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Water Witch (Witches of Westwood Academy #1)
Water Witch (Witches of Westwood Academy #1)
Gina Kincade, C.D. Gorri | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
WATER WITCH is the first book in the Witches of Westwood Academy and we start off with Rio. Well, actually, we start off with Leanna Stolbright - a magical bloodhound, otherwise known as a magical scout. She finds Rio and issues her an invitation to join the Academy.

At twenty years old, Rio knows about magic. She also knows their bloodline is cursed as both her mother and grandmother died because of it. She is excited to go but sad to leave her grandfather behind.

There isn't a lot of world-building so you just sort of go with it. I would have liked a bit more of that and definitely more character-building, especially between Rio and Magnus, and Rio and Otto.

This was a quick and easy read with plenty of questions left unanswered. I am hoping some get answered in the next book. A great coffee-break book that I happily recommend.

** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 22, 2022
  
Taken by the Alien Triton King (Abducted by the Ruthless Royal)
Taken by the Alien Triton King (Abducted by the Ruthless Royal)
Robin O'Connor | 2025 | Erotica, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
TAKEN BY THE ALIEN TRITON KING is part of the Abducted by the Ruthless Royal series. I'm thinking these books can be read in any order and as standalones, which is my case.

Samantha is part of a group of scientists charged with finding another world, as Earth is no longer viable!!! Kaeris is the King of the Ondrithar, who was initially unfazed by the humans, until he met Samantha and acknowledged her as his mate.

This is a fast-paced novella that is told from both perspectives, so hold onto your hats! There is a full story here, even if parts of it could have been expanded to give a bigger, better picture. There is steam, but only for one scene. The rest is s3xual tension.

A quick coffee-break book that I enjoyed reading and have no hesitation in recommending.

** 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!
Jun 2, 2025
  
Her Guardian Hero (Hot as Sin #2)
Her Guardian Hero (Hot as Sin #2)
Kitty O'Bliss | 2025 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
HER GUARDIAN HERO is a short story in the Hot as Sin series, featuring Carlos as the overprotective firefighter/paramedic and Maya as the object of his fascination. On Goodreads, it is described as an OTT Instalove Fire Fighter Quick Read and that is exactly what it is. It is only 43-odd pages, so don't expect a full backstory for the characters. Instead, you get two snippets in time - the main part and then the epilogue that also leads onto the next story.

Carlos has lost someone to asthma before and he is determined to not let that happen to Maya. As for her, she is determined not to be seen as weak. The sparks fly off the page between these two, leading to a spicy scene that might just take your breath away!

A great short read, perfect for that steamy coffee break, 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!
Apr 14, 2025
  
Chasing the Dime
Chasing the Dime
Michael Connelly | 2002 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
2
6.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
I woke up, and rubbed my eyes. I pushed myself up. my shoulders hurt. Probably from all the hard work I did yesterday, sitting in front of a computer and debating about a review I wrote. I rolled my neck. Slowly I pushed myself up, swung my legs over the side of my bed, and stood up. I was cold. I decided it was a good idea to grab a bath-robe or something.

Pointless jabber. That’s what that feels like. Tons of stupid little details that I don’t really need to know and really don’t care about.

The whole book so far has read like the above paragraph. I don’t want to know the details behind setting up your voicemail. I felt like this whole section so far could have been done in one or two chapters rather than te several that I’ve listened to so far. It was boring, slow, and redundant. I’ll always give a book a chance, but I don’thave time to waste on walking into the office, signing into the log, and noticing all the little details about old coffee cups and ugly posters on the wall, and the memories associated with them.

Which is really too bad, because there’s a great story in there. But the execution was poor.
  
Chasing Butterflies (Bad Girls #1)
Chasing Butterflies (Bad Girls #1)
Jennifer Labelle | 2018 | Contemporary, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Chasing Butterflies (Bad Girls #1) by Jennifer Labelle
Chasing Butterflies is the first novella in the Bad Girls series. In it, we meet Sawyer. She left her home town with her big sister and never looked back. Now, due to the death of her sister, she returns there, needing a fresh start. Her first night in town, and she bumps into the one memory she was hoping to avoid.

This is a very fast-paced novella, although it is an easy read. Unfortunately for me, I didn't really connect with Carley before she died, so the impact on Sawyer was pretty much lost. And while I understood Sawyer's reasons for selling her parents' home, actually moving back there to work didn't make a lot of sense. Not exactly a fresh start.

Still, this was written very well, with love a foregone conclusion so the declarations that came thick and fast actually didn't seem that premature. For a quick coffee break book, then I would recommend this.

* 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!
  
Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno
Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno
1978 | Rock
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This was made right in the middle of the punk thing when everyone was trying to get more aggressive, and Brian Eno went away and not necessarily invented ambient music, but certainly popularised it. If I had to just listen to one song for the rest of my life it would be '1/1'. It's not just a mellow thing - I've listened to it in the morning and it's beautiful and I've listened to it last thing at night. I've listened to it as a stimulant and a calming thing, it does something very physical, very chemical to me. I'm always fascinated by how he made that track. Did he sit there and play it live for 17 minutes? Did he smoke some dope first? I've always meant to ask him, I'm always bumping into him and I always forget. I see him having coffee in a café near me and we always have a nice little chat. He's a lovely chap. I never let onto him how much of a fan I am because that would be weird and a bit distasteful. If I ran up to him saying, 'How did you do that track?!', he'd probably start backing off slowly."

Source
  
The Celebration (Festen) (1998)
The Celebration (Festen) (1998)
1998 | International, Comedy, Drama
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I would say that Thomas Vinterberg’s The Celebration was probably one of the most influential movies for me to be a filmmaker. I had seen a lot of how-to movies in the past, but there was something about how unapologetic that movie was to be filmed on a video camera. They had all these rules because of the Dogme 95 rules, where you couldn’t have a tripod, you know, you can’t bring in lights, you can’t use props that aren’t already there, you can’t use music, and I thought, “Well, this movie’s going to suck.” I went to see it, and I was riveted, and it was like that moment where I kind of sat at a coffee shop — I saw it in Washington D.C., I was there on a trip — and I just sat there thinking, “The only reason you’re not a filmmaker right now is because you’re not going out and doing it, because these people just made something with a camera that’s sh**tier than yours, and it’s brilliant.” So, “The only reason you’re not a filmmaker is not because people aren’t giving you money, or giving you a break. It’s because you’re not good enough, or you’re not doing it.” So that was a very important movie for me."

Source
  
The Mercenary's Tale (In the Company of Men #1)
The Mercenary's Tale (In the Company of Men #1)
Lynn Lorenz | 2015 | History & Politics, LGBTQ+, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Mercenary's Tale is the first book in the In the Company of Men series, and it is a tale of two halves. In the first half, we have Drake and Ansel. Unfortunately, as happens in war zones, Ansel dies a tragic death, leaving Drake broken. Two years later, when he is still trying to lose himself in the bottom of a mug of ale, he is asked by a friend to help him. This leads him to Logan, a widower with a young boy.

Both parts of this story were good, and it was a very brave decision by the author to kill off Ansel after investing so much time and energy into his character. Even though I sort of guessed it was coming (it is in the blurb after all), it still came as a shock.

This was an easy to read novella, with plenty of hot scenes. Everything is easy, and everyone is gay 😉 All in all, a great coffee break book.

* 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!
  
Shifter Woods: Claw (Esposito County Shifters #4)
Shifter Woods: Claw (Esposito County Shifters #4)
Nicola M. Cameron | 2023 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
SHIFTER WOODS: CLAW is the fourth book in the Esposito County Shifters series, and this time we have a wolf shifter/human who has never shifted, and the Alpha of the Esposito Wolf Pack. Matt recognises Angela, or at least, she reminds him of someone but can't think of from when. As for Angela, she's just too busy trying to stay out of Bryce's abusive clutches.

Their relationship moves a little slowly as they both learn about each other, including just who Angela is. Once they get it on though, the steam is most definitely there!

Along with Bryce, you also get the ambitious she-wolf who wants the Alpha for herself. Angela deals with that with aplomb, as well as finding long-lost family and settling in with the Pack.

I enjoyed this story and feel like it is a coffee-break book. Anything by Nicola Cameron is guaranteed to be a good read and this is no exception. 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!
Apr 26, 2023
  
I-
Israel - God's Heart
Ron Gafni | 2016
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this little book! It's full of beautiful, vibrant pictures and I can't say enough how much I loved looking at all of them. It's not a big book, small and perfect for your end table or coffee table. God's beautiful land in Israel is wonderfully portrayed in this eye catching book. 

With pictures taken of history, sometimes on land and sometimes aerial, this book gives the reader some Scripture and details about the pictures to coincide. As I looked through this wonderful little book, I felt like I was able to visit the Holy Land without leaving my home. It was so beautiful to see. God's Heart is a wonderful way to describe what I saw in the pages of this book. 

This is definitely a 4 star book that I would recommend to those who love pictures of different places. The photos are crisp and detailed, leaving you feeling as though you are the one that took the picture, like you are the one that was there. I would love to see more books like this one to lay out so my guests can enjoy them as much as me! <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/litfuse-blog-tour-review-israel-gods-heart-landscapes-and-legacy-of-israel-by-ron-gafni-kathleen-barrett/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>