2023 reflection

 

As the year draws to a close, I've had a bit of a mull over the books I've read in 2023. Goodreads tells me I've managed a total of 58 doses of fiction this year, and despite having one final book on the go as we approach New Year's Eve, I know that realistically I'm not going to complete it, so I'll wrap up at 58 - which, while it's not as many as previous years, I think is a decent tally. My love of reading has returned - it had become a bit of a chore when first setting up this blog page, and I had lost my way under the pressure of blog tours and deadlines. 

The reason I wanted to write this page in the first place was to share my passion for books, and share with others which authors and titles I enjoy. There are many others who can dedicate far more time than I can in promoting the newest releases and upcoming publications and, while I do love that side of it, the pressure alongside full-time work in the NHS is not sustainable for me personally. So 2023 has led me to return to mood reading - choosing the books which speak to me from the shelves of my local library and bookstores, the ones which have waited patiently on my own shelves at home for their turn in the spotlight.  There have been promotions for new releases which I have been privileged to be offered via Netgalley or direct from publishers/authors, but less so this year and I'm feeling far more comfortable with this. 

So, what hit the spot this year and which missed the target? 

Funnily enough, these were 2 books from the same author, Gillian McAllister. And maybe it was because I loved the one book so much that the later one just couldn't match it? I don't know. My stand-out book this year was Wrong Place, Wrong Time which impressed me so much due to the talent required to actually write it successfully. There were so many ways it could have gone horribly wrong but the author kept the plotting and detail so tight, it was a huge hit for me. The later publication of Just Another Missing Person didn't work anywhere near so well for me - but as you know, I don't like to slate a book just because I wasn't a fan so I'll spend no further time on that one.

Following closely in the success of this one, are 2 books by an author new to me this year, Jack Jordan. Both Do No Harm and Conviction were big hits for me and I have purchased another couple of books from his backlist, so they could feature in next year's reviews.

I don't often choose books which feature heavily on booktok as I haven't had much luck with them, but I have been pleasantly surprised by Freida McFadden's Housemaid series and have also added her to the 2024 s"potentials" list.

This year has been a good reading year, and I have lots more planned for 2024, but I'll keep that for another day. I'll gather my thoughts on what I think will be ones to watch out for and present to you a few titles I'm either planning to read or will be looking out for when they hit the shelves.

Have a fabulous New Year's celebrations, whether you choose to party or have a quiet one on the sofa with a good book.

 Thank you all for supporting me by reading my blog posts and reviews. I hope to see you all again next year!

The IT girl by Ruth Ware #paperbackbooks #TheITGirl @RuthWare @simonschusterUK

 The IT girl by Ruth Ware

Published by Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 27th April 2023

Book Description:

Everyone wanted her life
Someone wanted her dead
It was Hannah who found April’s body ten years ago.
It was Hannah who didn’t question what she saw that day.
Did her testimony put an innocent man in prison?
She needs to know the truth.
Even if it means questioning her own friends.
Even if it means putting her own life at risk.
Because if the killer wasn’t a stranger, it's someone she knows . . . 

My Thoughts:

I have to admit, I do love a book with dual timelines which a good author can skilfully blend together in order to complete the final picture. Ruth Ware has done this perfectly with this book, having taken the reader off track spectacularly on more than one occasion. 

The setting is Pelham College, Oxford. The reader is presented with a core of main characters, as diverse as you could possibly expect; yes, they're all brilliant academics - they'd need to be in order to have been offered a place, it is Oxford University after all. Hannah has arrived, wide-eyed with imposter syndrome, the shining star of her local college. Her roommate is April Clarke-Cliveden, exactly the type of student many of us would expect to be on campus. Her boyfriend Will de Chastaigne is a regular visitor to their accommodation, but from what Hannah has heard through the bedroom wall, things aren't always 100% rosy between them. Then one night Hannah returns from the first night of April's drama production to find the door to their flat open, and April dead on the floor. 

