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Merissa (12351 KP) rated The Touch (The Cotiere Chronicles, #2) in Books

Dec 17, 2018 (Updated May 17, 2023)  
The Touch (The Cotiere Chronicles, #2)
The Touch (The Cotiere Chronicles, #2)
Michelle Bolanger | 2015 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I adored book one in this series, and book 2 is continuing that trend. I love the world that Michelle Bolanger has given us, filled with rich traditions, love, passion, romance, and honour; but also cruelty, abuse, and those that take advantage of situations and let bitterness rule them.

Alexander and Jessi are meant to be together, it's just Jessi has serious 'reservations,' so much so that for that reason (and others) she runs away and tries to disappear. She does a very good job too, and Alexander spends thousands of dollars trying to locate her. When they finally meet, fireworks explode. The story then takes a humorous, sad, and at times heartbreaking, turn as Alexander tries to find out just why Jessi is so scared.

Full of tender moments, this book sweeps you along to the conclusion, leaving you wanting to know the ending, but also dreading it at the same time as you don't want it to end. I will just add here that when the story behind Jessi's mum and dad came out, I actually started to feel sorry for him, thinking that he was the injured party. However, when she meets him and he opens his mouth, I quickly returned to my original feelings towards him. Read it for yourself, you'll see why.

This story came to the perfect ending for Alexander and Jessi, and I can't wait to see where their story takes them. I loved the cameo performance from Leisl and Koen, although I wish it could have been under better circumstances. I know that they will be okay though!!! The final thing I will add is that Michelle Bolanger's characters are so lifelike that even during a couple of pages of an epilogue, you will connect with a character and feel sorrow for them. I can't wait for the next book and the rollercoaster journey I know I will be taken on. Highly recommended.

* 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!
Jan 19, 2016
  
Our Little Secret
Our Little Secret
Roz Nay | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Excellent, well-written suspense novel from debut author
"All love stories are crime stories and all crime stories, love. If you say that's not true, you're not looking properly. Perhaps when two people join, it's inevitable, the things they'll damage in each other." ~Angela to Novak*

Angela is being held for interrogation at the police station. Detective Novak wants only thing from her--to know where Saskia is. But Angela cannot comply; instead, she tells Detective Novak a story, one starting with her senior year, when she fell in love with a boy named HP. As she tells her tale, it becomes clear it is one of love, sadness, betrayal, and anger. Does Angela know where Saskia is? And can we trust her?

This was a really fascinating and different book, and it was so refreshing to read something that felt original and unlike so many of the suspense novels I've read lately. I will say upfront: Nay is an excellent storyteller, and I found this novel to be wonderfully written. Parts of this story actually hurt me to read, because it was so vividly told. I could so clearly picture the events unfolding and visualize this tale of teen love gone wrong.

I loved the idea that our entire book is Angela, trapped at the police station, telling the story of the last several years of her life to Detective Novak. It seems unconventional, and it is, but it worked well for me. It took the unreliable narrator trope to a different level, and it was so much better than the drunken, rambling, angry unreliable narrator that we see so often. Angela tells her tale of woe and bitterness to the Detective, with only minor interruptions as he provides some pieces of new evidence that occasionally cast doubt upon her viewpoints. As such, we are left to guess how truthful she is being with all of us. Every statement she makes is charged with double meaning. I found the entire thing to be incredibly compelling and oddly fascinating. I was completely hooked, madly flipping the pages to find out what happened next. Even more, I was amazed at how Nay created sympathy toward a character who wasn't all that likeable at times. I was rooting for her, even when I knew I probably shouldn't.

I felt this faltered only a little near the end, where I wasn't quite sure I was on board with everything, but it certainly wasn't enough to diminish my love of the novel. And the actual ending is excellent and basically redeemed it all. Overall, this was an excellent, well-written, suspenseful novel. Angela is a dynamic and complicated character who immediately draws you in with her narration. I was constantly second-guessing her as I read and found the entire novel to be incredibly powerful and satisfying. Apparently this is Nay's first book, which is even more impressive. Can't wait for the next one. Definitely worth a read! 4+ stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
*all quotes from an advanced reader copy and subject to change
  
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Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated Autumn in Books

Jan 10, 2018  
Autumn
Autumn
Ali Smith | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Unusual story yet beautiful prose
Ali Smith has a wonderful way with words, describing a relationship between a young girl and her eccentric older neighbour, which seems to mirror the title of this book. Autumn shows the blossoming and withering of a man, Daniel Gluck, describing his younger years as a respected art critic of sorts, and the beauty he was constantly surrounded by. When he meets the younger Elisabeth Demand, he is already in the process of change, but she continues to help him feel alive, while he has a mentor-like relationship with her.

In between, Smith describes all of the major events plaguing Britain. From protesting the Iraq war, to Brexit doom, the perpetual markers that appear in the background of this constant, unwaning friendship. Can love and art really triumph over war? Smith believes it can.

The main issue with this novel is the fact that it is completely disjointed, and ends on a quite anti-climactic note. Read for the tone and not the story.
  
