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Debbiereadsbook (1694 KP) rated Seducing the Sorcerer in Books
Sep 26, 2021
I kept missing bits that were just thrown in, and I really loved that.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Jumping straight in with this one, cos I really REALLY enjoyed this book bar one teeny weeny thing, but I'll come back to that! This is the second book by this author I read, and that book was a 3 star, it-was-ok kinda read and this one is so NOT that!
I loved that many times in the book I had to back up a bit, and reread what I just read cos I was like "say what, now?" MANY times. And a book that makes me slow down my reading is never a bad thing, I had to here, cos I kept missing bits that were just thrown in, and I really loved that.
I loved that Fenn had no idea about magic and the sorcerer and what was going on in the tower. Loved that Fenn was quite laid back about it all, really.
I loved the way things crept up on Fenn, much like his worple horse and what it can do, (not sure if thats the correct spelling though!) and that so much was not as it appeared to be. I loved what the horse does with the pink eiderdown 🙂
It's not especially explicit but is steamy enough. Violence level is low but fitting for this book. I was surprised at the level of emotions that Fenn threw at me though, and I've no idea why!
What let it down, for ME was only Fenn has a say, and I so wanted to hear from Morgrim, I really did! I wanted to know what he was thinking when Fenn first landed in the tower grounds; what he felt about Fenn and his horse.
But what I wanted MOST to know about, was how Morgrim felt about what had happened to him 2 years ago, and how he was dealing with all that. I'm greedy, I know, but had Morgrim been given a voice, I have no doubt at all that this would have been a five-star review, it really would!
I can see the author skill has grown a great deal since I read the other book (2017) and I WILL read more now!
4 really REALLY good stars
same worded review will appear elsewhere
Jumping straight in with this one, cos I really REALLY enjoyed this book bar one teeny weeny thing, but I'll come back to that! This is the second book by this author I read, and that book was a 3 star, it-was-ok kinda read and this one is so NOT that!
I loved that many times in the book I had to back up a bit, and reread what I just read cos I was like "say what, now?" MANY times. And a book that makes me slow down my reading is never a bad thing, I had to here, cos I kept missing bits that were just thrown in, and I really loved that.
I loved that Fenn had no idea about magic and the sorcerer and what was going on in the tower. Loved that Fenn was quite laid back about it all, really.
I loved the way things crept up on Fenn, much like his worple horse and what it can do, (not sure if thats the correct spelling though!) and that so much was not as it appeared to be. I loved what the horse does with the pink eiderdown 🙂
It's not especially explicit but is steamy enough. Violence level is low but fitting for this book. I was surprised at the level of emotions that Fenn threw at me though, and I've no idea why!
What let it down, for ME was only Fenn has a say, and I so wanted to hear from Morgrim, I really did! I wanted to know what he was thinking when Fenn first landed in the tower grounds; what he felt about Fenn and his horse.
But what I wanted MOST to know about, was how Morgrim felt about what had happened to him 2 years ago, and how he was dealing with all that. I'm greedy, I know, but had Morgrim been given a voice, I have no doubt at all that this would have been a five-star review, it really would!
I can see the author skill has grown a great deal since I read the other book (2017) and I WILL read more now!
4 really REALLY good stars
same worded review will appear elsewhere
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The House of Ashes in Books
Feb 13, 2022
I am ashamed to say that I haven't read anything by Stuart Neville for years ... I have no excuse other than I must have had my head stuck in the sand or developed short-term amnesia because I forgot how much I enjoyed reading his words.
This is a sad and tragic story told from the perspective of two women, Sara and Mary, and from two timelines, the present and sixty years ago, with all 'action' taking place on an isolated farm in Northern Ireland.
This is not a story full of joy or happiness but rather there is an overwhelming sense of darkness and sadness with a foreboding undertone from start to finish that is intense and certainly keeps you on edge. Having said that, it is also a story of strength, survival and hope amidst a backdrop of abuse, control and gaslighting.
I admit this isn't a story for everyone and I can't say I enjoyed it given the nature of its content, however, it was an excellent read that had me hooked and took me through so many emotions that many books don't do nowadays that I can only recommend it to others who enjoy dark, psychological thrillers with a little of the supernatural thrown in to enhance the overall feel of the book.
Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
This is a sad and tragic story told from the perspective of two women, Sara and Mary, and from two timelines, the present and sixty years ago, with all 'action' taking place on an isolated farm in Northern Ireland.
