Looking for something gothic, suspenseful, and atmospheric? The we highly recommend The Bridge of Fire by Maria Karamanou!
The Bridge of Fire
Release Date: October 2024
Genre: Gothic Mystery/ Thriller
Cover Artist: @selkkiedesigns
Haunted village
Trauma-bonded sisters
Hidden diary mystery
Prophetic dreams
Femme fatale revenge arc
Morally grey love interest
Dark family secrets
Deadly games & deception
In the quiet village of Snowshill, where shadows linger longer than the daylight, two sisters uncover a truth that was never meant to surface.
Victoria is haunted by vivid, prophetic dreams, visions that pull her toward a darkness buried deep within the village’s past. When she and her sister, Alice, discover a hidden diary detailing a string of unsolved murders, they awaken something ancient… and vengeful.
Alice, driven by pain and a dangerous need for retribution, slips into the underbelly of Snowshill, gambling, deceiving, and risking everything to chase a justice that could consume her. But the deeper she goes, the more she realizes her greatest enemy may not be the monsters lurking in the shadows… but the truth she’s been running from.
As history threatens to repeat itself, the sisters must confront the secrets that shaped them, the evil infecting their bloodline, and a destiny that has been waiting for them in the dark.
Some secrets were never meant to be found.
Some murders were never meant to be solved.
And in Snowshill… the truth always demands a sacrifice.
In the end, one haunting question remains: Who will survive to tell the tale of Snowshill?
A gothic psychological thriller about sisterhood, trauma, revenge, and the thin line between love and destruction
Where books are borrowed, and friendships are forged…
When her beloved grandfather dies, Ana Meštrović buys a catamaran in his memory, which she names Dida Krila – Grandad’s Wings.
For the summer months, it will be transformed into a travelling library, delivering books to children living across the Croatian islands.
Joined by crew members Natali, a young mechanic afraid of her own shadow, and Lloyd, an older widower who needs a fresh start, the newly-formed trio all have their own reasons for needing the floating library to be a success.
Embarking on an adventure that will change them for good, they each discover that a new chapter is only a boat ride away…
Eva Glyn writes escapist relationship-driven fiction with a kernel of truth at its heart. She loves to travel and finds inspiration in beautiful places and the stories they hide.
Set mainly in Croatia, her contemporary stories are more about friendship than romance, the coming together of people through shared interests, and the opportunity to make fresh starts in their lives. A love of books is a common theme too, so her publisher, One More Chapter, has christened them the Bookish Escapes collection which currently includes The Dubrovnik Book Club, and The Santorini Writing Retreat, with The Croatian Island Library to be published in January 2026.
In addition Eva has written two Second World War dual timeline romances, An Island of Secrets and The Collaborator’s Daughter, and a new beginnings novel entitled The Olive Grove. All are set in Croatian, a country she loves.
Although she considers herself Welsh, Eva lives in Cornwall with the man she met and fell in love with more than thirty years ago. She also writes as Jane Cable.
My thoughts: I love this idea, a floating library that travels between islands across the summer so that children can borrow books during the holiday. And as it’s part of a push to improve language skills with books in English and German as well, it’s intended to help those same children in the future too, as sadly Croatian is only spoken in Croatia, so languages are needed to get ahead if they want to work abroad or in tourism.
The catamaran is crewed by her captain, Ana, who is at something of a crossroads in life and taking the summer to work out her options, and Natali (and the lovely pup Obi) a young woman who doesn’t know if she’ll have anywhere to live after the summer.
And finally, there’s Lloyd, their librarian. He’s a former teacher who lived in Croatia for a while as a young man, before the war. He’s recently widowed and still struggling with grief, having taken this job after his teaching career ended abruptly.
These three lost souls come together for a summer bringing literature to the young people of Croatia’s islands, and will also perhaps, find themselves and their futures along the way.
It’s a really lovely book, and brought some sunshine to my dreary January. I loved the three members of the floating library, and their little canine mascot. I hope you will 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.
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Join Harriet White in 1930’s London for another glorious Sherlock Holmes-inspired mystery, for fans of Nita Prose and Janice Hallett.
After a very close call on the Norfolk Fens, Harriet White is about ready to hang up her deerstalker and settle back into her normal life, working in a bank on Baker Street. Until she discovers a letter in The Times newspaper challenging Sherlock Holmes to prove his status as the world’s greatest detective, by solving an impossible mystery.
The letter, signed Professor James Moriarty, advises Holmes that the crime will be committed within the following seven days. There will be no further clues – Holmes himself must deduce which crime is the correct one to investigate. Dismissing the letter as a prank, Harry goes about her business until news breaks of the theft of valuable jewel collection from a safe in an apparently locked room in a Mayfair townhouse.
