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Disjointed Lives
Disjointed Lives
Morgan Sheppard | 2018 | Contemporary
10
9.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Disjointed Lives by Morgan Sheppard
Disjointed Lives is the first non-fantasy story from Morgan Sheppard. It is only a short story, based around two friends meeting for coffee, and one of them needing help. It does mention gas lighting and mental/emotional abuse, but without going into too much detail.

One of the things that is becoming clear is that Morgan Sheppard writes character based stories. The world building is very good, but what gives these stories the emotion behind them, is the characters. They are completely relate-able, with foibles and quirks that readers will recognise in themselves and those they know.

Whether you like fantasy or contemporary/women's fiction, I would definitely recommend this book, and others by this author.

* 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!
  
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Andrea D (21 KP) rated After The Woods in Books

Jan 10, 2019  
After The Woods
After The Woods
Kim Savage | 2016 | Contemporary, Mystery, Young Adult (YA)
2
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
An excellent beginning only to let you down towards the end.
When I started reading this book I was absolutely enthralled it held so much promise and so much seeming darkness to uncover then it turned into a crap fest. It's as if the author decided at about 80% that they had completely changed their mind about what was happening to Liv and Julia and not for the better either. I wanted this book to be about the psychopath it promised it was instead you get emotional abuse and an obvious attachment disorder and the awful line "We're both brave" no you're fucking not you're a twat who abandoned her so called best friend to a potential murderer.

Just don't waste your time it sucks you in and then gives up on you and makes you hate it for having invested so much of yourself in a book that promises to be all that and more.
  
Pucked Off (Pucked #5)
Pucked Off (Pucked #5)
Helena Hunting | 2017 | Erotica, Humor & Comedy, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Pucked Off is the story of the sweet and haunted Lance and sports physio Poppy. Lance met Poppy when he was at his lowest, recovering not only from a sports injury playing ice hockey, but also when he was struggling to recover from the emotional abuse that seemed to follow him through his life.

Whilst this is predominantly part of a comical and erotic driven romance series, there is something sweet about this edition to the series. It allows this kind genuine man, surrounded by his "family" of ice hockey players and their partners,getting the girl of his dreams, a girl who will nurture and support him even on his darkest days. But will it be smooth running? Will it be a happy ending?

Helena Hunting again demonstrates her sense of humour and wickedness with Pucked Off, leaving the reader in stitches whilst their heart melts. Really enjoyed this story and couldn't think of a cuter pair!
  
The Seventh Victim
The Seventh Victim
Michael Wood | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really love Michael Wood's DCI Matilda Darke series but this is a standalone thriller from him which is equally as good and no-less riveting but please be warned, it does deal with child murder and abuse so if this is a trigger, I would suggest you look elsewhere.

Mr Wood treats us to a cast of excellent characters that leap out of the page and grab hold of you from the beginning to the very end and whilst not all of them are particularly 'nice', they are all well developed and all have their place in the story and what a story it is.

Dark, disturbing, powerful, emotional, riveting and full of tension with a twist I didn't see coming, this is a must read for all thriller fans and my thanks go to One More Chapter, HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Seventh Victim.
  
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Aaru in Books

Nov 8, 2019  
Aaru
Aaru
David Meredith | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Rose is only 16 but her life is over. She has terminal cancer but a mysterious strangers offers her and her family the option of taking part in a trial. When she dies they assume the trail failed and mourn her passing, her sister being hit particularly hard. Then the message comes... Rose lives on.

This books takes one fascinating idea - what if people's personalities and memories could be copied at the point of death and then recreated inside a computer? - and looks at it from a lot of different angles. It is certainly thought provoking, and occasionally disturbing.

The first half of the book deals with Rose's death, the grief of her family and then the emotional trauma, denial and final acceptance that in some ways she is still alive. It also follows Rose's journey as she discovers her new virtual world and its other inhabitants.

The second half is darker and moves into thriller territory as Rose's new paradise shows that it may not be perfect and both her and her sister are exposed to danger. Some of the themes here - obsession, violence, sexual abuse, suicide - are made all the worse by their premeditated nature.

This book will make you think about a potential life after death but it doesn't flinch from showing the emotional, physical and moral implications that might arise both for those saved and those they leave behind.