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Merissa (11950 KP) rated The Protector (Fire's Edge #4) in Books

Dec 14, 2020 (Updated Aug 8, 2023)  
The Protector (Fire's Edge #4)
The Protector (Fire's Edge #4)
Abigail Owen | 2020 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE PROTECTOR is the fourth book in the Fire's Edge series, but some of the characters cross over from the Inferno Rising series. I haven't read any of the previous Fire's Edge stories, but I have read Inferno Rising. This meant I was able to follow the story quite easily although, that being said, I do want to read the others, simply because I loved how Ms. Owen puts together her stories.

Levi has wanted Lyndi since the first time he saw her, much to his confusion. His dragon laid claim to her, even though dragons can only have human mates... can't they? Lyndi is fascinated by the gold dragon and wants to hate him because she knows as a female-born dragon, she can offer him nothing. For two hundred years, these two have been dancing around each other, but now Levi has been ordered to return to the Gold Clan and may never see Lyndi again. This proves just the thing to spur them both on.

This is a fast-paced and intricate book, with plenty going on and not just between Levi and Lyndi. There are orphans, wars, clans, rogues... and not all of it I understood. This is simply my lack of knowledge of the previous books, not any problem with the storytelling of this one.

There was one part where I was glad I hadn't read any of the others because it tore me to pieces anyway. Such a brave green dragon and I'm not saying more than that!

This was a fantastic read that I thoroughly enjoyed, and have no hesitation in recommending. I really, REALLY want to read the others now. So, if you'll excuse me, I have books to buy... 😁

* 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!
Dec 14, 2020
  
Todd (Tangled Tentacles #3) by JP Sayle & Lisa Oliver
Todd (Tangled Tentacles #3) by JP Sayle & Lisa Oliver
JP Sayle, Lisa Oliver | 2022 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
TODD is the third book in the Tangled Tentacles series and follows Victor's story. The epilogue gave us a glimpse at Todd and his mates, and they didn't make a good first impression, put it that way!

Lucas and Ki are both dragons, both knowing the other was their fated mate but unable to claim each other until they found their first. With their clan politics as well, it wasn't easy. As their stories became known, my heart really broke for Ki. He definitely had the raw end of the deal growing up, and did go along with Lucas, no matter what Lucas thought!

After their disastrous first meeting with Todd, things did settle down, but I didn't exactly feel the three of them together. I did and I didn't, and it's driving me crazy. There was something unidentifiable for me within their dynamic that just didn't seem 'right'.

The other brothers play their parts in this story, and I did like Todd standing up to Alexi and Victor. Todd's shows of physical strength throughout the story were very well-written and a brilliant reminder of the fact no one ever said the Omega was weak!

The pace is certainly faster than in previous books, with different settings and characters. The epilogue leads us to Markov and Cassius. I can't wait to see where that one takes me! Part of it, I think I've got. It's how it will all tie in I don't know, but I do know Ms Sayle and Ms Oliver will get me there in style.

A brilliant addition to the series and definitely 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 8, 2022
  
Married to the Vampire King (Blood Bonded Mates #2)
Married to the Vampire King (Blood Bonded Mates #2)
Jay Castle | 2024 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
MARRIED TO THE VAMPIRE KING is the second book in the Blood Bonded Mates and I didn't even realise until I started reading it. That means the blurb is that good, it pulled me in without me even realising it was a series I wanted to continue with!

Ethan is the son of the Head of his Coven and has felt like a disappointment ever since his Initiation Ceremony when it turned out his magical gift was to nullify all other magic. This doesn't make him popular, but when a magic mirror tells him he is the only hope for a lot of witches and vampires to survive a possible war, he goes all in. This includes marrying the Vampire King, Nathaniel, even though he doesn't know him.

What follows is a fantastic story that had me hooked and reading until I'd finished the story! Nathaniel is a cinnamon roll, just oozing sweetness, unless someone messes with who or what he considers his. And Ethan is top of his list! Ethan himself is a sometimes sarcastic, heart-of-gold, warlock who I wanted to squidge so many times.

The twist at the end wasn't a twist for me as I had figured it out, but that didn't take away any of my enjoyment of the big reveal or the climactic ending. This book was a loving rollercoaster of a ride, and I honestly can't wait for Tobias and Bryan's story - especially not considering the snippets we've already had of the two of them.

This is a series that features previous couples, so I would suggest you read it as such, rather than a set of standalones. Absolutely brilliant and 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 26, 2024
  
BA
Blood and Ruin ( Book 1)
Rumer Hale | 2024
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
96 of 220
Kindle
Blood and Ruin (Book 1)
By Rumer Hale
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six years ago, my world was ripped from under me, and I was taken to Cardinal Three. A place where pain has been my endless companion.

Witches, demons, shifters and humans all live under one rule.

King's.

What he says goes.

So, trying to get the hell out of here hasn’t been easy.

No one leaves without his permission.

In fact, no one leaves at all...That is, alive.

But I have a plan.

One chance to get out of this nightmare once and for all.

One month is all I need.

One month to stay off King's radar and get the last few items needed for the spell I’ve been working on.

Shouldn’t be that hard...right?

