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Equal Ever After: The Fight for Same-Sex Marriage - And How I Made it Happen
Book
"My story starts at the very end of the journey to equal marriage rights. I stand on the shoulders...
Hollywood Park
10.0
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Book
His story opens in an experimental commune in California, which later morphed into the Church of...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Down Down Deep in Books
May 17, 2024
98 of 220
Booksirens ARC
Down Down Deep
By Christina Delay
⭐️⭐️
Did I kill him?
Jesse David, professional travel writer, can’t shake the past she doesn’t remember. With her blackouts growing worse at the approach of her father’s death anniversary, she’s convinced that this trip is her last chance to find answers. But then Momma tags along and brings her special brand of abuse and a suitcase full of secrets.
Gabriel Gutierrez, cruise ship director, doesn’t perform the job—he is the job. For the past two decades, he has avoided his home and the destruction he brought upon his family, yet he cannot escape the heavy anchor of guilt. When Jesse steps on board, old shame renews and compounds as not one, but two deaths rise from troubled waters.
With a clock ticking and lives at stake, Jesse and Gabriel must decide whether the dangerous truth should rise to the surface or remain drowned in the deep.
I don’t know this started off as though I was going to really like it but then I really struggled with it half way through. The ending was ok but something about the whole book just irritated me a little. I’m quite an emotional reader and somehow just didnt evoke any.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Booksirens ARC
Down Down Deep
By Christina Delay
⭐️⭐️
Did I kill him?
Jesse David, professional travel writer, can’t shake the past she doesn’t remember. With her blackouts growing worse at the approach of her father’s death anniversary, she’s convinced that this trip is her last chance to find answers. But then Momma tags along and brings her special brand of abuse and a suitcase full of secrets.
Gabriel Gutierrez, cruise ship director, doesn’t perform the job—he is the job. For the past two decades, he has avoided his home and the destruction he brought upon his family, yet he cannot escape the heavy anchor of guilt. When Jesse steps on board, old shame renews and compounds as not one, but two deaths rise from troubled waters.
With a clock ticking and lives at stake, Jesse and Gabriel must decide whether the dangerous truth should rise to the surface or remain drowned in the deep.
I don’t know this started off as though I was going to really like it but then I really struggled with it half way through. The ending was ok but something about the whole book just irritated me a little. I’m quite an emotional reader and somehow just didnt evoke any.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Feel (Breaking Free #6)
5.5
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An Omegaverse Story. Single omegin Brogan Dale is jealous of the loving, stable relationships his...
M_M Omegaverse
Debbiereadsbook (1110 KP) rated Disjointed Lives in Books
Apr 3, 2018
tearjerker!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I purchased my copy of this book.
Imagine meeting your best friend for coffee and telling her something that happened ten years before, something that could possibly cost you her friendship.
Because, at it's most basic, that's what this is : two old friends, best friends, meeting for coffee and Ava has to tell Paige something that happened ten years ago, when they were estranged, something that she NEEDS to say, but knows that Paige might not, hell, she WON'T like it, but she needs to know.
At it's most complex?? It's the story of a woman who falls in love with an abusive partner and her fight to get out and away from that partner. The abuse is not physical, it's emotional, it's mental, it is total in it's destruction of Ava of old. It is total in cutting Ava off from everything and everyone she knows. It reduces her to a woman who, while maybe at the back of her mind knows that what is happening to her is not right, this marriage is not how it should be, she cannot be anything else but his wife. She knows no one will want her, because James tells her so.
But Ava finds a friend at work who is not letting her wallow, is not letting go, and Jacob helps Ava. And Ava has been dreaming about Jacob, which is what prompted this coffee shop meeting, and it all coming tumbling out of Ava.
It is beautifully written, painful reading though. While not told in great detail, there is some reference to Ava's abuse, to what James did, what he made her do. I had to keep putting it down, it made me cry in many places. It's not very long, but because I had to keep putting it down, it took me all day to read the 67 pages here. But so beautifully written!
Cutting extremely close to home on two fronts.
Because someone close to me went through what Ava did, but her abuse was physical, as well as mental. I watched her cutting us off, one by one, those closest to her first, and then spreading out, just as his tentacles spread out. And there was nothing we could do to stop it. We tried, oh Lord we tried, but she was in love. We had to wait til she came to the same conclusion, and wait for her to act on her own. She did. It just took a bit of time.
