Review: Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
26 February 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Between Two Fires, Book Review, Books, Christopher Buehlman, fiction, Horror, reading, Review
My Five Word TL:DR: A Bit Too Much Horror
I really do like this author, very much so. I like his style of writing. I absolutely loved The Blacktongue Thief and The Daughter’s War even moreso. In fact Between Two Fires has been on my wishlist for a while so I was excited to pick it up. And, to be perfectly honest, I really enjoyed this, but, I think this veered into perhaps a little too much horror for me personally. That being said, I still wolfed this down, the writing is good, the dialogue is excellent, its grim and gritty and I was positively intrigued.
The story gets off to an immediate start. We meet up with a band of brigands, really not very nice characters at all (serious understatement). They basically roam the countryside stealing and terrorising the people moving swiftly on before they can be caught. Unfortunately, they’re about to have a serious falling out. One of their band, Thomas, is about to disagree with their latest scheme and decide to save the young innocent girl they’ve just discovered (instead of following orders). This will be the first in what appears (to Thomas especially) a strange turnabout in character. He seems unable to say ‘no’ to this young girl and soon finds himself on a mission, accompanied by a priest.
The setting here is mediaeval, the period a particularly turbulent time when the plague was sweeping across Europe killing thousands in it’s wake. It seems like God has abandoned the people and hell and all it’s evil minions are running amok.
What I really liked about this.
Well, firstly I loved the writing. This is quite dark and bleak and the ending definitely descends into something of a blood bath – which isn’t really my thing, but I wanted to know how it was all going to end. For the record, this is not cosy, there is no romance, I would say it’s grimdark, meets horror, meets fiery apocalyptic end of world as we know it, with blood and lots of death. This author has a way with words where I find myself reading a story even when it becomes too much.
The characters. It’s a great group of characters. I was reading a discussion piece just recently about this very thing – good vs evil and morally grey characters. Here, we definitely fall into the ‘morally grey’ for at least two of the characters. The young girl is very innocent, although as the story develops it soon becomes clear that she is ‘different’. She knows things! Thomas is a disgraced knight and the priest has also suffered a fall from grace. I loved the dynamic between the three.
The majority of the story is in the style of overcoming trials and tribulations. The three are on a quest, travelling to a known destination, but without the knowledge of what they will need to do once they get there. The further they progress the more difficult their journey becomes and the more bizarre the trials that they endure.
What held this back a little for me.
First and foremost, it was just a bit too much horror for me, but that’s my personal preference and the last third, or maybe quarter, of the book, lost me a little. Now, I have been reflecting on what was taking place and so it has become clearer once I put the book down and had time to really think, but whilst I was reading I was definitely a bit perplexed and felt like I simply needed to push on to understand things, which turned out to be the case, because things did clear up. But, without doubt, for a spell there I was a bit, well, out of my depth – or at least that’s how it felt. Strange that even as I’m typing this review I’m having second thoughts because now I’m beginning to wonder if maybe the author intended for this to be all chaotic and confused. His characters were certainly a little lost after all. Mmm, food for thought. Seriously though – don’t you love a book that makes you think? I’m still going round in circles with my pondering which is exactly what I want from a book – I think this story will be in my head for a while making me go backwards and forwards, thinking I’ve pinned it down and then realising that I really haven’t.
Overall, I would have no hesitation in recommending this. The writing is excellent, I liked the characters, the setting was perfect – just be aware that it is very dark and quite horrific.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Review: Boudicca’s Daughter by Elodie Harper
23 February 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Boudicca's Daughter, Elodie Harper, fiction, historical-fiction, Review
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Great main character and setting
I absolutely loved the Wolf Den series by Elodie Harper and so I’m always excited to see anything new pop up, in fact I’m surprised at myself that I managed to wait so long before getting to this – but then deadlines sometimes dictate these things.
