Welcome to another delicious edition of My Favourite Reads!

After a pretty good reading year, November turned out a bit slack. We travelled for half of it and although I always imagine myself reading a lot while travelling, it never happens.

I did, however, come up with a sweet and cute idea for a short Christmas story which I’m writing now. If you want the chance to read it – and no guarantees I’ll get it finished in time – you’ll need to sign up to my newsletter, which you can do here.

Like I said, no guarantees but I’m feeling good about it!

Anyway, back to my favourite reads for November. While there were fewer than previous months, the book quality was right up there and once more it’s hard to choose an overall favourite. So I’m going to choose two again because they were absolute stand outs.

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The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

Hooly-dooly, this book grabbed me from get-go and kept its claws dug in right until the end. So many twists! So much intrigue! So much FUN.

The Skeleton Key is one of the cleverest murder mystery/thrillers I’ve read in a while. The premise is fantastic – Fifty years after Nell’s father wrote the sensational, mega-selling title ‘The Golden Bones’, recluse Nell has reluctantly returned home for the production of a golden anniversary documentary. The book not only made Sir Frank rich, it spawned a global obsession as treasure hunters searched for the book’s hidden ‘golden bones’. It also forced Nell into hiding when hunters began to believe she held the key to the final missing bone. As a publicity stunt, Sir Frank decides to reveal the bone’s location during filming, only for all hell to break loose and Nell’s life to be in danger once more.

So good. Sooooo gooooood!

Let It Snow by Beth Moran

Sigh. Let It Snow was such a gorgeous Christmas romance. I enjoyed it so much I immediately bought Beth Moran’s 2019 Christmas release, Every Christmas Day.

Let It Snow had everything – a delightful romance between a relatable heroine with an interesting and unusual job she loves and is good at, and a super-smart nerdy hero with a heart of gold. There’s also a warm and quirky family, a bit of a love triangle and lots of snow. Oh, and a road trip and an evil elf. And a family mystery.

I loved the characters in Let It Snow. Every one of them was a joy to spend time with, even if I could have bopped a couple on the head.

If you’re after an uplifting, moving, funny, and romantic Christmas story then grab a copy today. With it priced at only 99c on Amazon, you can’t go wrong.

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And secondly…

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Ordinary Monsters by J M Miro

This was a cool one. Set in Victorian times, Ordinary Monsters starts with the rescuing of ‘special’ children who are then sent to a crumbling mansion on an isolated Scottish loch. There, a strange doctor and his staff teach them to master their talents. And where they’ll face a threat like no other.

This was a slow burn of a read that turned into something quite magical as the children join forces and learn to trust one another. There are some great characters and the children’s ‘talents’ were fascinating and cleverly designed too.

Sort of fantasy, sort of historical, sort of mystery-thriller, and with Harry Potterish vibes, Ordinary Monsters kept me entertained all the way through. Which was impressive because it’s a loooong book.

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It’s Not Me It’s You by Mhairi McFarlane

It’s Not Me It’s You was such a lovely story about a heroine’s journey to self-discovery – believable and down to earth, modern, and quite moving at times. The characters were a delight and the romance loaded with twists and turns.

When Delia Moss proposes to her long-term boyfriend, she expects more than his subdued response. Or that he’d been sleeping with someone else. So begins a series of changes in Delia’s life which sees her move to London, find a new, strange job and get caught up in something potentially damaging. Then there’s the romance…

Highly enjoyable. I must read more Mhairi McFarlane.

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Armageddon by J Robert Kennedy

Ah, these James Acton thrillers are such a hoot. They’re perfect escapes with lots of action, rapid-fire pacing, plenty of humour, adventure, and archaeology.

Armageddon sees the Actons caught in the aftermath of a south-east Asian volcanic eruption and its subsequent tsunami, all while being chased by bad guys. Only to encounter another foe, just as deadly.

A blast.

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What favourite reads would you like to share?

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