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
Review: The Storm by Rachel Hawkins
3 February 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, fiction, Mystery, Rachel Hawkins, Review, The Storm
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Very Good, Atmospheric and Twisty
The Storm is a really good story. It has a way of hooking you in, leading you down a country path and then chucking you in the ditch with its revelations. You gotta love a story that keeps you guessing, and in my case, clueless.
The story basically involves three characters who have been friends since childhood. They’re pretty tight but at the same time that doesn’t mean that sometimes they’re not fond of each other. They all come from St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama and they have some serious history. The place is famous for the terrible hurricanes that lay waste to everything in their path, the famous hotel that remains standing in the face of such adversity, and the did she/didn’t she murder mystery about a young woman accused of murdering her slightly older, well to do boyfriend.
The three friends are older now, in fact the story is told partly through the daughter of one of the original friendship. Lo, Ellen and Frieda are the original girl gang. Back in the day, Lo, who was an absolute beauty, became involved with a young man, handsome and with a powerful family, he was destined for good things and his father had ambitions that certainly didn’t involve Lo. Ellen and Frieda were usually dragged along in Lo’s wake, sometimes getting involved in hijinx that had the potential to go very wrong.
There are so many things I enjoyed about this.
The writing is really good. I could picture everything so easy. It’s like I had the full story created in technicolour inside my head, the characters, the hotel, everything. And I really liked the setting and the way it was so easily brought to life. Also we have a split timeline and the use of an epistolary format, which are aspects of any story that I usually really enjoy, and I certainly did here.
Then we have the stormy weather, and these are some next level storms and they’re a part and parcel of the story. Everything hinges around one of the earlier storms and gradually we uncover that much more than was originally understood actually took place under the cover of bad weather.
I liked the characters. There is a lot of history going on here and slowly and surely things are revealed. Some things are handed to you on a plate, and immediately make you suspicious of certain characters, others are more tricky and need teasing out of the woodwork. I mentioned that one of the characters was the daughter of the original gang. Geneva came back to run the family hotel when her family could no longer manage and her struggles to keep the place going also feed into the story.
In conclusion, this had a very satisfying ending. I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t say more. I will say that I listened to the audio version and it was so good.
I bought a copy from Audible.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Review: A Forest, Darkly by AG Slatter
2 February 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Forest Darkly, AG Slatter, Book Review, Books, Fantasy, fiction, Review
My Five Word TL:DR Review: To Put it Simply – Brilliant
I loved A Forest, Darkly. I would go even further and say this is my favourite Slatter book so far – but, I seem to have that feeling every time I read her latest work, she just gets better and better. This author is definitely my catnip and A Forest, Darkly is just what I’m in the mood for at the moment. A wonderful concoction of dark forests and witches with a boost provided by folklore, fae and the mystery of missing children, all wrapped up in a fairytale style with hints of Little Red Riding Hood. To be clear though. This is an adult fairytale, it’s dark and serious in places and certainly not a story to read to little ones. I would also mention that although this is set in the Sourdough universe this can be read as a standalone.
So, this story starts off with Mehrab. Mehrab has a history, things in her past that she ran away from and doesn’t like to dwell on. She ran far, far from home and ended up in a small cottage, tucked into the forest, not too deep to be at risk from anything too dark and not too near to the bordering village to have them watching her. It’s the perfect spot, and Mehrab has her life in order. Until two things happen almost simultaneously and cause upset, not to mention becoming the catalyst for change. Firstly, Rhea ventures deeper into the forest one day, chasing a rabbit, and becomes trapped. Clearly, something lured her in and if it wasn’t for her quick wits she could have been stuck there waiting for whatever might appear. Secondly, an old friend visited and brought with her a young woman, also running away from home and needing shelter. Mehrab takes in Rhea and becomes, begrudgingly at first, her mentor. Now, as this is playing out, it turns out that a number of children have gone missing from the village, some have been returned but seem not so much themselves any more.
What I loved about this.
Well, firstly, it’s beautifully dark, tantalisingly twisty and perfectly witchy. I love the way Slatter writes women.
