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ClareR (6037 KP) rated Jewels of the Crown in Books
Nov 23, 2025 (Updated Nov 23, 2025)
Jewels of the Crown is the fourth and final novelette in the After the Storm quartet, and it sets things up very nicely for what is to come!
Each novelette has centred around one of the four main characters, and Jewels is all about Lawrence, the King of the werewolves, and a rather large secret that he has been keeping form his mates.
I loved finding out about how the mates are settling in to parenthood and their new lives - and the children seemed to be as mischievous as many children are! One or two also seem to have a trick or two tucked up their sleeves - which I’m sure will come out further in subsequent novels (I hope!).
I’ve been trying to work out why I like these books by Dianna Hardy so much, and I think I’ve come up with one or two reasons. I really enjoy the writing style and how we get to see what the characters are thinking “in their own words”; of course, there’s the fantastical element of werewolves and magic that relates back to my love of fairy tales, myth and legend; and then there’s the found family. This theme has snuck up on me over the years, but I seem to read a lot of books where the main characters find the people that they want to call their family, and these aren’t the people that they necessarily grew up with. And Dianna’s books do this so well.
If this sounds like something you’d like to read, I should say that there’s a touch of spice in these books, too, but if that’s likely to be a deal breaker, I wouldn’t let it put you off. There’s so much going on in such a short space of a novelette besides the sex (and it’s all in context - not gratuitous).
I look forward to every book that Dianna publishes, and I feel very lucky to have received the ARC of this book.
All opinions are, of course, my own.
Each novelette has centred around one of the four main characters, and Jewels is all about Lawrence, the King of the werewolves, and a rather large secret that he has been keeping form his mates.
I loved finding out about how the mates are settling in to parenthood and their new lives - and the children seemed to be as mischievous as many children are! One or two also seem to have a trick or two tucked up their sleeves - which I’m sure will come out further in subsequent novels (I hope!).
I’ve been trying to work out why I like these books by Dianna Hardy so much, and I think I’ve come up with one or two reasons. I really enjoy the writing style and how we get to see what the characters are thinking “in their own words”; of course, there’s the fantastical element of werewolves and magic that relates back to my love of fairy tales, myth and legend; and then there’s the found family. This theme has snuck up on me over the years, but I seem to read a lot of books where the main characters find the people that they want to call their family, and these aren’t the people that they necessarily grew up with. And Dianna’s books do this so well.
If this sounds like something you’d like to read, I should say that there’s a touch of spice in these books, too, but if that’s likely to be a deal breaker, I wouldn’t let it put you off. There’s so much going on in such a short space of a novelette besides the sex (and it’s all in context - not gratuitous).
I look forward to every book that Dianna publishes, and I feel very lucky to have received the ARC of this book.
All opinions are, of course, my own.
Lindsay (1779 KP) rated Abigail And The North Pole Adventure in Books
Feb 15, 2018
Abigail and the North Pole Adventure by Tali Carmi This is another quick read. It good for children. Children learn to use their imagination. It teaches your kids or children values and about giving a helping hand. It also teaches your children about making friendships. Each book tell you about a different place and culture. You learn about the animals and the habit of the folk that live in that area.The images are down really well. You can see what the description is talking about. This is good for children ages for young children. Parent can read this to their children. Kids can learn to read with these beginner books. Pictures are quite nice and understandable. This is also a good book for children that enjoy adventure books.I would recommend this book and this series to young readers and children learn to read. If you would like to check out my other review on a book in this series. Here the review to Abigail & Tropical Island adventure.
Pour Me: A Life
Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 PEN ACKERLEY PRIZE 'An intense, succulent read that's intermittently...
The Philosophy of Cats: Meowsings on Feline Wisdom
Book
Have you ever thought about cats? Federica Sgarbi has - so much so that she has written a book about...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Mail-Order Mishaps: 4 Brides Adapt When Marriage Plans Go Awry in Books
Feb 23, 2021
Great book about using the situations God puts you in for good :)
The fisrt story in this book is about a bride who steps off the trail and finds her soon to be husband in jail. Definitely a mishap. I loved how the lead character wasn't afraid to help and go out of her comfort zone.
