Category: Book Review

Book Review: The Case of the Murdered Muckraker, by Rob Osler

Mittens and Sunglasses

[AD // NETGALLEY ARC]

When I got The Case of the Murdered Muckraker, written by Rob Osler, from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review, I didn’t know it was the second book in a series. For me it feels a bit wrong to read the second book before I’ve read the first, so I decided to get the hold on the first book before I read this one. That’s partly why it has taken me a while to get around to this book.

A Kobo being held up in front of a lilac bush, showing the cover of the book The Case of the Murdered. Muckraker
Photo: Mittens and Sunglasses © 2026

I would call Harriet Morrow Investigates a cozy mysteries series. The books are set in the 1890’s Chicago, and our herion is a lesbian investigator. Harriet Morrow is a 21-year-old young woman, and the Prescott Agency’s first female operative. This, of course, comes with its challenges. Though is sometimes can feel like an obstacle, it also comes with advanages.

What I really enjoyed about the book, was the really likeable characters, as well as the writing style. I got really invested in the story, and there’s never wrong to have a cat starring in the book.

I don’t want to go into more details, as I really don’t want to spoil the books, but I definitively would recommend starting with the first book. In that was you can follow the personal storyline better. Now I’m just hoping there will be a third book in the series, hopefully in a not too distant future.

Book Review: Hopes and Dreams at The Chocolate Pot Café, by Jessica Redland

Mittens and Sunglasses

[AD // NETGALLEY ARC]

I was so excited when I was approved for this book from NetGalley! I’ve read a few of Jessica Redland’s books previously, and loved them. Going into the book, I had no idea it was the sequel to Starry Skies Over The Chocolate Pot Café. I read Starry Skies Over The Chocolate Pot Café in December 2024, and gotten really invested in the characters, so when I realised I got to hang with Tara, Jed, and the giant house bunny Hercules again, I was utterly delighted.

A Kobo is in a windowsill, leaning against the window. To the left is a mug with vegan hot chocolate with whipped soy cream, to the right a lacey white candle holder. The books shown is Hopes and Dreams at The Chocolate Pot Café, by Jessica Redland.
Photo: Mittens and Sunglasses © 2026

This book did not disappoint. I loved it from beginning to end. I fell in love with the characters all over again, and Jessica Redland somehow manages to pull all the heart strings. (I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying!) I think Redland writes with so much love, and it really shows in this book. It’s hard not to get invested.

I’m looking forward to reading Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop, the book that came out in December last year, and that is sitting on my Kobo to be read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me have an ARC for this brilliant book!

Book Review: The Cherry Crush Flower Shop, by Harper Graham

Mittens and Sunglasses

[AD // NETGALLEY ARC]

I was given The Cherry Crush Flower Shop, by Harper Graham, as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion on the book. This is the third instalment in the Maple Falls series, but it can also be read as a stand-alone. I started reading it in February, when it still was cold and snowy in my part of the world. After a bit of thinking I decided to put it away for now, but come May, I was ready to pick it up again.

The heroine and hero of this story are Zoe and Jackson. Zoe has moved back to Maple Falls after a breakup, and has taken over her mum’s flower shop. Jackson has served in the military, and is haunted by trauma from the war. He runs a llama sanctuary, but even that doesn’t seem to heal him. The two have been secretly eyeing each other since they were teens, but never dared to take the step. When they find out Zoe’s mum has put a bet on them as the couple of the year after seeing them hugging through the flower shop’s window, they decide to fake dating. What they think would be an easy and fun thing to do for Zoe’s mum, turns out to be more challenging than they ever thought it could be.

A hand holding up a Kobo e-reader in front of a blooming tree, showing the cover of the book The Cherry Chrush Flowershop.
Photo: Mittens and Sunglasses © 2026

I wanted to read this third book of the Maple Falls series, not only because I wanted to revisit the small town, but also because it contained two of the tropes I tend to enjoy: Fake dating and friends-to-lovers. I loved seeing the two childhood friends Zoe and Jackson fall head over heels for each other, the blooming awakening of spring (probably my favourite season). The hunt for the mystery flower was also a delight.

I must admit I didn’t care much for the competition. Don’t they have anything else to do in this town than to compete? Also, favourite couple? I found that to be cringe, to be honest.

