Book reviews Archives - Luke’s Blog

04May 2025 by Luke Harkness No Comments

More Than Murder by Jayne Chard book review

More Than Murder is the first in a new “cosy crime” series from the Producer of BBC’s Silent Witness. It’s a story of two sisters who go to a murder mystery only to find out not all of the murders may have been acting. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. I was kindly sent a copy of this book in return for an honest review. More Than Murder tells the story of two sisters who are brought back together after their mother dies and leaves them a cottage but with the agreement they must…

21Apr 2025 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Sisters by Claire Douglas book review

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

I absolutely love a thriller every now and then. They're often the perfect palette cleanser between some of the more complex or longer books that I often enjoy to read. With a thriller, you're getting something written very approachable, set in your own world, not featuring too many characters and a plot that's easy enough to follow. Therefore, when I picked up The Sisters by Claire Douglas, I was looking forward to more of the same. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. The Sisters focuses on the story of Abi, Ben and Bea. Abi…

13Apr 2025 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray book review

Book reviews

The Bee Sting was the first book I read this year from the list of books you lot chose for me to read. Therefore, it's the first book I was properly excited to get into - despite its length. It focuses on the highs and lows, past and present of the Barnes family who live in rural Ireland. With a plot style I usually like and some interesting storytelling techniques, surely this is a book I would like, right? As I said, The Bee Sting focuses on the lives of the Barnes family who all have their own issues going in their lives, both past and present. The Bee Sting plot - 4.25/5 The four main characters in The Bee Sting are Imelda, the matriarch who clings to material appearances;…

23Mar 2025 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey book review

Book reviews

When you discuss legends of the fantasy genre names like J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen King, Robert Jordan are often names suggested but Anne McCaffrey has written a series of over 20 books which were first published in 1968 - an under-heard of OG of the fantasy genre. Dragonflight is the first in the grand series that McCaffrey is known for. It's not that long, it does have some issues but overally there's a great basis here. So let's get into it. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Dragonflight follows Lessa, a young woman who discovers…

16Mar 2025 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik book review

Book reviews

A Deadly Education was the first book I picked up from the selection of books my partner bought me leading up to Christmas (there were ten and I got to open up one a day leading up to Christmas - sort of like an advent calendar). It's a book that I'd wishlisted too and was looking forward to it. The idea of a young girl with strong magical abilities in a school reminded me very much of a certain other relatively popular magical book. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. A Deadly Education is…

09Mar 2025 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney book review

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney is a thriller I've seen on socials now for quite a few years - it appears to be a well-respected little thriller with enough going for it that people rate it highly over some other thrillers. I know Alice Feeney in general has a good reputation for writing solid thrillers and so I went into this with high expectations. And I wasn't disappointed. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Rock Paper Scissors follows the story of a couple called Adam and Amelia Wright as they venture on to…

02Mar 2025 by Luke Harkness 1 Comment

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel book review

Book reviews, Sci-Fi

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel was my December follower book of the month. So, many people thought it good enough that I should read it in 2024 but what did I end of thinking about it? Well, if you watch my quick video review of it, you can see I didn't think too much about it. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Sea of Tranquility's story follows multiple characters, including a 20th-century exile, a 22nd-century author, and a time traveller investigating an anomaly that links them all. It's got some underlying…

23Feb 2025 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

The Twelve Murders of Christmas by Sarah Dunnakey book review

Book reviews, Crime, Mystery

Sarah Dunnakey's The Twelve Murders of Christmas is a festive murder mystery with a unique twist: it incorporates puzzles for the reader to solve. Despite its unique twist, the plot itself didn't really me very engaged and the puzzles require a lot of concentration and back and forth to work out. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Set in Yorkshire, The Twelve Murders of Christmas invites you to unravel the mysterious death of Edward Luddenham, which occurred one Christmas Eve. A year after his death, twelve individuals gather at his manor for the reading…

16Feb 2025 by Luke Harkness 1 Comment

Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton book review

Book reviews, Crime, Mystery

Happy Bloody Christmas was one of the most pleasant surprises I had in all of 2024. I was asked if I'd like to receive this book by the publisher and accepted as Christmas was coming up at the time and I thought it would be nice to have something festive to read. Little did I know I was going to read one of the most enjoyable books I'd read all year! This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Happy Bloody Christmas tells the story of Anna Johnson who wakes up after a Christmas party with…

09Feb 2025 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle book review

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a book that I picked it up as part of my follower book picks and I'm so glad I did - because it's a book I've ended up absolutely loving! This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. The book obviously focuses on the character of Albert Entwistle who is a quiet, single older man who works at the post office. One day he's given a letter by HR informing him that he has been asked to take compulsory retirement (not a real thing) and thus he begins to…

Category: Book reviews