Boudicca’s Daughter was a very interesting read. As the story begins we meet Catia, famous warrior, married to a druid and mother to two daughters, otherwise known as Boudicca. I really liked the initial set up, the rivalry between the two sisters and the different dynamic between them and their parents. The author really pulls you into their story and you can feel the tension rising. The Briton’s and their Roman oppressors have a very tentative peace that seems balanced on a knife edge. The death of the Iceni king is about to tip the balance and insight rebellion.
I’m not going to dwell too much on the story. We focus on one of Boudicca’s daughters – called Solina. She’s an interesting and easy to like character. She’s intelligent and uses her brain as much as her strength. After the rebellion fails, Solina is taken captive and taken to Rome. Of course, this is a very short version of events.
What I really liked about this.
Well, Harper excels at setting a scene. I find it so easy to sink into her stories. I will say that if I was to be pushed, I preferred the time we actually spent in Rome because the author seems to really love these elements herself, or at least that’s how it feels to me. The Briton’s, the rebellion and even Boudicca, paled a little by comparison. Once Solina was taken to Rome with her captor Paulinus, the tension and constant fear really took hold. Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the earlier parts of the story, just that they weren’t quite as gripping.
Paulinus is another fascinating character and this imagined partnership really served to highlight the differences between the two races. The strange thing is, even though the Briton’s suffered at the hands of their oppressors I think the Romans were actually meaner to each other – if that’s possible. Their constant scheming and manipulations, not to mention that Nero was an absolute horror of a ruler. Oh yes, things definitely became interesting once Paulinus was called home.
The relationship between Solina and Paulinus was really well written. As I mentioned Solina has strong survival instincts but is also a sympathetic character often stepping in to help others and ultimately putting herself at risk. I expected to find their relationship unbelievable but the way this is written is just so easy and enjoyable that you find yourself being easily caught up in their dilemmas. In fact, as the story progresses, and the madness and hysteria in Rome escalates, the two really need to stay strong together just to survive – funny that I felt Solina was more under threat at this point than during the battles in her own country.
I would mention that there are some incidents here that may be triggering for some readers although I would say that the events that take place are off page and are not sensationalised at all, they serve more to highlight how Solina is affected.
I don’t really have any criticisms for this, it was a really good read, the only thing that perhaps brought this down a little was the haste with which the rebellion was brushed over, I don’t know why, especially given the title, but I think I was expecting a little more from that side.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. If you loved the Wolf Den then I have no hesitation in recommending, they’re distinctly different stories but the author’s great story telling really shines through, and if you haven’t read the Wolf Den series I strongly recommend it. I also thought the audio version was really good. I can’t wait to see what Harper comes up with next.
I bought the audio version.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Review: Temple Fall by RL Boyle
16 February 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Fantasy, fiction, Horror, Review, RL Boyle, Temple Fall
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Didn’t Quite Work It’s Magic
Temple Fall sounded like just my thing. A group of friends go to spend the night at an old abandoned house, in the process they manage to become cursed and one of them dies from a tragic accident. To all intents and purposes the rest of the friends also go missing and don’t reappear for months, even though to them it feels like only one evening has occurred. And, from there, things just go downhill.
It’s Jackson’s 18th birthday and his small group of close knit friends decide to camp out at a haunted, and rather creepy house. Upon arrival, the place doesn’t look nearly as bad as the group had expected, given how long it’s been abandoned. They even imagine that someone is still living there. They start to make camp but before long the sky darkens and a storm rolls in, it turns out they don’t have all the right camping gear and eventually they make the decision to enter the house for shelter. Again, the inside looks almost lived in, they find a decent sitting room and crack open the bottles of bubbly and other alcohol. Things get off to a good start but soon the tension starts to rise. The house seems to have it’s hooks in them, creating mistrust and suspicion and before you know it they’re starting to bicker. Then, someone has the great idea to have a seance which results in a scary entity taking over what started out as a bit of fun.