They’re just so real – by which I mean, they’re not perfect. Mehrab is grumpy, curmudgeonly and yet alternatively wise and thoughtful. She sometimes takes her own sweet time to come round to an idea but she eventually gets there. Rhea is young. She’s impulsive and stubborn but she does listen and she takes pride in Mehrab’s praise. The two go well together and start to forge a firm bond. In fact one of the really enjoyable aspects of this is the ‘found family’ feel as Mehrab gradually seems to gather more lost sheep into her flock.
The setting is great. We obviously spend a great deal of time in the forest and the writing is so evocative. There are dark and twisted elements but also beauty and it’s all tempered by the warm cosy cottage. Meanwhile, in the village, people are starting to become scared. Their children are being taken and although they’re being returned – they’re different. On top of this there is the persistent fear that things are beginning to change. Folklore and religion don’t sit well together at this time and witches and wise women are hunted. Given that both Mehrab and Rhea are running from mistakes you can feel that it’s only a matter of time before they become ensnared. Mehrab is starting to feel the itch to move on but she is also desperate to salvage the mystery of the missing children.
Then we have a dark entity, a horned hunter who seems to be stalking Mehrab, for reasons unknown. She’s taking as many precautions as she can but there’s a dark ominous feel to the story like it’s only a matter of time before this creature succeeds.
Finally, I loved the imagination. The Sourdough universe is full of all sorts of wild and wonderous critters and A Forest, Darkly is no exception. We have a shadow creature of the Wild Hunt, changelings, critters that live in the lakes, green women, summer husbands and much more.
I absolutely adored this book, I wish I hadn’t read it so that I could have the pleasure of reading it for the first time again and I have no hesitation in recommending.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 5 of 5 bewitching stars
Review: Outlaw Planet by MR Carey
29 January 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, fiction, MR Carey, Outlaw Planet, reading, Review
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Very clever, but, takes time
Okay, so I’ve read and enjoyed a good number of MR Carey’s books (with the odd one or two being misses) and so I’m always eager when I see a new one on the horizon. To be honest, science fiction doesn’t always work for me but Carey seems to cross over between fantasy and sci fi with ease and so I feel more confident picking up his books – even if they veer out of my comfort zone. Basically, he’s a fine author but when I saw Outlaw Planet I literally thought ‘no, this is too much, this looks hardcore sci-fi’ and it scared me a little, but I also wanted the gunslinging outlaw. I was equally daunted and desperate so when I picked it up, at least 50% (maybe 60%, maths isn’t my strong point either) of me expected to really struggle! I’m not even joking. As it happens, there was no need to fear. Trust in Carey. Yes, this takes its time a little, but for goodness sake, when did we all become so impatient. Give the story a chance to develop and I guarantee you this will hook you, line and sinker. There were even tears. Who even am I?
Firstly, I’m not going to attempt to outline the plot, this review is a little late, there are so many great reviews out there and I usually keep plot descriptions to the minimum, but those are not the reasons. This book is some kind of gender mash up, there’s the western, gunslinging outlaw, this whole other planet, multiverse ‘thing’ and of course this kind of military feel also going on so, you better believe I’m going to make a mess of giving you the description so here it is:
“This is the story of Bess – or Dog-Bitch Bess as she came to be known. It’s the story of the gun she carried, whose name was Wakeful Slim. It’s the story of the dead man who carried that gun before her and left a piece of himself inside it. And it’s the tale of how she turned from teacher, to renegade, and ultimately to hero.
This is also the tale of the last violent engagements in an inter-dimensional war – one of the most brutal the multiverse had ever seen.
This is how Bess learned the truth about her world. Came to it the hard way, through pain and loss and the reckless spilling of blood, and carried it with her like a brand on her soul. And once she knew it – knew for sure how badly she’d been used – she had no option but to do something about it.”
Now, I can move on to what I liked.
I will start actually by giving you my one slight downer – this is a slow build. But, trust the author. He has people to see and places to go that require the backstory. Take Bess, you need to know why she became an outlaw, she had a beautiful life.. no read it for yourself and find out. And, Bess isn’t the only backstory, we have these soldiers (I confess it took me a little time to really get into this storyline but then – wow, it all comes together in such a perfect way), the planet also has a backstory and a twist in the tale that I didn’t see coming.
