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The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World’s Wild Places
Book
Bernie Krause is the world's leading expert in natural sound. Beginning by recording the sound of...
Dark Flame (Flame Born #1)
10.0
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Book
“I know who you are because you belong to me. You were born to be mine.” ~ Alexei Vasiliev, the...
MM Dark Paranormal Romance
Shooting Stars (Shooting Stars #1)
Book
Tess Lee is a novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and the human...
Women's Fiction Romance
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Lost (Jonah Colley #1) in Books
Nov 14, 2021
Oh my goodness!! This is one of my reads of 2021; it grabbed me round the neck from page 1 and didn't let go right to the very end.
This is one very, very clever and exceptionally good story that had me absolutely hooked from the beginning and devouring every page with a voracious appetite for more.
The characters are excellent, all of them have a part to play and all play it well. Of particular note are the main character of Jonah, who I quickly became attached to, and the investigating officer, DI Fletcher, who I quickly disliked (there's got to be a story there for a future book ?!?); I didn't feel there was one character that was surplus to requirements.
It's full of atmosphere, tension, suspense, anticipation and is totally gripping from the very start. I was desperate to find out if there was any connection to Jonah's missing son and the carnage Jonah discovers at the bleak Slaughter Quay and was extremely satisfied with the outcome and how it was reached.
I can't wait for the next instalment in this new series and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this to lovers of crime thrillers but be warned, it is a difficult read in parts and there is violence and numerous scenes of peril so if you are of a nervous disposition, then this might not be the one for you but if not, go and buy it ... now!
Many, many thanks to Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
This is one very, very clever and exceptionally good story that had me absolutely hooked from the beginning and devouring every page with a voracious appetite for more.
The characters are excellent, all of them have a part to play and all play it well. Of particular note are the main character of Jonah, who I quickly became attached to, and the investigating officer, DI Fletcher, who I quickly disliked (there's got to be a story there for a future book ?!?); I didn't feel there was one character that was surplus to requirements.
It's full of atmosphere, tension, suspense, anticipation and is totally gripping from the very start. I was desperate to find out if there was any connection to Jonah's missing son and the carnage Jonah discovers at the bleak Slaughter Quay and was extremely satisfied with the outcome and how it was reached.
I can't wait for the next instalment in this new series and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this to lovers of crime thrillers but be warned, it is a difficult read in parts and there is violence and numerous scenes of peril so if you are of a nervous disposition, then this might not be the one for you but if not, go and buy it ... now!
Many, many thanks to Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Angels of Bourbon Street ( Jade Calhoun book 4) in Books
May 30, 2022
93 of 230
Kindle
Angels of Bourbon Street ( Jade Calhoun book 4)
By Deanna Chase
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶
Despite having lost half her soul, coven leader Jade Calhoun is determined to lead a regular life, and that means planning her wedding. With just five weeks until the big event, plans are halted when Jade falls victim to a ghost possession. Unfortunately, it appears the only way to keep the ghost at bay is to spend twenty-four hours a day with the last person Jade wants to share a house with - the angel who has the other half of her soul.
Things go from bad to worse when the ghost targets Jade's friends and her fiance, Kane. The ghost is using sex magic to steal Jade's power, and she'll stop at nothing to get what she wants. Even if it means forcing Jade into the arms of another man. In order to banish the ghost, fix her soul, and have a chance at her happy ending, Jade will need to find her father and uncover the decades-old secret her mother is determined to keep hidden.
I love this series the writing and character building is so good. It’s a really enjoyable series to read they get better as they go on. It’s great to see Jade fighting back and not giving up especially with half a soul , a ghost chasing her and friends as well as planning a wedding. Recommend for those witch story lovers.
Kindle
Angels of Bourbon Street ( Jade Calhoun book 4)
By Deanna Chase
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶
Despite having lost half her soul, coven leader Jade Calhoun is determined to lead a regular life, and that means planning her wedding. With just five weeks until the big event, plans are halted when Jade falls victim to a ghost possession. Unfortunately, it appears the only way to keep the ghost at bay is to spend twenty-four hours a day with the last person Jade wants to share a house with - the angel who has the other half of her soul.