On the face of it I expected to enjoy this a lot more than I did. I loved the whole gothic vibe, the creepy, haunted house and the backstory. It’s well written in terms of the atmosphere and descriptions. I had no problem in envisioning the house and found the history to the place interesting.
However, I had issues. I think the plot suffers from uneven pacing. The first 20-25% in particular was really slow. On top of this there’s then a busyness to the story that just feels too much or too distracting. Flynn has her own past demons. Her mother was abusive and she was eventually taken into care, it’s taken a while for her to find her feet but she loves her new found family. That being said, she has her own ulterior motives for wanting to come to Temple Fall.
Temple Fall itself has a long and dark history that eventually unfolds as the group start investigating. The house is not as it first appears. And there’s a menacing presence lurking in the dark corners.
Personally, I felt like there was too much going on and the different stories were in a competition with each other for attention. I feel like it needed to be more focused. As it was we have the friction between the group, the curse, the house and it’s past, Flynn and her past and also the mystery of what happened to them all when they seemingly disappeared for a few months (as though time in Temple Falls is different from the outside world). All set against a ticking clock as the survivors try to find out more about their curse.
As well as the busy feel and, what was probably more of a deal breaker for me, was this has a YA feel. I didn’t really become attached to any of the characters. They were supposed to be really good friends and yet I didn’t get a feel for that at all and in turn this lack of investment stopped me from feeling worried or scared for any of them.
To be honest, part of this is definitely a case of ‘it’s me not you’ because I should have picked up on the 18th birthday party description. As it is I just became hooked with the whole gothic horror, haunted house description. To be fair, I think, even with the younger protagonists and their sometimes frustrating behaviour, if the story had remained at Temple Fall and focused on the scary elements I think this would probably have worked better for me.
I think Temple Fall will undoubtedly find it’s audience, it just didn’t quite work for me.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3 of 5 stars
Review: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
9 February 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter, Book Reviews, Books, Fantasy, fiction, Heather Fawcett, Review
My Five Word TL:DR Review: A Hug in a Book
Basically, if you need a cosy, warm, enticing and delicious fantasy filled with mischievous cats, wickedly handsome and misunderstood magicians and one feisty woman prepared to stand up for her charges, then look no further.
I loved Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series, it was amazing and ended on a high for me so I couldn’t wait to see what she came up with next. I think I can confidently say that the Mystical Cat Shelter is going to be a winner.
In terms of the story, we meet Agnes at a low point. Her cat shelter has been damaged by magic users taking part in some kind of magical dual and many of the shops in the near vicinity suffered from the backlash. Agnes is desperately trying to find new premises to move her beloved cats before the cold winter months really set in. Unfortunately, not many landlords are happy to rent their premises once they discover who the new tenants will be. That is, until she finds a delightful shop, on a lovely street, bigger than she expected and much cheaper than the norm. With very little choice elsewhere Agnes signs up for a new shop on Rue des Hirondelles, even though she knows deep down that something has to be rotten in Denmark – if something seems too good to be true, well, it quite often is.
Within fairly short order, and no surprise given the fact that the shop has a hidden trapdoor and is visited by a constant supply of strangers who are certainly not there to see the cats, Agnes comes to understand that she has rented a shop that is harbouring none other than Havelock Renard, notorious magician extraordinaire and none other than the man who almost destroyed the world! Well, Agnes is not pleased, to say the least, but she has to think of the cats. She certainly can’t storm out with nowhere else to go and so she simply pays no attention to the strange goings on and gets on with her day to day life – which, lets face it, gives her little time to think about anything else.
Now, I’m not going to go further into the plot. Things pretty soon go to hell in a handcart with all the explosive repercussions that you might expect. The police are searching for Havelock but more importantly another magician is trying to find him. Havelock keeps many magical artefacts and his nemesis wants one of them – I mean REALLY wants it.
To be honest, this is cosy fantasy so don’t come expecting all guns blazing and dangerous situations.
What I enjoyed about this.
