Book Review of The Alpine Fortress by Rowena Kinread

Don't you just love to get lost in a thriller? I know I do. Scroll down and find out my thoughts on Rowena Kinread's fabulous novel!

 

 

The Alpine Fortress 
By Rowena Kinread

Publication Date: 12th September 2025

Publisher: Goldcrest Books

Page Length: 311

Genre: Thriller

In the shadow of the Bavarian Alps, a forgotten map leads to an unsolved mystery buried for decades. When Ivanna discovers the sketch among her late grandfather’s belongings, she stumbles upon a secret that connects her family’s harrowing past to the Nazi regime's stolen treasures.

What begins as a curious family discovery quickly escalates into a perilous adventure, drawing the attention of law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and dangerous criminals.

The Alpine Fortress is a thrilling tale of survival, betrayal, and redemption. From the chilling depths of Nazi conspiracies to the breathtaking heights of the Alps, this story will keep you on the edge of your seat as the past and present collide in an unforgettable race against time.

Will Ivanna uncover the truth—or will the secrets of the fortress remain buried forever?

Get your climbing gear ready, you're in for an action-packed thriller of a read!

The Alpine Fortress by Rowena Kinread is exactly what you’d expect from a novel set among dramatic mountains: breathtaking scenery, formidable danger, not just from the antagonists but from the mountains as well. , and enough twists to make even the most seasoned hiker lose their footing—for all the right reasons.

Kinread takes us deep into the Bavarian Alps, where stolen Nazie treasure remains hidden,  waiting to be found. This book is filled with tension, the characters are full of grit, and the antagonists crash into the protagonists like runaway cable cars. The story unfolds with an irresistible sense of danger, and even when the stakes get really high, the story is written in such a way that I could not put this book down, at all! Kinread characters feel wonderfully human—brave but flawed, clever but occasionally chaotic, which is really the best kind of fictional company.

If you’re looking for a suspenseful read, filled with a cruel criminal underworld, brave protagonists, and packed with scenery so lush you’ll want to book a holiday in the Bavarian Alps immediately,  then The Alpine Fortress is your next escape.

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I highly recommend you grab a copy of this book which you can find on Amazon. And get this, if you have #kindleunlimited subscription then you can read for free. So what are you waiting for?

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Rowena Kinread

Rowena Kinread grew up in Ripon, Yorkshire with her large family and a horde of pets. Keen on travelling, her first job was with Lufthansa in Germany.

She began writing in the nineties. Her special area of interest is history, after researching her ancestry and finding family roots in Ireland with the Dalriada clan, particularly this era. Her debut fiction novel titled “The Missionary” is a historical novel about the dramatic life of St. Patrick. It was published by Pegasus Publishers on April 29th, 2021 and has been highly appraised by The Scotsman, The Yorkshire Post and the Irish Times.

Her second novel “The Scots of Dalriada” centres around Fergus Mór, the founder father of Scotland and takes place in 5th century Ireland and Scotland, and is published by Pegasus Publishers.

The author lives with her husband in Bodman-Ludwigshafen, Lake Constance, Germany. They have three children and six grandchildren.

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Audio Book Review of The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan

 

The Christmas Book Club 
By Sarah Morgan

A long-lasting friendship

Every year, Erica, Claudia, and Anna reunite for their book club holiday. They’re bonded by years of friendship and a deep love of books, but there is still so much they keep from each other …

A perfect Christmas escape

At the cosy Maple Sugar Inn, Hattie specialises in making her guests’ dreams come true, but this Christmas all she wants is to survive the festive season. Between running the inn and being a single mother, Hattie is close to breaking point.

The start of a brand-new story…?

Over the course of an eventful week, Hattie sees that the friends are each carrying around unspoken truths, but nothing prepares her for how deeply her story will become entwined in theirs. Will this Christmas be the end of the book club’s story or the start of a whole new chapter?

The audiobook of The Christmas Book Club is exactly the sort of festive listen that makes you feel like you should be wearing fluffy socks, holding a hot chocolate, and aggressively ignoring your to-do list. From the moment Erica, Claudia, and Anna arrive for their annual Christmas book club reunion, I was all in. These women have the kind of long-standing friendship where everything looks fine on the surface… while absolutely nothing is fine underneath. Add Christmas, nostalgia, and a cosy inn, and honestly, what could possibly go wrong?

Listening rather than reading was a stroke of genius here because the narration brings so much personality and warmth to the story. Each character has a distinct voice, and the emotional beats land perfectly — especially with Hattie, the long-suffering but endlessly kind owner of the Maple Sugar Inn. She’s juggling guests, motherhood, Christmas chaos, and about seventeen internal breakdowns, and I adored her. Hearing her story unfold made her exhaustion, humour, and quiet strength feel wonderfully real, and I found myself rooting for her almost immediately.

This is classic Sarah Morgan at her festive best: heartfelt without being heavy, emotional without being miserable, and cosy without ever feeling dull. There’s laughter, there are secrets, there are moments that made me smile like an idiot while walking around with my headphones on. It’s comfort listening with depth — the kind of audiobook that feels like a friendly nudge reminding you that new chapters can start at any time of year. Five stars, no hesitation, and very much an Oh look… another book I didn’t plan to love this much situation.

Get into the festive cheer and head over to Amazon!

Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan is a USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of romance and women's fiction. She has sold over 21 million copies of her books and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe. 

