Published By: Firefinch Publishing
Pages: 320
Released On: 24/09/2026
Translated By: Tina Kover
Mitch, a passionate bookseller, is arrested one morning for committing an unthinkable crime: selling books that have been banned. After five years in prison, all Mitch wants to do is to regain his freedom and settle back into his bookshop.
But fate has other plans.
On the same day Mitch crosses paths with the man who put him behind bars, he also encounters Anna, a woman who could well be the love of his life. From that moment on, Mitch finds himself caught between an irresistible desire for revenge and an irresistible desire for love . . .
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Firefinch Publishing for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I believe this is the first of his books I’ve read.
I mean, it’s a book about books and bookshops – that’s already a winner for me. Banning books feels like it should only be a thing in fictional words and it’s a shame that is not. And even though we’re in 2026, censorship of books is still a big thing, particularly in the States (I’m glad in the UK we don’t really go down that route), it seems so archaic and even though this was a fiction, you can read Marc’s love for books and hatred of censorship.
I enjoyed this straight away. Translated books can lose some of their charm, and even though I can speak a bit of French, it wouldn’t have been enough to cover the entire novel. But this still felt like it had charm and the original emotion.
Even though I’d read the synopsis, I was expecting a sedate – but not boring – historical book about banning books. But I got something completely different. Yes it’s about banned books but there’s a this almost thriller/mystery element about it, as well as romance and crime. Not sure where I got the historical element from as it doesn’t suggest that at all. I wonder if it’s because banning books is so linked to activities in the war, perhaps.
Mitch is our main protagonist but we get to know quite a large number of other characters, with big and small roles, some through their POVs and some through Mitch’s. I like multiple character views, I know some people don’t. But I admit at a few times I had to refresh myself, trying to remember who was who and how they linked. Like I say, some have bigger roles than others and some are more likeable than others. But they are all well written and have an interesting effect on the main story. Not all of them have depth to them and normally I would have an issue with that but I think the story itself is strong enough to even it out.
The romance aspect of the book didn’t really work for me. I understand why it was there but personally, I felt it was added so they could tick the ‘romance’ box rather than the story needing it. I think it would have been just as enjoyable – maybe even more – without that aspect.
It was a little slower than I’d have liked. At 320 pages it’s not a short book but nor is it overly long. And a book doesn’t have to be 100 mph for it to be enjoyable. But I like a mixture of fast paced and slow paced and this definitely heavily favoured the slow pace.
I read this on a July day where it was 100 degrees and I was melting but it was very good company. Bizarrely, I think it might hit harder during the winter. There’s a sort of feeling I get of wanting to tuck up under a blanket in front of the fire with a hot cup of tea, all cosy-like.
Books By Your Bedside 