Search
Search results
Deborah (162 KP) rated A Lady Never Tells (Willowmere, #1) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I've really enjoyed some of Camp's previous books and I often think that in this genre books work best where they are in a series with some continuing characters, so I was looking forward to getting my teeth into the Willowmere series.
This is the first book in said series and although I didn't actively dislike it, I did find it a bit mediocre. A lot of plot elements seemed very reused and I always find the 'American girls coming over to England and catching eligible aristocratic batchelor' a bit too Mary-Sue-ish.
I didn't find it easy to like the heroine in this book all that much and it was difficult to see quite why the hero (who was likeable) would fall in love with her. Mary (or Marigold!) brings her sister to England to find their English family after their mother dies and they want to escape a somewhat unpleasant stepfather, but after this they all, but Mary in particular, do some pretty silly things. OK, they may not be up on British aristocratic ettiquette, but they seem to loose all common sense sometimes! Mary deliberately decides to conceal some important information and they go off on a jaunt whenever they feel like it, despite being attacked and suffering attempted abductions, and they seem to think it is unreasonable that the gentlemen taking responsibility for them want to try and stop them exposing themselves to danger!
Hopefully the next two books will be better.
This is the first book in said series and although I didn't actively dislike it, I did find it a bit mediocre. A lot of plot elements seemed very reused and I always find the 'American girls coming over to England and catching eligible aristocratic batchelor' a bit too Mary-Sue-ish.
I didn't find it easy to like the heroine in this book all that much and it was difficult to see quite why the hero (who was likeable) would fall in love with her. Mary (or Marigold!) brings her sister to England to find their English family after their mother dies and they want to escape a somewhat unpleasant stepfather, but after this they all, but Mary in particular, do some pretty silly things. OK, they may not be up on British aristocratic ettiquette, but they seem to loose all common sense sometimes! Mary deliberately decides to conceal some important information and they go off on a jaunt whenever they feel like it, despite being attacked and suffering attempted abductions, and they seem to think it is unreasonable that the gentlemen taking responsibility for them want to try and stop them exposing themselves to danger!
Hopefully the next two books will be better.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2440 KP) rated Death at the Salon in Books
Mar 31, 2021 (Updated Mar 31, 2021)
Murder Hits too Close to Home
Daisy Thorne is closing up her hair salon in the small British village of Edgemead one Saturday when she finds the dead body of one of her clients in the alley behind the shop. Worse yet, Daisy’s scissors are sticking out of the victim’s back. Naturally, suspicion falls on her, so Daisy has to figure out what really happened so she can clear her name. The big question comes down to who had access to steal Daisy’s scissors. Can she figure out who did it?
I enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was looking forward to revisiting the characters. I’m happy to say I found this one just as engaging. Because the action focuses on the salon this time, we get to know her employees better, and I really enjoyed that. The rest of the cast is back, and the suspects are strong. I also appreciated the fact that it is obvious the characters’ lives were progressing between books, a fun change from most series I read. I’m not sure if it was just me, but I did feel like the pacing was a little slow early on, but once the plot really got going, there were more than enough twists and surprises to make up for that. The climax was wonderful and kept those twists coming. If you enjoy a cozy set in England, you need to check out this series.
I enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was looking forward to revisiting the characters. I’m happy to say I found this one just as engaging. Because the action focuses on the salon this time, we get to know her employees better, and I really enjoyed that. The rest of the cast is back, and the suspects are strong. I also appreciated the fact that it is obvious the characters’ lives were progressing between books, a fun change from most series I read. I’m not sure if it was just me, but I did feel like the pacing was a little slow early on, but once the plot really got going, there were more than enough twists and surprises to make up for that. The climax was wonderful and kept those twists coming. If you enjoy a cozy set in England, you need to check out this series.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Abducted in Plain Sight (2017) in Movies
Apr 8, 2021
Now this one has to be seen to be believed! It is a short documentary film of about 90 minutes, not a series, but it plays like a longer episode of a series – except by the end there is no more to tell. In and out, thankfully! It is the story of Jan Broberg, a relatively successful Hollywood supporting actress, who wrote a book about her abduction by a close family friend when she was a child in the 70s. As the story unfolds, especially if you are a parent yourself, you will be screaming at the screen in total disbelief and indignation every ten minutes, and twice as loud at the end!
I can’t go into the details without ruining it, but suffice to say that the series of events is one of the strangest stories, fact or fiction, that I have ever heard! The audacity and total manipulation of the offender, in conjunction with the insane naivety of Jan and her parents is mind-blowing! How he got away with it in any way for longer than a day is unfathomable enough, but this was abuse that went on unpunished for years. Is it the bible belt attitude to blame? I am… still… scratching my head on this one! How did these events and crimes ever happen? Just, wow! Do yourself a favour if you want to be shocked and have a good rant at the TV, watch this and see for yourself.
