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Never Never (Never Never, #1)
Never Never (Never Never, #1)
Colleen Hoover, Tarryn Fisher | 2015 | Mystery, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
9.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Holy crap. I normally avoid book series until each one is available, but this is Colleen Hoover! I couldn't wait and now I'm dying to read part two. The story is absolutely compelling, I couldn't stop reading!
  
Tribune of Rome
Tribune of Rome
Robert Fabbri | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
4
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ever since (roughly) about a decade ago - when the movie 'Gladiator' first came out - I've been noticing more and more Roman-themed books, from Simon Scarrow's 'Macro and Cato' series to Conn Iggulden's 'Emperor' quartet to Ben Kane's 'Forgotten Legion Chronicles' (and now 'Enemy of Rome' series) to John Stack's 'Masters of the Sea' series to Anthony Riches' 'Empire' series to Harry Sidebottom's 'Warrior of Rome' series to ...

... you get the picture.

To that list, we can now also add Robert Fabbri with his planned 'Vespasian' series of books, of which this is the first. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm also going to state that (from the above list of authors) I've read at least one book in their respective series. Of those all - and, including, now, this book - I have to say, I've found Scarrow's novels to be the most entertaining.

As a novel, I found this one could be split into three distinct sections: the beginning was set during Vespasians early years in the Roman country-side and mainly concerning the relationship between him and his brother, before the setting moves to Rome proper when the two brothers get embroiled in Roman politics, and then (in the latter half of the book), following Vespasians early military career. It was probably this latter aspect of the book that is the most enjoyable, even if it does still suffer from seemingly stilted conversations that are used to move the plot along - that, and some 'Oh, come on! As if ...' moments (one in particular!).
 
While I read some more of this series? Possibly, but also I'm not going to be going out of my way to look for them.
  
Colorado Fire (Colorado Protectors #2)
Colorado Fire (Colorado Protectors #2)
Sara York | 2013 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Although reading a series is usually best-done back-to-back, there are exceptions and this is one of them. Although I find myself enjoying this series for the action and adventure side of it, the romance side came across as being incredibly similar to the first book - best friends, one supposedly straight, one kiss and they're sorted.

What lifted this book from a 3-star to a 4-star was the detail involved with Craig and his capture. This made for a very good adventure story although it still could have gone further for me into the whys and wherefores.

Once again, this is a book with multiple main characters, rather than just one pair, and others are mingling. New characters are introduced with a view to the next book in the series. As with the first book, I would recommend a round of editing and proofreading as there are still too many errors in there to dismiss.

On the whole, enjoyable but I would suggest you read different books in between.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 14, 2015
  
Jupiter's Shadow (Smoky Mountain Wolves #1)
Jupiter's Shadow (Smoky Mountain Wolves #1)
T.L. Reeve | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Jupiter's Shadow (Smoky Mountain Wolves #1) by TL Reeve
Jupiter's Shadow is the first book in the Smoky Mountain Wolves series, and if this one is anything to go by, this series is going to be brilliant!

We start off with Jupiter having her thirty-second birthday. Her dad takes the opportunity to tell his daughter - and the rest of the pack - that Jupiter now has five potential mates to choose from, and a month in which to do it. Although pretty 'miffed' to start with, Jupiter soon realises that they all have bigger problems to deal with.

This is an excellent start to the series, and I look forward to the fleshing out of the world, pack politics, and jobs, that usually follows on. With each book you tend to learn a bit more about the world, which in turn draws you in more as a series progresses. Each of the five men have very distinct personalities, which made it easy to remember which one was which when you were reading.

Very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more, both in this series and also by TL Reeve. Definitely recommended by me.

* 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!
  
The Secret Admirer (Detective Natalie Ward Book 6)
The Secret Admirer (Detective Natalie Ward Book 6)
Carol Wyer | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
6th book in the series. Read the other 1st. Worth it.
‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

The Secret Admirer is the 6th book in Carol Wyer's Detective Natalie Ward series. I enjoyed books 1 - 4 and was surprised to learn I had missed the 5th, The Blossom Twins. I read it before beginning this and I am so glad I did.

Detective Natalie Ward is immediately thrust into a case after she returns to work. A student is found dead from an acid attack. As Ward has learned, everyone has secrets. Now, she has to uncover the secrets surrounding Gemma and her murder.

All of the books in the series focus on a crime and the police team's interactions with each other and with their home life. This book continues the storyline well. Ward's family, the team and their families continue to be a large presence in the story.

Often, I will say you could start the series with the current book but you would not understand the characters as well. This is true here but Wyer brings the characters to life in such a way it feels she is writing about real people. I strongly encourage you to read the whole series and start at the beginning. You will be in for a great read.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 4/2/2020.
  
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Auburn (57 KP) rated The Displaced in Books

Apr 10, 2019  
TD
The Displaced
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Outlander fans rejoice there is a book that brings that exact feel but in a different time period. War, love torn apart, and suprisingly realistic detail are all shown throughout the book.
Why the 3 stars? To me this book seemed a tad drawn out. Almost as if the author had read the Bloody Jack series and decided to create a book with less pirates. Love blossoms through distance and strife.
I feel this is the perfect book for Outlander lovers and those who want a realistic romance.
  
F(
Firestorm (Dark Kings, #10)
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is not my usual genre but I really enjoyed the story. This is a incredible romantic fantasy story. This book is packed full of wonderful characters. This book has a complex story line that just sucks you in till the end of the book. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone read. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
https://obsessedbookreviews.wordpress.com/donna-grant/
  
this is the second book in the series and again its a fab quick read. this book carries on with the characters from the first book. the characters have a fab chemistry and fit together perfectly. in this book the author has given the characters a new depth. the author has a fab way of writing so that you feel like your there with them. this book has just the right amount of hot steamy scenes to fit perfectly within the story.

highly recommended

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