The Hidden Library

Written by  Sharon Gosling

                            

                                                     

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my latest Book Review featuring this an amazing adult contemporary fiction light romance and adventure by one of the UK's best (and one of my fav's too) novelists.

Without further ado, and with my trusty housekeeper, Mrs H, planning a writing trip to Northumberland as we speak, let's get on with the review.......

AUTHOR:  SHARON GOSLING

 

Illustrations by:  N/A at this time  

 

Published by:  SIMON & SCHUSTER LTD UK

 

Publication date Paperback: 27 AUG 2026

 

Paperback 13 digit ISBN:  978 1398 538 917

UK Cover price for Paperback:  £9.99

Amazon KINDLE price:  £6.99

Audible price: Listed as 1 credit

 

Pages: Listed as 400 on Amazon for paperback at this time.

 

Age range:  Adult

Any dogs or cats? Wait and find out! 😉

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to... 

We are exceedingly grateful to Simon & Schuster for contacting us to see if we wished to review. OF COURSE! was our reply, as I have not read a bad book by Sharon, be it adult or kids fiction. 

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and will enjoy.

 

The plot

Helen Thorne, writer, has gained fame for writing a book called ‘All of the Above’, described in the press as the new feminist bible. During a girls’ get-together to announce and celebrate the making of the movie of Helen’s book, she gets a text. It is the inciting incident for everything that follows and sets a tone that runs through till the end.

The text is from a past lover, a married man who ten years earlier, when Helen was just young and naive, had led her on into the affair with his oh-so-charming ways, and promises–all unkept. The affair ended painfully, but the man seemingly jokingly said he’d want part of her fame should things go well. Now he is back for his share; blackmailing her by threatening to expose the romance, making her the villain of the piece. The other lady involved is one of the country’s most loved actresses. 

Things turn nasty when Helen’s friend tells him to get lost via text. The next day, hung over and sleepy, she discovers that he has exposed her sins and the movie deal is off. In fact, her career, all she seemed to have stood for in her novel, appears to be nothing more than hypocrisy and lies.

She needs to escape the inevitable pack of bad-news hunting journalists out for salacious details, and ready to paint her the villain of the trio.

Her mother, a solicitor, offers her a lifeline. One of her firm’s clients, a reclusive book fanatic, Cyril Gissing, has died. He lived on a remote Northumberland island called Rathbrooke. With no internet and no mobile phone signal, it offers the perfect place to hide out until matters quieten down.

As to what Helen will do there, her mother advises that she needs to find Cyril’s will as well as catalogue his collection of valuable books. After all, she has a Master’s degree in that area. 

Helen arrives on the island one stormy night, guided through a most treacherous storm by Rufus; handyman and gardener on the island who lives in the now unused lighthouse near its harbour. 

The ten-hectare island is being battered by the storm, but soon she is safely within its thick stone wall building. Fed and watered by Mr Gissing’s housekeeper, Martha Darling, she is shown her rooms and rests for the night in front of the roaring fire, but with no electricity. But as she tries to settle, she hears a child’s footsteps running through the dark and hulking building.

Later the next day she gets to meet Cora, Martha’s sullen daughter (of indeterminate age, possibly pre-teen) from an abusive marriage that she managed to escape from–not unlike the situation Helen finds herself in. When asked about the sounds of children, she is told there is nobody else on the island.

It is clear from conversations with Martha and Rufus that they are all very worried about what will become of them if no will is found. For Cora, who loved Cyril and his work, things seem particularly hard-hitting. She runs the large, ornate greenhouse that helps feed them as well as helping with the rare breed sheep peculiar to the island that bring in funds when sold on the mainland. 

But as Helen digs deeper through the books in search of the elusive will, she discovers some of Cyril’s notes, as well as letters received over many years from someone called Thiago Montera. Cyril was clearly obsessed with something, but what she is reading seems to be in some code. Pursuit of the will takes second place as Helen tries to solve this new mystery. 