Intrigued in spite of her misgivings, Harry dons a disguise and investigates. But as she begins to unpick the puzzle, a body is found. And now, a stranger, and far more deadly mystery begins to unfold around her…
Holly Hepburn writes escapist, swoonsome fiction that sweeps her readers into idyllic locations, from her native Cornwall to the windswept beauty of Orkney. She has turned her hand to cosy crime inspired by Sherlock Holmes himself. Holly lives in leafy Hertfordshire with her adorable partner in crime, Luna the Labrador.
My thoughts: I was very excited to read this and not remotely disappointed. Harry is an excellent detective and has a nose for crime. With the aid of her lawyer friend Oliver and former housemaid Beth she’s in and out of disguises and solving mysteries.
The theft of an extravagant diamond from the safe, supposedly the best place for it, comes with a bitter twist when the body of a missing girl is found in a secret room. Now it’s a theft and a murder.
Harry’s youngest brother is also in need of help (although he doesn’t know it), he’s got entangled with a nightclub dancer with a dubious history who’s been telling people she’s coming into some money soon. Not if Harry and her older brother Seb can help it. There will be no dashing off to Gretna Green here, no way.
Between her cases, she still has time to write to the other requests for aid as Holmes’ secretary. Unfortunately the great detective has retired to keep bees. Even if Moriarty is back. He’ll just have to make do with Holmes’ assistant. Tremendous fun.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
A deadly pattern: Jenny Flynn, Chelsea Hobbs, Sophie Miller. All three children were snatched from the streets of Lincoln, England years apart. All stolen in the bitter chill of winter. All on their way home from school. Then Sophie Miller is found. She’s not speaking, but she may hold a clue to the whereabouts of the missing girls, if someone can get her to open up.
Somewhat reluctantly, Detective Swann calls in his not-quite ex-wife, the perfect woman for the job: Finnish Crime Inspector Elea Baker. No one knows the cases of the Ice Angels better than Elea, and no one is more invested in solving them. Ten years ago, Elea’s daughter Liisa was taken under similar circumstances, from Helsinki, and Elea has never believed her daughter is dead.
Alternating between Elea and Liisa’s perspectives, The Ice Angels is a propulsive and twisty crime novel of spine-chilling quality, exploring the darkest and most twisted of minds. The isolation and cold of the English and Finnish landscapes permeate the book, immersing the reader in Elea’s world as she desperately searches for the connection between the missing girls, clinging to the hope she can bring her own home.
Caroline Mitchell is a New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and international #1ebookbestselling author. A former police detective, she originates from Ireland and now lives in a woodland village outside the city of Lincoln, England. Her backlist has been translated into fourteen languages.
My thoughts: I really liked this, it was intelligent and gripping. Moving between the two cases, the first in Finland, then the current English one. We also see it through the perspective of one of the missing girls in Finland, which was horrifying, so creepy.
As the detectives in England search for Chelsea, with the limited help of Sophie – who is still traumatised and unable to tell them much, Elea is still determined that her daughter, Liisa, the last missing Finnish girl, is alive and out there somewhere. It affects her judgement and behaviour, putting her participation in the case at risk, and causes further issues in her relationship with Swann – in charge of the case, and her ex-husband.
The case is complex, not least because of its geographic shift, but also in the relationships between the detectives, and whether or not Elea is helping or hindering, she’s so close to it and possibly too much so. Victims’ parents aren’t usually allowed so much access. But her commitment might also help solve this case at last.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We love a good sports romance and highly recommend you check out Gihigugma, Ace of Hearts by Melanie King-Smith!
Gihigugma, Ace of Hearts
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Found Family
Filipino/Asian Immigrant Experience (Own Voices)
Sports Romance (Tennis)
Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Love Triangle
Dual POV
Sweet/ No Spice
Coming of Age
Crazy Rich Asians meets Bend It Like Beckham in this outrageously fun, Filipino-flavored romance.
When Jomar’s tennis ambitions crash into Mitchelle’s wounded heart during one charmingly disastrous karaoke night, they’ll discover that the biggest matches aren’t played on courts—but in learning to love despite the ghosts of the past.
Jomar Montalbano thinks he’s ready for anything. A rising tennis star from the Philippines, he lands in London with one suitcase, one college scholarship, and zero idea how to survive without rice. He’s counting on a few wins—but definitely not falling for Mitchelle Tanner.
She’s the quiet girl with a vintage camera, a craving for halo-halo, and a smile that hides as much as it shows. Half-American, half-Filipina, and fully impossible to read.
He’s used to power and control—but around her, he’s completely unstrung.
