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Markov (Tangled Tentacles #4)
Markov (Tangled Tentacles #4)
JP Sayle, Lisa Oliver | 2022 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Did my heart break? Oh, just a little!
MARKOV is the fourth book in the Tangled Tentacles series and follows Markov and Cassius through their trials and tribulations to find the happiness due to fated mates.

Oh, man. I knew this one was going to be a doozy! You know, when I started this series, I was immediately taken into their world; seeing and sympathising with these last-on-earth Kraken shifters. Their back story was so sad and I loved it when Alexi found his mate. Since then, I've stayed with them and thoroughly enjoyed each story - some a little more than others, sure - but still loving every moment. It was obvious there was something going on between Cassius and Markov but we had no details as to what or why. We get ALL the details here and they are worth waiting for!

This pair of authors know exactly how to tug on my heartstrings. They always manage it, even when I'm expecting it. I won't go into details (spoilers, don't you know!) but I will say I was gripped by every word, every scene. Todd and Kelvin are the ones who are there for Markov in this book, and I'm really hoping Alexi and Victor will pull their heads from their behinds and realise what they are doing to the family.

The overall story arc moves on but we still don't know the full picture. It is Kelvin's story next, with his FBI guy, and the epilogue is a full-on teaser. I can't wait to read his story.

This is a fantastic addition to a series I am loving. Highly recommended by me.

** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
I Know Who You Are
I Know Who You Are
8
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Aimee Sinclair is an actress. She's not really famous yet, but you might have heard of her. Aimee is working on her latest film when she comes home and discovers that her husband, Ben, has vanished without his wallet, phone, keys, coat, or shoes. Initially she isn't too worried as the two had a large fight the night before. But he isn't home the next morning, and Aimee's card is declined when she tries to use it. The bank tells her her account has been emptied. She immediately suspects Ben, but the bank tells her it was her. Aimee has a history of "forgetting," but she's sure she would remember this. Soon the police are at Aimee's door, and her world starts to turn upside down.


"My husband is gone"


I really enjoyed Alice Feeney's first book, SOMETIMES I LIE, and this one lived up to expectations. I have to say that Feeney has cornered the market on confusing books with unreliable narrators who bring along messed up backstories. (How's that for a mouthful?) Aimee is an interesting character--an actress with a spotty past and flitty mentions of her "forgetting"--yet you can't help but feel somewhat drawn to her. Things go south pretty quickly once Ben disappears, and we are sucked down with her. Yet Aimee is tough, and she's pretty determined to figure out what is going on.


"Acting is easy; it's being me that I find difficult"


Like Feeney's first book, this one will leave you feeling confused and disjointed as you read, much like Aimee's brain. What is going on? Can we trust her? Can we trust anyone? Complicating things is the fact that Aimee's story alternates with that of a young girl who wanders away from home and, well, let's just say that doesn't end well. These two storylines are oddly captivating, motivating you to madly flip the pages. Eventually, I found myself caring not so much about what actually happened to Ben, but just caught up in Aimee's overall story and saga.


"Sometimes it's the people who love us the most that hurt us the hardest; because they can."


Now, be warned. This is not just a befuddling tale, but a twisted one. Feeney goes dark, very dark with our story here. Oh man, but it's a really good surprise, and while I saw hints of it, I loved it, and quite enjoyed how everything came together. (Or, conversely, fell apart?) The book keeps you guessing, that's for sure.

Overall, this is a really twisted, mesmerizing thriller that keeps you engaged. I will definitely be reading anything Alice Feeney writes. 4+ stars.
  
