• Christmas Songs Book Tag

    Christmas Songs Book Tag

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    I recently saw Words and Peace take part in this book tag that was originally created by That Artsy Reader Girl. I love a good book tag so when I saw this, I just knew I had to take part!

    1. All I Want for Christmas is You

    Favourite bookish couple

    Nolan and Harriet <3

    Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
    (my review for this book is linked here)

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    2. I’ll Be Home for Christmas

    Name a book where a character is away from home (school, vacation, etc.)

    Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon
    (my review for this book is linked here)

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    3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

    Name your favourite “little” book (children’s book, short story, novella, etc.)

    Christmas in Chestnut Springs by Elsie Silver
    (my review for this book is linked here)

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    4. Santa Claus is Coming to Town

    What book(s) do you hope Santa brings you this year?

    The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs

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    5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

    Which book turned your nose red (made you cry)?

    Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

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    6. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

    Your favourite book/kind of book to read during the holidays

    It would either have to be… a cosy fantasy or a good romance.

    ————–

    7. We Three Kings

    Your favourite trilogy/book from a trilogy (or feel free to fudge it and pick a book from a series)

    A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

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    8. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

    A character you would love to be snowed in with

    Willa Grant

    Heartless by Elsie Silver

    ————–

    9. Last Christmas

    A book that seriously let you down

    The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
    (my review for this book is linked here)

    ————–

    10. White Christmas

    An upcoming release you’re dreaming about

    Rolls and Rivalry by Kristy Boyce

  • Lovely Thought Gift – Bookish Small Business Collab

    Lovely Thought Gift – Bookish Small Business Collab

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    Ilaria from Lovely Thought Gift reached out to me from her Instagram about doing a collab showcasing her small Etsy business selling handmade bookmarks and tote bags. She allowed me to pick out two bookmarks from her The Reader’s Gaze Collection to showcase in this blog post. *Pictures below are the two I chose.*

    The bookmarks are double-layered cardstock, and the gold accents are hand-painted with acrylic and a tiny brush. She makes literary bookmarks with poetic quotes inspired by the feelings and emotions of the reader.

    The seller packaged them carefully in a padded envelope and secured them with a cream bow. The quality of these bookmarks truly impresses me, and the gold accents shine beautifully in the light.

    If you’re thinking of purchasing some new bookmarks for yourself or you have a book lover in mind who you wanting to get a gift for then I’d definitely recommend checking these out. There are currently 8 bookmarks available in the The Reader’s Gaze Collection to choose from.

    You can also use the code JESSIE10 at checkout to get 10% off (I do not get anything from people using this code).

  • Mint to Be by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc | Book Review

    Mint to Be by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc | Book Review

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    Mint to Be by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
    Genre: Romance, Young Adult
    Pages: 304
    Published By: Scholastic Press on 7th October, 2025
    Format: Paperback
    Add to Goodreads
    Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)

    Book Synopsis:

    It’s been eight months since seventeen-year-old Emma left the quaint town of Briar Glen to attend boarding school in New York City. Now, she’s back – and she’s not alone: her new boyfriend, Sam, has come to visit the most picturesque village in New England during the most magical time of the year.

    But there’s a chill in the air, and not just because it’s winter. Emma’s best friend, Aiden, isn’t all too happy to see her after she left without so much as a goodbye. He and Emma have known each other since elementary school, and they used to do everything together. They even share a favourite drink: a peppermint hot chocolate from their favourite coffee shop, Cup o’ Jo. This was where Emma first told Aiden she was thinking of leaving Briar Glen. It was also where Aiden had planned to confess his growing feelings for Emma – before she showed him her acceptance letter and everything changed.

    With Emma back in the picture – and with a new boyfriend in tow – will she and Aiden be able to break the ice?

    Book Review

    I was apprehensive going into this one after reading her previous book but I thought I’d try it out for the Christmas season…

    I owned this physically but I straight away went in with the audiobook instead. I’d definitely suggest listening to her books rather than reading them physically.

    This one was slightly better than her previous book and I enjoyed being back in Briar Glen. However, again my main issue was with the romance element of the book. I just didn’t feel any romantic connection between the main characters. I personally don’t think they went together well romantically and it felt very surface level.

    This book is a dual timeline book, dual perspectives book. I typically LOVE dual perspectives, but I honestly believe the book would have been fine without the dual timeline overlap. The dual perspectives allowed me to connect with the characters a little more but I still feel like they lacked depth overall.