The second book is one of my favorite books in the series. Its about a young couple set upon by a matchmaker. A wonderful about healing families.
The third book is about a bride who was tricked and had to make her way again, a great story.
Finally the forth book, what a lovely way to end a series!!! A fiery Irish red head who needs to escape her situation and uses the opportunity God gave her to escape. When she gets there she meets a Swedish man .... so cool.
I would highly recommend reading this book :)
I volunteered to read this book from Barbour Publishing in return for my honest feed back. The opinions expressed within are my own.
#greatread
The fisrt story in this book is about a bride who steps off the trail and finds her soon to be husband in jail. Definitely a mishap. I loved how the lead character wasn't afraid to help and go out of her comfort zone.
The second book is one of my favorite books in the series. Its about a young couple set upon by a matchmaker. A wonderful about healing families.
The third book is about a bride who was tricked and had to make her way again, a great story.
Finally the forth book, what a lovely way to end a series!!! A fiery Irish red head who needs to escape her situation and uses the opportunity God gave her to escape. When she gets there she meets a Swedish man .... so cool.
I would highly recommend reading this book :)
I volunteered to read this book from Barbour Publishing in return for my honest feed back. The opinions expressed within are my own.
#greatread
Roxanne (13 KP) rated The Wasp Factory in Books
Nov 9, 2018
✭✭ 2 Stars
This was a very difficult book for me to rate so I rated it purely based on 'personal enjoyment'.
Yes the book was dark and clever and so well written but the enjoyment factor just wasn't there for me. Something I can not handle to read about is the abusing, torturing and killing of animals and this book was full of that. I could read an endless amount of books about the killing of people (slashers, thrillers,crime etc.) and not really be phased much but if animals are involved in it then my enjoyment level drops dramatically. I wish I had read other reviews first about this book so then I would of known what this book contains and wouldn't of read it, but I didn't as I worry about stumbling across spoilers.
An excellent look into the minds of the mentally disturbed and a truly crazy ride...it just wasn't for me.
This was a very difficult book for me to rate so I rated it purely based on 'personal enjoyment'.
Yes the book was dark and clever and so well written but the enjoyment factor just wasn't there for me. Something I can not handle to read about is the abusing, torturing and killing of animals and this book was full of that. I could read an endless amount of books about the killing of people (slashers, thrillers,crime etc.) and not really be phased much but if animals are involved in it then my enjoyment level drops dramatically. I wish I had read other reviews first about this book so then I would of known what this book contains and wouldn't of read it, but I didn't as I worry about stumbling across spoilers.
An excellent look into the minds of the mentally disturbed and a truly crazy ride...it just wasn't for me.
Sunnysouthpaw (67 KP) rated They Both Die At The End in Books
Feb 4, 2020
Good characters both the main and side.. (1 more)
Good themes that make you think about them long after the end.
'Insta-love' but I'll forgive it in this sense. (1 more)
The title isnt wrong :'(
Death-Cast was a clever idea but I'm glad it's not real
Gosh I'm trying to figure out what to say about this book. It's LGBTQIA+ Friendly which is a big plus for me (I want to find that more in literature.) Adam Silvera has a way of writing that I like, I want to check out more he's written. I am not a big fan of 'insta-love' but it was ok in this instance.
I like books that make you think about them and wonder about your own existence. I liked the themes of how interconnected humanity is. I'm glad death-cast isnt real, but it was a clever idea. I didnt expect that much going into it because I dont read a lot of young adult novels, I was pleasantly surprised.
I like books that make you think about them and wonder about your own existence. I liked the themes of how interconnected humanity is. I'm glad death-cast isnt real, but it was a clever idea. I didnt expect that much going into it because I dont read a lot of young adult novels, I was pleasantly surprised.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup in Books
Feb 14, 2021
This excellent non-fiction book is about Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos. This company was touting that it could run 100s of tests on just a drop of blood. If you know ANYTHING about laboratory tests, or watched CSI and was exposed to GC/MS, you would know it is completely impossible to do tests off of a finger puncture.