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Bones Don't Lie (Morgan Dane, #3)
Bones Don't Lie (Morgan Dane, #3)
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
First I would like to say, Melinda Leigh does it again. With the suspense and the ever lying sense of danger, Bones Don't Lie kept me turning pages well into the night. However, unlike the previous books, it was a lot harder to figure out who could be killing anyone or if Lance's missing father did it. I thought I had it figured out within the first few chapters, but the twists and turns kept me guessing and wanting to switch up who I thought the main suspect was. I did enjoy how it became quite clear how people were related to the case of the dead girl whose bones where in the trunk of the sunken car. I also found that the relationship between Morgan and Lance and its growth to be quite touching. To see how they can overcome any obstacle, including Lance's own feelings and way of doing things, was truly heart warming. Especially, when it became clear how he loved Morgan's three little girls enough to be willing to do anything to keep their mother safe.



In this book, we were able to see more on Jenny (Lance's Mother), Lance, and Sharp in plenty of aspects that were only hinted at before. To learn more about the night Lance's father disappeared and how it affected those three people, gave a lot of new perspective to their characters. I definitely enjoyed seeing how Jenny was before and after her husband's disappearance affected her own mental illnesses. I found this story, though not entirely harsh on your mind and heart, to be full of suspense and heart breaking situations. It got worse as you got to see how the case was causing Lance to lose himself to his old ways of shutting out people, and causing him to not be able to control his own temper.



Lance is by far my favorite character. So watching him take a few steps back in his character development was a little rough to bare for me. I won't lie, I very much like the Lance and Morgan relationship, but watching Morgan struggle to get Lance to open up and to keep him in check, was heart breaking. She wanted to be there for him, as we all want to for those we love, and he had a hard time letting her. This is an aspect that is hard, whether fictional or not, to deal with. So when I had to watch her do it and actually put up a fight to make him understand that she was there, I found it exciting. It was one of the most romantic things I have ever read. Especially since she wanted to there for Jenny and Lance wanted to do things his own way to protect her and his mother.



As the story went on, people dying and all, it kept throwing you through loops. To show that people have tells when they lie and secrets they hide to keep themselves from trouble, became one of the biggest things in the book. Everyone lies about something, but with all the lies being told to anyone investigating the case, it became hard as a reader to try and decipher what was a lie and what was the truth. I even wanted to beat some of the characters up for lying over things I thought were trivial. However, I found that they got their own just desserts in the end to be sweet enough to keep my temper in check.



Learning more about Sharp, Lance's boss, was quite exciting. He even got his own chapter or two in the book to help us see how the case was affecting him. I always thought he was extremely clever when it came to finding out facts, going over files, but to see him struggle and have to call in some outside help on his own cold missing persons case that became a murder mystery, was quite something else. Though, its clear he isn't a prideful person, I just never thought he would be at a complete loss. However, I did enjoy seeing things from his perspective. After all, there is always mystery around the man. I believe the interactions on all the characters were done amazingly. To see them all work and grabbing help from every angle they could, was just amazing. It made the story feel much more wholesome than it could have.



Overall, I believe this book is truly breathtaking. I would rate it 5 stars out of 5 stars. I don't think there was anything I wouldn't change. The story kept twisting and turning, which kept my interest peeked. The characters and their depths coming to light was truly fascinating. It makes you feel like you could easily run into them in your own city or town. It definitely showcased how well Leigh understands how the human mind can work. To have that kind of skill and be able to create such deep characters with outstanding personalities of all kind, really helps make the story that much better. I definitely recommend this book and this series to everyone. It has a little something for everyone. With the characters all having such different personalities and ways to go about things, it truly makes the story unforgettable and amazing to read.
  
The Traitor Queen gripped me straight away, I did have a couple of pages where I was slightly confused but that was more to do with it having been a very long time between me reading this book and the previous books. However it didn’t take long for it all to come back, and for me to remember what was happening, who was who and what I thought was going to happen. Throughout the book I felt so connected to all the characters, even those I hadn’t previously liked.

