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VBT # Until the Next Letter - Hannah Claire

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Review: Until the Next Letter - Hannah Claire - June 2026 There are some books that don’t just tell a story , they settle around you like a warm blanket on a quiet evening, and Until the Next Letter by Hannah Claire is exactly that kind of read. If you loved Cecelia Ahern’s PS I Love You, then this book will feel like coming home again to those same emotional, letter-driven vibes. It also reminded me of Steena Holmes’ Dear Abby series, where family secrets and emotional journeys are gently unravelled one page at a time. At the heart of this story are sisters Libby and Rachel, whose world is turned upside down when their mother passes away and leaves behind a series of letters. These aren’t just sentimental notes of love and goodbye ,each letter is a carefully crafted breadcrumb leading them into their mother’s hidden past. As they follow her instructions, they begin travelling through the countryside, uncovering truths that were never meant to be spoken aloud while she was alive. What ...
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Review: Just One Bite - Miranda Rijks

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VBT# Review - Just One Bite - Miranda Rijks - June 2026 There are some authors whose names alone are enough to make me drop everything else on my TBR pile, and Miranda Rijks is absolutely one of them. So when I saw Just One Bite popping up for a Zooloos Book Tours stop, I didn't even need to read the blurb twice , I just knew. And then there's that cover. Honestly, who can resist a gorgeous, glossy cupcake staring back at them? It's the kind of cover that makes you want to curl up with a cuppa (and probably an actual cupcake) before you've even cracked the spine. This story pulled me in from the very first page. We meet Tyler and Brittany, a glamorous "power couple" with a little daughter, Alissa. Brittany is the main breadwinner, a recognisable TV personality, but underneath the glossy exterior she's been quietly struggling since severe postnatal depression left her feeling disconnected from her own child. Their nanny, Riley, has really been the one hol...
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Review: Rings on Water - Madeline Eskedahl

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Review: Rings on Water - Book #2 The Matakana Series - Madeline Eskedahl - May 2023 There’s something especially comforting about discovering a New Zealand author who writes mysteries that feel both grounded in place and quietly gripping in their tension, and Madeline Eskedahl has firmly become one of those authors for me. Rings on Water, the second book in The Matakana Series, arrived in my hands as a beautifully thoughtful gift from the author herself, complete with a personalised message and the most delightful magnetic butterfly bookmark. It clips neatly over the page and, in a small but meaningful way, stops me from doing my usual dog-earing of pages. It’s those little touches that make reading feel even more special. From the opening pages, Madeline Eskedahl wastes no time pulling us back into the world of The Matakana series where calm coastal life is shattered by darkness beneath the surface. A narcotics pick-up at sea goes disastrously wrong, a man is lost overboard, and the ...
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Review: Until She Dies - Kendra Elliot

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Review: Until She Dies - Book #3 Noelle Marshall Series - Kendra Elliot - September 2026 One of my favourite parts of being a book reviewer and blogger is getting to read books before they're even out in the world yet. I was scrolling through my Kindle the other night, looking for something to dive into, when I spotted a Kendra Elliot title I hadn't picked up yet. It had been a while since I'd read one of hers, but she's one of those thriller authors I trust completely no matter what she publishes, I know I'm going to love it. One of the things I adore most about Kendra's books is how she weaves in crossover characters. As you move from book to book, you might suddenly find yourself reunited with someone whose story you've already read, like running into an old friend. It makes her world feel lived-in and connected, and it's part of why I keep coming back. Until She Dies opens with Crystal, who's convinced her husband Gage is cheating on her. Wha...
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VBT # Review: My Friend's Husband - Rupi Mahadevan

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Review: My Friend's Husband - Rupa Mahadevan - June 2026 Pour yourself something warm, settle into your favourite reading nook, and let me tell you about the book that kept me up far too late this week. I'm thrilled to be part of the virtual book tour for My Friend's Husband by Rupa Mahadevan, organised by the lovely folks at Zooloos Book Tours. This one had me curled up on the sofa, blanket forgotten, completely unable to put my phone down between chapters. At its heart, this is the story of a woman trying to rebuild her life after years of bad choices and bad luck, finally given a fresh start by her best friend-  a job, a place to live, a reason to believe things could be different. Then her friend disappears, leaving behind only a frantic, unfinished phone call for help. The police think our narrator knows more than she's letting on. But she's certain the answers lie much closer to home, with the husband everyone assumes is simply a grieving, devoted partner. ...
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Review: Sounds Like Love - Ashley Poston

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Review: Sounds Like Love - Ashley Poston - June 2025 You know how there are just some authors you will always read, no matter what they write next? For me, Ashley Poston is one of those authors. Every single one of her books feels like it was written to be a movie, and honestly, I'd give anything to see them on the big screen one day. This little gem found its way to me as a bookstagram birthday gift from the lovely @nzbookfae, and what a gift it turned out to be. If I had to describe the vibe, I'd say it's a cosy mash-up of What Women Want crossed with Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist equal parts magic, music, and heart. We meet Joni Lark and Sebastian McKellan, two people who couldn't be more different. Joni's a songwriter quietly battling writer's block, and Sebastian's a singer with the whole world watching him. They're polar opposites, right up until a surprise Kiss Cam moment throws a spark between them that neither of them sees coming. Suddenl...
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Review: Gone But Not Forgotten - Sabrina Jeffries

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Review: Gone But Not Forgotten - Sabrina Jeffries - January 2008  You know how it is when you're scrolling through your Kindle at midnight, not really looking for anything, and then a title just reaches out and grabs you? That was me with Gone But Not Forgotten by Sabrina Jeffries. Something about it gave me immediate vibes of Nicholas Sparks' Remain wrapped in a M. Night Shyamalan twist - emotional, atmospheric, and quietly unsettling in the best possible way. Reader, I downloaded it immediately. Sunny is dead. Not in a tragic, drawn-out way  she and her husband are simply gone, the victims of an accident, and now she finds herself in that strange limbo between worlds, tethered to the living by one ferocious, unfinished piece of business: her twin babies. A mother's work, it turns out, is never done  not even from beyond the veil. Not while Sunny has a ghost of a chance. Her sister Honey and brother-in-law Bert step up as guardians, good-...
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