Happy release day to Kate Valent! We highly recommend you book a room at this inn. Especially if you love cozy fantasy!
The Driftcap Inn (Innkeepers of Itharos Book 1)
Release Date: September 8, 2025
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
magic inn
found family
secrets/hidden truths
second chances (as in redemption and not second chance romance)
sunshine boy x shy boy
mm subplot
Welcome to The Driftcap Inn, a cozy perch among the clouds. Drift on in and stay awhile!
In all of Itharos no inn is more enchanting—or peculiar—than The Driftcap Inn, a cozy haven in the sky carved from a giant floating mushroom. Its owner, Eino the Wanderer, enjoys a life of breathtaking views and freedom from the petty wars and political intrigue of the kingdoms below. But a home set adrift in the vast, empty skies can also be unbearably lonely.
When a handsome and enigmatic apothecary named Joren comes aboard, an unexpected companionship blossoms between the two men, stirring the possibility of something deeper. But their peaceful journey through the clouds is shattered when a string of unsettling events threatens to send Eino’s home plummeting to the ground.
Something wicked is spreading its roots across The Driftcap Inn, and Eino suspects there’s much more to it than just bad luck. With dark secrets surrounding every guest and danger creeping ever closer, Eino must decide who he can trust with his life — and with his heart.
In this pulse-pounding thriller from bestselling writer Chris Carter, criminal behavior psychologist turned LAPD detective Robert Hunter finds himself engaged in a brutal game to the finish with a ruthless opponent. But no matter what moves Hunter makes, death is coming….
At the Los Angeles International Airport, the body of a twenty-year-old woman is discovered. The autopsy reveals that she had been tortured and murdered in a most bizarre way—but the surprises don’t end there. The killer likes to play, and he left something behind for the cops to find.
LAPD Detective Robert Hunter is assigned to the case but almost immediately a second body turns up. Surrounded by new challenges as every day passes, Hunter finds himself chasing a monster—one with a dark past and whose desire to hurt people and thirst for murder can never be quenched.
My thoughts: After the vacation that wasn’t, Robert Hunter returns to LA to be faced with a new case, another gruesome and violent one. He and Garcia are called out to a body by the airport, the victim was brutally tortured to death, and she won’t be the last.
Taunting the detectives by leaving the message I AM DEATH with each poor victim, the duo feel like they’re getting nowhere, until the killer makes a mistake that will bring Hunter to his door.
Another shocking and gripping case for Hunter and Garcia – there’s a method of murder in this one that actually succeeded in making me flinch, I am pretty unshockable most of the time. The story has a dual narrative, with a clever twist, and the identity of the killer, and their motivation is something you won’t see coming.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Scott and Blair Bagby are a happy, successful English couple living in the suburbs with their teenage son and Great Dane. Life seems good, until one beautiful spring morning when a detective inspector knocks on their door asking if their son is home, unleashing an unspeakable horror that blows apart the life they thought they had.
Police have discovered bodies buried deep in the Peasedale forest and the inspector suspects one is Jamie, the final victim of a brutal and prolific serial killer. But Jamie’s death is unlike all the others, starting with his emergency phone call that leads to a macabre burial ground near a dilapidated hunting shack and creates shocking suspicions.
With bone deep grief threatening to destroy their marriage and their sanity, Scott and Blair set out to investigate Jamie’s death, a journey that not only upends their perceptions of who they are, but torturously reveals they may not have known Jamie at all…
Heidi Field was raised in the beautiful countryside of the South of England with her parents and her two sisters. In her twenties she was a freelance Sports Massage Therapist. She achieved a Degree in Zoology at the age of thirty and then went on to raise two boys and became the stepmother of three more young children. She still lives near her family home with her partner, their Great Dane and the children that have yet to fly the nest.
In her early forties Heidi completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Winchester University. She entered the course hoping she would become a children’s fantasy writer and left with a burning desire to write contemporary mysteries and thrillers. Heidi wanted to put relatable people in extraordinary situations, challenge them, push them to their limits and watch them fight for their sanity. The Other Boy is her first novel.
