Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I have had a lovely day of reading today which is just what I needed.
I received another book as a birthday present this week and it is quite intriguing as it is by an author I have never come across before.
One Day by David Nicholls
This isn’t my usual choice of book but I am looking forward to reading it and discovering a new author.
The Teashop Girls is a warm and moving tale of friendship and love in wartime, by the bestselling author of the Woolworths series, Elaine Everest.
It is early 1940 and World War Two has already taken a hold on the country. Rose Neville works as a Lyon’s Teashop Nippy on the Kent coast alongside her childhood friends, the ambitious Lily and Katie, whose fiancé is about to be posted overseas in the navy. As war creates havoc in Europe, Rose relies on the close friendship of her friends and her family.
When Capt. Benjamin Hargreaves enters the teashop one day, Rose is immediately drawn to him. But as Lyon’s forbids courting between staff and customers, she tries to put the handsome officer out of her mind.
In increasingly dark and dangerous times, Rose fears there may not be time to waste. But is the dashing captain what he seems?
Review
Now I will be honest, I have read this series in completely the wrong order. I read book two Christmas with the Teashop Girls back in 2021 and I really enjoyed it. I intended to read the next books in the series a lot earlier than this but I’m never great with a series. So for a recent holiday I downloaded this book to my Kindle and it was the perfect holiday read.
Set in the 1940’s the book introduces us to the characters Rose, Lily and Katie. Rose, Lily and Katie all live in Kent and have been friends since childhood and now all work at the Lyon’s Teashop as Nippy’s. The book focuses on ups and downs of the three friends lives but also the ups and downs of WWII and how the war influences people’s lives.
Katie has a fiance who is about to be posted overseas in the Navy but Rose and Lily are both single. However, when the handsome Benjamin Hargreaves enters Rose’s life she is immediately drawn to him. Benjamin isn’t just a handsome face he is also kind hearted and generous and willing to help anyone in need. Benjamin is a huge hit with whoever he meets.
I really enjoyed reading about Rose, Katie and Lily again but my favourite is Flora. Flora is Rose’s mom and she is wonderful. Flora is hardworking, running her guesthouse but also helping with the war effort in any way she can. Flora never stops and will help anyone who needs aid but she will also stand no messing from anyone.
Learning about the Lyon’s Teashop was really interesting in this book and I also enjoyed the book being set in WWII. I had forgotten how much I enjoy Everest’s work and I look forward to reading book 3 in the series. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.
🐲🐲🐲🐲
About the author
Elaine Everest was born and brought up in northwest Kent and has written widely – both short stories and features – for women’s magazines. When she isn’t writing, Everest runs The Write Place creative writing school in Dartford Kent, and the blog for Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I really hope everyone has had a good start to the week. I have had a lovely day meeting up with my best friend and visiting a National Trust place.
My chosen book to feature this week is a non fiction book that I am quite excited to read.
Cleopatra’s Daughter by Jane Draycott
The first biography of Cleopatra Selene – daughter of Cleopatra VII – princess, prisoner and African queen.
In 1895, archaeologists excavating a villa outside Pompeii discovered a hoard of Roman silverware. In the centre of one dish was a female figure with thick, curly hair, deep-set eyes, a slightly hooked nose and a strong jaw, and sporting an elephant scalp headdress. Modern scholars believe this woman is Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the infamous Cleopatra and Mark Antony.
Using this discovery as her starting-point, Jane Draycott recreates the life and times of a remarkable woman. Unlike her siblings, who were either executed as threat to Rome’s new ruler, Augustus, or simply forgotten, Cleopatra Selene survived and prospered. She was a princess who became a prisoner; a prisoner who became a queen; an Egyptian who became Roman; and a woman who became a powerful ruler in her own right at a time when women were marginalised. Her life shines new light on the conflict between the politics, culture and history of Rome and Egypt, as well as the relationship between Rome and one of its most significant allied kingdoms, Mauretania.
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
It was my birthday this week and I was very lucky and received some lovely books. I can’t wait to get reading them all.
She Says She’s My Daughter by Lauren North – Has sat on my wish list for a very long time so I was really excited to finally receive a copy to read.
Cleopatra’s Daughter by Jane Draycott – Is another book that has been sat on my wish list for a very long time.
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney – I was so excited to receive this from my wonderful husband and I can’t wait to read it!
Feminist History for Everyday of the Year by Kate Mosse – This was another book that I asked for for my birthday and I was so happy to receive it from my in laws.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – Another birthday gift from my wonderful husband. It is absolutely beautiful and I can’t stop looking at it.
