March 2026 Reading Round Up – Book Reviews & Goals

How the Pill Changes Everything by Dr Sarah E. Hill

This was a brilliant insight into the pill and the way that our bodies deal with hormones, on and off the pill.

I enjoyed the way that the way our bodies work was explained first to give an overview so that everyone was in the same place while reading. It wasn’t the most simple overview, but it didn’t go too medically deep either that it went over my head. I also liked that less biased take on the lack of data around women in studies and research. I’ve read another book recently which clearly had an agenda to show how little women are used in research when they should be (and I totally get this agenda!) but this went deeper into explaining the cost and time behind that due to women’s natural cycles. It was interesting and gave more context.

I appreciated how the author spoke very frankly in the narrative, and I enjoyed some of the little asides that were made. However there were some that seemed a little unnecessary – almost as if they were an in-joke kind of note to an editor that should really have been removed, a little too opinionated on opinions that didn’t need to be there. I liked that it added personality, but having to click the teeny tiny little asterixes on a Kindle (which took several taps!) only to find a note that wasn’t really relevant was a little annoying.

I’ve got a lot of new and useful information from this book. It does make you consider the decisions we make as women and what they’re influenced by. A very interesting discussion, and like the author, it gives me plenty of talking points for my daughter when she’s older too.

Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross

This was absolutely gorgeous, I was sad to leave this world.

Matilda is the youngest goddess, born to an underling goddess mother and an unknown father who we quickly find out is a skyward god. She has fewer stars than most to her name and is a herald who can pass messages between the realms, meaning she is considered a lesser goddess. Meanwhile, in the mortal world, a human dreams of Matilda. Vincent’s dreams are passed to Matilda through another goddess, so she learns about his fears through his nightmares. When one day he begs for her help, but she is unable to respond, he turns irreverent and forgets her. Until 10 years later when she scales his tower and tumbles through his window with a message. Both of their lives are at stake, but they feel fated to be together.

This book is part of the Letters of Enchantment world, but is a standalone story. You could read this by itself and enjoy it, or you could read it before the others, but I really loved reading it after the other two books in the series. After finishing Ruthless Vows, I felt I needed to know more about the gods – their storyline felt off somehow to me – but this book gave me the additional depth I was craving.

Both main characters are great. I liked the romance with the deep yearning and struggles to be together. It wasn’t the most fantastical romance ever, but it was good. But it’s the wider world that really makes this story for me.

The story and the way it’s told had Circe by Madeline Miller vibes: a tale as old as time, the everyday life of the gods, not feeling part of that world, and a yearning for more. I believe Rebecca Ross has modelled this world on the ancient myths that we know from Greece (which is a world I love from my degree!), but it’s completely her own – interwoven with magic and its own mythology. The world building is fantastic.

As I said before, I was sad to leave this world that had me entranced. It took me longer than usual to read this book and I think it’s because I was savouring the details in it. It did have a slower beginning as the world builds and you get a grip on the mythology, but the later parts have some fast paced battles, so you get the best of both.

The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

This was such a gorgeous, cosy read – I want to do it all over again!

My full review of The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst will be up on the blog in about a week.

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

Another nail-biting, edge of your seat read from Marcus Kliewer!

My full review of The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer will be on the blog later this month.

You’ve Got Chain Mail by Sam Parks

This was a lovely, sweet read with a nerdy, fantasy-esque twist.

I actually read this book in the wrong order! I read Date Knight last summer, right before going to Fantasy Forest (where that book was set!), then realised half way through that I should have read You’ve Got Chain Mail first. Luckily, both books can work as standalones but now having read this one, I get the references that occurred in Date Knight to Morgan and Jack’s relationship, and also the slow intro to Phil and Amy’s story that happens later.

This book was lovely to read – I really enjoyed seeing Morgan and Jack coming together and figuring out the journeys they were on. I have to admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the together then apart journey that happened (although it still has a happy ending, I promise!). It’s more because of the way that the romance story beats usually happen – after they got together, I was thinking that there was still quite a way to go, something bad has to happen! I know every romance has that “bad” moment, otherwise it’s all just one too happy story, but the way this one hit slightly earlier had me not wanting to read that part yet! Just a me thing I think!

The way this book is written is so accessible – easy to read and fun. I enjoyed a lot of contemporary little references, they almost felt like in jokes between me and the author. It felt like she really knew the audience she was writing for and it hit just right.

