Hello all! Hope you're all enjoying the summer! I'm currently on holiday in a huge castle in the South of France and enjoying relaxing, playing games, and of course reading a lot!  Today's post is a review of a dreamy summer romance that's perfect for your holiday TBRs! Title:  A Sky Painted Gold Author:  Laura Wood Series:   n/a Pages:   356 Publisher:  Scholastic Date of Publication:  5th July, 2018 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: Growing up in her sleepy Cornish village dreaming of being a writer, sixteen-year-old Lou has always wondered about the grand Cardew house which has stood empty for years. And when the owners arrive for the summer - a handsome, dashing brother and sister - Lou is quite swept off her feet and into a world of moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond her wildest dreams. But, as she grows closer to the Cardews, is she abandoning her own ambitions... And is there...

Title:  The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow Author:  Katherine Woodfine Series:   The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, #2 Pages:   320 Publisher:  Egmont Date of Publication:  4th June, 2015 Source:  Library Synopsis from Goodreads: You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair’s department store! Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villians to justice… My Thoughts: I borrowed The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow  from the library on a whim when I was pretty sure I didn't have time to read it but because it has the most gorgeous cover I couldn't resist.  I don't read that much middle grade, but som...

Title:  Lies We Tell Ourselves  Author:  Robin Talley Series:  Pages:   336 Publisher:  Mira Ink Date of Publication:  3rd October, 2014 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever. Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily. Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town’s most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept “separate but equal.” Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another. Boldly realistic and emotionally compelling, Lies We Tell Ourselves is a brave and stunning ...

Title:  Murder Most Unladylike Author:  Robin Stevens Series:   Wells and Wong, #1 Pages:   324 Publisher:  Corgi Date of Publication:  5th June, 2014 Source:  for review from Corgi via NetGalley Synopsis from Goodreads: Deepdean School for Girls, 1934. When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own deadly secret detective agency, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't, really.) But then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She thinks it must all have been a terrible accident - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls know a murder must have taken place . . . and there's more than one person at Deepdean with a motive. Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove a murder happened in the first place. Determined to ge...

Title:  The Blood List Author: Sarah Naughton Series:  Standalone Pages:  304 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication: 27th February, 2014 Source: Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: The year is 1646, tales of witches, murder and changelings are rife and a dark era is about to begin… Barnaby Nightingale is the perfect son; Strong, handsome, daring, everything his father wants him to be, and yet for his mother, Frances, he will never be the son she desires. Frances believes that her real son was taken from her as a baby by the local village folk who believed him to be a changeling, and Barnaby left in his place. Constantly disappointing his mother, Barnaby is spoiled by his father and despised by his younger brother, Abel. But when the beautiful and mysterious Naomi catches Barnaby's attention his world is thrown into chaos as superstition and dark folklore take hold of the small village and Naomi is accused of being a witch. Fea...

Hello! Today I have an awesome blog post from the author of The Hanged Man Rises , Sarah Naughton, talking about ghosts! Do you believe in ghosts, and can you still be scared of things you don't believe in? __________ When their parents are killed in a fire, Titus Adams and his little sister Hannah are left to fend for themselves in the cruel and squalid slums of Victorian London. Taking shelter with his friend and saviour, Inspector Pilbury, Titus should feel safe. But though the inspector has just caught and hung a notorious child-murderer, the murders haven't stopped. Now everyone is a suspect, even the inspector himself, and unless Titus can find a way to end the killings, he will lose all that is dear to him. For this evil cannot be contained, even by death. __________ The Hanged Man Rises is my first book and it’s about two of my favourite things: London and ghosts.  London’s an old city and it has a lot of ghosts: you’re walking their streets, trav...

Title:  The Hanged Man Rises Author:  Sarah Naughton Series: Standalone Pages: 234 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication: 28th February 2013 Source: Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: When their parents are killed in a fire, Titus Adams and his little sister Hannah are left to fend for themselves in the cruel and squalid slums of Victorian London. Taking shelter with his friend and saviour, Inspector Pilbury, Titus should feel safe. But though the inspector has just caught and hung a notorious child-murderer, the murders haven't stopped. Now everyone is a suspect, even the inspector himself, and unless Titus can find a way to end the killings, he will lose all that is dear to him. For this evil cannot be contained, even by death. My Thoughts: I haven't read a historical book for a while, so I was really excited to get started with The Hanged Man Rises , and it was great to read something different. It was a quick, fun read ...

