Book Review: A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1) by T. E. Kinsey

August 9, 20256 Comments

Name: A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1)
Author: T. E. Kinsey
Number of Pages: 257 (eBook)
Published: October 4, 2016 by Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery, Historical

Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they’ve just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There’s a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation… As Lady Hardcastle and Flo delve deeper into rural rivalries and resentment, they uncover a web of intrigue that extends far beyond the village. With almost no one free from suspicion, they can be certain of only one fact: there is no such thing as a quiet life in the country.

My Rating:

My Thoughts:

A Quiet Life in the Country introduces a mystery series following Lady Emily Hardcastle and her lady’s maid Flo. In this book they move to a new home in the country having enjoyed various escapades and adventures across the world together over a number of years.

Their past is hinted at throughout this story, and their travels have taken them to many places. I imagine details of their past shared lives will gradually be revealed as the series progresses.

Lady Hardcastle and Flo find themselves involved in not one but two murders, and an apparent theft of a priceless emerald, so their hopes for a quiet life are quickly dashed, but I don’t really think given the way these two characters appear that they would ever have been happy to literally settle down into a quiet life anyway. They’re definitely meant to be solving mysteries together.

The relationship between the two is more close friends than employer and employee, and their class difference doesn’t hinder their genuine regard for each other at all. At one point one observer remarks they’re more like a double act, and this is certainly true as the two trade humour and friendly teasing.

The mystery was intriguing enough to keep me reading, wanting to find how out and when the duo would work it all out, and I didn’t manage to solve it myself. I enjoyed meeting Lady Hardcastle and Flo, and there are several books already available in the series, so plenty more adventures to come.

Book Review: Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1) by Lyla Sage

August 5, 202511 Comments

Name: Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1)
Author: Lyla Sage
Number of Pages: 356 (eBook)
Published: June 6, 2023 by Lyla Sage
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Western

She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules.
For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.
Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.
Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister.
But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?

My Rating:

My Thoughts:

Done and Dusted is the first in the Rebel Blue Ranch series.

The story follows Emmy and Luke. Emmy has returned home to Meadowlark after an accident leaves her unable to continue barrel racing.

Luke is a local bar owner, and someone with history with Emmy’s family, so getting involved romantically isn’t exactly the first thing on either of their minds.

I liked the way things developed between the two main characters. Emmy is dealing with the trauma of having had a bad accident whilst riding, but she’s not been open with anyone about how she’s feeling or what happened, she hasn’t even told anyone why she’s back home, so her opening up to Luke and him helping her was nice to read.
He literally takes her back to the beginning, going through the basics of learning to ride again, and as the two spend more time together they become closer.

Plots for future books are hinted at here, from the apparent animosity between Emmy’s best friend Teddy and Gus, Emmy’s brother (I would have suspected the two of them would have a book of their own if it hadn’t already been published), and Wes’s desire to expand the ranch and make it something of a destination.

Done and Dusted is a nice introduction to a new-to-me small town/ranch, cowboy romance series, and while I don‘t feel like it‘s one I will binge-read my way through, I‘m interested enough to want to read the next book and spend more time with these characters in this setting.

Monthly Summary: July 2025

July 31, 20259 Comments

Welcome to another Monthly Summary on Pages and Tea.

July’s reading started out with a mysterious thriller as I finally read another Alice Feeney book. I’ve been saying I wanted to try something else by this author since enjoying Daisy Darker so much. This time I chose Good Bad Girl. While it didn’t quite appeal as much as Daisy Darker, I did still enjoy reading this fast-paced story wondering what on earth was going on and what the links, if any, between the main characters actually were.

Next it was back to the world of fantasy, or in the case of my next two choices, fantasy romance. Phantasma and Enchantra by Kaylie Smith follow the trials and adventures of two sisters as they journey into dangerous games featuring all manner of magical, supernatural beings. Phantasma follows Ophelia as she enters the game of Phantasma searching for her sister. A series of deadly trials awaits, so the stakes are high, and Ophelia ends up teaming up with a Phantom known as Blackwell, who agrees to help her survive in exchange for her help in freeing him. I enjoyed this so much that I carried straight on with Enchantra, which follows Ophelia’s sister Genevieve, who finds herself in a situation that reminded me of the film Ready or Not, a deadly game of hide and seek, once more involving the paranormal.

Moving away from all things fantastical next I tried another contemporary romance, and a new-to-me author with It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan. This was a great choice for a hot summer’s day, and had a lovely found family theme which I enjoyed.

