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Bound (Chinatown Demons #1)
Bound (Chinatown Demons #1)
Rhys Ford | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
cant wait to see where this series goes!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book one, a short introduction if you will, into a new series by Ford, Chinatown Demons, and I bloody loved it!

Spencer moved to San Francisco, for a last chance to save himself from his demons. Only to find himself working with a different sort of demon he never knew existed.

It's only short, this book, some 100 odd pages, but it pulls and tugs you in so far and so deep, you keep reading til you blink, and poof! The book is finished and you didn't see it coming! I loved that!

I haven't tagged this one as a romance, because, quite simply, it isn't one. Oh there is attraction between Xian and Spencer, but there is nothing else. Xian, though, seems to know something more is going on between him and Spencer.

There is something going on, that isn't made clear yet, much like why Spencer came to town from the LAPD. Hints are all we get, and I'm not able to currently put the pieces together fast enough, but hey! I don't mind that. Makes future books far more able to pull me in again, like this one did.

I can't wait to see where this series goes, and I know it will probably be some time before we get the next instalment, but I'll wait!

I'm sorry this review is short, but I'm in a difficult place right now.

5 full and shiny stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Lost (Werewolf Academy #5)
Lost (Werewolf Academy #5)
Cheree Alsop | 2014 | Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Lost is the fifth book in the Werewolf Academy series and, as the title says, Alex is lost. Kalia is dead. He feels responsible. Boris wants to kill him. Torin wants to kill him. With all that, Alex can't face the Academy so when a friend comes to him for help, he is more than happy to disappear to Greyton for a while. He couldn't help Kalia but he is able to help some of the kidnapped women and girls.

Oh, the guilt in this book. It is quite simply dripping in it. Alex becomes the Demon of Greyton but can't defeat his guilt over Kalia or over leaving Siale behind. He is quite self-involved in this book but I don't think it would be right any other way. He is still a young adult after all, in situations no one should be in, and trying to deal with it any way he can. Just when things look like they're back on track, Alex is betrayed.

Another gripping, exciting, fantastic instalment in this series. It really does just get better and better. I love how different characters are growing and changing as the books progress. It doesn't just remain about Alex although he is the main character. Every book is emotional in different ways and I love that I never know what's coming next.

Do I recommend it? Erm, YES!

* 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!
  
Broken Souls (Primani #4)
Broken Souls (Primani #4)
Laurie Olerich | 2014 | Paranormal, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the fourth book in this series although it can be read as a standalone. I have already read book 1 but none other until now.

I got a bit confused with the synopsis of this one. I was expecting the story to be set in 1969 as that is how it sounded. As you might have guessed, it's not. It is, however, a fast-paced and intriguing novel as you try to figure out just who is doing what. For the first half of the book, I thought Raine was the demon!

I don't know if it is the copy that I received or not, but I found the timeline and places to be quite jerky and off-putting. One minute, you were here with this happening and in the next sentence, you were somewhere else, with someone else, saying something else with no idea of who was saying what. I'm thinking that I am the only one who feels this way due to the amount of 5-star reviews this book has but for me, I found it quite jolting.

The storyline is good and it is well-edited, with no grammatical errors that I could see. I think this series is going to be one you either love or just don't quite get. I would definitely recommend giving it a go to see which camp you fall in.

* 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!
Jul 27, 2015
  
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Guardian Ascending ( Collectors Division book 3)
By Lexie Winston
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

 Mina’s in trouble again. Knocked out and captured by AoA, she has no idea what they want from her. Has friend turned to foe? And how is she going to be able to feed her hungers while in captivity?

Meanwhile her parents are on the war path, and her team are trying to rescue her, but they are blocked at every turn.

With time running out to defeat Hammus, Team Alpha receives some much needed help from an unlikely source.

Can they rescue Mina and together, save the worlds from total domination and enslavement.

Join Jessamina and her team in Book three of the Collectors Division.

Guardian’s Blood is a Reverse harem novel and as such there will be no choosing. Contains both MM and FF and scenes of a sexual nature and isn’t recommend for young readers.

Holy hell that’s one way to wrap up a trilogy! Omg I had every emotion going! I’ve enjoyed this series so so much and I’m hoping and praying we get a spin off I mean there is just too much not too! I won’t post spoilers but once you have read this you will totally understand. Mina is one hot pink bar or demon! Spicy scenes I normally brush over but these were just dragging me in. The world building and characters I just absolutely loved I’ve literally stayed up all night to finish it. Please give this author and series a go!
  