I loved, absolutely loved, the idea of Wakeful Slim. A sentient gun. Slim is next level.
On top of this we have other standout characters and I loved the little crew that Bess eventually found herself surrounded by.
Anyway, I’m probably making a bit of a pig’s ear out of this review but the long and the short of it is I really enjoyed it. It took me a little while to get into and for part of that time I really didn’t know where the author was going but then he brings it all together in such a fantastic fashion. Heartfelt. Bittersweet. Emotionally satisfying.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The Above is my own opiniion.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Review: Nightshade and Oak by Molly O’Neill
26 January 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Fantasy, fiction, Greenteeth, Molly O'Neill, Nightshade and Oak, Review
My Five Word TL:DR Review: History and Mythology Perfectly Blended
I absolutely adored Greenteeth and couldn’t wait to read more by this author and Nightshade and Oak certainly didn’t disappoint. O’Neill has a way of blending history and folklore that is quite magical, she also seems to like to bring together two totally different characters, who, on the face of it, really shouldn’t get on, and then throw them into a situation. In Greenteeth we had a lake monster and a witch and in Nightshade and Oak we have a Goddess and a warrior.
The start of the story is amazing. We witness the Goddess of Death, Mallt Y Nos, and her pack of dogs roaming as they sweep through the carnage of a battlefield. Mallt is responsible for sending souls to their final resting place, helping those that are stuck or unhappy. Unfortunately, during her work she is struck by an errant spell that strips her of her immortality. She becomes a frail human, no longer blessed with great strength and speed. The person responsible for this action is a female warrior called Bellis, daughter of Boudicca. The Iceni tribe were making a final stand against the Romans, it didn’t go well and Belis was trying a spell of healing. The two are now thrown together through need and to be fair, although they set out on a quite simple quest things become much more complicated along the way.
What I loved about this.
It’s a really easy story to engage with, similar to Greenteeth. It’s set in a period where myth and magic were still believed in and it blends into the story easily.
I love Mallt. She’s a great character to get along with. She’s been a Goddess for so long, she barely thinks about the things she now does, it’s all automatic, she takes for granted her long life and her abilities so when she loses them not only is it devastating for her but it does make for some situations that definitely bring light relief. She’s so naturally arrogant, but then she finds she can’t climb a hill without hurting everywhere, she feels hunger, she can’t run fast, and she’s smaller in stature than Belis. It’s all quite unbelievable to her and she has to go through a massive learning curve, understanding once again how to speak to others, how to ask for help and finally realising that she can be hurt, both physically and emotionally. She’s interesting and easy to read.
Belis isn’t quite as quirky so in some ways she takes a back seat. She also doesn’t share as much page time as Mallt so although we are treated to little chapters where we see her in the past, it’s not as easy to become attached. Don’t get me wrong, I liked this character, she’s steadfast and clearly been taught well but a lot of what she does takes place off page so you don’t really witness her capabilities. It’s like we’re more wrapped up in Mallt’s conundrum than Belis’s. Which I really didn’t mind.
The world building is to the point. It definitely is the sort of story that expects readers to pick up and run with things and I can’t deny that I found that easy enough to do. This isn’t a history lesson and I’m not sure how historically correct certain story lines depicted are but I enjoyed the way the story blends the Roman elements with the mythological. I also really liked the dialogue and the style in which the story is told. It isn’t heavily described but it conjures a picture and the dialogue isn’t olde worlde but at the same time it isn’t modern and I really appreciate that.
I think I’ve seen the author described as ‘cosy’ fantasy. I can see where this description fits in some ways as there is almost a fairytale element to her storytelling, probably more so with Greenteeth I think, but, I don’t know that I’d say this is cosy. This certainly doesn’t shy away from warfare and death. There is a very slow building romance but there’s also a bittersweet ending – which to me felt like the only real way that this story could end.
Overall, I had a really good time reading this and in fact practically completed it in only two sittings because I didn’t really like putting it aside. I think I can safely say that Molly O’Neill is an author that I will be watching with interest.
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 twinkly stars
Books and travelling with Lynn 