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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Of Fire and Stars (Of Fire and Stars #1) in Books
Dec 25, 2018
Having read the prequel to this book already, I can see why a lot of people complained about the lack of worldbuilding. Even though the prequel is based in a neighboring country, there's a lot in this book that I understood based on events in Inkmistress. I definitely recommend reading that one first.
That said, I enjoyed this book a lot. I think Inkmistress is better, but that happens often with new authors. I think the sequel, Of Ice and Shadows, due out this summer, will probably be even better, and should bring the events of the previous two books together.
Like Inkmistress, bisexuality seems to be absolutely normal in Denna's country, with Denna not expressing a preference, Mare having had male and female lovers, and one of Denna's ladies having a female lover. (There is a brief mention of a gay couple as well.) I do wish nonbinary people would make an appearance, but it's something, at least.
There are a lot of twists and turns to the plot in this book, so while Inkmistress was fairly straightforward, this one took me by surprise multiple times. It also makes it much harder to talk about the plot without giving anything away!
I wish we'd discovered more about the King's council - several members of it seemed to have ulterior motives but we never got to see what those were. If we knew their motivations, some things might make a lot more sense and be a lot more satisfying.
Read Inkmistress. If you like the world, go ahead and read this book, because the events of this will be necessary to understand the third book, which takes us back to the country featured in Inkmistress. And I want to know more about that country!
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
That said, I enjoyed this book a lot. I think Inkmistress is better, but that happens often with new authors. I think the sequel, Of Ice and Shadows, due out this summer, will probably be even better, and should bring the events of the previous two books together.
Like Inkmistress, bisexuality seems to be absolutely normal in Denna's country, with Denna not expressing a preference, Mare having had male and female lovers, and one of Denna's ladies having a female lover. (There is a brief mention of a gay couple as well.) I do wish nonbinary people would make an appearance, but it's something, at least.
There are a lot of twists and turns to the plot in this book, so while Inkmistress was fairly straightforward, this one took me by surprise multiple times. It also makes it much harder to talk about the plot without giving anything away!
I wish we'd discovered more about the King's council - several members of it seemed to have ulterior motives but we never got to see what those were. If we knew their motivations, some things might make a lot more sense and be a lot more satisfying.
Read Inkmistress. If you like the world, go ahead and read this book, because the events of this will be necessary to understand the third book, which takes us back to the country featured in Inkmistress. And I want to know more about that country!
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
ArecRain (8 KP) rated How to Ruin Your Reputation in Ten Days (Ladies of Passion #2) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
A friends to lovers historical romance that is as cute as it is frustrating.
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite subgenres and it was clear from the beginning that Francine and Julian were meant for each other. Sometimes you can just tell that two souls are two halves of a whole.
While the romance is both heartwarming and almost painfully cute, it was the characters that enraptured me. Francine is an absolute doll and Julian is everything the hero should be. In truth, it is the collective of characters that make this story, not just the leads. Francines friends are a force to behold, her mother surprisingly insightful, and the ton as transparent as they ought to be.
The author has a talent for pulling emotions from the reader. With every mishap, misunderstanding, and discovery, I found myself holding my breathing and worrying right along with the heroine. AT some points I had to place the book down because I was either so frustrated I couldnt deal or so shocked I needed to process.
I feel in the end, we got the end we wanted. But I was left wanting, mainly for Marys story. As one of Francines closest friends, I felt that Mary stole the show for me and I am very much looking forward to her own story.
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite subgenres and it was clear from the beginning that Francine and Julian were meant for each other. Sometimes you can just tell that two souls are two halves of a whole.
While the romance is both heartwarming and almost painfully cute, it was the characters that enraptured me. Francine is an absolute doll and Julian is everything the hero should be. In truth, it is the collective of characters that make this story, not just the leads. Francines friends are a force to behold, her mother surprisingly insightful, and the ton as transparent as they ought to be.
The author has a talent for pulling emotions from the reader. With every mishap, misunderstanding, and discovery, I found myself holding my breathing and worrying right along with the heroine. AT some points I had to place the book down because I was either so frustrated I couldnt deal or so shocked I needed to process.
I feel in the end, we got the end we wanted. But I was left wanting, mainly for Marys story. As one of Francines closest friends, I felt that Mary stole the show for me and I am very much looking forward to her own story.
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Alice (117 KP) rated You and Me on Vacation in Books
Mar 3, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for the advanced copy of this book
I read Beach Read last year and I did enjoy it but it didn't blow me away, this one, however... WOW! That's all I can say. A book about travel was always going to be right up my street but a slowburn friends to lovers story about travel. I was positively OBSESSED! The relationship between these two characters was so raw and honest and you were truly rooting for them from the very beginning. I related so hard to the character of Poppy too, like way too hard, there were moments when I genuinely thought that Emily Henry had been spying on me with how accurate some of these seemingly random character traits were to my life and I loved exploring the world through her eyes. I also think Alex Nilsen may be the new literary love of my life. I'm just so so so in love with this story and I probably shouldn't be typing this at midnight but that's when you get my most honest thoughts. I just have so much love for this book and I can already see it being one of my favourites of the year!
