The Little Library Project

In terms of go-to reads, romance has always been top of my list. There's something about the cosiness of a traditional love story that warms my (cold) heart and I hope I never get disillusioned with it.  Has it given me unrealistic expectations of men? Probably.  Have I fallen in love with numerous fictional men over the years? Definitely.  Do I regret my decisions? Absolutely not.  So here is a list of my favourite romance books and authors to get you in the mood for love this valentines! Jenny Colgan Jenny has been a constant in my life since I was in my mid teens. After getting a free copy of Looking For Andrew McArthy with a copy of a Cosmo many many years ago, I have since awaited pretty much every release Jenny Colgan has had and there's something about her writing that just makes me feel like I'm catching up with an old friend. With many books in her back-catalogue, Jenny has perfected the -"move to a small town, start again, that grumpy man is kind of handsome&

Raff and his family have arrived for the wedding of his sister to William. Shrouded in the unknown (as was common for arranged marriages), they have no idea who this noble is but it's an important day for Raff - he is finally able to let go of his promise to keep her safe; this will be Williams job now.  The night before the wedding, in the heart of Hartswood forest, Raff meets Penn - a servant to the nobles and a chain of events that will lead him to the one thing he is avoided for so long - love. I adored this story so much. an LGBTQ+ novel set in medieval times, the attitudes are far advanced for what we'd expect of the era and as a result , the feelings that develop between William and Penn come across as unfiltered and heartwarming,  A must for fans of They Both Die at the End. 

  Leni is in a slump - so much has changed since her last birthday and she just wants to everything to go right but he mums late to the party, her sister is acting strange, her brother's brought his new girlfriend along and her Dad? Well, he's nowhere to be seen... What started off as a story discovering the last few weeks of Leni's short life turns out to be a quest for closure for her family as they all come to terms with her untimely death, 6 week after her birthday. The Best Days of Our Lives is beautifully written; the nuances and differences between everyone's grief is sensitively illustrated and Lucy Diamond masters the fine lines from each of their perspectives.  Not my normal read about family dynamics but a welcome addition to my collection and a well earned 5 stars. 

I'm really glad that I was approved an advanced reading of The Situationship. As a thirty-something female, I'd be lying if I said i hadn't found myself in a similar situation.  And that's why I'm convinced this book is going to do well. It will be a struggle to find someone that hasn't been impacted by the always existed by newly labelled relationship status of a "situationship" - the prelude to the "What Are We?" conversation.  Tia is such a loveable character, and seeing the conversation around POC in the workplace, education and the expectations in those environments was well done in the subplots. We couldn't help but root for Nate (we've all had a Nate I'm sure) but at the same time, his language and behaviours are all too familiar.  I'm excited for this book to be read. It echoes the message that we all know but rarely listen to - don't settle for less than you deserve and in a world where communication is expected s

  I was excited to have an advanced copy of The Walled Garden; the book promised to be an insight into the after effects of the second world war; not just of those who were on the front line, but those who were left behind. And the book delivered so much more. I found it tricky to get into at first; but it soon became apparent that this was for a reason. As soon as each of the characters stories started coming to light that I found I couldn't put the book down.  The mixture of decisions that had to be made, and the subsequent repercussions on the mindset of those that had to make them was insightful and elegantly done.  It's a dark book and at some points, it's difficult to read. But I enjoyed it and it carries a deep lesson that trauma can come from many different places. 

  This was such a fun book. It's very suitable for the YA (Young Adult) market though it could easily - and gratefully may I add - be adapted into a saucy romance if the writer wanted to.  The story focuses on Alessandra, an ambitious and power hungry young women that sets her sights on the Shadow King. But he keeps her at arms length, instead, proposing a mutual agreement that gives them both what they want.  The book had some serious and well thought out feminist undertones, with both Alessandras encouragement of her friends, the Kings desire to change the way social norms are expected as well as Alessandra's own exploits in knowing her own mind and body.  the only thing that threw me off was the time period - though the story is clearly fantasy (you'll be able to tell this early on), the presence of electricity threw me off, combined with the clothing which is described at length, and then the social boundaries and class standings. Overall, I enjoyed it and would be keen

Having worked in the property industry since I was 16(!), I have been looking to expand my knowledge and understanding of all things property investment so I can 'level up'. The problem is... when you've done it for 20 years, there isn't much more to learn Andy Wen's guide to Short Term Rentals and Serviced Accommodation is a great starting point for a new investor. Whilst he focuses on the the more conventional types of financing, the checklists and pointers throughout have a wealth of value for the more modern investor looking at no-money down options and Rent to Rent. The book is written in a really personable way that made it easy to digest and even though it's framed in the US market, the theories and analogies translate easily to the UK market too, especially given the increase in the SA market here in Britain. Overall - a great starter book for property investors and even agents who work with investors. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read

  It's rare that I'll write up a review immediately after finishing a book... but this is an exception to the rule.  This book.... words are failing me (this is why I normally wait)... but it was incredible. Since finishing, I've read a few other reviews, the main jist seems to be that it's amazing and reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings books.  Disclaimer - I've never read the LOTR books. As much as I adore the stories and consider myself a fan, I have never sat down and tried to read them, however after reading TPotOT, I have a new found confidence in doing so. But I can see where the similarities lie.  If you are intimidated by the size of this book - I do not blame you one bit. It scared the hell out of me. I'm not a light reader but I also like to read lots of stories, therefore smaller books means more consumption. That was why I chose to read this as my New Year handover book. I started on the 30th December knowing full well it would take me over to the

I wanted a wholesome New Years based read to finish 2022 with, and This Time Next Year delivered! I originally added this to my list back at the beginning of 2021 and I found it on Apple Books for just £3.99 so decided to go all in.  Minnie and Quinn were both born on the 1st January 1990. Born in the same hospital, to strangers, they meet again on the morning of their 30th birthday after an eventful New Years Eve.  This book reminded me a lot of One Day - the way the story is laid out - flashbacks to New Years Eves of years gone by, showed where each of the characters were at the varying points of their lives. With interwoven stories throughout the years, the two begin a friendship that neither of them quite have the time or inclination for.  This was the perfect cosy read for the end of the year and I sped through it in one evening. 