Holmes is described as brilliant, and was the darling of Silicon Valley. Yes, she was brilliant, a brilliant dirtbag. Everyone was fooled by her initially (some still are), to include the author of this book, John Carreyrou, who initially wrote a glowing article about her.
However, it was all fake, as proven by various whistleblowers. This was such a good read, and pairs really well with the HBO documentary movie, The Inventor. I highly recommend this book if you like books written by journalists, the downfall of dirtbags, and stories about fraud.
Holmes is described as brilliant, and was the darling of Silicon Valley. Yes, she was brilliant, a brilliant dirtbag. Everyone was fooled by her initially (some still are), to include the author of this book, John Carreyrou, who initially wrote a glowing article about her.
However, it was all fake, as proven by various whistleblowers. This was such a good read, and pairs really well with the HBO documentary movie, The Inventor. I highly recommend this book if you like books written by journalists, the downfall of dirtbags, and stories about fraud.
The Secret Life of Bees
8.4
Rate It
Book
Set in South Carolina during 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of a fourteen year old...
Fiction social issues
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires, #6) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
These book just keep getting better and better. With book six, the series ventures into the world of steampunk with a special Morganville twist. With the very little I have actually read in the genre of Steampunk, I had a hard time visualizing what Ada looks like, but I am hoping these eventually become movies and someone creates this fascinating machine for the movies! Ada's quirkiness and creepiness fit right in with the rest of the Morganville residents, though, so I know that she/it will grow on me, too.
With this book, it is also a relief that Claire has finally turned seventeen. The build-up between her and Shane was driving me crazy. I also like how the author was much more realistic about her first time with Shane than many romance novelists, with much awkwardness and naivety. Her parents' response to the knowledge of this was quite humorous and charming and lent some much-needed humor to the extent of fear with which Morganville is saturated.
Even though these books have much fantasy, they still move along with a certain believability. The one major exception that I found in this book - that I simply had a hard time believing possible - was when Claire almost dies at the end. With the amount of blood loss she suffered from, there is simply no way she could stay conscious for the amount of that she did or stay alive as she did. When books are as entertaining as these are though, I don't mind a little "writer's license" to keep the main character alive and resolve the loose thread of who is responsible for the random murders of girls in the previous books. I am surprised, though, that Claire never made the connection to who Dean is, since I saw it coming quite easily.
Mynin gets more and more entertaining and fascinating from book to book - he is probably one of my favorite characters for his unpredictability. I am thrilled that the disease can no longer get the best of him - it means he could play a more central role in future books. Many of the characters are easy to like, even if their morals often verge into gray area, such as Amelie.
Even though the "book" has suffered its final demise, the bookworm in me still wonders what else was in that book, so I hope future books can tell me more about it.
With this book, it is also a relief that Claire has finally turned seventeen. The build-up between her and Shane was driving me crazy. I also like how the author was much more realistic about her first time with Shane than many romance novelists, with much awkwardness and naivety. Her parents' response to the knowledge of this was quite humorous and charming and lent some much-needed humor to the extent of fear with which Morganville is saturated.
Even though these books have much fantasy, they still move along with a certain believability. The one major exception that I found in this book - that I simply had a hard time believing possible - was when Claire almost dies at the end. With the amount of blood loss she suffered from, there is simply no way she could stay conscious for the amount of that she did or stay alive as she did. When books are as entertaining as these are though, I don't mind a little "writer's license" to keep the main character alive and resolve the loose thread of who is responsible for the random murders of girls in the previous books. I am surprised, though, that Claire never made the connection to who Dean is, since I saw it coming quite easily.
Mynin gets more and more entertaining and fascinating from book to book - he is probably one of my favorite characters for his unpredictability. I am thrilled that the disease can no longer get the best of him - it means he could play a more central role in future books. Many of the characters are easy to like, even if their morals often verge into gray area, such as Amelie.
Even though the "book" has suffered its final demise, the bookworm in me still wonders what else was in that book, so I hope future books can tell me more about it.