March 2025 Reads

 

March was a bumper month for me in terms of reading. Not only did I get through twelve books and four audiobooks I also attended my first book festival (you can read about Bay Tales here) and took part in my first blog tour.

March began with a blog tour read, Where The Light Is Hottest by Catherine Yardley and gives a warts-and-all look at what it takes to achieve fame. The story not only highlights the fact that success rarely happens overnight but also shows that once you are famous the press like nothing more than trying to dig up dirt on you.

I went into Fair Play by Louise Hegarty completely blind. The book opens with a group of friends celebrating New Year’s Eve at a country house. The following morning one of them is dead. The story then splits. The modern-day version follows the sister of the dead person trying to come to terms with her grief, constantly wondering how she hadn’t spotted her brother’s mental health issues. The second storyline has the characters set in a 1930s-style murder mystery with a detective investigating.

Catherine Ryan Howard writes those twisty kind of thrillers that make you want to go straight back to the beginning once you’ve finished reading. Burn After Reading has an intriguing foreword that explains how she got the idea for the book, then leads into a terrifying opening chapter. A writer is asked to “ghostwrite” the memoir of a famous athlete. The only problem is that everyone assumes the athlete murdered his wife and the memoir will feature his hypothetical confession.

Elderly protagonists are one of my favourite genres so I was pleased to meet hoarder Alfred in The Secret Collector by Abigail Johnson. After a drinking binge teenager Kian vandalises Alfred’s home and he is forced to help Alfred clear out some of his junk. No sooner has Kian gotten rid of some of the clutter and Alfred is moving it back in. As the pair lock horns they begin to learn about the struggles they’ve each gone through.

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose sees the return of Molly the Maid. The storyline features Molly’s gran recounting her early life through diary entries, alongside this there is a mystery story when a valuable antique disappears during a televised auction at the hotel. The two stories are linked and the big question is will there be a happy ending for Molly?

Next up was The Death Of Us by Abigail Dean, a book that is in contention for my book of the year. Twenty-five years after being victims of a serial rapist and murderer couple Isabel and Edward are able to confront their attacker during his trial. The author avoids the descriptions of gratuitous violence, focusing on the impact the crimes have on the victims instead, making this a powerful read.

Another book featuring an elderly protagonist is The Margaret Code by Richard Hooton. Margaret Winterbottom’s friend is found murdered and Margaret is sure she has pertinent information, if only those pesky senior moments would let her remember. Aided by her teenage grandson, Margaret decides to investigate in this poignant story about the frailty of growing old.

The Cornish Castle Murder from Fiona Leitch is book 8 in the Nosey Parker cosy crime series. Jodie and fiancé Nathan find their wedding at an exclusive country house in doubt when a body is found on the grounds. Fans of the series will know that Jodie finds it impossible not to get involved in any investigation. The big question for the reader is will the wedding go ahead?

Romance isn’t my normal genre of choice but I found myself enjoying  Five Things I Love About You by Clare Swatman more than I expected. Miranda keeps dreaming about the man she almost collided with on her bike. When life offers the opportunity to do something different she moves from London to Newcastle in the hope of finding her dream lover.

I was over the moon to see that C. J. Wray had written Bad Influence, a sequel to The Excitements. This time around the Williamson sisters are side characters to Jinx Sullivan, an old woman determined to get to Florence. I loved finding out all about Jinx’s background, discovering the reason for her determination to get to Italy, and the influence Penny Williamson had on her life.

The Man Made Of Smoke is the first book I’ve read by Alex North and having read a lot about it on social media I was prepared to be scared. Thankfully, it wasn’t terror-inducing but the serial killer element certainly had me feeling anxious. A psychiatrist returns to his childhood home following the death of his father, a home that reminds him of his brush with a man who abducted and murdered young boys.

I rounded the month off with an emotional read, When The Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen. Elderly Bo is living out his final days, and his dog Sixten is his constant companion. Worried that looking after the dog has become too much for his father to manage, Bo’s son wants to rehome Sixten. As a battle of wills ensues we learn of Bo’s life and his hopes that he has been a better father than his own. Make sure you have plenty of tissues to hand when you read this.

Audiobooks

The Love Intervention by Caroline Khoury features a woman who is career-focused and as a result has forgotten how to live. Her friends stage an intervention, forcing her to visit three men she was previously involved with in the hope that she will realise what she is missing out on. Fun, sunshine and romance are guaranteed.