  The Snow Child has been on my TBR for a while now. If you haven't gathered already, I love a folklore/fairytale retelling and whilst this didn't technically meet my Christmas read criteria - the Snow element definitely meant I was going to allow the tedious link.  Mabel and Jack have moved from their somewhat comfortable surroundings to Alaska. It's 1920 and they have no idea what they are coming up against. The harsh Alaskan winters are not for the feint hearted but after suffering with what would have been called "melancholy", Mabel wants a fresh start.  Whilst no accurate ages are given, I see the couple as being middle-aged (perhaps early 50's) and as a result, the cruel cold backdrop is a challenge for them physically. On top of this, Mabel thoughts lead us to understand that she is still grieving after a loss years prior.  I wouldn't want to give too much away so I'll leave my synopsis there. This book was an unexpected love for me though - aro

  It’s been a while since I’ve dived into a thriller - I wanted something in theme thought and this little gem was sat on my TBR and my bookshelf.  it’s New Year and a group of friends have hired out a lodge in remote Scotland to see in the New Year. They’ve been friends for years, and they don’t see each other as they’d like, but this is they’re chance to catch up and re establish they’re friendships. But as everyone knows, there are always goings on behind closed doors and when the Gamekeeper, Doug, finds a body in the early hours of New Years Day, it’s seems that each of the friends have their own challenges going on. Just like The Guest List, we know early that someone has been murdered, but it’s not until the end that we find out who. What Foley does exceptionally well is through in plenty of red herrings, not just for the victim, but of course, for the murderer too. This was the perfect addition to my seasonal December run and it was lovely to take a temporary break from romance.

  Six years this has been on my TBR! Six whole years. And on Christmas Eve, after finishing The Hunting Party, I wanted to maintain my run of seasonal reads but also, read something perhaps long forgotten from the depths of my Goodreads. This books has all the marks of a Hallmark story; Rachel is a teacher - her mum, a baker, passed away years before, and since then Rachel hasn’t been able to bake for fear of reigniting painful memories. And then the children in her class (with the help of the local village) sign her up to a baking competition in Paris with a fallen-from-grace celebrity chef.  Rachel finds herself in the beautiful city during the week before Christmas, making new friends and finding her lost love for baking. This was such a sweet easy read and perfect for getting you into the wholesome Christmas spirit. 

Would you believe I've never even TRIED to rank the books I've read? If you asked me to choose my favourite book of all time, I couldn't. I have a selection of old favourites but could I pick just one? Absolutely not. It would be like asking a parent who their favourite child is*.  *I'm aware that most parents have a favourite child whether they publicly admit it or not.  So setting this task for myself was awful. I could easily disregard a few, of course. Some just didn't hit the mark for me.  And then I disregarded the books that weren't due out until 2023 because, after all, that would be unfair right? So then I'm left with a decision; if I'm not including my pre-release reads, do I only rank the ones I've read this year that were RELEASED this year? Nah. That would be a step too far. I rarely read books in line with release, mainly because the reviews need time to trickle through. Until I set myself up with Net Galley, I didn't track what was

As most book-enthusiasts will contest to - a TBR list is never ending. No sooner do you finally get round to reading one of the books on your To Be Read list, in the time it's taken, another 3 have been added. And I am no exception. As part of my attempt to reach 1000 books, I've been replenishing my bookshelves but the problem is - not a lot of them are even on my TBR list! And then there's the BookTok curse. Because of so many awesome content creators on TikTok, I have fallen foul to buying loads of books that I'm been immediately buzzed for and devoured them within a few weeks of buying them.  So in 2023, I want to make a dent and read some of the books that have been sat on my list for at least a year. The Virgin Suicides  I was obsessed with this film in my teen years and I've wanted to read it ever since. the challenge is that I know it's going to emotionally destroy me.  The Count of Monte Christo This is going to my mountain of the year. A couple of year

I was SO excited for December. After getting fully back into reading, I knew that December was going to be full of lovely seasonal reads and it was lovely.  I set myself a bit of a stretch goal to hit 75 books read in 2022....  THE WITCH AND THE TSAR - Olesya Salnikova Filmore Read the Full Review HERE A MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE - Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone Read the Full Review HERE CHRISTMAS FOR BEGINNERS - Carole Matthews Read the Full Review HERE MIDNIGHT IN EVERWOOD - M.A. Kzniar Read the Full Review HERE A CURSE OF FROST AND FATE - Verika Sloane Read the Full Review HERE A CHRISTMAS CAROL - Charles Dickens Read the Full Review HERE CHRISTMAS AT THE ISLAND HOTEL - Jenny Colgan Read the Full Review HERE THE HUNTING PARTY - Lucy Foley Read the Full Review 12th January! THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE - C.S. Lewis THE PARISIAN CHRISTMAS BAKE OFF - Jenny Oliver Read the Full Review 8th January! THE SNOW CHILD - Eowyn Ivey Read the Full Review 14th January! THIS TIME NEXT YEAR - S