I can’t go into the details without ruining it, but suffice to say that the series of events is one of the strangest stories, fact or fiction, that I have ever heard! The audacity and total manipulation of the offender, in conjunction with the insane naivety of Jan and her parents is mind-blowing! How he got away with it in any way for longer than a day is unfathomable enough, but this was abuse that went on unpunished for years. Is it the bible belt attitude to blame? I am… still… scratching my head on this one! How did these events and crimes ever happen? Just, wow! Do yourself a favour if you want to be shocked and have a good rant at the TV, watch this and see for yourself.
Merissa (13440 KP) rated Lay Me Down (Reveler #2) in Books
May 8, 2021 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)
We met Maisie during her sister's story and to be fair, she comes across as very light-hearted, whimsical, carefree, almost to the point of being irresponsible. However, as you read through her story you realise there is a lot more to Maisie than meets the eye. She is a wonderful character to read about and you will soon by smiling at the comments she makes or actions she takes. The provoking and prodding banter between her and Steve Coll as they get to know more about each other is very witty and warm to read. It soon moves from warm to hot though as they take things to the next level.
Without giving away any of the story, I will just say that this book manages to tell Maisie and Steve's story, continues with Jordan and Michael's as well as laying the way for the next books in the series. Pretty impressive for a novella!
An excellent continuation of the series and I would definitely recommend you read book 1, Darkness Falls, first as although it's not imperative, it will help you to understand certain levels of the story easier. Looking forward to more on this imaginative and unusual series.
* 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!
Without giving away any of the story, I will just say that this book manages to tell Maisie and Steve's story, continues with Jordan and Michael's as well as laying the way for the next books in the series. Pretty impressive for a novella!
An excellent continuation of the series and I would definitely recommend you read book 1, Darkness Falls, first as although it's not imperative, it will help you to understand certain levels of the story easier. Looking forward to more on this imaginative and unusual series.
* 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!
Merissa (13440 KP) rated Lantern (Danubian #1) in Books
Aug 16, 2023
LANTERN is the first book in the Danubian series, and we head to the future where we have gone back to the Dark Ages.
Wren has always known he would leave the Monastery and his lovers behind at some point, but when that time comes, he finds it harder than expected. Not only that, but the solitude of being high in the mountains with only a dog for company, is more than he can bear. Luckily for him, Uli comes along and it's a healthy dose of insta-love for both of them.
There is a lot of world-building and explanations of the spiritual side in this book, as you would expect from the first book in a series. I was enthralled by the descriptions of how life was, but would have liked more about Wren interacting with the villagers and trying to adjust to his new way of life, rather than his constant lamentations about being lonely. I would also have liked more descriptions of Ev and Soren and their relationship with Uli.
On the whole, though, this was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait to read the next in the series. 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!
Aug 16, 2023
Wren has always known he would leave the Monastery and his lovers behind at some point, but when that time comes, he finds it harder than expected. Not only that, but the solitude of being high in the mountains with only a dog for company, is more than he can bear. Luckily for him, Uli comes along and it's a healthy dose of insta-love for both of them.
There is a lot of world-building and explanations of the spiritual side in this book, as you would expect from the first book in a series. I was enthralled by the descriptions of how life was, but would have liked more about Wren interacting with the villagers and trying to adjust to his new way of life, rather than his constant lamentations about being lonely. I would also have liked more descriptions of Ev and Soren and their relationship with Uli.
On the whole, though, this was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait to read the next in the series. 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!
Aug 16, 2023
Merissa (13440 KP) rated Magic, Demons and the Hunter (Enchanted Ink #2) in Books
Aug 25, 2023
MAGIC, DEMONS AND THE HUNTER is part of the Enchanted Ink multi-author series and features Eliphas and Pierre, who we met in A SCENT LIKE NO OTHER, in the FATED MATES ANTHOLOGY.
This time, Mondo is also around. He is the third part of their triad, and the one Pierre and Eli thought was dead. He is very much alive but missing a chunk of memories, including those that would have sent him to Pierre and Eli.
While I love the coven and the triad in particular, I would have preferred to know more about their world and the demons they face. As it is part of a series, I did feel as though I'd missed out on some world-building by not having read book one yet.
The overall arc isn't over by a long shot and I look forward to reading more in this series and seeing other characters find their mates. I just hope I see more of Mondo, Pierre, and Eli, as they are fantastic characters that made me smile.