This is not a story full of joy or happiness but rather there is an overwhelming sense of darkness and sadness with a foreboding undertone from start to finish that is intense and certainly keeps you on edge. Having said that, it is also a story of strength, survival and hope amidst a backdrop of abuse, control and gaslighting.
I admit this isn't a story for everyone and I can't say I enjoyed it given the nature of its content, however, it was an excellent read that had me hooked and took me through so many emotions that many books don't do nowadays that I can only recommend it to others who enjoy dark, psychological thrillers with a little of the supernatural thrown in to enhance the overall feel of the book.
Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Merissa (13878 KP) rated Pose for Me in Books
Nov 3, 2025
POSE FOR ME is a standalone dark romance with a Daddy/boy relationship. And trust me when I say that's the most normal thing about the book!
What we have here is a book about a serial killer who kidnaps the FBI agent who is hunting for him, and both of them getting more than they thought they would. And when I say serial killer, I mean someone who kills people just because... they're not bad people, or have done bad things. They're just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, catching the eye for whatever reason of the wrong person.
My favourite part of a Daddy/boy romance is the caretaking aspect of it, and this had that in spades, even though you may think it unlikely. I've read others, but none hit the mark as much as caretaking, and this had everything. Possessiveness, neediness, lingerie, c0ckwarming, it's all here and I loved every moment.
I read this book in one sitting and couldn't put it down. I loved every word, and now I need to find the other book mentioned so I can read that too. Absolutely brilliant and definitely recommended by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* 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!
Nov 3, 2025
What we have here is a book about a serial killer who kidnaps the FBI agent who is hunting for him, and both of them getting more than they thought they would. And when I say serial killer, I mean someone who kills people just because... they're not bad people, or have done bad things. They're just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, catching the eye for whatever reason of the wrong person.
My favourite part of a Daddy/boy romance is the caretaking aspect of it, and this had that in spades, even though you may think it unlikely. I've read others, but none hit the mark as much as caretaking, and this had everything. Possessiveness, neediness, lingerie, c0ckwarming, it's all here and I loved every moment.
I read this book in one sitting and couldn't put it down. I loved every word, and now I need to find the other book mentioned so I can read that too. Absolutely brilliant and definitely recommended by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* 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!
Nov 3, 2025
Debbiereadsbook (1694 KP) rated Giving the Dragon Fire in Books
Jun 2, 2024
more of an emotional connection would have been nice!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarain, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Gideon meets Ella and their chemistry is smokin! Literally! But Ella can't possibly be his mate, since she is human and dragons only mate with dragons. Right?
I liked this, for the most part. It's 250 odd pages, but it's a quick read, and an easy one.
I liked that both Gideon and Ella have a say. I liked that they are both suffering this attraction thing, and it's messing with both their equilibriums. I liked the smexiness level, it really is smokin hot.
BUT
I didn't like the smexiness level! Contradicting myself I know, but lemme explain.
Every time these two cross paths, there is smex. EVERY time. And while I do like my books on the steamier side, I do like some story with my steam, ok? And for a while, I was gonna dump this simply because all Ella and Gideon did was have smex. *I* found it too much, and that has to be saying something!!
So, what I'm trying to say is, I would have liked some other connecton between Ella and Gideon that wasn't horizontal. More of an emotional connection would have been nice. Once they decide to give this mate thing a go, the book then ends with an epilogue and I wanted more of that interim period.
I also was a bit lost as to Gideon getting his fire. He was convinced that Ella wasn't his mate because she couldn't give the dragon his fire. Then all of a sudden, he had it. Something happened (but spoilers!), but one scene he didn't, then he next, he did. No explaination as to HOW he got it.
So, some gaps in the plot, but once I got over my hissy fit, and finished the book, I can honestly say, I liked it. And it's the first I've read of this author. I'd like to read more of this group of people.
3 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Gideon meets Ella and their chemistry is smokin! Literally! But Ella can't possibly be his mate, since she is human and dragons only mate with dragons. Right?
I liked this, for the most part. It's 250 odd pages, but it's a quick read, and an easy one.
I liked that both Gideon and Ella have a say. I liked that they are both suffering this attraction thing, and it's messing with both their equilibriums. I liked the smexiness level, it really is smokin hot.
BUT
I didn't like the smexiness level! Contradicting myself I know, but lemme explain.
Every time these two cross paths, there is smex. EVERY time. And while I do like my books on the steamier side, I do like some story with my steam, ok? And for a while, I was gonna dump this simply because all Ella and Gideon did was have smex. *I* found it too much, and that has to be saying something!!