Mass Effect Andromeda Deluxe Edition
Mass Effect Andromeda Deluxe Edition
Role-Playing
Interesting story (2 more)
Beautiful environments
Great voice acting
Enjoyable Game and Addition to the Series
I love the Mass Effect series so I was excited to play this latest game in the series. I liked the story a lot because it was interesting and there were some great characters. The romance options were fairly decent and I did like the introduction of a new alien race and one of them became my favorite character in the entire game. The environments are beautiful and the game play is pretty good. I did have fun playing it. I just wish they had worked on the facial animations more because during cut scenes the expressions barely emote and appear wooden and robotic. It was also frustrating just how many bugs were in the game ranging from a character not showing up in a cut scene to the game freezing up. That aside, this is an enjoyable game and a good addition to the series, so it's worth checking out.

Read full Mother Gamer review here: http://lorrie28-mothergamer.blogspot.com/2017/04/mass-effect-andromeda-fun-adventure-in.html
  
Matched (Matched #1)
Matched (Matched #1)
Ally Condie | 2010 | Young Adult (YA)
10
8.0 (35 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved, LOVED this book! I've had it sitting in my "to read" pile for quite awhile now & decided it was time to read it. Now I'm pissed off at myself that I waited so long!!!
The book was engaging. I didn't want to put it down. It was an easy, quick read. Kind of a mixture between the Twilight books & the Hunger Games series...but don't take that as being it is the same. Some of elements of those great series show up in this one, but it is by NO means a copy.
Cassia, Ky, & Xander are all very well developed, easy to like characters. They add a great depth to the story which is, in some ways a typical teenage love triangle story, but different from the usual too.
I am very much looking forward to jumping into the 2nd book in the series to find out what happens to all 3 of them. It left me feeling the need to say, "Do not go gentle into that good night." ;)
  
A Cupboard Full of Coats
A Cupboard Full of Coats
Yvvette Edwards | 2011 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
2.5 starts
A single mother living alone raising her teen-aged daughter. Then she meets this man who she falls in love with almost immediately. Four months later, the mother is dead and the boyfriend is in jail.
This story starts 14 years later, the boyfriend has just gotten out of jail and his best friend is standing on the doorstep ready to explain to the daughter how her death was all his fault.
Jinx(the daughter) and Lemon(the best friend) spend the weekend going over the past. What happened in those four short months and what has happened to them since. It's a roller coaster ride of emotions and growth.
I enjoyed this book as the story was very compelling, but the writing style was such that you didn't know whether you were in the past, or the present, the transitions were not always so smooth. Plus without reading the book description you didn't even know the name of the main character until chapter 2 or later.
  
The Breakdown
The Breakdown
B.A. Paris | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.0 (16 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ok, so I never saw the twist coming.

This story is crafted so well, and kept me so engaged, that it was hard to put the book down. The entire time, I felt so bad for Cass - what must it be like to forget things like how to use the washing machine or the microwave? Terrifying, I imagine. To feel like you're losing your mind, and then to find out you were being gas-lighted all along by the two people you love most in the world?

I felt vindicated right along with her when the truth came out and she got some measure of revenge on her husband and best friend - both of whom are just terrible, terrible people and deserve every ounce of it. In truth, the actual "murder mystery" part of the story was entirely secondary for me, as I was completely wrapped up in what was happening to Cass.

Thank you to SheSpeaks and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!
  
While WINTER'S CHILD is an easy, entertaining read, it does suffer from some short-comings. I realize that this book is not only about the Winter Child, but about how many different stories come together to make up one complete story, but there were one or two that were unnecessary to the plot as a whole. At around the three-fourths point, I was taken aback by the story going into a completely different direction than where I had hoped. This is where my main problem lays. Had some of the extra storylines been taken out and replaced with more of the development of the main plot and characters, I believe I would have been happier and completely fine with how everything turned out. Sadly, I ended up feeling somewhat cheated with the end and left unsatisfied. However, the first one-hundred pages are magical and beautifully written, and show everything I love about Cameron Dokey's work. Too bad it had to start high and then end on a low note.
  
FP
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm new to Ms. Johnson's work, but I won't be for long! I truly enjoyed this beautifully written novel. It's the 3rd book in her Keys Of Promise series, but it was still highly enjoyable, despite not reading the first two books.

In this novel, Ms. Johnson weaves the perfect combination of faith, hope, and love, along with beautifully depicted historical elements. I was instantly captivated from page one and this book took me on a whirl wind ride until the end. Catherine and Tom both stole my heart for the long run, and I loved following their story!

Ms. Johnson created a story well worth 4 stars, for sure! This is a quick, beautiful read and I am already anxious for more! I can't wait to go back and read the first two books in this wonderful series, and I look forward to adding Ms. Johnson among my favorite authors list! Well done, and bring on the next! <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/?p=13719"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
  
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Daynight (Daynight, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great new dysotopian story! Welcome to Thera where we live during the night and sleep during the day. And oh ya, if you recognize some familiar faces here from people you thought were previously gone there may be a reason behind it.
I really enjoyed the concept behind daynight and that I couldn't predict where the book was going but it wasn't so far-fetched that I couldnt follow along. I love a good surprise. I also liked that each chapter followed along one of three main characters in the story. I didn't get lost with switching in between their perspectives as the author did a good job of seperating their personalities and stories.
Kira at times could be a little naive but it added to the emotion of wanting her to see that not only did she have one man favoring her but two. Can't wait for book 2!!
And thank you to the author for the clean read! I definitely feel okay with recommending this book to others without being concerned by content.