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ArecRain (8 KP) rated Sarah's Surrender (Bound and Determined, #2.5) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I didnt pay too much attention that this was a novella until I started reading it. It may be a short story, but it was packed full of heat and emotion. At first, I thought this would be one of those novels where the protagonists are pig-headed and constantly misinterpreting each other, but was pleasantly surprised by when that wasnt the case. Of course there was a misunderstanding, one that stemmed from childish selfishness, but I was pleased to read how the characters handled it and how they grew as people.
There was little plotline to the story, but I feel that for this story, it was just right. There didnt need to be some grand adventure for the characters. I did feel, however, that the story just cut off at the end. There was no cliffhanger but it still felt unresolved. I would have liked another chapter or at least an epilogue to see how things truly turned out instead of the reading assuming.
The author also wrote some erotic scenes. I like my historical erotic to be erotic and different from the usual scenes you find in historical romance. The scenes were tamer than I usually read, but fit with the theme and feel of the novel. In certain places, however, she would write in short staccato sentences. Sometimes this was distracting and took away from the heat of the scene. In one part, it was downright annoying because of the number of said sentences. They did not take away from the novel as a whole, however, and I often found myself swept away in the passion of the characters.
This was the first piece I have ever read from the author and I enjoyed enough to seek out her other works.
There was little plotline to the story, but I feel that for this story, it was just right. There didnt need to be some grand adventure for the characters. I did feel, however, that the story just cut off at the end. There was no cliffhanger but it still felt unresolved. I would have liked another chapter or at least an epilogue to see how things truly turned out instead of the reading assuming.
The author also wrote some erotic scenes. I like my historical erotic to be erotic and different from the usual scenes you find in historical romance. The scenes were tamer than I usually read, but fit with the theme and feel of the novel. In certain places, however, she would write in short staccato sentences. Sometimes this was distracting and took away from the heat of the scene. In one part, it was downright annoying because of the number of said sentences. They did not take away from the novel as a whole, however, and I often found myself swept away in the passion of the characters.
This was the first piece I have ever read from the author and I enjoyed enough to seek out her other works.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Do No Harm in Books
Sep 24, 2020
It is a very haunting thriller told from multiple perspectives – mainly Lily’s and Sebastian’s. I really loved the characters in this book, they all seem like regular people, whom we meet every day. Even though the characters are very believable, they have their very unique characteristics, which makes them very amusing and absorbing. LV Hay is famous for her diverse characters, and I really liked that she carried on with diversity in this book as well. I really liked Lily in this book, her inner fight and thoughts were very interesting to me. The least favorite to me was Fran, Lily’s new mother in law, I found her very unpleasant attention seeker, and I really don’t like such qualities.
Oh, the plot was absolutely fantastic! The author was playing mind games with me every time. When I thought I knew where the events were heading to, she used to throw in a major twist or turn, which left me baffled every time. The wish to find out what was actually going on got me “glued” to this book, and I really didn’t want to put it down. I really liked the way the author was describing all the feelings and thoughts regarding little Denny, all his actions were so cute to read about.
I really enjoyed LV Hay’s writing style, the language used was very understandable and the way she incorporated all these little bits and pieces from character’s pasts, were very enlightening and allowed to get to know the characters even better. The Author left me very pleased with chapter lengths as well, they were short but had very good transitions between the chapters. I really can see the improvement in this author’s work, and I hope she will carry on doing such an amazing job. To conclude, it is a very fast paced and gripping thriller, filled with false leads, mind games and very realistic and amusing characters. I loved it, and I hope you will give this book a go and will enjoy it as much as I did.
Oh, the plot was absolutely fantastic! The author was playing mind games with me every time. When I thought I knew where the events were heading to, she used to throw in a major twist or turn, which left me baffled every time. The wish to find out what was actually going on got me “glued” to this book, and I really didn’t want to put it down. I really liked the way the author was describing all the feelings and thoughts regarding little Denny, all his actions were so cute to read about.
