⭐️⭐️Jaffareadstoo ~ Books of the Year 2025 ⭐️⭐️

It's that time of year when I highlight those books which have made a lasting impression on me 

I hope you might discover something that inspires you to get lost a good book.

⭐️These are my favourite reads from 2025⭐️

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To all the blog readers and book bloggers who support our blog in so many ways 

To all these talented authors for sharing the gift of your imagination and to all the 

publishers who continue to support Jaffareadstoo in such generous ways.

To the Blog Tour operators who invite us to be part of exclusive blog tours

Books have taken me on the most wonderful armchair adventures 

I wish you all Happy Reading in 2026

📖 My 12 in 12 in 2025

It’s that time of year when I search my book lists 

to bring you my 12 books in 12 categories over the last year

📖 Twelve authors who were new to me: 

Laurent Westwood - The House of Second Chances 

Lisa Carter - Six Poppies

Diane Jeffrey -The Crime Writer

T J Emerson -The Last Mrs Sinclair

Rachel Wolf - SunTrap

Deborah Klée - The Evacuee’s Secret

Lou Gilmond - Divinity Games

Rhiannon Barnsley - Slander

Carla Kovach - My Husband’s Wife 

Ellie Monago - The Son-in-Law

John Pilkington - The Death of a Stranger

Michael Jecks - Pilgrim’s War

📖 Twelve authors I have read before: 

Joanna Toye -A New Chapter at the Little Penguin Bookshop

Liz Harris - The Woven Lie

Barbara Scott Emmett - Pink Lane

Alexandra Weston -The Lavender Bride

Rachel Burton -The House at River’s Edge

Jane Dunn -The Accidental Debutante

Georgina Moore - River of Stars

Lesley Pearse - The Girl with the Suitcase 

G D Wright - Into the Fire

Rebecca L Marsh - The Santa Hat

Anna Stuart - The President’s Wife

Rachel Brimble - The Widows Vow

📖 Twelve books from authors I know will never let me down: 

The Lake of Widows -Liza Perrat

The Players - Minette Walters

The Frozen People - Elly Griffiths

The Woman with All the Answers - Linda Green

Together again at the Cornish Country Hospital -Jo Bartlett

Booked for Summer - Kathryn Freeman

Over the Sea to Skye -Sue Moorcroft

The Writer - Valerie Keogh

Every Mother’s Nightmare -  SE Lynes

Same Time Next Week - Milly Johnson

Deadman’s Pool - Kate Rhodes

Live, Laugh, Leave Me Alone - Harper Ford

📖 Twelve Books which surprised me - in a good way :

January Conversations with Dogs - Di Slaney 

Elemental - Stephanie Bretherton (and others)

The Cure - Eve Smith

The Devil’s Draper -Donna Moore

Spring Pool - Miriam Darlington

The Herb Knot - Jane Loftus

Dirty Geese  - Lou Gilmond

Cyber Mental - Dolapo Aceyemi

Believe -   S M Govett

My Husband’s Wife - Carla Kovach

Arkansas Black - Alexander Blevens

Love, Laugh, Leave me Alone - Harper Ford

📖 Twelve books with covers I particularly liked: 

The House of Echoes - Alexandra Walsh

The House at River’s Edge - Rachel Burton

The Lamplighter’s Bookshop - Sophie Austin

Bitter Greens - Kate Forsyth

Dangerous - Essie Fox

The Washashore - Marshall Highet and Bird Jones 

The Girl from Normandy - Rachel Sweasey

The Hollywood Runaway - Alexandra Weston

The Emergency Poet - Deborah Alma

The Letter from the Island - Rose Alexander

Daughter of the Stones - Alexandra Walsh

The Forest Hideaway - Sharon Gosling

📖 Twelve books that took me by the hand and led me into the past:

Sizar -Susan Grossey 

Confessions of a Lady - Darcy McGuire

The Secrets of the Rose - Nicola Cornick 

The English Wife - Anna Stuart

Shadows in the Spring - Christina Courtenay 

The Dangerous Love of a Rogue -Jane Lark

Changing Times in Nuala - Harriet Steel

The Accidental Debutante - Jane Dunn

The Queen’s Necklace - Adrienne Chinn

The Women in the Shadows - Harriet Fox

Desolation - Keith Moray

Ripples through Time -  Christina Courtenay 

📖 Twelve books that led me into a life of crime: 

