Review: Seven Reasons to Murder Your Dinner Guests - KJ Whittle - January 2025 Let me tell you about a book that had me at “hello” and lost me at the very last course. The premise of this one is, quite simply, one of my favourites. Seven strangers gather at Serendipity’s for an anonymously hosted dinner party, and as the evening draws to a close, little black envelopes appear in front of each diner, each one revealing the age at which they will die. Delicious, isn’t it? It’s the sort of hook that has you reading the blurb twice and tucking the book under your arm before you’ve even made it to the till. And for most of its length, the story delivers on that promise. The opening is wonderfully atmospheric, with the rainy night, the candlelit table, and a group of strangers who are spooked but not quite shaken enough to run for the hills. When the first guest dies at their foretold age, just two weeks later, the unease really begins to creep in. Was it a tragic accident or something far...

Review: Trick or Treat - Book #0.5 Steinbeck U Prequel - L.A Cotton - October 2020 Some weeks, my reading itch strikes and I can’t decide what to pick up. Too many books on the TBR, too little patience for a doorstopper. If that sounds familiar, Trick or Treat by L.A. Cotton is just the thing. It’s a quick novella, easily gobbled up in one cosy sitting, and it scratched that itch beautifully. We meet Calliope James, a girl who would much rather live life through a lens than in the spotlight. She’s the observer, happily tucked behind her camera. So when she reluctantly agrees to go to a party with her best friend before they both head off to university, the last thing she expects is to find herself on the other side of the camera. Then there’s Zachary Messiah, who left Bay View High School without so much as a word, and now he’s back. He’s not the boy she remembers, but she’s exactly the girl he’s tried so hard to forget. Naturally, they should stay far away from each other. But it’s ...

Synopsis: A Guilty Conscience - Sarah Jones - October 2026 You can hide, but the truth will always find you. Five years ago, Abi Benton heard a scream in the woods and chose to ignore it. That split second decision had catastrophic consequences and two people died. Now, someone seems determined to make her pay. But is her own guilty conscience distracting her from the true danger which threatens all she loves? Beverley Parker came forward in response to a police appeal for witnesses when Hayley Atkins was killed. She thought she was doing the right thing but now, she lives her life terrified of being recognised as the woman from the woods. Five years ago two people died, but other lives ended too. Abigail The woman who pretended she didn’t hear or see anything. Beverley The witness who came forward, and found herself vilified by the press. Jake Tortured by the knowledge that his brother is a killer. Lauren Desperate for no one to find out how she betrayed her best friend. Four people, ...

VBT# Review - From My Dead Husband - Rowen Chambers - October 2026 Two years ago, Claire was trapped in an abusive relationship with Rob. She knew that if she didn’t act, she would never be free, and might not survive. So one day she snapped, had simply had enough, and did what she had to do. Now she’s building a brand new life, creating something wonderful for herself and even dating a lovely new man. Things are finally looking up, and my heart was so happy for her. But life has a habit of sticking its oar in. As what would have been her wedding anniversary approaches, a card arrives, postmarked from her hometown. Inside is an anniversary card, written to Claire from her husband Rob. Rob, who she swears was dead the last time she saw him. How can that be? Is it a cruel prank from one of his friends? Determined to get answers, Claire starts digging, only to discover that Hank, one of Rob’s closest friends, has recently been found dead after suicide. What on earth is going on? Is it a...

Synposis: Never Tell A Secret - Miranda Rijks - October 2026 Having secrets is dangerous. Confessing them can be fatal. Today I’m delighted to shine a spotlight on a gripping new psychological thriller that tackles a very modern fear: what happens when the thing we trust with our deepest confessions is listening a little too closely? The Story Emma’s family is coming apart at the seams. Her marriage to Hayden is crumbling, their 21-year-old daughter Willow is unravelling after a painful breakup, and teenage son Fred is isolated and unhappy. It’s the kind of household where everyone is under the same roof but struggling alone. So when their friend Marcel, a widower, invites them to test ClarityU, a revolutionary AI therapist he has built himself, it feels like a lifeline. And at first, it genuinely seems to help. Each family member finds a safe space to talk, to cry, to say the things they can’t say out loud to one another. But there’s a catch, and it’s a chilling one. ClarityU i...

Review: The Single Father - Jade Lee Wright - October 2026 Being part of the Zooloos Book Tour family has given me the chance to read some of Jade Lee Wright’s earlier titles, and I’ve enjoyed every one. This latest caught my eye straight away because I have a soft spot for any book with a Nanny or Au Pair at its heart. Funnily enough, I very nearly became a Nanny myself! I was all set to head to Nanny College in Wellington until my Dad hired a career counsellor to talk me out of it. I’ll never know whether I’d have been any good at it, but I do love living vicariously through fictional ones. Matilda, or Tilly, has just lost Marc, the love of her life, and is trying to find her footing again. She takes a position as a Nanny in the Peak District, an area she and Marc always dreamed of visiting, hoping for a fresh start. There she meets Edward and his two children, Sage and Ryan. Everything goes beautifully at first, until a hike takes a terrifying turn and Tilly is pushed. She wakes...