Other than that, I ended up enjoying this book in the end, and I’m glad I paused the read and awaited for the spring season to align with spring in my town in Norway (which is later than spring in Maple Falls). Harper Graham is really good as drawing a picture in your mind of the surroundings. I could almost see all the flowers, and smell their fragrance! This book is definitively better read in spring!

Book Review: A New Start at the Happily Ever After Bookshop, written by Emma Bennet

Mittens and Sunglasses

[AD // AUTHOR ARC]

I got the book A New Start at the Happily Ever After Bookshop, written by Emma Bennet, from the author. I’m not sure she expected a review or not, but the book sure deserves one!

Carrie Worsley is a single mum, and lives in London with her daughter Poppy. Just as the summer holidays has started, her aunt in Cornwall phones her and asks her to mind her romance bookshop for her while she’s on a cruise. Carrie spent her summers in the bookshop growing up, though this was before it was turned into a romance shop. It doesn’t take too long before she’s convinced it’s a better idea than staying in London all summer, and with her tight budget, the money sure will come in handy.

In Cornwall she runs into Michael, the quiet guy who used to be a lanky teen spending a lot of time in the bookshop when she was there as a kid. He’s now a single dad, and works in a book binding shop next door to the bookshop. Before long, they’ve grown to be good friends…

This book pulled on so many of my heart strings, and I absolutely adored it. It was so sweet and cosy. I loved the slow burn, the friends-to-lovers story, and I even ended up googling to see if Castle Cove was a real town! Turns out it kind of is… in Australia! The Cornwall one in the book is totally fictional, though, to my disappointment.

Thank you for the book, Emma! This was a delight to read!

A Kobo e-reader with the cover of A New Start at the Happily Ever After Bookshop is resting in the had of someone on top of a duvet cover.
Photo: Mittens and Sunglasses © 2026

Book Review: Secret Garden, written by Katie Fford

Mittens and Sunglasses

I recently read A Secret Garden, written by Katie Fford. I bought the book last year, and I must admit I was pretty excited to dive into it!

Not surprisingly, it ended up being a lovely read. I loved the multi generation characters, especially the fact one of the main characters is in her 50’s!

This is a book on love and friendship, family, and gardens. 💐💕

This was the third book by Katie Fford I’ve read, and I’m definitively going to read more!

The book A Secret carden on top of a orangy blanket and a crocheted granny square. To the left bottom there are dried roses in different colours.
Photo: Mittens and Sunglasses © 2026

Book Review: Of Beasts, written by M. Jane Worma

Mittens and Sunglasses

[AD // NETGALLEY ARC]

I was given Of Beasts, a novella written by M. Jane Worma, as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion on the book. It was tagged as horror and LGBTQIAP+, and my thoughts were that this might very well be up my alley.

A Kobo and a cup of coffee are placed on a wooden table suface. On the Kobo the cover of Of Beasts is featured.
Photo: Mittens and Sunglasses © 2026

This book is set in the US state Texas, and we have two main characters. There’s Dante, a young man of Protestant Christian faith, and Jude, the pastor of the small church Dante attends. The two has a very passionate relationship, but since they’re two men, they have to keep it secret.

One night their god starts to speak to them through visions in dreams. It turns out that Dante is the Antichrist, sent to Earth to kick off the apocalypse, and Jude is the loyal man of his god, who will do what his god tells him, even though that means taking the life of the person he loves.

The book started with a bit of a bang. To be frank, it started with a very spicy sex scene. Normally I’m not too crazy about sex scenes, but in this book it actually had a function. I don’t want to go into too many details, as I really don’t want to spoil it.

I was curious to see how I liked this book, as it’s very heavy on Christian mythology. I’ve talked on my YouTube channel previously, as well as here on the blog, about how I often feel like Christian mythology tend to be very overdone. It’s something I rarely am able to connect to, especially if there are a lot of deamons, possessed people, and such things. In this book, however, it worked really well. It was done in a way that was a bit different to most other books and films I’ve seen. Also, I much prefer it in horror, rather than in fantasy books.

As this was a novella, it wasn’t very long. That being said, I didn’t mind the length, it actually felt like the perfect length for the book. The pacing was well done. Also, I quite liked the writing style. I’m curious to what the author will come up with in the future.

The book is a debut story, and is to be published 10 February 2026.