My Facebook author page is: Heidi Field Author @HeidiField11 @heidifield.bsky.social
My thoughts: Sad, shocking and chilling, Scott and Blair’s quest to find answers to their son’s death at the hands of a sadistic killer lead them to unexpected and disturbing places. Grieving but unable to let go of Jamie’s last hours, they hunt for the titular other boy, a friend of their son’s who might just have been helping his killer.
Blair especially struggles with her grief, manifesting a version of Jamie that only she can see in order to cope with the loss. Time at an inpatient clinic helps her come to terms but only answers will help her finally let him go.
Scott, an investigative journalist, doggedly follows every lead, chasing down a burglar and hunting through his son’s things. He too wants answers, but more for Blair than himself.
Combining an exploration of parental grief with a quest for truth and answers to Jamie’s death, this is an unusual and highly enjoyable thriller.
*This is a repost of a review from earlier this year, to help promote this book. All opinions expressed remain my own.
It’s the one piece of evidence that will crack the case . . . but is it too shocking to reveal?
A murdered student. A secret buried in the past. A killer who’s still watching.
Detective Steph Warwick is halfway through her Christmas shopping when she gets the call. The body of a young man has been pulled from the icy River Witham.
The victim is Max Barsby, a quiet, hardworking archaeology student with no enemies – or so it seems. But Max didn’t drown. He was murdered. Bludgeoned over the head and left for dead. With the university all but deserted for the holidays, Steph finds herself with few leads and even fewer witnesses.
Meanwhile, Special Constable Jane Bell is investigating a routine break-in when she stumbles across an unexpected link to Max. As Jane and Steph’s paths cross once more, Steph reluctantly brings the warm-hearted mother-of-two into the fold – knowing Jane can reach people – and places – that she can’t.
Their enquiries unearth a mysterious girlfriend, a controversial dig site, and a discovery someone will kill to protect. But when Jane finds a piece of evidence too explosive to share, her silence may prove deadly – for both of them.
Janice was born and grew up in West Lothian, Scotland. After completing an English degree at St Andrew’s University, she moved to London where she lived for ten years doing an assortment of jobs. Her passions are reading, writing, and walking in Scotland and the Lake District. She lives in Lincolnshire with her husband and two sons.
We’re celebrating the release of Unraveled, a gorgeous gothic romantasy by Abbey Fox and the first in a new series called A Kingdom of Beasts and Ruins!
Unraveled (A Kingdom of Beasts and Ruins #1)
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Genre: Gothic Romantasy/ Fairy Tale
Enemies to lovers
Found family
Forced proximity
Touch her and 💀
Female friendships
A Beauty and the Beast retelling
Slow-burn
Morally Gray MMC
His familiar/pet loves her more
Feisty FMC
Bookish FMC
Everyone knows to never look a fae in the eyes, yet no one warned me he would hide behind the mask of a beast.
Death awaits those who get caught in the Wild Hunt, and only a magical veil protects the people of Penumbra from the monsters coming for them. So when a beast threatens to destroy the veil, Mia Clementine must break her vows of sorcery and use her magic to fight him, or risk losing everyone she loves.
But the beast isn’t what he seems, and now the fae king owns her soul. Dragged into his mythical land, she must unravel the curse that turned him into a monster in order to regain her freedom—or die trying.
The longer she stays in his world, the more irresistible her feelings for him become. Hate turns into passion, and newly discovered truths test her loyalties, forcing her to choose to save her people or the fae world she’s grown to love.
If you like Howl’s Moving Castle and ACOTAR, then you will love this gothic Beauty and the Beast retelling in a fantasy setting.
It contains strong language; explicit, consensual sex scenes; and violence typical for the genre. There is also a bit of a horror element, manipulation and kidnapping.
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (16 in 2024) and one overall winner. If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.
One murder mystery weekend. Two rival sleuths.
They’re looking for answers. But will they find love?
Kate Brannon is delighted to be attending her first murder mystery weekend in a movie-worthy Victorian manor house. Still getting over being dumped, cracking the case would be a welcome boost to her flagging confidence. And the prize money wouldn’t hurt either.
But Kate’s dreams of victory become a nightmare with the arrival of Max Ravenscroft. Smart, enigmatic and annoyingly handsome, Max is Kate’s sleuthing nemesis.
When she and Max are forced to work together, Kate despairs. But, as the investigation brings them closer, she finds being his partner in solving crime isn’t all bad.
