Search
Search results
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Recollections
Book
Almost immediately following the withdrawal of the passenger service, the Keighley & Worth Valley...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2456 KP) rated On the Lamb in Books
Mar 16, 2021
Bonfire Body
Spring is in the air in Ocean Crest, New Jersey, and with it, changes. Lucy Berberian has gotten her own place, and it’s near the beach and her family’s Mediterranean restaurant, which she manages. The worst part is dealing with her landlady’s nephew, Gilbert, who is determined to get his aunt into a retirement home so he can get his hands on the valuable piece of land. A rare Saturday night to enjoy a bonfire on the beach ends when Lucy and her friends find Gilbert’s body in the sand. Lucy’s friend Melanie becomes the prime suspect, and she begs Lucy to figure out what is going on. Can she clear her friend?
It had been a while since I read the previous book in the series, but it wasn’t long before I was caught up with Lucy and the rest of the cast again. I was happy to see relationships and characters continuing to grow. The mystery is good, with several viable suspects and plenty of secrets for Lucy to uncover. The climax was logical and suspenseful. I did have some problems with logic in other places, like character’s ages. I can make it work, but it would have been nice having things like that actually spelled out for us. I would love to visit Ocean Crest if it were real. Even at the down time of Spring, when this book is set, it sounds like a fun town. We get another three delicious sounding recipes at the end of the book. If you’ve enjoyed the previous entries in the series, you’ll be happy you to catch up with Lucy and the gang again here.
It had been a while since I read the previous book in the series, but it wasn’t long before I was caught up with Lucy and the rest of the cast again. I was happy to see relationships and characters continuing to grow. The mystery is good, with several viable suspects and plenty of secrets for Lucy to uncover. The climax was logical and suspenseful. I did have some problems with logic in other places, like character’s ages. I can make it work, but it would have been nice having things like that actually spelled out for us. I would love to visit Ocean Crest if it were real. Even at the down time of Spring, when this book is set, it sounds like a fun town. We get another three delicious sounding recipes at the end of the book. If you’ve enjoyed the previous entries in the series, you’ll be happy you to catch up with Lucy and the gang again here.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2456 KP) rated Mulberry Mischief in Books
Aug 28, 2019
Halloween Mischief and Murder
It’s the week before Halloween in Oriole Point, Michigan, yet the town is focusing on health thanks to the Haunted Halloween Harvest Health Fair. The Saturday the festival opens, Marlee Jacob, owner of the Berry Basket, is cornered by Leticia the Lake Lady. Leticia is one of the odd characters who call the town home. She is ranting about the shadow people who have come to town and demanding that Marlee order mulberries so Leticia can use their protective properties to cover her cabin. Marlee thinks Leticia is harmless if a little off, but that’s before a dead body turns up. Will the latest happenings disrupt the health fair?
Picking up this book, I knew I was in for another fantastic ride, and I wasn’t disappointed. While it takes a couple chapters for the body to drop, we are meeting characters who will become important to the story and trying to make sense of some puzzling things that start to happen. The pace doesn’t slow at all once the murder takes place, and the revelations are only beginning as Marlee pieces things together. The suspects are all strong, and I could have believed any of them were guilty until Marlee pieced together the final clues. Of course, the series regulars are as fun and charming as always – I love them! I’m not quite ready for fall, but this book still put me in the Halloween spirit. We get four berry inspired recipes – two featuring Mulberries and two berry inspired Halloween treats. I really can’t recommend this series highly enough. New fans will be hooked, and existing fans will love Marlee’s latest adventure.
Picking up this book, I knew I was in for another fantastic ride, and I wasn’t disappointed. While it takes a couple chapters for the body to drop, we are meeting characters who will become important to the story and trying to make sense of some puzzling things that start to happen. The pace doesn’t slow at all once the murder takes place, and the revelations are only beginning as Marlee pieces things together. The suspects are all strong, and I could have believed any of them were guilty until Marlee pieced together the final clues. Of course, the series regulars are as fun and charming as always – I love them! I’m not quite ready for fall, but this book still put me in the Halloween spirit. We get four berry inspired recipes – two featuring Mulberries and two berry inspired Halloween treats. I really can’t recommend this series highly enough. New fans will be hooked, and existing fans will love Marlee’s latest adventure.