Murder On Line One by Jeremy Vine is a slow burner. Edward Temmis, local radio talk show host, finds himself investigating the mysterious death of one of his listeners and discovers that there could be links to his radio show. Once the story got going I was gripped by the different turns it took.

Work Trip by Chloe Ford was a perfect enemies-to-lovers story. Being a fairly short audiobook the story zipped along as Fliss and James found themselves on the team-building exercise from hell as they were dumped in the middle of the Scottish Highlands with a tent and very few supplies. The only way to get home is to rely on each other.

Following Covid, family life has stuttered for Wendy. Questioning what she wants to do, she takes herself off to a cabin in France in Where Do We Go From Here? By Nick Alexander. Initially, this seems like a fish-out-of-water story as Wendy grapples with life in rural France with only schoolgirl French to get by. But, as the story develops, we learn that Wendy has a number of issues in her life that she needs to deal with if her marriage is to survive.

Publication Dates

Fair Play by Louise Hegarty will be published on 3/4/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard will be published on 10/4/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Secret Collector by Abigail Johnson will be published on 1/4/25 as an ebook, the paperback and audio format will be available 10/4/25.

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose will be published on 10/4/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Death Of Us by Abigail Dean will be published on 10/4/25 in hardback and ebook format. The audiobook is available now.

The Margaret Code by Richard Hooton will be published on 10/4/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Where Do We Go From Here? By Nick Alexander will be published on 23/4/25 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

Murder On Line One by Jeremy Vine will be published on 24/4/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Cornish Castle Murder by Fiona Leitch will be published on 24/4/25 in ebook and audio format, and in paperback on 8/5/25.

Five Things I Love About You by Clare Swatman will be published on 24/4/25 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

Work Trip by Chloe Ford will be published on 24/4/25 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

Bad Influence by C. J. Wray will be published on 8/5/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Man Made Of Smoke by Alex North will be published on 8/5/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

When The Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen will be published on 15/5/25 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

Five Things I Love About You by Clare Swatman

 

After an accident while cycling to work, Miranda begins to dream about the man she almost collided with. Convinced he's the man of her dreams, despite knowing very little about him, she uproots herself and moves 300 miles in the hope of tracking him down.

I tend not to read much romantic fiction. I don't mind a romantic element in uplifting fiction, but as a genre, it's not something I gravitate towards. There was just something about the blurb for  Five Things I Love About You from Clare Swatman that caught my attention and I'm so glad it did, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in Miranda's world.

Miranda is approaching the end of her 40s, her children have flown the nest and she's single following an amicable divorce. Life is ticking along until disaster strikes. Cycling to work she narrowly misses colliding with a man and ends up in hospital with concussion. Her recollection of the accident is hazy but when she starts having amorous dreams about the stranger she almost crashed into she's convinced that fate had a hand in the accident.

Problems with work give Miranda the opportunity to do something drastic, so she rents out her London home and moves to Newcastle for six months in the hope she'll be able to track down her mystery man. I became completely wrapped up in Miranda's life; her worry that she was making a mistake, her apprehension in moving to a city where she knew no one and her excitement at the new possibilities that opened up for her.

Early on in her relocation Miranda is befriended by a stranger, Matt, who offers to help her find her bearings in the city and with her search. Matt is a wonderful character, a lovely example of the type of open, warm and welcoming residents of the North-East. I think it was the North-East setting that really made the story for me as I recognised lots of the places mentioned in the book, along with the biting wind that seems to be ever-present along the North-East coast.

As Miranda continues her search, her friendship with Matt grows stronger and stronger. It's pretty obvious to her friends, and the reader, that Matt has feelings for Miranda. It's glaringly obvious where the story is heading but the course of true love never did run smooth so there are some complications to overcome first. The biggest complication of all is when she finds her mystery man. Is the man in her dreams the man of her dreams?

If you enjoy romantic fiction, love books and like dogs then this is the perfect read. I had a massive grin on my face when I read the final page.

Five Things I Love About You by Clare Swatman will be published on 24th April 2025 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a review copy.

Author Details

Clare Swatman is the author of nine women's fiction novels. Her latest, Last Christmas, is a sliding doors love story set in New York and London in the early 2000s. Her next book, Five Things I Love About You, is out on 24 April 2025.

