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Dana (24 KP) rated The Raven King in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I am actually giving this a 4.5-5 Star review.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series. I have loved and lost characters and little bits of my heart and soul because of it.
This series, but specifically this book, is just so beautifully written. Every moment is circular in the end. Each character is written with so much care, affection, and love that it breaks my heart.
Maggie Stiefvater is a poet as well as an author. There were so many passages in this book that I underlined as being so beautiful. I cried a lot because of the writing style, in a good way.
Many of the event in this book had been foretold in the previous books, which I thought was cool. Even though we knew what was going to happen, we didn't exactly know how it would happen, so that was surprising and a lot of fun.
Henry Cheng was a surprising character to say the least. I didn't know how I felt about him at first, but he started to grow on me. (As Ronan would probably say, "like a fungus" because he's a smartass like that.)
***THE REST OF THIS WILL HAVE SPOILERS IN IT SO BE WARNED***
I loved how my ships were resolved in the end. I didn't want anyone to be hurt or to be alone, and they weren't. Blue and Gansey are just so freaking cute together because they are so opposite! And Ronan and Adam are just hilarious in their interactions. They just seem so angry at each other so often.
I was really sad, but also understanding, of how Noah had to move on. I just thought he was so sweet, but it was his time.
Also, the whole mess with Glendower himself was not easily predictable at all, at least for me. I did not see that one coming. Their whole quest was for not, but they ended up better for it anyway.
Orphan Girl is also so adorable. I love how much like Ronan she is, especially in her temper.
Cabeswater being from Ronan, that was a twist. Also, loved how he is going to dream another one!!
I just love this book so much and even though I know it has to end, I don't want it to.
Sorry if this got a bit rambly and weird, I just have so many emotions about this book!!
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series. I have loved and lost characters and little bits of my heart and soul because of it.
This series, but specifically this book, is just so beautifully written. Every moment is circular in the end. Each character is written with so much care, affection, and love that it breaks my heart.
Maggie Stiefvater is a poet as well as an author. There were so many passages in this book that I underlined as being so beautiful. I cried a lot because of the writing style, in a good way.
Many of the event in this book had been foretold in the previous books, which I thought was cool. Even though we knew what was going to happen, we didn't exactly know how it would happen, so that was surprising and a lot of fun.
Henry Cheng was a surprising character to say the least. I didn't know how I felt about him at first, but he started to grow on me. (As Ronan would probably say, "like a fungus" because he's a smartass like that.)
***THE REST OF THIS WILL HAVE SPOILERS IN IT SO BE WARNED***
I loved how my ships were resolved in the end. I didn't want anyone to be hurt or to be alone, and they weren't. Blue and Gansey are just so freaking cute together because they are so opposite! And Ronan and Adam are just hilarious in their interactions. They just seem so angry at each other so often.
I was really sad, but also understanding, of how Noah had to move on. I just thought he was so sweet, but it was his time.
Also, the whole mess with Glendower himself was not easily predictable at all, at least for me. I did not see that one coming. Their whole quest was for not, but they ended up better for it anyway.
Orphan Girl is also so adorable. I love how much like Ronan she is, especially in her temper.
Cabeswater being from Ronan, that was a twist. Also, loved how he is going to dream another one!!
I just love this book so much and even though I know it has to end, I don't want it to.
Sorry if this got a bit rambly and weird, I just have so many emotions about this book!!
Debbiereadsbook (1647 KP) rated Christmas Mafia Prince (The Naughty List) in Books
Nov 24, 2025
dark, nutty and so flipping cute!
Independent reviewer for GRR, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is part of The Naughty List series, the first one published. If they are all as good as this, I'm ALL in!
This book, right? It's freaking nuts and sexy and dark and deadly, and yes, I tagged it too stinking cute, because it is!