I really enjoyed LV Hay’s writing style, the language used was very understandable and the way she incorporated all these little bits and pieces from character’s pasts, were very enlightening and allowed to get to know the characters even better. The Author left me very pleased with chapter lengths as well, they were short but had very good transitions between the chapters. I really can see the improvement in this author’s work, and I hope she will carry on doing such an amazing job. To conclude, it is a very fast paced and gripping thriller, filled with false leads, mind games and very realistic and amusing characters. I loved it, and I hope you will give this book a go and will enjoy it as much as I did.
Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated Twilight's Touch (Prairie Smoke Ranch #2) in Books
Feb 24, 2022
Only Perry speaks and I wanted Will!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Prairie Smoke Ranch series. I have not read book 1, Dawn's Desire. I didn't feel like I was missing anything, but for the discovery of the bones! I want to go back and read it, though. I'm intrigued, but it's not a necessity to have read, I don't think.
Perry works at Prairie Smoke Ranch, mostly with the horses who don't trust people. He reads to them. Ancient Greek history of all things. I loved this, even if I had no clue who he was reading about!
Will and Perry have a bit of a moment, a while back and its been playing on his mind but Perry, the wonderful human that he is, doesn;t want anyone to know. It could harm his mum and his grandfather and Perry won't do that.
Somewhere along the way, Will gets so far into Perry mind, he crosses into his heart and it really was delightful watching these two dance in the rain!
I loved that Will, bad boy that he is, doesn't want to corrupt Perry, he wants Perry to see it's ok to let go, to be yourself, to TRULY be you.
Or at least that is what I think he wants to do. Because Will doesn't get a say and thats the only reason I can't stretch to the full 5 stars. Perry speaks, and only Perry. And I really wanted Will. Especially after I found they had that moment before. When they were dancing in the rain, and really wanted to hear from Will when Perry finally, FINALLY lets him in.
All in all, a beautifully written book, a wonderful tale, and I want to go back and forward with this series!
4 wonderful stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 2 in the Prairie Smoke Ranch series. I have not read book 1, Dawn's Desire. I didn't feel like I was missing anything, but for the discovery of the bones! I want to go back and read it, though. I'm intrigued, but it's not a necessity to have read, I don't think.
Perry works at Prairie Smoke Ranch, mostly with the horses who don't trust people. He reads to them. Ancient Greek history of all things. I loved this, even if I had no clue who he was reading about!
Will and Perry have a bit of a moment, a while back and its been playing on his mind but Perry, the wonderful human that he is, doesn;t want anyone to know. It could harm his mum and his grandfather and Perry won't do that.
Somewhere along the way, Will gets so far into Perry mind, he crosses into his heart and it really was delightful watching these two dance in the rain!
I loved that Will, bad boy that he is, doesn't want to corrupt Perry, he wants Perry to see it's ok to let go, to be yourself, to TRULY be you.
Or at least that is what I think he wants to do. Because Will doesn't get a say and thats the only reason I can't stretch to the full 5 stars. Perry speaks, and only Perry. And I really wanted Will. Especially after I found they had that moment before. When they were dancing in the rain, and really wanted to hear from Will when Perry finally, FINALLY lets him in.
All in all, a beautifully written book, a wonderful tale, and I want to go back and forward with this series!
4 wonderful stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated White Bodies in Books
Mar 15, 2018
I've seen a few people call this book "weird", but I don't really see that. It had a strange, unique part of the plot, but I've definitely read weirder! I found this a really easy, quick thriller to read and I was pleasantly surprised with its conclusion!
I really did speed through this one, I managed to finish it in under 24 hours, which is a rare feat for me! It had me hooked from the very get-go. The writing in this one was so easy going and flowy that you could completely immerse yourself in the story and the characters.
I was a little worried I wouldn't get on with the characters in this one after chatter round the blogosphere that Callie was very odd, but I actually quite enjoyed getting to know such a strange and flawed character. Callie is a likable but frustrating character to follow, at moments you totally back her decisions and other times you're thinking "no Callie! why Callie?" In comparison to awkward, strange, but lovable Callie is her famous, beautiful sister Tilda. Personally, Tilda put me on edge and I didn't like her character at any point during the story.
