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Merissa (13770 KP) rated The Ostin Prince (Isle of Ostin #2) in Books
Aug 6, 2023
THE OSTIN PRINCE is the second book in the Isle of Ostin series. Theo and Pax just want to be left alone, but the press has other ideas. During a skirmish, Theo and Pax are rescued by none other than the cousin Theo used to play with, Arbor. Zeke, who has been staying with Theo and Pax, finds himself entranced by this no-filter Ostin, who thinks he is darkness personified, when all Zeke can see is his light.
The overall story arc moves along nicely in Arbor and Zeke's story, whilst still giving the reader the full enjoyment of their story. Both Zeke and Arbor see themselves one way, but the other sees them completely differently. It was nice seeing a softer side to Arbor, as he is usually the one who runs his mouth off - for comedic effect at times.
The Ostins so far all have a protector side that comes into full force when it involves the ones they care about. I loved seeing this.
A great addition to the series and I look forward to the next book!
** 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!
Aug 5, 2023
The overall story arc moves along nicely in Arbor and Zeke's story, whilst still giving the reader the full enjoyment of their story. Both Zeke and Arbor see themselves one way, but the other sees them completely differently. It was nice seeing a softer side to Arbor, as he is usually the one who runs his mouth off - for comedic effect at times.
The Ostins so far all have a protector side that comes into full force when it involves the ones they care about. I loved seeing this.
A great addition to the series and I look forward to the next book!
** 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!
Aug 5, 2023
Merissa (13770 KP) rated Divine Ecstasy (Guardians of the Realms #8) in Books
May 26, 2023
Sacha is the second female to get her mate (Brianne and Vane) and she gets a fully-fledged God in Hades. She is lying in a coma when he realises, so he does the only thing a God can do, and wakes her up! Drake is none too chuffed with this turn of events and it is down to P to try and explain the importance of why Sacha needs to choose for herself.
Can I just say, I loved Hades! Even since I watched Disney's Hercules with my daughters, I couldn't help but see Hades like this in my mind! Let me just say though, that Setta Jay's Hades is nothing like this! He is gorgeous, caring, proactive, and yes, just a little bit arrogant. He is a God though, so give him a break.
Sacha and Hades make the perfect couple. He is understanding of her and tries to help with her recovery. Sacha rounds Hades out and smooths his arrogant edges. Love them.
Hot, sexy, funny, action-packed - Divine Ecstasy is a fantastic addition to the Guardians of the Realms series, and I can't wait for P's book and Sirena's!!!
* 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!
Mar 7, 2016
Can I just say, I loved Hades! Even since I watched Disney's Hercules with my daughters, I couldn't help but see Hades like this in my mind! Let me just say though, that Setta Jay's Hades is nothing like this! He is gorgeous, caring, proactive, and yes, just a little bit arrogant. He is a God though, so give him a break.
Sacha and Hades make the perfect couple. He is understanding of her and tries to help with her recovery. Sacha rounds Hades out and smooths his arrogant edges. Love them.
Hot, sexy, funny, action-packed - Divine Ecstasy is a fantastic addition to the Guardians of the Realms series, and I can't wait for P's book and Sirena's!!!
* 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!
Mar 7, 2016
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2484 KP) rated Murder in the Tattoo Parlor in Books
Jul 30, 2025
Murder Leaves a Permanent Mark
Francine and Charlotte have agree to go with Joy to her appointment to get a tattoo. Yes, it’s on Joy’s bucket list, but she’s not so sure she’ll actually follow through. They show up for the late-night appointment only to find the tattoo artist dead. The new police chief wants them to stay far away from the case, but Francine can’t help but start investigating. Her biggest surprise is that none of her friends seems that interested in helping with the case since they all have their own distractions. Can Francine figure out what happened?
I thought this series had concluded years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the authors have self-published a couple of additional entries. I’d forgotten about a storyline that enters the paranormal realm that I wasn’t a fan of, yet I’m curious where it is going in the next in the series. While the plot started well, Francine spends a lot of time going in circles. Parts are obvious early, yet the climax still feels rushed. On the other hand, I still enjoy the characters and liked spending time with them again. I’ll probably pick up the next just to see where the story is going. The authors do have me curious about that.
I thought this series had concluded years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the authors have self-published a couple of additional entries. I’d forgotten about a storyline that enters the paranormal realm that I wasn’t a fan of, yet I’m curious where it is going in the next in the series. While the plot started well, Francine spends a lot of time going in circles. Parts are obvious early, yet the climax still feels rushed. On the other hand, I still enjoy the characters and liked spending time with them again. I’ll probably pick up the next just to see where the story is going. The authors do have me curious about that.
