Welcome again to another fabulous edition of My Favourite Reads, the ongoing blog series where once a month I share the books I’ve recently read and loved, and encourage you to share yours.

Did you know My Favourite Reads will be nine years old this month? I can’t believe I’ve kept this going for so long. Must be a bit of a sucker. Not that I mind. Sharing book loves is a joy and I’ve picked up lots of excellent books thanks to your recommendations. I hope I’ve done the same for you on occasion.

I have some cracking books for you today. September gave me so much reading joy, with new-to-me authors, as well as reads from old friends. I read 8 all up, although only 6 appear here. The other two weren’t bad—they were perfectly readable—but not books I can rave about.

No overall favourite this month. All the books listed were fab.

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Holly by Stephen King

King has been an auto buy for me since I first read The Bachman Books (a bunch of extraordinary novellas he wrote under a pen name) way back in the 80s and then went on to read everything he’d written. King remains one of the few authors I still buy in paperback.

Holly was a great read. Not that I expected anything less. But this turned out to be a fascinating murder mystery. It was so nice to be with beloved character Holly Gibney again (she featured in previous novels Mr Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch and The Outsider). I love the way she’s grown over the years. And I enjoy catching up with other familiar characters too.

What starts as a missing persons case for Holly’s private investigator business soon turns intriguing as Holly uncovers more missing persons. Little does she know that two local octogenarian professors have been behaving very badly indeed.

Huge fun.

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The Paris Gown by Christine Wells

It’s always a thrill to get hold of a Christine Wells release, but The Paris Gown takes the biscuit. This is her best so far. Absolutely brilliant.

Set in 1950s Paris, The Paris Gown is an expertly told story about female friendship and female empowerment (and lack of power in the circumstances of the time). Margot, Claire and Gina were fabulous characters, strong and passionate about the things they love, and the linking of the Dior dress was cleverly done. I also liked the touch of intrigue with what happened to Margot, and I adored the romances. They were lovely. Just enough to be satisfying without taking away from the major thrust of the book.

A wonderful read that had me crying and cheering and breathing deep happy sighs at the end. Highly recommended.

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Force of Nature by Jane Harper

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get to Force of Nature. I’ve loved all of Jane Harper’s books, especially The Lost Man (my thoughts on that here). That book was brilliant. Anyway, I finally got around to it last month and loved it.

The premise was super cool: Five women go into the bush and only four come out. Love that. I also loved how the story was told, flicking between the women as they make their way through the Australian scrub on one of those corporate bonding weekends (ick!), and the subsequent search for missing woman Alice after the women return one member short.

Lots of twists and turns, fantastically drawn characters and a nice creepy atmosphere. A most entertaining read.

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The Space Between by Sarah Ready

Oh, this book!!!!

What a romance. The Space Between was a gorgeous read. Hugely emotional and beautifully written. If you love romance, then I can’t recommend it enough.

The Space Between follows an unlikely love story between a girl from a fabulously wealthy New York family and a boy from the Bronx. Andrea might be privileged, but she’s from a world of secrets, lies and manipulations. A pawn to be played at her Machiavellian father’s whim. Jace is a talented musician whose goal is to bring music to the world. When they meet, it’s instant love. But just because Andrea has left her family behind for Jace, it doesn’t mean the lies and manipulations stop.

Heartbreaking, heartwarming and oh, so emotional. Brilliant.

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The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead

The Boyfriend Candidate was adorable! I loved this opposites attract, fake dating romance about two strangers who get caught out on their one-night stand when a fire breaks out in their hotel. Which would be fine, if the hero Logan wasn’t also vying for the position of Governor of Texas.

With a playboy reputation already dogging his election campaign, the last thing Logan needs is a scandal. Fearing for her job, school librarian Alexis isn’t thrilled to have her face plastered all over the media either. The solution? They’ll pretend to be girlfriend and boyfriend who have been secretly dating for months until the election is in the bag.

Logan was gorgeous. Hot, potty-mouthed (which is not very governor-y), driven and kind. But the story belongs to Alexis and how the way she sees herself affects her life and loves, and I found some of the most heart-wrenching parts of the book were to do with Alexis’s relationship with her sister and mother.

Another fantastic romance that I couldn’t put down.

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Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

I’m a big fan of Australian author Darcy Coates’s thrillers and horrors. She’s written some crackers, and Dead of Winter is another in that category. There are horror elements, but mostly I’d call this a thriller. A good one.

A group of holidaymakers are on a bus heading toward their isolated Rocky Mountains lodge when a fallen tree blocks their route as a severe storm hits. The group takes refuge in a nearby hunting cabin. Then their guide goes missing, only for his severed head to be later found impaled on a tree. From there the terror starts.

Heroine Christa was great. She was relatable and brave and damaged. But it’s that damage that gives her the strength she needs to endure. In fact, all the characters were well drawn. The setting was excellently done too—I could feel that blizzard and its claustrophobic effect on the cabin occupants—and there were twists galore in the whodunnit plot.

Good stuff. Looking forward to my next Darcy Coates.

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What have you read lately that tickled your fancy?

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