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The Scarlet Pen (True Color #12)
The Scarlet Pen (True Color #12)
Jennifer Uhlarik | 2021 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The last book in the True Colors series is called "The Scarlet Pen." What a story it told. Though at first, you might think about what is going on. Why would parents be concerned for their daughter and not allow her to marry her friend?

We meet a young woman and her sweet talk lover Stephen. But will they end up getting married, or will Emma finally see what is going on with their beloved and find true love? We seem to follow Stephen's journey from his marriage proposal to a young woman to his eventful capture.

There a young man on horseback comes to visit and do some business. As the twist and turns show up. Something happens to make Stephen and his friend jump town; Stephen tries to keep Emma at bay and in the dark. Clay seems to want to help and protect her. Emma seems to want to defend Stephen. Why is that?

There seems to be a trail of banknotes that keep leading back to Stephen and connecting to Emma. Will Emma confront a man that may harm her and possibly kill her. Or will someone come and save her.

Who is this serial killer? Why is he doing it? Clay seems to get hints and information and then loses Richards while he is on the run. Will they all make it out safe? Will Stephen get caught, or will he run free. I felt terrible for the family that brings Clay to face the past that happened to him and his family.

The True Color series is a favorite of mine. The books are set in history and tell about true American crimes and have some fiction. These books are great for historical fiction fans and crime fans as well. This one has quite a few killings but not too much detail of the gruesome deaths. Enough to know how it happened. The stories transpire based on actual crimes in American history, but there is some friction that the author brings up in the book.
  
Almost Just Friends (Wildstone #4)
Almost Just Friends (Wildstone #4)
Jill Shalvis | 2020 | Contemporary, Romance
7
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
3.75 stars.

It's taken me a long time to finish this, mainly because other books on my Kindle were taking up all my attention and being a bit more angsty and action-packed than this one, but once I sat down and concentrated on this fully I got it finished in a handful of hours.

I grabbed this paperback from my favourite bargain bookshop: The Works for £2. I've had a taste of Jill's books and I do enjoy them so when I saw this, I decided to buy it.

It tells the story of Piper who's just celebrating - or rather not celebrating - her 30th birthday with friends at the local bar when she meets Camden, her next door neighbours oldest son. They flirt a little but shy away from anything happening between them initially but as they spend more time together, they start to care about each other.

This doesn't just focus on Piper, we also have her siblings' viewpoints, too.
Gavin, an ex trouble maker, has come back for various reasons and one of them is his love for CJ - the man he hurt several years ago. We see their re-connection and it is quite lovely actually.
Winnie, the youngest, has come back from college and wants to help Piper fix up the place so they can all live together happily - only she's got a secret of her own, that her brother and a handful of others know about but not Piper. Yet.

This is a story of family and love, grief and forgiveness. It's heartwarming at time and others I felt a little prick of tears as they tried to deal with their issues. I thought it was really well written.

There was one scene I really loved that was near the end with Camden and Piper when she tells him to throw her journal in the lake and then has a panic when he actually does it before jumping in the lake despite her fear of water to try and rescue the bloody thing.
  
Fire Colour One
Fire Colour One
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is one of those books that you see displayed in the library and just think, "What the heck? I'll give it a go."

This is YA book, as most of the books I read are. It's named after a painting, which ends up as quite a significant aspect in this novel.

Iris lives with her mother Hannah and step-father Lowell. She doesn't remember her real father. Hannah has always told her that he didn't want her, that he didn't care. She blamed him for their debts, their problems.

Thurston is Iris's best friend, her only friend. He means everything to her. He's always been there for her, until she has to move away to England without any means of telling him where she's gone.

Iris herself is a pretty troubled girl. Family life isn't great - Hannah and Lowell want her to be more like them, more conscious of her appearance and wealth. But all Iris really cares about is fire. There's nothing like the soothing flicker of a flame.

When she meets her father Ernest, Iris soon realises that everything she's been told by her mother has been a lie. He didn't leave her; Hannah took her, changed her name and hid. Ernest had been searching for her for years. But now it was too late.

The book actually begins with Ernest's funeral, and sort of goes backwards a few times. There's memories written throughout, clips from the past. We slowly learn more and more about Iris's personality, and we watch her re-develop her relationship with her father.

It's actually a pretty great book. It's so realistic, and unique. It isn't a fantasy, it isn't a cheesy romance, it isn't even really a book with a typical happy ending.

Although I wouldn't have searched this book out in particular, I am happy I read it. I'm not sure it quite gets 4 stars from me, so I'll give it 3.5.
  
Kaps (Angelbound Offspring #5)
Kaps (Angelbound Offspring #5)
Christina Bauer | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Kaps is the fifth book in the Angelbound Offspring series and one that I wasn't too bothered about reading. The only reason I wanted to is because it is part of the series and I didn't want to miss anything from the other characters. HOW WRONG I WAS!!!!

In this story, I found out I had been suckered into seeing the masks Kaps hides behinds, just like the rest of her family and friends. It took Mack and his no-nonsense approach seeing Kaps in all her glory to help me see her that way too. And can I just say... she's brilliant! With this one instalment, I now want to go back and re-read the other four books in the series, just to see her with fresh eyes.

And Mack - oh, be still my heart. He was simply wonderful. He fought for Kaps, even against her friends, and stood by her throughout it all. I really can't wait for his book to come along. I need Kaps and Mack to get their HEA.

I can't leave this review for my favourite Grandma out of all of them 😉 - Great M. Such a brilliant character and I'm so glad she had Kaps' back in this.

This is part of a series from a series (Angelbound Origins followed by Angelbound Offspring) so I really do recommend you read them all to get the full picture into each of the characters and the storyline that runs through. Not only that but you get a fantastic world to dive into time and again.

For a book I wasn't bothered about reading to completely turn me around the way it did, I can only give it 5-stars! Absolutely 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!