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good start to the week. I have had a busy day of teaching but it has also been my birthday and I have received some absolutely stunning books which I will share with you later in the week.
My chosen book to feature this week is another new addition to the TBR pile but one I hope to read soon.
Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory
Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor court, where secrets are currency, every choice is dangerous, and even the faintest whisper can seal the fate of queens.
For Jane, survival demands playing every role required of her: a loving wife who conceals her doubts, a devoted sister to Anne Boleyn at the height of her power, and an obedient spy who carefully wields her words. But in a court ruled by ambition and a tyrant’s sword, Jane must rely on her sharp wit and skillful maneuvering to outthink those around her, knowing that one wrong move could cost her everything.
Philippa Gregory masterfully shines a spotlight on the untold story of Jane Boleyn, peeling back the myths to reveal a complex portrait of a woman who dared to survive at any cost. Perfect for fans of thrilling historical drama and readers captivated by the intrigue of the Tudor period, Boleyn Traitor is a must-read.
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
I’ve had one preordered book arrive this week and I am very excited because it has been a very long time since I have read a book by Philippa Gregory. I’m really hoping to read it soon.
It has been centuries since the Draconic Army took wing, almost extinguishing humankind.
Marosa Vetalda is a prisoner in her own home, controlled by her cold father, King Sigoso. Over the mountains, her betrothed, Aubrecht Lievelyn, rules Mentendon in all but name. Together, they intend to usher in a better world.
A better world seems impossibly distant to Estina Melaugo, who hunts the Draconic beasts that have slept across the world for centuries.
And now the great wyrm Fýredel is stirring, and Yscalin will be the first to fall . . .
Review
I had this book preordered for ages as I absolutely love The Roots of Chaos series. When the book arrived I was very shocked how short the book was. After reading the two bricks A Day of Fallen Night and The Priory of the Orange Tree I was a little disappointed at how short Among the Burning Flowers is.
Among the Burning Flowers tells the story of the fall of Yscalin and how the once faithful kingdom came under draconic rule. The story is told from multiple points of view and I thought those voices were very well chosen. Melaugo is an outlaw and dragon hunter and a character who reappears in Priory of the Orange Tree. Sadly Melaugo’s point of view was dropped around half way through the book, which I really missed.
The bulk of the book is told from the point of view of Marosa who is the Donmata of Yscalin. Due to the bulk of the story being told from Marisa’s point of view her character had a lot more depth and back story that I really enjoyed. I also really enjoyed seeing just how much pressure she was under and just how difficult her life becomes. She is constantly on a knife edge.
I found it a shame that we didn’t get more from Melaugo but I thought it was clever that we got two points of view who were worlds apart. Marosa is royalty and lives a privileged life, Melaugo’s life is far from privileged and heavily influenced by the decisions made by royalty and the land’s rulers.
This book immediately hooked me in and I loved the descriptions of Marisa’s home, the idea of a land of flowers with a river of a lava through was fantastic. This book is beautifully written and my only complaint is that it was too short! I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.
🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲
About the author
Samantha Shannon is the New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Bone Season series. From 2010 to 2013 she studied English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. Her fourth novel, The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019), was her first outside of the series. It has sold over a million copies in English alone, and was a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards 2020. Its standalone prequel, A Day of Fallen Night (2023), won the gold medal in the Fantasy category at the Ippy Awards 2024.
Samantha’s work has been translated into twenty-seven languages. Her most recent book is The Dark Mirror (2025), the fifth instalment in the Bone Season series.
Aphrodite saw the gods on Mount Olympus and decided she wanted a piece of what they had. Only problem is, she’s not a goddess, just a lowly being who’s supposed to remain in a distant cave, keeping the threads of Fate woven neatly. But Aphrodite’s never let anyone tell her what to do…
Weaving herself a web of lies and careful deceptions, she convinces everyone she’s the goddess of love and that her rightful place is among the Olympians, who lord it over everyone else at the top of the world, but under the stifling rule of Zeus. For the first time, she has the best of everything, as well as friends, peers, even loved ones. Only, being a goddess isn’t quite like she thought. Those who oppose Zeus tend to disappear, or worse. And one day, Aphrodite decides she’s had enough…
I have had a nice quiet Sunday which has involved some reading. I’m still behind with my book reviews but I’m hoping next week I can start to catch up a little.
Lady Book Dragon 