Merissa (13568 KP) rated Hunted (Werewolf Academy #2) in Books
May 15, 2020
Hunted is the second book in the Werewolf Academy series and follows on from Strays. Alex and Cassie are still being hunted but it seems Alex remains the number one target. Alex is doing all he can to protect Cassie and live up to being Jet's brother. It all becomes too much for a fifteen-year-old boy to cope with though and he starts down the path of self-destruction. Luckily for him, Jaze is there before he explodes and helps to channel some of the anger into different avenues.
Second book into the series and I'm already wanting the next. Alex is a complex character with good parts and bad. His reaction to Boris and Kalia's house (and I use the word deliberately as it was not a home,) was funny and I loved how he refused to speak down to the servants. I want Amos back though!!! It's not right, him being with a different Pack. He belongs with Jericho and Alex.
There are some errors in here but, to be honest, I paid them no attention as they do not detract from the story at all. My stars are for the story and how it gripped me. The minute I started reading, I was hooked. I love the characters, new and old. The story continues to fascinate and lead you onto the next book.
No 'second book slump' here and definitely recommended by me.
* 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!
Second book into the series and I'm already wanting the next. Alex is a complex character with good parts and bad. His reaction to Boris and Kalia's house (and I use the word deliberately as it was not a home,) was funny and I loved how he refused to speak down to the servants. I want Amos back though!!! It's not right, him being with a different Pack. He belongs with Jericho and Alex.
There are some errors in here but, to be honest, I paid them no attention as they do not detract from the story at all. My stars are for the story and how it gripped me. The minute I started reading, I was hooked. I love the characters, new and old. The story continues to fascinate and lead you onto the next book.
No 'second book slump' here and definitely recommended by me.
* 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!
The Colour of Murder
10.0
Rate It
Book
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY MARTIN EDWARDS 'One of our most ingenious and stylish home-grown crime...
Fiction Historical Mystery Thriller
Merissa (13568 KP) rated Master Zane's Boys (Club Sensation #1) in Books
Mar 26, 2025
MASTER ZANE'S BOYS is the first book in the Club Sensation series but can also be read as a sort of prequel to Born Daddy for reasons that become clear once you start. You don't have to read it that way though, you can just enjoy it as is.
And I did! Zane and Ryan already have their relationship and it's solid. Ryan meets Ty first when he volunteers at a shelter before Zane gets to meet him a couple of months later when Ryan brings him home. Not only is Ty new to the scene but he also has a lot of baggage in his past that he has to share and deal with.
Zane is a caretaker Daddy for most of it, rather than a Master. I loved the emotional side to things as Ty works things out, Zane and (sometimes) Ryan give him the time and space to do so, and then the three of them together.
Bill was a nasty piece of work but I didn't really feel it in the way I think I was supposed to. So it meant that when the quick ending to the Bill problem happened, I wasn't as invested as I could have been.
This was a great read that I enjoyed and definitely recommend. I look forward to continuing with the series.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 26, 2025
And I did! Zane and Ryan already have their relationship and it's solid. Ryan meets Ty first when he volunteers at a shelter before Zane gets to meet him a couple of months later when Ryan brings him home. Not only is Ty new to the scene but he also has a lot of baggage in his past that he has to share and deal with.
Zane is a caretaker Daddy for most of it, rather than a Master. I loved the emotional side to things as Ty works things out, Zane and (sometimes) Ryan give him the time and space to do so, and then the three of them together.
Bill was a nasty piece of work but I didn't really feel it in the way I think I was supposed to. So it meant that when the quick ending to the Bill problem happened, I wasn't as invested as I could have been.
This was a great read that I enjoyed and definitely recommend. I look forward to continuing with the series.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 26, 2025
Jewels of the Crown
10.0
Rate It
Book
Emotionally unrecognisable to all who knew him before, Lawrence Gunvald is more than the king of...
Werewolves
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated A Love Surrendered (Winds of Change, #3) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
*This review is from my blog and originally published in 2012*
This is going to be a hard review for me to write. No,no, it’s not a bad book. It’s one of my favorites. It’s bittersweet because this is the ending to one of my favorite Christian Fiction series. I fell in love with Ms. Lessman’s work when I read book 1 in this series, A Hope Undaunted. Ironically, it’s not the first in the O’Connor clans stories…there was a series previously written called The Daughters Of Boston. This particular series is so emotionally moving, so deeply intense that you get to become a part of the story. You can feel yourself being pulled deep into the heart of the story, becoming the characters, feeling every pain, every laugh, and every tear drop that falls. It’s absolutely an amazing feeling when reading a Julie Lessman novel.