Title:  The Diviners Author:  Libba Bray Series:  The Diviners, #1 Pages: 592 Publisher:  ATOM Date of Publication:  18th September 2012 Source:  Borrowed from Cicely * Synopsis from Goodreads: It's 1920s New York City. It's flappers and Follies, jazz and gin. It's after the war but before the depression. And for certain group of bright young things it's the opportunity to party like never before. For Evie O'Neill, it's escape. She's never fit in in small town Ohio and when she causes yet another scandal, she's shipped off to stay with an uncle in the big city. But far from being exile, this is exactly what she's always wanted: the chance to show how thoroughly modern and incredibly daring she can be. But New York City isn't about just jazz babies and follies girls. It has a darker side. Young women are being murdered across the city. And these aren't crimes of passion. They're gruesome. They're planned. They bear a st...

Hey! Welcome to my stop of the blog tour for Debutantes  by Cora Harrison! I have a great guest post from the author herself, and I've also posted my review here. (will link once posted!) __________ It’s 1923 and London is a whirl of jazz, dancing and parties. Violet, Daisy, Poppy and Rose Derrington are desperate to be part of it, but stuck in an enormous crumbling house in the country, with no money and no fashionable dresses, the excitement seems a lifetime away. Luckily the girls each have a plan for escaping their humdrum country life: Rose wants to be a novelist, Poppy a jazz musician and Daisy a famous film director. Violet, however, has only one ambition: to become the perfect Debutante, so that she can go to London and catch the eye of Prince George, the most eligible bachelor in the country. But a house as big and old as Beech Grove Manor hides many secrets, and Daisy is about to uncover one so huge it could ruin all their plans—ruin everything—forever. _______...

Title:  Debutantes Author:  Cora Harrison Series: N/A Pages:   320 Publisher:  MacMillan Children's Books Date of Publication:  2nd August 2012 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: It’s 1923 and London is a whirl of jazz, dancing and parties. Violet, Daisy, Poppy and Rose Derrington are desperate to be part of it, but stuck in an enormous crumbling house in the country, with no money and no fashionable dresses, the excitement seems a lifetime away. Luckily the girls each have a plan for escaping their humdrum country life: Rose wants to be a novelist, Poppy a jazz musician and Daisy a famous film director. Violet, however, has only one ambition: to become the perfect Debutante, so that she can go to London and catch the eye of Prince George, the most eligible bachelor in the country. But a house as big and old as Beech Grove Manor hides many secrets, and Daisy is about to uncover one so huge it could ruin all their plans—ruin ev...

Title:  Vixen  Author:  Jillian Larkin Series:  The Flappers, #1 Pages:  400 Publisher:  Corgi Date of Publication:  1st March 2012 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination. Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they? Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . . Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. Whe...

Hey, welcome to my stop on the VIII by Harriet Castor blog tour! It's especially exciting today, as it's release day, and I'm lucky enough to be celebrating with a Q&A with Harriet herself! The answers are great, and the book is so good, so if you're a historical fiction fan (and even if you're not), read on! :D __________ Hi Harriet, welcome to Cheezyfeet Books! Tell us a little bit about yourself! Hi Cheezyfeet! Many thanks for having me here. Well, I’m a Tudor history obsessive, trained dance notator and Fred Astaire fan. (Erm, does that sound like a weird combination?) I’ve had more than 40 children’s books published, plus 1 adult novel, but VIII is my first YA novel. And I’m so excited about it! Why did you decide to become an author? Was it always a dream of yours, or did a story idea just pop into you head and you just had to write it down? I’ve always loved writing stories, but I wrote my first published book almost by accident. I wa...

Title:  VIII Author:  HM Castor Series:  N/A Pages:  336 Publisher:  Templar Date of Publication:  1st October 2011 Source: Publisher* Synopsis: Think you know Henry VIII? Think again. VIII is the story of Hal, a boy of extraordinary talents. Astonishing warrior skills. Sharp intelligence. And a fierce sense of honour and virtue. He believes he is destined for greatness. His father wishes he would disappear. Haunted by the ghosts of his family’s violent past, Hal embarks on a journey that leads him to absolute power, and brings him face to face with his demons. My Thoughts: I didn't know much about Henry VIII, apart from that he had six wives and he was fat. I didn't know the order of the wives, only that they were divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Now that I've read VIII though, I feel like I know a lot more. I haven't read many historical novels, but I love them so much. It doesn't matter what time period,...

Title: Revolution Author: Jennifer Donnelly Series: Standalone Pages: 472 Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK)/Delacorte Books for Young Readers (US) Date of UK Publication: 13th October 2010 Source: Borrowed from Library Synopsis from Goodreads: BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break. PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape. Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in...