From the Book Elf

Out Of The Dark  by Heidi Amsinck Out Of The Dark by Heidi Amsinck was published on 24th April 2025 by Muswell Press and is the 4th book in the Jensen series. My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis A missing child ... a tainted witness ... Jensen's darkest case yet … Matilde Clausen, 9, vanishes from a crowded playground in the middle of Copenhagen, triggering a frantic search across the city. When a possible link emerges to the disappearance of Lea Høgh, 10, six years ago, DI Henrik Jungersen is thrown back into the nightmare that almost finished his career.   Desperate for redemption, but barred from reopening the old case, Henrik turns to his estranged lover,   Dagbladet   chief crime reporter Jensen, for help. As the investigation reaches deep into Denmark’s underworld, how will Henrik, Jensen, and her troubled teenage apprentice Gustav, escape the darkness that ...

The Coffee Shop Masquerade  by T.A. Morton The Coffee Shop Masquerade by T. A. Morton was published by Earnshaw Books on  22nd April 2025. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour. Synopsis   A mysterious mask abandoned in a Hong Kong coffee shop eavesdrops on the lives of those who enter, asking, who are we beneath our masks? The Coffee Shop Masquerade is a captivating exploration of transient lives seeking meaning amid everyday encounters, much like the alluring cup of coffee that unites and intrigues us all. As the enigmatic forces inspired by the Tao Te Ching loom over them, choices must be made, secrets revealed, and unexpected bonds forged-all under the watchful gaze of a mysterious mask. My Review This was one of those books that I found both intriguing and disturbing in equal measures. The idea of a mask eavesdropping on the different lives of customers who...

The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson  by Ellen Baker  The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson  was published on 10th April 2025 by Mariner Books/Harper 360. My thanks to the author and the publishers for sending me a review copy and to Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the Book Tour. Synopsis  “A family secret, a DNA test, a journey as rich and colorful as the early-day circus itself. Through Cecily Larson’s hidden life, Ellen Baker tenderly examines personal determination, lost love, family ties, and our innate need to discover our own truth.” — Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author In 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago, promising to be back once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns, and shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she is sold to a traveling circus to perform as the “little sister” to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde....

Still Got It  by Claire Carver Still Got It by Claire Carver  was published by One More Chapter on 10th April 2025. My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to  Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour. Synopsis One beautiful Greek summer and a second chance at love. Grace Foreman never expected to find herself widowed before she turned sixty – but when she packs her bags for a summer on a gorgeous Greek island, the last thing on her mind is a holiday romance. Grace would rather take a chance on a tan … or maybe a new summer wardrobe… But then Grace meets ex Special Forces soldier Will Lancing – and although Grace isn’t looking for love, she soon finds out she’s still got it when it comes to playing the dating game… My Review Pack your suitcase with all those lovely beach clothes, either in reality or metaphorically, and place this lovely , escape from it all book on the top. Still Got It is one of those perf...

Eva Is Waiting  by Romola Farr  Eva Is Waiting by Romola Farr was published by Wildmoor Press. My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis Following the death of her mother, Lily is sent to a remote girls' boarding school, tearing her away from all the excitement of London in the Swingin’ Sixties. Bereft, she develops a relationship with Rainer, the husband of Sylvia, the headmistress. One day, Bella, the school Collie, goes missing whilst playing on the shore below sheer cliffs. Despite a rising tide, Lily is determined to find the beautiful dog and discovers her trapped between rocks in a cave. Deepening water swirls around them as her fingertips dig into the sand and touch the smooth surface of what she believes to be an animal skull. From that moment on, she is haunted by a young girl pleading for help. Lily speaks to her headmistress and learns that eleven years previous...