As this is the last part of a sequel trilogy there were a number of characters to follow. Obviously Black Magician Sonea, who was the main character in the previous trilogy still has an important role and is travelling to Sachaka for diplomatic purposes, accompanied by Lord Regin. Lord Regin and Sonea’s relationship had developed greatly over the six books and I have to say I liked where his story lead to, from being a horrible, manipulative, spoilt character to a dignified, understanding and very likeable character. There is also Lord Lorkin, Sonea son, who has returned to the Sachakan capital after living a number of months with the Traitors, the outlaw band of black magicians that live in the mountains of Sachaka. He has had to leave Tyvara, the woman he has fallen in love with and doesn’t know if he will see her again. He knows at some point he will have to choose between her and the traitors and his home in the allied lands. Also back home is Lilia, Anyi, Cery and Gol who are undertaking in a completed different story line that is equally dramatic and important to the development of allied lands. All the characters storylines climax in devastating amazing ways.

As this was the end of long series if you include both trilogies I have been able to see full character developments, share their losses, see how that has changed them. This has been a brilliant series and one I have enjoyed immensely. I will say I think over all I preferred the first trilogy more, but only because I felt it was more raw and emotional. This trilogy, using the same character base, I found that I connected most with the characters I already knew and never truly warmed to new additions. However it was nice to be able to see these characters I knew grow up and change. Would highly recommend, if you enjoyed other YA books like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Tales of the Otori etc; I would imagine you would love the original series and this one.
  
The Princess Diarist
The Princess Diarist
Carrie Fisher | 2017 | Biography
4
7.5 (22 Ratings)
Book Rating
Carrie Fisher's latest memoir details a behind the scenes look of the first <i>Star Wars</i> film. Motivated by the recent discovery of the journals she wrote while filming <i>Star Wars</i> in the late 1970s, Fisher discusses her naive nineteen-year-old self: not yet famous (though with famous parents) and unprepared for the juggernaut that would become the <i>Star Wars</i> franchise. She also covers her now famous co-star, Harrison Ford, and their relationship during the three months of filming. Fisher presents excerpts from her discovered journals and ponders on her life and the fame and notoriety that playing Princess Leia has brought her.

I am new to the <i>Star Wars</i> fandom, having only recently discovered the films myself in the past two years or so. My four-year-old daughters love them (and Leia), so I was intrigued by the idea of Fisher's memoir. While I like the films, I don't consider myself a fanatic by any stretch of the imagination. Still, I was interested in hearing some behind the scenes tidbits about filming. And Fisher starts out with such facts, explaining how an early scene was re-written due to the physical limitations of Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca. It's that sort of information that I find fascinating--and imagine other <i>Star Wars</i> fans would as well.

And, I won't lie, I was also fascinated by Fisher's reported relationship with Harrison Ford, who is about 15 years her senior (and was married while they were filming). Her portrayal of Harrison in the book seems spot on and is actually quite humorous at times. Unfortunately, her actual detail of the relationship is scant at best, and we really don't get much insight into their romance. What we do get is a lot of particulars about Fisher's own insecurities about herself, her body, her acting, etc.

She includes actual excerpts of the journals she found in the middle of the book, and I confess, I eventually started skimming them, because they were just agony to read. I can understand how they resonate from the perspective of a lovestruck teenager (because, truly, she was just that at the time), but so many years later, they just seem like a lot of bad poetry and ramblings that make no sense out of context. And beyond a few stories about Harrison, we really get nothing in the book that explains them, which is unfortunate, as Fisher seems witty and interesting (albeit insecure, but hey, so am I). I understand her angst from the journals, I really do, but I'm not honestly sure I wanted to read it in such form.