Alongside this account of Hannah's uni days, we have a commentary of where she's at now: working at a bookshop in Edinburgh, married and pregnant; life is settled and she's happy with her lot. Her husband is attentive and doing well in his job. Then Hannah gets a phone call: the man who was jailed for April's murder is dead, which means an appeal against his conviction will no longer be investigated. She should be relieved that the whole experience can now be put to rest - but she feels uneasy. The news has opened up old wounds in her mind and sets her on track asking questions that some people are clearly uncomfortable with.

There are so many directions this book could head off in, and the author entertains us in all of them in Hannah's quest for the truth. I buddy read this one with my daughter and we certainly lined up a good few alternative suspects as we made our way through the pages, working through the possible means and motives for each character.

We loved this great whodunit, the truth was eked out until really quite late in the book although, as with all the good books of this genre, the very subtle clues are there when you apply hindsight. An easy to read style, I found this to be a much better book than the other of this author's work I'd read previously although not quite the full 5 stars - close, but not quite.

About the Author:

Ruth Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language, and a press officer before settling down as a full-time writer. She now lives with her family in Sussex, on the south coast of England. She is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail (Toronto) bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood; The Woman in Cabin 10; The Lying Game; The Death of Mrs. Westaway; The Turn of the Key; One by One; The It Girl; and Zero Days. Visit her at RuthWare.com or follow her on Twitter @RuthWareWriter

Conviction by Jack Jordan #hardbackbook #signedbooks @JackJordanBooks @simonschuster #Conviction

 Conviction by Jack Jordan

Published by Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 22nd June 2023

Book Description:

TO STEAL A MAN'S FREEDOM ALL IT TAKES IS . . . CONVICTION

Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and teenage children as they slept before burning the family home to the ground. 

 

When the case lands on barrister Neve Harper’s desk, she knows it could be the career making case she’s been waiting for. But only if she can prove Wade’s innocence. 

A matter of days before the case, as Neve is travelling home for the night, she is approached by a man. He tells her she must lose this case or the secret about her own husband’s disappearance will be revealed.

 

Failing that, he will kill everyone she cares about until she follows orders.

 

Neve must make a choice – betray every principle she has ever had by putting a potentially innocent man in prison, or risk putting those she loves in mortal danger.

My Thoughts:

Anyone who knows me, or has been reading my ramblings on this blog page, will know that I love a good legal thriller so I had this book on my radar long before publication and was gutted to have my request declined for a NetGalley copy earlier in the year. Never mind, this gave me an excuse to buy myself a shiny, signed copy during my trip to London in the summer (as if I need a reason!). 

The book is set in London (hence it being an ideal choice as a memento of my trip), with barrister Neve Harper thrilled at the opportunity to defend one of the nation's most prominent accused, Wade Darling. The case had initially been allocated to someone else, however an unfortunate incident on the Northern Line had led to the case needing a new defence barrister. It's not long before Neve realises that maybe there was more to that incident than people realised.

If you've read Jack's earlier book Do No Harm you will know how good he is at penning a decent blackmail thriller. If not, can I recommend that you grab yourselves a copy of both books? Once again the author puts the main character in an impossible situation - the tension levels crank up even higher in this book than in previous novels, which I wouldn't have said would be possible if you'd asked me before. I love how we follow Neve's thought processes on how she could potentially side-step the blackmailers' demands without any of the consequences - and how this works out for her. The writing is top notch, as we expect from Mr Jordan, and the final chapters are very, very clever.

Keep 'em coming Jack Jordan. I will be buying every one of them!

About The Author:

Jack Jordan is the global number one bestselling author of Anything for Her (2015), My Girl (2016), A Woman Scorned (2018), Before Her Eyes (2018) and Night by Night (2019).

His latest thriller, Do No Harm, was an instant Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Most Recommended Book in the DeadGood Reader Awards. Coined the thriller of the summer for 2022, it was described as “relentlessly tense” by Sunday Times Bestseller Lesley Kara, and “Chilling and perfectly paced” by New York Times Bestseller Sarah Pearse.

