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Going on the Turn
Book
'Quite simply the funniest book you'll read all year ...easily as funny, as self-deprecating and as...
Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family
Book
Longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Books 2016 Shortlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated My Favorite Half-Night Stand in Books
Oct 14, 2019
Millie has always been one of the guys. She has four best guy friends—fellow professors. With an upcoming social function planned at the university, the group makes a pact that they will join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. But Millie and Reid have recently (secretly) shared a sexy night together. Hence the online dating plan offers some issues. So Millie comes up with “Catherine”—a pretend persona who lets her be more vulnerable than her more closed off self. Then Millie matches with the unaware Reid. Oh yeah, here comes trouble...
Oh, beach reads I love thee! I’m so enjoying catching up on Christina Lauren's back catalog! Although very much based on lying, which is a plot point that often stresses me out, I enjoyed My Favorite Half-Night Stand.
This was such an easy-to-read book. Millie is likable, and I could definitely relate to a slightly reticent, closed off soul. 😉 Yes, I did stress out a bit with all the lies and machinations! But, the book was very funny, sexy, and sweet! Millie’s group of friends was wonderful—just a humorous and fun cast. The chemistry between Millie and Reid was great, too! Definitely a good read! 3.5 stars.
Oh, beach reads I love thee! I’m so enjoying catching up on Christina Lauren's back catalog! Although very much based on lying, which is a plot point that often stresses me out, I enjoyed My Favorite Half-Night Stand.
This was such an easy-to-read book. Millie is likable, and I could definitely relate to a slightly reticent, closed off soul. 😉 Yes, I did stress out a bit with all the lies and machinations! But, the book was very funny, sexy, and sweet! Millie’s group of friends was wonderful—just a humorous and fun cast. The chemistry between Millie and Reid was great, too! Definitely a good read! 3.5 stars.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Ghost of a Chance (A Chintz 'N China Mystery, #1) in Books
Aug 21, 2019
Really enjoyed it
Contains spoilers, click to show
Emerald O'Brien is the owner of the Chintz 'n China Tea Room where guests are served the perfect blend of teas and tarot readings. She never set out to be a detective, but once word gets out that she can communicate with the dead, there's no turning back... When the ghost of Susan Mitchell asks for Emerald's help in convicting her own murderer, Emerald can't refuse. Along with her friends-an ex-supermodel and a cop-and her new love interest, Emerald must search for clues to put the killer behind bars, and Susan's tortured soul to rest.
I absolutely loved this book! It was well written, clever ,funny and spooky. I really should not read ghost stories in the dark at 3am in the morning. I was so freaked out at one point or maybe I'm getting soft. I did genuinely enjoy the book though is was everything a murder mystery/ghost story should be! I just love Emeralds character she's not the usual skinny beautiful woman most main characters usually are, the fact she's a single mum trying to deal with daily life as well as ghost hunting and mystery solving.
Highly recommended
⭐⭐⭐⭐

I absolutely loved this book! It was well written, clever ,funny and spooky. I really should not read ghost stories in the dark at 3am in the morning. I was so freaked out at one point or maybe I'm getting soft. I did genuinely enjoy the book though is was everything a murder mystery/ghost story should be! I just love Emeralds character she's not the usual skinny beautiful woman most main characters usually are, the fact she's a single mum trying to deal with daily life as well as ghost hunting and mystery solving.
Highly recommended
⭐⭐⭐⭐

imPerfect Magic (The imPerfect Cathar #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
After hundreds of years of dying, you'd think I would've perfected it by now... One moment I'm a...
Supernatural Dark Humor Mystery Suspense
ClareR (5748 KP) rated How to Kill Your Family in Books
May 19, 2022
Imagine the injustice of being sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder you didn’t commit. Not that Grace Bernard is actually innocent. I mean, she HAS murdered six (or is it five? I lose count) members of her own estranged family. Not that they didn’t deserve it.
This was a dark, funny book, and I found myself laughing at the most inappropriate moments. Grace plans her murders meticulously: she finds out what each family member likes to do, where they live and who their contacts are. She’s calm, collected and seriously scary. Grace is a prime example of a psychopath. She has no real attachments, she’s calm and collected during her murders, and her life otherwise appears to be normal.
But if anyone had found the memoir she starts to write whilst jailed for the murder she didn’t commit, she would have had a much longer sentence.
