The Library of Beth

  The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is the 4th book in the Dream Harbour series by Laurie Gilmore. I think a lot of us were expecting Annie and Mac to take over the 4th book but we take a step away from the main group to follow Iris and newcomer Archer as they go from strangers to lovers.  In my opinion, this is the best book in the series so far. I am a big fan of the single dad trope so that is probably why. I did see a lot of similarities between this and Elsie Silver's Heartless and I thoroughly enjoyed that too.  I loved the relationship Iris developed with Olive who was possibly my favourite character in the whole book. Oh what it would be to be 5 years old again.  The book touches on some important topics such as parental death and it handles it all very well. It even shows slip ups from the adults end and it made it all feel a little more real. It is definitely the most well written of the series and I am so glad I enjoyed it as I really didn't enjoy The Chr...

  Ali, Ali, Ali... These books are just *chefs kiss*.  I am lost for words as to what to actually write I think.  Let's start with, this is my favourite Ali novel so far. I think it was the most interesting and exciting book in the STEMinist set.  We meet Elsie who is trying to get tenure at a university so she can stop being an adjunct which barely pays her bills. She is put through her paces in an long interview process with Jack Smith, who she knows from other 'work projects' of hers. Jack seems unapproving but slowly their relationship develops.  I can't say much more without giving away what happens in the rest of the book but it is so good. Ali's writing just keeps me absolutely gripped. I read this in 2 days flat, probably could have done it in a day if I had the time. They are just written so brilliantly.  You are probably a bit bored of listening to me rave about Ali so let's just say this is 5⭐ and crack on with some more. 

  Butcher & Blackbird is the first twisted novel of the ruinous love trilogy. It follows Sloane, otherwise known as Blackbird or The Orb Weaver, as she goes along killing other serial killers to get them off the streets. However, she leaves them a little blind. Sloane meets Rowan, otherwise known as Butcher, in an unusual circumstance and they start playing games with each other.  The book gets quite intense with both of the main characters being serial killers themselves with some insane murder scenes but also some cosy scenes in between. It's the kind of book to give you whiplash between loving and hating the characters.  The book is very graphic, VERY. In more sense than one. Firstly, the murder scenes are described in disturbing detail for what is essentially a romance book. It is proper dark romance. It also ruined a few things for me - the main one being Orzo pasta (iykyk). Secondly, the spicy chapters go beyond spicy. They are HOT and also get a little crazy. T...

  I went into Godkiller off the fact Gavin from 'Gavin Reads It All' said people told him that it was a 'banging' prologue chapter. I was excited by this and as such cracked on with it.  I was not disappointed. My god it was so good. The prologue was fantastic, I fully reeled me in and made me question what happened in the rest of the book.  We meet Kissen at the very beginning of the book in the prologue which gives her background and then the rest of the book is in the current day. We follow as Kissen attempts to help Inara. They end up meeting Elogast, one of the King's retired knights. We follow them on their journey to the forbidden city, as this is where they hope they can resolve their issues.  Instead of helping themselves however, they end up uncovering some hard hitting truths that allow perfectly to lead onto the next book, Sunbringer. Godkiller is very much a world and character building book as the first in the triology and ends on a cliff hanger which ...

  I am not really a fan of YA as an adult but this didn't feel super YA. The book was laid out really well and I enjoyed the mixed media presented within the book. The book follows Pip as she writes her EPQ paper at A Level about the alleged murder of Andie Bell by Sal Singh.  She was given a warning not to go too far but we all know that means she went too far. She gathered so much information from a range of sources to help discover what really happened the night Andie disappeared.  The novel meticulously follows Pip as she interviews sources, asks for police reports and discusses the case with Sal Singh's brother, Ravi. They become a formidable team in figuring out what really happened, unveiling a timeline it seems the police didn't even bother looking for.  I could not put this book down. I read it in like 3 days because I constantly wanted to know what Pip found out next. I also had a little bit of jealously that she put this much effort into EPQ when I put in ...

Collide is the debut novel from Bal Khabra. It is both icy and spicy which is what I like.  I enjoyed the fact that Summer is working on a post-grad because we love a smart gal. Her hatred for ice hockey is also well deserved but I enjoyed watching her romance is Aiden bloom. Aiden is very good at what he does in more ways than one and I appreciate his devotion to his team - even if they are troublemakers.  The book is forced proximity which is always a great trope and leans into the enemies to lovers pretty well too. It takes a long time for Summer to come round to the idea of her and Aiden working together and when she does it doesn't really take long for them to fall for each other, even if they fight it at first.  It is a super romantic book with Aiden always taking the wrap to protect those he values most of all which is a lovely characteristic. I love how Summer comes through to help him in the final couple of chapters too.  Annoyingly, this is quite a difficul...

