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Vampire's Queens (The Bloodline Chronicles 3)
Vampire's Queens (The Bloodline Chronicles 3)
Evelyn Silver | 2025 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
well played with the leak!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 3 in the Bloodline Chronicles, and you cannot read it as a stand alone. You MUST read book 1, Witch's Knight and book 2, Midnight Fear before this one. There is MUCH that is not recapped and you will need to know about this vampire society and how it works.

I 4 starred books one and 2 and this is another solid 4 star read. I thoroughly enjoyed them!

Sarai, Setanta and Marcelle are ruling as a throuple. Sarai is pregnant, MArcelle is trying to work out who is tipping the Vasri off before they get there, and Setanta is doing King stuff (not actually sure WHAT he was doing for most of the book, to be honest!) But there are those who want them gone, and they will go to great lengths to make that happen.

Couple things: I said in my review for book 2, something about Sarai's sister. There was no mention of a sister here, so I'm not sure what THAT point was about!

Again, Setanta is only given a minor (1 or 2 chapters) voice. I needed him, I really did. Had he been given a bigger voice, I think this book would have been a much better read. (not that it isn't already but it would have been BETTER!)

Sarai's pregnancy threw up some surprises that no one saw coming and I loved that as old as they are, Marcelle and Setanta had not much clue how to help!
 
I did NOT see who the leak was coming at me, I really did not! I just about threw my kindle across the room in that chapter!! So very well played there Ms Silver, VERY well played.

It's quite violent in places, fighting a shape shifting dragon with was never going to be a walk in the park!

I found the steam levels a bit higher than in previous books, but not by much. I think it was because the one scene between all three partners was more sweet than smexy and I really loved that Setanta and Marcelle were mindful of Sarai's pregnancy, while still providing her with what she needed from them. The "birthday party" for Sarai, while multi person (6, I think) I thought was well written but not especially explicit. Some FF scenes, as well as multi partner scenes, with every which way combination of male and female partners.

What I need now is something else from this author! Given as I can only find this series by Ms Silver, I need more and I need not to have to wait a whole year!

I wrote 4 stars in an earlier line, I do love it when a book talks itself into . . .

5 full and shiny stars!

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Bad Feminist
Bad Feminist
Roxane Gay | 2014 | Biography
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A mixed bag of essays
Roxane Gay is a gifted writer no doubt, but like a lot of her more prominent work, there are huge amounts of autobiographical information that didn't seem completely relevant.

Her essays on the intersection of feminism with misogynistic pop culture was incredibly on point, exploring E.L. James' infamous BDSM novel Fifty Shades of Grey, as well as other popular novels such as Twilight. She briefly mentions rape culture and how all of the above feeds into this notion.

Similarly her discussion on how race is portrayed in major Hollywood motion pictures is accurately disturbing - showing how African Americans are used in plots as a way to prop up white protagonists (The Help, Django Unchained).

Some of her other chapters seemed disconnected as if they were put in the book because there was no other place for it. This appears in the chapter on Scrabble. (Playing Scrabble doesn't make you a bad feminist).

There were a lot of haphazard thoughts that didn't quite thread together with the rest of the book ie. abortion rights, and male politicians' views on body autonomy. Gay was pretty adamant on her views on this, which appeared to showcase her opinion that she truly is a feminist.

The underlying message was that you may have flaws by enjoying aspects of pop culture, but as long as you are aware of how important it is that women receive equal rights, you can be any kind of feminist. But the book does feel as if she's trying to prove it to herself and to the world which seems rather unnecessary. We believe you Roxane.
  
DS
Deliciously Sinful
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wait….it’s over? Where are the amazing chapter long sex scenes that make even me blush? Where is all the scenes detailed down what underwear she is wearing? I love me some Lilli Feisty but this novel just lacked the fire and erotica that the other two did.

One of the reasons Lilli Feisty is my favorite is because she writes erotica that’s outside the norm (considering they classify her novels as just romance instead of erotica.) Very rarely have I run across a book in the romance section and pull one out that has tasteful bondage in it. Feisty does it like it’s second nature. In this book, however, we only are given some steamy foreplay and two very short sex scenes. It was greatly disappointing especially since I have been waiting for it so long.

Despite that, I still cannot give it anything less 5 stars because there is not a single thing I can find wrong with it. I did not get my delicious sex scenes, though what I was given was just as tasteful and…well hot, but it still had everything that made it a great novel. I love the characters far too much for my own good. They are so 3D that it’s hard to believe that are just characters in a book. Not to mention they had me laughing the entire time with their banter.

If you’re looking for a novel the same as her first two, you might be disappointed by the lack of erotica.However, the story line and characters make up for it.
  
The Grip of It
The Grip of It
Jac Jemc | 2017 | Horror
6
6.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I knew going into The Grip of It that it wasn't going to be "flashy" horror. It was marketed as a literary horror book and was compared to Turn of the Screw and House of Leaves. Now, I don't think it wasn't as good as those books, but I didn't think it was as bad as everyone says, either. The ending is fairly ambiguous, but that doesn't mean it's bad; in fact, I thought the horror grew out of the tension between the husband and wife, James and Julie. The premise is rooted in a possibly haunted house, but the couple moves to get a fresh start from James's gambling addiction. So already the couple is on unsteady ground. The tension builds as the weirdness starts to become more intense. There comes a twist towards the end of the book that might have been disappointing to some.

The Grip of It is excellently written. The changes of perspective between the husband and wife (which usually coincide with the end of a chapter, but stop following a pattern as the book goes on), give the reader a sense that James and Julie, while at odds with each other, are really more similar than different--but they don't know it. The terror here comes from the fact that no matter how well you think you know someone or how much you love them, their mind is ultimately a mystery. As the couple comes to realize this, they have no choice but to accept this or separate. And maybe it's better to follow your spouse into insanity than to live alone.