Demons in the Big Easy
Demons in the Big Easy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Adventurous in her youth, Cassandra built gateways between Domhan and its parallel realm of Earth. Now she’s too old for that kind of thing. But something is making it easier for demons to pass into Domhan. Not only that, but their behavior becomes inexplicable: whenever Cassandra banishes one, it laughs at her rather than resists, and it promises it will soon devour her essence and that of every resident of her small village. Cassandra is certain such a thing is impossible, for strong wards protect her village.
But then Cassandra’s granddaughter Aine falls through an unstable gateway. Cassandra is the only one within a hundred miles capable of creating a gateway and bringing Aine back. Despite her aching joints, Cassandra goes after her, and the gateway lands her in New Orleans. But something goes wrong with her tracking spell, which indicates Aine exists in four different places at once. As Cassandra struggles to find the true location of her granddaughter in the Big Easy, she discovers the source of the demons’ confidence. Now, with an unlikely pair of allies—her timid granddaughter and a homeless man who may or may not be crazy—she has to not only save her granddaughter but also prevent both Domhan and Earth from being overrun by demons.

I really enjoyed this novella.
Demons in the Big Easy is a short urban fantasy novella following an elderly witch Cassandra as she searches for her lost granddaughter across dimensions.
I think this story has more to tell and would be first in line if the author decided to expand on it.
This story had a perfect mix of mystery, bad guys and horror. I could not believe the end, I never would have thought who the head demon was.
I am hoping for a sequel!
  
The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1)
The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1)
Roshani Chokshi | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.1 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Star-Touched Queen is a little slow to start, but once it finds a groove the story will draw you in and you won't want to put it down. The writing style is very poetic and descriptive, which is absolutely gorgeous but can sometimes slow down the story. Those pacing issues continue throughout the story. Sometimes the book flows well and you find yourself reading through chapters in no time, while other times the writing or plot trips you up and slows down the story.

I was very intrigued by the premise of the story, as not only does it include elements of Indian folklore but it is a re-telling of the Hades and Persephone myth. As a huge fan of Greek mythology, that was the aspect of the story that I was most excited to experience. Amar and Maya are our Hades and Persephone, although it is a unique story and you don't feel like you're reading a re-telling.

As strange as it seems, my favourite character was actually the demon horse Kamala. Although she could be really creepy when she salivated over eating people, she could be funny and made some of the scenes for me. Although I liked Amar, Maya and the other supporting characters I didn't relate strongly to any of them so it made me less invested in the book. I wish I did like them more because I would have loved to have stronger feelings about this gorgeous book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it - but it didn't make any strong or lasting impact on me. Readers who are fans of flowery prose and very descriptive writing will enjoy Roshani Chokshi's writing style, but if you are a fan of more simple sentences you might have difficultly getting through this book.
  
Friend Request (2016)
Friend Request (2016)
2016 | Horror, International, Mystery
Social media has come to play a vital role in our lives. Whether it is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or any other service, we cannot seem to escape the hashtags or trending topics. Social media has us feeling more and more connected with each day that passes. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for all who have access to the internet.

In Friend Request audiences are introduced to Laura, a popular college student, who befriends a lonely girl, Marina, when a friend request comes through her social media feed. She recognizes something unique about the young girl and feels the need to at least reach a hand out to her. This move proves to be a mistake as Marina becomes very clingy and eventually prompts Laura to push her away and back to her lonely existence. Laura and her friends are quickly thrown into a world where they are haunted and pursued by demonic beings.

The film is ambitious in trying to be more layered than a film with the similar premise of having the internet play an important role in terrorizing the characters. Sadly, the Friend Request becomes to complex. There are several aspects of the story that are inconsistent and raise eyebrows as it makes one question where the story is going. It disappoints in not investing enough time in making the audience actually fear the demon that Marina eventually becomes. The opportunity for a building of tension, paranoia, and claustrophobia is completely missed because of a lack of depth with the characters and a running tally on screen to demonstrate how Laura is continuously losing friends due to the meddling of Marina’s spirit hacking her interfering with her Facebook account.

