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Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Of Glass And Ashes in Books
Aug 30, 2021
Of Glass and Ashes is the third in the Twisted Pages series and the first time we meet Aika, the sister of Zaina from Of Thorns and Beauty and Of Beasts and Vengeance.
Despite being a Cinderella retelling, Aika is a fiesty, unpredictable protagonist. Whereas Zaina kept her walls built high and analysed every move she made, her sister fights hard to compartmentalise her emotions and, every so often, her control slips: Aika is literally the fire to Zaina’s ice.
Thankfully we do not lose Zaina and Einar just yet as they still have a couple of POV chapters in order to continue their mission. I loved the little insights into their dynamic and how this has progressed since we left them in Of Beasts and Vengeance.
Aika is wholeheartedly the star of the show though. Fiery and morally grey, Aika is used to acting upon her Mother’s orders and adopting different identities. However, when grief causes her to act with her heart rather than her head, events are put into motion that put our gutsy heroine in the worst danger of her life.
As with all of Madame’s daughters, Aika is a tortured soul and the reader gains glimpses of her previous life and how she came to be with Madame. Maybe this is why we forgive Aika’s questionable actions: we can clearly see the effect that her upbringing has had on her priorities and the trauma that she feels when she can’t save someone is palpable.
The beauty of Elle and Robin is that they never fail to provide an amazing love interest for their main characters. Spiky, closed off Zaina had an enemies to lovers relationship with the muscly giant Einar and spirited Aika introduces the reader to her ex-lover Remy. Remy is a confident, sarcastic member of the Guard and he sure keeps Aika on her toes but is it only Aika keeping secrets or does Remy also have something to hide?
Suspenseful, secretive and with some seriously deadly glass slippers, Of Glass and Ashes is a page turner which I devoured in less than 24 hours. I can’t wait for March 2022 to see what lies in store for Aika and Zaina in the next installment, Of Thieves and Shadows.
Despite being a Cinderella retelling, Aika is a fiesty, unpredictable protagonist. Whereas Zaina kept her walls built high and analysed every move she made, her sister fights hard to compartmentalise her emotions and, every so often, her control slips: Aika is literally the fire to Zaina’s ice.
Thankfully we do not lose Zaina and Einar just yet as they still have a couple of POV chapters in order to continue their mission. I loved the little insights into their dynamic and how this has progressed since we left them in Of Beasts and Vengeance.
Aika is wholeheartedly the star of the show though. Fiery and morally grey, Aika is used to acting upon her Mother’s orders and adopting different identities. However, when grief causes her to act with her heart rather than her head, events are put into motion that put our gutsy heroine in the worst danger of her life.
As with all of Madame’s daughters, Aika is a tortured soul and the reader gains glimpses of her previous life and how she came to be with Madame. Maybe this is why we forgive Aika’s questionable actions: we can clearly see the effect that her upbringing has had on her priorities and the trauma that she feels when she can’t save someone is palpable.
The beauty of Elle and Robin is that they never fail to provide an amazing love interest for their main characters. Spiky, closed off Zaina had an enemies to lovers relationship with the muscly giant Einar and spirited Aika introduces the reader to her ex-lover Remy. Remy is a confident, sarcastic member of the Guard and he sure keeps Aika on her toes but is it only Aika keeping secrets or does Remy also have something to hide?
Suspenseful, secretive and with some seriously deadly glass slippers, Of Glass and Ashes is a page turner which I devoured in less than 24 hours. I can’t wait for March 2022 to see what lies in store for Aika and Zaina in the next installment, Of Thieves and Shadows.
Debbiereadsbook (1764 KP) rated Seducing the Sorcerer in Books
Sep 26, 2021
I kept missing bits that were just thrown in, and I really loved that.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Jumping straight in with this one, cos I really REALLY enjoyed this book bar one teeny weeny thing, but I'll come back to that! This is the second book by this author I read, and that book was a 3 star, it-was-ok kinda read and this one is so NOT that!
I loved that many times in the book I had to back up a bit, and reread what I just read cos I was like "say what, now?" MANY times. And a book that makes me slow down my reading is never a bad thing, I had to here, cos I kept missing bits that were just thrown in, and I really loved that.
