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The Bookdragons Den, Mandurah (2026)

23/06/2026

✨ DEBUT REVIEW ✨

Devil Mountain is the exciting debut of Aussie author Inessa Jackson. It’s a dark and intriguing police procedural that cleverly uses a Wicca/folklore element to evoke an eerie undercurrent to the narrative.

🌒 When Detective Sergeant Anastasia Brown is sent to investigate a grizzly murder in a small New South Wales town, she quickly discovers that this is no ordinary murder. The body of a popular doctor has been found, chained and burned, with arcane symbols carved into the soles of his feet – and the boy who found him swears he saw a ghost lingering in the trees.
 Is this a killer with a flair for the macabre? Or the work of an elusive Wiccan coven that worships on the mountain? Or, even stranger, are the local murmurs of the mountain being haunted more than just folklore? 

🌒 Devil Mountain is a clever and gripping debut that I couldn’t put down. The narrative moved quickly, had fantastic tension and a sinister undercurrent. The folklore element was a clever addition as it leaves you questioning everyone as the story evolves.

I really liked Ana’s character. This was a redemption case for her and she was keen to prove herself, especially given the misogyny she is experiencing in the workplace. Harry was the perfect partner for her too and I hope we see more of them both!

A fantastic aussie noir debut you that will pull you in and keep you guessing. Five stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Inessa Jackson and Affirm Press for a copy to review.

26 May 2026 | AU RRP: $34.99 | 336 pages

❓Are you a mood reader? Does your mood dictate the genre/type of book you will read? If find if I’m really stressed I need to pick up a fantasy book as the world building switches my mind off.

22/06/2026

✨ CURRENTLY READING ✨

How is it almost the end of June!!! This month (and the year if I’m honest) is flying by way too fast!

I have had 6 of my Libby/borrow box audiobooks loans all arrive at once, so now I’m physically reading an arc and listening to a book off my personal tbr.

❓What format is your current read/s?

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21/06/2026

✨ REVIEW ✨

Out of the Blue is the fabulous new rural romance release by Australian author Penelope Janu. It’s a fresh take on the genre, with part of the narrative set in the sub-Antarctic, and I found it to be an adventurous and heartwarming read.

🪶 When Flick Atherton accepts an assignment in the Antarctic, her biggest challenge isn’t the sub-zero temperature or her fears…it’s the arrogant Norwegian air-force pilot Sebastien Thorsen.

Working to finish a job he didn’t want to take, Sebastien finds Flick a risk unlike any he has ever encountered, and he is frustrated yet entranced by her impossible mix of fragility and independence.

🪶 I really enjoyed the settings and environmental challenges portrayed by Janu. I was engrossed and intrigued by the research elements, and when paired with a narrative centred around courage, grief and taking a chance on love, it made for a compelling read.

Overall a heartwarming addition to the rural romance genre.

Thank you to HQ Books and Penelope Janu for a copy to read.

26 May 2026 | AU RRP: $34.99 | 416 pages

❓How is your June reading going? Did you plans your reads for the month or just letting your mood dictate your reads?

20/06/2026

✨ BEDSIDE BOOK STACK ✨

My bedside table is where I keep my priority reads and the stack is now two deep and growing in height 🫣

So I think with a quiet weekend ahead, it’s time to plan my reads, place some Libby and BorrowBox audiobook holds and get reading!

It’s really my idea of a perfect weekend at home 📚🎧☕️

❓Do you keep your priority reads separate? Or what is your idea of the perfect weekend?

18/06/2026

✨ REVIEW ✨

Debut novel The Secret Garden Club by Wendy Lynn Newton is a beautiful exploration of grief, sadness, hope, friendship and starting over. And how gorgeous is its cover 😍

💐 In a fit of grief after the death of her husband of thirty years, Hilary destroys every inch of George’s beautiful garden. Then a group of strangers knock at the door just a few days later announcing themselves as The Secret Garden Club. It seems George was a member and one of their dearest friends. So why has Hilary never heard of them?

While the club vows to restore the garden, Hilary makes a promise of her own: to uncover the truth. Will George’s secret break her heart all over again - or show her the seeds of a new life filled with hope and friendship?

💐 I loved how Newton used the gardening club, nature and an eclectic cast of side characters to bring in themes of finding yourself, new beginnings and hope through witty dialogue and a setting that changes with the seasons.

Hilary is definitely not processing her grief well, and I found her to be a rather chaotic character that I wasn’t overly invested in. But as the story unfolds and I got her understand her better I was actually heartbroken for her.

This story is the miscommunication trope in all its glory, but told with heart and humor making for an emotional read. Overall a really enjoyable slow burn debut.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia and Wendy Lynn Newton Author for a copy to read.

26 May 2026 | AU RRP: $34.99 | 352 pages

❓It’s finally Friday. Do you have any plans for the weekend? Or what are you currently reading?

17/06/2026

✨ REVIEW ✨

Later, Only Love Remains was my first book by Aussie author Leah Swann and it certainly won’t be my last. This was a powerful, tense and beautifully dark novel that had me completely enthralled.

🌊 After the death of his wife in car crash, Jack Wolfe, a complicated and difficult old man, retreats to his remote shack in the Otways craving forgiveness and solitude. Instead, he meets Lotus, an exuberant yet lonely young woman who insists on trying to help him.

Late one night, Jack discovers a shivering and wet stranger on his property. Is this man dangerous, or someone who simply needs his help? His late wife would want him to show kindness, but he doesn’t trust the man’s motives. And what should he do about the unwanted friendship from Lotus?