Friend Request misses the mark in trying to be a truly inventive horror film as it finds itself without an identity.

http://sknr.net/2017/09/22/friend-request/
  
The minute I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down. I absolutely loved Frederick, his candor, his character, and just the way he looks at his story. Frederick is an absolutely amazing character, he knows he has faults but doesn't try to hide them from you. Instead, he comes running right into your face waving them at you. He is blatantly obvious when it comes to his feelings in regards to certain things, people, and places. He knows he's wrong, but he doesn't feel the need to constantly apologize for the way he feels. Frederick is an absolutely refreshing character, and nothing that I expected when I started reading this book.

I was thinking it would be another typical run of the mill demon story with paranormal twists and turns. However, Siemsen and his amazing ability to weave pure writing gold out of thin air is absolutely remarkable. My attention was grabbed from word one. I laughed with Frederick, I cried with Frederick, and in the end I cried for Frederick. I think no matter who reads this book at one point in time or another you can't help but to really connect with Frederick on some level. There were many points during the story that I could completely understand how he felt the way he did, and what brought him to that point. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know! I just can't seem to gush enough about it. I can't wait to read more work by Siemsen, he's now been added to my favorite author list.

Disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and words above are my honest opinion. ***This book is not intended for young adults! ***
  
Cat and Mouse (Alex Cross, #4)
Cat and Mouse (Alex Cross, #4)
James Patterson | 1997 | Crime, Mystery
9
8.4 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Alex Cross (0 more)
Knew the killer early on (0 more)
Another brilliant Alex Cross
Contains spoilers, click to show
Alex Cross is back-and so is a raging and suicidal Gary Soneji. Out of prison and dying from the AIDS virus he contracted there, he will get revenge on Cross before he dies. In addition, we are introduced to a new pair of rivals whose paths cross that of Alex and Soneji. Thomas Augustine Pierce has been chasing his demon, Mr. Smith, since the savage murder of his fiancee. Mr. Smith is a unique monster, with actions toward his victims so insane-so unimaginable-that he is thought of as "not of the earth." Pierce, known in the business as St. Augustine because of his track record for catching killers and his invaluable status to the FBI and Interpol, may even be better than Cross.When things heat up and Alex is in a near-death coma following an attack in his own home, Pierce goes to Washington to help with the investigation. But just as he begins to piece together the mystery of how Gary Soneji could have mortally wounded Cross after he was believed to be dead, he is summoned to Paris with a postcard from Mr. Smith inviting him to a very special killing.The body count is high, the tension the highest, and the two killers on the loose are watching every move their pursuers make. Who is the cat, and who is the mouse? What and where is the final trap? And who survives?



This is a reread and one of my favourites from James Patterson. I love Alex Cross and the characters in these books. Patterson is such a brilliant writer.

I cheered as he finally got Soneji that evil SOB needed taking down! I do think Smith was quite easy to pick out from the start.

On to the next Alex Cross book .

Recommended



  
Sin Undone (Demonica #5)
Sin Undone (Demonica #5)
8
8.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
This one is Sin's - Sinead! - story, Lore(n)'s sister and the only female Seminus demon in existence.

We get to know her a lot more in this one and I feel sorry for a lot of the crap she went through. She tries to be this strong woman who can deal with everything but she doesn't want to be. So thank God for Con - who we met in Lore's book, Ecstasy Unveiled - and who Sin had sex with.

As a dhampire, a vampire/werewolf hybrid, Con is immune to the werewolf shifter virus which Sin unwittingly started in the last book and a great candidate to help start a vaccine against it by using his blood. The only downside to it is that as a dhampire, Con is susceptible to blood addiction if he drinks from the same donor too often yet he needs to keep drinking Sin's blood to fuel his resistance.

Feelings start to emerge beyond their physical attraction as the two are forced to spend so much time together and get to know each other. How he demands that she feel things instead of letting her body do it's physical pain release by bleeding. They'd both been through so much in their long lives and they deserved happiness.

They had a few ups and downs in this. Con had responsibilities within the shifter and dhampire communities and Sin was donating blood and trying to help those infected by the virus before they died and also to her assassin den.

And then let's not forget that last chapter! How cute was that with Lore? I've really fallen for this extended family. They all deserve happiness and I'm really glad they've all found it.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.