The Nightingale’s Castle by Sonia Velton

Abacus (2 May 2024) Thank you to Abacus and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★☆☆ This imagining of Erzsébet Báthory “the Blood Countess” set in early 17th century Hungary is an elaborately embroidered historical tale of women, daughters and accusations of witchcraft. The Countess’s teenage maid, Boróka, is a key

Lady MacBethad by Isabelle Schuler

Raven Books (Paperback: 25 April 2024) Thank you to Raven Books and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★★☆ Born a Pict princess after her family has lost the throne, Gruoch becomes obsessed at a very young age by her grandmother’s prophecy: one day she will be queen. Scheming and disciplined,

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

Quercus (9 April 2024) Thank you to Quercus and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★☆☆ Drawn back to her hometown after her father’s death, Hazel is sucked back into the small town life she left ten years ago, including the ghost of her mother’s disappearance and her complex relationship with

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

Vintage (4 April 2024) Thank you to Vintage and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★☆☆ After a night out, Lauren comes home to find a strange man in her house who seems to be her husband. Gradually, Lauren realises that her attic is generating husbands; a new man comes down

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham

HarperCollins (1 Feb 2024) Thank you to HarperCollins and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★☆☆ Reeling from the tragic death of her best friend, Margot has barely got through her first year of college. Lonely and grieving, when she falls under the bright beam of Lucy Sharpe she is captivated

The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas

Penguin (14 Mar 2024) Thank you to Penguin and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★☆☆ When Tasha’s sister and brother in law are attacked whilst housesitting for her, Tasha is devastated. Her guilt and distress are only compounded when she receives the note “it should have been you“. The presence

Saltblood by Francesca De Tores

Bloomsbury Publishing (25 April 2024) Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★★☆ In the late 17th century, Mary is raised as a boy so that her mother can claim her dead infant brother’s income. Still posing as biological male as a servant, in the navy

The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes-Chapman

Harvill Secker (11 April 2024) Thank you to Harvill Secker and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★☆☆ Dismissed from his post in London after a patient dies, doctor Henry Talbot takes up a new position in a rural Welsh mining town. His employer – Lord Julian Tresilian – needs a

All The Devils by Catelyn Wilson

Penguin (19 Sep 2024) Thank you to Penguin and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★☆☆ Convinced that her sister Violet is alive, Andy enrolls at Ravenswood Academy to find out what happened to her. There is something dark in the school and Andy quickly realises that Violet’s elite friendship group

The Puzzle Wood by Rosie Andrews

Raven Books (9 May 2024) Thank you to Raven Books and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book. ★★★★☆ Taking a governess job at Lockesley Abbey under false pretences, newly widowed Catherine is desperate to find out what happened to her estranged sister in the same role. There is something sinister in