The Students - H M Lynn

Dead in the Water - Simon McCleave

Pink Lane - Barbara Scott Emett

The Boyfriend -John Nicholl

Manhattan Down -Michael Cordy

Double Stakes -Alison Morton

Black Gold - Rob Starr

One Dark Night - Hannah Rochelle

Anything for Her - Jack Jordan

To Love a Liar - Hayley Smith

Broken Bones - John Carson

Cold Blooded Killer - Alex Pine

📖 Twelve Debut Authors: 

Roiṡin O’Donnell - Nesting

The Show Woman - Emma Cowling

The Eights- Joanna Miller

Greater Sins - Gabrielle Griffiths

The Wolf Tree - Laura McCluskey

Grace of the Empire State - Gemma Tizzard 

The Herb Knot - Jane Loftus

Believe - S M Govett

Innocent Guilt - Remi Kone

The Woman in the Wallpaper - Lora Jones

The Marriage Contract - Sasha Butler

Seven Reasons to Murder your Dinner Guests - K J Whittle

📖 Twelve Featured Books of the Month: 

The Players - Minette Walters

Grace of the Empire State - Gemma Tizzard

Wolf Tree - Laura McCluskey

Greater Sins - Gabrielle Griffiths

Death on Wolf Fell - Nick Oldham

In the Family way - Laney Katz Becker

The Art of a Lie - Laura Shepherd Robinson

The Bride Stone - Sally Gardner

The Cut Throat Trial - S J Fleet

Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee - Charlie Higson

The Marriage Contract - Sasha Butler

His Other Woman - Valerie Keogh

📖 Twelve Books I bought for myself: 

Fairy Tale - Stephen King 

The Blackhouse - Carole Johnsone 

Vianne - Joanne Harris 

By Any Other Name - Jodi Picoult 

To the Women - Donna Ashworth 

The Final Vow - M W Craven 

The Frozen River - Ariel Lawhon

One - Eve Smith

Conclave - Robert Harris 

The House of Wolf - Tony Robinson

The Darkening Globe - Naomi Kelsey

Boleyn Traitor - Philippa Gregory

📖 Twelve Must Read Books : 

The Queen of Fives - Alex Hay 

Six Poppies - Lisa Carter

The Boyfriend - John Marrs

The Blackbirds of St Giles - Lila Cain

Dangerous - Essie Fox

The Quiet Wife - Felicity North

The Cure - Eve Smith

The Mourning Necklace - Kate Foster

River of Stars - Georgina Moore

The Foreshore - Samantha York

Our Last Wild Days - Anna Bailey

Theo of Golden - Allen Levi

📖 Twelve books I am looking forward to reading in 2026: 

The Trouble Maker - Lesley Kara

The Fox of Kensal Green - Richard Tyrell

I’ll be Watching You - Deborah Masson

Caller Unknown - Gillian McAllister

The Drowning Places - Sarah Hilary

The Sea Child - Laura Wilgus

A Death in Glasgow - Eve McCrae

American Fantasy - Emma Straub

The Infamous Gilberts - Angela Tomaski

Fireflies in Winter - Eleanor Shearer

The Last to Know -  Laura Jane Williams 

The Sea Stone Sisters -  Eleanor Buchanan

To all the blog readers and book bloggers who support our blog in so many ways 

To all these talented authors for sharing the gift of your imagination and to all the 

publishers who continue to support Jaffareadstoo in such generous ways.

To the Blog Tour operators who invite us to be part of exclusive blog tours

Books have taken me on the most wonderful armchair adventures 

Come back on the 31st December when I reveal the books I thought were extra-special

🎅🏻 Christmas Greetings 2025

I’m taking a short break now until the end of the year when I’ll be back on the 31st December to share my favourite Books of the Year. 