I loved that Fenn had no idea about magic and the sorcerer and what was going on in the tower. Loved that Fenn was quite laid back about it all, really.
I loved the way things crept up on Fenn, much like his worple horse and what it can do, (not sure if thats the correct spelling though!) and that so much was not as it appeared to be. I loved what the horse does with the pink eiderdown 🙂
It's not especially explicit but is steamy enough. Violence level is low but fitting for this book. I was surprised at the level of emotions that Fenn threw at me though, and I've no idea why!
What let it down, for ME was only Fenn has a say, and I so wanted to hear from Morgrim, I really did! I wanted to know what he was thinking when Fenn first landed in the tower grounds; what he felt about Fenn and his horse.
But what I wanted MOST to know about, was how Morgrim felt about what had happened to him 2 years ago, and how he was dealing with all that. I'm greedy, I know, but had Morgrim been given a voice, I have no doubt at all that this would have been a five-star review, it really would!
I can see the author skill has grown a great deal since I read the other book (2017) and I WILL read more now!
4 really REALLY good stars
same worded review will appear elsewhere
Jumping straight in with this one, cos I really REALLY enjoyed this book bar one teeny weeny thing, but I'll come back to that! This is the second book by this author I read, and that book was a 3 star, it-was-ok kinda read and this one is so NOT that!
I loved that many times in the book I had to back up a bit, and reread what I just read cos I was like "say what, now?" MANY times. And a book that makes me slow down my reading is never a bad thing, I had to here, cos I kept missing bits that were just thrown in, and I really loved that.
I loved that Fenn had no idea about magic and the sorcerer and what was going on in the tower. Loved that Fenn was quite laid back about it all, really.
I loved the way things crept up on Fenn, much like his worple horse and what it can do, (not sure if thats the correct spelling though!) and that so much was not as it appeared to be. I loved what the horse does with the pink eiderdown 🙂
It's not especially explicit but is steamy enough. Violence level is low but fitting for this book. I was surprised at the level of emotions that Fenn threw at me though, and I've no idea why!
What let it down, for ME was only Fenn has a say, and I so wanted to hear from Morgrim, I really did! I wanted to know what he was thinking when Fenn first landed in the tower grounds; what he felt about Fenn and his horse.
But what I wanted MOST to know about, was how Morgrim felt about what had happened to him 2 years ago, and how he was dealing with all that. I'm greedy, I know, but had Morgrim been given a voice, I have no doubt at all that this would have been a five-star review, it really would!
I can see the author skill has grown a great deal since I read the other book (2017) and I WILL read more now!
4 really REALLY good stars
same worded review will appear elsewhere
Debbiereadsbook (1764 KP) rated Falling for my Ex's Twin (Falling For You #2) in Books
Feb 18, 2026
Loved that Jimmy gave Flynn that time!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Falling for You series. I have not read book 1, Falling for the Professor. As far as I can tell, that book sort of runs alongside this one and so I don't think it matters if you read that one or not. I want to now go back and read that book, because Angus plays a part here and you can pick things up as you go along.
Flynn moves to Leeds to get away from his ex, after their marriage ends. He knows that Jimmy, the ex's twin brother is at uni in Leeds but he never expected to reconnect. Because Jimmy hates Flynn, right?? One drunken night later, and Flynn is questioning everything he thought he knew about Jimmy and the ex' Billy.
I loved this!!
It's wonderful, it really is. A different take on the "my ex's brother" theme and I loved how it was delivered.
Jimmy is VERY different from his brother, Billy. And Flynn realises that quickly. But Flynn loved Billy and still does, and his feelings for Jimmy are confusing him greatly. I loved that Jimmy is patient, he has been waiting for Flynn for years. He knows that Flynn needs time to work through his feelings and emotions about everything and he will wait.
I loved that Jimmy gave Flynn that time. Flynn is trying to come to terms with the end of his marriage, but when others point out how Billy treated him, it makes Flynn think. When you are in that sort of relationship, you really do not see what's happening but after? The red flags are all there. And Flynn needs to come to terms with what Billy did to him.
But when Billy finds out?? The man takes it to the next level and Flynn's blinkers are left in the dust and he can see things much more clearly.