She also writes psychological thrillers under the name CL Swatman. Her debut thriller, No Son of Mine, was released worldwide on 21st December 2024, and her second will be released in September 2025.

Clare lives in Hertfordshire in the UK with her husband and two boys. Even the cat is male, which means she's destined to be outnumbered forever.

The Cornish Castle Murder by Fiona Leitch

 

Jodie 'Nosey' Parker and her fiance Nathan are about to tie the knot. Family and friends are gathered at a country house hotel in preparation when a dead body is discovered. Despite having other things to worry about, Jodie can't avoid getting involved in the investigation.

The Cornish Castle Murder by Fiona Leitch is book 8 in the Nosey Parker Mystery series and is a great addition. Fans of the series will have grown to love the characters and seen the relationship between Jodie and Nathan develop. Finally, they are about to get married and have hired a "castle" for the big event, an exclusive country house hotel, for the wedding.

With friends arriving from other parts of the country, and abroad, the couple decide to hold their stag and hen do's at the hotel before the wedding. There's tension between Nathan's old colleagues from Liverpool and his current ones from Cornwall with things reaching a head when the hens invade the stag do and discover that risque waitresses have been hired. 

The following morning the body of one of the waitresses is discovered in the lake on the hotel grounds. Suspicion for her murder falls firstly on her boyfriend and then on one of the wedding party. Although it would seem that Nathan, and Jodie, are ideally placed to investigate the murder they are sidelined. Not only is Nathan on leave, there is also a conflict of interest. DI Diana Mackintosh of Exeter Police, and an old colleague of Jodie's from when she worked in the Met, is tasked with the investigation.

Despite numerous warnings to leave the investigation alone, Jodie can't help but search for answers herself. Being at the scene seems to give Jodie the upper hand as she's able to scrutinise lots of different elements involved in the case such as CCTV and the hotel layout, and surreptitiously question staff.

All of the normal humorous elements are present in the book. Jodie's mother, Shirley, is as embarrassing as ever and seems to have found an ally in the form of Nathan's mother. There is much eye-rolling from Daisy, Jodie's daughter, at the escapades of all the adults.

This is one of those cosy crime books that has you rapidly turning the pages, wanting to see how everything pieces together after they stumble from one clue to the next, sometimes through ridiculous situations.

The Cornish Castle Murder by Fiona Leitch will be published on 29th April 2025 in ebook and audio format, with the paperback following on 8th May 2025.

Author Details

Fiona Leitch is a writer with a chequered past. She’s written for football and motoring magazines, DJ’ed at illegal raves and is a stalwart of the low budget TV commercial, even appearing as the Australasian face of a cleaning product called ‘Sod Off’. After living in London and Cornwall she’s finally settled in sunny New Zealand, where she enjoys scaring her cats by trying out dialogue on them. She spends her days dreaming of retiring to a crumbling Venetian palazzo, walking on the windswept beaches of West Auckland, and writing funny, flawed but awesome female characters.

Her debut novel ‘Dead in Venice’ was published by Audible in 2018 as one of their Crime Grant finalists. Fiona also writes screenplays and was a finalist in the Athena Film Festival Writers Lab, co-run by Meryl Streep’s IRIS company.

Work Trip by Chloe Ford (Audiobook)

 

An unexpected turn of events on a work team-building trip forces mortal enemies to have to work together.

Work Trip by Chloe Ford is an enemies-to-lovers romance. Fliss, head of marketing at the Star Agency, is fiercely ambitious. She works long hours in the hope that she'll be the next in line for a much-coveted promotion. Unfortunately, there's competition for the promotion in the form of James Boatmen, head of sales. The animosity between the pair is never far from the surface, particularly when they are in meetings.

When the boss of the company decides to hold a team-building week in Scotland, Fliss hopes that she'll be able to impress him enough to give her the edge over Gloatman (the name she uses to refer to her nemesis) in the race for the promotion.

From the outset, things seem strange. No one else from the company turns up for the flight to Scotland. It's easy to feel Fliss's apprehension, wondering if she's missed an important message or got dates wrong. Events turn even more peculiar when she arrives at the designated hotel to find Gloatman had traveled with their boss on the company jet.

The team building exercise reaches peak preposterousness when the pair are dumped in the middle of the Scottish Highlands with a tent and minimal supplies, along with the instructions that they need to overcome their competitiveness and co-operate in order to proceed to the next step in their career.