But turns out King has his own plan. One that involves trading me off to the five shifters of Manhattan.

With King's ultimatum, I have no choice but to go through with it. But I’m still getting out of here, no matter what.

Or so I thought.

Turns out the five shifters are my mates…

And also, the boys I left behind six years ago.

Ok I’m not going to lie the first 10 chapters of this I actually kept rolling my eyes thinking it was going the same way many others in this genre go which is not a bad thing at all it’s just don’t think my mind was in the mood for it. BUT! Something said keep going and I did the last half of the book was just so good and maybe because I was a little distracted by what I thought would happen I just didn’t see it coming. Really good read in the end. I will say there are some pretty brutal things happening with the main MC so please check triggers.
  
Munchkin
Munchkin
2001 | Card Game, Fantasy, Fighting, Humor
A “Munchkin,” in gamer terms, is someone who is only out to better themselves with treasure and power at the expense of everyone else in their adventuring party. That rings so very true in the Munchkin line of games, as you are trying to be the first to gain 10th Level in a VERY loosely-based RPG setting. OG vanilla Munchkin (pictured above) was my first entry into hobby board gaming. Many many games later I ask myself: How has this system of games aged for me as my gaming tastes have changed? Let’s see.

In Munchkin games, you are trying to become the first player to reach 10th Level. That’s the goal. You take on the persona of a 1st Level basic human (no Starbucks jokes please) who will be adventuring with a party of your opponents through a dungeon. You will be kicking down doors, fighting monsters, placing curses on your fellow party members, and buffing yourself with cards featuring funny art and punny references. Your party mates are also trying to achieve 10th Level and will do everything they can to block your progress, so be prepared!

DISCLAIMER: This review is not for a specific game within the Munchkin universe, but for the system as a whole. All Munchkin games will pretty much use similar, if not exactly the same, rules to play the game with minor variations and different theming. I will be using The Good, The Bad, and The Munchkin for my review as it is one of the two versions I still own of the franchise. Also, I will not be detailing every rule in the book(s), but giving a brief overview of how the game plays. -T

Setup is easy: shuffle the deck of Door cards and the deck of Treasure cards. Deal cards to the players for their opening hands and keep the included die handy.

Your turn consists of just a few phases: Open a Door, Look for Trouble, Loot the Room, and Charity. To Open a Door, flip over the top card of the Door deck. If it is a monster you must fight it or run. If not a monster, you can move on to the next phase. If it IS a monster, prepare for combat. Combat is simple in that you add up all your bonuses from your gear cards you have attached to your character and try to beat the strength of the monster. Your party mates can screw with you during combat by adding strength to the monster or adding monsters to the fight to make it a more difficult encounter. If you win, you gain a Level on the spot. Some monsters are worth even more than one Level. If you did not encounter a monster, you will add the non-monster card you drew to your hand and you may Look for Trouble by playing a monster card from your hand to initiate a combat. This fight will work the same way and you will be susceptible to pile-ons as before. You may Loot the Room if you defeated a monster on your turn by drawing Treasure cards equal to the printed reward on the bottom of the monster card you defeated. If you defeated the monster yourself, unaided, these are drawn in secret. If you were given help by your mates then you may have to split up the loot per any agreements made. These cards are usually very advantageous to you so they are usually very valuable to others as they attempt to steal away your goods. If you did not fight a monster yet this turn, you may draw another secret card from the Door deck to add to your hand. Should your hand size climb above your limit (dictated by your Race card, if any) you will slide into the Charity phase to relieve your hand of extra cards. Give all excess cards to the player of lowest Level, or split them among those that share the lowest Level. It is now the next player’s turn and you continue play until someone reaches 10th Level.

Components. It’s a bunch of cards and one die. The cards are of okay quality. Nothing to write home about. The die is nice with one of the faces having the Munchkin logo head imprinted on it. It will also have a color scheme that matches the version of Munchkin you are playing, so it’s easy to match them back up if they become integrated with each other. Overall, the components are fine, but not wonderful. That’s probably why these are pretty inexpensive to purchase.

Okay, so like I said earlier the original vanilla Munchkin was the first hobby board game I ever purchased. My friends and family had no idea hobby games existed, so there was actually a pretty steep learning curve for us. Once we figured it out, however, we began to play it a ton and really love it! The cards are cute, the game play is pretty easy if you have played hobby games before, and the puns kept us rolling for a good while. There was a time when I owned every version of Munchkin in circulation and we never even played half of them. Seeing this I got rid of them through BGG Auctions. I have The Good, The Bad, and The Munchkin and Munchkin Zombies right now and I feel that will be plenty for me from here on out – unless they make a Doctor Who or Firefly set or something /*checks warehouse23 to find out if these are available/.

Do I still love Munchkin? No, not really. I LIKE it, but I don’t really want to play it all the time any more. Why? Well, as my gamer experience increases and I level up, my game tastes also level up. I see why people enjoy and even love this game system. I myself loved it for a time. But there are better games out there that accomplish the same feelings without being as sophomoric and have better choices to be made. Will I still play these games? Heck yeah! If someone asks to play a Munchkin game I am all in. I have different tastes and preferences now, but I’m no snob. Just come prepared, because I won’t go easy on you.