Cora is no help, even though she knew the old man better than anyone and had his trust. In fact, she manifests a lot of animosity towards Helen, as though she is to blame for the collapse of their onetime idyllic life and all the recent woes, including Cyril’s death. What secrets she holds, secrets only she and Cyril shared, she is determined not to let go of.

One rainy night, a stranger arrives in another storm. Like an elegant storm-washed pirate, Thiago Montera arrives and bangs the building’s massive doors to be let in. It turns out, as we the readers have already been privy to by side notes in the story, Thiago is a longtime friend and book hunter for Cyril, and seeks out rare and forgotten tomes for his collection. Driven by not hearing from his friend for too long, he has sailed his own boat to the island from afar. 

With no means of validation if this man is the same as the one Helen had found in correspondence in Cyril’s library, can she trust him? Soon, his passion for books is clear, and Helen becomes trusting of his good intent. The search for the will goes on, but threads of information about Cyril’s obsession lead to fresh revelations and discoveries about something very important, rare, and extremely valuable. Something that could change the whole situation of the island and its inhabitants.

The twists and turns that take place from this point, the values that we place on trust, who we trust and why we do what we do, ramp up the suspense to storm pitch and ferocity and get thoroughly shaken, much like the burgeoning love that Helen feels sparks of for Thiago. There are lies told, half truths and crimes yet to unfold, like the very best of a stormy Hitchcock movie. Be prepared for a roller coaster finale that delivers 110% on all storm-washed levels.

So, what did we think?

Gosh and golly. This really did capture the imagination and kept us turning pages. The passion in the scene-setting – so natural and light a touch that clearly belies the effort, skill, and patience to create such an atmospheric read. A locked-island mystery? Well, this very nearly is, save for a few forays to the mainland. There are plenty of locked doors and secrets to be revealed, not least being a particular Mulberry Tree that lives sheltered in the middle of the enclosed grounds. It would be too big a spoiler to give away what Cyril and Thiago were communicating on, his passion, so I won’t, but it too is woven into the story from centuries past to present and, dare I say, into the future. 

We have little injections of correspondence from various characters throughout the book, which add an extra dimension and little plot clues and twists. We initially, like the stormy and dramatic prologue that ably sets the island and North Sea for what they can be, wondered what was going on. But soon things became clear. 

As to the ending, well, I was very happy. More than that, I dare not say, as it was a cliffhanger to the final few pages. 

So, Crunch time. 

A refreshing, very readable tale, filled with tangible heart, passion, and adventure, from an author who loves books and writing. A perfect summer read for any time of the year.

Sharon Gosling's web site is currently expired, but you can follow her and her delightful cat, Newt, on Instagram. Newt is such a nice girl, and full of her own human ways and antics. Sharon's (and Newt's) lovely Instagram page (elements of her gardening, crafting, writing, life) can be found HERE OR type this:- https://www.instagram.com/sharongoslingauthor/ 


Simon & Schuster's UK's web page can be found HERE. OR type this:- https://www.simonandschuster.com/

                                                        ***

And now for the selfie, which is what makes Sunday special and why the globe and and its worries shrink that little bit more because of the friendship, kindness and respect we sentient beings show to each other . . .

Caught napping?! A rare event, Mrs H said, though I swear she had crossed fingers behind her back when she did. 

My reply was that I was just dreaming thinking of what sort of prince I wanted to whisk me away in my next adventure . . . 

© Image Copyright

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site. Or copy and paste this link: https://thecatonmyhead.com/

 

I hope you enjoyed that book review (and our selfie). If you get to read this book, and we hope you do, please let us know your thoughts. 🙂 

Till laters!

ERin

Selfie with a new part time team member!

Hello, and welcome to our latest Sunday selfie! 

This week we have had a visit from a guest. Almost long forgotten, always welcome, at least until they outstay their welcome by being too fervent and unrelenting in their endeavours to make everyone feel happy.

Yup, like a whirlwind, a summer heatwave has arrived in Upper Much-Mousing! With temps in the high twenties, and destined for mid to high thirties the village has been transformed. Washing lines, full with maritime pennant flag-like multicoloured arrays of knickers, hankies and frivolous frilly bedtime wear, raise eyebrows of the old, giggles from the young and make magpies curious. 