And, for my final book of this month, a return to a favourite genre, the murder mystery, and a return to a series I’ve really enjoyed so far. I read Seven Lively Suspects, the third in the Three Dahlias Mysteries series by Katy Watson. This series continues to keep my attention and interest. I like the blend of the classic mystery feel with a modern twist, and this time the Dahlias were involved in a cold case being investigated by a podcaster, so it was definitely something that hadn’t featured before.

So, this month featured a good variety of books. Here’s a summary of July on Pages and Tea…

Book Reviews

Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12) by Agatha Christie

Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook

The Cruel Dark (The Cruel Dark #1) by Bea Northwick

Reading Review

Reading Resolutions 2025

July Progress

Beat the Backlist Challenge Progress

Next Month…

The only definite for next month is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I’ve had this book for a long time now, so it’s finally time to give it a try.
After that, it’s going to depend on my reading mood. I’m starting to feel like looking for more autumn-ish titles/themes, even though summer is ongoing…

Reading Review: July 2025

July 28, 202512 Comments

Welcome to my Monthly Reading Review.
This post is my attempt to keep track of how I’m doing with my reading challenges and resolutions.

BOOKS I’VE READ

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney

Phantasma (Wicked Games #1) by Kaylie Smith

Enchantra (Wicked Games #2) by Kaylie Smith

It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan

Seven Lively Suspects (Three Dahlias Mysteries #3) by Katy Watson

Total Loaned Books Read This Month: 4
Total Own Books Read This Month: 1
Overall Total Books Read This Month: 5

Total Loaned Books Read 2025: 18
Total Own Books Read 2025: 6
Overall Total Books Read 2025: 24

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Phantasma (Wicked Games #1) by Kaylie Smith is probably the book I had most fun reading this month. It mixed a gothic atmosphere with trials, mystery and danger with ghostly goings-on and a romance and was just what I was in the mood to read at the time. I enjoyed the second book, Enchantra, as well, and if there are more to come I’d like to read them.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 22 books. So far I’ve read:

At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer
Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher
The Light Years (Cazalet Chronicles #1) by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1) by Heather Fawcett
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde #2) by Heather Fawcett
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Magpie Murders (Susan Ryeland #1) by Anthony Horowitz
The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
Flawless (Chestnut Springs #1) by Elsie Silver
Heartless (Chestnut Springs #2) by Elsie Silver
Powerless (Chestnut Springs #3) by Elsie Silver
Reckless (Chestnut Springs #4) by Elsie Silver
Hopeless (Chestnut Springs #5) by Elsie Silver
Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12) by Agatha Christie
Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook
The Cruel Dark (The Cruel Dark #1) by Bea Northwick
Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1) by Lyla Sage
A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1) by T. E. Kinsey
Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney
Phantasma (Wicked Games #1) by Kaylie Smith
Seven Lively Suspects (Three Dahlias Mysteries #3) by Katy Watson

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of prompts. There are two cards available, featuring either 24 or 52 prompts. You can view both cards here. I’m working from both cards this year. I have no idea how many categories I’ll manage to complete but it’s a little extra to add to my challenge. Here is a collection of covers that fulfil a prompt on either of the cards featured:

At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer – Something upside down on the cover
Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher – A chapter by any other name
The Light Years (Cazalet Chronicles #1) by Elizabeth Jane Howard – Family business
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1) by Heather Fawcett – Opening line includes an animal
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde #2) by Heather Fawcett – Character is an educator
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer – Weird is the word
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston – Sweet treats
Magpie Murders (Susan Ryeland #1) by Anthony Horowitz – On your TBR for over a year
The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – More than 30 chapters
Flawless (Chestnut Springs #1) by Elsie Silver – Not your typical genre
Heartless (Chestnut Springs #2) by Elsie Silver – Prequel/sequel
Powerless (Chestnut Springs #3) by Elsie Silver – Not first, nor last
Reckless (Chestnut Springs #4) by Elsie Silver – Companion novel
Hopeless (Chestnut Springs #5) by Elsie Silver – As seen on social media
Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12) by Agatha Christie – Sky-high
Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook – Historically horrific
The Cruel Dark (The Cruel Dark #1) by Bea Northwick – Can’t be trusted
Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1) by Lyla Sage – Librarian rec
A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1) by T. E. Kinsey – Break the rules
Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney – Someone’s morally gray…
Phantasma (Wicked Games #1) by Kaylie Smith – Name of the game
Seven Lively Suspects (Three Dahlias Mysteries #3) by Katy Watson – Between 275 – 325 pages