We at Purple Phoenix Games give this family of titles a backstabby 16 / 24.
  
The Next to Die
The Next to Die
Sophie Hannah | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
7
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
OK, I won't lie, this was a really strange book. But, I also found it oddly captivating. I didn't realize until I started it--my mistake--that this was book #10 in a series. I am not a fan of picking up mid-series, though Goodreads tells me I read books #1 and #3 a while back. And I do somewhat remember Simon Waterhouse. Still, I felt like an outsider looking in somewhat, and I bet I would have enjoyed this one more if I knew more of the backstory of Simon, his wife, Charlie, and their investigative team.

However, the mystery here stands alone, and while it's bizarre (I can guarantee the motive in this one will be one of the most strange and enjoyable you'll have seen in quite some time), it's compelling and even funny. The story unfolds from the point of view of Kim, who is telling things via a self-written true crime book that details her involvement in the Billy Dead Mates murder investigation. Then we get Simon and Charlie's view of the Billy investigation. And, finally, the writings of a rather crazed feminist reporter named Sondra Halliday who claims Billy is killing women due to misogynist reasons.

It all culminates in a detailed yet surprisingly suspenseful story--Kim is center stage, but also a suspect in some ways. She's a bitter, funny comedian, and I really liked her character. Hannah captures interactions well, and I enjoyed both Kim and grumpy yet brilliant Simon. The whole book was very different for a thriller, but oddly enjoyable too. There were definitely times when I wished things would hurry along; there's a side plot where Charlie obsesses about her sister, which just seems annoying, and some of Sondra's rants are just a bit too much. Still, it's easy to get caught up in the story, especially Kim's book and Charlie and Simon's investigation. The format is different but engaging.

Overall, while this one was a little strange and slow, I did enjoy it. Hannah is a great writer, and her characters are vivid, flawed, and humorous. The plot is definitely different, but it will draw you in. 3.5+ stars.
  
Where Nerves End (Tucker Springs #1)
Where Nerves End (Tucker Springs #1)
L.A. Witt | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
warm and fuzzies, people, warm and fuzzies!
Independent review for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Jason is faced with two choices: an increase in pain medication, or a visit to the acupuncturist his friend keeps recommending. He opts for the latter to relieve his shoulder pain, but it is costly. Finding out Michael was also struggling financially, Jason suggests they become room mates, since Jason has room. Jason just never factored in the attraction he has for Michael, especially since Michael is straight, right?

Warm and fuzzies, right here! I really enjoyed this! I mean, I must have. I went to bed to read a few pages before sleep and 90 minutes later, I'm done! One late night sitting and I made a new shelf for them too!

My only niggle is that only Jason has a say! Even though it;s first person, I think if Michael had been given a voice, this would have been a 5 star read. Michael does go against his feelings. Well, not really AGAINST them, more he lets his TRUE feelings free and I wanted to ear from him at key points along the way. There were many of them, too, but mostly his first meeting with Jason; when Michael does what he does to set Jason off and the bits in between, when they are fighting the attraction so bloody hard it made my teeth hurt!

It's not really a Happy Ever After ending, either, at least I didn't think so. Oh they get together and announce it to every one and they are happy, I just feel there might be more to come from these guys! Is there?? I hope so!

This appears to be the first book in a series written by (that I can see) 3 different authors, set in Tucker Springs which is the series name. I'd certainly read more of them, by Witt especially. Her book "Nine Tenths of The Law" spurned a new shelf too, "too stinking cute". I'd quite happily read other books in the series, just to see who pops up along the way!

So, ONLY because Michael doesn't get a voice

4 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Book Review | Boys Don't Cry: A Story of Love, Depression and Men by Tim Grayburn
Blurb
I have chronic depression and acute anxiety.

This means that sometimes without medication I can sink very deep and think about killing myself.

But it also means that most of the time I cam perfectly happy and I forgot it even exists.

I have recently begun to become proud of it.

Review
I haven't read much non-fiction books I'm always stuck in a fiction world. But when I saw this book I thought I want to read more about Mental Health with Mental Health Awareness Week coming up next week I thought why not.

This book is about Tim Grayburn a 'real man' who opens up and publish this book it about love, being diagnose with depression and acute anxiety. I feel this man is brave for sharing is struggles with mental illness.

It shows through hes life how he kept the secret for 8 years because he felt ashamed that he didn't feel like a man, so it got so worst that when he was aged 23 he had a nervous breakdown.He hide all this from hes work mates, family and friends for so long he put on a happy face to show people he was coping okay. But he kept having thoughts of his existence like who am I? Why am I here? What is life for? they kept repeating and playing over and over.

But I was happy that he found someone to settle down with and understand what he his going through and not run away. Now Tim is a father to his son Frank.

I love that he and Bryony made hes life into a award-winning show Fake it 'Til You Make It after he quit working in advertising what he was doing for 10 years.

Thank Tim for showing people who suffer with depression and anxiety that you can achieve amazing things like this show and your book.

*Thanks Hodder & Stoughton for sending me out this ARC copy of Boy's Don't Cry.