I’ve been dying to read this book. This one is Steven O’Connor’s story. He’s the baby boy of the O’Connor family and, while I adored each of the others that I read about, I felt that Steven was the most deserving of having his story told. He was quietly awaiting his turn through out all the other books and it’s finally here! And oh what a turn it is! We get a bit of background on Steven in the other books, having a broken relationship with his ex fiance. Now, he’s a respectable man of the law and 25 years old. What he’s not expecting is for the arrival of Annie, a young impressionable girl of 17…..and his former fiance’s baby sister. Or the protectiveness he feels for her.
Susannah “Annie” Kennedy has left her home in Iowa to move on from her past and embrace a future in Boston. Her parents are dead now, her sister has raved about Boston and she’s ready to embrace a life out side of her straight and narrow past. When an circumstance arises and Annie finds herself face to face with Steven O’Connor, her sisters ex, she’s embarrassed…..and highly attracted to him! There’s just one little problem with that….he doesn’t realize that she’s Maggie’s baby sister.
Watching as these two came to terms with their past, and seeking forgiveness to over come it, and move on to a life filled with love and happiness was absolutely tear jerking! I loved every minute of this amazing 5 Book conclusion to my favorite series. Ms. Lessman kept the intensity woven through out as she did with the previous books. Her messages of forgiveness, letting go and seeking His love are just as strong and sweep through the reader instantly. If you love passion, if you love heartbreaking redemption and amazing historic detail, then look no further than the author who can create an unforgettable, un-put-downable novel that will spin the readers mind out of control. Well done Ms. Lessman and I am anxious to see what you have in story for your fans next…will we get glimpses of the O’Connor’s? Will we get to fall in love with another amazing family? Keep up the amazing writing, Ms. Lessman!
This is going to be a hard review for me to write. No,no, it’s not a bad book. It’s one of my favorites. It’s bittersweet because this is the ending to one of my favorite Christian Fiction series. I fell in love with Ms. Lessman’s work when I read book 1 in this series, A Hope Undaunted. Ironically, it’s not the first in the O’Connor clans stories…there was a series previously written called The Daughters Of Boston. This particular series is so emotionally moving, so deeply intense that you get to become a part of the story. You can feel yourself being pulled deep into the heart of the story, becoming the characters, feeling every pain, every laugh, and every tear drop that falls. It’s absolutely an amazing feeling when reading a Julie Lessman novel.
I’ve been dying to read this book. This one is Steven O’Connor’s story. He’s the baby boy of the O’Connor family and, while I adored each of the others that I read about, I felt that Steven was the most deserving of having his story told. He was quietly awaiting his turn through out all the other books and it’s finally here! And oh what a turn it is! We get a bit of background on Steven in the other books, having a broken relationship with his ex fiance. Now, he’s a respectable man of the law and 25 years old. What he’s not expecting is for the arrival of Annie, a young impressionable girl of 17…..and his former fiance’s baby sister. Or the protectiveness he feels for her.
Susannah “Annie” Kennedy has left her home in Iowa to move on from her past and embrace a future in Boston. Her parents are dead now, her sister has raved about Boston and she’s ready to embrace a life out side of her straight and narrow past. When an circumstance arises and Annie finds herself face to face with Steven O’Connor, her sisters ex, she’s embarrassed…..and highly attracted to him! There’s just one little problem with that….he doesn’t realize that she’s Maggie’s baby sister.
Watching as these two came to terms with their past, and seeking forgiveness to over come it, and move on to a life filled with love and happiness was absolutely tear jerking! I loved every minute of this amazing 5 Book conclusion to my favorite series. Ms. Lessman kept the intensity woven through out as she did with the previous books. Her messages of forgiveness, letting go and seeking His love are just as strong and sweep through the reader instantly. If you love passion, if you love heartbreaking redemption and amazing historic detail, then look no further than the author who can create an unforgettable, un-put-downable novel that will spin the readers mind out of control. Well done Ms. Lessman and I am anxious to see what you have in story for your fans next…will we get glimpses of the O’Connor’s? Will we get to fall in love with another amazing family? Keep up the amazing writing, Ms. Lessman!
