The Thorns Remain - JJA Harwood

The Thorns Remain is set in Scotland, in the wake of the First World War and in the midst of the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1919. In a rural Scottish village, Moira Jean is celebrating with her friends, a last hurrah before they go on their separate ways to make their lives their own. 

But the evening takes a turn when a beautiful stranger comes upon them. Awaking from a daze filled with dancing and strange music, Moira Jean finds herself alone. Her friends have disappeared and it's down to her to find them again. Making bargains with Fae is exactly what she's been told not to do, but how else will she get her friends back?

The story was brilliantly written and Moira Jean's character was fantastic - absolutely fearless and possibly even reckless but very likeable. Her determination and almost cavalier behaviour made my inner feminist squeal with joy. 

The only thing I wish for - MORE OF THE DREAMER. I would have loved to see more of a relationship between him and Moira, there were a few scenes that could have been developed on so much more but the final scenes really made it for me.

Comments

Orphans of The Storm - Celia Imrie

Started: Thursday 7th July 2022 Finished: Saturday 9th July 2022 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Given my obsession with the story of the Titanic in my younger years, this is the first book I've ever read which is based around the tragic disaster. I bought Orphans of the Storm on a whim on one of my Waterstone's sprees - and I vowed to make it my next read. What I didn't realise is that it is based on the true story of the last surviving passenger from the disaster. And it was incredible. So incredible that the minute I got home, I gave it to my mum to read and I've just bought a copy for one of my ex-colleagues because the history was common ground for us. I didn't know what to expect - I knew it would pull at the heart strings but I didn't appreciate quite how much. The way it's written, Imrie really allows the suspense and bewilderment to build. Of course, it's no spoiler to say - The Ship Sinks At The End - but the way it is written from two separate perspe...

A Merry Little Meet Cute - Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

What a bloody lovely Christmas beaut this was! If you're venturing into spicy romance books and have been on Instagram or TikTok recently, it's likely that you would have seen this little gem doing the rounds. Bee is a content creator for ClosedDoor (think.. OnlyFans) and Nolan is an ex-boyband bad boy that are both cast in a Hope Channel (think... Hallmark) Christmas movie, Duke The Halls. Nolan is reinventing his career and trying to rid himself of the bad boy image whereas Bee is brought in last minute because the Lead Actress has been taken ill. The best part? Bee was a massive fan of Nolan in her teenage years and Nolan has been following Bee on social media for a while. And they're getting paid to get to know each other. I adored this book. It was everything I wanted it to be and is perfect for those of us who love a Hallmark Christmas movie but wished there was a bit heat in the romances. the positive message around Bee's work is brilliantly handled, not to me...

The Shadows Between Us - Tricia Levenseller

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 ...

The Little Library Project

Search This Blog