With growing suspicions that the game is rigged against them, can Kate and Max beat the odds to find the killer? And, as their partnership deepens, can they find romance too?
A sweet romantic comedy with a cosy mystery at its heart. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Freeman, Laura Jane Williams and Katie Fforde.
This rivals-to-lovers romance is a standalone romcom and part of the Love in the Comptons collection.
Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire, UK, with her husband and children. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but need a little help to realise it.
A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in Art and Soul, her first novel, at clairehuston.co.uk along with over 150 other recipes. This is also where she talks about and reviews books. You can also find Claire on various social media platforms. Find your favourite here
My thoughts:
A murder mystery weekend that leads to love! I really enjoyed this book, I loved Kate and her colourful outfits, she’s clever and funny and clearly a good friend putting up with Bella’s many absences from the event and her matchmaking antics.
She and Max have known each other for years but she always thought he didn’t like her, and vice versa. Thrown together for the weekend they discover their mistake and bond over crime novels and interrogating the actors playing the witnesses. Especially when they realise the man running the event is up to no good and out to prevent anyone from winning.
Working together, and even dealing with the appearance of Kate’s odious ex, draws them together and as they put together the clues, they realise they have more in common than just a love of classic crime.
Cute and funny, this is a lovely rom com, replete with moments of minor peril (trapped in a secret room anyone?) and thankfully a murder mystery with no actual murder (I read a lot of crime fiction too).
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
In the space of a morning, Vicky’s life changed. She started the day happily married, with a wonderful infant son and a doting husband. By lunchtime, her husband was dead and her child missing.
DI Jennifer Stone knows time is critical. She and her team need to find nine-month-old Harry quickly – but the case has reopened old wounds for her, reigniting a pain that had only just started to heal.
However, when people close to Vicky are hurt and her late husband’s estranged mother turns up, DI Stone suspects something may be going on behind the family’s closed doors. If she can’t figure out what, and soon, more people will die.
It begs the question; how well do you really know your family?
Scott Englefield grew up on the Isle of Wight. Despite being surrounded by idyllic beaches and woodland walks, he was often to be found with his head buried in a book.
His love of reading endured into adulthood and now he spends his free time writing crime and psychological thrillers, often having to stop to fend off his cat James who believes his keyboard is the perfect place to sleep.
He is in his mid-forties (and feels it) and lives with his wife, son and cat in the East of England.
My thoughts: Poor Vicky, her husband has a shocking heart attack in the supermarket car park and then someone abducts her infant son from his car seat. That’s truly awful. The police quickly start looking for little Harry, they know the longer he’s missing, the worse the outcome.
But things get worse for Vicky after that, her sister-in-law is knocked down by a car, then her lovely old neighbour John, who has been so kind and supportive, dies in a suspected murder. What on earth is happening and why to this poor woman?
But the police know there must be something in Vicky’s past – some clue as to what’s going on. Her mother-in-law might be in the frame for one, maybe two, of the incidents, but is in the clear for the rest. Especially once the toxicology report on Tom comes back. Things are very weird.
The twists in this, the killer’s reasoning, so many gasp out loud moments. Poor Harry will never remember his dad, and Vicky will have to live with the memories and trauma. But it’s very enjoyable and I was totally hooked.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Twenty years ago, Effie vanished without a trace. She was last seen arguing with her cousin Shannon at the pub before storming home — except she never made it. Suspicion fell on Shannon, but with no body and no evidence, she walked free and the case went cold.
Decades later, a young woman is found strangled in an allotment at the bottom of Shannon’s garden. And once again, Shannon finds herself at the centre of an intense police investigation. Detective Anna James finds Shannon blunt to the point of rude, but without solid evidence, there’s nothing to hold her on.
With the investigation at a standstill, Anna turns to an unlikely source: her former lover, ex-crime boss Joshua ‘Parole’ Cribbins. He still has connections with the seedy underbelly of the town — and he’s all too willing to help. But getting close to Parole again could cost Anna everything.
Then, a breakthrough leads Anna to a place known as the Cow Shed. What she uncovers there will change everything — and expose the horrifying truth that’s been buried for decades.