The story in this one wasn't particularly unique but it was enjoyable nonetheless. It was fun to go through it all wondering "is Tilda really being abused? Is Callie overreacting?" I likes how there was always that layer of doubt as to what was really going on inside the walls of Felix & Tilda's walls.
Sometimes flashbacks in novels annoy me and I feel like they're pointless and just prolong a story when it's not needed, however in this one, I enjoyed getting that history of the sisters. Robins did well to nudge us quietly and subtly to the ending through her use of flashbacks and character building, without giving too much away in the process.
I felt the end of this novel was reasonably predictable, but maybe that's because I read so many thriller & mysteries. If someone came to me asking for a good, easy thriller read, White Bodies would definitely pop up in my head.
I definitely did enjoy this novel. I thought the characters were fab and I liked the weirdness to the plot in certain points. Definitely a great read for getting me out of my reading funk!
<i>Thanks so much to HQ for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>
I really did speed through this one, I managed to finish it in under 24 hours, which is a rare feat for me! It had me hooked from the very get-go. The writing in this one was so easy going and flowy that you could completely immerse yourself in the story and the characters.
I was a little worried I wouldn't get on with the characters in this one after chatter round the blogosphere that Callie was very odd, but I actually quite enjoyed getting to know such a strange and flawed character. Callie is a likable but frustrating character to follow, at moments you totally back her decisions and other times you're thinking "no Callie! why Callie?" In comparison to awkward, strange, but lovable Callie is her famous, beautiful sister Tilda. Personally, Tilda put me on edge and I didn't like her character at any point during the story.
The story in this one wasn't particularly unique but it was enjoyable nonetheless. It was fun to go through it all wondering "is Tilda really being abused? Is Callie overreacting?" I likes how there was always that layer of doubt as to what was really going on inside the walls of Felix & Tilda's walls.
Sometimes flashbacks in novels annoy me and I feel like they're pointless and just prolong a story when it's not needed, however in this one, I enjoyed getting that history of the sisters. Robins did well to nudge us quietly and subtly to the ending through her use of flashbacks and character building, without giving too much away in the process.
I felt the end of this novel was reasonably predictable, but maybe that's because I read so many thriller & mysteries. If someone came to me asking for a good, easy thriller read, White Bodies would definitely pop up in my head.
I definitely did enjoy this novel. I thought the characters were fab and I liked the weirdness to the plot in certain points. Definitely a great read for getting me out of my reading funk!
<i>Thanks so much to HQ for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, #1) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I found this book to be a nice change from the typical high school setting that so many Young Adult books take place in - with good reason, of course. So what if she's still only 16, she's in college! Unfortunately, she still has not outgrown the evil female clique syndrome that plague so many stories. Some elements of the story remind me of my own days in university, but the book takes them all to the extreme. On a side note, it's a good thing she's so dang smart, because from my experience, skipping classes like she does throughout the text should, in reality, result in failing grades. I guess that's the beauty of fantasy literature - you can skip all the drudgery and go straight for the exciting bits of life.
The part I did not really understand - and I am still waiting for an explanation after finishing the book - is how the psychotic Monica seems to get away with more than the resident vampires do. I mean, if the vamps both built and run the town of Morganville, it makes more sense that they would want to appear more nefarious than the lowly humans.
I also found it strangely refreshing that the vampires were wholely and completely the bad guys - no human-vampire romantic happenings, and no, Miranda the vision-plagued goth and her undead boyfriend Charles do not count. But I did find the head vampire Amelie very intriguing, since she seems less interested in bloody deaths and widespread property damage and more interested in maintaining power and protecting her assets, a trait that no other vampire in the novel seemed to exhibit.
I can not wait to get my hands on the next novel in the series, The Dead Girls' Dance, since Michael's state of ghost / not-ghost / Glass House incarnate has not been resolved enough for me at all!
The part I did not really understand - and I am still waiting for an explanation after finishing the book - is how the psychotic Monica seems to get away with more than the resident vampires do. I mean, if the vamps both built and run the town of Morganville, it makes more sense that they would want to appear more nefarious than the lowly humans.
