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Hidden Rebel (Changed Heart Series Book 3)
Hidden Rebel (Changed Heart Series Book 3)
Michelle Janene | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What a dream come true!
 This book was so good, it was like the secret fantasy we all wish we could play brought to life. This book is the third in her Changed hearts series, however, it can be read as a stand-alone.
Michelle Janene’s main character (Lady Aria) was fierce, independent, and the most amazing ninja/sword warrior ever! She also had great faith and because of that God blessed her. While her other main characters were well developed, they had lessons to learn and were always by Lady Arias’ side ready to help when things went awry. I really liked the overall character development, some of them didn’t have the best reactions to events though. I truly did like them anyway. <br/> This plot was definitely one right out of a medieval fantasy. Castles, knights, horses, and sword fights… totally a truly medieval fantasy come to life. The plot moved at a great pace, keeping me interested and wanting to know what would happen next. The was one thing I didn’t like about the plot; however, I will not tell you about it as it is a spoiler.
Overall this was a great story that I could totally imagine myself in. Michelle Janene wrote a great book that I loved reading. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the great Lady Aria, the amazing description and attention to detail given in the sword training dialogues, and for just the hint of romance given with the happily ever after ending. I truly enjoyed this book and will go back and read the others in the series
*I did receive this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
Cypher (The Dragon&#039;s Bidding #2)
Cypher (The Dragon's Bidding #2)
Christina Westcott | 2016 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
read book 1 first!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in The Dragon’s Bidding series, and it cannot be read as a stand-alone. You NEED to read A Hero For an Empire before this one and I would recommend you read them back to back. It’s been 4 years since I read the first one, and I think that’s why I feel as I do about this one. I did not have time to reread book one before reading this one!

I found this a much more difficult read, to follow. It’s heavy on the technical stuff and at times I struggled to keep up.

It moves fast, and even though I had to slow down my reading (which is usually a good thing!) I still struggled a bit.

Fitz and Wolf’s relationship is intense in book one, and that flows over into this one. That fact, and the fact we meet Cypher here, are what made me able to finish this book.

Cypher takes over Wolf’s body, his muscles and his bones but not his mind. He can see what Cypher is doing and is helpless to stop it. He has to trust his love for Fitz, Ari and the others in his life will tide him through and THEY will get to the bottom of it all.

It is HEAVY on the fighting/violence scale. While I enjoyed that in book one, it was a not so much here.

Things are still not where Wolf, Fitz and Ari want them to be, and I expect it may take more than one more book to make it so.

I have Cypher’s book to read next, and given what happens here, I’m looking forward to that.

3 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Breakaway
Breakaway
Kindle Alexander | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A much needed fix, this really was a warm and fuzzies book.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Its been a long, LONG time since I had my Kindle Alexander fix, and this was a very welcome fix indeed.

Dallas and his brothers need a cash injection to their fitness app, and Greer has the cash and the business knowledge to help. The attraction is instant and powerful from both men to each other, but Dallas hides, remembering what happened the last time he was caught with a man. But once Greer sets his sights on him, Dallas doesn't stand a chance. He just gotta deal with his dad and his brother.

Slow burn is what Alexander does so well, and here is a prime example of that skill. The attraction bubbles and simmers along til they cannot deny each other any longer. I loved that.

The father and big brother were a nasty piece of work and I wanted so badly to punch the pair of them! Mum, however, surprised me when she does what she does, and I have a huge amount of pride in her for doing what she should have done a long time ago!

Apart from the dad/brother, it's relatively low angst, and it was just what I needed to read.

I loved the appearences of Dylan and Tristan from Secret, and the part they play here.

I would love a story for Ducky, Dallas' younger brother, he seems like a character who would write a great story!

A much needed fix, this really was a warm and fuzzies book.

4.5 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Mayflies in Books

Jul 4, 2021  
Mayflies
Mayflies
Andrew O'Hagan | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mayflies is a book of two halves, and I really enjoyed both.
The first half, set in 1986, follows a group of friends who travel down to Manchester from their small Scottish town. Manchester is the epicentre of everything they believe to be cool. Best friends James and Tully decide that weekend to make something of their lives, and not to compromise. This part of the novel is full of nostalgia - even for me, and I was 13 in 1986, so nowhere near as independent as Tully, Jimmy and their friends. But I could empathise with their new-found freedom, their enthusiasm of good music, films and books, and their feelings about politics.

2017, and Jimmy gets a phone call from Tully asking him to come home from London and see him. Tully has terminal cancer and needs Jimmy to help him - this is the true test of their friendship.

I loved how this was written, and how it really brought home the power of friendship and the memories that you share with those friends. Tully and Jimmy are more brothers than friends, and this felt like a really genuine relationship. So much so, that I was close to tears on several occasions. This is NOT a book to read in your lunch break (I did - but just the once!), because once I started reading it, half an hour wasn’t enough. And walking in to a room full of three year olds after a particularly emotional part wasn’t my finest moment!

So would I recommend this? Yes, I most certainly would. And I listened to parts of this on Audible, read so well by the author, so I’d recommend this too!
  
Fetching (Unleashed Romance #1)
Fetching (Unleashed Romance #1)
Kylie Gilmore | 2021 | Humor & Comedy, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There is steam a-plenty, but not ever so explicit
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

The man drove her nuts, making negative comments about her business! But Lord he was preety to look at. Wyatt has an opinion about everything, and it riles Sydney up no end. When Sydney finds out why he was sent to help, she ain't happy, not at all. She can't mis business and pleasure, can she?

