DID NOT FINISH - The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz

Here it is guys, the first book that I genuinely can't finish (sorry Dad!!). I tried 3 times to start this book, and got up to Chapter 10 on my last attempt, but I just can't get into it!

I'm not sure if it's because of the narration, though I did try and read it as well, but other than messages and weird dreams, nothing is happening! I know from my dad that some more interesting stuff happens, but I just can't get to that point!

Maybe it's because I've had a good run of great books, I'm not sure!

Anyway, thought I'd best be honest and let people know!

Stay safe everyone!

Steph 💚

Review #21: Where The Forest Meets The Stars by Glendy Vanderah

Writing Style: 9.5/10
Storyline: 10/10
Ease of Reading: 9.5/10

I have no idea how I even started reading this book and why, and my first impressions were that I was a little reserved. It started talking about aliens in the first chapter and I was just forever thinking "where is this book going". But I carried on. 

AND I"M SO PLEASED!!! 

This beautiful, thoughtful, emotional book, had me crying (I seem to be doing that a lot these days) and hoping for the best all the way through, and I was so invested in Jo and Ursa.

I can't really go into it without spoiling it, but all I will say is THE THEMES!! This book had everything. Love, lust, death, fear, aliens, beauty. Everything anyone could ever want in a book, Where the Forest Meets the Stars has it!!! Anyone aged probably 12 (there's a couple of mild cursing) up to 100 would love this book, and to be honest, I think because of all the themes, whatever genre you normally read, this would probably suit.  

Please go and read this book. It's just so good (and is free on kindle unlimited)!!!

Stay safe all, 

Steph 💚

Review #20: The Little Princess by Casey Watson

Recently, I've started to read more stories told by foster carers. This review is of one of those, and so if you are triggered by these sorts of books or their themes, please do not read any further.

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I am in awe of foster carers and all they do for children, especially when the children are often abused physically and/or mentally. The most known stories are written by Cathy Glass, and I have read all of her books, however this short story by Casey Watson caught my eye.

It is a short story, one which was quick and easy to read, which reflected the time that the child was with the foster carer. Saying that, it took nothing away about the importance of this story being told. In the book, Casey often refers to not being able to un-know the horror, and as a reader, I absolutely wish I could un-know the vague details from this book.

All in all, a very poignant book, one which took around 4 hours to read and one that was eloquently written. I really recommend this book, but if you are an emotional reader, please be careful.

Take care everyone,

Steph 💚

Overview of Books Read This Week

I've read a few books this week and I thought I'd do a collective post. The first book was Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, then Loveish by Sakshi Narula and then The Saddest Girl in The World by Cathy Glass.

Where The Crawdads Sing

Where The Crawdads Sing is May's book for a Book Club I've been part of for a few months, and one which I promised I wouldn't do a full review. However, it is a book that absolutely deserves a mention. It is in my top 5 books i've ever read, and I genuinely cried the whole way through. The whole storyline had me gripped. I won't say any more, but please read it!

Loveish by Sakshi Narula

I'm not really into poetry, but this wasn't bad. There were a few poems I really didn't "get", but there were also some that really resonated with me. I think I would prefer the "old school" poetry, but it was interesting to read something completely different. I would pop a warning on that some of the language and content are for adults only. 

The Saddest Girl in the World

Cathy Glass is one of my all time favourite authors. I love reading about her foster children, and how they improve, but I also like visiting her website, where she gives updates about the children in her books about where they are now. I'm pretty sure I had read this book previously, as I'm sure I've read them all, but as usual I loved this book. Her dedication and patience gives me a lovely feeling, and I don't think I could do it. All in all a definite must read.

Please let me know what you think of these books if you've read them, and also. if you like the format of this post!

Stay safe everyone, 

Steph 💚

Review #19: No Right to Kill by M.A. Comley

This book was recommended to me after my review of Silent Scream by Angela Marsons. I can absolutely see the similarity, here's what I thought:


Writing Style: 9.5/10
Storyline: 9/10
Ease of Reading: 9.5/10

I found this book (No Right to Kill) really easy to read. It was a "No waffle, no nonsense" type of book, which I loved, it just simply told a story without throwing a massive amount of detail to get entangled in, whilst at the same time setting the series up really well for future books. 

I like the character of Sara Ramsey, but I preferred Misty the Cat!! I hope she sticks around for much longer!

All in all a sound book without much thought required. If this is your favourite genre, I'd definitely recommend this as a quick, easy read.

As always, any recommendations please let me know. 

Stay safe

Steph 💚

Review #18: The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

This book, is easily the cheesiest, unreal book in history, but it was also genius!! See below what I thought!