Winter bedsheets, their final wash over, now flap languidly in the light breeze. The artificial fabric conditioner fights with early scents from nearby gardens soon to be open to all to view in the villages open garden scheme. 

Mrs H, ever one to have a hands on approach to looking after the farmland we have, has been out spot spraying some of the pernicious weeds. Gladys, who helps Mrs H in the kitchen and comes to stay here at the Manor House whilst Mrs H is off on one of her missions for the NAFFI, says she looks like a cross between a bee keeper, and an astronaut!

Me, I have been chatting with a newcomer to the village. Onetime travelling cat, who we first met in a recent adventure; more of that to follow nearer its publication. Minstrel by name and nature, Mr Mins, as we like to call him, has been staying with Miss Carroll – fellow WI member who lives nearby – until he can find permanent lodgings of his own. Just as well he chose Miss Carroll and Mrs H to befriend as both cook very well, and he has an appetite to match a horse!

Anyway, I said to Mr Mins, "Why not do a selfie to introduce yourself to the Blogosphere and future adventure book readers?"

He said he thought that to be an excellent idea, and far better than the mug shots of his one time life as a henchcat.

So without further ado, here is Mr Minstrel taking the sun and letting its natural warm healing properties sooth way the aches of the mission . . . 

Image copyright©

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site. Or copy and paste this link: https://thecatonmyhead.com/

 

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

SNAILS OF THE UNEXPECTED

Written by Terrie Chilvers

  

©Image

        

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my latest Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Lower Middle Grade KS1 Fiction.

 

This Sunday, besides the selfies, we are also the latest stop on the Book Blog Tour for this super fun, gastropod filled adventure. 

 

The 'Snails of the Unexpected' title and the bright cheery cover really caught Mrs H's attention. So when we got the call from Amy at Firefly Press, asking if we'd be interested in reading this and be part of the tour we jumped and slithered at the opportunity. And best of all, no snails, or plant life were hurt in the making of it!

So, without further ado, and with my trusty housekeeper, Mrs H, off double checking the brassicas and salad crop, let's take a deep dive into the murky and slimy world of mega-morphing snails and politics!

Artwork © Brenda Figueroa

AUTHOR:  Terrie Chilvers

 

Illustrations by:  Brenda Figueroa

 

Published by:  Firefly Press

 

Publication date Paperback:  3 April 2025

 

Paperback 13 digit ISBN:  978 191 544 4 882 

UK Cover price for Paperback:  £7.99

Amazon KINDLE price:  N/A

 

Pages: 151

 

Age range:  6+

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

The plot 

We meet our two snail protagonists, Fergus and Shelby, as they sit on the garden fence of their best human pal, Angela Miller. Fergus, one of the smallest snails in the area, is remonstrating. Today it is about the slug spar built by their human neighbour, Mr Hamilton. He has even been seen feeding the slugs grapes! Across the land slugs are getting lots of positive coverage, and humans are being encouraged to let slugs eat their best crops. Even the UK Prime Minister is fighting the slugs corner. Rumour has it there is now a sign up at the local allotments banning snails. 

The only person that now seems to love snails is Angela. She feeds them daily with a nice bowl of salad. She doesn't even mind when they nibble her fresh lettuce. At least Fergus, and Shelby who doesn't seem at all bothered by the slug issue, have their own little paradise.

Well, that is until Gavin the slug slithers by and announces their garden is going to be bulldozed to create a slug salad bar! In fact the back gardens in the street are all going to turned over to the slugs. One is even being made into a slug disco!

As the bulldozers are due to rumble in the following day, Fergus and Shelby have limited time to save their home.

Now, how might two snails on a mission get to change peoples minds when humans cant speak snail? The answer is they decide to get hold of the UK Prime Minister, the ultimate power in the land, and the one who can stop this travesty. 

They, well, Shelby thinks up a plan, but they first need to get to 10 Downing Street to deliver their message. Shelby's plan to use the bus is dismissed as it would take way too long. Then Shelby suggests they use their Mega-Morphing abilities.