I loved that Jimmy's parents were happy for Flynn and Jimmy. They saw them together years ago, before Billy, so they were really pleased by it all.
AND!!
First person, present tense and multi POV! And I loved it! Maybe I'm getting over my dislike of books written this way, I didn't even notice til I was writing this review and filing it. SO, very well played!
5 full and shiny stars
This is book 2 in the Falling for You series. I have not read book 1, Falling for the Professor. As far as I can tell, that book sort of runs alongside this one and so I don't think it matters if you read that one or not. I want to now go back and read that book, because Angus plays a part here and you can pick things up as you go along.
Flynn moves to Leeds to get away from his ex, after their marriage ends. He knows that Jimmy, the ex's twin brother is at uni in Leeds but he never expected to reconnect. Because Jimmy hates Flynn, right?? One drunken night later, and Flynn is questioning everything he thought he knew about Jimmy and the ex' Billy.
I loved this!!
It's wonderful, it really is. A different take on the "my ex's brother" theme and I loved how it was delivered.
Jimmy is VERY different from his brother, Billy. And Flynn realises that quickly. But Flynn loved Billy and still does, and his feelings for Jimmy are confusing him greatly. I loved that Jimmy is patient, he has been waiting for Flynn for years. He knows that Flynn needs time to work through his feelings and emotions about everything and he will wait.
I loved that Jimmy gave Flynn that time. Flynn is trying to come to terms with the end of his marriage, but when others point out how Billy treated him, it makes Flynn think. When you are in that sort of relationship, you really do not see what's happening but after? The red flags are all there. And Flynn needs to come to terms with what Billy did to him.
But when Billy finds out?? The man takes it to the next level and Flynn's blinkers are left in the dust and he can see things much more clearly.
I loved that Jimmy's parents were happy for Flynn and Jimmy. They saw them together years ago, before Billy, so they were really pleased by it all.
AND!!
First person, present tense and multi POV! And I loved it! Maybe I'm getting over my dislike of books written this way, I didn't even notice til I was writing this review and filing it. SO, very well played!
5 full and shiny stars
Debbiereadsbook (1764 KP) rated Intelligence Check (Dungeons and Dating #3) in Books
May 26, 2022
my fav of the three!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 3 in the Dungeons and Dating series. While it can totally be read as a stand-alone, I really think you should read books one and 2 first. It will give you a better, bigger picture of this group of co-workers and friends but also because I said to! Bloody good books, both of them!
Mason and Hunter work at the game cafe, and have crushed on each other for a long time. There are so many miscommunicated moments between these two, it made for painful reading!
Hunter likes how Mason makes him feel, but knows someone like Mase won't ever want him. Mase, in turn, can't understand why Hunter pushed them away a year ago. When Hunter tells them WHY? Oh, I fell in love with Hunter, just a little bit more. Mase too, when they finally let Hunter in.
These two are perfect for each other, but neither thinks they are good enough for the other. Once they actually talk, things become clearer as to why they both think that.
It's not as steamy as the other two books, I thought, but it is HEAVY on the emotions. I loved that Hunter makes a point to ask Mase about their preferences, what they like to do in the smexy department, given that Mase is non-binary. I will admit it took a little getting used to the they/their/them pronouns, but it soon faded to the background. I hated what happened to Mason's sister and how that all came out. And then what happened to Hunter when he was young, you could see why Mason pushed Hunter away for a time.
The others pop up, and I again implore Ms McIntyre to write a story for Jasper! He's starting to hurt, a little, that his friends are pairing up and he can't find his person. You feel for Kelly here. But I think there is a whole LOT we don't know about her relationship with Nat. There are clues, if you know what to look for, that things weren't as clear cut as they seemed. That all comes out in the next book, though.
I loved this book, more so than books 1 and 2 and I loved them too!
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 3 in the Dungeons and Dating series. While it can totally be read as a stand-alone, I really think you should read books one and 2 first. It will give you a better, bigger picture of this group of co-workers and friends but also because I said to! Bloody good books, both of them!
Mason and Hunter work at the game cafe, and have crushed on each other for a long time. There are so many miscommunicated moments between these two, it made for painful reading!