Neither of the pair is prepared, or experienced, for what is to follow. After constant sniping at each other, they relent and realise that they will have to trust each other and work together if they are to get home. As you would anticipate, the pair slowly begin to get to know each other, realising that they have preconceived ideas. In particular, Fliss realises that Gloatman isn't as self-absorbed as she initially thought as he shows her a lot of support as they deal with disaster after disaster.

By the conclusion and the safe return to work, the big question is will the pair be able to remain professional, or has the work dynamic changed forever? The promotion of one of the pair is also a catalyst for a significant and unexpected development.

Work Trip by Chloe Ford will be published on 24th April 2025 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Aria for a review copy.

Author Details

Chloe Ford grew up in rural Sussex but is now based in South Gloucestershire. She has an affinity with all things country, from riding horses to muddy walks. Her love for writing began at secondary school when her English teacher would set a writing task for the whole hour. An avid reader, she started sneaking Mills & Boon books out from under her mum’s bed as a teenager and hasn’t stopped devouring romance books ever since.

Murder On Line One by Jeremy Vine (Audiobook)

 

Radio host Edward Temmis has been off work since tragedy struck his family. When the granddaughter of one of his listeners approaches him asking for his help in investigating her grandmother's death Edward finds it difficult to refuse, leading to shocking findings.

The opening chapter of Murder On Line One by Jeremy Vine is an intriguing one with Edward Temmis, a local radio talk show host approaching a boy's football match and cheering on his son. Mystery surrounds why he is avoiding all of the other parents - and then the chapter ends with a sucker punch.

We learn that Edward has been off work for almost a year and in that time new management has made a clean sweep of all the older presenters, with Edward quickly following. While at his new job in the local garden centre Edward is approached by a young woman asking him to help her look into her grandmother's death. Stevie is convinced that her grandmother was murdered and it is connected to Edward's radio show. Edward doesn't see how the death and his show can be linked but agrees to help.

The investigation surrounding the death takes Edward down a number of different avenues, some of which are dead ends. Not only does he come across some red herrings but there is also someone actively conspiring against him discovering answers. I thoroughly enjoyed the direction the story took once it was clear what crime had taken place.

When the villain is finally uncovered the author takes the opportunity to add another layer, or two, to the story, making the conclusion even more unexpected and exciting. Overall, what started out as a slow burner turned into a gripping thriller once it got into its stride. It's also difficult to categorise this, my initial thoughts had it down as cosy crime but some of the elements are a bit grisly.

Murder On Line One by Jeremy Vine will be published on 24th April 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK  Audio for a review copy.

Author Details

Jeremy Vine is a journalist and broadcaster who reaches an audience of millions per week. He hosts a daily breakfast show on Channel 5 and a peak lunchtime slot on BBC Radio 2, presenting news, views, interviews and popular guests on Britain’s most listened-to radio news programme. He has previously hosted Eggheads and presents the general election infographics. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time, he rides a penny farthing.

The Secret Room by Jane Casey

 

Ilaria Cavendish was seen walking into a hotel room alone, minutes later she was found dead. The only person seen entering, and leaving, the room was a waiter who would not have had time to murder Ilaria. The murder investigation team are puzzled as to how the murder was committed.

This review is a completely spoiler-free zone. 

In preparation for reading the much anticipated The Secret Room by Jane Casey, I reread the epilogue of the previous book in the series, A Stranger In The Family. I didn't really need a reminder, a year ago when I read the book I was left stunned and speechless by the final few words, words that were seared into my brain. Just like all the other fans of the Maeve Kerrigan series I wanted answers.

Jane Casey finally provides answers but she certainly makes the reader wait. The book opens with Ilaria Cavendish arriving at an exclusive hotel in London and checking in for her regular weekly liaison with her lover. We then jump to the murder investigation team who have been assigned the case. At this point I felt a little confused, wondering if there had been a time-slip or if I'd missed a short story linking the previous book and this one. That wasn't the case, it was simply the author teasing the reader, something that continues throughout the novel.

As the team tries to fathom out how a murder could have taken place in a locked room in a hotel with CCTV cameras everywhere Maeve is distracted by events closer to home, events which are shocking and disturbing. 

