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10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
With the world on the brink of war, can love and forgiveness be found by those who feel the most unworthy?

Maggie and Gabe Montgomery have come to America to visit their brother Rylan in New York. Maggie is desperate to escape Neill Fitzgerald, her previous fiancè. Despite the circumstances, she is thrilled to finally fulfill her lifelong dream to travel. Maggie meets Rylan's brother-in-law, Adam, who has recently been released from prison. She is warned by many, Adam included, that he is not a suitable man to be seen with. But no matter what she does, she can not get Adam out of her heart. Gabe is swept off his feet as well. But by a woman whose social class far surpasses that of himself. Are they destined to be separated as soon as they meet? Or has God brought them together for a purpose that goes beyond their own understanding?

Wow! The cover for this book absolutely blew me away! I can just sit and stare at it....forever! Susan Anne Mason has done an exceptional job as the Montgomery and O'Leary families are brought together in another thrilling tale. We are reminded that even though we may not feel worthy of forgiveness or happiness, that Jesus paid the price for us to be free. Through him all our sins are forgiven and we have a new life ahead of us. No matter the past, there is no thing too great for God to forgive. He desires His children to walk in freedom and joy. Within the covers of this book, you will be challenged. Challenged to see yourself as God sees you. Pure and worthy of His love. This book made me laugh out loud, cry tears of joy and caused me to break my "diet" by eating Doritos uncontrollably! I believe that there is something in this story for everyone to relate to. Although this book can stand alone, I highly recommend reading the series. There are multiple characters that appear in A Worthy Heart that were the leading characters in Irish Meadows.

I received a free copy of Irish Meadows from Susan Anne Mason and Bethany House Publishers for promotional purposes, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
Crushed Ice (Hockey Ever After #4)
Crushed Ice (Hockey Ever After #4)
Morgan James, Ashlyn Kane | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Russ fell for Liam, but hadn't been able to put a name to the feelings.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 4 in the Hockey Ever After series. I have only read book 1 and 2, and missed book 3. It's not necessary to read those books before this one. Dante and Gabe play a part here (from book 1) but neither Ryan and Nico (book 2) or Max and Grady (book 3) play a part except there is a wedding.

I really liked book 1 and I loved book 2. I can't say I loved this one, but I did, for the most part, enjoy this. It was great to catch up with Gabe and Dante!

Russ is already playing for the Caimans when Liam joins them. There is attraction, right from the start, but Russ is not fully out and Liam is his rookie. I loved how Liam set Russ off kilter. The one-liners from Baller made me chuckle. It gets the point across, that Russ fell for Liam but hadn't been able to put a name to the feelings.

It's on the sweeter side, and fairly low angst. There is an age gap, but not a massive one. It's emotional, though, in places, but I didn't get that sucker punch I got from book 2, Scoring Position. Steamy and smexy in palces, but fade to black in others and I did like that.

So, what didn't I like? There are detailed hockey match descriptions. I know, I KNOW this is a hockey romance, but books 1 and 2 didn't have the long descriptions of the matches like there are here. Or I don't think they did. I said in my review for book one, that I liked that book because there were not huge long descriptions of hockey matches. So, for ME, and I stress the ME, those matches that are here were too much for me. I'm a UK native, and ice hockey is not the massive sport it is on the North American continent.

Still, an enjoyable read, that was on a par with book one, but not book 2, which I gave the full 5 stars.

So, 4 very good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
I have no idea where to even begin telling you about this sweet story!

V. Joy Palmer put together a wonderful story that brought together two people and gave them a second chance at their dreams, all the while not shying away from mistakes of our pasts and keeping it real, blunt, and honest. One of the few authors I have read who can do it in a non-offensive way, rather V. Joy Palmer did it biblically and with great emphasis on second chances and healing. I enjoyed how Kaylee and Gabe reflected on the past and that they seemed real. They both really grew as the book progressed and I was very happy with the way the story rounded out at the end; Plus, it was nice to see some familiar faces from previous books.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the realistic characters that were easily relatable, the faith filled pages, and for being an honest story.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
IN
I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl follows Bea’s attempts to translate her status in high school into a scholarship winning mathematical formula. Simple right? Beatrice, Spencer, and Gabe are not the most popular kids at school – to be honest they’re practically invisible. Most people call Bea “Math Girl” and she wants that to change. She convinces her friends to embrace and exploit a personality trait that fills a void in their school so that they can become popular.

Gabe agrees because he is a writer for the school paper and hopes to be chosen for an internship as a result. He becomes the school’s flamboyant, gay best friend and almost immediately is absorbed into the popular inner-circle. Through his acceptance, Spencer and Bea, now known as Trixie, become known around the school. She must embrace her new personality but doesn’t always make the right decisions.