Hunter likes how Mason makes him feel, but knows someone like Mase won't ever want him. Mase, in turn, can't understand why Hunter pushed them away a year ago. When Hunter tells them WHY? Oh, I fell in love with Hunter, just a little bit more. Mase too, when they finally let Hunter in.
These two are perfect for each other, but neither thinks they are good enough for the other. Once they actually talk, things become clearer as to why they both think that.
It's not as steamy as the other two books, I thought, but it is HEAVY on the emotions. I loved that Hunter makes a point to ask Mase about their preferences, what they like to do in the smexy department, given that Mase is non-binary. I will admit it took a little getting used to the they/their/them pronouns, but it soon faded to the background. I hated what happened to Mason's sister and how that all came out. And then what happened to Hunter when he was young, you could see why Mason pushed Hunter away for a time.
The others pop up, and I again implore Ms McIntyre to write a story for Jasper! He's starting to hurt, a little, that his friends are pairing up and he can't find his person. You feel for Kelly here. But I think there is a whole LOT we don't know about her relationship with Nat. There are clues, if you know what to look for, that things weren't as clear cut as they seemed. That all comes out in the next book, though.
I loved this book, more so than books 1 and 2 and I loved them too!
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The 13th Girl in Books
Jul 10, 2022
Lucy thought she had escaped her past but little did she know that it was just waiting for her all along ready to come back and bite her with venom.
Lucy escaped a cult when she was just seven years old. Many years later and having made a new life for herself, the skeletons start to emerge and Lucy's life is turned upside down. Having escaped one kind of controlling environment, Lucy swaps it for another - her husband and his parents are, in my opinion, vile creatures who continue to brow beat Lucy and blame her for what happened to her as a child and what her mother and cult did ... what the heck!!! Who blames a 7 year old??? Like I said, vile creatures.
Anyway, what follows is the story of Lucy trying to remember her time in the cult through flashbacks, memories and dreams/nightmares but what is real and how reliable is she? And who is doing this to her? Lucy returns to the place of her nightmares to try and remember just what happened but she is soon in an even more terrifying nightmare which is all to real and how is she going to get out of it.
This is a book that pulls on all your emotions at once and I admit that I wanted to physically get inside it and give Lucy's husband and parents-in-law a slap and Lucy a shake; oh my word, I was so annoyed at times that I nearly didn't finish the book it irritated me that much however, I persevered and, actually, am glad I did as the reasons she was like she was, became clear and, in the end, I was rooting for her and desperate for there to be a happy ending. I won't give it away but I will say that it was quite satisfying albeit a little unbelievable in parts.
Overall, a good read with an interesting plot and some unexpected twists but with characters I struggled with and with a pace that started well, got a bit slow in the middle and ramped up again towards the end.
Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read The 13th Girl and share my thoughts.
Lucy escaped a cult when she was just seven years old. Many years later and having made a new life for herself, the skeletons start to emerge and Lucy's life is turned upside down. Having escaped one kind of controlling environment, Lucy swaps it for another - her husband and his parents are, in my opinion, vile creatures who continue to brow beat Lucy and blame her for what happened to her as a child and what her mother and cult did ... what the heck!!! Who blames a 7 year old??? Like I said, vile creatures.
Anyway, what follows is the story of Lucy trying to remember her time in the cult through flashbacks, memories and dreams/nightmares but what is real and how reliable is she? And who is doing this to her? Lucy returns to the place of her nightmares to try and remember just what happened but she is soon in an even more terrifying nightmare which is all to real and how is she going to get out of it.
This is a book that pulls on all your emotions at once and I admit that I wanted to physically get inside it and give Lucy's husband and parents-in-law a slap and Lucy a shake; oh my word, I was so annoyed at times that I nearly didn't finish the book it irritated me that much however, I persevered and, actually, am glad I did as the reasons she was like she was, became clear and, in the end, I was rooting for her and desperate for there to be a happy ending. I won't give it away but I will say that it was quite satisfying albeit a little unbelievable in parts.
Overall, a good read with an interesting plot and some unexpected twists but with characters I struggled with and with a pace that started well, got a bit slow in the middle and ramped up again towards the end.
Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read The 13th Girl and share my thoughts.