I enjoy books about writing, and @mrkelly2u was kind enough to send me a copy of #RealWritersNeverQuit. It’s a no-nonsense, hands-on, practical writing guide, and it would be great for anyone who’s questioning their future as a writer, or trying to decide which way to go. I enjoyed both learning about the author’s personal journey and the snippets of guidance and advice from other writers (including me!)
I’ve read a handful of T.M. Logan’s ten thrillers, and #TheWeekend was my favourite. I listened on audio and kept sneaking off to enjoy an extra ten minutes whenever I could. The premise is simple and brilliant - three couples find a backpack full of cash in a remote cave while hiking, and they’re split down the middle when it comes to deciding whether they should hand it in to the police or keep it. I don’t want to give anything away, but you know that whatever decision they make, it’s the wrong one, and things start to go very wrong very quickly. I was completely hooked from start to finish.
Rebecca Serle is an author who never lets me down. I didn’t need to read the blurb to know I wanted to read her new novel, #OnceandAgain. As always, the characters are vivid, the prose is beautiful, and the story has an intriguing speculative element. In this case, a ticket that allows the women in a family to go back and change something once in their lives. I didn’t know how it was going to play out, with protagonist Lauren living at the beach with her parents and grandmother for the summer, her husband on the other side of America, and her first love staying nearby, but I loved every bit of the journey and Serle remains a firm favourite.
I really liked the premise of #TheGoodListener by @holly.watt.author , which is that a woman whose daughter has been murdered receives a phone call (while working as a phone line volunteer) from a woman who claims her husband murdered a little girl. This tense thriller follows Clara as she tries to get to the bottom of her daughter’s murder, and I found it hard to look away. There’s a great sense of place, and an ending I didn’t come close to guessing.
I absolutely love a fresh take on a love story, and #MainCharacters by @thebobpalmer is certainly that. Palmer feeds us the story of Clara and Seb from the perspectives of everyone around them, from close friends to random passersby. At first, I felt like this technique was creating a bit of distance between me and the main characters, but I did love the cleverness of it, the way the story was picked up and passed on by each narrator, like a relay baton. This is a great love story, packed with dizzying highs and devastating lows, and it feels real and true. I loved it.
🎉Happy Release Day to @laurapauthor and The Last Marriage of Dot Brightmore 🎉
Review of ‘The Last Marriage of Dot Brightmore’ by Laura Pearson, due to be published on 8 May 2026 by Boldwood Books.
This book is a follow on from ‘The Last List of Mabel Beaumont’. It can absolutely be read as a standalone as there are mentions here and there that set the story, although the first book is wonderful and deserves to be read!
This is definitely a sequel you didn’t know you needed until it’s presented to you, and ties up Mabel and Dot’s love story beautifully.
The characters are loveable, the emotions pulsing from the pages. Who would have thought that the life story of these two old ladies would grab a piece of your heart so ferociously and not let go.
I loved it ❤️ #thelastmarriageofdotbrightmore @boldwoodbooks
Happy Publication Day to @laurapauthor for The Last List of Mabel Beaumont! From me and a very excitable Teddy!
#books #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #cavapoo
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📚The Last Marriage of Dot Brightmore
✍️by Laura Pearson
🗓️Pub Date: 8 May 2026
The sequel to the wonderful “The Last List of Mabel Beaumont”, this gorgeous story gives us an insight into Dot’s life for the 60 or so years that she and Mabel were apart, as well as following the two octogenarians as they plan their wedding.
I had forgotten how much I adored Mabel’s friends, especially Erin and Julie and I enjoyed spending more time with them, as well as Dot’s family and.. wait for it... husband (not a spoiler, it’s in the blurb)! Mabel, sensing that Dot is carrying some emotional baggage, is determined to make sure that her wife-to-be is free from all of the pain of her past before their perfect day.
Tender and emotional, Laura Pearson’s writing always gets me! Fully immersed in the world of these believable and relatable characters, I loved following their journeys.
5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, @laurapauthor and @boldwoodbooks for an ARC of this book.