This ability is news to Fergus. But it seems when there was a lightning storm some days earlier, and the puddle they were in took a zap of power, the snails got the ability to change into anything, or anyone! All they have to do is say in their heads three times the name of the person or object they want to become, then they morph. As simple as that. Or maybe not as simple when you morph into humans and get legs!

From this startling discovery that Shelby forgot to mention, our two snails set off on a course of action that is anything but regular, but very very dangerous. Their mission to save their garden quickly changes to one to save not only Angela, but also all of human kind from a fate worse than death– being turned into a lettuce!

The perps of this scary scheme are none other than the UK Prime Minster and her sidekick, the Deputy PM!

If I say any more I will end up on a slippery and slimy slope and reveal far too much. Needless to say, the best and tastiest parts of this lettuce adventure story are ahead of you. Oh, and be prepared to never look a lemon drizzle cake the same way ever again!

So, what did we think?

For anyone who has read and enjoyed Terrie's earlier adventures featuring two loveable canines, Michael (the Amazing Mind Reading Sausage Dog) and Stanley Big Dog, this series is a must. Read our review of Book 1 HERE. Read the review of Book 2 HERE.

I happily described the humour of those first books as slightly Laurel and Hardy and vauderville-esq. 

These two new characters not only bring a new dynamic in motion and outlook, but also the ability to morph and interact with their world of humans in a very different way. 

   

As a result, the humour is noticeably different, but equally as fun. The dynamic between Fergus and Shelby is more like a comedy soap opera couple from some years (possibly decades) back. And I found myself wondering how they get along and stay together. But together they are, for better or worse, and it does work well. 

Fergus is definitely of the stress-head cum perfectionist kind. As such he worries needlessly. Shelby, however, is laid back and cleverer than she seems or knows. Yet she is also a bit naive and happy to muddle along and slither through on her own forgetful path. Opposites attract maybe? Well, at the end of the day it is the very interaction and responses to situations that bring the charm and opportunity for Terrie's humour style to shine through. 

The plot is really fun, and had a great Sci-Fi adventure and Dr Who vibe. Which I think will be very appealing to the younger readers as well as the adults that will share the reading with them. 

The artwork from Brenda is spot on. The cover is magical and clever. It took a while for Mrs H to spot the shadows on the cover. Within there are the charming snail images to each chapter heading, and plenty of other images throughout that lift the recipe to perfection. 

Pleasingly, there are lots of little morals interwoven into this story. I'm sure with guidance from parents and teachers reading this book, the younger readers will come away as enriched as they are entertained. 

So . . . .

Crunch time. 

As is our wont, Mrs H and I compared notes afterward we had read. Our conclusion is that this is a top buy. It is as refreshing as a newly pulled lettuce and will offer the young who is just starting to explore new books plenty of encouragement to explore, turn pages and to grow. 

Terrie Chilvers' web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.terriechilvers.com/

Brenda Figueroa web page can be found HERE or type this: https://brendafigueroa.com/

Firefly Press' web page can be found HERE or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/

Now lets head over to the Manor House at Upper Much-Mousing for the closing scene in a very, very long running race.....

Mrs Hudson paused mid stride having just passed the kitchen door. Her inner housekeeper super senses warned her something strange was going down by the back door. Counting to five, she took four paces backwards and glanced through the kitchens slightly ajar door.

"What are you doing, dear?" she asked Erin, and not without good reason. There on the kitchen floor, with one paw raised ready to swipe down on a time clock, was Erin.

"Quick, come and see the end of the race," Erin replied, not looking up.

"What race?" Nudging the door open with her elbow, Mrs Hudson entered the kitchen. Having placed the laundry she was carrying to one side, she knelt down to see what Erin was staring so intently at.

"It's the Much-Mousing leg of the Tour De France race. The chalk mark is the finishing line." Erin gave her housekeeper and trusted partner in crime solving, an earnest look then returned to watching the garden path. Either side of finishing line were placed two chequered flags. "I was appointed the finish line marshal," Erin added, proudly. "Mrs Singh was the marshal on the start line on account of her shop having lots of fresh produce to give the competitors a hearty meal to start the day."