✨ This is a beautiful slow-burn thriller told from multiple perspectives. It was dark and haunting, yet had moments of light, love and kindness that made for compelling reading.

Swann’s writing style is lyrical, layered and atmospheric. Small moments matter as the story builds, and the use of nature and the elements adds an eerie and tense undercurrent to the narrative.

I wasn’t aware before starting that this follows on from Sheerwater, which was Leah’s debut novel. But regardless, I found the characters complex, the overall storyline gripping and the setting vivid.

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers Aust HQ Books and Leah for a copy to read.

❓How is the weather where you are today? It’s cold and sun is just rising here, so I have the fire going trying to warm up 🔥

26 May 2026 | AU $34.99 | 336 pages

16/06/2026

✨ BOOKMAIL ✨

There are two things about this fantastic bookmail I received from Penguin Books Australia yesterday that has me so excited.

The first is that Possible Springs is the debut novel of Aussie author Samantha Ross; Author and it sounds fantastic 🩵

The second is Raspberry Drops from Sovereign Hill which took me right back to my youth of living not far from Ballarat and buying these delicious sweets at any opportunity!

🍬 SYNOPSIS 🍬

Welcome to Possible Springs, where secrets are a way of life.

Jimny Adams should have died on that hot summer day in 1987 in the remote town of Possible Springs. Only eleven at the time, she was saved from drowning by her school teacher Mr Cross.

Seven years on and she has grown into a watchful, quirky eighteen-year-old - her near-death experience having left her with an unnerving psychic ability.

It’s an unwelcome gift that she tries desperately to hide: from her parents, from her best friends, from everyone in town. In such a tight-knit community, being different means becoming a pariah.

However Possible Springs is actually a town teeming with dark secrets. And with her ability to read people’s thoughts, Jimny is closer than she would like to be to discovering its truth…

✨How fantastic does it sound!!! I cannot wait to read it!

Possible Springs released on June 2nd.

❓What is a sweet treat or food that reminds you of your childhood?

16/06/2026

✨BOOK TOUR SPOTLIGHT✨

Welcome to my stop on the Blood Ties tour with thanks to Bookouture and .author.life 💕

This is a gripping gangland crime thriller set in London, where revenge is the only option when the Capello family has been betrayed by one of their own.

I’m just over halfway through reading it and I’m finding it hard to put down. Told via multiple perspectives and with a compelling and fast-paced narrative, I’m hooked and desperate to see how it concludes.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨
Female boss of one of London’s most dangerous crime firms, Maria Capello has to work twice as hard as any man to prove her mettle. She’s used to rival gangs assuming her brother, Alex, is the strongest one in the family, but when the Capellos encounter their most deadly enemy yet, it’s Maria who leads the charge and comes out fighting.

When police target another London firm, Maria knows it won’t be long before they’re at her door. She’ll stop at nothing to keep her family and her business safe from the law. But when a sworn enemy claims to have information, she listens in horror to the shocking news: the Capellos have been betrayed by one of their own, and the police are coming…

Maria knows that someone she loves has betrayed her and left her in an impossible bind. Should she take down one of her own, or risk everything she’s built and fought for being burned to the ground? Can she find the traitor in her organisation before it’s too late? And can she bring herself to take them out before the police destroy the Capello firm for good?

✨ Expect fierce female power, family betrayal, gangland drama, deadly secrets and edge-of-your-seat tension from start to finish. This is book 3 in The Capello Family Series with the whole trilogy available now!

❓Is your current read a standalone or part of a series?

15/06/2026

✨ BOOK TOUR REVIEW ✨

I’m going to start by saying…I will read anything Holden Sheppard writes. There is something honest, raw, gritty and vulnerable in his writing style that pulls me in every time.

🏉 Set seven years after we met Charlie, Zeke and Hammer in Invisible Boys, they’ve left their hometown and are now each forging a new life in Perth.

Charlie’s dream of being a punk musician still evades him along with the fight to make it happen. Zeke is lost. He knows what he stands against, but doesn’t know what he stands for. And Hammer has it all: fame and fortune as a star football player…or so he thinks.

Trying to find their way in the world as men, the three boys cross paths once again.

🏉 Unapologetic and heartbreaking, this book tackles the hard stuff head on. Mental health and what it means to be a gay man is portrayed in a raw, vulnerable, messy and honest way. But, there is also a lot of light: friends that are family, good fun and witty banter, and when the light and dark are combined, it makes the characters feel real and authentic.

I laughed, I cried, I cringed, my heart broke and I got real damn angry reading this one. You know it’s a sign of a great book when it makes you feel all the emotions and lingers long after reading.

I loved every freaking second of this book. It’s an absolute banger of a read! Infinity stars ♾️⭐️

Thank you to Pantera Press and Holden Sheppard 🇦🇺😎💪 for a copy to review and for having me on this tour.

Please swipe across and check out the tagged accounts for their reviews! The final stop is tomorrow with HappyValley BooksRead ✨

28 April 2025 | AU RRP: $34.99 | 432 pages

❓Do you watch sport? If so which sport and team do you support? We follow the AFL in our house, but I also love watching netball.

15/06/2026

✨ MONDAY BLUES ✨

Is it just me or do the weekends seem to fly by lately! While I love my job, some Monday’s still have me dreaming of a slow Sunday morning.

Today’s stack features some moody blues from my tbr. Have you read any of them?

❓What are you starting this new week reading? I’m listening to Apprentice to the Villain and reading Blood Ties.

The Bookdragons Den

23/06/2026

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