Plus, after that section of the book, we move on to Fisher discussing her fans and how "being Leia" has affected her life. And, again, I get it: we all forget how no one expected <i>Star Wars</i> to be so big. You wouldn't at nineteen realize what you were getting into, and I'm sure this character has absorbed much of her identity. And maybe it was reading this on the heel of Anna Kendrick's memoir, but I can only take so much of celebrities complaining about their fame and lives. The second half of Fisher's book, basically, is her capturing "conversations" with awestruck fans explaining how much Leia and <i>Star Wars</i> meant to them. But, really, it's mocking them and illustrating how tiresome the "lap dance" (her words) of signing autographs and appearing at various conventions can be. But, you know, as she states, it's worth it for the money. You can't help but feel a little offended on the part of these devoted, crazy fans, and a little less sorry for Fisher, even if she was not included on merchandising shares for <i>Star Wars</i>.

Sigh. Overall, I'm a bit conflicted on this one. Bits and pieces were very interesting. But I would have enjoyed hearing more about the actual set and her interactions with the other actors beyond Harrison Ford. While I also didn't mind hearing about Fisher's impressions of how Leia impacted her life, the fandom sections just rubbed me the wrong way. 2.5 stars.
  
Scenes from the Second Storey by The God Machine
Scenes from the Second Storey by The God Machine
1993 | Alternative, Rock, Punk
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"They're an incredible band, on Fiction and maybe even slightly discovered by The Cure. They were Americans but lived in London and were involved in the Camden scene with Silverfish, Ligament and all these kind of bands. It's almost metal, but it's also really bleak. A wonderful band, they made two records and then the bass player died so I never got to see them live. Martin our drummer saw them play. When we started Mogwai they were one of the bands we all bonded over. We were all big God Machine fans and actually used to do a couple of covers of their songs. The records have definitely held up and stood the test of time. I think I found them, you're about the same age as me so you'll remember this, but whenever a major label like Fiction tried to punt a new band they're pretty much give the records away, so you'd get singles and 7" for 49p. You could try out a lot of bands. When I moved my records a few years ago I had so many 7" of horrible bands that are just cataclysmically awful that I bought just because they were 50p. But that's how I discovered The God Machines and they're a big Mogwai band, there's no argument about that."

Source
  
Great and Small Easter
Great and Small Easter
B&H Kids Editorial Staff | 2021 | Children
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Looking forward to the spring. Well, this book I found is just right. It is called Great and Small Easter. It is a good one to have on your little ones' bookshelves. It is a flap book. Which is good for the little one to open the flap.

You and your child can open the flaps and learn new animal sounds. I am rating this book 4.5 only because I got it in the format of a digital and not the board book. I could not open the flaps like in a physical copy. This one should be only in a physical copy and not a digital copy. Other than that this book is good.

The pictures are done well. The picture is pretty to look at. The rhyming is sweet. The animals that are shown tell about a new spring and holiday is about. It is not too complicated. If I had received his book in the physical copy I would have reviewed it and then sent it to my little cousin who would be enjoying them.

I do enjoy these little flap books. They can be enjoyed by all and little ones throughout the year. Any child or children would enjoy opening the flaps and learn different animal sounds or sounds that deal with the spring-like weather.
  
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Merissa (13169 KP) rated Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages in Books

Jul 19, 2022 (Updated Jul 26, 2023)  
Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages
Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages
Janina Ramírez | 2022 | Reference
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
"An intriguing and interesting book..."
FEMINA: A NEW HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES provides new insight into the world of the Loftus Princess, Hildegarde of Bingen, and the Birka Warrior Woman - to name just a few. It shows us a world where women were better respected and listened to than we have previously imagined, or thought from reading historical documents. The works of these women, their voices, have disappeared through the years, some accidentally, some on purpose. Some of them have survived, but have been changed by male historians from the time periods that came after. And some, like Hildegarde, have been saved by brave and courageous acts.

Each section focuses on a different woman and gives the reader a glimpse into their lives and achievements. It shows how well-travelled the world was at a time when you think everyone stayed 'at home'. I have learnt about Jadwiga of Poland which I had never heard of before, plus others.

I found this to be an intriguing and interesting book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 19, 2022
  
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    Radar Social is a simple first of its kind privacy preserving messaging / localization / socializing...