Like Date Knight, this has the D&D campaign short chapters interspersed through the content which gave a nice change of pace. As in Date Knight, I was still a little confused at which character was which though and it took a bit more brainpower than a romance novel usually needs to get that straight! I love how it makes it more unique than similar romances though.

I really enjoyed this and would definitely read more from the author in future.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

I finally managed to get hold of a copy of this book at the same time as Tower of Dawn (I’d been struggling to get both on eBook from the library at the same time!) so I could do the tandem read, and oh my goodness – I’m finally getting the Throne of Glass hype!

It’s a tricky review to talk without spoilers but also because I feel like this is only half of the book when you do it as a tandem read!

I have to admit, while I’ve always preferred Aelin’s thread of the wider storyline, while reading Tower of Dawn in tandem with Empire of Storms, I was enjoying Chaol’s story much more – I was excited to get back into Tower of Dawn while reading Empire of Storms, or at least right up until the highly climactic ending when all the threads FINALLY started to come together.

There are still a couple of characters’ storylines that I’m not as invested in, but I’m pleased that they’re finally feeling like they’re part of the bigger picture rather than a random aside. I love seeing books come together like this and the characters develop into something spectacular.

I’ve managed to get hold of Kingdom of Ash and I’m now a little bit terrified to read it as people say it breaks your world open and changes your brain chemistry, so eek!

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

As I said in my Empire of Storms review, I finally managed to get this book and that at the same time on eBook so I could do the tandem read, and I’m so glad I did – I think it added so much to the story to be able to do that!

I said the same in my Empire of Storms review, but where I wasn’t overly bothered about Chaol’s storyline before, I suddenly switched and actually preferred this one over Aelin’s! The growing relationship with Yrene was very well handled, as was him fighting the battle to return to his old self (or perhaps not) and growing within himself.

I also enjoyed Nesryn and Sartaq’s storyline too – again, I wasn’t all that bothered about Nesryn before and just saw her as something of a side character. At least, until this book!

There were a couple of GASP moments for me in this, which is brilliant because I love a good shock like that in a book!

I now have Kingdom of Ash ready and waiting, I’m a little bit scared to dive in though!

The Murder Bag by Tony Parsons

This was a gripping crime thriller with a rich backstory that I enjoyed.

Max Wolfe is a new member of a homicide team and his first case sees him attending the body of a banker found with his throat slashed open. When another body turns up with the same manner of death, but this one an addict on a backstreet, he hunts to find the connection. And that connection eventually leads him back to a private school and a group of friends who seem to be getting picked off one by one. But why?

I rated this book 3 stars, but it would really fall as a 3.5 for me – and I have to explain that this isn’t necessarily a problem with the book. I think it’s a really good crime thriller – I liked the detective’s character and his relationship with his daughter which built up a deeper connection that I felt with him, and I also liked the setting of the private school which added some extra depth and atmosphere. I’m just not at a time in my life where I really love crime thrillers unfortunately! I’m more about a cosy and twee mystery nowadays. Maybe that’s from having my own kids (which is why I connected with that part of the storyline), but while I liked the read, I wouldn’t dive straight into another one.

The mystery did keep me guessing, and there were moments that had me on the edge of my seat where it felt very touch and go as to whether it would be solved and how much danger the characters were in. It had all the hallmarks of a good crime thriller!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

Dopamine Nation by Dr Anna Lembke

This book was recommended to me by my husband, who doesn’t read – sounds weird, doesn’t it?! He listens to podcasts a lot though, and he heard Anna Lembke talking about her addiction to romance – so he suggested it to me. What does that say about my reading habits?!

I try to read one non-fiction a month, and I try to pick up ones every few months that remind me of my journey towards bettering myself. There are a few things in my life (hopefully most of us are the same and it’s not just me!) that I know I can work on, and I go up and down on focusing on these. This includes diet, exercise and dopamine. While I haven’t been diagnosed with ADHD, I know that I struggle (like many others) with managing dopamine effectively. This book provided some great reminders into why I choose to concentrate on managing my dopamine levels.

Where some books I’ve read give scientific explanations, and others are more of an instruction manual, this one was more of a series of anecdotes from people that Anna has treated or worked with, as well as her own. The majority are more extreme examples than the everyday dopamine struggle, but some are more mundane, such as the author’s own realisation that she was using romance novels as a way to escape from reality and had become reliant on them for ineffective dopamine hits.

While I’m not about to give up reading any time soon, this book gave me some useful reminders of managing things like screentime, and figuring out balancing “pain” to live a more rounded life.

It’s a great read, easy to get through and pretty quick to read.