Book Review: Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop, by Kiley Dunbar

Mittens and Sunglasses

As per usual in December, I crave British cozy Christmas romance books, and Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop, by Kiley Dunbar ended up being the one I read at Christmas time here.

Magnús Sturluson used to own a bookshop in Iceland, but had to close down. He’s dealing with depression, and is sent off to England by family to “borrow” a bookshop there. Alexandra Robinson has stranded in the same town, after running away from her life on a boat. They’re drawn towards each other, but it’s not without problems…

It was perfect as my December read! Also – Icelandic hero! So cozy! This as a great Christmas read! 😍🎄📚

The book is held up with a decorated Christmas tree in the background.
Photo: Mittens and Sunglasses © 2025

Book Review: Sense and Suitability, written by Pepper Basham

Mittens and Sunglasses

[AD // NETGALLEY ARC]

I was given the regency rom-com Sense and Suitability, written by Pepper Basham and narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Christopher Ashman as an audiobook ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

It’s no secret that I am a huge Jane Austen fan, and that I’ve read a fair share of Jane Austen retellings, so when I saw Sense and Suitability on NetGalley on NetGalley, I knew I just had to request it. I was very happy to be approved, and was quite excited to dive into the audiobook.

The <i>Sense and Suitability</i> audiobook cover. Two people standing in front of the entrance of a house, framed by flowers. They're both leaning against their own door frame.This book is told from two points of view, alternating between our heroine, Emmeline Lockhart, and our hero Simon Reeves. At the beginning of the book we learn that Emmeline expects Simon to ask for her hand in marriage, but at the last minute something happens so that Simon changes his mind, and Emmeline is left with a broken heart. Not only is this a bit of a scandal in their society, but she also carries a big secret that she has to hide, even from not only Simon, but also most of her own family…

I must admit it took me a while to get into this book. Even though I loved the narrators, there was something that didn’t quite sit right with me. Mostly something I couldn’t quite put my finger on… Fortunately this changed after a bit, and I ended up really enjoying it.

I ended up really loving most of the characters, though there were a couple of annoying “villains” (mind you, they were not meant to be anything but). Though it’s clear that the book is in no way written back in the actual regency period (the language is naturally too modern for that), it’s also very much written in the spirit of Jane Austen. I even think that if Jane Austen had lived today, she’d enjoyed this book, and also would have been honoured by the homage paid to her own books in this novel.

For people who enjoy romance with little to no spice, I can reassure you that there’s not any in this book. The most spicy scenes are kisses, the rest is left up to your own imagination.

I found this book to be a fun and heartwarming read in the end, and would advice people not to give uo should you, like me, struggle a bit at the beginning.

Book Review: The Scary Book of Fairy Tales, written by Tim Rayborn

Mittens and Sunglasses

[AD // NETGALLEY ARC]

I got The Scary Book of Fairy Tales, written by Tim Rayborn and narrated by Dennis Kleinman, as an audiobook ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
Book cover.
I’m not gonna lie, I loooove fairy tales! I always have. I gobbeled up all sorts as a kid: Asbjørnsens and Moe (of course, they’re Norwegian), The borthers Grimm, H. C. Andersen, 1001 Nights, and whatever I could get my hands on. When I saw The Scary Book of Fairy Tales, written by Tim Rayborn, as a “listen now” on Netgalley, I knew I just had to grab it.

I run audiobooks on at least 1.5 speed, but the narrator, Dennis Kleinman, sounded good from what I could tell. I’m definitively glad it wasn’t AI. I’ve only once tried an audiobook narrated by AI, and I didn’t stand it. It’s clear that this was read by a voice actor, thank goodness!

This is a collection of fairy tales that claims to be the original. When it comes to collected fairy tales, it’s hard to know how they actually were originally, but this is how they were when they were collected. There are also some fairy tales that have been “disneyfied” later, i.e. made more “family friendly”, like H.C. Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. When I was a kid, a lot of the fairy tales I read were not the disneyfied. I remember having this book containing the brothers Grimm’s “Snow White”, and I clearly remember the description of the chopping off toes and heels. Pretty bloody.

I know this might sound strange to many, but I found this book delightful. Some stories were quite familiar to me, but many I had never heard or read before. I especially enjoyed the once from all over the world. This is a book I would highly recommend to all lovers of fairy tales, gruesome stories, and folklore!