To find out more about Jack, enter numerous annual giveaways to win signed copies of his books, and be the first to hear of new book releases and news, follow him here:

Instagram: @JackJordan_author

TikTok: @jackjordan_author

Twitter: @JackJordanBooks

Facebook: JackJordanOfficial

Goodreads: JackJordanOfficial

Do No Harm by Jack Jordan #paperbackbook #libraryloan @JackJordanBooks @SimonBooks #DoNoHarm

 

Do No Harm by Jack Jordan

Published by Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 30th March 2023

Book Description:

MY CHILD HAS BEEN TAKEN.
AND I’VE BEEN GIVEN A CHOICE . . .
KILL A PATIENT ON THE OPERATING TABLE
OR LOSE MY SON FOREVER.

The man lies on the table in front of me.
As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.
As a mother, I know I must kill him.
You might think that I’m a monster.
But there really is only one choice.
I must get away with murder.
Or I will never see my son again.

I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.
WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?

My Thoughts:

Do No Harm is my first experience of Jack Jordan's writing. And it won't be my last. That's not to say that I don't have my criticisms of the plot - I work in a hospital setting and some of the scenes are perhaps a little far-fetched. But this is the world of fiction! The stories wouldn't be as enjoyable if our authors didn't inject a few "flexible boundaries" would they? 

So, the concept of the book is that Anna, a highly esteemed cardiac surgeon with an exemplary record, is required by some decidedly unsavoury characters to ensure the non-survival of a high-profile patient during his heart surgery. This goes against everything she believes in - so to persuade her it's the right thing to do, the same band of characters has abducted her young son and murdered the pensioner neighbour of Anna's who was providing her childcare. In order for Zack's safe return, Anna must not only do what they ask but also make sure there are no suspicious circumstances. Just a statistical loss on the operating table. 

The author takes us on the rollercoaster ride that is Anna's life while she battles her demons - the plot gathering layers as each day passes. She doesn't know who she can trust as she tries to plan how on earth she can possibly do what they are asking of her, and every time she thinks she got things sorted, the goalposts move again.

The tension created by the author is excellent, and there were times when I literally held my breath through some of the scenes. Would Anna do what the kidnappers wanted? If so, would she get away with it? Then the aftermath: a hospital enquiry and a possible police intervention were all potential stumbling blocks to consider. Could she even trust them to return Zack if she did carry out their wishes? 

This book will certainly have your heart racing throughout, so much so you might need a cardiac specialist by the time you close the cover!  But would you trust Anna to be that professional after everything you've read about her?

About the Author:

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, Night by Night, Do No Harm and Conviction, and an Amazon No. 1 bestseller in the UK, Canada and Australia.Do No Harm was described as 'chilling' by Sarah Pearse, 'brilliant' by Lesley Kara and 'pulse-racing' by Louise Candlish. It was an instant Times bestseller on first publication and a Waterstones Thriller of the Month pick.  

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell #paperbackbooks #TheGoldenSpoon #booktwt

 

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

Published by Penguin

Publication Date: 14th September 2023

Book Description:

For six amateur bakers, competing in Bake Week is a dream come true.

But for the show's famous host, Betsy Martin, it's more than a competition. It's her legacy.

As she welcomes contestants to her ancestral home, Grafton Manor, she's excited to discover who will have

what it takes win the ultimate prize: The Golden Spoon.

Quickly, though, things start to go wrong...

The contestants are jittery - they've heard strange noises in the manor at night.

Betsy is irate - a new co-host has arrived, and he's out for her spotlight.

Then, the sabotage begins. At first, it's small. Sugar switched for salt. A hob turned too high.

But when a body is discovered, everyone becomes a suspect.

Because for someone at Bake Week it's time to settle old scores . . .