Sarah lives near London, England and when she isn't writing or reading, she likes to spend time outdoors hiking or riding her mountain bike. 

Join Sarah's mailing list at www.sarahmorgan.com for all book news. For more insight into her writing life follow her on Facebook at www.facebook/AuthorSarahMorgan and on Instagram at @sarahmorganwrites Contact Sarah at sarah@sarahmorgan.com

Book Review of Paoletta: An Eye for an eye by J.R. Powell

Paoletta: An Eye for an eye

By J.R. Powell

Exiled to a Caribbean island, Paoletta Cadoville and her family cling to the hope of one day returning to their Parisian home. But in a single, devastating moment, that dream is shattered. Alone and horrifically scarred, Paoletta embarks on a perilous quest to uncover the truth behind her family’s tragic fate, only to become entangled in a web of political intrigue, secret societies, and dangerous alliances.

In a Paris overshadowed by the guillotine, Paoletta must decide how much of her humanity she’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of vengeance. Will she achieve justice for her family or lose herself to the darkness that threatens to consume her?

Paoletta – An Eye for an Eye is a gripping historical thriller set during the French Revolution and a stark reminder that in times of upheaval, innocence is the first to fall, and revenge demands a price paid in blood.

Oh look, another book review, because apparently I’m determined to become a full time book reviewer - who needs a day job anyway? This time it’s Paoletta: An Eye for an Eye by J.R. Powell — a revenge tale that takes a hopeful young woman and drop-kicks her straight into the abyss.

We meet Paoletta as a bright, optimistic soul, the sort who dreams of love, pastries, and a peaceful life. Then a bomb explodes through her family’s window, shattering everything — including her face, her future and any chance she had of remaining a gentle, forgiving human being. One eye gone, her innocence with it. What rises from the wreckage isn’t a delicate heroine but a woman carved from grief, fury and sheer determination. She’s vulnerable at her core, yes — traumatised, painfully human — but she’s also on a mission, and it’s best not to stand in her way unless you fancy becoming a footnote.

Enter Dr Lyle Spice, who at first appears to be the comforting older family friend — all warmth, hospitality and soothing words. But peel back his pleasant exterior and you quickly find the rot. He’s controlling, sly and manipulative in that insidious way that makes you want to throw something at him. The sort of man who’d offer you shelter, then quietly lock the windows and pocket the key. His relationship with Paoletta becomes a battle of wills: her trauma against his twisted need for control.

And then there’s Angélique Legrand — the woman who really steals the stage, often quite literally. Charismatic, theatrical and ferociously persuasive, she gathers followers with alarming ease. People adore her; they’d march into fire for her. Which is unfortunate, because beneath all that charm is a ruthless, vengeful core. She wraps her cruelty in glamour, the way others might wrap a gift, and half the city seems too dazzled to notice. Her little troupe of devoted women follow her like an audience in a perpetual standing ovation, unaware they’re part of a performance that ends in blood.

What makes the whole thing brilliant — and slightly disturbing — is how these women mirror and distort one another. Paoletta clings to what scraps of compassion she has left; Angélique shed hers long ago. Both are shaped by pain, but one fights to stay human while the other revels in having left humanity behind. It’s a duel of trauma and transformation, played out in a world where loyalty shifts like fog and morality is something people used to talk about before the barricades went up.

The book thrives on character rather than clean-cut heroes or villains. Everyone’s a little broken, a little compromised, a little too believable. And that’s exactly why it works: it’s messy, emotional, darkly compelling and filled with the sort of tension that makes you mutter, “Oh no, she’s not going to— oh, she is. She absolutely is.”

A gripping, unsettling ride, and a must for your to-read shelf

 You can find your copy on the following bookstores! And I have to say it is well worth the read!

J.R. Powell

Originally from the UK, J.R. Powell lives in Germany, where he works as a translator and editor. His debut novel was published in 2024, marking the first instalment of a new historical thriller series.

Paoletta – an Eye for an Eye follows Paoletta Cadoville, a young woman driven by vengeance after the murder of her family during the French Revolution. Drawing inspiration from his time living in Paris, Powell immersed himself in the city’s rich and brutal history to craft a story that brings a lesser-explored period to life with the momentum and intensity of a gritty, modern thriller.

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The Diva’s Daughter by Heather Walrath

The Diva’s Daughter

By Heather Walrath

Munich & Vienna, 1932.

Aspiring opera singer Angelika Eder thought she had it all — a cultured life in Vienna, along with the guidance of her glamorous mother, a world-famous soprano. But when tragedy strikes and her mother dies amidst a swirling family scandal, eighteen-year-old Angelika finds herself uprooted to Munich, where civil unrest is rife and leaders of the increasingly powerful Nazi Party seek to use her voice as propaganda.

When a figure from her mother’s past offers Angelika the chance to study and sing at an elite Viennese university, she decides to fight for her dream while evading the vile Nazis she despises. But the Nazis aren’t relenting in their demand that Angelika support their party and sing for Hitler himself.

Can Angelika find her voice and stand against evil, even if it means risking not only her dreams of fame, but also the safety of herself and everyone she loves?

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Heather Walrath

Heather Walrath is an author crafting new stories while celebrating the release of her debut historical novel, The Diva’s Daughter.

Whether they are standing against evil in fractious 1930s Europe or solving a sticky bootlegging mystery in Prohibition-era America, Heather’s relatable heroines make the past accessible and engaging for modern readers.

She holds a master’s degree in publishing and a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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