  Everyone has absolutely raved about this book and I was recommended it by my Aunty. I wasn't really a fan.  It read well with short chapters and I did like how the perspective changed in different parts of the book. HOWEVER, I could tell what was going to happen from like the minute we met the 'bad' character. I found the book really predictable and also over repetitive.  If we're truly honest with ourselves, the book could have been about half the length it was and it already wasn't a super long book. I got bored half way through part two and ended up skim reading the rest.  The only positive I have is that the writing was concise and the last chapter lined up for the next book very well. The next book however, I will not be ready.  3⭐

  Okay, this book hit me hard. It was definitely the best book from the Maple Hills trilogy if you ask me. It captured and held me a lot more than Icebreaker or Wildfire.  Daydream follows Halle as she tries to write her first book and Henry who is struggling with some of his classes. They meet at Halle's book club and start helping each other out. It is definitely friends to lovers which I don't read a lot of, so maybe that is why I enjoyed it so much.  Also, Halle's life is a lot like mine especially in terms of relationships. I had a really sucky first relationship and it struck a cord with me how similar everything was. It was like Hannah Grace was writing a more dramatic version of my life. Even down to the fact that I have met my Henry. He might not be as romantic as Henry Turner but he does a damn good job of looking after me.  I think this book highlights those with neurodiversity and how their brains work differently and how they can struggle to focus. I am ...

How many times can I say 'Queen Ali is back!'?! Let's start with this - Levi Ward is possibly the sexiest character Ali Hazelwood has written (of the books I have read). I'm not even talking about those scenes. I am talking about the science talk. The NASA engineer talk. I loved it.  Turns out I like smart men, men with intellectuality, men who can hold a conversation on things like politics and climate change and know what they are talking about. That is Levi to me.  I also loved Bee. She was an absolute VIBE with her crazy hair colours and bad ass nature, even if she fainted a little too often. I love how this was a full story of misunderstanding, how Bee was convinced  that Levi hated her and he was just head over heels for her and had been for years. I loved how he protected her even when she didn't know he was protecting her and it was CUTE AF.  Furthermore, this book has the craziest of twists at the end of it. My jaw was pretty much on the floor for the last ...

Wild Love is the first novel in the Rose Hill Ranch series by Elsie Silver. As with all her books, there are cross overs with characters from previous series and this novel starts with the brother of Willa Grant (Heartless, Chestnut Springs), Ford Grant.  Ford is in the process of opening a new country music studio when he is thrown a curveball with a young girl at his door. Rosie Belmont grew up with Ford but begins the novel in the city working in corporate, when her boss becomes an arsehole she moves home.  The story develops pretty quickly for an Elsie Silver story. She is pretty much the queen of slow burn romance.  I loved this story, I feel like I really vibed with Ford and how he conducted himself throughout the whole book. Rosie did get a bit annoying but I think that's just because I am so relaxed and really don't have the energy for permanent anger, which seemed to be Rosie's main state.  I don't have much more to say about this other than I enjoyed the bo...

  Murder at the Monastery is the third book in the Canon Clement Mystery series. It follows Daniel Clement as he take some time away from his usual posting in Champton following an embarrassing faux pas.  At the monastery where Daniel nearly became a monk, Daniel resides for some respite when there appears to be an accident with the monastery's wind turbine. Daniel is not so convinced.  In this book we dally back and forth between Champton and the characters remaining there, and Daniel at the monastery but I think the mystery of Daniel's disappearance (or more so, why he decided to disappear) takes over more of the book than the solving of the mystery. This is cleverly disguised by the fact the detective looking into the death at the monastery is adamant it was an accident.  It all culminates in a rather unimpressive ending in which Daniel reveals the murderer and the motives in a very 'Death in Paradise' style. The only saving grace is what happens on the last page ...