And here’s an updated version of my progress (Apr – Jun) on the 52 prompt card:

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager.
I like that this is so open to interpretation based on the pictures provided, and I’ve managed to make a start on the challenge with some of the books I’ve read so far. I’ve managed to fill the picture prompts so far with:

Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher | The Light Years (Cazalet Chronicles #1) by Elizabeth Jane Howard | Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1) by Heather Fawcett | Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde #2) by Heather Fawcett | A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston | Magpie Murders (Susan Ryeland #1) by Anthony Horowitz | The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett | Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12) by Agatha Christie | Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook | A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1) by T. E. Kinsey | It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan

Here’s an updated version of my progress (Apr – Jun):

GOODREADS

I’ve read 24 books so far this year.

GOALS

My Beat the Backlist challenge is still going quite well and I’ve managed to match more books to more categories this month.
I added one more book to Picture Bingo, and have an idea for at least one more of the pictures, which I may fit in next month.
I’ve also made time for a couple of newer titles, which I haven’t done for a while.
I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

So concludes July’s Reading Review. See you again next month.

Book Review: The Cruel Dark (The Cruel Dark #1) by Bea Northwick

July 22, 20259 Comments

Name: The Cruel Dark (The Cruel Dark #1)
Author: Bea Northwick
Number of Pages: 239 (eBook)
Published: October 31, 2023 by Northwick Books
Genre: Mystery, Gothic, Romance

Millicent Foxboro is haunted. Not by ghosts but by the anguish of her past and the uncertainty of her future. After all, even in the progressive year of 1928, most people would balk at hiring a woman who’d spent two months in a mental ward for traumatic amnesia. So when an uncommon assistantship to a reclusive Professor of mythology falls into her lap with an ungodly salary attached, her desperation for stability overrides her cautious nature. To Millie’s dismay, the widowed Professor Callum Hughes and his estate, Willowfield, are more than she bargained for. The once magnificent home, known for its sprawling gardens and dazzling parties, is falling to pieces after the death of the professor’s fragile wife. What’s more, the staff has been reduced to the only three people not frightened away by rumors of ghosts, leaving the halls empty and languishing in bitter memories. The professor himself is a grim, intense man with unclear expectations, unpredictable moods, and hungry eyes that ignite Millie’s own dormant passions. The closer she finds herself drawn to Professor Hughes and his strange world of flowers and folklore, the more the house closes in, threatening to reveal her secrets. But the professor is keeping secrets of his own and the most dangerous of all is hers to discover.

My Rating:

My Thoughts:

The Cruel Dark is a tale of mystery and romance, with a wonderful gothic air that I enjoyed very much.

The story follows Millie, a woman with a past that she cannot fully remember. She was admitted to a hospital, but doesn’t remember why. We meet Mille as she’s about to leave her job at a bookshop to go and work as research assistant to Professor Hughes.

Hughes himself is a man of mystery and secrets. He’s dedicated to the study of mythology, and upon meeting Millie is fairly closed off, limiting their time to their work together, sorting through his endless notes on all things fantastical.
The sense of isolation intensifies as the small number of staff treat Millie a little standoffish at first, particularly the housekeeper, who keeps a wary eye and a distance.
Millie does find friendship of sorts with the maid, and she spends time exploring the extensive grounds and gardens of Willowfield, so meets the gardener and befriends him too, a cheerful contrast to all the mystery within the walls of the house.

The setting, a grand country house falling into neglect and partial disrepair was really good. Rumours of ghosts and troubles swirl, and as Millie wanders through dark passages at night, plagued by things she cannot understand, wondering whether there really are ghosts or whether it’s all in her head, there’s a wonderful gothic air to the place.

There are so many secrets concealed within Willowfield, so the story goes in a direction that took me by surprise. Millie discovers journals belonging to the late wife of professor Hughes, and as she reads and becomes intrigued by the strange things she finds, she becomes more and more involved with all the strangeness of the place and the situation.

I really enjoyed discovering the secrets of Willowfield, and once all became clear it almost left me wanting to go back to the beginning and read the book again.