My Thoughts:

I bought this book just as the latest series of The Great British Bake-Off aired on TV. The setting, contestants and the challenges created for them by fictional host Betsy Martin perfectly reflect the reality show here in the UK, despite the book being set in America. But that's where the similarity ends. Sabotage, high-running tensions between the show's staff and ultimately a mysterious murder certainly aren't par for the course on our TV screens. 

I very much enjoyed the feel of this book, however knowing that there will be a murder right from the outset kind of spoiled it for me - I was constantly waiting for a body to be discovered and for the reveal of who had come to an unfortunate end. The fact that there is so much of the book to get through, whilst enjoyable in its own right, just took far too long for me.  

The background story felt rather predictable, so much so that I was disappointed that there wasn't more meat to the story - a bit more scandal perhaps. I'm wondering whether I'm just not enough of a cosy crime reader to really soak up more of the atmosphere. I was craving a bit more punch to the tale.

The concept of this book was great: Bake-off with a slice of crime. I just didn't need to have it spelled out for me what that crime would be. The marketing could have been better executed in order for the reader to have a better experience - it felt like they provided their own spoilers. But hey, that's just my opinion. The characters worked well, an eclectic mix as we tend to get on the TV, the personalities of the presenters and contestants were perfectly drawn, yet the overall finish of the book was off somehow for me.

Sadly, no show-stoppers here for me.

About the Author:

Jessa Maxwell is a cosy mystery fiction author, best known for her novel The Golden Spoon. However, this is not her first rodeo. In another life she is well-known for the adorable characters she creates under the name Jessica Olien. Before she became a writer of fiction, she used to work as a journalist and has lived all over the world in such places as the Netherlands, Thailand and Egypt.

The Golden Spoon is her first venture into adult fiction writing and was published in 2023.

The Babysitter by Emma Curtis #libraryloan #paperbackbooks @CorvusBooks @emmacurtisbooks #TheBabysitter

 

The Babysitter by Emma Curtis

Published by Corvus

Publication Date 2nd October 2023

Book Description:

Three women. Three secrets.

Claudia's life imploded ten years ago when she was convicted of the murder of her child. Now she has done the unthinkable and confessed to manslaughter in order to be granted parole - her only hope of finding out what really happened to Tilly.

Sara is married to Joe, Claudia's ex-husband, and they have a young child together. She finally has everything she ever wanted, but Claudia's release threatens the perfect life she has created.

Anna was the babysitter who let Claudia and Joe down on day their daughter disappeared. Married with a child of her own, Claudia's reappearance in her quiet cul-de-sac is an unwelcome surprise.

These three women are tied together in more ways than they realize. But only one of them is capable of killing.

My Thoughts:

This book was an impulse pick at my local library - I'd only nipped in to drop off another book which I had finished, and this one waved to me from the quick choices shelf!

So, we know from the description that Claudia Hartman has been jailed for the murder of her baby daughter Tilly - and she's gone from her not guilty plea in court to an admission of manslaughter, which has allowed her release from jail some 10 years later. The book starts with a prologue which describes exactly what happened that terrible day from Claudia's point of view, and it's every mother's nightmare. Her admission of guilt, albeit of the lesser charge of manslaughter, went so far against the grain but after nine years of constantly thinking about how she can find out who took her daughter that day, Claudia knew her only chance was to plead guilty. Now she's out, and those responsible are on high alert that Claudia is coming for them - even if she is yet to discover who they are.

Now, as you know, I hate to give any spoilers in my reviews and this book is one that you most definitely need to know nothing about any of the characters as you go in. The less you know about anyone, the more you will get from the story. There are many and varied layers to a lot of the people who feature in the book; my advice is to keep an open mind about everyone yet be prepared that any of them are capable of things you wouldn't expect.  Basically, everyone is a suspect. Even those who couldn't possibly be. There are points where Claudia is an extremely unreliable narrator - but she's not the only one who can be accused of this. My thoughts did metronomic swings from liking and sympathising with her to questioning whether she was completely deluded and should be back behind bars. 

