/p>\n But it\u2019s all just for show, of course, because there\u2019s no way Daphne would\u00a0actually\u00a0<\/em>start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fianc\u00e9\u2019s new fianc\u00e9e\u2019s ex . . . right?<\/em><\/p>\n A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1\u00a0New York Times and Sunday Times\u00a0<\/em>bestselling author Emily Henry<\/strong><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Review:<\/strong>\u00a0This romcom hit all the right spots for me: the humour was genuinely funny; the struggles felt real rather than contrived, convenient misunderstandings; and the chemistry between Daphne and Miles was sizzling hot. And I loved the side characters too. Well, Julia and Ashleigh, NOT Peter and Petra, obviously!<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never particularly enjoyed the fake-dating trope before, but the likability of Daphne and Miles and their unusual circumstances (each dating childhood BFFs who fell in love, making this feel like the flipside of a typical friends-to-lovers romance) made the plot and tropes feel natural and work well without having to try too hard.<\/p>\n I had no problem actually believing in these characters and their relationship, and was rooting for them all the way while reading. And I couldn\u2019t stop reading! The funny banter made me smile, and the moments of heartbreak and betrayal brought me to tears, and I closed the book on the final page with a big, happy sigh of contentment.<\/p>\n Book Lovers<\/a><\/em> by Emily Henry was my top romance read for 2023 and this is already a very strong contender for my top romance read of 2025.<\/p>\n Title: The Call Is Coming from Inside the House<\/em><\/strong> Blurb: \u00a0<\/em>From Allyson McOuat, author of the popular 2020\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0Modern Love essay \u201cThe Ghost Was the Least of Our Problems,\u201d comes her debut essay collection<\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n In a series of intimate and humorous dispatches, McOuat examines her identity as a queer woman, and as a mother, through the lens of the pop culture moments in the \u201980s and \u201990s that molded her identity. McOuat stirs the ingredients required to conjure an unsettled spirit: the horrors of pregnancy and motherhood, love and loss, the supernatural, kaleidoscopic sexuality, near-miss experiences, and the unexplained moments in life that leave you haunted.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n Through her own life experiences, various tall tales, urban legends, analysis of horror and thriller films, and spine-chilling true crime incidents, McOuat uncovers how cultural gatekeeping has forced her, as a mother and queer femme woman, to persistently question her own reality. Through this charming and humorous exploration of what moments have made her who she is, McOuat demonstrates for readers a way through by forgiving herself and exorcising her stubborn attachment to a phantom, heteronormative, nuclear family structure.<\/em><\/p>\n Review:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Call Is Coming from Inside the House<\/em> is a collection of essays centred on horror tropes and how the author \u2013 and possibly other readers\/viewers \u2013 is able to relate them to her own experiences and fears, in childhood, motherhood, queerness, house-ownership and other life stages and identities.<\/p>\n The essays cover all sorts of classic horror-thrillers from film, TV and book, looking at familiar tropes like the \u2018Final Girl\u2019, haunted houses, pregnancy and parenting (plenty of horror to mine there, from my own experiences!). <\/p>\n All of the essays are well-constructed and argued, while remaining easy to read and referencing plenty of pop culture alongside more academic sources. While I don\u2019t think that some of the analogies the author draws are quite as universal as her conclusions may imply, there is plenty of food for thought here and those looking for a cerebral, identity-centred perspective on familiar horrors will find this an interesting read.<\/p>\n Title: The Notorious Virtues<\/em><\/strong> Blurb: \u00a0<\/em>The bestselling Rebel of the Sands author is back with a glittering fantasy thriller, featuring a family obsessed with money, power, fame \u2013 and magic.<\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n At sixteen, Honora \u2018Nora\u2019 Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in Gammamix; her family controls all the money \u2013 and all the magic \u2013 in the entire country. But when her mother is found murdered in an alley, the family throne and fortune are up for grabs, which means Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the deadly Veritaz trials to determine the rightful inheritor.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n But there\u2019s a surprise rival in the form of Ottoline, aka Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora\u2019s aunt, who left her with nuns as a baby. Thrown into the Veritaz, she is suddenly surrounded by a hostile family she never knew she had.<\/em><\/p>\n But as the Holtzfalls wage their battles of privilege, something bigger and more sinister bubbles beneath the surface, and revolution is in the air. Could the balance of power be about to be overturned?<\/em><\/p>\n
Author: \u00a0Sulari Gentill<\/strong>
Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Ultimo Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nPurchase Link: The Mystery Writer<\/em>\u00a0on Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Author: \u00a0M R C Kasasian<\/strong>
Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Canelo<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nPurchase Link:\u00a0<\/strong>The Montford Maniac<\/em>\u00a0on Amazon<\/a><\/h3>\n
Author: \u00a0Emily Henry<\/strong>
Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin General UK \u2013 Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nPurchase Link:\u00a0Funny Story<\/em>\u00a0on Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Author: \u00a0Allyson McOuat<\/strong>
Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0ECW Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nPurchase Link:\u00a0The Call Is Coming from Inside the House<\/em>\u00a0on Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Author: \u00a0Alwyn Hamilton<\/strong>
Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Faber and Faber Ltd<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n