Merissa (13770 KP) rated When You Burn Me (Enchanted Hearts #1) in Books
Jan 29, 2025
WHEN YOU BURN ME is the first book in the Enchanted Hearts series with Sienna and Damon leading the way.
Sienna is a light witch in a small but powerful coven, who is one of the last guardians of a key which keeps a powerful dark witch locked up. Damon is the half-breed son of the prisoner, who is only alive because the dark coven is saving him for his 'mother'. When she is free, she will take his power which will also kill him. Obviously, Damon's none too keen on her being freed.
This was a great story with plenty of side characters to help give it some flavour. One of my favourites was Morrigan, a sassy and sometimes grumpy light witch who can cause death by the simple touch of her hand. One of the characters I didn't like so much was Terra, Sienna's aunt. I kept waiting for her to grow on me but it never happened.
A good start to a new series that I definitely recommend, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
** 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!
Jan 29, 2025
Sienna is a light witch in a small but powerful coven, who is one of the last guardians of a key which keeps a powerful dark witch locked up. Damon is the half-breed son of the prisoner, who is only alive because the dark coven is saving him for his 'mother'. When she is free, she will take his power which will also kill him. Obviously, Damon's none too keen on her being freed.
This was a great story with plenty of side characters to help give it some flavour. One of my favourites was Morrigan, a sassy and sometimes grumpy light witch who can cause death by the simple touch of her hand. One of the characters I didn't like so much was Terra, Sienna's aunt. I kept waiting for her to grow on me but it never happened.
A good start to a new series that I definitely recommend, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
** 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!
Jan 29, 2025
The Demons of Wychwood
7.0
Rate It
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London 1860 Felix Lazarus - I suppose you could say I was a voyeur and what I was doing was wrong,...
MM Historical Romance
Merissa (13770 KP) rated The Schoolmaster's Daughter in Books
Apr 24, 2025
THE SCHOOLMASTER'S DAUGHTER is a gentle and genteel story of mistaken identity and the amusing shenanigans that follow.
Julius is neck-deep in debt and has come up with a plan to marry an heiress to get himself out of it. When a friend tells him of an heiress in Bath, far from the London crowd that knows of his predicament, he travels there and tries to win her hand. Unfortunately for him, the woman he presumes is the companion is actually an heiress herself and none too pleased with his plan. So Lydia decides to teach him a lesson, all of which leads to an amusing story of brightly coloured fashion disasters and wayward children.
This story is well-paced and treads lightly on topics such as generational debt, forced elopement, blackmail, and poverty. It made for a great read to see Lydia's feelings of guilt make themselves known once she started to have feelings for Julius. It is a sweet read, with no spice, that perfectly suited the cooked-up scheme between Julius and Lydia.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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 18, 2025
Julius is neck-deep in debt and has come up with a plan to marry an heiress to get himself out of it. When a friend tells him of an heiress in Bath, far from the London crowd that knows of his predicament, he travels there and tries to win her hand. Unfortunately for him, the woman he presumes is the companion is actually an heiress herself and none too pleased with his plan. So Lydia decides to teach him a lesson, all of which leads to an amusing story of brightly coloured fashion disasters and wayward children.
This story is well-paced and treads lightly on topics such as generational debt, forced elopement, blackmail, and poverty. It made for a great read to see Lydia's feelings of guilt make themselves known once she started to have feelings for Julius. It is a sweet read, with no spice, that perfectly suited the cooked-up scheme between Julius and Lydia.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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 18, 2025
The third of Bernard Cornwell's 5 so-called 'Sailing Thrillers' (comprising 'Wildtrack', 'Sea Lord', this one, 'Stormchild' and 'Scoundrel'), none of which ever really resonated as much with me - or, presumably, the author himself since the last of these was written in 1992! - as his more famous Sharpe series about a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars, or the Uhtred of Bebbanburg (also sometimes called The Saxon Stories) series, set in and around the time of Alfred the Great.
As with all the other sailing thrillers by the author, this is far more contemporaneous set: here, we're in the late 1980s, early 90s (I believe this was written in 1990), with this being set in and around the Bahamas where - like nearly all of Cornwell's other characters in just about any of his books - the main protagonist is an outcast of sorts: here, by their own choice, turning their back on their rich and famous father to spend their time sailing instead.