Things go from bad to worse when the ghost targets Jade's friends and her fiance, Kane. The ghost is using sex magic to steal Jade's power, and she'll stop at nothing to get what she wants. Even if it means forcing Jade into the arms of another man. In order to banish the ghost, fix her soul, and have a chance at her happy ending, Jade will need to find her father and uncover the decades-old secret her mother is determined to keep hidden.
I love this series the writing and character building is so good. It’s a really enjoyable series to read they get better as they go on. It’s great to see Jade fighting back and not giving up especially with half a soul , a ghost chasing her and friends as well as planning a wedding. Recommend for those witch story lovers.
The Pig Wars
6.0
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Book
After inadvertently causing her father's death with her magic in battle, Lady Rena avoids the...
Medieval Fantasy
DragonSeer (DragonKin #2)
10.0
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Book
Two lovers, our dragons, eggs on the way, and one cottage. It’s everything I need to be happy....
MMM Paranormal Romance Dragons
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Terminal Threat (A Leine Basso Thriller #13) in Books
Jun 18, 2023
Once again, DV has surpassed herself and created another enthralling adventure to add to the already amazing Leine Basso back catalogue which just keeps getting better and better. I think with this one, it works well as a standalone but I would recommend reading the rest of the series as you won't be disappointed.
Ava (aka Leine) has decided to retire and move to a village in Italy to open a book shop. Sounds idyllic and simple? Well ... with Leine nothing is that straightforward and when she gets embroiled in the death of a local villager and a local racketeer, it's not only her life that is under threat but the life of the entire village and so she engages her colleagues from her previous life to help out with heart-stopping consequences.
As with DV's previous books, it is littered with excellent characters with Leine being one of my all-time favourites; she is strong, brave, not afraid to kick bottoms but with a soft side that is endearing. The story is exciting, the pace is fast and the setting is perfect.
All-in-all, this is another hit for me and one I won't hesitate to recommend to lovers of books that are full of action with a strong female lead. I can also highly recommend this series and once again, thank you to D.V for accepting me as a member her ARTeam and for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Terminal Threat and my hungry eyes can't wait to read the next!
Ava (aka Leine) has decided to retire and move to a village in Italy to open a book shop. Sounds idyllic and simple? Well ... with Leine nothing is that straightforward and when she gets embroiled in the death of a local villager and a local racketeer, it's not only her life that is under threat but the life of the entire village and so she engages her colleagues from her previous life to help out with heart-stopping consequences.
As with DV's previous books, it is littered with excellent characters with Leine being one of my all-time favourites; she is strong, brave, not afraid to kick bottoms but with a soft side that is endearing. The story is exciting, the pace is fast and the setting is perfect.
All-in-all, this is another hit for me and one I won't hesitate to recommend to lovers of books that are full of action with a strong female lead. I can also highly recommend this series and once again, thank you to D.V for accepting me as a member her ARTeam and for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Terminal Threat and my hungry eyes can't wait to read the next!
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a hardcore Shakespeare fan. One of my bosses at work knows this and let me borrow her copy of this book thinking that it would interest me. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat.
I do not agree with the main argument of this biography: that William Shakespeare was, in fact, only a pen name for Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford. No. I do not agree with this claim, like so many other Shakespeare scholars and lovers because the "facts" put forth are just very thinly stretched ideas and concepts that cannot be proven.
This book, instead of pushing me to think about how this fact could even possibly be true, is more about the life of Edward de Vere and how some of the circumstances in his life would be able to loosely connect to the plays Shakespeare had written. In tying in the plays, Anderson thinks he is making a stronger claim for his argument, but is honestly just trying to connect things that are unalike to "prove" what he is thinking. As an English major, I don't really like that way of thinking much.
Most of what he was trying to argue could have been left out and, instead, just have the appendices left in there. In the approximately sixty pages of the four appendices, he stated what over three hundred pages could not. No, I do not agree with the argument he is making, but it seems like it is stronger and more coherent in the appendix.