So, what I'm trying to say is, I would have liked some other connecton between Ella and Gideon that wasn't horizontal. More of an emotional connection would have been nice. Once they decide to give this mate thing a go, the book then ends with an epilogue and I wanted more of that interim period.
I also was a bit lost as to Gideon getting his fire. He was convinced that Ella wasn't his mate because she couldn't give the dragon his fire. Then all of a sudden, he had it. Something happened (but spoilers!), but one scene he didn't, then he next, he did. No explaination as to HOW he got it.
So, some gaps in the plot, but once I got over my hissy fit, and finished the book, I can honestly say, I liked it. And it's the first I've read of this author. I'd like to read more of this group of people.
3 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Lea (77 KP) rated Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Can we just take a moment and mention THAT scene!!!? Yes, you know the one I mean.
A longtime fan of the Jurassic films I never thought I'd find myself sat in the cinema crying at one of the films the way I did this one.
But the scene with the Brachiosaurus on the dock as the ship containing the rescued dinosaurs leaves as the aftermath of the volcanic eruption envelopes the island once and for all was something wasn't it?... To say that scene was traumatising and heartbreaking is an understatement, I haven't been that affected by a dinosaurs death since The Land Before time. Can we also mention the fact that the Brachiosaurus that was seen is noted to be the exact same one Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler encountered in Jurassic Park.
Overall it was a brilliant film and echoed it's original predecessors in a fitting way. I'm hoping they roll out a 3rd installment
A longtime fan of the Jurassic films I never thought I'd find myself sat in the cinema crying at one of the films the way I did this one.
But the scene with the Brachiosaurus on the dock as the ship containing the rescued dinosaurs leaves as the aftermath of the volcanic eruption envelopes the island once and for all was something wasn't it?... To say that scene was traumatising and heartbreaking is an understatement, I haven't been that affected by a dinosaurs death since The Land Before time. Can we also mention the fact that the Brachiosaurus that was seen is noted to be the exact same one Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler encountered in Jurassic Park.
Overall it was a brilliant film and echoed it's original predecessors in a fitting way. I'm hoping they roll out a 3rd installment
I-Spy the UK: While it Lasts
Book
From Sam Jordison, author of the bestselling Crap Towns series, comes I-SPY for Grown-ups. The I-SPY...
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) in Movies
Sep 4, 2019
The Dark Phoenix??
Contains spoilers, click to show
I have to begin by saying is I am glad Fox is done with the X men. This bad excuse for a Dark Phoenix story was by far the worst of the lot. I thought the Apocalypse movie was bad. They made one worse! I know there is only so much you can do in a movie but to call this The Dark Phoenix was not the right movie title. Maybe it should have been called X Men: The Alien Invasion. That's all this movie was...a story about Jean Grey getting the Phoenix powers and Aliens trying to get her and steal the powers to rebuild their race. That's the storyline. It seems there wasn't even an effort to tell the story half way right. But at the expense of going on a rant, Fox is done so maybe now Marvel can do the X men justice. My recommendation...don'r waste your time on this abomination.
Dana (24 KP) rated Strange the Dreamer in Books
Mar 23, 2018
Okay, I want to start off by saying that this fantasy book is both alike and so very different from Laini Taylor's other series Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I can honestly say I think I like this one better, and I really liked that series!
I think the thing I liked about this book is the multiple narrations and how they are almost seemlessly woven together. I liked all of the characters, even though some of them were super annoying as people, but they were very well written and fleshed out.
The romance, while sometimes cheesy, was so cute I could overlook that cheesyness. I think it really drew the two story lines together well and did not detract from either of the characters and their agencies.
Lazlo was such a sweetie. I loved how he just wanted to make sure everyone was okay. Even people who were unkind to him, he would go and check on because he knows what it is like to be abandoned. (Also, saw that ending with him coming from the beginning, just saying.)
Sarai was a joy. I know she is the odd one out of the godspawn, but I think she is the best. She wants to see the good in people even though she has every reason to be bitter and hate all of them. She, like Lazlo, knows what it is like to be betrayed. She does not want to be the queen of nightmares, she doesn't want to hurt anyone, but she does to keep her fellow godspawn safe.
The plot was very well done, not too slow by any sense of the word. By the time I finished, I didn't want it to be over! I am really excited for the next book to come out...so when is that again?
And can I just say that that ending was not nice in the slightest and I would like to unread it. Thank you.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book! If you are a fan of fantasy, you should definitely pick this one up!
