When a bookstore unexpectedly opens in a small Scottish village, the locals flock to its doors. After all, it isn’t every day a new business chooses to set up shop in a place so remote, and particularly not one so opulent. The store is called LEGENDS, and its arrival brings mystery and turmoil with it.
Rowan Byrne is one of many standing in the long line to check the place out on opening day. She has been struggling financially ever since her ill father passed away, leaving her alone in the house where she’d acted as his caregiver. While perusing the store’s shelves, she is taken by how much larger it is inside as compared to how it looks outside. Then she pulls a nondescript book from a shelf entitled STEAL ME. Starting to read it, she is shocked to see her own name addressed within, encouraging her to do just that. It also notes embarrassing things she’s done in her past which she doesn’t want others to know about. Rowan is mortified at the thought of anyone else finding this book and reading of her shameful secret.
She isn’t alone in being tormented by a book found on LEGENDS shelves that somehow knows and preys upon her deepest secrets, as in the coming days the entire town will begin falling victim to the insidious blight brought about by the place. The two elderly women who run the bookstore appear friendly, but something sinister seems to lurk just beneath the surface.
Although Rowan can see the store’s dark influence spreading, she’s dealing with threats of her own. Luckily for her, she has an ally in the ever-loyal Jack. She and Jack have a relationship of mutual appreciation which could be more if either weren’t too shy to make the first move. They are a great, very sweet, couple who may well be their village’s only hope for survival against the ancient forces at the threshold.
This novella by Helen Grant is a quick, intense read which will particularly appeal to book-lovers. Who among us doesn’t love exploring the aisles of any new bookstore seeking literary treasures hiding between covers both hard and soft? Helen Grant is an amazing writer, and her skills are on full display here. STEAL ME (2026) is published by Absinthe Books (an imprint of PS Publishing) with cover art by John Coulthart and an introduction by Marie O’Regan. I had a lot of fun reading it, and I know you will, too. Pick up a copy for yourself today and enjoy!
PS Publishing Order Link: https://pspublishing.co.uk/steal-me-signed-hardcover-helen-grant-6850-p.asp
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