And because I know Ava, because I AM Paige. Finding out a wonderful day spent in amazing company last October was the inspiration for this book made me cry. Made me feel incredibly proud to be part of this book, made me feel incredibly proud of Ms Sheppard.
I cannot express, not really, how much this book affected me. But you should know that...
IT
IS
AMAZING!
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Imagine meeting your best friend for coffee and telling her something that happened ten years before, something that could possibly cost you her friendship.
Because, at it's most basic, that's what this is : two old friends, best friends, meeting for coffee and Ava has to tell Paige something that happened ten years ago, when they were estranged, something that she NEEDS to say, but knows that Paige might not, hell, she WON'T like it, but she needs to know.
At it's most complex?? It's the story of a woman who falls in love with an abusive partner and her fight to get out and away from that partner. The abuse is not physical, it's emotional, it's mental, it is total in it's destruction of Ava of old. It is total in cutting Ava off from everything and everyone she knows. It reduces her to a woman who, while maybe at the back of her mind knows that what is happening to her is not right, this marriage is not how it should be, she cannot be anything else but his wife. She knows no one will want her, because James tells her so.
But Ava finds a friend at work who is not letting her wallow, is not letting go, and Jacob helps Ava. And Ava has been dreaming about Jacob, which is what prompted this coffee shop meeting, and it all coming tumbling out of Ava.
It is beautifully written, painful reading though. While not told in great detail, there is some reference to Ava's abuse, to what James did, what he made her do. I had to keep putting it down, it made me cry in many places. It's not very long, but because I had to keep putting it down, it took me all day to read the 67 pages here. But so beautifully written!
Cutting extremely close to home on two fronts.
Because someone close to me went through what Ava did, but her abuse was physical, as well as mental. I watched her cutting us off, one by one, those closest to her first, and then spreading out, just as his tentacles spread out. And there was nothing we could do to stop it. We tried, oh Lord we tried, but she was in love. We had to wait til she came to the same conclusion, and wait for her to act on her own. She did. It just took a bit of time.
And because I know Ava, because I AM Paige. Finding out a wonderful day spent in amazing company last October was the inspiration for this book made me cry. Made me feel incredibly proud to be part of this book, made me feel incredibly proud of Ms Sheppard.
I cannot express, not really, how much this book affected me. But you should know that...
IT
IS
AMAZING!
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Could it be Adult ADHD?: A Clinician's Guide to Recognition, Assessment, and Treatment
Book
One out of every 10 adult psychotherapy clients likely has ADHD. Due to high comorbidities with...
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Before I Saw You in Books
Feb 25, 2019
Wow! This is my first ever Amy K. Sorrells novel and it most definitely will not be my last one. This book, it's setting, it's characters, it's messages......all of it absolutely gripped me and took me on an emotional roller coaster ride. I was up, down, sideways, in and out while reading this novel, and it left me with a feeling I haven't had with a book in a long, long time.
As a former street drug abuser, I related with this book on so many levels, with it's work of opioid abuse weaved into the story line. It's a very real thing now a days, and so many people are dying from the use of it. Thankfully, with God's love and kind forgiveness, I was saved and have been drug free for more than 15 years now, and this novel brought with the flood of emotions. Watching Jaycee struggle with certain decisions, watching her and her faith grow stronger through the novel, really made me see myself in her.
Throughout these pages, Ms. Sorrells has woven a message of the utmost importance from our God.......true love. I love my children more than life itself, but my truest love of all comes from, and for, our God. I could feel that message unweaving with each page turn, felt it envelope me and keep me hooked to the story.
This is more than a 5 star book. This is one that I highly recommend to everyone. This book is emotional, gripping, and may not be an easy read for some, but it's one that will forever be on my shelf and one that I will turn to when I need a reminder that sometimes struggles are what are needed to over come the mountains that God puts in my life. Faith,hope, love and more make up this novel and I can't wait to dive into another amazingly chiseled creation from this talented author! Well done, Ms. Sorrell!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
As a former street drug abuser, I related with this book on so many levels, with it's work of opioid abuse weaved into the story line. It's a very real thing now a days, and so many people are dying from the use of it. Thankfully, with God's love and kind forgiveness, I was saved and have been drug free for more than 15 years now, and this novel brought with the flood of emotions. Watching Jaycee struggle with certain decisions, watching her and her faith grow stronger through the novel, really made me see myself in her.