Damen wants to join the annual Christmas family hunt. he can't, because he isn't married. Well, he'll show his father, right? And the perfect opportunity lands, quite literally, in his lap, in the space of Killian. Killian really has no idea what just happened, but now he's on a luxury jet, fake married to the sexiest man he ever saw and heading for something he isn't quite sure he will fit into.
This book is dark and deadly. The Hunt they are doing? Enemies kept alive for this sole purpose. But Killian doesn't know that, at first. When he finds out, he's shocked, yes but it then explains a lot. Damen is assassin for his family.
It's smexy, oh so VERY smexy! The chemistry between these two is scorching hawt and burns strong and high, right through the book.
It's cute, because Damen is smitten with his husband, almost from the very first meeting and more so, when Killian stands up to Damen's father. And when Killian does what he does before The Hunt?? Oooofff that man is turned the fluff on! But it's not just the smexy bits with Damen. He really does thing Killian is The One,even if it started as a fake thing.
But the best bit?? I couldn't see where this was going for a long time! And I loved that. Obviously I knew it would go belly up at some point, but I couldn't see it coming and I did NOT see what the rather jealous brother was doing!!
AND!!!!!!!!!!!! First person, present tense, mulit point of view! Didn't even notice til I was writing this up!
I have listened to some KA Merikan, I love the Wrong Side of the Tracks series and this book has all those hallmarks of starting an amazing series with some very interesting characters, Corvus and Aspen especially!
5 full and slightly deranged but so bloody good, stars!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is part of The Naughty List series, the first one published. If they are all as good as this, I'm ALL in!
This book, right? It's freaking nuts and sexy and dark and deadly, and yes, I tagged it too stinking cute, because it is!
Damen wants to join the annual Christmas family hunt. he can't, because he isn't married. Well, he'll show his father, right? And the perfect opportunity lands, quite literally, in his lap, in the space of Killian. Killian really has no idea what just happened, but now he's on a luxury jet, fake married to the sexiest man he ever saw and heading for something he isn't quite sure he will fit into.
This book is dark and deadly. The Hunt they are doing? Enemies kept alive for this sole purpose. But Killian doesn't know that, at first. When he finds out, he's shocked, yes but it then explains a lot. Damen is assassin for his family.
It's smexy, oh so VERY smexy! The chemistry between these two is scorching hawt and burns strong and high, right through the book.
It's cute, because Damen is smitten with his husband, almost from the very first meeting and more so, when Killian stands up to Damen's father. And when Killian does what he does before The Hunt?? Oooofff that man is turned the fluff on! But it's not just the smexy bits with Damen. He really does thing Killian is The One,even if it started as a fake thing.
But the best bit?? I couldn't see where this was going for a long time! And I loved that. Obviously I knew it would go belly up at some point, but I couldn't see it coming and I did NOT see what the rather jealous brother was doing!!
AND!!!!!!!!!!!! First person, present tense, mulit point of view! Didn't even notice til I was writing this up!
I have listened to some KA Merikan, I love the Wrong Side of the Tracks series and this book has all those hallmarks of starting an amazing series with some very interesting characters, Corvus and Aspen especially!
5 full and slightly deranged but so bloody good, stars!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Fifty Shades of Grey in Books
Jul 10, 2018
I thought this book was an entertaining read. I started hearing about these books a couple weeks ago and I thought I would give them a try. This is one of those guilty pleasure reads. The basic premise of this book is that a rich man wants to make a non rich virgin his submissive. It is something that many women fantasize about but in real life would be terrifying. The rich man (Christian) is a stalker, but because he has money then it is fine.
The characters are easy to relate to. I found that the main character (Ana) held a lot of insecurities that many of us are scared to admit. With that said, I quickly became tired of "Oh My..." and "My inner goddess" being repeated over and over and over.
A lot of people are dwelling on the fact that the Ana was scared of Christian. But in all honesty, if someone new into the lifestyle is not scared than they do not know the full weight of what is involved in BDSM.
I think that this book has eased the reader into the world of BDSM. It is very witty and I found at times that I was laughing.
