Lil

2015 was a great year in books for me. Choosing just ten books for this list was a tricky task, but there were some that really stood out. Some are debuts, others are older books that I've only just got around to reading. All are brilliant in their own right, and I implore you to read them for yourself! 1) Kit by Marina Fiorato. My book of the year. If you like Mulan you'll love this! 2) The Silvered Heart by Katherine Clements. The tale of Katherine Ferras, highwaywoman. 3) The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice. An older book, but an instant favourite. 4) The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Such a lovely, quirky, funny book. 5) The First Wife by Erica Spindler. So gripping that I read it in less than 24 hours. 6) Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz. Bond is back. 7) The Affair by Gill Paul. The story of one woman's life-changing summer in beautiful Italy. 8) The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett. Think Sliding Doors meets One Day. 9) Amy Snow by Tracy Rees. Fo...

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I've read books from plenty of new authors this year, and these are just a few of my favourites: 1 Eva Rice - The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is just so beautifully written. 2 Erica Spindler - The First Wife was so gripping that I read it in a day! 3 Tracy Rees - Amy Snow won Richard and Judy's Search for a Bestseller, and it's easy to see why. 4 Marina Fiorato - Kit is my book of the year by a mile. More on that next week! 5 Louise Candlish - The Sudden Departure of the Frasers had me intrigued from the start. 6 Gill Paul - The Affair, with it's backdrop of the Burton/Taylor romance in Italy, is stunning. 7 Sophie Hannah - The Monogram Murders marks a welcome return to fiction for Monsieur Poirot. 8 Graeme Simsion - The Rosie Project is just hilarious and wonderful. 9 Laura Barnett - The Versions of Us is a very clever book. This girl has talent. 10 Zara Stoneley - Stable Mates / ...

As regular readers of my blog may have noticed, every once in a while a book comes along that I can't stop raving about. Last year it was  The Illusionists by Rosie Thomas. This year it's all about Kit. Dublin 1702. Irish beauty Kit Kavanagh leads a comfortable life running a tavern with her beloved husband Richard. But everything changes one night when Richard is taken for a solider. Not content to sit at home and wait for news Kit disguises herself as a man, and, taking her late father's sword with her, enlists in the Duke of Marlborough's regiment and follows Richard to war-torn Italy. As Kit risks her life in battle she soon forms a bond with her regiment, the Scots Greys Dragoons, particularly with her handsome commander Captain Ross. When a duel lands her in prison she escapes by dressing once more as a woman, soon catching the eye of the scheming Duke of Ormonde who recruits her to masquerade as a French countess and spy upon the enemy. Torn between Captain Ross...