Book Review: Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook

July 17, 202513 Comments

Name: Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge
Author: Lizzie Pook
Number of Pages: 337 (eBook)
Published: February 1, 2024 by Picador
Genre: Historical, Mystery, Thriller

An Arctic expedition. A mysterious death. And the lengths to which one woman will go to avenge her sister.
When Maude Horton receives a letter from the British Admiralty informing her of her younger sister’s death, her world is shattered. Bold and daring, Constance had run away from her life in Victorian London two years prior, disguising herself as a boy to board the Makepeace, an expedition vessel bound for the Arctic’s unexplored Northwest Passage. The admiralty claims Constance’s death was a tragic accident, but Maude knows when she is being deceived.
Armed with Constance’s diary from her time at sea and a fiery desire for justice, Maude sets her sights on the Makepeace’s former scientist, Edison Stowe, a greedy and manipulative man whom she suspects had a hand in her sister’s death. When she learns he has a new venture, a travel company that escorts spectators across the country to witness popular public hangings, she decides to join the latest tour, determined to extract the truth from Stowe and avenge her sister—no matter the risk to herself.
From the stark beauty of the Arctic to the teeming streets of Victorian London, Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge is a mysterious, transportive tale about the unbreakable bond of sisterhood and the things we are driven to do by both love and greed.

My Rating:

My Thoughts:

Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge is macabre and fascinating in equal measure.
The story follows Maude, a young woman who receives news of her sister’s death and is determined to discover the truth. She’s convinced there is more than the little information she’d been told, and so quietly pursues a man who was on board the same ship that her sister apparently died on.

Maude is happy to have built her life around the family pharmacy, and making sure her sister and grandfather are well and happy, so to have all that torn away, her safety net removed, and her world so vastly opened up as she goes in search of the truth and eventual revenge was interesting. Seeing her make her way in a fairly threatening situation, when no one really wanted her to know the truth and some of those involved could potentially mean her harm, and expand her horizons beyond the family business made her an interesting character.

The man Maude focuses on, convinced of his involvement, is Edison Stowe – arrogant, greedy, self-interested. He’s without charm or appeal at all, and all these traits play into the way Maude can exact her revenge, appealing to his vanity. The idea of this man running a company called Edison Stowe’s Moral Compass Tours, taking people around the country to watch hangings, is quite ironic as the man is apparently devoid of any moral compass himself. He has no compassion at all – animals, people, nothing registers with him, so beware of some rather gruesome moments featuring him and his activities.

The writing is descriptive and detailed, bringing all these macabre scenes vividly to life, from the bustle and chaos of the hangings, where crowds are described as writhing like putrefying meat, to the dark cavernous rooms of Madame Tussauds after hours, and the vast icy waste of the Arctic.

Murder mania was apparently real, and people actually attended public hangings. It was a lucrative trade – pamphlets, souvenirs (!), alleged pieces of the hangman’s rope, and other even less savoury items, all available for purchase. I wondered how much of this was drawn from truth, and was amazed and a little horrified to discover it was mostly real, even down to pottery figurine versions of murderers, which people could collect. Apparently these were popular for anything newsworthy, not just murderers and their crimes.

Similarly, Madame Tussaud’s waxworks was used to great effect. The fascination with all things macabre and murderous extended here too, with death masks and depictions of executions rendered in waxwork detail. That in itself is eerie enough, but the way the setting was used towards the end was really creepy and utilised to great effect.

The journal/diary and the Arctic expedition sections of the story were so good, it all came to bleak and chilly life – the vastness, the emptiness, the danger out in the wilds on this expedition in search of Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition ships Erebus and Terror.
Constance is very different from Maude, longing for adventure and thrills, risking it all to go to sea disguised as a boy onboard a ship venturing into a really inhospitable place that’s already seen other ships go missing.

I really enjoyed Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge. It was a good introduction to a new-to-me author, and I’d like to read more of Lizzie Pook’s books in the future.

Book Review: Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12) by Agatha Christie

July 8, 202517 Comments

Name: Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12)
Author: Agatha Christie
Number of Pages: 240 (eBook)
Published: February 10, 2010 by William Morrow Paperbacks. First published March 10, 1935
Genre: Mystery

Hercule Poirot must solve a perplexing case of midair murder in Death in the Clouds when he discovers that the woman in seat two of the airborne aeroplane he’s traveling on is quite unexpectedly—and unnaturally—deceased.
From seat No. 9, Hercule Poirot was ideally placed to observe his fellow air passengers on the short flight from Paris to London. Over to his right sat a pretty young woman, clearly infatuated with the man opposite; ahead, in seat No. 13, sat a countess with a poorly concealed cocaine habit; across the gangway in seat No. 8, a writer of detective fiction was being troubled by an aggressive wasp.
Yes, Poirot is almost ideally placed to take it all in, except what he did not yet realize was that behind him, in seat No. 2, sat the slumped, lifeless body of a woman. Murdered, and likely by someone in Poirot’s immediate proximity.