I personally did not relate to her, despite her love of math and didn’t create a connection. I completely agreed with the opinions of her friends about her behavior. I didn’t find myself being sympathetic to her plight and was frustrated more than anything by her repeated mistakes. She meddles in other people’s business, doesn’t take the high road and even though she accepts her mistakes at the end – it doesn’t feel, to me at least, that she has grown over the course of the novel.

Despite the book being formulaic, it was an enjoyable read – I just wish it wasn’t so predictable. It doesn’t take long to figure out who is going to be the romantic endgame, what friendships will be formed and enemy status established. At the end of it all, you wonder will they realize that it is more important to be true to themselves than to be popular? I think you know what the answer will be.

The book has a fair amount of diversity and representation in it, which is good. I wish each of those various representations was given more detail and thought than being an intermittent descriptive word. It felt more like adding the token LGBTQ+ or ethnically diverse character. We don’t often enough see diversity in books, so it was a little disappointing to me that it so little was done with it.

Overall, I think that it was a quick, contemporary read that young adult/teen readers will enjoy. It is cute, if predictable but the unique aspect of the story of using math to solve life’s problems was quirky and endearing.
  
Scoring Position (Hockey Ever After #2)
Scoring Position (Hockey Ever After #2)
Morgan James, Ashlyn Kane | 2022 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
loved this much more than book 1!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Hockey Ever After series. I don't think its fully necessary to read book one, Winging It, before this but it might give you a better picture of the world these players live in. And I really enjoyed that book. Dante and Gabe do pop up, but knowing their story isn't essential, just helpful, especially with Tom and Kitty (side characters) playing a large part here.

Ryan is traded out and his new team is a mess. Their star player, Nico, even more so. But Ryan can see that Nico is hurting, in more ways than one. Finding his sense of humour was a great start. The Ryan messed it all up. And just what is going on with the coach?

I really enjoyed book one, gave it 4 stars, but I found this a much more engaging read, a deeper emotion read. I loved it.

Neither man is in the closet, so there was none of the coming out issue. What there was, though, was a lot of anger on Nico's part and much was misplaced. Ryan needed him to focus that anger, on the ice, rather than punishing himself. Falling for the other gay teamn member was in neither man's plans but fate has a way, huh?

I loved that it really did creep up on them both. Yes there was attraction from the start but the feelings came later and they both fought it hard. Ryan messing up, though? THAT came out of nowhere and I did NOT see that coming! I was reading, and then I was "OH MY GOD, RYAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!" out loud and my partner was somewhat shocked at me! Oh he does redeem himself, but I loved that Nico makes him work hard for that redemption. There is not a quick fix, either, and it does take time for them to be really together.

I loved that we caught up with Dante and Gabe from book one. And Tom and Kitty. I think this is a couple of years after Winging It, since Tom is captain of Ryan's new team, and has a couple of kids. Kitty surprised me though!

Are there any more planned?? I'm loving this series, but these authors are growing on me, as a duo.

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
The Scorpio Races
The Scorpio Races
Maggie Stiefvater | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Scorpio Races tells the story of Kate "Puck" Connelly and her brothers Finn and Gabe. They live on an island and were orphaned suddenly when their parents were killed by the water horses when out on their fishing boat. The story is told by both Puck and the other main character Sean Kendrick. Sean happens to be the multiple time winner of the Scorpio Race which is held the 1st of November every year.
Of course, as you can probably guess Sean & Puck fall for each other & develop a strange kind of bond while preparing for the race. The predictability on that part of the story caused me to bring this rating down to stars.
The rest of the the story is 5 star all the way however. I was particularly facinated by the many layers of the story & the sub-plots mixed in throughout. There are many intriguing characters sprinkled in...my favorite being Mr. Holly, the American come to the island to but a horse. The plot is slow at first, but in the last 1/2 of the book the pace picks up. I found myself unable to put it down for about the last 100 pages.
  
Spark, Homecoming Hearts #2
Spark, Homecoming Hearts #2
HJ Welch | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
tissues required!
I was gifted my copy of this book, that I write a review was not required.

This is book two in the series, Homecoming Hearts, but you don't need to have read book one for this one to make sense, they can be all read as stand alones.

Oh! Joey, Joey, Joey! I felt for Joey, deep in my heart! His father is a nasty piece of work, and he makes no effort to hide his feelings about Joey and his life. And while all the band members go home, (Ive already book 4) it's Joey's homecoming that leaves a mark that most.