🎅🏻

Thank you for your company this year

Jaffareadstoo wishes you all a very Merry Christmas 

And all good wishes for 2026

🎅🏻🌲🎅🏻

📖 Book Review ~ Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Fontana 
2025

One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden. No one knows where he has come from…or why…

His name is Theo. And he asks a lot more questions than he answers.

Theo visits the local coffeehouse, where ninety-two pencil portraits hang on the walls, portraits of the people of Golden done by a local artist. He begins purchasing them, one at a time, and putting them back in the hands of their “rightful owners.” With each exchange, a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered.

A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another.

📖 My Review..

A mysterious octogenarian arrives in the small American town of Golden, known only by his first name, Theo, is intrigued by the beautifully drawn portraits which adorn the walls of the local coffee shop. An idea of returning the portraits to their original owners soon blossoms and with the help of a few people Theo begins his mission to purchase all ninety-two drawings. In returning them to their owners Theo learns much about the people of Golden and as he sprinkles a little of his magic over the town so lives begin to be changed by Theo’s special kindness.

Beautifully written, Theo of Golden is balm for the soul, it restored my faith in the goodness and kindness of strangers and showed that a good deed, however humble, can make such a difference to someone’s life. Paying it forward is not a new idea but the story does well to remind us of this concept and to live our lives with an awareness of others and to do good whenever and wherever we can.

“the best portion of a good person’s life is ‘the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

In this run up to Christmas , Theo of Golden is the book I never knew I needed to read but once read I know that I’ll never forget it.

About the Author

Allen Levi is attorney, judge, singer/songwriter and author. He lives in and cares for family acreage near a small town in Georgia, USA. Theo of Golden is his first novel.

🎅🏻 Festive Read ~ A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Naxos Audio Books
2006 
Running time: 3hours 13minutes 
Read by Anton Lesser

A Christmas Carol in prose. Being a ghost story of Christmas.

Well, no Christma is complete, for me, without my favourite Christmas classic and it's become something of tradition to re-read this atmospheric morality tale at this special time of year. This year however, I have decided to listen to an audio version, read by Anton Lesser and first recorded in 2006. This accomplished actor brings something rather special which added to my enjoyment of this classic Christmas ghost story.

A Christmas Carol was first published, in London, on the 19th December 1843, and the story was completely sold out by Christmas Eve. Since then it has never been out of print and has been translated into many languages.

Divided into five staves, or chapters, Dickens tells the story of that old curmudgeon, Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly money lender with not an ounce of Christmas spirit.  Scrooge exploits the good nature of his poor, but honest clerk, Bill Cratchit, only grudgingly allowing him a day off on Christmas Day on the understanding that he will "Be here all the earlier the day after "..

On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner Jacob Marley and is warned to mend his miserly ways, or else risk, like Marley, an eternity of doom, "I am here tonight to warn you that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate. A chance and hope of my procuring, Ebenezer."

Taken in hand by the Ghost of Christmas past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge is given a glimpse into his lost and lonely life, unloved by friends and shunned by strangers, and is then forced to reconsider his life, and the role he plays in the lives of others.

By no stretch of the imagination is A Christmas Carol a jolly, festive tale. However, there is no doubt that the story has stood the test of time and just as Charles Dickens chose to remind us of the need for charity and compassion,  so the premise of the story is just as valid today as it was in December 1843.

And so, as Tiny Tim observed, " God Bless Us, Every One! "

About the Author

Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.

Biography source : Goodreads

You can find out more about Charles Dickens by clicking here

You can  listen to a volunteer recording A Christmas Carol on Librivox by clicking here

You can read A Christmas Carol for free by going to Project Gutenberg by clicking here

🎅🏻 Festive Read ~ Almanac : Twelve Poems for 2026 from Candlestick Press

Candlestick Press
September 2026

My thanks to the publisher form my copy of this pamphlet 

Twelve beautiful poems for the months of the year: poems for birthdays, for special anniversaries, poems to simply say “I’m thinking of you this month, and isn’t nature wonderful?”.