Emmy Ellis lives in Nottinghamshire with her husband and cat. She has five adult children. She loves reading and binge-watching anything to do with crime. She’s an introvert with an extrovert mask she puts on when the need arises. Described as quirky and clumsy, she loves nothing more than seeing people smile…or cringe while reading her novels.
My thoughts: The motive for these murders will make you gasp, it’s truly shocking. But no spoilers here.
After a gap of twenty years, the killer strikes again. After Effie disappeared, rumours swirled around Shannon (who I felt very sorry for) and now there’s a body in her garden, amongst the beetroot.
She’s an innocent victim, but the killer clearly knows her, why taunt her like that otherwise?
The police are stumped, there’s so little to go on. They’re pretty sure the two cases, despite the gap, are connected. But how? Then slowly a trickle of information about the past starts to reach them. And buried within it, the truth about why the killer has risen again after twenty years.
Chilling, compelling, shocking. And so, so good.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
When Jude Gray inherited Malvern Farm, she never thought she’d become so used to farm life, let alone be good at it!
But now a beloved national TV show is coming to film their Christmas special on her land, celebrating the charm of rural living and all Jude’s achieved so far.
At least, that’s the plan… until one of the crew is found dead in suspicious circumstances.
At first, it looks like a tragic accident, but when alibis start to crack, it seems like anything but. With a growing list of suspects and enough behind-the-scenes drama to rival anything the cameras are capturing, Jude must dig deep to uncover the truth.
Because someone on her farm is hiding a deadly secret – and this year, the season of goodwill may come with a killer twist…
Kate Wells is the author of a number of well-reviewed books for children, and is now writing cosy crime set in the Malvern hills, inspired by the farm where she grew up.
My thoughts: I really like this series and while reading a book set at Christmas at the end of summer does feel a bit silly, hard to imagine needing a big coat yet, once December arrives, this book will be perfect.
Jude has agreed to let a TV show film on her land – it’s a bit like Countryfile I think or Springwatch. It’s also paying her, so she can afford to keep the farm going. However it’s the run up to Christmas, there’s always a lot to do on a farm and she’s also helping her sister organise her wedding, to be hosted just after Christmas on the farm.
The director is an egotistical nightmare who seems to think Jude works for him, and doesn’t understand animals at all. He drives her a bit crazy with his demands and orders. The rest seem OK, but there’s tensions and secrets among them.
Then the camera operator is killed, in what could be a horrible accident but the police investigation reveals it’s murder. Again. Jude seems to attract them.
When it looks like the presenter of the show has been having an affair with the dead woman, and his co-presenter wife knows, but could that be a reason to kill? As Jude and her police friends investigate the TV crew and try to uncover who might have wanted the camerawoman dead, another member of the crew is found dead, pointing in a different direction. What is going on?
A clever, twisty-turny crime, with lots of festive goings on around the chaos on the campsite. And it ends with a wedding!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Welcome to the tour for Beyond the Border Forest by Molly Haniszewski. Read on for more deets on this gorgeous Snow White retelling!
Beyond the Border Forest: Into the Prawdziwy Las
Series: The Immortal Seasons Cycle Book 1
Expected Release Date: September 30, 2025
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Snow White Retelling
🍄 Fairytale retelling
🌈 Queer Rep
❤ Plus Size Heroine
🌲 Enchanted Forest
💙 Trans Love Interest
😂 Hilarious Banter
🦌 Slavic Folklore
☕ Studio Ghibli Vibes
💪🏻 Unlikely Heroes
🩷 Sapphic Romance
🌟 Riddles
❄ Seasonal/Elemental Magic
Two kings rule the ancient woods—the Oak King in summer, the Holly King in winter—and no mortal may cross into their realm without leave. But when eighteen-year-old Rowan Gwózdek’s sister vanishes, Rowan defies the old laws and enters the forbidden forest, desperate to find her. She isn’t alone for long. Keziah, a trans (and very handsome) hunter with a shadowy tie to the Oak King, offers his help—and a perilous path to the Bear Maiden, a creature said to grant wishes. Together, Rowan and Keziah face mossmen, a wood dragon, and other servants of the forest kings.
But danger lurks deeper still. Caught between the warring Oak and Holly Kings, Rowan is forced to take sides in a battle far older and fiercer than she ever imagined. Saving her sister could cost her everything—including her way home.
ramblingmads 