    This book is very YA and that isn’t a problem because the book is promoted as YA. That being said, I think this book is a good transition from middle grade to YA because of the simple plot and romance. I understand that I am not the target audience so the writing isn’t meant for me. However, I do think the author is good at writing books that are for younger audiences!

    I bumped up the rating from a 2 to a 2.5 purely because of the Christmas/wintery vibes. This is the only part that I think the book delivered well on.

    Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
  • Good Spirits by B.K. Borison | Book Review

    Good Spirits by B.K. Borison | Book Review

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    Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
    Series: Ghosted #1
    Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Christmas, Paranormal
    Pages: 384
    Published By: Avon on 21st October, 2025
    Format: Paperback
    Add to Goodreads
    Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)

    Book Synopsis:

    He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. But she’s not exactly Scrooge…

    Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday season exactly like every other; haunting the terrible people of Annapolis in his aimless existence as the Ghost of Christmas Past.

    Harriet York is a good person – or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her.

    So, when Nolan is assigned the sweeter-than-candy-canes antique shop owner for his holiday haunting, neither of them have any idea why. To escape one another, Harriet and Nolan must unravel the threads that bind them together – all by Christmas Eve.

    Hand in hand, they uncover each other’s pasts, but why is it that Nolan doesn’t want to let go? And might Harriet be the key to giving the Ghost of Christmas Past … a future?

    Book Review

    I’ve been seeing this book everywhere and normally I don’t tend to jump on the hype. However, with this one I just couldn’t resist picking it up and trying it out for myself. This is my first B.K. Borison book (not counting Lovelight Farms which I DNF’d…) and I LOVED it!

    This book was very different from the typical romances I read, but I loved the magical-realism and paranormal vibes it delivered. I didn’t think that I’d ever be rooting for a ghost… and an Irish one at that! It was so clever to use the concept of A Christmas Carol (minus the Scrooge), and Borison truly made it her own and executed it so well.

    I’ll admit that the book was dragging slightly towards the start. However, once the romantic tension was truly building, the book picked up its pace. I loved both characters from the beginning but it was definitely a slow burn romance between them both. I enjoyed that it was dual POV as I felt way more connected to the main characters and their stories.

    Did I think I was going to cry at this book? Honestly… no I didn’t. Chapter 35 and 36 hit me right in the feels though and yes I ended up crying. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. Borison did a great job at fleshing them out as I felt deeply connected to them throughout. Everything in this book had a purpose and I really loved how it wasn’t just a typical love story between them. There was trauma and heartbreak, but also self-acceptance and self-confidence.

    The Christmassy vibes were off the charts as well. Not only with the descriptions of the Christmas activities and the setting but also the magical element that was running through this book. It didn’t feel like too much or too little. It was just right.

    Overall, if you’re going to read any Christmas book this season or in the future, I cannot recommend this enough. I was worried about reading this one because I DNF’d the first book in the Lovelight Farms series but wow am I so glad I decided to try this one!

    Rating: 5 out of 5.
  • Blog Tour: A Merry Little Christmas by Rosie Green

    Blog Tour: A Merry Little Christmas by Rosie Green

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    A Merry Little Christmas by Rosie Green
    Series: Little Duck Pond Cafe #43
    Genre: Romance
    Pages: 229
    Published: 29th November, 2025
    Format: Epub
    Source: Gifted
    Add to Goodreads
    Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)

    Book Synopsis:

    Festive excitement is in the air at the Little Duck Pond Café and Katja is looking forward to her first Christmas snuggled by the fire with boyfriend Caleb. But now she’s started having terrifying nightmares and worse, Caleb is acting out of character, making her doubt everything she thought she knew. Is it really destined to be a merry little Christmas? Or will the festive cheer Katja has been longing for turn out to be nothing but a damp squib?

    Book Review

    *I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

    I’ve read the previous book in this series by Rosie Green and I knew I wanted to read this one too. I thought that it sounded like a cute festive romance book to read.

    The main character we follow is Katja and all of the chapters are from her perspective. I enjoyed following Katja and learning more about her. We had already got a glimpse into her relationship in the previous book I’d read.

    Although this is a short story, there was lots happening throughout. I personally would’ve liked to have a little more romance happening in the book between the two main characters… However, the plot itself was interesting enough to keep me intrigued. There was an air of mystery regarding the MMC from quite early on but I like how the story developed to finding out the root of it towards the end.

    Due to so much happening throughout, the pace was good all the way through. I was happy with how the story ended and although it was predictable, it was a cute way to end this novel.

