Search

Search only in certain items:

Without a Trace (Lancaster Falls Trilogy #2)
Without a Trace (Lancaster Falls Trilogy #2)
RJ Scott | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Amazing book two!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Bok two in the Lancaster Falls trilogy. I would say you really SHOULD read book one, What Lies Beneath, before this one. There is a underlaying story line that runs through all three and you need the information that comes out in that book.

Drew returns home when his brother's remains are discovered. Logan is a cop in town, and the pair butt heads. But deeper than the need to know what happened to his brother, Drew finds he needs Logan at his side. Both men have their secrets, though. As the town reveals its darker side, Drew and Logan have to decide whether the other is worth the heartache.

So, book 2 and Lancaster Falls is giving up its secrets. Darker, deadly and so much MORE than book one, I LOVED this!

Drew ran, after Casey disappeared and did not return. He said some things, his mum said some things and they fell out, and Drew ran away to the army. Now, with Casey's body being found, Drew returns to face not only his own demons, but Casey's too. Logan is a distraction, one he will willing use to attempt to shut out his problems.

Logan will, in turn, use Drew but to a lesser extent. Their first coming together is angry, its a battle, and its glazed over in a way that I really and honestly LOVED! I mean, the whole scene is a couple of pages, but it packs a powerful punch. It sets the way for these two, in a way I really enjoyed watching develop, and in a way I really didn't quite see coming.

Something set me off about certain people, and turns out, I was right, but now I'm left with some questions about how things will become clear as to what happened, not only to Casey, but the others.

Again, nothing is laid out for you, and I find myself putting bits together all wrong and now, I want book three! I NEED book three and I have to wait til June. I need to know what happened to everyone, and what that epilogue means, cos let me tell ya, I have no freaking clue how this will play out and I bloody LOVE that I don't!

5 more amazing stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
The Deep End
The Deep End
Julie Mulhern | 2015 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I’m glad I Jumped into this Series
Ellison Russell is devoted to her teenage daughter, Grace, and her art. She and her husband are still living together, but that is only because they have decided to wait to get divorced until Grace is out of the house. Part of Ellison’s routine is a swim at dawn in the country club’s pool. On this particular June morning in 1974, she swims into a dead body in the pool. Worse yet, when the police arrive and pull the body out of the pool, she recognizes the victim as Madeline Harper, her husband’s mistress. Ellison knows that she makes a pretty compelling suspect in the woman’s murder, as does her husband. She knows she is innocent and she believes that her husband may be an adulterer, but he isn’t a killer. However, the fact that he’s suddenly left town for parts unknown doesn’t make him appear innocent. Can Ellison figure out what really happened to Madeline?

I’ve been hearing about this series for years, but I kept putting off starting it. I wish I’d read it sooner. The plot starts out right away and gives us plenty of action and twists along the way. I never saw the solution coming until Ellison figured it out either. The main characters are all strong and help pull us into the world, although I do wish that we had a little more context for some of the supporting players. I was also bothered by Ellison’s love life; it just felt inappropriate for this book. I’m sure in future books I will be fine with what is set up here. The subject matter does stray to the edges of cozies, but I thought how things were handled here was fine and it didn’t bother me. I greatly enjoyed the humor in the book, mostly coming from Ellison’s narration on things. Yet it is perfectly balances with some of the more serious elements of the plot. I can see why this series has so many fans, and I’m already one of them. Now, to find time to visit Ellison again.
  
Hold Back the Dark (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #18)
Hold Back the Dark (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #18)
Kay Hooper | 2018 | Crime, Mystery, Paranormal
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ending felt abrupt. (0 more)
I always love a good Bishop/SCU story.
Contains spoilers, click to show
** spoiler alert ** I was lucky enough to win a copy of this in a Goodreads giveaway!

I love, love, LOVE the Bishop/SCU books. The characters are so familiar to me, it feels like coming home each time I start a new story.

I found HOLD BACK THE DARK to be just as good as the previous installments, with one exception: the ending felt rushed. Once the team found the cave, it seemed like everything moved very quickly and then -boom- the story was over. What happened to the people who were forced by the energy to do horrible things? Does the woman who killed her family ever come out of the coma, horrified at what she's done? Does the real estate agent who killed his clients ever "snap out of it?" In addition, what about the team members who were not SCU or Haven? Do any of them decide to finally join?

While I was completely engrossed in the story from the very first page, I do wish the ending had been fleshed out a bit more. Won't stop me from continuing the series, though! :)
  
40x40

Adam Lambert recommended track Zombie by The Cranberries in Something Else by The Cranberries in Music (curated)

 
Something Else by The Cranberries
Something Else by The Cranberries
2017 | Alternative
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It's such a cool song and it so represents that sound, the grunge of the 90s. I’ve just turned 37, so for me with the 90s’ I remember all the music that was out, I remember turning on MTV and seeing all the music videos and hearing all these songs. Rock videos were at their height at that point - at least in America - I know in the UK you had a little more pop than we did earlier on, but rock music was just everywhere. “This song reminds me of me coming out of adolescence and smoking cigarettes for the first time, trying rebellious teenage things like sneaking out of the house and going with my friends to the beach without our parents knowing; things that were kind of wrong. Now I look back, they were pretty harmless, but it was me kind of being a rebel for the first time as a teenager. “’Zombie’ reminds me of a couple of close friends. Actually, the girl that played it for me passed away about eight years later. It reminds me of her and that time."