I want to point out a specific quotation from the Appendix A on page 381 to make a point about this book. It states: The thesis of this book, the "Oxfordian" proposition that Edward de Vere was Shake-speare, is a theory built on circumstantial evidence. There is no single "smoking gun" document that leads one inexorably to the conclusion that de Vere wrote Hamlet, King Lear, the Sonnets, etc." I understand that it is difficult to try to prove a theory that many argue against (myself included), but basing your argument solely on circumstantial evidence is not the way to go. It makes the argument, at least to me, seem less realistic and, in all honesty, difficult to agree with. If you cannot prove someone is guilty solely based on circumstantial evidence, you should not try to prove a complex argument that a famous playwright was not a real person, but, in fact, a pseudonym for another historical figure around the same time.
The "facts" that de Vere's life has similar qualities to the plays written by Shakespeare leading to the thought that de Vere, himself, is Shakespeare is a stretch, and not a convincing one at that.
Overall, I did not enjoy this book and I did not find it convincing at all. It felt more like a history lesson about the background of Edward de Vere rather than any kind of argument towards the idea that he could have been Shakespeare.
In my heart of hearts, I will always believe that William Shakespeare was, in fact, a real man by the name of William Shakespeare, not some made up name for a man who wanted to keep his private life separate from the public.
I do not agree with the main argument of this biography: that William Shakespeare was, in fact, only a pen name for Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford. No. I do not agree with this claim, like so many other Shakespeare scholars and lovers because the "facts" put forth are just very thinly stretched ideas and concepts that cannot be proven.
This book, instead of pushing me to think about how this fact could even possibly be true, is more about the life of Edward de Vere and how some of the circumstances in his life would be able to loosely connect to the plays Shakespeare had written. In tying in the plays, Anderson thinks he is making a stronger claim for his argument, but is honestly just trying to connect things that are unalike to "prove" what he is thinking. As an English major, I don't really like that way of thinking much.
Most of what he was trying to argue could have been left out and, instead, just have the appendices left in there. In the approximately sixty pages of the four appendices, he stated what over three hundred pages could not. No, I do not agree with the argument he is making, but it seems like it is stronger and more coherent in the appendix.
I want to point out a specific quotation from the Appendix A on page 381 to make a point about this book. It states: The thesis of this book, the "Oxfordian" proposition that Edward de Vere was Shake-speare, is a theory built on circumstantial evidence. There is no single "smoking gun" document that leads one inexorably to the conclusion that de Vere wrote Hamlet, King Lear, the Sonnets, etc." I understand that it is difficult to try to prove a theory that many argue against (myself included), but basing your argument solely on circumstantial evidence is not the way to go. It makes the argument, at least to me, seem less realistic and, in all honesty, difficult to agree with. If you cannot prove someone is guilty solely based on circumstantial evidence, you should not try to prove a complex argument that a famous playwright was not a real person, but, in fact, a pseudonym for another historical figure around the same time.
The "facts" that de Vere's life has similar qualities to the plays written by Shakespeare leading to the thought that de Vere, himself, is Shakespeare is a stretch, and not a convincing one at that.
Overall, I did not enjoy this book and I did not find it convincing at all. It felt more like a history lesson about the background of Edward de Vere rather than any kind of argument towards the idea that he could have been Shakespeare.
In my heart of hearts, I will always believe that William Shakespeare was, in fact, a real man by the name of William Shakespeare, not some made up name for a man who wanted to keep his private life separate from the public.
Becs (244 KP) rated Marrow Charm in Books
Dec 20, 2019
Dark and magical!!
Trigger Warnings: cannibalism, death, murder, gore, slavery, injury, abduction, absent parent(s), death of a parent(s), manipulation, violence
I was honestly surprised that I ended up loving this novel as much as I did. I had extremely high expectations for it and IT. DELIVERED. When I first picked it up, it took a good minute to actually get into the story. But once it clicked into place, I was devouring Marrow Charm with a thirst. It is heart-wrenching, action packed, enemies to lovers (kinda, a girl can dream), dark and oh so magical!
Marrow Charm follows a morally gray heroine, Azzy Brimvine in a world destroyed by magic. The magic plaguing the lands caused humans to retreat underground. But every so often, magical borne plagues will wipe out masses of human cities. These plagues create aberrations by striking those with magic. When Azzy’s brother is infected, she sets out with her mentor to the Above determined to save him. But, the world in the Above is not all gum drops and unicorns. It is plagued with monsters and humans, wild and cunning. Azzy must brave the perils that litter the Above to reach her brother before the Gate is opened.