Our Almanac for 2026 starts with a sleeping world waiting for “all the coloured retinue of spring” and ends with busy sparrows teaching the poet a new way of noticing, even in midwinter. All the poems in this vivid mini-anthology capture the essence of each season, showing how marvels of nature can transport us if we stop to look:

“Miracle of the fat pigeons in the road
and of the sun rising golden

and ancient
and of the hush of the sea…”

from ‘Miracle of the Solstice’ by Wendy Pratt

When our busy human lives need more joy in the moment, these twelve inspiring poems provide a little shot of comfort and delight.

Poems by Jane Burn, David Clarke, John Drinkwater, Victoria Gatehouse, Roz Goddard, Chris Hardy, Ted Kooser, George Marion McClellan, WS Merwin, Bic Pickup, Wendy Pratt and Tim Relf.

Cover illustration by Jane Burn

🎅🏻 My Review 

I have a fascination for an almanac filled with obscure facts about tide times and phases of the moon but I also enjoy a lovely poetry almanac which takes us month by month through the year. This is now the fifth almanac which has been lovingly selected by Candlestick Press and each of the twelve nature poems share something special.

Getting the anthology off to a fine start: 

Austere and clad in sombre robes of grey,

With hands up folded and with silent wings,

In unimpassioned mystery the day

Passes; a lonely thrush its requiem sings”

From January Dusk by John Drinkwater (1882-1937)

My favourite time of year is spring when the hawthorn blossom blooms and showers nature’s pathways with delicately tinted confetti and yet it’s also reminiscent of an older time when Beltane celebrations heralded the start of mother nature’s fertility.

“ She’s restless and Beltane wild,

Veil torn by its circlet of spines.

Who’d have thought a blossoming 

Could carry so much weight…"

From The Hawthorn Bride by Victoria Gatehouse

The twelve poems in this mini anthology have been selected to give us a sense of nature, sharing the months and seasons, bringing an awareness of the beauty of the natural world and giving us a way of escaping the reality of a time which can sometimes be challenging. With its stunningly beautiful floral cover Almanac : Twelve Poems for 2026 is a worthy addition to the publisher’s collection of Almanacs and is the perfect gift instead of a card to start the new year.

About the Publisher 

Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously produced poetry pamphlets that serve as a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Their subjects include Mountains, Clouds, Walking, Birds, Wine and Happiness. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.

Twitter/X @poetrycandle 

Blue Sky @candlestickpress.bsky.social

Website

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Widows Vow by Rachel Brimble

Boldwood
16 December 2025

My thanks to Boldwood for the invitation to read this book 

 

1851, England. After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath she knew nothing about the only things she has left of him.

To a new life as a madam…

Knowing the debt collectors will arrive any moment, Louisa must leave everything she knows behind, and move to Bath. But left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has little choice but to return to but her old way of life. But this time, she’ll do it on her own terms – by turning her new home into a brothel for upper class gentleman. And she’s determined the horrors she was forced to endure in the past are not experienced by the girls she saves from the streets.

Enlisting the help of Jacob Jackson, a quiet but feared boxer, to watch over the house, Louisa is about to embark on a life she never envisaged. Can she find the courage to forge this new path?

📖 My Review..

Louisa's arrival in Bath doesn't go smoothly especially when she discovers that the house she has inherited comes with rather more problems than she anticipated. With rising debts, Louisa and her companion, Nancy, decide to return to their old profession and open the Bath town house as an exclusive brothel. They enlist the help of the enigmatic fighter, Jacob Jackson , to offer them protection.

The author writes well and the story entertains from the beginning bringing the Victoria underbelly of Bath society to life in an altogether different sort of way. I expected there to be more about the intimacies of the brothel and was pleasantly surprised that the author didn't go into explicit detail, instead leaving more to the imagination of what went on behind the brothel bedroom doors.  The story focuses on the close relationship between Louisa and her 'girls', the problems they have in trying to build up their reputation, and the growing friendship between Louisa and Jacob. Jacob's story is an interesting addition, he's a solid and dependable figure, and yet his penchant for violence is shown in the particularly shadowy world of fist fights and drinking dens.

Filled with an air of mystery and with a smattering of romance A Widow's Vow is an interesting start to a new Victorian saga series. The ending was entirely appropriate and lends itself very nicely towards the next story in the saga, which I hope won't be too far away.