I also found it strangely refreshing that the vampires were wholely and completely the bad guys - no human-vampire romantic happenings, and no, Miranda the vision-plagued goth and her undead boyfriend Charles do not count. But I did find the head vampire Amelie very intriguing, since she seems less interested in bloody deaths and widespread property damage and more interested in maintaining power and protecting her assets, a trait that no other vampire in the novel seemed to exhibit.
I can not wait to get my hands on the next novel in the series, The Dead Girls' Dance, since Michael's state of ghost / not-ghost / Glass House incarnate has not been resolved enough for me at all!
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Blackmailed (Blackmailed #1) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
Wow, what to say about this novel. I found it so completely ridiculous in so many ways. I'll start with how Brianna came into her position in the first place. Her father, Andrew Wyatt, blackmails his own daughter, Brianna, into being Cole Master's whore so that she can produce an heir for Wyatt. How does he blackmail daughter of legal age into doing his bidding? By threatening her brother, his son. Apparently, that is enough to turn his daughter into a breeding mule. Normally, I would find it hard to believe that anyone would act like such a neanderthal in this day and age, but I have been wrong before.
When Wyatt brings his daughter to Cole, who agrees to this all out of curiosity, Cole is immediately protective of the plain girl. The best way I can explain it is lust at first sight. For some reason, Cole feels protective of Brianna and cannot wait to sexually awaken her....and then share her with his head of security, Tyler Cannon. Cole isn't gay, but he is consumed with thoughts of sharing her with his lifelong friend. What I found most disturbing is that the day after Cole pops Brianna's cherry (also the first day they met), he gets his wish of sharing his new charge. How he does it actually infuriates me. After Brianna's first time, she falls asleep in Cole's bed, only to wake blindfolded and tied to the bed so Tyler can do whatever he wants with her. If I was in the same position, I would furious, not turned on.
And so their sexual activities continue and Cole obtains custody of Brianna's birthday. Cole asks Brianna to marry him, Wyatt becomes furious, Cole shuts him down. Pretty simple yet insane plot line.
On a lighter note, the erotic scenes were fantastic although I could do without the dirty talk. For some reason, talking during sex is always more exciting when you are actually doing the deed. Reading about it is...well awkward.
An entertaining novel despite plot.
When Wyatt brings his daughter to Cole, who agrees to this all out of curiosity, Cole is immediately protective of the plain girl. The best way I can explain it is lust at first sight. For some reason, Cole feels protective of Brianna and cannot wait to sexually awaken her....and then share her with his head of security, Tyler Cannon. Cole isn't gay, but he is consumed with thoughts of sharing her with his lifelong friend. What I found most disturbing is that the day after Cole pops Brianna's cherry (also the first day they met), he gets his wish of sharing his new charge. How he does it actually infuriates me. After Brianna's first time, she falls asleep in Cole's bed, only to wake blindfolded and tied to the bed so Tyler can do whatever he wants with her. If I was in the same position, I would furious, not turned on.
And so their sexual activities continue and Cole obtains custody of Brianna's birthday. Cole asks Brianna to marry him, Wyatt becomes furious, Cole shuts him down. Pretty simple yet insane plot line.
On a lighter note, the erotic scenes were fantastic although I could do without the dirty talk. For some reason, talking during sex is always more exciting when you are actually doing the deed. Reading about it is...well awkward.
An entertaining novel despite plot.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Tolkien (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
An Unexpectedly Dull Journey
Tolkien is a 2019 biographical/drama movie directed by Dome Karukoski and written by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford. It's produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Chernin Entertainment and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film stars Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Colm Meaney, and Derek Jacobi.
As a young boy living in the countryside, J.R.R. Tolkien, learns multiple languages and how to read and write with his younger brother as they are taught by their mother. They are forced to move to the city so their mother can better provide for them when unfortunate events have them taken in by the Church and and stay at a boarding house. This is where, as a young student at King Edward's School, among a group of fellow outcasts, he finds friendship, love, and artistic inspiration. But his friends and their new brotherhood must endure the ups and downs of his position in society, his relationship with the love of his life Edith Bratt and later the outbreak of World War I.