Marrow Charm is a bit slow in the begin, but as you continue on it does pick up quite quickly. Once you hit that sweet spot though, your attention is gripped to the point where you don’t even want to put the book down because you are just enthralled in the complex world and characters. I would say the book starts picking up a few chapters in. This could also be a me only thing as I was slumping a bit when I started Marrow Charm, and we all know how slumps can ruin a book!
I was enthralled with not only the characters and their stories, but also the world. Kristin’s writing style is eloquent and breathtaking, and they included a couple of different themes throughout the story! Such as, family and friendship. It was really nice to see both of these take place when the main character had such a life of hardship. And don’t get me started on the complexity of the characters and world!
The characters are written in a way that draws the reader to them but they are also realistic in a way where their actions and thoughts are extremely relatable. This was really interesting to experience when reading, as I was not expecting to enjoy the characters as much as I did. The complexity of the world was also something that surprised me! There was no clear “good-side” or “bad-side” and the descriptions of everything was extremely well-done! You can tell that there is a higher, dark presence that is interwoven into the world but what it is, is unknown. Even at the ending of the novel. This was kind of a bummer, as I wanted to know what that presence was. But it also set it up nicely for book two: Skin Curse.
I can’t gush about Marrow Charm enough! It’s seriously one of my top books of the year and I can’t stop recommending it to everyone. If you are a fan of dark tales with fantasy and magical elements but also a hint of realism, then this is the book for you! But be warned, it does read ‘heavy.’ In the end though, the ‘heavy’ presence makes sense.
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
I was honestly surprised that I ended up loving this novel as much as I did. I had extremely high expectations for it and IT. DELIVERED. When I first picked it up, it took a good minute to actually get into the story. But once it clicked into place, I was devouring Marrow Charm with a thirst. It is heart-wrenching, action packed, enemies to lovers (kinda, a girl can dream), dark and oh so magical!
Marrow Charm follows a morally gray heroine, Azzy Brimvine in a world destroyed by magic. The magic plaguing the lands caused humans to retreat underground. But every so often, magical borne plagues will wipe out masses of human cities. These plagues create aberrations by striking those with magic. When Azzy’s brother is infected, she sets out with her mentor to the Above determined to save him. But, the world in the Above is not all gum drops and unicorns. It is plagued with monsters and humans, wild and cunning. Azzy must brave the perils that litter the Above to reach her brother before the Gate is opened.
Marrow Charm is a bit slow in the begin, but as you continue on it does pick up quite quickly. Once you hit that sweet spot though, your attention is gripped to the point where you don’t even want to put the book down because you are just enthralled in the complex world and characters. I would say the book starts picking up a few chapters in. This could also be a me only thing as I was slumping a bit when I started Marrow Charm, and we all know how slumps can ruin a book!
I was enthralled with not only the characters and their stories, but also the world. Kristin’s writing style is eloquent and breathtaking, and they included a couple of different themes throughout the story! Such as, family and friendship. It was really nice to see both of these take place when the main character had such a life of hardship. And don’t get me started on the complexity of the characters and world!
The characters are written in a way that draws the reader to them but they are also realistic in a way where their actions and thoughts are extremely relatable. This was really interesting to experience when reading, as I was not expecting to enjoy the characters as much as I did. The complexity of the world was also something that surprised me! There was no clear “good-side” or “bad-side” and the descriptions of everything was extremely well-done! You can tell that there is a higher, dark presence that is interwoven into the world but what it is, is unknown. Even at the ending of the novel. This was kind of a bummer, as I wanted to know what that presence was. But it also set it up nicely for book two: Skin Curse.
I can’t gush about Marrow Charm enough! It’s seriously one of my top books of the year and I can’t stop recommending it to everyone. If you are a fan of dark tales with fantasy and magical elements but also a hint of realism, then this is the book for you! But be warned, it does read ‘heavy.’ In the end though, the ‘heavy’ presence makes sense.
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com