Hot, dangerous, flirtatious, honesty - it's all here and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 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!
Aug 14, 2023
This time, Mondo is also around. He is the third part of their triad, and the one Pierre and Eli thought was dead. He is very much alive but missing a chunk of memories, including those that would have sent him to Pierre and Eli.
While I love the coven and the triad in particular, I would have preferred to know more about their world and the demons they face. As it is part of a series, I did feel as though I'd missed out on some world-building by not having read book one yet.
The overall arc isn't over by a long shot and I look forward to reading more in this series and seeing other characters find their mates. I just hope I see more of Mondo, Pierre, and Eli, as they are fantastic characters that made me smile.
Hot, dangerous, flirtatious, honesty - it's all here and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 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!
Aug 14, 2023
Merissa (13440 KP) rated All of Me (Enhanced World Security #2) in Books
Mar 19, 2025
ALL OF ME is the second book in the Enhanced World Security series and follows on some months after the end of One Step Sideways so I absolutely recommend you read them in order! Shae is recovering slowly, Drake is still trying to avoid him, and everyone else is watching from the sidelines.
This was such a twisty-turny story I had to take my time, which I loved. Honestly, these men. You know already that Shae had a rough time of it growing up, but you get the full story of Drake's childhood too, and let me tell you, it's not pretty. Drake's concerns about him and Shae are valid, the same as Shae's about Drake, but I was rooting for them from the start. Add in Tammy, Maxie, Moira, Albert, Joe, and all the others, and I was sold.
This was an amazing story and a great addition to the series. I still need to read the first series, but I now want to even more. You don't have to have read those to enjoy these though. Take my word for it. Absolutely fantastic 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!
Mar 19, 2025
This was such a twisty-turny story I had to take my time, which I loved. Honestly, these men. You know already that Shae had a rough time of it growing up, but you get the full story of Drake's childhood too, and let me tell you, it's not pretty. Drake's concerns about him and Shae are valid, the same as Shae's about Drake, but I was rooting for them from the start. Add in Tammy, Maxie, Moira, Albert, Joe, and all the others, and I was sold.
This was an amazing story and a great addition to the series. I still need to read the first series, but I now want to even more. You don't have to have read those to enjoy these though. Take my word for it. Absolutely fantastic 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!
Mar 19, 2025
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated A Hero Born in Books
Sep 25, 2019
Great plot but translation isn't so good
Despite what you read on the covers (e.g. “It’s like Lord of the Rings”) ignore all of that. It’s nothing like it. There is no epic adventure to fight evil (at least not yet - this is the first book in the series). So before you get all disappointed in what the outside quotes say, completely disregard them.
Translation will always be an issue with these kinds of books. It’s hard to keep it true and coherent. Sometimes you get a good one that is completely comprehensible and makes the reading a journey well worth it. Then you get one like A Hero Born and it’s not the greatest translation. The writing style is dry and hard to get into. Sometimes it gets too descriptive, but other times it’s not descriptive enough. It can be a little long winded at times and it drags - I’m not too sure if that’s because of the run on writing style or the plot itself. Either way by the last third of the book it was getting to be tiresome.
Speaking of the plot, it was good! There’s plenty of action, a bit of intrigue here and there. If you don’t mind something akin to Chinese historical fiction movies with classic martial arts fighting then perhaps this is for you. There are small elements of political intrigue which keeps the story interesting, however keep in mind there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but luckily there is a cast of characters in the beginning of the novel so that should not be a problem. This isn’t a book to put down and turn back to later, this needs to be consistently read you will easily lose your place.
There’s also several plot arcs that happen throughout the novel so it’s best to keep track of them carefully. They are all intertwined at some point. It’s a great plot and if it wasn’t for the horrible writing/translation.
I don’t know if I could recommend this one to anyone. I would under normal circumstances but the writing just do the plot justice. It’s too bad, it would have been such a great series.
Translation will always be an issue with these kinds of books. It’s hard to keep it true and coherent. Sometimes you get a good one that is completely comprehensible and makes the reading a journey well worth it. Then you get one like A Hero Born and it’s not the greatest translation. The writing style is dry and hard to get into. Sometimes it gets too descriptive, but other times it’s not descriptive enough. It can be a little long winded at times and it drags - I’m not too sure if that’s because of the run on writing style or the plot itself. Either way by the last third of the book it was getting to be tiresome.
Speaking of the plot, it was good! There’s plenty of action, a bit of intrigue here and there. If you don’t mind something akin to Chinese historical fiction movies with classic martial arts fighting then perhaps this is for you. There are small elements of political intrigue which keeps the story interesting, however keep in mind there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but luckily there is a cast of characters in the beginning of the novel so that should not be a problem. This isn’t a book to put down and turn back to later, this needs to be consistently read you will easily lose your place.
