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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J.K. Rowling | 2016 | Children
9
9.1 (229 Ratings)
Book Rating
Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts is full of new dangers. A convicted murderer, Sirius Black, has broken out of Azkaban prison, and it seems he's after Harry. Now Hogwarts is being patrolled by the dementors, the Azkaban guards who are hunting Sirius. But Harry can't imagine that Sirius or, for that matter, the evil Lord Voldemort could be more frightening than the dementors themselves, who have the terrible power to fill anyone they come across with aching loneliness and despair. Meanwhile, life continues as usual at Hogwarts. A top-of-the-line broom takes Harry's success at Quidditch, the sport of the Wizarding world, to new heights. A cute fourth-year student catches his eye. And he becomes close with the new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher, who was a childhood friend of his father. Yet despite the relative safety of life at Hogwarts and the best efforts of the dementors, the threat of Sirius Black grows ever closer. But if Harry has learned anything from his education in wizardry, it is that things are often not what they seem. Tragic revelations, heartwarming surprises, and high-stakes magical adventures await the boy wizard in this funny and poignant third installment of the beloved series.
--scholastic.com

You're never to old for Harry Potter! This is one of my favourite books in the series I think I've read it at least 10 times. I have one of the original copies that came out and never allow anyone but me to read them 🤣. This is the book that turns it all for me and it all becomes a little bit darker. Sirius is a character I always wished had more time with Harry! These books are just Amazing no matter what age you are!
  
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https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com
A Romance Reader's Reviews

This was a bargain ÂŁ1 book from my favourite sells-pretty-much-everything store, The Works. I'd been eyeing the book online for a while in the stores 3 for ÂŁ5 promotion they do but wasn't sure if it was something I'd enjoy as I can be really picky with my chick-lit.

Sunshine & Secrets starts with Amelia (Millie) at the airport, ready to go spend some time with her mum but instead gets a phone call from her sister with a great opportunity in St Lucia where she can help a successful chef open a Paradise Cookery School. The lady wanting to open the school has had an accident and broken her leg and can't fly out yet so Millie is left arranging the inputting of the top notch kitchen and checking the recipes the chef want to do with her clients are as good as they can be.

While on the island she meets some of the locals and people from the UK who stayed there after falling in love with the serene life. The Purple Parrot - a local bar - becomes her favourite place away from the Villa and she makes friends with its clientele, including the Villa's estate manager, Zach.

The secrets part of the title only really comes into play towards the end when it turns out some people have been using the cocoa husks of the Villa's trees for illegal deeds.

This book focused more on the food and island portion of things, whereas I would have preferred more of the romance aspect between Millie and Zach, although I understand that both characters are going to be in the next book, too. However, I don't think I will bother reading it.
  
Crime of the Ancient Marinara
Crime of the Ancient Marinara
Stephanie Cole | 2021 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good Mystery Smothered
After a month of hard work, Nell Valenti is ready to oversee the opening of Villa Orlandini as a cooking school lead by the famous Chef Orlandini. In fact, the first group of Americans are arriving at the Tuscany villa in just a couple of days. Nell is hoping that the worst of her problems will be Chef’s broken arm, a bocce ball accident. But then the guests arrive, and they aren’t what Nell is expecting. They seem to be a difficult lot. When one of them is poisoned by Chef’s famous marinara, Nell realizes she has real trouble on her hands. Can she figure out what is going on?

While I did struggle with some things in the first book in the series, I still enjoyed it. Unfortunately, those same issues are present here. The most prominent is Nell’s struggle with Italian. While we always know what is going on, it is presented in such a way that it keeps us out of the story. It’s a shame because I do like the returning characters, and the suspects grow as the story progresses. The mystery takes a while to truly get going, although we are meeting suspects. It’s a shame the pacing isn’t better since there is a good mystery buried in the book. There was a major editing error, as well, that resulted in a character being in two places at once. The book left me craving Italian food, so the recipes at the end are a nice bonus. The first book had its fans, and they will enjoy this entry as well. But if you struggled with the first one, you’ll struggle with this one.
  
The Devil in Disguise (Broken Halos #4)
The Devil in Disguise (Broken Halos #4)
Maya Daniels | 2019 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Devil in Disguise is the fourth book in the Broken Halos series, and MUST be read as part of the series, or it just won't make sense. With the help of her new-found friends, Hel is back on earth, but that's where the good news ends. Earth isn't at all how it is supposed to be, and Eric is still unconscious. Not only that, but things aren't looking too good as Hel and the others try to get one step ahead of Mammon and his crew.

If you follow my reviews, you will know that I am an avid fan of Maya Daniels. She hasn't written a bad book yet, and no matter what the storyline is, she manages to suck me in. It is the same with this book! Hel and Eric still remain my favourite couple, but I really want to know what is going on with Maddison and Leviathan!! Beezlebub is a firm favourite, and I adore how he interacts with Hel. My heart does ache for Raphael in this book though, so consider yourself warned.

With no errors that disrupted my reading, I was thoroughly engrossed in this story and, once again, found it to be over far too quickly. Not that the story is short, just that I didn't want it to end. A fantastic storyline with characters and situations to love, plus a sexy time. I am loving this series and have no hesitation in highly recommending it.

* 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!
  
Marked (Reflections, #11)
Marked (Reflections, #11)
Dean Murray | 2014 | Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I love this series, I simply have to say that. It started with Broken and I have been lost in the Sanctuary pack's lives ever since. So it is very rare for you to find a bad review for one of these books and this one is no different. So be prepared to hear me gush!

Adri's time with Alec has never been smooth and carefree, not even at the beginning but Adri is now showing just the inner strength that Alec always knew she had. This book is more about Adri than Alec due to circumstances beyond his control, things that have been hinted at in the previous books. But Adri's shines! Okay, so maybe shine is too strong a word. She is exhausted most of the time, pressured all of the time, stressed out 99% of the time, and yet she still functions - she still fights - she still deals with anyone and everyone. This girl has got guts. She also finds out that she has an ability that she had never dreamed of (pardon the pun) and feels that she is actually able to do something one on one for a change. This leads to a culmination of events that brought tears to my eyes even as I was reading on as fast as I was able to find out what happened next.

This book, as well as the whole series, is very emotional and you can't help but to connect with the characters and face their struggles alongside them. Once again, an absolute stunner from Mr Murray that you will not regret adding to your collection.
 
* 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!
August 12, 2016