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Micah's Calling (All The King's Men #3)
Micah's Calling (All The King's Men #3)
Donya Lynne | 2012 | Erotica, LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Religion
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A perfect short to accompany Micah, Sam and Trace's story. These three are so interwoven, I can't imagine reading about one of them without the other two. This gives more insight into Micah and Sam's relationship, and how Trace becomes more than just a friend, something a whole lot more that is difficult to label. I can't wait to read more about the AKM and these three in particular.

Once again, extremely well-written and a wonderful addition to the series. Definitely 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!
Apr 13, 2016
  
40x40

Merissa (12051 KP) rated Matched Mates (Sanctuary Coven #3) in Books

Dec 17, 2018 (Updated Jun 8, 2023)  
Matched Mates (Sanctuary Coven #3)
Matched Mates (Sanctuary Coven #3)
Hazel Hunter | 2016 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
With every edition, this story gets better and better. Heather and Lucas survive a wolf attack, mainly due to the help given by Sander and Astrid in their cougar forms. While they spend time with the cougars as they recover, other people are moving closer to the coven and everyone in it.

With hot and spicy scenes between the main four, plus danger on all sides, the Sanctuary Coven series is definitely warming up and becoming another feather in Hazel Hunter's cap. Definitely 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!
May 23, 2016
  
40x40

Rachel King (13 KP) rated Moon Called in Books

Feb 11, 2019  
Moon Called
Moon Called
Patricia Briggs | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.7 (29 Ratings)
Book Rating
I recently recieved the fifth book in the Mercy Thompson series, Silver Borne, for reviewing purposes, and decided to start the series at the beginning like a good bookworm. I was not sure if I would like the series, but imagine my surprise when mechanically-inclined, shapeshifter Mercy Thompson has a penchant for the Christian religion! She likes to attend church, and she chooses to wear a lamb on a necklace instead of a cross because she finds it sick to display the instrument of Christ's torture, and one of Christ's names is the Lamb of God. I gotta say, how cool is that?
Anyways, I find it interesting how non-chalant Mercy is about what she is and can do. She does not seem to know much about being a "walker", but it doesn't bother her. It's the other preternatural beings who give her bits of information about her kind in well-timed accidents. She reminds me a bit of Rachel Morgan from the Kim Harrison series. (Oooh, cross-over potential...)
I also liked the complexities of the different cultures that the various preternatual beings originate from, and most expecially the impossible-to-pronounce names to match, such as Elizaveta Arkadyevna Vyshnevetskaya and Siebold Adelbertsmiter. The book was heavy on politics and violence, while light on romance, which I can appreciate in light of the storyline, but I look forward to things heating up between Mercy Thompson and her two wanna-be boyfriends, Adam and Samuel. I got a bit confused when trying to remember who's who in the cast of characters, especially since many of the lesser werewolves all tended to behave the same, and I really hope that future books will explain who or what the Gray Lords are.
  
HT
Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer, #5)
Karen Chance | 2011 | Paranormal, Romance
Chance must have thought readers were bored with the Cassandra/Mircea match, because much of this book is spent with Cassie falling for Pritkin without really being aware that she's getting into dangerous territory.

Palmer isn't one of my favorite characters. She isn't an ass-kicker, but she's probably somewhat more realistic than most paranormal heroines for that fact. She's coming into her own by standing up to Mircea more in this volume, but she does it in childish ways. I find her annoying partially because I'd hate to try protecting her from herself, much less anyone else.

I don't honestly understand why Mircea and Pritkin are attracted to her, either, but part of the romance formula is the heroine has to be irresistible to at least one, preferably more than one man. I do find Mircea and Pritkin interesting (they just have bad taste in women), so they and the plots hold my interest.

To be fair, Cassie seems to be growing up a little bit. Not entirely, but she's growing a little. She does vehemently claim to care about whether or not other people get hurt trying to protect her.

This book also serves as backstory time for Mircea and Pritkin, as we learn a lot more about their pasts. Things drag a bit while they relate their stories, and in fact there seems to be little point in what we hear from Mircea (readers of the series already know a lot about his family and history).

