From the Book Elf

Book of Forbidden Words  by Louise Fein Book of Forbidden Words by Louise Fein  was published on  26th February 2026 by William Morrow.  My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to  Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis "What power lay there in words on a page. And with that thought, Charlotte knew she would not rest until she had seen what was in the manuscript that Lysbette so desperately wanted to preserve in print.”1552, Paris: Against a backdrop of turmoil, suspicion, and paranoia, the printing press is quickly spreading new ideas across Europe, threatening the power of church and state and unleashing a wave of book burning and heretic hunting. When frightened ex-nun Lysbette Angiers arrives one day at Charlotte Guillard’s famous printing shop with her manuscript, neither woman knows just how far the powerful elite will go to prevent the spread of Lysbette’s audacious ideas.1952, New York: Milly Bennett...

  The Carousel of Time by Bernard O’Keefe The Carousel of Time by Bernard O'Keeffe was published on 16th February 2026 by Muswell Press. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Resources for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis What goes around comes around on the carousel of time. Every summer four friends gather at Barnes Fair to ride the carousel in memory of Esther, the school friend they lost in a car crash they were all involved in as teenagers. This year, the morning after the fair, one of those friends, Shelley Gregory, is found murdered on that very carousel. DI Garibaldi has questions to ask. Who killed Shelley, and why there? Is her death linked to the tragedy the friends commemorate each year, or do the answers lie closer to home in the quiet Thameside village of Barnes, where Shelley was well known but not always well liked? As Garibaldi pieces together the events of that summer night, he uncovers dark undercurrents ben...

The General’s Wife  by Suzanne Dana The General's Wife by Suzanne Dana was published on 30th October 2025.  My thanks to Suzanne for sending me a copy to review and to  Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis Some secrets don't stay buried, even beneath military honors Margaret Stone appears to be the perfect military spouse—supportive, resilient, and respected as the wife of Brigadier General George "Rocky" Stone. But beneath her carefully composed exterior lies a past shadowed by tragedy and one fateful night that could destroy everything she's built. When a blackmail letter signed "Swimbuddy1980" arrives, Margaret is forced to confront the truth about what really happened during a late-night swim at Coronado Beach nearly thirty years ago. As the threats escalate and her husband faces a career-defining deployment to Afghanistan, Margaret must navigate the complex loyalties of military life while fighting to protect th...

The Sea Child  by Linda Wilgus The Sea Child by Linda Wilgus was published on 12th February 2026 by Simon & Schuster. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to  Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis It was a grey and misty morning when she appeared on the rugged Cornish shore. A girl of only four years old, soaking wet, unable to speak. With no one to claim her, rumours started to swirl and the villagers began to believe she was brought from the sea, the daughter of mystical sea creatures. Cornwall early 1800s: now destitute and newly widowed, Isabel returns to the village she was found in to start a new life. As she settles into life in Cornwall, she feels the sea calling to her to come back home. Then one night, a group of dangerous raiders arrive at her door, carrying their wounded captain, Jack Carlyon. Isabel decides to care for him and soon senses a powerful connection, and even after Jack recovers, sh...

The Secrets of Morgarten  by L.S Mangos The Secrets of Morgarten by L.S. Mangos was published on 6th December 2023 by Mana publishing. My thanks to Louise for sending me a copy to review and to  Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis A young nation in peril. A web of deception. A triangle of forbidden love. The year is 1315. The fledgling nation of Switzerland – the Helvetic Confederation – is under threat from the Habsburgs. In France, the Knights Templar have been disbanded and declared heretics by the king. Magda, a beautiful weaver living near the alpine village of Morgarten, befriends Walter, a messenger who is the son of the legendary Wilhelm Tell. Walter and Magda's budding romance is threatened by the arrival of Sébastien, a French fugitive. What secrets is this foreigner hiding? Can Walter solve the mystery of a murder and a stolen religious artefact before a mighty battle with the Habsburgs ensues? And who will be the victors in their turbulent t...