From vulnerable confessions in a darkroom’s glow to rallies that feel like Wimbledon wins, Jomar discovers that love—like tennis—is all about timing, risk, and knowing when to fight for the point.
Set in London’s rainy alleys and sunlit parks, woven with island warmth and humor, Gihigugma, Ace of Hearts is an adventure about home, heart, and the courage to choose love against all odds.
Love at eighteen isn’t always a mistake. Sometimes, it’s a miracle.
This story contains: social alcohol use, mild profanity, depictions of past romantic trauma, and competitive sports pressure. While handled with care, please prioritize your wellbeing. The story ultimately celebrates healing and joyful connection.
HEAT LEVEL: Sweet – Kissing only, no explicit content, YA-appropriate
SETTING: London, UK (Filipino immigrant/diaspora community)
THEMES: Belonging, identity, cultural heritage, finding home, first love, friendship
AWARDS: 2025 International Firebird Book Award Winner (Young Adult Fiction)
ACHIEVEMENTS:
#1 Amazon Bestseller – Young Adult & Teen Clean & Wholesome Romance #1 Amazon Bestseller – Young Adult & Teen Asian & Pacific Islander Fiction Featured at Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 (Philippines was the Guest of Honor)
When a mutilated body rises from the icy waters off the jetty in Kjerringøy, it shocks the quiet coastal village – and stirs something darker beneath. Not long after, a young woman is found dead in a drab apartment. Suicide, perhaps. Or something far more sinister. Detective Jakob Weber and former national investigator Noora Yun Sande are drawn into both cases.
Then a hiker has a terrifying encounter in the nearby wilderness: a solitary cabin … and a man without a face. As the investigation deepens, the clues grow more disturbing – and the wild, wintry landscape closes in. Kjerringøy’s beautiful wilderness conceals a heart of darkness, and Jakob is certain of only one thing: if they don’t find the killer soon, he’ll strike again.…
Ørjan Karlsson (b. 1970) grew up in Bodø, in the far north of Norway. A sociologist by education, he received officer training in the army and has taken part in many missions overseas. He has worked at the Ministry of Defence and is now head of department in the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection. He has written a wide range of thrillers, sci-fi novels and crime fiction, and been shortlisted for or won numerous awards, with a number of his books currently in production for the screen. He lives in Nordland, where the Jakob Weber crime series is set.
My thoughts: This starts with two shocking deaths – a body dumped in a bay, its eyes missing, and a young woman, whose apparent suicide seems suspicious to the crime scene tech processing it. Was it the scumbag boyfriend or someone else?
The body turns out to be an artist, missing for a while, whose girlfriend thought he’d just left her. The connection with a mysterious rehab unit nearby makes the detectives suspicious, the place only has three clients and the owner’s methods are suspect too. How is it keeping afloat and why does it seem to have no staff?
As the investigation intensifies, and a witness is also killed, the focus on the rehab centre grows, there’s not much else around and there appears to be a connection between it and the supposed suicide too.
Twists, turns, and sinister things on the mountain, this is dark and powerful, it kept me up all night.
*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 Everything Was Fresh & Green is An LGBTQ+ urban fantasy novel with magic, found family, an unlikely hero, and a touch of romance!
When Everything Was Fresh and Green
Expected Release Date: May 5, 2025
Genre: Urban Fantasy (+ LGBTQ)
Found Family
Band of Heroes (AKA Queeroes)
A Prophecy (Kinda, sorta, maybe)
Unlikely Hero (middle-aged mama)
Good vs Evil (But make it messy and grey)
Sapphic Romance (No spice
Magic is real. And so is anti-magic.
When Tessa, a single foster mom, is tasked with the care of Astrid, an abandoned teen witch, the mundane world as she knew it disappears. Discovering secrets about her lost foster child Theo, Tessa follows Astrid and her aunt, a fabulous witch named Cece, to a magical house. There, she joins the ranks of Magix, including a burly siren, a snake-charming ogress, a morbid little vampire, a pair of wild werewolf toddlers, and a coven of ice fairies, all of whom are in hiding from a murderous organization hell-bent on destroying the magical and non-magical worlds alike.
Interwoven with Tessa’s journey is the story of three friends: Val, Tish, and Gunner. Letters between the three outline their work to prevent a looming climate crisis at all costs. As their story collides with Tessa’s, it becomes clear that Tessa, Astrid, Cece, and even sweet Theo are mixed up in something far more sinister than they realized. Tessa must set aside her disbelief, fear, grief, self-doubt, and even her growing infatuation with Cece to join Astrid on a journey to find her family, finding her own family and the truth about herself along the way.