It's not until chapter eleven that fans finally begin to get answers. From this point on you are simply a whirlwind of emotions. I felt devastated as I read and frightened as to the turn of events. This feeling of dread continues throughout the remainder of the book, there were points where I was left holding my breath, praying for the best but expecting the worst. As a huge fan of the series I was frantically turning the pages to find out what was happening but at the same time wanting to slow down my reading so I didn't finish the book too quickly.

By the conclusion I was drained emotionally but author Jane Casey couldn't resist teasing the reader yet again. I was close to tears by the end.

The Secret Room by Jane Casey will be published on 24th April 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Jane Casey is a bestselling crime writer who was born and brought up in Dublin. A former editor, she has written fourteen crime novels for adults (including eleven in the Maeve Kerrigan series) and three for teenagers (the Jess Tennant series). Her books have been international bestsellers, critically acclaimed for their realism and accuracy. The Maeve Kerrigan series has been nominated for many awards: in 2015 Jane won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for The Stranger You Know and Irish Crime Novel of the Year for After the Fire. In 2019, Cruel Acts was chosen as Irish Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. It was a Sunday Times bestseller. Stand-alone novel The Killing Kind was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick in 2021, and is currently being filmed for television. Jane lives in southwest London with her husband, who is a criminal barrister, and their two children.

#BlogTour Where The Light Is Hottest by Catherine Yardley

 

About The Book

Natasha Jones has everything - a successful acting career, an Oscar, a wonderful husband and beautiful kids. But what does she have to go through to get there? From humble beginnings in a small town, Natasha's path to stardom is paved with setbacks, heartaches and moments of doubt.

In the glittering world of fame and fortune, where dreams are spun from starlight and ambition fuels the relentless pursuit of success, one woman's journey stands testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Beneath the facade lies a story of unwavering determination and unyielding courage.

Where The Light Is Hottest is a gripping tale of ambition, perseverance and the enduring power of hope. Through Natasha's journey, we are reminded that the road to success is rarely smooth, but for those who dare to chase their dreams, the rewards are beyond measure.

My Review

I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Where The Light Is Hottest by Catherine Yardley. This is a warts-and-all story of the struggle for fame, and the battle to keep it once it's achieved.

Actress Natasha Jones has it all, a loving husband, a wonderful family, a beautiful home and an Oscar. She's at the pinnacle of her career. The problem is that once you reach the top there is only one way to go and that is down. Having won an Oscar, Natasha assumed she'd be fighting off directors and producers, but instead, her life seems to be falling apart.

The narrative alternates between Natasha's battle to remain relevant and successful alongside the story of her early days when her dream was to become a famous actress. We follow Natasha from her roots in Glasgow to an impoverished life in London since the acting world is London-centric. London is expensive so Natasha has to take on three jobs simply to survive. Audition after audition becomes the norm, competing against similar women, just to get noticed, to get her first step on the ladder.

Natasha has principles, unfortunately being new to acting she has to compromise these if she wants to work. Once she makes it she's determined that she'll never give up those principles ever again. I liked Natasha's strength and sympathised with the situation she was placed in early in her career. If anything this made her more determined never to concede ever again and moulded her ambition in the future.

Alongside the struggle for work, we get glimpses of Natasha's life after she becomes famous. We see that much of it is gloss and doesn't reflect reality. The press is constantly on the prowl, looking for ways to bring down those they've placed on a pedestal. Friends can't always be trusted. And it's hard work, always having to look immaculate, stay slim, don't react, all while working fourteen-hour days.

There are references to the recent #MeToo movement. Real names aren't mentioned, the characters are more of an amalgamation of real people. You begin to realise how difficult it is to find work for up-and-coming actors. As Natasha realises, the real power in the industry lies in the hands of producers and directors, who are predominantly male, this becomes the catalyst for her career choices in the future.

Where The Light Is Hottest by Catherine Yardley is available in paperback and ebook format. My thanks to Pegasus Publishing and Rachel's Random Resources for a review copy.

Purchase Link - https://tinyurl.com/Where-The-Light-is-Hottest

Author Details

Catherine Yardley is the author of Ember and Where The Light is Hottest. She’s also the editor-in-chief of Frost Magazine and a freelance writer who's featured in The Bookseller, Mslexia, Metro, Huffpost, Writing Magazine and Writers’ and Artists’ amongst others. She lives in London with her husband and children.