Throughout these pages, Ms. Sorrells has woven a message of the utmost importance from our God.......true love. I love my children more than life itself, but my truest love of all comes from, and for, our God. I could feel that message unweaving with each page turn, felt it envelope me and keep me hooked to the story.
This is more than a 5 star book. This is one that I highly recommend to everyone. This book is emotional, gripping, and may not be an easy read for some, but it's one that will forever be on my shelf and one that I will turn to when I need a reminder that sometimes struggles are what are needed to over come the mountains that God puts in my life. Faith,hope, love and more make up this novel and I can't wait to dive into another amazingly chiseled creation from this talented author! Well done, Ms. Sorrell!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Saved (Breaking Free #1)
9.0
Rate It
Book
An Omegaverse Story He didn’t want an alpha to save him, but fate had other ideas… Braun...
Contemporary M_M Mpreg Omegaverse
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Silence of the Grave in Books
Sep 1, 2018
Bleak atmosphere, excellent writing and story
Contains spoilers, click to show
***Spoilers you have been warned***
I loved Jar City because of the dark bleak mood setting that’s described in Erlandur’s world. This one proves to be just the same. Coupled with a well written mystery that goes back into the past, this one lived up to the previous.
The book goes back and forth in time. It features on the past of a woman and her family and the horrendous abuse she endures. It leads up to the mystery surrounding the body found in the present. It’s good background storytelling and put in the missing pieces gradually as you progress in the book. Then as it goes forward to present day, you have Erlandur and his crew attempting to figure out the mystery but it also focuses on Erlandur’s past, and his attempt at patching things up with Eva Lind as she’s in a coma at the hospital.
Don’t expect twists and turns or any special revelations in this novel. It’s a subtle mystery but so well written that it’s a quick read and you’re so immersed into the book that the pages do fly by. It’s the writing style that makes it so good. The mood and setting is again, dark as usual. It’s more bleak than the previous one due to the subject matter and with what Erlandur experiences.
Admittedly, this isn’t for everyone. The physical, mental, emotional abuse featured in this book is hard to read. You sympathize with the mother and her children and Grimur is just one awful piece of garbage. Erlandur’s ghosts from the past is also revealed in this book and he’s got quite a lot of baggage on his shoulders (not including his ex wife and Eva Lind) but it gives his character more substance and he’s not just a presence in the novel. You also learn more about his colleagues (although I’d like to learn more about Elinborg) as they have their lives as well. I like this aspect of the novel as it shows what they do out of duty and gives them a more realistic human feel to the book.
Not much of a mystery but makes for really good reading, not only do the characters flesh out more but the writing is so well done. Recommended and I’ll be moving onto the next book after this one.
I loved Jar City because of the dark bleak mood setting that’s described in Erlandur’s world. This one proves to be just the same. Coupled with a well written mystery that goes back into the past, this one lived up to the previous.
The book goes back and forth in time. It features on the past of a woman and her family and the horrendous abuse she endures. It leads up to the mystery surrounding the body found in the present. It’s good background storytelling and put in the missing pieces gradually as you progress in the book. Then as it goes forward to present day, you have Erlandur and his crew attempting to figure out the mystery but it also focuses on Erlandur’s past, and his attempt at patching things up with Eva Lind as she’s in a coma at the hospital.
Don’t expect twists and turns or any special revelations in this novel. It’s a subtle mystery but so well written that it’s a quick read and you’re so immersed into the book that the pages do fly by. It’s the writing style that makes it so good. The mood and setting is again, dark as usual. It’s more bleak than the previous one due to the subject matter and with what Erlandur experiences.
Admittedly, this isn’t for everyone. The physical, mental, emotional abuse featured in this book is hard to read. You sympathize with the mother and her children and Grimur is just one awful piece of garbage. Erlandur’s ghosts from the past is also revealed in this book and he’s got quite a lot of baggage on his shoulders (not including his ex wife and Eva Lind) but it gives his character more substance and he’s not just a presence in the novel. You also learn more about his colleagues (although I’d like to learn more about Elinborg) as they have their lives as well. I like this aspect of the novel as it shows what they do out of duty and gives them a more realistic human feel to the book.
Not much of a mystery but makes for really good reading, not only do the characters flesh out more but the writing is so well done. Recommended and I’ll be moving onto the next book after this one.
DG
Don't Give Your Heart to a Rambler: My Life with Jimmy Martin, the King of Bluegrass
Book
As charismatic and gifted as he was volatile, Jimmy Martin recorded dozens of bluegrass classics and...