Hired by a rich senator for a convalescent cruise for said senator's drug-addict children, what starts out as a simple job soon turns anything but when Nick Breakspear and his small crew run foul of drug smugglers, leading to an action-packed finale - it's just a pity it took so long to actually get there, I felt!
As with all the other sailing thrillers by the author, this is far more contemporaneous set: here, we're in the late 1980s, early 90s (I believe this was written in 1990), with this being set in and around the Bahamas where - like nearly all of Cornwell's other characters in just about any of his books - the main protagonist is an outcast of sorts: here, by their own choice, turning their back on their rich and famous father to spend their time sailing instead.
Hired by a rich senator for a convalescent cruise for said senator's drug-addict children, what starts out as a simple job soon turns anything but when Nick Breakspear and his small crew run foul of drug smugglers, leading to an action-packed finale - it's just a pity it took so long to actually get there, I felt!
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Next Right Thing: A Novel in Books
Jan 15, 2018
I won a copy of this book from First Reads on Goodreads.
First of all I have to say that it wasn't bad or good...more of an okay read. There was action & drama. There was a whole host of characters, but the downside to that in my opinion is that none of them were all that well developed with the exception of Randy the main character. His girlfriend MP, seemed important at the beginning of the book, but then she pretty much disappeared. I cound Troy & Emma to be the most fascinating characters, but they weren't developed to the extent that they could've been.
The book tells the story of ex-cop Randy Chalmers, who is now a highly in demand home builder & recovering alcoholic. One day his mentor Terry turns up long dead in a hotel room of an apparent heroin overdose in a seedy motel room. The catch is, Terry had been clean upwards of 15 years. So the former detective in Randy takes over when he begins to doubt that a simple O.D. is how he best friend died. In the course of his not so under the radar investigation, he stumbles across something much bigger & finds that his friend is smack in the middle of it.
The story was a promising idea that wasn't brought to it's fullest potential. It was a fast, okay read, but not one that I find myself dying to share with someone.
First of all I have to say that it wasn't bad or good...more of an okay read. There was action & drama. There was a whole host of characters, but the downside to that in my opinion is that none of them were all that well developed with the exception of Randy the main character. His girlfriend MP, seemed important at the beginning of the book, but then she pretty much disappeared. I cound Troy & Emma to be the most fascinating characters, but they weren't developed to the extent that they could've been.
The book tells the story of ex-cop Randy Chalmers, who is now a highly in demand home builder & recovering alcoholic. One day his mentor Terry turns up long dead in a hotel room of an apparent heroin overdose in a seedy motel room. The catch is, Terry had been clean upwards of 15 years. So the former detective in Randy takes over when he begins to doubt that a simple O.D. is how he best friend died. In the course of his not so under the radar investigation, he stumbles across something much bigger & finds that his friend is smack in the middle of it.
The story was a promising idea that wasn't brought to it's fullest potential. It was a fast, okay read, but not one that I find myself dying to share with someone.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2484 KP) rated True Fiction in Books
Apr 20, 2018
I Truly Enjoyed This Book, and that’s Not Fiction
When terrorists take control of a plane leaving Hawaii and crash it into the island, the entire country is horrified. But none more so than thriller writer Ian Ludlow. You see, he had suggested just the twist on 9/11 that happened here to the CIA a few years back during a brainstorming session to help them come up with worst case scenarios. Within a few hours, Ian is certain that the CIA is out to kill him to silence him. Using every trick in the book – tricks he knows thanks to the books he’s written, Ian flees from his book tour in Seattle with his author escort, Margo French. Will the two be able to survive?
This book doesn’t waste a minute throwing us into this thrill ride and never lets up until we reach the climax. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next, and the book manages to wink at a few clinches of the genre along the way. Ian and Margo were good characters, and another we meet along the way walks the fine line of being a caricature without being unbelievable. Since this is a thriller, there is a bit more language, violence, and sex than in the books I normally read. There is plenty of humor here to help ease the tension. I already can’t wait for the sequel.
This book doesn’t waste a minute throwing us into this thrill ride and never lets up until we reach the climax. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next, and the book manages to wink at a few clinches of the genre along the way. Ian and Margo were good characters, and another we meet along the way walks the fine line of being a caricature without being unbelievable. Since this is a thriller, there is a bit more language, violence, and sex than in the books I normally read. There is plenty of humor here to help ease the tension. I already can’t wait for the sequel.