Well it’s certainly been a funny old month. March started out with lots of fun and making plans for the rest of the of the year. Now the schools are closed so I am trying to support pupils remotely with a husband who is also a key worker and a 4 year old who is missing his nursery buddies.

I guess the upside of not sleeping well is more time for reading.

This month I have read 15 books. 6 actual books and 9 ebooks. Another month of cosy mystery challenges, 3 more prompts on the Popsugar Reading Challenge ticked off and my first blog tour.

My Dark Vanessa by Elizabeth Kate Russell

Vanessa recalls her teenage affair with her teacher, Dark and uncomfortable, brilliant and beautiful. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review here

The Socialite by J’nell Ciesielski

Aristocrat Kat Whitford heads to occupied Paris to bring back her socialite sister who is having an affair with a Nazi officer. WW2 espiionage and romance. ⭐⭐⭐ Review here.

British Murder by Leslie Meier

Collection of two Lucy Stone murder mysteries set in England. ⭐⭐⭐ Review here.

Vivien’s Heavenly Ice Cream Parlour by Abby Clements

Sister Imogen and Anna inherit their grandmother failing ice cream parlour in Brighton and put their own dreams on hold to relaunch the business. ⭐⭐⭐ Review here

This Lovely City by Louise Hare

Atmospheric novel set in 1950s London based around the community of Caribbean immigrants that arrived on the Windrush. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review here.

Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Verse novel about the relationship between a runaway teen and an old woman suffering from dementia. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review here

The Mysterious Miss Mayhew by Hazel Osmond

Quirky, heartwarming romance set in Northumberland. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review here.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Best-selling psychological thriller based in a mental health facility. ⭐⭐⭐ Review here

And They Called it Camelot by Stephanie Marie Morton

Fictional account of the of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review here

Pretending by Holly Bourne

April pretends to perfect dream girl Gretal and starts making dating fun again. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review here.

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando

Nathan’s talented teenag brother kills himself and Nate sets out to find out why. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review here.

Cherry Pie or Die by CeeCee James

Georgie takes a tourist group to a local haunted mansion and one of the guests is killed. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pot Luck or Pandemonium by S. C. Merritt

Recently widowed Glory heads home to Alabama and finds herself suspect in a murder at the church potluck lunch. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gluten-Free Murder by P. D. Workman

Erin moves to a small town to open a bakery and before long the rival bakery is dead.⭐⭐⭐⭐

Murder on Main Street by Shannon Kaper

The body of a disliked landlord is discovered and business owner Abby is a suspect.⭐⭐⭐⭐

My cosy mystery wrap up for March is here

My two five star reads this month were both British YA. I love Sarah Crossan so had high hopes for Toffee. I was absolutely not disappointed and this had gone straight into my favourite books of all time. It’s wonderful and cannot recommend it highly enough. The verse form is perfect for the subject matter. I also loved And the Stars Were Burning Bright by Danielle Janwando which is also a heartbreaking, wonderful read.

I would also recommend This Lovely City, My Dark Vanessa and Pretending. All three of these books deal with powerful, triggering topics. there is darkness and light and they do not always make for comfortable reading, but they do get you thinking and the characters will stay with you long after you have finished reading the books.

My reading plan for April is based on blog tours and cosy mysteries. I’ve got a huge TBR pile so no shortage of books to keep me company as they social distancing and lockdown continues.

Stay home and stay safe,

Happy reading x