From a long list of potential choices, the character I didn't "click" with most out of all of them was Claudia's husband, Joe. Right from the start I felt uncomfortable with him. Why would he be so willing to believe that Claudia was responsible for Tilly's demise? His almost immediate acceptance of the police opinion that Claudia had harmed Tilly - he barely even considered her account of events. That didn't sit well with me; surely, you'd trust the mother of your child to not be capable of hurting them? Even if this was proven misguided later on? A huge red flag for me. 

My biggest struggle with this book was the quantity of female characters that I had to fit into the puzzle quite early on. They are all necessary, so this isn't a criticism, just something to be aware of as you go in. Luckily, as I know I am likely to be sharing my thoughts about the book at some point, I tend to scribble a "who's who" to reference in case I can't place someone who doesn't figure much. This proved extremely handy as a couple of times I muddled up my characters here.

I very much enjoyed this book and commend Emma Curtis's writing skills as I still wasn't sure whodunnit and why extremely late into the story. I love a book that has me considering the options right the way through and this was most definitely one of those. If you want a book which will exercise those detective grey cells this'll do nicely.

About the Author:

Bestselling author Emma Curtis was born in Brighton and now lives in London with her husband. After raising her two children and working as a school secretary, her fascination with the darker side of domestic life inspired her to write her acclaimed debut novel, One Little Mistake. Emma has since written five more thrillers: When I find You, The Night You Left, Keep Her Quiet, Invite me and The Babysitter. Her next thriller, The Commuter will be published in 2024

Husband and Wife by K L Slater @bookouture @KLSlaterAuthor #HusbandandWife #NetGalley

 

Husband and Wife by K L Slater

Published by Bookouture

Publication Date: 3rd November 2023

Book Description:

We promised to keep each other’s secrets. Until they found the body…

The Wife:

My husband and I are fighting for our lives in hospital after a terrible car accident. But despite my pain, all I can think about is what our families will find behind our front door. The scarf that has been all over the news, belonging to a dead young woman with honey-coloured hair. I have to speak to the police before my husband can…

The Husband:

I’m drifting in and out of consciousness, but when I hear my wife talking to the police, accusing me of the murder of an innocent woman, a cold fear grips me. I know I’ve got a temper. That I’ve not always been faithful. Will they think I killed her?

I think of my wife’s jealous streak, of the lies she’s told our loved ones. But if I tell the whole truth, they’ll look into her past. And that will destroy me, too…

Two people fighting for their lives. Two people with secrets to hide. Who will you believe?

My Thoughts:

The first thing to say about this book is what a great tag line to pull you into the story! 

"She kept all his secrets. Until the body was found..."

If that doesn't make you curious, nothing will! Who has secrets? What are the secrets? Whose body and why have they been killed? So many questions are raised just by the tag line - and you'll only have more as you become engrossed in this domestic tale of murder and deceit. But those with the answers are lying seriously ill in hospital after a nasty car crash. A coincidence, maybe? MORE questions!!

I loved this book, and I certainly didn't work out where it would be heading. There are older parents of career-successful kids, who don't see as much of them as they'd like so don't know as much about what's happening in their day-to-day lives. There are the in-laws, wealthy and successful and a little bit smug about it. The couple involved in the car crash: The husband who confided that he needs a chat with his mum before he set off on the fateful journey, and his glamorous yet insecure wife who seems to hold all the cards in their relationship. Secrets...oh, so many secrets!

This is a prime candidate for a book you'll want to read in one sitting. Characters you'll love to hate and others you'll want to hug. And a plot which will have you turning the pages until you run out. Probably at about 2 in the morning because you won't want to put it down.

About the Author:

Kim is the number one bestselling author of twenty psychological crime thrillers. She has sold over two million copies of her books worldwide. She has also written four Carnegie-nominated Young Adult novels as Kim Slater for Macmillan Children’s Books. Kim has an MA in Creative Writing and lives with her husband in a small Nottinghamshire village.