About the Author 

Rachel Brimble is the bestselling author of over thirty works of historical romance and saga fiction. The first book in her series, The Home Front Nurses is set in Bath. This book was previously published as A Widow’s Vow and published by Aria.

Website

 Twitter @RachelBrimble #TheWidowsVow

X @ BoldwoodBooks #BoldwoodBloggers

X@rararesources

🎅🏻 Festive Book Review ~ Let The Bells Rings Out by Milly Johnson

Simon and Schuster
23 October 2025

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

 

The Yorkshire Belle is a glamorous steam train all decked out for an escapist festive getaway. It is not supposed to be where a group of people, all trying to get to their destinations for the holidays, will spend their Christmas. 

Seven people, each with their own hopes and dreams, secrets and sorrows, board the train as strangers, but as the snow keeps falling and they realise they are going nowhere fast, they are forced to slow down and embrace the present.

This Christmas on board the Yorkshire Belle, will the friendships they make change their lives forever.

🎅🏻My Review..

Seven strangers are all on their way somewhere for Christmas when they are stranded in thick snow at a remote railway station. None of them have much in common but with the weather worsening and with no sign of any of them reaching their destination they are surprised to find an unoccupied and rather luxurious steam train just silently waiting for passengers to climb aboard.

With no alternative but to make the most of what’s on offer, the seven strangers begin to experience something really special, not just from the hospitality on offer on board The Yorkshire Belle but also from discovering more about each other. Hopes and wishes, life experiences, troubled times and lost opportunities are all shared and as the warmth of friendship blossoms so individual problems seem to be smoothed away.

As comforting as a glass of creamy hot chocolate, Let the Bells Ring Out is the most perfectly magical festive story which will not only warm the cockles of your heart but will also restore your faith in human kind. I absolutely loved it.

About the Author

Milly Johnson was born raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and with millions of copies of her books sold across the world, Milly’s star continues to rise. Milly writes from the heart about what she knows and highlights the importance of community spirit. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience and celebrate love, friendship, and the possibility of second chances. She is an exceptional writer who puts her heart and soul into every book she  writes and every character she creates.

X @millyjohnson #LetTheBellsRingOut

X@simonschusterUK 

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ His Other Woman by Valerie Keogh

 

Boldwood Books
November 2025

My thanks to the publisher for my invitation to read this book

Fiona Carlton has never needed a man to make her life complete. Until she meets charming, handsome and sophisticated Richard. She is consumed, first by lust, then by a love for him that overwhelms her. The only problem? Richard already has a wife. But a little detail like that isn’t going to stand in Fiona’s way…

Richard’s wife, Lydia, however, is not a woman to be trifled with. She’s sacrificed everything for her husband, been the perfect stay-at-home wife and mother, raised two beautiful children, built a happy home full of memories. She refuses to stand by and watch a woman like Fiona take what’s hers.

But when both women discover the truth about the man they love, everything changes…

And Richard is about to learn that if a woman scorned is dangerous, two wronged women are deadly.

📖 My Review..

When Fiona and Richard meet inadvertently it opens up a whole series of events which neither of them could ever have imagined. Richard is everything Fiona wants, he’s suave, sophisticated and successful, the only down side is that Richard has been happily married to Lydia for forty years. In this cleverly put together psychological thriller we get to watch the whole of the story play out with vignettes from Fiona, the sexy and charismatic mistress, Lydia, the rather frumpy and downtrodden wife and Richard, a man with a complicated secret in his past.

Like all the books I have read by this author I race through the story in one sitting and His Other Woman is no exception. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen when all the tangled threads came together and believe me there are threads a plenty to work your way through. Each of the central characters add their own personality, some are definitely more likeable than others, but they are always totally believable in the way that the story wraps around them and brings them all to life.

The ending is great, there’s an edginess to it which made me finish the book with a wry smile and having throughly enjoyed another great story from this talented writer, I’m already looking forward to the next one.

About the Author

Valerie Keogh is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and crime series, most recently published by Bloodhound. She originally comes from Dublin but now lives in Wiltshire and worked as a nurse for many years. Her first thriller for Boldwood was published in August 2022.

​

Twitter @ValerieKeogh1 #HisOtherWoman

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