"I'll not be having hordes of muddy lycra-clad men cycling into my kitchen, not after I've just cleaned these tiles. And I'll not be having pile-ups on the garden path, either. We've just had new gravel put down as well as new bedding plants in the borders. Shouldn't the finishing line be outdoors. Somewhere wide with banners and bunting and where the reporters can take pictures?"

"Oh, no need to worry about any of that, Mrs H, as there's no lycra or bicycles involved. Though some of the bedding plants might get a bit... umm, damaged. Absolutely little chance of a pile up. Even if there was, these guys, possibly girls, don't mind that sort of thing. As to the newspaper reporters, I've got that covered." Erin gestured with a paw to an old Polaroid Instamatic camera sat on the floor next to the chalk line. "And I can use the camera in case of a photo finish."

Mrs Hudson gave her best confused look, one nearly always reserved for Erin when she had just explained, or rather tried to explain one of her plans. "But the Tour de France does have bicycles, dear, else how would they travel around. And aren't the special stages longer than 3 miles?" Mrs H had regularly cycled to the shops and considered it only challenging in high winds, hail and snow.

"Oh it is very challenging if you take a cross country route rather than the road." Erin said matter-of-factly. "And these competitors are on a foot, Mrs H."

"On foot? Wouldn't that be rather slow. It would take months to get around the UK and France. Anyway, the Tour de France isn't in the UK till 2027."

"Oh it takes longer than that, Mrs H. This race, the local leg, started five days ago. The main race started over a year ago; postage and getting lost in sorting offices does slow things down a bit. The competitors, should they survive being shipped around, and are not eaten on route, are expected to pass the finish line at the Champs-Elysees in Paris, sometime in June 2027 – give or take a month.

"Not eaten!" Mrs H said with astonishment.

"Oh yes. Quite regularly there have to be team member changes. It can take many generations of snails to finish. Apparently in the last race, in 2010, half the competitors were trodden on when the press corp rushed to the finish line. And some seagulls picked off a dozen others at Dieppe."

"Snails?!" Mrs Hudson's expression become one of sudden realisation. "Oh. Oh, I see. Well in that case I suggest we retire for a cup of tea."

"No time, Mrs H, they are due here any minute." I've got to do the stopwatch and then gather them up, count heads, or rather shells; that sort of thing. Then we will have to feed them and send them off to the next stage. That is at West Pudbury Hill. A tricky section that will sort out the hard shells from the soft.

"Oh we have plenty of time, dear. There will be a delay to their arrival; roadworks and a meal stop, I believe."

Erin gave her a quizzical look then looked down the drive. There was no sign of the snails in their painted shells. "How do you know that, Mrs H?"

"There has been roadworks along the final section of the route. Or as I would describe it, old Ned the gardener doing the gravel path."

"The competitors, they . . . They're not . . . gone, are they?" Erin looked really down hearted.

"Fear not. Ned told me he had collected up 55 snails with national flags painted on their shells. Being the kind hearted soul that he is, he refused to put them over the hedge. They are in a big storage box chomping down on some lettuce in his potting shed as we speak."

"I think I am out of a job. Mrs H. I can’t send them back to Mrs Singh's to start again as it would ruin the tour schedule. And it would take a superpower snail to make up for lost time." Erin sighed and stopped the time clock.

"Fear not Erin, I'll make a new starting line for them at the start of the gravel path. Then you and I can cheer them on to the finish line. If anyone asks, we can call it a sprint finish.

"What shall we do in the meantime?" Erin was starting to feel peckish. Thankfully snails were not on her menu.

"Well, it just so happens this week's book review is about two very special snails with superpowers. Why don't we settle down with a cup of tea and shortbread and write up our review for our readers?

I hope you enjoyed that book review, and our short adventure too. 

And finally, it's Sunday Selfie time!

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. A link to their website and the hop can be found HERE.

 

Till laters!

ERin