Category: Recent Reads

Recent Reads: Executed by R.R. Haywood (Extracted Trilogy 2)

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Executed by R.R. Haywood (Extracted Trilogy 2) carries on the story of our time travelling heroes!  At the end of the first book, someone turned up to take charge, Miri.  And she’s here to make sure operations go well.

But there’s another group who are after the time travel machine, and they attacked at the end of the last book, which we see with a little more information in this book.

I enjoyed this science fiction adventure, with a base set in time of dinosaurs, and people saved moments from death to save the world.

Executed was published on 6th June 2017 and is available from Amazon and Waterstones.

You can follow RR Haywood on Twitter, Facebook and his website.

You can read my review for Extracted (book 1) here.

Recent Reads: 11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club 11)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club 11) has a killer who has access to the police department’s evidence locker, and uses a gun to kill a man at his daughter’s music recital.  

Meanwhile there’s two heads found in the garden of a world famous actor, and then more are unearthed!  

Lindsay is pregnant, and in the last book, Rich and Cindy got engaged, and Yuki is happy with Brady, Lindsay’s new lieutenant from the last book.

There are twists and turns, all of which keep you on your toes as a reader.  It’s an enjoyable book with good pacing.

11th Hour was published on 7th May 2012 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow James Patterson on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.

I’m afraid I couldn’t find any links for Maxine Paetro for you to follow.

Women’s Murder Club books:

1st to Die   – book 1 

2nd Chance – book 2

3rd Degree – book 3

4th of July – book 4

The 5th Horseman – book 5

The 6th Target – book 6

7th Heaven – book 7

The 8th Confession – book 8;

The 9th Judgement – book 9

10th Anniversary – book 10

Recent Reads: A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses 4)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas is the first book from another perspective in this series!  It’s mostly from the point of view of Nesta, Feyre’s sister, who is prickly, angry, and Feyre is not sure how to help her any more.

This is an epic fantasy series, set in a world where human and fae are separated by a wall, for the good of humanity.  Sarah J Maas writes fantasy with a raunchy romance edge.

I’ve been enjoying reading this series, and the next book is due next year!

A Court of Silver Flames was published on 16th February 2021, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Sarah J Maas on her website or on Instagram.

You can read my reviews for the previous books in the series here:

A Court of Thorns and Roses (book 1)

A Court of Mist and Fury (book 2)

A Court of Wings and Ruin (book 3)

A Court of Frost and Starlight (book 3.1)

Recent Reads: The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller is the tale of Elle, looking back on her life, the day after having sex with her best friend for the first time.  She has a husband, children, and Jonas has a wife, but still she’s not sure what she should do.

This is a heartbreaking, but has beautiful moments in it.  I was swept along by the story, the tales of the family, and how it had gotten to this point.  

The Paper Palace has been chosen by Reese Witherspoon’s bookclub, and is a great and moving read.

The Paper Palace was published on 8th July 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Miranda Cowley Heller on Instagram.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Viking.

Recent Reads: You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry is the story of Poppy and Alex, who have gone on holiday for every year for 11 years, except two years ago, when something happened.  Poppy wants to get back to the way things were with her best friend, and so invites Alex on holiday again this summer.

This is full of awkward pauses, uncomfortable moments, and a lot of heat, but the last one is to be expected from Palm Springs in the height of summer!  Reading about how Poppy and Alex try to work out what they are now was really good.  The tension and awkwardness was really apparent!

If you would like to get away with Poppy and Alex, you’ll enjoy the flashbacks to the years of their friendships and the other holidays they’ve been together, and partake in the mystery that is: what happened two years ago to mess with this friendship? 

You and Me on Vacation was published on 8th July 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Emily Henry on Instagram and on her website.

I have also read Beach Read by Emily Henry, and loved it!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin.

Recent Reads: Meet the Georgians; Epic Tales from Britain’s Wildest Century by Robert Peal

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Meet the Georgians; Epic Tales from Britain’s Wildest Century by Robert Peal is an entertaining read, with stories of Georgian individuals such as the two women pirates.  

This is a good book for setting the scene of the Georgian period, explaining why these characters are larger than life, and giving context for why the strait laced Victorian period follows the larger than life Georgian period!

Meet the Georgians was published on 8th July 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Robert Peal on Twitter and his website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to William Collins.

Recent Reads: London’s Museums and Galleries; Exploring the Best of the City’s Art and Culture by Eleanor Ross

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

London’s Museums and Galleries; Exploring the Best of the City’s Art and Culture by Eleanor Ross is a great visual guide to London’s museums and galleries.  It shows you inside these places, so you have an idea of what it’s like, and is arranged by location, such as Central London.

I think this is a great book to use to plan your next visit to London, and being able to have a look at all the different places will give you an idea of the places that you might never have found on your own!

London’s Museums and Galleries was published on 6th July 2021 and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Eleanor Ross on Twitter and on her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Quarto.

Recent Reads: The Art of Watercolor Lettering; A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide to Painting Modern Calligraphy and Lettered Art by Kelly Klapstein

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Art of Watercolor Lettering; A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide to Painting Modern Calligraphy and Lettered Art by Kelly Klapstein takes you through what supplies you need, and explains the differences in brushes.

It has lots of photos and drawings to try to help explain what you need to do, and is well thought through.  It has tips throughout to try to help you know more, and is a great starting point for anyone who wants to learn watercolour lettering.  There are lots of tutorials, and information for you.

The Art of Watercolor Lettering was published on 22 October 2019 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Kelly Klapstein on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

I was given access to this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Quarto.

Recent Reads: Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth is set 10 years after the five chosen ones saved the world.  We get to see how the most famous people in the world adapt to life after having to fight for their lives, using uncertain magic, and watching others die along the way.

I really enjoyed the look into ‘what happens after’, and found the characters to be well written and believable.

This was a really good fantasy novel, and the start of a new series, so I’m looking forward to reading more!

Chosen Ones was published on 7th April 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones (exclusive edition) and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Veronica Roth onInstagram and her website.

Recent Reads: Warriors, Witches, Women; Mythology’s Fiercest Females by Kate Hodges

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Warriors, Witches, Women; Mythology’s Fiercest Females by Kate Hodges is a beautifully illustrated book, with the story of females from myths and legend.  It’s broken down into different catagories, so you can read about Bringers of Misfortune, or Elemental Spirits.

The females and myths are international, which is another nice feature as it’s so often this type of book would specialise on Greek and Roman myths.

Warriors, Witches, Women was published on 3 March 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Kate Hodges on Instagram.

I was given access to this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Quarto.