Altogether, I wouldn't have read it if I weren't already so far into the series. I do wish Chance would switch focus to another character. (I'm aware of the Dorina Basarab series set in the same universe, and consider them to be better books in general). I suppose that's unlikely, seeing as it's the Cassandra Palmer series.
  
Lark! The Herald Angels Sing
Lark! The Herald Angels Sing
Donna Andrews | 2018 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It All Started with a Baby in a Manger
During rehearsal for the children's Christmas pageant at Trinity Episcopal, Meg is surprised to find a baby in the manger. Since it is just rehearsal, they weren't using an actual baby yet. Things get even more intriguing when Meg finds the note attached to the baby strongly implying that the Meg's brother Rob is the father. This couldn't have come at a worse time since Rob is about to propose to his girlfriend of two years. Who is the mother? Why did she leave the baby in the church? And can Meg figure out who the father really is?

I'm not going to say more than this since the plot spins out in several fun and surprising directions from here. I was intrigued the entire way through. And yes, there is a crime and even murder, but the plot isn't a strict murder and five suspects. Then again, that's often the case with this series, and I love that creativity in the plotting. The usual characters are all here, although some get more page time than others, which is again a staple of the series. I did find some editing glitches in a couple of random chapters, and I thought a couple of plot points early on came out of nowhere even though Meg didn't seem that surprised by them. Then again, I could have missed something with those plot points. Honestly, I didn't care, however, because I was laughing so hard at the antics in the book. Yes, I always find this series amusing, but this is the most I've laughed out loud at a book in the series in quite a while.
  
And Another Thing...(Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #6)
And Another Thing...(Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #6)
Eoin Colfer | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I adored the first couple of books in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams, and although this isn't by the same author, I was still pretty excited to read it.

Colfer has managed to capture the voice of Adams incredibly well, including the same nonsensical tone and randomness that made the first books so popular. The main difference between the writers is the length of the book; this addition to the series is considerably longer than the originals.

All our favourite characters are back, including the mean green dude who's insulting everyone in the universe. This guy, who we discover is named Bowerick Wowbagger, has a surprisingly important role in this novel.

Arthur, Random, Trillion, Ford and Zaphod are all causing havoc yet again, unintentionally as per usual. They find themselves on Nano, a new planet colonised by the last remaining Earthlings after the destruction of Earth. Thor becomes Zaphod's client, the immortal Bowerick has his mind set on death, and Trillian finds herself strangely attracted to this suicidal being. So yeah, everything's normal.

I did get a little lost and uninterested during certain parts about Nano, but some of the little bits of dialogue or subtle jokes are just fantastic. If you didn't already know this was by a different author, you may not have even noticed.

I'm not sure the series needed to be six books long, as the best books are definitely the first couple. But none of the books in this series are bad, and are all worth reading in my opinion. Sometimes I wasn't sure this book deserved more than 3 or 3.5 stars, but by the end I decided it should get 4.
  
A Plague of Shadows (Harbingers of Light, #1)
A Plague of Shadows (Harbingers of Light, #1)
Travis Simmons | 2014 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
[A Plague of Shadows] by [Travis Simmons] was a very quick read. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. I see it is called "A New Adult Dark Fantasy" but I do not see what makes it 'adult'. I usually equate that with content that I can't put in my classroom. I did not find any of that in this book. To me it was a simple battle of good vs. evil. I hope to read the next installment in [The Harbingers of Light Series].
  
The 13th book sees the return on Dickie Orr as a main character in the series. Maybe I shouldn't say return, Dickie has been mentioned & appeared in several of the previous PLum novels, but in this one he is front & center. Dickie is unknowingly involved in a drug smuggling, gun running, money laundering business that is fronted by his law firm. As usual Stephanie pulls herself into the mix in a strange way & eventually finds herself being chased by mafioso armed with flame throwers.
  
The Winter Sea (Slains #1)
The Winter Sea (Slains #1)
Susanna Kearsley | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The lyrical writing style: an occasional overblown misstep but overall very good (1 more)
The obvious research and detail
The intertwined story device: not my favorite (1 more)
Some weak story devices and characterization
This book draws obvious parallels with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, so I was initially skeptical and expected to put it down almost immediately. But beyond the basic framework of the story, everything else about The Winter Sea stands very well on its own. It's not without its weak points, but overall this was a very enjoyable read.