Writing Style: 9.5/10
Storyline: 8.5/10
Ease of Reading: 9.5/10

From the title, to the storyline, to the characters, each thing screams meticulous planning, and I absolutely commend the author because it worked. This is, I'm guessing (no kids!) the ultimate wish of any parent. To be able to go to a beautiful city for two months, enjoy yourself, get made over and have a gorgeous boyfriend would be amazing for anyone! Just read the book, you'll get a sense of it!

The book was always so light hearted and funny, and almost giddy, that I flew through it, even at one point reading it at 5am when I woke up from nerve pain. 

The main character is a librarian, and the number of literary references, whilst uncountable were incredible! Even if it's not your sort of book, read it to get book recommendations! It's so so clever!!

There's a bit of a shake up at the end, but I'll not spoil it for you! It works too!

The only (and I mean the only) downfall was that there wasn't more! I feel like the future of all these characters could be written in a sequel?? What happens to John? Do Amy and Daniel stay together? Do Cori and Joe continue on their current paths? They're all questions that I need answers to! 

Anyway, enjoy this literary genius-ness of a book - thoroughly enjoyable and exactly what I required after a really stressful first venture out into public. 

Stay safe lovelies! And please stay 2 metres apart!

Steph 💚 

Review #17: The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney

This was an audiobook I've been listening to during the week. The book is the first in the Detective Lottie Parker series. Here's what I think:


Narration - 8/10   Storyline - 8/10   Ease of Listening - 8/10

I've given this book solid 8s across the board. It's definitely a grower! There were a few loose threads at the end of the story, perfectly paving the way for a sequel. The storyline was solid and really well balanced between believability and entertainment. The narration was sound, and the Irish accent gave the locations a real buzz without being difficult to follow.

Lottie is a hard working detective, and can be related to very easily. A strained relationship with her mother was my only criticism as its starting to become a recurrent theme in many books, but I'm hoping that it is explored in future books. 

Lottie is portrayed as workaholic, juggling work and three older children and dealing with becoming widowed. A rare element I enjoyed in the book was getting to know snippets of details about her late husband, and I hope this continues in future books as it gives the whole book a unique and interesting dynamic. 

The book reminded me of another I have read, Silent Screams by Angela Marsons (Review #11), so if you liked that book, I would recommend giving this book a go. Don't worry, it's not too same-y!

Overall, a solid book, which builds a platform for storylines to develop, and one that wasn't too heavy or brain-consuming.

As always, please let me know if you have any recommendations and I'll add them to my ever growing list. 

In the meantime, stay safe!

Steph 💚

Crafty Post - Owl Cross Stitch

Throughout lockdown, I have really got back into my cross stitching. I managed to find this kit in a charity shop for £3. As many people know, I adore owls, and this certainly kept me busy for 6 weeks. Not sure who the designer is, so I cannot give them credit, however if it is yours, please let me know!!

Thoroughly enjoyed doing this, and despite all the mistakes I can see, I'm pretty pleased with how it came out!

 I hope you like it!

Review #16: First Earth by Cami Murdock Jensen

Before I begin this review, I would like to thank the amazing authors on Twitter for letting me review their books. It is an honour to read such talent and I really hope to work through all the books recommended to me throughout the next months (at current count, I think I'm passed 60 books!).

First Earth by Cami Murdock Jensen, the first in the Arch Mage series would absolutely be a read for young teens and young adults, and even more so for those struggling with self acceptance and self belief.

Her raging scars and chronic pain made her different. Her courage made her savior of 2 worlds

The start of the description on GoodReads spoke to me loudly and I just had to read this book. I was not disappointed.


Writing Style: 9/10
Storyline: 8/10
Ease of Reading: 9.5/10

This book obviously isn't my usual genre, but I loved going back to my childhood for a day to read this one. The magic within is so creative, and will capture the audience, and would, in my opinion, be good enough for a child to believe in themselves. The language is easy to follow, and I know my 11 year old nephew would love the book. The love between Agnes and Temnon, despite the almost unbelievable setting is heartwarming and gives me hope that love will always prevail. 

Despite the fact that I am now 30 years old, I'm glad I read this book, to enforce my belief that no matter your circumstances, everyone has great power within them. 

Overall, an amazing book that I have had the pleasure to review. Note, this is the start of a series, so I very much will like to read the next (Second Earth). I also recommend that any child struggling with pain, disability or self doubt is given this book!

A Massive Thank you to Cami Murdock Jensen for letting me read this book!  