I was really excited for this movie and having my hopes up and expectations might be the reason I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. For one I don't normally watch autobiographies but I have seen more that I liked in comparison to this film. I guess I thought they would show more about him coming up with the ideas for his books, which they showed very little of. Instead it was about the important events of his life which I guess is what biographies should do. For some reason though I felt like the storytelling dragged and it didn't do enough to keep you interested, very lackluster. I found that the story, acting, and dialogue were all well done but the movie suffered from the direction they went with and how they chose to show it. One thing I really liked was there were several instances where you could see what influenced him when he wrote the Lord of The Rings" books. It's an entertaining film with flair and ambition that teems with on the nose moments but is hindered by the usual biopic framework. I believe the quote from Rotten Tomatoes says it best, "Tolkien Has the period trappings and strong performances of a worthy biopic, but lacks the imagination required to truly do it's subject justice". I give it a 6/10.
As a young boy living in the countryside, J.R.R. Tolkien, learns multiple languages and how to read and write with his younger brother as they are taught by their mother. They are forced to move to the city so their mother can better provide for them when unfortunate events have them taken in by the Church and and stay at a boarding house. This is where, as a young student at King Edward's School, among a group of fellow outcasts, he finds friendship, love, and artistic inspiration. But his friends and their new brotherhood must endure the ups and downs of his position in society, his relationship with the love of his life Edith Bratt and later the outbreak of World War I.
I was really excited for this movie and having my hopes up and expectations might be the reason I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. For one I don't normally watch autobiographies but I have seen more that I liked in comparison to this film. I guess I thought they would show more about him coming up with the ideas for his books, which they showed very little of. Instead it was about the important events of his life which I guess is what biographies should do. For some reason though I felt like the storytelling dragged and it didn't do enough to keep you interested, very lackluster. I found that the story, acting, and dialogue were all well done but the movie suffered from the direction they went with and how they chose to show it. One thing I really liked was there were several instances where you could see what influenced him when he wrote the Lord of The Rings" books. It's an entertaining film with flair and ambition that teems with on the nose moments but is hindered by the usual biopic framework. I believe the quote from Rotten Tomatoes says it best, "Tolkien Has the period trappings and strong performances of a worthy biopic, but lacks the imagination required to truly do it's subject justice". I give it a 6/10.
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Sam (74 KP) rated Why Mummy Drinks in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Set out to appear as a diary, Why Mummy Drinks follows the day-to-day life of middle-class mummy Ellen. From trying to be the popular Pinterest-worthy parent to aspiring to seem like she has everything together, the life of Ellen is documented in hilarious honesty.
I really enjoyed reading this one. It was so funny and honest, and I can definitely see how it sold so well. I loved the perfect parents in the playground who Ellen aspired to be, and how they fed their kids on quinoa. It was just so funny.
My favourite characters were Bardo and Louisa. Everyone has those embarrassing relatives that you’d rather people didn’t know about, but these took it to another extreme. They lived outside and brought their children up outside, almost like animals. They were so surreal and I would have happily read a book just on their lives.
I wasn’t sure whether to buy this one, mainly because of it being aimed more towards parents than me. But now I can safely say that you don’t have to be a parent to appreciate the humour.
There were a few parts that took the humour a bit too far for me and were past funny, but they didn’t ruin the book. I found the book a bit slow in some places as well, but I read the second half on a sunny day within a few hours and quickly forgot about that.
I really enjoyed reading this one. It was so funny and honest, and I can definitely see how it sold so well. I loved the perfect parents in the playground who Ellen aspired to be, and how they fed their kids on quinoa. It was just so funny.
My favourite characters were Bardo and Louisa. Everyone has those embarrassing relatives that you’d rather people didn’t know about, but these took it to another extreme. They lived outside and brought their children up outside, almost like animals. They were so surreal and I would have happily read a book just on their lives.
I wasn’t sure whether to buy this one, mainly because of it being aimed more towards parents than me. But now I can safely say that you don’t have to be a parent to appreciate the humour.
There were a few parts that took the humour a bit too far for me and were past funny, but they didn’t ruin the book. I found the book a bit slow in some places as well, but I read the second half on a sunny day within a few hours and quickly forgot about that.