The writing is really good. I had no problem picking this up and sinking into the story with ease and I was impressed by the world and creativity at play. Yes, there is a romance that eventually takes place but it’s a very slow build and it certainly doesn’t dominate the plot which I was very pleased about. The magical aspects to the story play a real part here. Magic users seem to be drawn to a fae place called Rivenwood where their magic is increased, however this is not without danger and most magicians do not travel beyond a certain level, I hope this is something that is explored at greater length if indeed this is going to become a series (I don’t know if more books are expected and this reads as a standalone although there is an opening for more adventures).
This is not a world that embraces magic which is understandable as there are some magicians that believe they can and will use their abilities without any regard to the plain old humans living amongst them. This definitely gives magic users a bad name, but as with anything in life, not all magicians are bad and far from being a dark overlord Havelock seems more intent on squirrelling himself away to conjure beautiful spells – unfortunately most people are scared witless by him (it seems that almost destroying the world will damage your reputation after all).
I liked the dynamic between Agnes and Havelock. They are total chalk and cheese. Agnes is organised and dislikes chaos, she runs a tight ship and adores her cats. She’s determined to make a difference to the number of strays and find them new homes. Havelock is a walking shambles. He’s chaos personified, and, of course, he’s allergic to cats. He’s also maybe a little bit lonely as most people are scared witless by him. Agnes would be scared of him if she had time but she has too much to do. There’s a lovely romance that develops here and I adored the ending.
In conclusion, this is a lovely cosy fantasy. Cat lovers and cosy readers prepare to be enamoured. I admit that I’m probably more of a dog person (no, I don’t dislike cats!) but, feline or canine lover, or both, this is a delicious, easy to read little nugget. It has an intriguing story with a couple of twists that were equally unexpected and quite a delight.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Review: Traitor in the Ice by (Daniel Pursglove #2) by KJ Maitland
5 February 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Daniel Pursglove #2, fiction, KJ Maitland, Mystery, Review, Traitor in the Ice
My Five Word TL:DR Review:An Enjoyable Second in Series
The Drowned City was the first book I’ve read by KJ Maitland and I enjoyed it and the character Daniel Pursglove. Traitor in the Ice once again takes place in Jacobean England during the great frost of 1607. Daniel is sent on a mission to Battle Abbey where the King’s Pursuivant has died under suspicious circumstances. Battle Abbey is suspected to be the centre of Catholic conspiracies. Viscountess Montague is known for her Catholic persuasion but she seems to have friends in high places and is mostly left alone. However, with this recent death the Abbey is drawing more attention. Daniel is given his latest mission, to infiltrate the Abbey and find out what’s going on.
I enjoyed this. It’s well written, descriptive, clearly well researched and it will definitely keep you guessing
Daniel is a really standout character, although once again, and similar to The Drowned City, I couldn’t always follow his methods. He manages to secure a position at the Abbey and begins to ingratiate himself with various staff. It’s not the easiest thing to do, newcomers are watched and have little freedom. I really want to know more about Daniel and I feel that although this is gradually being revealed I think there is much more to come in the next books in series.
There are a few things going on here. There is unrest in the country in general. James 1 is not popular and this spills over into life in the capital. We witness little snippets of the backstabbing court and all it’s shifting politics. We have the Abbey and the mystery of the dead Pursuivant and then we have this additional storyline about a Nightcreeper which is causing the neighbourhood village to become hysterical.
There is a lot going on here, it’s not particularly a fast read being quite heavy in characters and mystery, but, I enjoyed this. It’s really well written and doesn’t shy away from the dark and brutal feel of the time. Not to mention this is such an intriguing period to read about, so much unrest. I don’t read as much history as I would like but I always enjoy it when I make the time and in this case it seems that there are two more books in the series, already released that I can look forward to.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks and apologies for the delay in reading and reviewing this title.
My rating 3.5 of 5 stars rounded to 4.
Backlist Book No.1
Books and travelling with Lynn 