As you probably know by now, I always seem to end up with a soft spot for the more unpleasant, dare I say, naughty, characters. If you count six murders as a bit naughty, then yes, Grace has been added to my list of favourite characters. She really is something special!
Thanks to The Borough Press for my copy of this book to read through NetGalley.
This was a dark, funny book, and I found myself laughing at the most inappropriate moments. Grace plans her murders meticulously: she finds out what each family member likes to do, where they live and who their contacts are. She’s calm, collected and seriously scary. Grace is a prime example of a psychopath. She has no real attachments, she’s calm and collected during her murders, and her life otherwise appears to be normal.
But if anyone had found the memoir she starts to write whilst jailed for the murder she didn’t commit, she would have had a much longer sentence.
As you probably know by now, I always seem to end up with a soft spot for the more unpleasant, dare I say, naughty, characters. If you count six murders as a bit naughty, then yes, Grace has been added to my list of favourite characters. She really is something special!
Thanks to The Borough Press for my copy of this book to read through NetGalley.
ClareR (5748 KP) rated This Charming Man in Books
Jan 31, 2023
Are you feeling despondent? Need a little pick-me-up? Nothing too heavy? We all need (in this case) a book to make us feel happier and give us something to laugh at, and for me, that’s C. K. McDonnell’s job. I love these books. I really do laugh out loud.
The team at The Stranger Times have probably lost the will to laugh at their editor anymore. I mean, they see him every day, but his general bad attitude and shockingly bad work relations are hilarious.
Assistant Editor Hannah is back at work after her messy divorce, and Manchester is faced with what appears to be a bit of a vampire problem. But, you see, Vampires don’t exist. And everyone agrees on this.
Even when this book was being serious, it made me laugh. Banecroft’s interesting swearing system is workplace goals (although I work in Early Years, so still a no for me!), there’s a man on a canal boat who can’t lie and lives with a talking pug, the new journalist who lives in his van and lives on a diet of ice cream (and has terrible wind) - well. It’s just all delightfully wonky, funny and frankly genius!
I can’t wait for the next one!
The team at The Stranger Times have probably lost the will to laugh at their editor anymore. I mean, they see him every day, but his general bad attitude and shockingly bad work relations are hilarious.
Assistant Editor Hannah is back at work after her messy divorce, and Manchester is faced with what appears to be a bit of a vampire problem. But, you see, Vampires don’t exist. And everyone agrees on this.
Even when this book was being serious, it made me laugh. Banecroft’s interesting swearing system is workplace goals (although I work in Early Years, so still a no for me!), there’s a man on a canal boat who can’t lie and lives with a talking pug, the new journalist who lives in his van and lives on a diet of ice cream (and has terrible wind) - well. It’s just all delightfully wonky, funny and frankly genius!
I can’t wait for the next one!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2243 KP) rated The Chalice of the Gods in Books
Jan 15, 2024 (Updated Jan 15, 2024)
Percy Has an Extra College Entrance Requirement
Percy Jackson is now a senior in high school, but in order to get into college, he has a special requirement – letters of recommendation from three gods. And to get them, he has to go on quests, of course. The first comes from Ganymede who is missing the special goblet he uses to serve the gods. Can Percy find it before the next big feast?
It’s been years since I read any of the Percy Jackson books, so I wasn’t sure how easily I’d slip back into his world. I needn’t have worried. The book focuses on a smaller cast of characters, which made it easy, and I enjoyed spending time with them again. The story is episodic at times, but I was always engaged, dying to know what would happen next even if the stakes were a little smaller than in other books. I’d forgotten just how funny the books could be, and I was smiling and laughing throughout. Yet we also got some wonderful character moments that were very emotionally satisfying. I’m so glad I picked up this book, and other fans of Percy will be glad they picked it up, too.
It’s been years since I read any of the Percy Jackson books, so I wasn’t sure how easily I’d slip back into his world. I needn’t have worried. The book focuses on a smaller cast of characters, which made it easy, and I enjoyed spending time with them again. The story is episodic at times, but I was always engaged, dying to know what would happen next even if the stakes were a little smaller than in other books. I’d forgotten just how funny the books could be, and I was smiling and laughing throughout. Yet we also got some wonderful character moments that were very emotionally satisfying. I’m so glad I picked up this book, and other fans of Percy will be glad they picked it up, too.