I read Beach Read last year and I did enjoy it but it didn't blow me away, this one, however... WOW! That's all I can say. A book about travel was always going to be right up my street but a slowburn friends to lovers story about travel. I was positively OBSESSED! The relationship between these two characters was so raw and honest and you were truly rooting for them from the very beginning. I related so hard to the character of Poppy too, like way too hard, there were moments when I genuinely thought that Emily Henry had been spying on me with how accurate some of these seemingly random character traits were to my life and I loved exploring the world through her eyes. I also think Alex Nilsen may be the new literary love of my life. I'm just so so so in love with this story and I probably shouldn't be typing this at midnight but that's when you get my most honest thoughts. I just have so much love for this book and I can already see it being one of my favourites of the year!
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Jun 11, 2022
Merissa (13958 KP) rated Leading Me Home (Harrington Hills #1) by in Books
May 20, 2023
This is a real friends-to-lovers story, complete with hidden feelings on one side. However, what made this story exceptional to me is the way in which it is written and the believable, likeable characters that Megan Linden gives us. Told from dual points of view, you hear from both Tyler and Kevin as they realise how deep their feelings for each other are, and what this means as one is an Alpha's Son, whilst the other is a lone wolf.
I loved how it was Mom B, the Beta, who spoke to Kevin and gave him the reassurance he needed. It wasn't just swept under the carpet in a "love conquers all" way. No, he was told that loving a Harrington was tough, but it was worth it!
This novella has it all - friendship, romance, it has some hot scenes without being gratuitous, and it has definitely left me wanting more. Absolutely adored this book and I'm looking forward to returning to Harrington Hills as soon as I can. Highly recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 16, 2016
I loved how it was Mom B, the Beta, who spoke to Kevin and gave him the reassurance he needed. It wasn't just swept under the carpet in a "love conquers all" way. No, he was told that loving a Harrington was tough, but it was worth it!
This novella has it all - friendship, romance, it has some hot scenes without being gratuitous, and it has definitely left me wanting more. Absolutely adored this book and I'm looking forward to returning to Harrington Hills as soon as I can. Highly recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 16, 2016
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Stone of Destiny: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure in Books
Jul 30, 2018
Fans of Sherlock Holmes, fans of mystery, fans of adventure and suspense - this might be your next favorite book! Now, I have never read a Sherlock Holmes book before, so I can’t compare this book to the original books from Arthur Conan Doyle. But, what I will do for you is tell you all I thought about this book!
The story begins when during the funeral of Queen Victoria, a group of Irish separatists steal the Coronation Stone, on which every royal has been crowned. To retrieve this important object, the royals will hire Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery. Holmes and his friend Watson travel to Ireland and try to infiltrate the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a group they think is responsible for all that happened.
Even though this is a Sherlock Holmes book, we actually unravel the story through a Watson-first-person point of view. He, to me, is a very interesting character, even though he follows Holmes like a puppy and doesn’t seem to have a personal opinion.
As for Sherlock Holmes, even though I really like the mysterious aura about him, and how smart he can be - I also see him as one of the rude aristocrats that refuse to speak to other people that seem to be lower in the hierarchy to them. This is of course, not presented in the book in any way - but I simply had that impression.
I loved the beginning, and I loved the mystery and suspense throughout the whole book. I was never ahead of the book, and my assumptions were never correct. I loved how the author kept us in the dark right until the end.
The small things I didn’t like though, were the slow pace - I have to admit, the pace was really slow for me, and I couldn’t wait until a chapter is finished to see if there would be more action. Then, even the action scenes weren’t as thrilling as I would expect them to be. And finally, there were no big plot twists, which I think we might have used in the book.
But - we did have a lovely mystery solving story, and we had a lot of history information floating around. We also had another book with Sherlock Holmes, that for you - lovers of the Sherlock Holmes books will of course be something you enjoy.
I greatly recommend it to you if you love the good old Sherlock Holmes adventures!
Many thanks to the author, Richard T. Ryan, for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story begins when during the funeral of Queen Victoria, a group of Irish separatists steal the Coronation Stone, on which every royal has been crowned. To retrieve this important object, the royals will hire Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery. Holmes and his friend Watson travel to Ireland and try to infiltrate the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a group they think is responsible for all that happened.
Even though this is a Sherlock Holmes book, we actually unravel the story through a Watson-first-person point of view. He, to me, is a very interesting character, even though he follows Holmes like a puppy and doesn’t seem to have a personal opinion.
As for Sherlock Holmes, even though I really like the mysterious aura about him, and how smart he can be - I also see him as one of the rude aristocrats that refuse to speak to other people that seem to be lower in the hierarchy to them. This is of course, not presented in the book in any way - but I simply had that impression.
I loved the beginning, and I loved the mystery and suspense throughout the whole book. I was never ahead of the book, and my assumptions were never correct. I loved how the author kept us in the dark right until the end.
The small things I didn’t like though, were the slow pace - I have to admit, the pace was really slow for me, and I couldn’t wait until a chapter is finished to see if there would be more action. Then, even the action scenes weren’t as thrilling as I would expect them to be. And finally, there were no big plot twists, which I think we might have used in the book.
But - we did have a lovely mystery solving story, and we had a lot of history information floating around. We also had another book with Sherlock Holmes, that for you - lovers of the Sherlock Holmes books will of course be something you enjoy.
I greatly recommend it to you if you love the good old Sherlock Holmes adventures!
Many thanks to the author, Richard T. Ryan, for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.