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Becoming
Becoming
Glenn Rolfe | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Glenn Rolfe jumps right into action in his novel Becoming which is a nice change of pace from the majority of novels I read. Set in a small town by the name of Avalon, Rolfe introduces readers to an array of characters ranging from despicable to endearing. Some of them you’ll be happy to see go and others you’ll find yourself loathing Rolfe for getting rid off; one thing’s for sure: he has no qualms about killing off anyone in this fast paced book.

As I’ve said before: I don’t make a habit of researching writers before I read their work. In a way, it can be a spoiler as to their style or mannerisms. That said, either Rolfe has done a lot of research or he knows what small town life is like, because Avalon most definitely mimics the intricacies of rural life. Reading Becoming felt very much like being in my hometown. For that, I applaud Rolfe.

Normally I summarize the plot of the book. This time I’ll skip that for the sake of length since it can be read in the synopsis above regardless of whether this is posted on my site, Goodreads, or Amazon. It should be noted that there is no pause in the story for a breather; Rolfe forges onward without a single breather in his story, filling each page with non-stop action. This makes for a great read and a welcome relief from the tedium of many stories.

The downside to this is that some characters are only half finished. For instance, Crowley and the Lady of the Lake have sinister origins. We know they are baddies and the reason for what goes wrong, but we don’t really get any answers. We don’t know why Clint ends up sick and doesn’t function like he should or why a journal somehow ended up in his house or how Avalon came to be, just that it is.

Overall, Becoming is a pretty solid story if you don’t ask too many questions. There are a few typos that made it past final editing as well (I read the Kindle Unlimited versión instead of the ARC sent to me by the author since the file was lost due to technical difficulties).
  
Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3)
Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3)
Cardeno C | 2017 | Romance
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
warm and fuzzies!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I PURCHASED my ebook copy of this book (July 2017) and I was GIFTED the audio file of this book.

Richard dumped Todd because was too young to be committed to him, but when Todd gets a second chance at happiness, he pulls out all the stops.

This is book three in the Hope series, but you don't need to have read the other two for this to make sense. But they are great reads.

As is this one!

Richard let Todd go, because Todd was still seeing other guys and Rich did not want to share. But he failed to tell Todd that! So when Todd finds out WHY Rich dumped him, he's keen to clear the air and try to get back into Rich's bed and his heart.

And its a beautiful story! It follows a CC track record, with the guys having done their break up, and this story is their make up. Its well written fro both Todd and Rich's point of view. It's sexy in places, and heart breaking in others, especially when we get to just what causes Rich to push Todd away.

I read this a while a go, but was going through a rough parch and didn't get a review written, but given the opportunity to LISTEN to it, I jumped at the chance!

Ezekiel Robison narrates, and he does an amazing job! I think I preferred the audio version to the print version, if I'm totally honest and ya'll know I gotta be honest!!

Robison's voice is smooth, and deep and even and his voices are spot on how I imagined Todd and Rich to sound like. I had no trouble following multi person conversations. He manages to get across what I did not get when I read, what THAT is, exactly, I have no idea, but there was something missing when I read it that was not there when I listened to it, and that can only be put down by the excellent skills of Robison.

4 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
4.5 overall.

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Husbands and Other Sharp Objects
Husbands and Other Sharp Objects
Marilyn Simon Rothstein | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
so funny - LOL funny (0 more)
HYSTERICAL
This book is HILARIOUS! 9 LOL STARS!!

Some favorites....
••• "Is bread still considered white once toasted?"

••• "I hate the term “baby lettuce.” Worse is “Boston baby lettuce.” It’s not bad enough you’re eating the baby. You have to know where it comes from."

••• "People I knew hardly ever called on the landline anymore, which was good because I liked to keep that phone open for insurance types who mispronounced my name and financial advisors hawking upside-down mortgages."

And those are literally from just the first 10% of the book!

I LOL'd from beginning to end. If you need some humor in your life, please do yourself a favor and get this book! You won't regret it.. I chuckled, I guffawed, I made all the silly noises that describe laughter. But get this - there is divorce, infidelity, cancer, family issues, heart attacks... and I still made all those silly noises!! Never have I laughed out loud so much from a book.

Marcy Hammer is done with her marriage. Despite a lifetime of memories, three adult kids and a pretty comfortable life, it's inexcusable what Harvey has done. She's got a new man in her life, but Harvey will not let her go. She's determined to get him to file, and move forward with the divorce. But while her own marriage is ending, her daughter Amanda gets engaged, and her marriage is just beginning.

The wedding planning is the bulk of the story - and it is hysterically insane. From beginning to end between thieving in-laws, silly traditions, and just having her kids meet Jon her new boyfriend, nothing is simple, everything involves some sort of challenge or confrontation - but Marcy takes it all in stride - doing her best as a mom, a friend, a partner - and her sense of humor truly shines in this book!

I loved Marcy, she is witty and feisty, and her family is just as dysfunctional as you'd want in a great book. The writing is sharp and quick, and I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish.
  
Gemina: The Illuminae Files: Book 2
Gemina: The Illuminae Files: Book 2
Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman | 2016 | Children
10
9.1 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Illuminae is one of my favorite books of the year, so it's no surprise to me that I loved Gemina as well. I must admit that I did like Illuminae a bit better. Gemina did hold it's own as a sequel and put up a great fight for first place. The action, writing, and emotional experience all packed within the covers of these pages is absolutely phenomenal.

This was a book that I didn't want to go into too it with too much knowledge so I didn't read the synopsis and stayed away from the reviews on BookTube. I read this book much like I read the first one by listening to the story and following along in the physical books. The audiobook has a full cast of characters that I personally feel brings the story to life. If I tried to read this book without the audio file I think the book would fall flat and I'd lose interest in it. At least that's how I would be.

I was expecting the same cast of characters and was coming taken by surprise when I learned there were new MCs in this book. Although, I do love how the authors wove the stories together from Illuminae and Gemina. It was outstanding and very well done.

The imagination and thought that must have gone into the writing of this book is something I can barely wrap my head around. I would love to be able to see how they actually wrote these books and the process behind them.

Gemina has a great plot that left me on the edge of my seat. The characters were well rounded and developed a lot throughout the book. The way the characters changed along with the plot throughout the book was very well done. This is most definitely a characters driven story.

I am looking forward to reading Obsidio. I have my physical copy read just waiting for my turn to get the audiobook from the library.

Definitely give this one a shot I don't see how anyone could be disappointed.
  
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