December Reading Round Up

December Reading Round Up

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December was an awesome reading month for me. It was a fantastic way to end 2024 - the year I fell in love with reading again. I finished 5 books in December, plus one extra that I finished in November that I forgot to add to my November Round Up Blog. Most of them were five stars, which doesn’t happen very often.

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜

This is such a fun book to read, and it kept me guessing right to the end.

In this first book of the Marlow Murder Club series, we meet Judith Potts, an older lady who happily lives by the Thames River, spending her days compiling crossword puzzles, swimming in the Thames and indulging in the odd glass of whisky. When she sees a man being murdered in the house across the river from hers, she starts to take an interest in his life and death. When the police don't believe the man was murdered, she decides to investigate herself.

During her investigation, she encounters Becks and Suzie, two women who become close friends and her investigating buddies. The three women become the Marlow Murder Club and soon get themselves into scrapes and danger when they delve into the life of Judith's neighbour, but also when there are other murders.

With the support of the local Detective Sergeant Tanika Malik, they start to put the clues together. Will they find out the murderer's identity in time to stop the murders?

If you love Thursday Murder Club, you will love this series of books.

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜

This is another one on my ARCs list.

This is a wonderful, fun book with an amazing Main Female Character and a charming Main Male Character.

We are introduced to Lara, an industrious thief with a strong reputation for success, so much so that she is known as the Masked Bandit. After stealing a piece of jewellery from the royal family, she is caught by the royal guards and goes in front of Prince Lance, who offers her a deal. Steal a family heirloom back from the prince of a nearby kingdom and be granted freedom in return, or be hanged. It's not a difficult decision to make.

The trouble is that she needs to steal the heirloom from the prince while posing as his betrothed, Lance's sister. Prince Cai and the Princess have never met, and he is on his way to the kingdom to meet her and finalise the wedding plans.

What could possibly go wrong with this plan? Grab a copy of this book and go along on an epic journey. It's a slow-burn book, but there are enough moments of drama and action to keep any reader engaged and entertained.

This is the first book in the Twisted Crowns Trilogy, and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜

This is an ARC I was lucky enough to get my hands on, and it’s one of my favourites of the year.

This book has so many twists and turns that you would think it would be impossible not to get lost. But the author, Ande Pliego, kept it all together beautifully. It was very difficult to put down as something strange and dangerous happened in almost every chapter.

You Are Fatally Invited initially sounds like the classic locked room tale, or in this case, locked house, as it all takes place in a large house built on an island miles from anywhere. The six guests are writers who have been invited to a murder mystery weekend by the mysterious author JR Alastor, who has hired an event planner named Mila del Angel to organise the event, with many surprises thrown in. Mila has a surprise in mind for one of the attendees, and the illusive Alastor has something more sinister planned for all in the house, including Mila. Many of the guests know a secret about one of the other guests, and the secrets could destroy them.

One of my favourite aspects of the book is that it is written throughout from the different perspectives of each of the characters, so we could get into their heads and allow their thoughts and personalities to come out through their own words.

If you want to read a unputdownable book that is guaranteed to take you on a wild ride, I can't recommend You Are Fatally Invited More.

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜

Karen Marie Moning is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors, and this is a welcome addition to her library. It's filled with supernatural beings, mystery, secrets and danger.

In this book, we are introduced to Zo Grey, a young woman who has spent her life moving around with her mother. She wants to stay in one place, but for reasons her mother won't divulge, they need to keep moving.

After the sudden death of her ailing mother, she is contacted by a lawyer who tells her that she is the last blood relative of a distant relative and has inherited her house and fortune. Wanting a change, she heads to Divinity, Louisiana, where she moves into the house that sits on the peak of Watch Hill.

The lawyer tells her that the house and money will be hers, but there are some rules she must comply with first to inherit. The house is filled with mysteries and secrets, and by the end of the book, she will have some answers and yet more questions.

I am so happy that this book is the first in a trilogy as it ends on a cliffhanger, and I can't wait to read the next two books.

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜

This is an ARC extract that I was able to get. This review is based on the short extract, not the full book.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC extract of this book from Net Galley.

I enjoyed the opening pages of this book. It beautifully sets up a page-turner of a book.

Two people are out in a snowstorm, battling to see what is before them. They are looking for someone. But who? And why did this person go out in a snowstorm in the first place?

We are then introduced to two characters who are heading to the village of Midwinter as part of a Christmas murder mystery. As they are about to be snowed in due to a huge snowstorm the attendees are eager to get to town before the storm hits. From the first few pages the attendees look to be in for a killer Christmas.

Really looking forward to reading the full book when it comes out later in 2025.

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜

I finished this book in November but forgot to add it to my blog for that month, so I'm adding my review here.

This is a wonderful book and the first in a trilogy of books. In this book, we are introduced to Paedyn, a young woman living in the kingdom of Ilya. She is an orphan who lives with her best friend, Adena, who is a seamstress.

Paedyn was born in a place that values the Elites above all else. These are people who have unique powers, unlike the Ordinaries, who have no powers. When the King ruled that Ordinaries like Paedyn should be banished to preserve his Elite society many went underground, hiding from the authorities.

Every year, the King hosts a set of trials known as the Purging Trials. They are intended for Elites to show everyone their strength and powers. They are a fight to the death, with only the strongest surviving. Paedyn has been posing as a psychic and she ends up being nominated for the trials. She has no choice but to head to the palace to take part.

She forms an unlikely bond with the two princes - Kitt and Kai. Kai is taking place in the trials and there are sparks flying between the two, while Kitt is next in line to the throne and, therefore unable to take part. 

As the trials continue, lots of secrets are brought up. Who is responsible for the murder of Paedyn’s Father? How far is the King willing to go to keep his way of life safe?

Most importantly, who will survive the Purging Trials?

If you like The Hunger Games, then I highly recommend this book. I’m really looking forward to diving into the rest of the book series.

Haven’t made any progress with this book in December, so it’s in the same place as in November.

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