Well, hello everyone.  Hope you have had a good month as we move quickly towards the end of what has been ‘quite a year’!  Still two months left for more reviews to be added and October has been a pretty solid month with 46 reviews of 35 books.  The following authors have been included in this month’s round up – Sally Hepworth, B.M.Carroll (Ber Carroll), Liz Bryski, Diana Reid and Nicola Marsh.

Our first review is Sally Hepworth’s brand new release The Younger Wife.  I have popped in the alternative US cover photo of the book but if you have seen it in the shops you may have noticed it is quite different to this one. It is bound to be another best seller for Sally and we wish her well once again.  Carolyn Scott certainly thinks it will be with a 4.5 star review, commenting that “It’s such a riveting beginning that it dragged me right into the book, wanting to know about all these interesting characters and their lives.  I felt compelled to keep reading to find out about all their secrets and how these were all going to resolve. The novel is a perfect mix of character driven domestic suspense with a touch of psychological thriller. Highly recommended!

Sharon Hill recommends the following title by B.M.Carroll : “The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy is one of those stories that gets people’s attention immediately. A gripping thriller with clever plot twists that you don’t want to put down.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who is searching for their next thriller/mystery book to read.”

Liz Bryski’s latest release At the end of the day was reviewed by Veronica@ Burgeoning Bookshelf who rated it a four star read and is keen to read more of Liz’s previous titles saying  I enjoyed Liz Bryski’s engaging writing style and even though many of the characters had faced adverse circumstances during their lives, which were quite emotional to read, the story on a whole was heartfelt and touching.  The book concludes on the cusp of the Covid19 pandemic. And we all know how that pans out!  Liz Bryski delivers engaging women’s fiction through likeable characters and relatable life events. I am looking forward to reading some of her back list.”

Head over to a terrific blog post ‘Tea break with Nicola Marsh” written by mrsbbookreviews which provides more insight into Nicola’s latest release Summer of serenity.  She will also talk about what is coming up for this popular author. 

Love and Virtue by Diane Reid was reviewed by Theresa Smith Writes and it sounds like there is quite a lot to be gained by reading this one, in terms of how it may provoke discussion around the themes. Therese felt the novel was “written with a strikingly contemporary voice that is both wickedly clever and incisive, issues of consent, class and institutional privilege, and feminism become provocations for enduring philosophical questions we face today.

And to finish with a Christmas themed book as our thoughts may be turning to Christmas shopping soon.  The intrepid reader was quite surprised that she had already read a Christmas book in October but was keen to add this glowing review “I love the way that she writes about food, books, about place and, yes, about Christmas. I also loved the way that Raisin is happy to poke fun at the story. The gorgeous hero, the big misunderstanding, the grand gestures – all the tropes are here.”

All the best for the coming month, thanks for your reviews and look forward to reading the next contributions in November.  Take care everyone.