Review #15: The Memory Tree by Linda Gillard

This book was outside my comfort zone, and the genre was completely different to what I normally read. Whilst I'll not give out important details to the outcome of the story, I will be describing some topics that I followed in the book, so please stop reading if you like complete surprises.  I read it from start to finish, so no audio scores, however, this is what I think


Writing Style: 9/10
Storyline: 9/10
Ease of Reading: 9.5/10

This book had an amazingly ease of believability, and was clearly well-researched. It was set in two worlds, the First World War, and the present day, and the way in which the chapters were set, it was incredibly easy to follow.  I loved every character in the book in both times, and was invested in the story. 

Phoebe was by far my favourite character, and any individual with chronic pain, or ongoing health issues can find themselves comparing their stories to the stories of Phoebe. I loved how Phoebe and Ann's relationship changed during the book. Families everywhere have their ups and downs, and this was really reflected well in the book.

Hester was another character that was interesting and thought provoking - whilst it was easy to figure out what had happened in the pivotal point in the book, it took nothing away from the story, and took nothing away from my investment. 

Linda Gillard also gave the tree a voice, which I found strangely comforting. I still can't get my head around it, but it's nice to know that I am not the only one who sees trees and thinks of all they may have seen. 

There is a twist at the end, one that with hindsight you can see but that still filled me with awe. 

My only disappointment was that I wish I saw more of Ann and Connor's relationship. 

I really did struggle to put the book down. Anyone that knows me well, knows I am an early riser, but also an early nighter too! I was reading this book until 1am, to give you some perspective. 

Stay safe all, and read this book!

Steph 💚

Review #14: Dark Suits and Sad Songs by Denzil Meyrick

As usual, the narrator (David Monteath) of this series of books by Denzil Meyrick was incredible and soothing. He could read a nursery rhyme and I'd enjoy it. Saying that, there were a few flaws in the third of the DCI Daley series. There is a spoiler in this review, so beware!

Narration - 9/10   Storyline - 6/10   Ease of Listening - 6/10

So one thing that about these stories, it is reminding me closely of the TV series Line of Duty (which I love). It tackles the "bent cops" narrative, which is pretty entertaining. Saying this however, the storyline kind of disappointed me a little. I'm going to say why, so please stop reading if you haven't read this book or the previous ones!

In the last book (The Last Witness), Jim Daley found out that he was going to be a father (Awwww), but then he found out that she had been unfaithful with her brother-in-law. Whilst this was briefly mentioned, it seemed to be irrelevant at the end of the book. We didn't find out if the baby was in fact Jim's. It was all happy families and all is forgiven, which wasn't really believable. While he was separated from his wife, he also had an affair with a member of staff, and whilst it was believable that his lover wouldn't be happy with the fact he'd strung her along for 7 months, I'm not sure I would be so forgiving as she seemed to be. 

Saying all that, I am aware that there are more books, so it may transpire that these are looked at again further in the series.

So yeah, two books reviewed tonight, two that I'm a bit unsure about. Not sure I'll continue with this series. I'll see. 

In other news, I've been furloughed from work for the next 3 and a half weeks, so I'm hoping to read more and post way more reviews. Please give me a nudge if you don't hear from me, and as always, shout if you think I should be reading something specific!

Stay home, stay safe

Steph 💚

Review #13: What It Seems by Emily Bleeker

I found this easier to read rather than listen to. good story, hated the narration and it really took away from the actual story! I really struggled to get into the book, it didn't make sense, but it's understandable towards the end, so it's a "stick with it" kind of thing. Here's what I thought:

Narration - 3/10   Storyline - 6/10   Ease of Listening - 3/10

As I said above, it was REALLY hard to listen to and I just didn't get it. For the first few chapters I was really unsure about whether I was going to continue this one, but once I reverted to reading, at my own rhythm, it was hard to put it down. The problem with the narrator was that she ended each sentence as if she was bored, or unsure, and whilst Tara (main character) is meant to be unsure, it really made the book unbelievable. It was as though the narrator wasn't in character at all, and was trying to figure out where the story was going. 

It's very much the type of book that in this time is fairly unbelievable, but it was still interesting if that makes sense. If it doesn't make sense, please read the book, then you'll understand. 

I liked Tara in general, she had a child-like curiosity and innocence to her, despite her way of life, and I loved the relationship she had with Henry all the way through. Towards the end, there's a realisation which reveals the biggest of twists that re-engaged me, and I would have liked to know more about how the story carried on. 

One thing I will say is that the book is perfectly titled. 

Overall, not the best, but not the worst either. 

As the next phase of the lockdown continues, I will continue to ask anyone reading this to stay home and stay safe. 

As usual, let me know of any recommendations!

Steph 💚