There’s also several plot arcs that happen throughout the novel so it’s best to keep track of them carefully. They are all intertwined at some point. It’s a great plot and if it wasn’t for the horrible writing/translation.
I don’t know if I could recommend this one to anyone. I would under normal circumstances but the writing just do the plot justice. It’s too bad, it would have been such a great series.
Kelly (279 KP) rated The Magicians: Book 1 in Books
Nov 22, 2018
Harry Potter for grown ups
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was a fan of this book long before the TV series of the same name, and a firm believer that the book in this case is better than the screen. Unlike the TV series, the book comes across more intelligently and the characters are a lot more relatable. Lev Grossman uses popular fantasy books such as The Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter series for ideas for this novel, but adapts these childhood fantasies to an adult level.
Quentin, the main character within the novel is not your usual hero, being the high achieving teenager who could never quite best his peers, is fixated by a Narnia style story from his child hood (Fillory), which he could never quite overcome. The narrative shares Quentins journey from joining a magical college, making friends to early adulthood and finding that Fillory is real.
Despite the obvious links to other stories, Lev Grossman intelligently uses his story to explore a range of issues such as sexuality and depression, making his characters more relatable to the reader. The villains and events in the story are a lot more sinister than you might expect from a tale that combines so many of our childhood favourites, demonstrating Grossmans clever use in adult emotions. All of this succeeds in engaging the reader even further.
Although this was a book I enjoyed reading from start to finish, I did find the pace was a little fast at times, speeding from one time period in Quentins life to another. I realise that this is because Lev Grossman is portraying the events happening over the course of Quentins late teens and early twenties, but It did become a little frustrating as a reader.
The end of the plot was bitter sweet and did not follow the typical ‘all live happily ever after’ ending that you would expect from this type of tale. Ultimately the book ends on a cliff hanger and left me wanting to know more about what happened next. To me this makes the book a success.
Quentin, the main character within the novel is not your usual hero, being the high achieving teenager who could never quite best his peers, is fixated by a Narnia style story from his child hood (Fillory), which he could never quite overcome. The narrative shares Quentins journey from joining a magical college, making friends to early adulthood and finding that Fillory is real.
Despite the obvious links to other stories, Lev Grossman intelligently uses his story to explore a range of issues such as sexuality and depression, making his characters more relatable to the reader. The villains and events in the story are a lot more sinister than you might expect from a tale that combines so many of our childhood favourites, demonstrating Grossmans clever use in adult emotions. All of this succeeds in engaging the reader even further.
Although this was a book I enjoyed reading from start to finish, I did find the pace was a little fast at times, speeding from one time period in Quentins life to another. I realise that this is because Lev Grossman is portraying the events happening over the course of Quentins late teens and early twenties, but It did become a little frustrating as a reader.
The end of the plot was bitter sweet and did not follow the typical ‘all live happily ever after’ ending that you would expect from this type of tale. Ultimately the book ends on a cliff hanger and left me wanting to know more about what happened next. To me this makes the book a success.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 3 in TV
Jul 8, 2017
Faith (5 more)
Doppelgangland
Wish
Umbrella scene
Band Candy
Mr Trick
The Zeppo (1 more)
Dead man party
Another amazing season to an amazing show
Some amazing episode in this series also the introduction to Faith and Anya can't be over looked they were both amazing editions to the show." As usal the quotes where outstanding.
"You know what? I was wrong. You are an idiot. My life happens to, on occasion, suck beyond the telling of it. Sometimes more than I can handle. And it's not just mine. Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're too busy with their own"
I loved Band Candy and a great introduction to Jane Epson on the buffy writing team.
I think everyone got a little misty eyes watching Buffy get her umberlla award at prom.
Only reason this didnt get a 10 from me is because my most hated buffy episode is the Zeppo athough Xander is one of my favorite charcter that epsidose reallt bored me and im not a zombie fan so dead man party was also not to my taste
"You know what? I was wrong. You are an idiot. My life happens to, on occasion, suck beyond the telling of it. Sometimes more than I can handle. And it's not just mine. Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're too busy with their own"
I loved Band Candy and a great introduction to Jane Epson on the buffy writing team.
I think everyone got a little misty eyes watching Buffy get her umberlla award at prom.
Only reason this didnt get a 10 from me is because my most hated buffy episode is the Zeppo athough Xander is one of my favorite charcter that epsidose reallt bored me and im not a zombie fan so dead man party was also not to my taste