Welcome to my first Goodreads blog post!

Each month, I will provide you with a brief review of the books I have read during that month; I will pick a favourite (if possible) and I will provide you with any fun facts/news I have gleaned about the authors mentioned.

So, without further ado, and in order of reading:

1. One Day With You – Shari Low One Day With You

This was an emotional and suspenseful novel which I was lucky enough to get to read before general release. Similar to One Last Day of Summer (which I also LOVED), this book has multiple perspectives and interwoven plots covering the timespan of a day. The characters are well fleshed out, and they are what drives this novel. There wasn’t a storyline I wasn’t invested in.

If you like women’s fiction that is absorbing and hard to put down, this one’s for you.

2. The Wilderness Retreat – Jennifer Moore The Wilderness Retreat

This is another book I got to read before general release, and it’s not out until April. It’s a solid psychological thriller and I enjoyed the suspense, the setting (the lodge is in the middle of “Dead Man’s Forest”) and the dramatic conclusion. What an absolute nightmare!

I recommend this for fans of psychological thrillers and horror movies.

3. Blue Hawaiian – Carla Luna Blue Hawaiian

Cute, second-chance romance with great characters, a perfect destination wedding setting, and a finely tuned plot. There’s family drama, secrets, travel disasters and all sorts in this novel, not to mention the steaming hot romance between Jess and Connor. Note: there are sexy scenes, but it’s not a smutty book.

It’s a really fun and adorable read, I would recommend it for your next beach holiday.

This book is FREE on Kindle, so if you’re interested, download it now!

4. That One Night – Becca Baldwin That One Night

I found this one tricky to review because there were some things I absolutely loved about it, and others that annoyed me or let it down. However, it’s a quick and cheap read, so it’s worth a shot if you’re lured in by the opening hook like I was:

Ariel arrives at her old friend’s wedding only to find out that the groom is the man she fell in love at first sight with two years ago, in Rome.

The plot is brilliant, and I recommend it as an easy read.

5. A Season To Kill – Nic Winter A Season to Kill

I found this book purely thanks to the Bookstagram community helping me out with some Scottish book recs, and I am so grateful! Not only is this an amazing and unputdownable book, but the author is really lovely too!

This is a gripping murder mystery filled with believable characters who all seem to be hiding something, and it moves at a fast pace. It really gets those sleuthing juices flowing!

EXCITING NEWS: Nic is working on the sequel “A Deadly Shade of Winter” – I can’t wait!

6. Ailey of Skye – Wendy Hewlett Ailey of Skye

This book, whoa! It’s deep, the backstory is dark, and the character growth is incredible. Ailey is a recovering addict who has never known love, she’s been on the streets since she was thirteen – forced to do all sorts just to survive – and now she’s got a family on the Isle of Skye. But she’s still in danger. The author teaches us that Ailey can’t escape her past, and her family can’t change what she’s been through, but, like all addicts, with the right amount of determination and support, recovery is possible. It won’t be easy (at all), but you really can turn your life around.

The ending of this novel brought happy tears to my eyes.

FUN FACT: Wendy used to work as an Addiction Counsellor.

EXCITING NEWS: Wendy is working on “Fiona the Brave” with Fiona and Brodie as the main characters – I can already tell it will be brilliant because I love them already, and we’ve already had a little insight into what makes Fiona so “brave.”

7. The Highland Fling – Meghan Quinn The Highland Fling

My final book of the month was another Scottish themed book rec. This was a pretty standard rom com, predictable and amusing, with two romances and a lot of baked goods (do not read whilst hungry!)

I recommend it as an easy read, probably best for those in their early 20s.

Favourites

It’s very, very hard to pick a favourite, especially when I keep chopping and changing genres so they’re hard to compare. When I pause and look back at the month, the ones that are still playing in my mind are: One Day With You and Ailey of Skye – two very different books with characters that linger. I know I will be reading more from these authors (as well as the others because, let’s face it, I’m a readaholic!)

See you next month!

P.S. Don’t forget you can read my full reviews for each of these books by visiting my profile or each book’s page, and if you would like to know what I’m up to as an author (as opposed to as a reader) you can sign up for my monthly newsletter by visiting https://chloeblythauthor.com/newsletter