‘There’s a package on the porch,’ my husband calls as he leaves for work. I rip open the brown paper and find three books inside. I didn’t order them.
A week ago, my new neighbor was murdered in exactly the way described in the first book. Her name was Naomi Sheller. I’ll never forget the first time I saw her — frozen in the middle of the grocery store, eyes wide with terror. Days later, she’s found dead in the woods. Her husband, Eric, is led away in handcuffs.
The second book has another murder in it. And the victim sounds exactly like me. We moved here from New York City to raise our daughters somewhere safe. But now I think I made a terrible mistake.
The police don’t believe me. My husband thinks I’m paranoid. But I’m not. Because whoever sent these books . . . knows exactly where I live.
T.J. Brearton is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the novels Gone and Dead Gone, both of which have ranked among Amazon Kindle’s top 100. His Titan trilogy has been an international best-seller. With Ted Magee, Brearton wrote Bare Knuckle, a martial arts film, and wrote and directed Breathe, about amateur MMA fighter Lane Buzzell on an undefeated streak. He has written more than a dozen novels, mostly crime thrillers, including one paranormal mystery, and published short fiction in numerous literary journals. He lives in the Adirondack Mountains of New York with his wife and three children where he writes full time, takes out the trash, and competes with his kids for his wife’s attention.
My thoughts: Lainey’s new neighbours seem a bit odd, the husband is really friendly but the wife is incredibly withdrawn and quiet.
Next thing she knows, her new neighbour is dead, and her husband is suspect number one. Then a box of books is delivered, and each one is a crime, the first one has a murdered neighbour. Life imitating art? Who sent them? Could it be the killer?
As Lainey carries out her own investigation, hoping to stop another one of these books coming to life, she might be putting herself into danger.
Full of twists and turns, this is a shocking small town thriller with an intelligent protagonist and a killer you won’t suspect.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
He once destroyed everything she loved. Now, only he can save her from ruin. Can she forgive, and even love, her enemy?
In this dark, immersive tale, the author of STRANGE EDEN returns to colonial Nassau to continue the story of Eliza Sharpe’s volatile marriage to Charles Sharpe.
1792: In the aftermath of her lover Jean’s death, Eliza harbors a secret that threatens to make her fraught situation even worse. She is carrying his child. But when the clairvoyant slave Cleo comes to her aid, the solution holds devastating consequences.
Charles, meanwhile, is engaged in his own secret dealings. When he reveals his plans to Eliza, she is forced to do the unthinkable: to reframe the man she’s viewed for so long as an enemy, into an ally, perhaps even a friend. Perhaps more.
Events directed by Lord Dunmore’s insatiable greed threaten to destroy their shaky reconciliation. Clandestine political meetings emerge as the other colonists seek an end to the corruption on the island, and they turn to Charles for leadership. But the governor of the Bahamas wants him dead, and he’s hired the perfect man for the deed.
Can Eliza forgive the man she once viewed as a monster? Or has the desperation and darkness that lurks within the walls of Pleasant Hall finally driven her to madness?
Gina Giordano always had an insatiable curiosity and a penchant for history. Born in New York City, she is a writer, artist, and a conjurer of the past. She holds a BA in history and a master’s degree in historical fiction from New York University, and has traveled to over sixty-five countries across the globe. When she is not climbing ancient ruins or exploring forgotten palaces, she enjoys swimming with sharks in remote pristine waters. Her debut novel, Strange Eden, was longlisted for the 2023 Bath Novel Award.
My thoughts: The second book in the trilogy opens with Eliza hiding a secret, one that could have serious consequences for her and her marriage.
But the dangerous and volatile governor of the island still has her in his sights, as well as Charles, who is fast becoming a thorn in Dunmore’s side. The decisions made push Charles further into making serious changes and supporting the pushback against the way the governor rules over The Bahamas.
All of the tumult pushes Eliza and Charles into a new understanding and begins to heal some of the trauma of the past.
Eliza’s growing powers show her more glimpses of the past and the deep pain at the island’s heart and in Charles’ own past.
The book ends on a shocking cliff hanger, book three hopefully will deliver the answers.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own
Bubby Welter is fifteen when life stops feeling predictable. His mother Carrie’s mental breakdown fractures their family, leaving both of them emotionally stranded. As Carrie retreats, Bubby struggles to navigate a world shaped by instability.
Poor decisions and their consequences follow—humiliation, damaged relationships, and growing frustration. With no clear path forward, Bubby turns toward the unanswered question that has always lingered: the identity of his absent father.
The search becomes a confrontation with loss, identity, and unresolved anger. Take a Look at Me Now is a coming-of-age novel about emotional suspension and the fragile hope for change when certainty disappears.
ramblingmads 