My Five Favourite July 2023 Reads @HoZ_Books @Epoque_Press @Confingo

I managed to read eleven books in July although I don’t know quite how. Here are the five I liked best. Links from each title will take you to my review.

You can find a list of all the books I’ve read so far in 2023 here.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

My thanks to Confingo, epoque press and Head of Zeus (twice) for providing me with review copies.


The Blood of Others by Graham Hurley (Head of Zeus) – Bringing to life the disastrous Dieppe raid by the Allies in August 1942, the book is an unflinching picture of the chaos, confusion and horror of war

In Defence of the Act by Effie Black (epoque press) – Jessica is fascinated by the perplexing tendency of humans to end their own lives but secretly believes such acts may not be that bad after all… or at least, she did.

The Painter of Souls by Philip Kazan (Orion) – A fictionalised account of the life of Renaissance painter, Filippo Lippi, charting his rise from orphan and street urchin to Carmelite friar and confidante of the Medicis.

Para Bellum by Simon Turney (Head of Zeus) – Set in the 4th century Roman Empire, an action-packed story of revenge with the feel and pace of a thriller.

The Unheard by Anne Worthington (Confingo) – A moving, powerful and beautifully written novel about memory, love and loss.

My Five Favourite Reads July 23

What were the best books you read last month? Have you read any of my picks?

My Five Favourite June 2023 Reads @littlebrown @HarperCollins @HoZ_Books @MantleBooks @QuercusBooks

I read nine books in June, one more than last month, and they were all pretty good but below are the five I liked best. Links from each title will take you to my review. You can find a list of all the books I’ve read so far in 2023 here.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

My thanks to Harper Collins, Head of Zeus, Mantle and Quercus for providing me with review copies, most via NetGalley.

Ancestry by Simon Mawer (Little, Brown) – Shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, a fascinating and compelling fictionalised account of the lives of some of the author’s ancestors

The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor (Harper Collins) – An emotional and moving historical novel inspired by the true story of the sinking of the SS City of Benares, a ship carrying child evacuees from England to supposed safety in Canada in September 1940

The Wall by Adrian Goldsworthy (Head of Zeus) – The action-packed, thrilling final book in the author’s City of Victory series set in 2nd Century Roman Britain

The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle) – An enthralling, twisty, rip-roaring romp of a historical novel that will keep you turning the pages

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai (Quercus) – An absorbing multi-generational story about love, loss, motherhood and the healing of fractured family relationships

What were the best books you read last month? Have you read any of my picks?

My Five Favourite Reads (6)