Cori June (3033 KP) rated Witch & Wizard (Witch & Wizard, #1) in Books
Dec 3, 2018
This book has so much potential. I almost gave it a two & 1/2 stars. The characters can at times be funny and humorous. It has almost no romance beyond the acknowledgement that Whit has a girlfriend. Although, the prophecy is one of the largest let downs since I found out the name of the childlike empress in The Neverending Story. I kinda started to root a little for the siblings.
However, I kept getting hung up on the layout of the book. The chapters really? Truly? I don’t think that there is a chapter longer than 5 pages. I’m not even sure there is a chapter that is 5 pages long. I’m all about short chapters but this takes the cake. There is no reason for at all for some of the chapter breaks. Especially when a double space between the paragraphs or an asterisk (*) would do the job much better.
Here’s an example of one of the worst breaks. This is the last two sentences of chapter 58 which is in Whisty’s pov
“His thick, black hair fell forward over his eyes. ‘Sorry about that, Freckles.’
Chapter 59
Whisky
‘Not Freckles either,’ suggested Whit. ‘Or Carrottop.’”
For the reals. There is no need for this to be a new chapter. All it does is distract and chop up the flow of he book. It made me think they are getting paid per chapter. There are 104 of them!
The idea is there and like I said massive potential.... just feels unfinished.
However, I kept getting hung up on the layout of the book. The chapters really? Truly? I don’t think that there is a chapter longer than 5 pages. I’m not even sure there is a chapter that is 5 pages long. I’m all about short chapters but this takes the cake. There is no reason for at all for some of the chapter breaks. Especially when a double space between the paragraphs or an asterisk (*) would do the job much better.
Here’s an example of one of the worst breaks. This is the last two sentences of chapter 58 which is in Whisty’s pov
“His thick, black hair fell forward over his eyes. ‘Sorry about that, Freckles.’
Chapter 59
Whisky
‘Not Freckles either,’ suggested Whit. ‘Or Carrottop.’”
For the reals. There is no need for this to be a new chapter. All it does is distract and chop up the flow of he book. It made me think they are getting paid per chapter. There are 104 of them!
The idea is there and like I said massive potential.... just feels unfinished.
Debbiereadsbook (1254 KP) rated Hearts Abroad (The Atlas Series #1) in Books
Aug 14, 2019
really rather cute!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Londyn takes a nanny job, while thinking what to do about her play writing. Since her 'boyfriend' stole the last play she wrote, she thinks she might give up. A summer out of town, looking after two little girls, might give her the clarity she needs. She just never expected to fall in love with the girls or their daddy. Callum is a museum curator and spends a lot of time away from his family. But the new nanny makes him see, really see, what that is doing to his girls. He just didn't see Londyn coming!
This was a really great, fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
It's well told, with both Callum and Londyn having a say, in the third person. We get all of Londyn's stressing about her playwriting, and how much fun she wants the girls to have. We get all of Callum's fretting over his feelings for the nanny, and we get his dawning realisation that it might not just be infatuation.
I liked the marked differences between Londyn and Callum, it made me giggle in some places!
It's funny, it's witty, it's sexy and it's emotional. It has a little bit of everything! It's one of those books you just fall into, you know, and the book runs out before the afternoon does.
It's the first book I've read of Ms McNeil, and I look forward to reading more.
A very well deserved 4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Londyn takes a nanny job, while thinking what to do about her play writing. Since her 'boyfriend' stole the last play she wrote, she thinks she might give up. A summer out of town, looking after two little girls, might give her the clarity she needs. She just never expected to fall in love with the girls or their daddy. Callum is a museum curator and spends a lot of time away from his family. But the new nanny makes him see, really see, what that is doing to his girls. He just didn't see Londyn coming!
This was a really great, fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
It's well told, with both Callum and Londyn having a say, in the third person. We get all of Londyn's stressing about her playwriting, and how much fun she wants the girls to have. We get all of Callum's fretting over his feelings for the nanny, and we get his dawning realisation that it might not just be infatuation.
I liked the marked differences between Londyn and Callum, it made me giggle in some places!
It's funny, it's witty, it's sexy and it's emotional. It has a little bit of everything! It's one of those books you just fall into, you know, and the book runs out before the afternoon does.
It's the first book I've read of Ms McNeil, and I look forward to reading more.
A very well deserved 4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**