I enjoyed this, a lot. I didn't love it though and I'll tell you why shortly.

I loved Sydney, I really did. She won't let Wyatt help, because it's HER business, it belongs to her family. She knows she needs help, she just doesn't want Wyatt's.

Wyatt is a bit more difficult to like, especially until we get his say. He really does rile Sydney up, and at points he riles ME up, but once we get into his head, his motivation becomes clear: Sydney could well be the one for him to fix the heart that was broken 3 years ago.

There is steam a-plenty, but not ever so explicit. As much as I enjoy the down and oh-so-dirty books, sometimes, it's not needed.

You can see what's gonna happen when Sydney finds out what Wyatt does like a train wreck you can't stop, but I do like that.

Why not loved it? Simple. First person. Present tense. AND multi point of view. Quite possibly my trifecta of hell BUT I am trying to give books written as such a chance, and I'm glad I did with this one.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Alphaville (1965)
Alphaville (1965)
1965 | Mystery, Sci-Fi
7
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
This is one of the best bad films I have ever seen. It looks cheap (at one point the camera-man is clearly entirely visible in a mirror), the story is preposterous, the dialogue is insane, the characters behave like no one in reality ever, and it is sci-fi in name only, as no attempt whatsoever has been made to stretch the budget to anything remotely futuristic – and yet, I loved it! Perhaps it reminded me of Blake’s 7 and Doctor Who, and therefore my happy childhood relationship with cheap sci-fi? Or it could have been that there are so many essential ideas and tropes that exist in my favourite big budget sci-fi films, such as Blade Runner (for which it is an obvious influence), that it felt familiar and friendly from the start. Part hard boiled detective story and part pulp fiction fantasy, as with most Godard, I am discovering, it is all about mood and chic, not remotely about the plot.

Eddie Constantine is awful as an actor, but he looks and feels perfect here. And Anna Karina is entirely lovely, oozing intelligent sexuality and seductive vibes in every scene. Not a heroine that needs the man to save her, but a strong and independent woman as much the hero of the story as the trenchcoated lead. Every noir stereotype is adhered to without fail, punctuated with the bizarre and the incongruous whenever possible. Without this film existing there would be so many good things from The Prisoner to Predestination that wouldn’t have been the same. Groundbreaking and charming without even trying. It grows in my imagination as a cult entity by the week – I can’t wait to watch it again fairly soon.
  
Nine Small Sips (Tales Of Bryant #2)
Nine Small Sips (Tales Of Bryant #2)
V.L. Locey | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
my only fault? No Brian!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is NOT a stand alone, you really MUST read Tales of Bryant before this one, it is a continuation of Isamu and Brian’s story.

Brian and Isamu have a wedding coming up, and with an over sensitive-to-change wedding planner, a grandmother who demands traditions and a job that could take Isamu away from Brian so soon after their wedding, things are not going to plan!

Again, only the fact that Brian does not have a say is the only fault I can find with this book!

Adrian, the wedding planner, provides hysterical moments, that made me laugh out loud, cos the man simply does NOT like to change his wedding plans. But as Brian points out, it is NOT Adrian’s wedding, it is Isamu and Brian’s wedding, and Isamu needs to stand his ground.

Isamu’s grandmother and parents provide the serious side to this tale. Baba wants Isamu to embrace his Japanese heritage and include a ceremony that would honour his grandfather. I loved Isamu’s family. While they were still unsure about the age gap, they could see that Brian loves Isamu, and Isamu loves Brian.

We catch up with Isamu’s boss, Canada, oh, sorry, Caiden (love that Brian calls him Canada!) and with Isamu’s friend, Devon. Devon and Caiden have instant and powerful attraction, and I hope they get a tale of their own!

Its sexy and steamy in the most sweetest way, not quite as sweet as Tales of Bryant but still sugar rush enducing.

Like I said, just the fact that Brian isn’t given a voice, is the only reason I can’t stretch to 5 stars, and I am sorry for that!

4 very good stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
The Good Green Earth (Colors of Love #3)
The Good Green Earth (Colors of Love #3)
V.L. Locey | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
an enjoyable read
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book three in the Colors of Love series, but save for the hockey player and the agent (Arn) there is not real connection, so you don't need to read Lost In Indigo or Touch of a Yellow Sun before this one.

I enjoyed this one, as much as book two, but not as much as book one, and the same reason applies.

Only Nathan has a voice. Now I know I say it often enough, but here I think I'm justified!

Nathan is a force of nature and he plows himself into Bran's business while doing his community service. Bran is still grieving the loss of his husband two years before. Nathan decides he wants Bran but Bran is in a position of power over Nathan and Bran doesn't want Nathan, or so he says.

But I wanted to hear from Bran, about how he feels about the attraction to Nathan, a much younger man. About his grief for the loss of his husband. About taking the steps he does to, not remove his husband, but to allow Bran and Nathan to move on, without his presence. And Bran doesn't have that voice.

I enjoyed watching Nathan get to the root cause of his behaviour, felt for him when he finally lets it all out, when we hear what happened. Wanted to punch the brother so bloody hard though!

I don't know if there will be any more of this series, but I hope so. I'm enjoying watching these hockey players meet the men who will colour their world!

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
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