Escape to the Bookshelf

‘The Jasmine Throne’ by Tasha Suri

Priya was born a Temple Child, but she had only survived the deathless waters once when all the Temple Children were burnt. Now she lives as a servant, her powers diminished before she even fully began to understand them. Yet it is Priya’s destiny to be more.

Malini was born a princess. Her brother, the emperor, wants her to become a sacrifice. Unwilling to accept the fate her brother has chosen for her Malini decides to forge a new path. Yet her true path is one that neither of them could have foreseen.

Together Priya and Malini will achieve more than either of them ever set out to, but will they lose themselves along the way?

‘Once Upon a Tome’ by Oliver Darkshire

To be published 06/10/2022…

This is a book for booklovers, by booklovers, and about book lovers. Set in Sotheran’s bookstore on the much neglected Sackville Street in London, apprentice Oliver tackles the unexpected ups and downs of the rare book trade.

‘What July Knew’ by Emily Koch

To be published 09/02/2023…

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. HOWEVER THEY ARE DEALTH WITH IN A TASTEFUL AND SENSITIVE MANNER.

July Hooper is ten years old, although her birthday is never much of an occasion. This is because her mother died in a car crash on her birthday when she was very young. Her dad doesn’t like to remember it and he doesn’t like to talk about her. July has a list of things she knows about her mum. It isn’t a very long list. Then, one summer, July learns something new and begins to wonder if everything on her list is a lie.

‘The Haunted Hills’ by Berlie Doherty

To be published 06/10/2022…

Carl is lost. Without his best friend Jack, he feels unmoored from life. His parents have taken him on a country retreat to help heal his grief, but the old sloping cottage on the moors doesn’t feel like home. Without Jack waiting there, home doesn’t feel like home anymore either. So Carl is lost, but not as lost as the Lost Boy and his dog who wander the moors…

‘The Book of Gothel’ by Mary McMyne

A fairy-tale like no other, this book explores a haunting truth behind the myth of Rapunzel’s captivity in the tower. Behind the legend of Mother Gothel is a girl named Haelwise, a girl who grew up trapped in her own way; by an overprotective mother and a village’s fear of things that are different. With black eyes and unpredictable fainting fits, Haelwise is very different.

‘The Imperfect Alchemist’ by Naomi Miller

After Rose’s mother is accused of witchcraft, Rose is sent to be a servant to the Lady Pembroke. The decision is made for her safety, but it will be the catalyst for an entire future that Rose could have never imagined. Lady Pembroke is kind and nurtures Rose’s unique skills. When she dies, it all seems lost. Until a new Lady Pembroke arrives and Rose must learn to view her, not as a sub-standard replacement for what was lost, but as a new possibility for friendship and future.

Similarly the new Lady Pembroke, sixteen year old Mary Sidney, must learn to look beyond her grief for her sister to see the new bonds that could be formed. Unfortunately, grief seems to follow Mary like a shadow. It is only the distractions of her intellect which carry her through: her thoughts, her words, and her alchemy.

‘The Half Life of Valery K’ by Natasha Pulley

A severely malnourished Dr Valery Kolkhanov is taken suddenly from the Russian prison in Siberia, where he is six years into a ten-year sentence of hard labour for crimes he did not commit (and has no idea what they are). He expects that he is being taken to die and is almost quite relieved by the notion. The last thing he expects is to be taken to a top-secret nuclear testing station and told to put his well-earned doctorate to work.

‘The House with the Golden Door’ by Elodie Harper

SPOILER ALERT: THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE OUTCOMES OF BOOK ONE (The Wolf Den). IF YOU HAVE NOT READ IT, I SUGGEST YOU TRY THIS REVIEW INSTEAD: ‘The Wolf Den’ by Elodie Harper

Amara has escaped the brothel. She has escaped slavery. Now she lives in a beautiful house with beautiful things. But none of it belongs to her. Not her freedom. Not her house. Not her future. As her patron Rufus holds her entire life in his hands and, as his desire begins to fade in lieu of new distractions, Amara must begin plotting once more. Yet she is not as cold-hearted as she once was and love makes it very difficult to know what the right choices truly are.

‘The Wolf Den’ by Elodie Harper

Amara was not born a slave. She was not born a prostitute. Yet these are the two words which now define her entire life. Of all her fellow prostitutes, only Dido understands how it feels to have fallen so far. Victoria, the favourite, has never known any different and she scorns Amara’s desire to escape. The others, too, think she is foolish to dream of freedom. They do not understand that Amara will do anything it takes to be free.

‘Rome for the Summer’ by Lynne Shelby

To be published 23/06/2022…

When Kate’s art-seller boyfriend cheats her family out of thousands of pounds, there is only one thing to do: move to Rome for the summer! Kate never wanted her family to sell the ‘Italian Girl’ painting in the first place, but at least in Rome she might have a chance to learn more about the girl in it; especially when she is working as a tour guide in the very house where the Italian Girl lived. As a bonus the English House’s artist in residence, Jamie, is happy to show her the sites and Kate is more than happy to let him. If only the summer was longer…