Luke Harkness, Author at Luke’s Blog

16Dec 2024 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Reckless by Lauren Roberts book review

Lauren Roberts' first book Powerless was a bit of a TikTok sensation - it came about just as romantasy was becoming a very popular genre. Reckless, for many, is the much-awaited sequel. I suggested Powerless sat in between the other two big hitters - ACATOR and Fourth Wing, but how does Reckless compare? Does it live up to the initial hype of the first book or not? This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Reckless follows on right after the dramatic final scenes of Powerless (arguably the best bit about the whole book) and so…

12Dec 2024 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Teacher by Freida McFadden book review

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

If you hadn't guessed already, I've been reading quite a bit of McFadden recently. As I state in most of my reviews, this isn't because I'm the biggest fan (not to suggest I'm not a fan either) but simply because I know exactly what I'm getting when I read a McFadden book - relatively short, simple and fast-paced. And whenever I picked up a McFadden this is exactly what I want. The Teacher is no different in this aspect but I would argue is one of my preferred books from her. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion…

08Dec 2024 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson book review

Book reviews

I've read a lot of books by a lot of different authors and I can confidently say that Brandon Sanderson is one of my favourites. His prose is approachable, he inlays humour into his characters and he weaves an element of something grander always happening in the plot. Tress of the Emerald Sea is the first standalone from him that I've read and, despite still being excellent, left me wanting for a little more. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Tress of the Emerald Sea is a standalone from Brandon Sanderson focusing on the…

07Dec 2024 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Thunderclap by Laura Cumming book review

Book reviews, Nonfiction

Thunderclap is like no other book I’ve ever read before. That’s not to say it’s an odd book or a particularly rare book, it’s just simply a non-fiction book about a woman’s love for art and more specially one artist who initially thrust her into loving art in the first place. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Thunderclap is told from the point of view of Cumming herself. It’s a personal account of her times during childhood with her father, her initial growing passion for art and what art both means to her, the…

17Nov 2024 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

The Clever Guts Diet by Dr Michael Mosley book review

Book reviews, Nonfiction

I was kindly gifted The Clever Guts Diet by a colleague which I'm hoping was for educational purposes and not because she believes me to have a gut thats health needs improving. Either way, it's one of the very few non-fiction books I've read so far this year but is a topic I'm actually really interested in. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. The Clever Guts Diet focuses on the importance of your gut and more specifically the microbiomes that live in. It discusses what the microbiomes are, how they work and what they…

14Nov 2024 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Fatherland by Robert Harris book review

Book reviews, Crime, Historical Fiction, Mystery

When I picked up Fatherland by Robert Harris in the charity shop I found it and read the back, it really intrigued me. I've already read a Robert Harris in The Act of Oblivion and so he's an author I know I'm a fan of and an author I know specialises in making his historical fiction novels as historically accurate as possible. So when I saw Fatherland was about an alternative history where Germany had won the second world war, I was very intrigued! This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. As I said, Fatherland…

10Nov 2024 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith book review

Book reviews, Crime, Mystery

For quite some time now I've been interested in picking up Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling because as a crime thriller it's quite long (over 500 pages whereas the usual is probably between 300-4000 pages). Now, you may be wondering why this would intrigue me and not deter me. Well, I'm I know this has been a successful series for J.K. Rowling and so I the combination of its length and its popularity had me wondering how it manages to stay well liked despite its length. And now I know. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the…

07Nov 2024 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Coworker by Freida McFadden book review

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

Freida McFadden has quickly become an author whose audiobooks I have all ready to be sent to me when ready via my Libby app and whose books always seem to scratch a little itch I have for something easy and fast-paced. The Coworker is certainly both of these but also struggles along the way. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. When one day Dawn, an awkward accountant at work, doesn't turn up on time, Natalie, our main protagonist, has her suspicions because Dawn is NEVER late. We soon find out that Dawn is missing…

22Oct 2024 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

Murder at the Matinee by Jamie West book review

Book reviews, Crime, Mystery

Murder at the Matinee is the sequel to Death on the Pier, a book I was quite the fan of as it felt like a modern day Agatha Christie set almost 100 years ago. It was a book I’d likely now dub a “cosy crime” where there’s no real danger and it’s just all about interviewing suspects until we get to the route of the problem. Murder at the Matinee is exactly the same. This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Murder at the Matinee picks up some time after Death on the Pier with…

20Oct 2024 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree book review

Book reviews, Fantasy

I’m a huge fan of fantasy but I’ve never read a “cosy fantasy” before (as far as I’m aware anyway) so when people kept telling me that Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree was such, it intrigued me as to what this exactly meant. Now I know. And I’m a huge fan. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Legends and Lattes is a relatively simple tale of an Orc called Viv. Viv has done the questing, the great journeys, the wars and the killing and now she just wants to settle…

Author: Luke Harkness