Being Bookish

In my last book review of 2025, I'm taking a look at one of the newer Romantasy releases of the year, The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman. It's an exciting blend of highland romance and dangerous fantasy. Dangerous court politics, rival kingdoms, and a princess caught in the middle of it all. A story full of intrigue, heat, and all the popular fantasy tropes that keep people reading! As always, I...

This week, I’m joined by author Victoria Prince to talk about her gloriously escapist debut novel, The Chalet Girl, which is released on 4th December 2025 by Penguin. It's a sparkling, sexy, snow-dusted romp that channels the glamour, drama, and irresistible excess of classic 80s bonkbusters. Set in a luxury Alpine resort where secrets simmer beneath the snow, and desire is as dangerous as a...

This week, I am joined by regular visitor Lorraine, and we tend to do, we're talking horror. This time it's the tension and fear induced by Stephen King’s 1980 novella The Mist, a claustrophobic tale of survival, fear, and the monsters both outside and within. When a strange storm rolls into a small Maine town and an otherworldly mist swallows everything in sight, a supermarket becomes ground...

This week I’m diving into Daughter of the Moon Goddess, a 2022 fantasy tale inspired by Chinese mythology, rich with celestial intrigue, forbidden love, and the journey of a young woman determined to challenge the gods themselves. Forced to flee her home on the moon, where she lived in exile with her mother, Xingyin must navigate the perilous world of immortals, uncover her family’s secrets, and...

This week I’m diving into If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon, a sweeping tale of betrayal, reinvention, and 1980s glamour. It follows Tracy Whitney, a young woman whose perfect life unravels after a devastating betrayal, forcing her to rebuild herself from the ground up. From a prison cell to glittering European cities, she transforms into a woman of wit, charm, and courage, making a new life...

This week I’m diving into Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider, a relatively recent romantasy release set in a world divided by sea and shore, where magic, loyalty, and love collide. Political intrigue, magical powers, manipulation and a lost princess have important roles to play. As always, these are just my personal thoughts. I’ll be taking a look at how the world-building, pacing and romance...

What do you do as a reader when things change in your life that you have no control over? You pick yourself up, of course, and head to the bookshelf for something to read to get you through it. At least that's the plan. So, when my life took a bit of a meh turn this week, I did exactly that, but what books did I pick up? The episode is a little shorter, but still, books are at the core, so join...

This week I am really happy to have had the opportunity to chat with author Heidi Swain who is the Queen of Seasonal Romances. Her latest novel, All Wrapped Up, takes us to autumn in the town of Wynbridge, where love may (or may not) be in the air for the latest residents. We're talking all things bookish, including inspiration for her novels, love of all things seasonal, and the fact that All...

This week I’m diving into the brand new romantasy Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer, a sweeping fantasy full of danger, betrayal, and uneasy alliances. The story starts off as the tale of two people marrying for political gain, to merge their two kingdoms, both of which are in danger. Slowly, the story develops: a perilous journey, assassination attempts, political intrigue, palace...

This week I’m travelling to Lancashire to join a witch and her found family in the cosy fantasy A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna. This one is equal parts heart and magic, as we follow Sera Swan while she discovers what is most important to her after being exiled from the Sorcerer's Guild following a huge rule infraction! Since then, she's built a new life running an inn...