EmersonRose (320 KP) rated The City of Shifting Waters (Valérian and Laureline, #1) in Books
Nov 20, 2019
On July 21, 2017, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets came out in theaters the U.S. After watching the movie I found myself intrigued by the characters, world, and the passion shown by the director and writer Luc Besson showed for the project. I took this interest and decided to start reading the comic books. Thus far I have been able to read three of the volumes, as they are French comics they are not usually kept in stores and I have to order them.
The Valerian and Laureline comics follow Valerian, a handsome and cocky time and space traveler, and Laureline, his stubborn and beautiful partner. They travel together across space and time on missions for Galaxity, the capital of the Terran Empire in the 28th century. They explore strange worlds with fascinating creatures, deal with complicated political situations, and take the reader through rewritten history.
I immediately fell in love with the comics for the same reasons I enjoyed the film. The first is that the world that author Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres created is truly fantastical. It falls under the same sci-fi mixed with fantasy genre that Star Wars is under. The great space galaxy is full of planets that are home to a wide range of alien species, each with complicated politics, cultures, and aesthetics.
The second reason is that I love the relationship between Valerian and Laureline. I am a very character driven person in both my reading and writing so I am a sucker for a good relationship, romantic, familial, or friendship. Valerian and Laureline start the first comic playing chess. Valerian is cocky and does not like to lose, but he is kind and smart and works hard to make the world a better place. Laureline is funny, stubborn, and unlike Valerian, she does not feel the same sense of loyalty to the Terran Empire and therefore is okay with bending the rules to save the most people. They make for a great team, and their fun banter adds to the overall charm of the story.
7810429The first issue of the series was released in 1967 and ran till 2010. Initially, all were written in French but has since been translated into English and several other languages. This series plays with a lot of the sci-fi/fantasy tropes that make you fall in love with stories in the genre, and has even been compared to Star Wars as the basis for several of the ideas used in the Star Wars films, such as the look of some of the characters and situations characters find themselves in.
This is a fun and exciting comic series that got me into reading101694 comics in the first places. I will certainly be continuing my reading of these books so that I can continue being apart of the Valerian and Laureline story. I also enjoyed the film and hope that the passion the Luc Besson showed will be enough to allow him to make another film in the series.
I would highly recommend this series!
The Valerian and Laureline comics follow Valerian, a handsome and cocky time and space traveler, and Laureline, his stubborn and beautiful partner. They travel together across space and time on missions for Galaxity, the capital of the Terran Empire in the 28th century. They explore strange worlds with fascinating creatures, deal with complicated political situations, and take the reader through rewritten history.
I immediately fell in love with the comics for the same reasons I enjoyed the film. The first is that the world that author Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres created is truly fantastical. It falls under the same sci-fi mixed with fantasy genre that Star Wars is under. The great space galaxy is full of planets that are home to a wide range of alien species, each with complicated politics, cultures, and aesthetics.
The second reason is that I love the relationship between Valerian and Laureline. I am a very character driven person in both my reading and writing so I am a sucker for a good relationship, romantic, familial, or friendship. Valerian and Laureline start the first comic playing chess. Valerian is cocky and does not like to lose, but he is kind and smart and works hard to make the world a better place. Laureline is funny, stubborn, and unlike Valerian, she does not feel the same sense of loyalty to the Terran Empire and therefore is okay with bending the rules to save the most people. They make for a great team, and their fun banter adds to the overall charm of the story.
7810429The first issue of the series was released in 1967 and ran till 2010. Initially, all were written in French but has since been translated into English and several other languages. This series plays with a lot of the sci-fi/fantasy tropes that make you fall in love with stories in the genre, and has even been compared to Star Wars as the basis for several of the ideas used in the Star Wars films, such as the look of some of the characters and situations characters find themselves in.
This is a fun and exciting comic series that got me into reading101694 comics in the first places. I will certainly be continuing my reading of these books so that I can continue being apart of the Valerian and Laureline story. I also enjoyed the film and hope that the passion the Luc Besson showed will be enough to allow him to make another film in the series.
I would highly recommend this series!