Source
  
40x40

Pete Fowler recommended Silver Apples by Silver Apples in Music (curated)

 
Silver Apples by Silver Apples
Silver Apples by Silver Apples
1968 | Electronic, Psychedelic
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The first time I can remember hearing a synthesiser was sometime in the late '70s. I must have been eight or nine and I was on a driving holiday with my parents in the Pyrenees. 'I Feel Love' was on the radio and it freaked me right out. It scared me; that sequence flipped me out. 2000AD had just launched and I was really, deeply into it. All the stories were about terrifying dystopias and that song coming out of the radio sounded like a herald for one of those places. Years later, Silver Apples pushed similar buttons for me. They came about when synthesisers were more readily associated with almost academic music – people like Pierre Henry, Morton Subotnick, musique concrète stuff. Silver Apples created a sound I'd never heard before. The closest comparison (with a bit of hindsight) is something like NEU! – that driven, motorik sound. Silver Apples were before the first NEU! record by a few years. They sounded futuristic in name and sound; they built their own gear and credited the synth as a member of the band (The Simeon). There's a real toughness to the music, something very street."

Source
  
36 of 235
Kindle
Siren Awakened ( Thief of Hearts book 3)
By C.R. Jane and Mila Young
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

What happens to a siren who's come back from the dead?

I hope I get the chance to find out.

I've been betrayed, destroyed by the three men that I'd given my trust.
I'm alone again in this place... a place that's darker than hell.
And worse, something strange is happening to me. Something that has me wondering if I can even trust myself.

There are so many secrets in these walls, and I'm now determined to find them all out.
I'm done playing nice. This siren's going to sing once again.

Nightmare Penitentiary doesn't know what's coming.

One will risk the safety of our future. One will reveal a heartbreaking betrayal. One will bring out my own demons. And one might just be the savior I've been looking for.

Don't outstay your time at Nightmare Penitentiary. Some places you just don't survive.

It was good think a little rushed in places but a decent read. I do like this idea of all the monsters locked up together and still causing mayhem.
  
Hiss Me Deadly
Hiss Me Deadly
Miranda James | 2023 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Don’t Hiss at Me, but This Was a Weak Entry
Charlie Harris and his cat Diesel have been requested by Wil Threadgill, a musician coming to town to work with the music students at Athena College. Wil grew up in Athena, Mississippi, but he left forty years ago. He’s worried that something will go wrong on his return visit. And he turns out to be correct when someone dies at his opening reception. Will Charlie figure out what is going on?

It's been almost two years since the previous book in the series came out, and it was great to be seeing these characters again. All the regulars are as fun as ever, including the four legged characters. Fans will be happy with one development we get in the book. Unfortunately, the plot was weak, with Charlie not as involved as he should be. The ending is abrupt, but it does answer most of our questions. There are also some timeline issues, with Charlie living the same time twice. While the book could be stronger, fans will still be happy to see Charlie, Diesel, and the rest again.
  
A War of Daisies (The Four Horsewomen of the Apocalypse #1)
A War of Daisies (The Four Horsewomen of the Apocalypse #1)
A.A. Chamberlynn | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
a book that takes you out of your usual comfort zone, and it does it in such a way, you do NOT see it coming!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

There comes along, once in a rare while, a book that takes you out of your usual comfort zone, and it does it in such a way, you do NOT see it coming! This is such a book!

I read the blurb, it sounded interesting, but I really wasn't expecting to be blown away, and so much so, I was reading this book at 3.30am, cos I coulnd't put it down!

All four women have a say, and for their time, they have a LOT to say. They are all are feeling repressed and held down, for one reason or other, and it takes time for those reasons to fully become clear. Once all four are together in one place, a freak weather storm leaves them with powers, and those powers will get them what they what: freedom.

Freedom, however, comes at a price. And its that price, that TWIST that I did not see coming! I love being puddled along, you know? Taking my time, enjoying what I'm reading, a few questions lurking, but not really seeing where this is going, or that it'll be a 5 star read. And then BAM, right near the end, things become clear, many questions are answered, and then many MORE pop up. The four womens lives are drawn into a tighter circle, and their roles become a bit more solid, but still I'm not sure where this is gonna go!

Some things happened here that I did not see coming, and I loved being proven wrong about things, even if the reality on the page is far worse than I thought.

There is, apart from that bit I just mentioned, no romance in this book, but there is violence. The women are, afterall, War, Pestilence, Famine and Death. But it's not graphic, at all,but written in such a way that you don't see it coming at ya, not at first. When things become a little clearer, then you do see it coming, but again, written in such a great way!

It's been a long time since I tried to write a gushing review without giving anything away, but I think I managed it here. Had I gone into too much detail, I think the womens secrets would have been told, and you need to discover them in the pages of the book, I think, for you to fully appreciate them.

Written with all the words and customs and attitudes of the time (1894, United States) it throws up some *AH* moments and some *NOOOOOOOOOOO? really? they did that?* moments and some *oh my gosh, they did NOT!* moments, and I loved them all!

In case you didn't get it, I loved this book! I hope I can get my grubby mitts on the next one!

5 full and shiny stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**