Gabe is lovely, quite happy with his lot, and his life. He just wants someone else in it. Joey fits the bill but Joey is such a hard nut to crack. His Independence is a hard won thing, and he plans to keep it. even if it might kill him.

Quite a bit more emotionally charged than Scorch and Steam, I've yet to read Burn, but I will get to it shortly!

Read it, but have the tissues ready and be prepared to swear profusely at the waste of space that is Joey's father and brother. His momma though, she surprises you!

5 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Fated Always (The Fated Series #4)
Fated Always (The Fated Series #4)
Becky Flade | 2020 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fated Always is the fourth book in The Fated Series and we meet up with Sawyer and Tala, best friends forever, as they try to navigate the stormy waters of friendship turned something more. Add to that, Tala has the ability to speak and understand the wolves. One fly in the mixture is Tala's boyfriend, Derrick Sloane.

Although this is the fourth book in the series, you can read it as a standalone. I have only read book three before this, and Jenna and Gabe make appearances in here too, but nothing that you 'need' to know to follow this story.

The story is easy to follow, with a few red herrings to throw you off course. The scenes, characters, and situations are clear enough to enable the reader to see them clearly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have no hesitation in recommending it. I thought the supernatural element was brilliant but I just would have loved to find out about the mysterious wolf before I finished Tala and Sawyer's book!

* 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!
  
Meik & Sebastian (Obsessed #4)
Meik & Sebastian (Obsessed #4)
Quin Perin | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
a very fitting end!!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 4 in the Obsessed series, and you MUST read book one through three before you read this one. You need to know how Meik ended up in this position. And they are all 5 star reads from me! I would STRONGLY recommend you don't read these unless you have all 4 parts in your possession. They are addictive, and cliffhangers and you will NEED that next part so badly, it will hurt. So, yeah, all FOUR parts, ya hear me??

But this one?? Not so much. Still really great, just not quite hitting the spot that the others did.

Why?? Because I was CONFUSED!

At the beginning of this book, Meik is drowning his sorrows in booze and sex. Or at least he's TRYING to. The sex thing seems not to be working so alcohol is his drug of choice. What I was confused about was WHY! At the end of book 3, Sebastian tells Meik he loves him, and Meik responds. . .not badly, but with the wrong words. Here, Sebastian is just GONE!!! It took me far too long to figure out Sebastian must have left Meik, and that was why he is drowning in galleons of whiskey. FAR too long, and it spoilt it slightly for me.

BUT!!! We get another side of Meik, while he's drowning his sorrows: the loving, sweet teenager about to have his whole world broken by the loss of Gabe. We get all that, in the memories that flash up between the now bits. Gabe's illness and diagnosis. His failing health as time goes on. Meik and Gabe's growing physical relationship, despite Gabe's illness. The total and utter LOVE that Gabe and Meik have for each other screams at you in every snippet of those memories. And you get to understand a little bit more why Meik fights so bloody hard against the love that he has for Sebastian. So bloody hard! He doesn't want to feel that kind of pain again.

And he does LOVE Sebastian. He just needs to find him to tell him. Pulling himself out of a week long bender took some doing, but I'm so glad that boy did it! Just when he thinks he's lost Sebastian for good, he finds him. And with the RIGHT words, tells Sebastian he loves him.

It would be nice to catch up with these two later down the road, it really would. But for now, a very fitting end to the story of Meik's Obsession with Sebastian.

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
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Gloria (27 KP) rated The Giver in Books

Jul 18, 2017  
The Giver
The Giver
Lois Lowry | 2012 | Children
10
8.5 (84 Ratings)
Book Rating
A gem of a book! (0 more)
Fails to Disappoint :)
This book certainly deserves its status as an essential modern classic.

It provides a somewhat sinister feel, but remains thought provoking. The overall story is short, but it incorporates such strong ideas that it makes up for it being a short read. Not only is it enjoyable, but it also serves to educate the reader on the dangers of attempting a utopian society. Its concept of why it is important to retain human memories – even the bad – in order that wisdom can exist, adds to the fascinating factor.


This book would be great to spur discussion and introspection. Although fans of contemporary dystopian novels will be sure to love this series, the book isn't solely the story of a depressing utopia. It's mainly the story of the relationship between the main characters: the Giver, Jonas, and... I won't say her name, and of course, the baby Gabe. This book is a more of a mystery in which things don't much get answered- they're left to linger. That's part of the beauty and hopefulness in this book! Just read the damn book, then call me.


You won't be disappointed if you read it, because it's an enjoyable read. It contains a great plot, the community is interesting, and the ending is fantastic and JUST a little ambiguous!-- cool!