I think the thing I liked about this book is the multiple narrations and how they are almost seemlessly woven together. I liked all of the characters, even though some of them were super annoying as people, but they were very well written and fleshed out.
The romance, while sometimes cheesy, was so cute I could overlook that cheesyness. I think it really drew the two story lines together well and did not detract from either of the characters and their agencies.
Lazlo was such a sweetie. I loved how he just wanted to make sure everyone was okay. Even people who were unkind to him, he would go and check on because he knows what it is like to be abandoned. (Also, saw that ending with him coming from the beginning, just saying.)
Sarai was a joy. I know she is the odd one out of the godspawn, but I think she is the best. She wants to see the good in people even though she has every reason to be bitter and hate all of them. She, like Lazlo, knows what it is like to be betrayed. She does not want to be the queen of nightmares, she doesn't want to hurt anyone, but she does to keep her fellow godspawn safe.
The plot was very well done, not too slow by any sense of the word. By the time I finished, I didn't want it to be over! I am really excited for the next book to come out...so when is that again?
And can I just say that that ending was not nice in the slightest and I would like to unread it. Thank you.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book! If you are a fan of fantasy, you should definitely pick this one up!
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated An Undeniable Rogue (Rogues Club, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
With all the rave reviews at Amazon I really thought I'd like this book; too bad I was wrong. I really don't think it is anything out of the ordinary as the reviews state or imply. For me the story just seemed to plod along and never get anywhere interesting. I've read similar stories/plots that I've enjoyed much, much more, which were written in a way that let the reader into the story and didn't hold them at a distance. That's the way all Annette Blair books I've read have made me feel, I've never connected to any of them with the exception of The Butterfly Garden, which I loved and why I continue to read her books.
In this book I increasingly began to dislike Sabrina, but liked Gideon enough (with the exception of his liking, let alone loving, Sabrina). Even with her past, I felt she was too much of a Mary Sue and didn't have any redeeming features. For the most part I found her boring, tedious, stupid, and unworthy of Gideon. I will read the others in the Rogue series because (1) I have them lying around and (2) the next book sounds intriguing (hey, what can I say, I like scarred and/or tortured heroes! :P). I'll continue to give Annette Blair a chance so I can see if she has captured the magic that she had in The Butterfly Garden.
In this book I increasingly began to dislike Sabrina, but liked Gideon enough (with the exception of his liking, let alone loving, Sabrina). Even with her past, I felt she was too much of a Mary Sue and didn't have any redeeming features. For the most part I found her boring, tedious, stupid, and unworthy of Gideon. I will read the others in the Rogue series because (1) I have them lying around and (2) the next book sounds intriguing (hey, what can I say, I like scarred and/or tortured heroes! :P). I'll continue to give Annette Blair a chance so I can see if she has captured the magic that she had in The Butterfly Garden.
Kate (493 KP) rated The Silent Patient in Books
Apr 12, 2020
Gripping read - kept me guessing
This is one of the best books I have read and I have read a lot. I was gripped from the very start and it was good going back and forward from past to present as the full story starts to come together.
I read a lot of crime books and can usually guess the perpetrator and the motive usually quite quickly but this book had me guessing. When Alicia and Theo's story merge and everything falls into place this was something I could never have guessed. It all made sense and you kind of say 'oh yeah'. When I got to this part of the book I had to finish this. I couldn't put it down all the way through. I finished it in 2 days.
I started to feel for Theo. Alicia's silence was frustrating me and I was just the reader. The things happening in his personal life were awful and I wanted to tell him what do as he was on a bad path. But it is surprising hoe your feelings for a character can change so quickly. This happened with a few characters but mainly Theo.
Anyone who reads and enjoys crime books should definitely give this book a read. It is a different type of crime book.
The book exceeded all expectations based on the blurb.
I would read other books from Alex Michaelides.
I read a lot of crime books and can usually guess the perpetrator and the motive usually quite quickly but this book had me guessing. When Alicia and Theo's story merge and everything falls into place this was something I could never have guessed. It all made sense and you kind of say 'oh yeah'. When I got to this part of the book I had to finish this. I couldn't put it down all the way through. I finished it in 2 days.
I started to feel for Theo. Alicia's silence was frustrating me and I was just the reader. The things happening in his personal life were awful and I wanted to tell him what do as he was on a bad path. But it is surprising hoe your feelings for a character can change so quickly. This happened with a few characters but mainly Theo.
Anyone who reads and enjoys crime books should definitely give this book a read. It is a different type of crime book.
The book exceeded all expectations based on the blurb.
I would read other books from Alex Michaelides.