  Queen Ali is back again! I finally started the STEMinist novels and I am so glad I did!  Okay so we follow Olive as she is starting a post-grad and also trying to convince her best friend Anh she is dating. It leads to a pretty awkward moment between Olive and Adam Carlsen, who continues to help Olive out in hiding from Anh despite Olive thinking he's a bit of an arsehole.  The story navigates them fake dating while Olive works on trying to get into a better lab to assist in continuing her studies for the following year. Everything goes a bit awry for Olive but Adam is aways the first to take care of her.  My only quibble with this book is that there is a third act break up which I always think sucks but only because when I am enjoying the book it toys with my emotions which I guess you could say is a good thing really! Means it's really good writing I guess.  Otherwise, Ali raises some pretty big concerns in this book and covers them flawlessly. She is so int...

  I think I should have read this when I acquired it 10 years ago. I found it boring and very outdated, which is such a shame because I enjoyed Sapiens so much!  Yuval Noah Harari definitely has a political agenda which he pushes in his books which I don't think is always the right view. In fact, I would have preferred to have read this, and probably enjoyed it more if Harari's own political agenda wasn't so involved in the book. 5 years ago I would definitely would have enjoyed this more as I was more involved in politics but now I very much have an 'I don't care for the arguments anymore' view on it.  I very much skim read this just to say I'd read it but it was really difficult to read when it was so political.  I am giving 2⭐because I think if I'd have read it years ago when it was still relevant, it might have been more enjoyable.

 Oh yes, she's FINALLY read it!!  It has only taken me like 3 years. I was interested in reading Fourth Wing when it first came out but I was quite honestly scared of fantasy. I picked up ACOTAR last year and it gave me the bug. I never expected I would feel what I feel for Fourth Wing.  First thing I'd like to talk about is the characters. Rebecca Yarros' writing gives each character a whole personality which I think is pretty difficult with a cast as big as the one in the book. You get a real feel for who these characters are and I was very impressed with how I felt I knew them all personally - even if some of them I wouldn't want to aha! Violet Sorrengail is unlike any other female character I have read about - to me at least. I love how she is both fierce, weak and intelligent. I adore how Yarros puts effort into turning Violet's weaknesses into strength. To show that she can still do anything, even when injured makes her appear so strong. She does have her flaw...

I can't believe I'd never read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland until now. What's even more embarrassing is that I have had the same copy on my shelves since I was in secondary school. Probably in like year 9. That was 13 years ago. As we get over that outrageous fact, lets review! So we all know the story of Alice in Wonderland. The girl who fell down the rabbit hole, had tea with mad hatters and Cheshire cat's, got big and small and played with the Queen of hearts. Although relatively old, the book is easy to follow. Even as an adult, I could visualise all the vivid colours and the crazy characters with the descriptions provided by Carroll.  I would love to know how he managed to come up with such madness in the era he was writing in. It is a fantasy book which is completely bonkers with talking animals and unbeknown animals such as the Jabberwocky. It is difficult not to be enthralled by Carroll's writing. I loved the book and would also recommend listening t...

  I am a big Elsie fan. She is one of my favourite romance authors, probably only second to Ali Hazelwood. I absolutely ate up Wild Love. Ford and Rosie's story is probably one of my favourite of Silver's. I enjoyed the musical aspect of this, I loved the idea of a countryside studio. I wasn't expecting Ford to become the next Daddy Cade so quickly but the relationship between Ford and Cora is adorable and I enjoyed that side of the book as much as I did Rosie and Ford. I looooved Rosie's attitude and felt like I'm quite similar to her.  I also felt like I was probably quite similar to Cora growing up, minus the full on black emo style. I was more hair and eyeliner with normal clothes😂 Elsie Silver is the Queen of Spicy Books to me and this was no exception. Ford's insistence on ruining his computer for Rosie was enough to get me hot under the collar. I am so glad Ford managed to get the girl in the end. The first book in the Rose Hill Series is great. 5⭐

  Oh what a heart breaking book. If you don't know what happens in this book, I will politely assume you have been living under a rock as it has been out for a whopping 20 years. If you have seen the film and not read the book, you really should read the book.  The book follows Anna who is the sister of Kate, who is has had cancer for years. Kate is just getting sicker and Anna is supposed to give Kate blood and organs and all sorts. The book follows Anna as she files for medical emancipation from her parents. Funnily enough, the whole way through the book I thought it was uncannily similar to the film.  Then I came to the end. Let me tell you, the end of this book is 100% more heart breaking, traumatising even. Completely different to the film. Outrageous and beautifully written. The whole book is beautifully written. Jodi Picoult's handling of such a delicate nature is fantastic! There is humour where there needs to be humour and heart break where that needs to be too. ...