The writing skills were not extremely good. It felt that the author kept looking up words in the thesaurus and it did not seem to flow extremely well.
All in all, the book was entertaining and witty. I will continue on in the series.
The characters are easy to relate to. I found that the main character (Ana) held a lot of insecurities that many of us are scared to admit. With that said, I quickly became tired of "Oh My..." and "My inner goddess" being repeated over and over and over.
A lot of people are dwelling on the fact that the Ana was scared of Christian. But in all honesty, if someone new into the lifestyle is not scared than they do not know the full weight of what is involved in BDSM.
I think that this book has eased the reader into the world of BDSM. It is very witty and I found at times that I was laughing.
The writing skills were not extremely good. It felt that the author kept looking up words in the thesaurus and it did not seem to flow extremely well.
All in all, the book was entertaining and witty. I will continue on in the series.
Merissa (13742 KP) rated Origin Exposed (Descended of Dragons #2) in Books
Apr 19, 2023
I was chomping on the bit to have this story and see where things would take Stella, Gresham and Ewan, and boy was I NOT disappointed!
There are once again, more plot twists and turns than you can shake a stick at, with the action coming thick and fast. Every page is completely imbued with emotions, whether it is sadness or joy. There were times when I thought my own heart was breaking and it wasn't even one of the main characters!
As for Stella, Gresham and Ewan themselves - Stella has a lot on her plate in this book. She does insist on keeping secrets from those who care about her, which isn't altogether surprising as she keeps being told not to say anything to anyone. To be honest, I was a bit surprised at the reaction to Gresham. It's not like anything he has said or done has been that well hidden so it took me a while to understand her 'over-reaction'. To be fair though, I'm more than happy with how things are turning out with Ewan! Can I just add though, that since Jen has proven herself to be a wicked author, I'm not banking on anything with anyone until I see it in print! ;)
An excellent continuation of the series and I really can't wait for more. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Oct 23, 2015
There are once again, more plot twists and turns than you can shake a stick at, with the action coming thick and fast. Every page is completely imbued with emotions, whether it is sadness or joy. There were times when I thought my own heart was breaking and it wasn't even one of the main characters!
As for Stella, Gresham and Ewan themselves - Stella has a lot on her plate in this book. She does insist on keeping secrets from those who care about her, which isn't altogether surprising as she keeps being told not to say anything to anyone. To be honest, I was a bit surprised at the reaction to Gresham. It's not like anything he has said or done has been that well hidden so it took me a while to understand her 'over-reaction'. To be fair though, I'm more than happy with how things are turning out with Ewan! Can I just add though, that since Jen has proven herself to be a wicked author, I'm not banking on anything with anyone until I see it in print! ;)
An excellent continuation of the series and I really can't wait for more. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Oct 23, 2015
Louise (64 KP) rated Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick in Books
Jul 2, 2018
When I saw this making the rounds on booktube, I thought I must read it, it sounds amazing and nothing I have never read before. It appears graphic novels and comics are popular once again.
First of all I want to mention just how amazing the artwork in this book is and the colours are so pretty as can be seen above.
I had to read this twice as I just wasn't sure first time round, I took my time reading this once again and I stand by my initial thoughts that this book is ok but could be better.
The story just jumps all over the place, you will be reading about current happenings and then it will jump to the future and I was just like huh! whats going on? and getting very confused! (it's not difficult)
I didn't feel any connection with the main characters John and Suze they just meet at a party have sex, realise they can both stop time and John reminiscing on the first time he realised he could do it.
The premise of the books sounds great and had me hooked but it was just ok. - John and Suze find that they can both stop time when they climax, so they make a plan to rob the bank to fund the library that is closing down.
There is also a part that refers to all women in the sex industry must have been abused in there younger days which I found very stereotypical, not funny and could be offensive to some readers.
Also there is sex police! Yes you heard me right! SEX POLICE!!
