Books I loved But Can’t Seem to Review

Hello Readers,
I have a collection of books that I adore but I can’t seem to be able to review them as “I love this book, so you’ll love this book” or “READ THIS BOOK” isn’t really a review. I have attempted on multiple occasions to review these books by these authors, and I just can’t seem to write more than “I love this book to death”.
 
Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury 

Thoughts: Hold Back the Tide is an incredibly intense novel. One thing I love about Melinda is that she knows how to craft an atmosphere, and I loved every second of it. I was not prepared for that ending.

Blurb: Everyone in this quiet lakeside community knows that Alva's father killed her mother all those years ago. There wasn't enough proof to arrest him, though, and with no other family, Alva's been forced to live with her mother's murderer, doing her best to survive until she can earn enough money to run away.

One of her chores is to monitor water levels in the loch - a task her father takes very seriously. Their family has been the guardian of the loch for generations. It's a cold, lonely task, and a few times, Alva can swear she feels someone watching her.

But the more Alva investigates, the more she realises that the truth can be more monstrous than lies, and that you can never escape your past…
 
Murder on a School Night by Kate Weston

Thoughts: I adored this book not only did it have me in fits of laughter, but I was hooked on finding out who the period product killer was. I enjoyed the friendship between the two main characters. The witty humour had me from start to finish, and suspense that in enjoy in a thriller/scary book. I can’t wait to read Murder on a Summer Break.
 
Blurb: A hilarious murder mystery–room-com from author and comedian Kate Weston investigates the sinister side of social media when bullying turns bloody—and a string of classmate deaths by menstrual cup and sanitary pad sets amateur sleuth Kerry hot on the trail of a menstrual murderer. Perfect for fans of Truly Devious and Fleabag.

There’s never a good time to find a dead body, sure. But what about finding a dead body while you’re trying to kiss your crush? Kerry had different plans for her first high school party—like not going. All she wanted to do was stay home in the safety of retro rom-coms and her strict retainer schedule. Instead, her BFF, fiercely outgoing mystery-fanatic Annie, has roped her into going to the party to investigate who’s cyberbullying Heather, the most popular girl in school.

Finding herself getting close with her dreamy crush is odd enough, but when the two of them discover Heather’s second in command, Selena, suffocated with a menstrual cup, things get really weird. And when a second student turns up dead, this time with a sanitary pad across the eyes, Annie, and Kerry no matter how much she resists—are officially on the case to stop the menstrual murderer... period.

Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Thoughts: I was lucky enough to be invited to an event where I manged to meet and talk to Linda about Princesses Behaving Badly and I couldn’t have run to buy my copy any quicker. This book didn’t disappoint.

Blurb: You think you know her story. You've read the Brothers Grimm, you've watched the Disney cartoons, and you cheered as these virtuous women lived happily ever after. But real princesses didn't always get happy endings. Sure, plenty were graceful and benevolent leaders, but just as many were ruthless in their quest for power and all of them had skeletons rattling in their royal closets. Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe was a Nazi spy. Empress Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian empire slept wearing a mask of raw veal. Princess Olga of Kiev slaughtered her way to sainthood while Princess Lakshmibai waged war on the battlefield, charging into combat with her toddler son strapped to her back. Princesses Behaving Badly offers true tales of all these princesses and dozens more in a fascinating read that's perfect for history buffs, feminists, and anyone seeking a different kind of bedtime story.
 
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Thoughts: Yes, I know the legend of Achilles and I knew how it would end but the sense of foreboding Madeline has underpinned within this book. My little black stone heart…You feel the devotion, the protection, and the heartbreak.

Blurb: Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. Achilles, “best of all the Greeks,” is everything Patroclus is not—strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess—and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative connection gives way to a steadfast friendship.

As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper—despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals. Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause.

Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate. Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame, and the human heart.
 
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

Thoughts: I was immediately pulled into the story as I was surprised the story started at the beginning at Medusa’s childhood by the sea and how her life was completely torn apart by Poseidon and Athene. I am glad that there are numerous Greek mythology retellings being released so we can explore these stories from new points of view.

Blurb: They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster. The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene's temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge--on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon's actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair, and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look; Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude.

Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon...