The Sanatorium - Sarah Pearse

After an intense few weeks of romance and fantasy, I wanted to break things up with a something a little darker. The Sanatorium has been sat on my bookshelf and TBR for a little while now so I figured now would be as good a time as any to jump right in.

Elin is on leave from the police force following a case that left her emotionally, physically and mentally scarred. Invited to her brothers engagement celebrations at a new hotel in the Swiss Alps, she and her boyfriend Will take the trip to the middle of nowhere in the midst of one of the worst storms the area has seen in decades.

As well as the complex family history that Elin has to overcome, the threat of evacuation due to the weather is made that much more urgent when her soon-to-be sister in law goes missing.

What I loved most about this story wasn't the "thriller" aspect surprisingly, though it was done very well. It was the history of the building itself. The way the medical practises were described and the feeling I got when reading about it was perfectly creepy - Pearse did SUCH a good job in projecting that sense of unease.

And the imagery of the Swiss Alps? Stunning.

Whilst it was set in a completely different part of the world, the scenery gave me series Misery vibes. And the layout of the story was similarly paced to that of Lucy Foley, but the historical element REALLY set it apart. I'd highly recommend this for any thriller fan.

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Christmas At The Island Hotel - Jenny Colgan

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times - for me, snuggling down with a Jenny Colgan book is like a hug from an old friend. And Christmas At The Island Hotel is no exception. Now, this is part of a series in the way that it follows a family of characters for their fourth installment, however as always, this works perfectly as a standalone book. Fintan, grieving the loss of his partner, has been left to open The Rock - the hotel on the island of Mure. Suddenly, this born and bred farmer needs to source a kitchen team to maintain the legacy of his late partner. And now he has a French chef that no one else wants, working in his kitchen. Konstantin, Norwegian party boy and all round spoilt brat, has been cast out by his Dad and has to learn how to be self sufficient. He finds himself on the remote island of Mure, halfway between Scotland and Norway, with no money, no friends and no idea how to chop an onion, As always, Jenny expertly weaves the lives of the characters togeth

This Time Next Year - Sophie Cousens

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.

Barbarian Lover - Ruby Dixon

If someone told me 6 months ago that I'd be using Blue Alien smut as a palette cleanser between my books.. I probably would have laughed at them. But that's apparently the BookTok curse. Once again, I found myself diving into the world of Ruby Dixon's sci-fi romance series and this time we were following Kara's story. Once again, this is a FUN series. The format is similar in all of them, so it's not groundbreaking writing or literary fiction but it's good natured, easy to read and there's plenty of big blue alien d*ck.

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