My February Reads
It’s spring! Well, meteorologically speaking anyway. We’ll have to wait until March 20th for the spring equinox but I’m taking comfort from the fact that, as far as many people are concerned, it’s spring already.
Spring has long been my favourite season. The light begins to return after so much darkness. The blossoms appear on the trees. The daffodils bloom. The fields are full of lambs. Everything is bursting with new life, and there’s hope in the air, and the promise of better times ahead. And by heck, don’t we all need that promise right now!
So more than ever I’ve been looking forward to spring, and I’m determined to keep the faith and enjoy every day for what it is.
I’m glad winter is fading into the past, although I have to admit I don’t think it’s felt as long as it usually does to me. January used to go on for years in my mind, but the last couple of years it’s flown by, and February had ended practically as soon as I’d turned the page over on the calendar from January!
I spent most of February writing, so I didn’t read as many books as I managed in January. But I did read seven, and I enjoyed them all.
I also ticked off two of my Book Bingo 2025 squares - a book by a favourite author, and the first book in a series that’s new to me.
So without further ado, here are my February reads. I hope you find something you’d like to try here.
The Impulse Purchase by Veronica Henry
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(Square 2 in my 2025 Book Bingo ticked: A book by one of my favourite authors.)
Cherry, Maggie and Rose are mother, daughter and granddaughter, each with their own hopes, dreams and even sorrows. They have always been close, so when, in a moment of impulse, Cherry buys a gorgeous but rundown pub in the village she grew up in, it soon becomes a family affair.
All three women uproot themselves and move to Rushbrook, deep in the heart of Somerset, to take over The Swan and restore it to its former glory. Cherry is at the helm, Maggie is in charge of the kitchen, and Rose tends the picturesque garden that leads down to the river.
Before long, the locals are delighted to find the beating heart of the village is back, bringing all kinds of surprises through the door.
Could Cherry's impulse purchase change all their lives - and bring everyone the happiness they're searching for?
Escape to the glorious Somerset countryside with this joyful and uplifting story of family, love and hope.
The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie
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(The February choice for the Read Christie 2025 Challenge.)
A weekly dinner party
Ten amateur sleuths
The Tuesday Night Club murders
On a quiet Tuesday in St Mary Mead, a group of friends gather for dinner.
A policeman, a clergyman, a solicitor, an author, an artist, and an unassuming lady with a shrewd gaze – Miss Jane Marple. Conversation naturally turns to crime.
Each recounts a seemingly unsolvable mystery. Each thinks they know the answer.
But it’s the one they least expect who understands the true nature of each wicked act…
Never underestimate Miss Marple.
The Ravenswood Witch by Jenni Keer
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‘There are a lot of shadows at Ravenswood, so you will need to be strong…’
The year is 1885 and a young woman is on the run, knowing if she’s caught, she’ll be hanged for murder. Moments from a safe haven, she collides with a gruff stranger, falling and breaking her ankle.
To her surprise, the man – Marcus Greybourne – convinces the local constable that she is his reclusive wife of ten years, Luna. He carries her back to the neglected and crumbling Ravenswood Hall, promising if she agrees to maintain this charade, he will keep her safe until her injuries have healed.
But the house is haunted by shadows and secrets. What’s more, the real Luna Greybourne is missing, without trace. Scratches and marks made by her around the house suggest witchcraft; and indeed Luna is known locally as the Ravenswood Witch; her reputation in tatters, like the wallpapers of the padlocked rooms she’d destroyed.
As strange happenings in the house continue, outside the screech of a raven echoes across oppressive woods that seem alive with dark magic. And the woman who is now pretending to be Luna can’t help but fear she’s escaped the noose for a far more terrible fate…
All Change on Crumcarey by Beth Rain
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Welcome back to the windswept shores of Crumcarey Island!
Peter Marshall is sick of being sent on the assignments none of the other writers want. When his long-awaited tropical trip turns into a short stay on a cold, wet Scottish Island, he’s less than happy.
Bang goes the factor fifty…
Say goodbye to the shorts and sunnies…
It’s time to bulk-buy the midge-spray instead!
Still – re-writing Crumcarey’s pitiful guidebook shouldn’t take too long. Peter’s got a plan to give his local guide the slip, get the job done as quickly as possible, and then get off the island before the storm clouds roll in.
Rowan McEwan needs a break from her life in the city. She’s always adored living in Edinburgh, but now…
There seem to be exes lurking around every corner…
The office holds one very angry boss…
And she’s not sure what she wants to do with her life, but it’s definitely not this!
Crumcarey is calling her home… at least for a little while. All she wants is to avoid any complications of the romantic kind - so it’s just as well there’s precisely zero phwoar-factor at work on the island!
The last thing she needs is to be roped in as a babysitter for some idiot writer.
The last thing he needs is a local getting in his way.
All it takes is a nice warm bath and a dropped towel… and all bets are off.
The Black Hat Inn by K.T. Dady
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The Black Hat Inn is a standalone story in the Honeydale Novellas series that features recurring characters.
Winnie Hart takes pity on the homeless man she finds sleeping in her storage barn. He is so poorly, she can’t help but settle him into one of her rooms at her inn. Once Tom is better, she gets to really know him.
At least, she thinks she does until she discovers he’s been keeping a secret from her…
Stop Worrying, Start Writing by Sarah Painter
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Do you want to write but can’t seem to get started? Are you struggling to finish your novel or frustrated by your slow progress? Perhaps you are starting to worry that you aren’t cut out for the writing life…
Let bestselling novelist and host of the Worried Writer podcast, Sarah Painter, show you how to skip past negativity, free-up writing time, cope with self-doubt, and beat procrastination.
Along with mega successful authors such as C.L.Taylor, Mark Edwards, and Julie Cohen, Sarah will show you how to:
Smash writing blocks to finish stories fasterManage self-doubt so that it doesn’t stop you creating
Trick yourself into being more productive
Schedule your time to maximise your writing output and satisfaction
Plus many more tips and tricks!
Packed with honest, supportive, and hard-won advice, this is your practical guide to getting the work done.
Don't let creative anxiety kill your writing dreams: Stop Worrying and Start Writing today!
Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce
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(The third square in my Book Bingo 2025 ticked off: The first book in a series new to me.)
Set during London's blitz and filled with warmth, wit and heartbreak, Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce is a wartime story about the power of friendship, the kindness of strangers and the courage of ordinary people.
London, 1941. Amid the falling bombs Emmeline Lake dreams of becoming a fearless Lady War Correspondent. Unfortunately, Emmy instead finds herself employed as a typist for the terrifying Henrietta Bird, the renowned agony aunt at Woman’s Friend magazine. Mrs Bird refuses to read, let alone answer, letters containing any form of Unpleasantness, and definitely not letters from the women the war has left lovelorn, grief-stricken or conflicted.
But the thought of these desperate women waiting for an answer becomes impossible for Emmy to ignore. She decides she simply must help and secretly starts to write back – after all, what harm could that possibly do?