My Rating:

My Thoughts:

It’s time to read another Poirot mystery. This is the first Christie I’ve read this year, it’s been a while.

Death in the Clouds sees Poirot once more involved in solving a murder when it turns out that a woman travelling on the same plane as him is found dead once the plane lands in Britain.

There’s something a little bit locked room about the fact the crime takes place in a confined space, with a limited number of possible suspects.
The crime itself, if it did indeed happen the way it seems, is fairly outrageous, the idea that a woman was shot with a poison dart from a blowpipe, so the murder took place within the confined space of an aircraft cabin, in plain sight. Add to this that Poirot himself was present, yet no one saw a thing, or so they say.

Poirot finds the finger of suspicion pointed in his direction, for the alleged weapon is eventually located by his seat, so he determines to discover the truth, not only because that’s what he does, but also because his own good name in brought into question.

So follows an in-depth trail, from England, across the sea to France, through all manner of red herrings, deceptions, hidden secrets with the potential for blackmail, and of course, all serve as a potential motive for murder.

Poirot has his work cut out for him, and works alongside Japp and the French police to try and find out the truth. And so we gradually discover the things that various characters hoped to keep hidden.

I didn’t work out the solution to this, or the identity of the killer. It was actually one were I was completely taken in by one of the red herrings early on. I don’t mind this though, for some reason. It feels a little like the book has done it’s job when the conclusion leaves me completely surprised.

Monthly Summary: June 2025

June 30, 202512 Comments

Welcome to another Monthly Summary on Pages and Tea.

June ended up being a better month of reading than I was expecting, with a variety of enjoyable books.

Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook was the first book I finished, and was probably my favourite book of the month. I really liked the writing in this tale of a woman trying to discover what truly happened to her sister during an Arctic expedition. It’s a historical tale of murder and adventure, and I’d like to read more by Lizzie Pook.

Next up, the mood went a little Gothic as I read The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick. The story follows a woman who journeys to an old mansion house full of secrets as she takes on a job as assistant to a professor. This would have been perfect for autumn nights of reading but I couldn’t resist starting it this month and I’m such a mood reader these days.

In complete contrast I ventured back into the cowboy romance genre as I read Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage. This is the first book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series. Having enjoyed the Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver I wanted to sample something similar by another author, and I enjoyed this enough to continue the series at some point, but I won’t binge-read it as I did with Chestnut Springs.

An old favourite, the cosy mystery, made an appearance for my final book of the month. A Quiet Life in the Country by T. E. Kinsey is the first in the Lady Hardcastle Mysteries series, and follows Lady Hardcastle and her maid/friend Flo as they move to the countryside in search of peace and quiet only to find themselves involved in solving all manner of mysteries, including a murder and a possible theft.

Blog-wise it was time for one of the recurring Book Tags I like to attempt each year – the Mid-Year Freak Out returned with an update for 2025. I enjoy looking back over the year’s reading so far, and it’s been a good one, with many memorable books enjoyed already.

I also posted my second Challenge Check-In, looking at my reading challenge progress between April and June. It’s been another fairly decent quarter for reading, and I’ve made progress in most of my challenges.

Here’s what happened in June on Pages and Tea…

Book Reviews

Flawless (Chestnut Springs #1) by Elsie Silver

Heartless (Chestnut Springs #2) by Elsie Silver

Powerless (Chestnut Springs #3) by Elsie Silver

Reckless (Chestnut Springs #4) by Elsie Silver

Hopeless (Chestnut Springs #5) by Elsie Silver

Reading Review

Reading Resolutions 2025

June Progress

Beat the Backlist Challenge Progress

Next Month…

I recently read an article about how popular romance, fantasy, and romantasy have become lately, and it made me curious, particularly about romantasy. I haven’t read anything along those lines in a while, so I’d like to check something out but I have little idea where to start. I do know I have Phantasma by Kaylie Smith on my TBR list, so I might give that a try. If I enjoy it there’s also another book, Enchantra.

I’d also like to read another book by Alice Feeney, and am probably going to choose Good Bad Girl.

After that I think I’ll go wherever the reading mood takes me…

Reading Review: June 2025

June 28, 202514 Comments

Welcome to my Monthly Reading Review.
This post is my attempt to keep track of how I’m doing with my reading challenges and resolutions.

