Review: Home Truths - Charity Norman - August 2024 I picked this one up on my Kindle while scrolling the other day and landed on Home Truths by Charity Norman. I'd heard her name before she's based here in New Zealand now but I honestly had no idea what I was walking into. The first chapter drops you straight into a courtroom, with Livia (who I quickly clocked as the mum of the family) on trial for torturing a man, waiting on the jury's decision. Then the book pulls back to the beginning, to show exactly how this ordinary family fell apart, domino by domino. It starts with her husband's brother dying, and from there Scott spirals into health-conspiracy territory , the rabbit-hole kind, the kind that turns extremist, especially once he starts watching videos and corresponding with a man called Dr. Jack. Meanwhile their daughter Heidi starts shoplifting, using the guilt and pain of it as a strange outlet for everything she's been bottling up. This is a proper slow-b...

Review: The Last Guests - JP Pomare - July 2021  You know how sometimes you pick up a book by an author and you're just not sure what you're going to get? That's exactly where I found myself with JP Pomare's The Last Guests. My relationship with this Kiwi author has been a bit of a rollercoaster, if I'm being honest. His debut left me putting it down unfinished, but then 17 Years Later completely won me over with a solid five stars. So settling in with this one, I wasn't quite sure which version of JP Pomare I'd be getting. Here's the thing about New Zealand fiction that I've noticed over the years we tend to take our cues from the UK when it comes to pacing. There's that slow-burn, atmospheric quality that builds and builds rather than hitting you with the high-octane intensity you often find in American thrillers. Sometimes I love that deliberate unfolding, and sometimes I'm itching for things to move faster. With The Last Guests, I found ...

Review: See How They Fall - Rachel Paris - April 2025 After redundancy left me searching for escapism beyond my usual romance reads, I found myself on an unexpected thriller mission. Romance novels, with their predictable happy endings, felt hollow during this uncertain chapter of my life. I craved something grittier, more reflective of how unpredictable life can truly be. Enter Rachel Paris's See How They Fall , a book that arrived via Tandem Book Collective at precisely the right moment. This New Zealand author has crafted a psychological thriller that transplants family dysfunction to the sun-soaked backdrop of Sydney, Australia. The Campbells appear to have everything—wealth, status, the kind of lifestyle that looks perfect from the outside. But as Rachel Paris expertly demonstrates, the most dangerous predators often lurk within our own bloodlines. What begins as a family reunion quickly descends into a nightmare when arsenic poisoning claims one life and leaves six-year-old...

Be In My Bubble Maya Mason Publication date: October 11th 2023 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance London. 2020. Lockdown. Emily has had a terrible year when it comes to love. And now she’s stuck in her apartment, alone. Things change when—one fateful night—she trudges to the rubbish chute and bumps into Robbie. Robbie—tall, hot, Australian Robbie. Robbie—her brother’s friend from school Robbie. Why on earth did I choose to wear my twerking corgi T-shirt tonight of all nights? And that’s when her bubble of one becomes a bubble of two. Cue glorious meals, dancing the night away, and cuddling on the couch. Can this love bubble stand the test of time, or is it set to burst? Read now to find out. This is the coronavirus-era rom-com you didn’t know you needed. Goodreads / Amazon — EXCERPT: “You’re on top of me,” she blurted out, referring to his apartment’s location. The second the words left her mouth, her face erupted in an instant rash of crimson. He chuck...

Review: Hannah and Huia - Charlotte Lobb - July 2023 Hannah and Huia has been sitting on my shelf for a while now, almost a year and I decided to finally read it as May is not only Clear Your TBR Bookshelf Challenge Month but also Mental Health Month. The other reason I brought this book was that I had a personal connection to the author as her family was one of my regular customers when I worked in the libraries and I was interested to read what she wrote WOW, Hannah and Huia exceeded my expectations and was such a great story and in it, I felt for both characters as their experiences resonated with some of my families own. The book starts with Hannah experiencing the great loss of both her husband and newborn, so much so that she checks herself into the psych ward to get help. While there she is captivated by an old Maori woman named Huia - who only speaks three words at a time and never the same set of words twice. That is until Hannah arrives and hears the same three words multiple...

In Step Jay Hogan (Painted Bay, #3) Publication date: February 10th 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance Karma. You reap what you sow, and KANE MARTIN isn’t looking for forgiveness. But the arrival of ABE TYLER in Painted Bay has Kane dreaming of the impossible. The sexy, silver fox choreographer is determined to pull Kane out from the shadows, but Abe’s career isn’t about to shift to Painted Bay, and Kane’s life is in neat little boxes for a reason. A past he isn’t proud of. A family he’s walked away from. A job he doesn’t deserve. A secret he’s ashamed of. But life’s dance can make for unexpected partners, and learning to trust and keep up with the footwork is the name of the game. Two steps forward, one step back. It takes two to tango. Trigger Warning: Contains references to past abuse and bullying. Goodreads / Amazon — EXCERPT: The pattering rain grew heavy on the iron roof and my thoughts ran to the beautiful guy I’d glimpsed in the window abo...

Ruby Island Stephanie Ruth Publication date: November 12th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance First impressions are hard to shake… Big-headed ex-rugby star, Daniel Dante, refuses to believe a word celebrated ceramicist Kanako Janssen says, though why her new landlord’s opinion bothers her so much is anyones’s guess. She has enough to worry about, with her soon to be ex-husband refusing to sign divorce papers, Daniel’s dog appearing regularly to freak her out, and an exhibition date looming. Kanako is everything Daniel isn’t, and nothing he’s used to. Trust doesn’t come easily to a player who’s been burnt so publicly before, but if he can’t learn to lean on this fresh-faced, quirky artist, he could well lose her altogether. Like the swallows, Kanako’s only in Otago for the season. But willing or not, the self-proclaimed introvert is being slowly absorbed into small town life on the lake, and she’s in grave danger of falling in love with it. RUBY ISLAND is the second ...

Undiagnosed Love Jacqueline Lee Publication date: July 1st 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance What happens when you fall for the one person you can’t have? Anna has always tried to do everything right, working hard through medical school, and now in her career as a doctor. She’s worked hard at her eight-year relationship with her fiancé Phil too, and can’t wait to get married and become part of Phil’s extended family. Then the unthinkable happens. Phil breaks up with her three months before their wedding. Luckily, Phil’s younger brother Seth works at the same hospital and is there to help her through the aftermath. Seth’s always been the laid-back, jokey one in contrast to his more serious brother. He’s always secretly envied Phil’s relationship with Anna because she’s his epitome of the perfect girl. When he sees how devastated Anna is after his idiot brother dumps her, he does everything he can to get her smiling again. But the more time they spend together, t...

You Are Cordially Invited Jay Hogan Publication date: June 17th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance There’s a wedding in the air at Auckland Med, but Reuben wonders if they’ll survive the stress long enough to say, ‘I do’. Cam is directing the entire operation with his combat eyeliner in place, whilst the wedding party is doing its best to ignore him. The pressure is mounting and the cracks are beginning to show. There’s a bachelor party to survive. The paparazzi to outrun. A wedding outfit to confirm. A rugby game to win. A jerk of a father to cope with. A stunning opportunity to consider. A relationship to untangle. And a shocking event that could derail everything. With the universe conspiring against them, Reuben and Cam will have to summon every scrap of belief they have in each other to make it to their vows. Goodreads / Amazon — Author Bio: I am a New Zealand author writing in m/m romance, and romantic suspense. I have traveled extensively and...