    This book takes place during the lead-up to Christmas, and although it’s a festive read, I appreciated that it doesn’t shove the Christmas aspects down my throat. I enjoyed the wintery vibes I was getting from it whilst reading. I was glad though that it wasn’t too cheesy in terms of the Christmas elements.

    Although this book is quite deep into an on-going series, it didn’t feel like you would have to read all the others before getting to this one. The author did a great job of mentioning who the characters were. If you are someone like me who hasn’t read all the other previous books, you still get an understanding of who everyone is.

    I think this book was an enjoyable one to read for this time of year!

    About Rosie Green –

    Rosie Green is the author of the popular Little Duck Pond Café series, set in the fictional village of Sunnybrook. Watch out for lots more café drama and romance in 2026, including ‘The Other Lizzie Bennet’, which will be published in January!

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  • Conceal, Don’t Feel by Jen Calonita | Book Review

    Conceal, Don’t Feel by Jen Calonita | Book Review

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    Conceal, Don’t Feel by Jen Calonita
    Series: Disney Twisted Tales #7
    Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings
    Pages: 320
    Published By: Random House/Disney on 1st October, 2019
    Format: Hardcover
    Add to Goodreads
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    Book Synopsis:

    What if Anna and Elsa never knew each other?

    As the future Queen of Arendelle, Princess Elsa’s life is full of expectation and responsibility—not to mention, questions. What type of ruler will she be? When will she have to pick a suitor? And why has she always harboured the feeling that some critical piece of herself is missing?

    Following the unexpected death of her parents, Elsa is forced to answer those questions sooner than she’d hoped, becoming the sole ruler of her kingdom and growing lonelier than ever. But when mysterious powers begin to reveal themselves, Elsa starts to remember fragments of her childhood that seem to have been erased—pieces that include a very familiar-looking girl. Determined to fill the void she has always felt, Elsa must take a harrowing journey across her icy kingdom to undo a terrible curse . . . and find the missing Princess of Arendelle.

    Book Review

    I love the Disney Twisted Tales series and have read several of them, including Mirror Mirror and Go the Distance, also by Jen Calonita. This one however, I enjoyed less than those and I will explain why.

    The other books in this series are definitely more twisted versions of the original tales. However this one just felt the same as the movie except a few scenes were different… The author used a lot of the dialogue straight from the movie too. I personally would’ve liked a little more creativity overall for this book. For the most part it felt like I was literally reading the movie. Like the main twist of the story, wasn’t even really a twist.

    The pacing of the book was decent overall. Although it seemed to start off quite slow, it did pick up as the story went on which is was happy with. This book felt like just the right length and didn’t take me long to read at all.

    I enjoyed reading the story from both Anna and Elsa’s perspective as this helped move along the storyline. It was nice as well to have a sprinkling of chapters from Hans and Kristoff’s perspectives too!

    Overall, this was a fun time but I think I went into this with too high expectations. The book let me down and left me wanting so much more from it. That being said, if you’re a big fan of the movie then I’d say to give this one a go and see what you think. However, if you’re wanting a big twist when looking for a Disney retelling then I would say to maybe avoid this one.

    To conclude, I want to reiterate that this is not a bad book. I just think with a little more creativity and imagination this could’ve been so much more…

    Rating: 3 out of 5.
  • Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Snowy Places

    Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Snowy Places

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    Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week there is a new topic for bloggers to choose and list their top ten. This week on Top Ten is Books Set in Snowy Places.

    I decided to choose 5 books that I’ve read and 5 books that are on my TBR.

    Read

    The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

    Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle

    The Crash by Freida McFadden

    The Snow Girl by Sophie Anderson

    Christmas in Chestnut Springs by Elsie Silver

    TBR

    Hunted by Meagan Spooner

    Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison

    Mint to Be by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc

    Good Spirits by B.K. Borison

    A Merry Little Christmas by Rosie Green

    Happy TTT! Leave your link down below for me to check out and start chatting 😀

  • Books from the Backlog #2

    Books from the Backlog #2

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    Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything like me, some of the unread books in your stacks might surprise you. This meme is hosted by Carole’s Random Life in Books.

    This week’s neglected book is…

    Eileen is sick of being 79.
    Leena’s tired of life in her twenties.
    Maybe it’s time they swapped places…

    When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.

    Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

    Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?

    Why did I add The Switch to my bookshelf?

    I have had this book for a couple of years now sitting on my TBR. I added it to my bookshelf because I’d previously read The Flatshare and enjoyed it. My sister also said she really enjoyed this book so kept recommending me to get it. I finally came across it in a charity shop so I thought… why not?

    What are your thoughts? Have you read this book?  Would you recommend it?


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