BOOKS I’VE READ

Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook

The Cruel Dark (The Cruel Dark #1) by Bea Northwick

Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1) by Lyla Sage

A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1) by T. E. Kinsey

Total Loaned Books Read This Month: 4
Total Own Books Read This Month: 0
Overall Total Books Read This Month: 4

Total Loaned Books Read 2025: 14
Total Own Books Read 2025: 5
Overall Total Books Read 2025: 19

MY READ OF THE MONTH

Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook stands out for me this month. I really liked the writing and the atmosphere, and the settings were brought to life very well. I definitely want to read more from this author.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 19 books. So far I’ve read:

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

And here’s an updated version of my progress (Apr – Jun) on the 52 prompt card:

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

Here’s an updated version of my progress (Apr – Jun):

GOODREADS

I’ve read 19 books so far this year.

GOALS

My Beat the Backlist challenge is going quite well as I’ve managed to find categories for each of the books I’ve read this month.
I’ve also added a book to Picture Bingo, although I do still think I’m going to struggle to complete the card this year.
I’m continuing my monthly update posts to record my reading and any challenge progress I’ve made.

So concludes June’s Reading Review. See you again next month.

Challenge Check-In: April to June 2025

June 26, 202510 Comments

Welcome to Challenge Check-In.
This post is an attempt to keep track of my reading challenges and bingo cards.

Welcome to my second Challenge Check-In of 2025.
This year I’m once again attempting two reading challenges I’ve done before which feature bingo cards, so I’m continuing my check-in style posts in an attempt to keep track of my reading challenges and bingo cards.
I’ve read another stack of good books since my last check-in, and added many of them to my challenges. So, here’s how my reading challenges are progressing so far this year…

First, a quick glance at my total number of books read so far.

Total Loaned Books Read 2025: 14
Total Own Books Read 2025: 5
Overall Total Books Read 2025: 19

MY BOOK OF THE CHECK-IN

As if choosing my read of the month isn‘t difficult enough sometimes, I’ve decided I’ll attempt to choose a read of the check-in!

The first book I must mention is The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett. This fantasy murder mystery was a 5 star read for me and I can’t wait to go on further adventures with these characters.

Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook also warrants a mention. The writing was so good, the settings very vivid, and the characters interesting. I also really liked the historical details.

BEAT THE BACKLIST

My total for this challenge is currently 19 books. So far I’ve read:

Beat The Backlist Bingo Progress

This year Bingo is back with a great collection of prompts. There are two cards available, featuring either 24 or 52 prompts. You can view both cards here. I’m using both cards again this year. I have no idea how many categories I’ll complete but it’s a little extra to add to my challenge. Here is a collection of covers that fulfil a prompt on either of the cards featured:

PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO

You can find out more about the Picture Prompts Book Bingo over at Bookforager, where you can also view the original bingo card. I like that this challenge is so open to interpretation based on the pictures provided. Here’s my progress so far and a list of the titles I’ve used:

The apple – A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1) by T. E. Kinsey – General countryside vibes from the picture and I got that very much from the narrative of this book.
The archery target – Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12) by Agatha Christie – Because someone is apparently murdered by being hit by a poison arrow/dart shot from a blowpipe whilst flying in an aeroplane.
The skull – Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook – There’s a setting in this book called Mr. Inchbold’s Bones, so it seemed pretty apt. Also, it’s a fairly macabre book overall so the skull seems right.
The stag – Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher. There’s a stag on the cover.
The crab – The Light Years (Cazalet Chronicles #1) by Elizabeth Jane Howard – In honour of the family trip to the beach/seaside.
The sheaf of wheat – Magpie Murders (Susan Ryeland #1) by Anthony Horowitz – Calls to mind the countryside and the Atticus Pünd narrative takes place in a country village. Can also mean life and death and there’s quite a lot of that in this book.
The Typewriter – Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1) by Heather Fawcett – Because she’s writing an entire encyclopaedia.
The Fungi – Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde #2) by Heather Fawcett – They’re on the cover, also, faerie rings!
The Umbrella – A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston – Elsy is caught in the rain, and then Anders arrives…
The chemistry set – The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – This seems appropriate for such a unique world in which there are so many enhancements.

GOODREADS

I’ve read 19 books so far this year. I originally hoped to read 20, so it looks like I’ll manage that target and I’m curious to see what my final total will be. I’m not setting another target for the rest of the year.

So concludes my second Challenge Check-In of 2025. See you again soon.