The humour on this novel was very crude or could be called 'Bathroom humour,' there is a lot of sexual content and pictures so if you are easily offended this is not the book for you.
So overall this book was just MEH! It had it pro's but unfortunately was outweighed by the cons. I am not sure if I will be continuing on with this series, I think I need to see what other people think first.
I rate this 3 out of 5 stars.
First of all I want to mention just how amazing the artwork in this book is and the colours are so pretty as can be seen above.
I had to read this twice as I just wasn't sure first time round, I took my time reading this once again and I stand by my initial thoughts that this book is ok but could be better.
The story just jumps all over the place, you will be reading about current happenings and then it will jump to the future and I was just like huh! whats going on? and getting very confused! (it's not difficult)
I didn't feel any connection with the main characters John and Suze they just meet at a party have sex, realise they can both stop time and John reminiscing on the first time he realised he could do it.
The premise of the books sounds great and had me hooked but it was just ok. - John and Suze find that they can both stop time when they climax, so they make a plan to rob the bank to fund the library that is closing down.
There is also a part that refers to all women in the sex industry must have been abused in there younger days which I found very stereotypical, not funny and could be offensive to some readers.
Also there is sex police! Yes you heard me right! SEX POLICE!!
The humour on this novel was very crude or could be called 'Bathroom humour,' there is a lot of sexual content and pictures so if you are easily offended this is not the book for you.
So overall this book was just MEH! It had it pro's but unfortunately was outweighed by the cons. I am not sure if I will be continuing on with this series, I think I need to see what other people think first.
I rate this 3 out of 5 stars.
Lindsay (1793 KP) rated The Dan Diaries in Books
Aug 30, 2018
In the Dan Dairies we get to see Dan’s POV. It in point of view that we see how it is for him and his friend Frank. It mostly the journey of Dan and how he helps his loves one and including Hank.
It starts out with Dan and transition. What he needs to do and help the main man up head and what need to direct one person path to her destiny. Will Dan succeed or will he not? To me this is more a summary of the 3 books that are before this one. It goes over summary of some of the big events that Hank has to deal with and Dan having to convince Hank (Olivia Henry).
Frank is a part of this, with Dan is it mostly about Dan and though his point of view. If you have not read the Beyond Trilogy. This is only the summary of it. This really concludes the series and helps define some of the holes or to see Dan and his view point. If you want the story and details of Olivia and Finn story, you will need to read Beyond Trilogy - books, Beyond Believing, Beyond Love, Beyond Forever.
The author does a really good job of this. She really show the Dan’s life in the afterlife and his point of view well.
It starts out with Dan and transition. What he needs to do and help the main man up head and what need to direct one person path to her destiny. Will Dan succeed or will he not? To me this is more a summary of the 3 books that are before this one. It goes over summary of some of the big events that Hank has to deal with and Dan having to convince Hank (Olivia Henry).
Frank is a part of this, with Dan is it mostly about Dan and though his point of view. If you have not read the Beyond Trilogy. This is only the summary of it. This really concludes the series and helps define some of the holes or to see Dan and his view point. If you want the story and details of Olivia and Finn story, you will need to read Beyond Trilogy - books, Beyond Believing, Beyond Love, Beyond Forever.
The author does a really good job of this. She really show the Dan’s life in the afterlife and his point of view well.
ClareR (6062 KP) rated Cruel Acts (Maeve Kerrigan #8) in Books
Apr 19, 2019
An exciting, beautifully written police thriller.
For someone, who in the past, has always said that they don’t like thrillers, police procedurals or anything vaguely in those styles, I’m not doing too badly at reading exactly those type of books lately. And I’m really enjoying them - this book in particular.
Considering that this is the eighth book in the series and I haven’t read the other seven (soon to be e was no confusion, and I didn’t feel as though I was missing out at all.
The lead character, Maeve Kerrigan, is a detective sergeant, and she has been put on the case of the retrial of Leo Stone. He had been found guilty of the gruesome murders of two women. However, a juror from the original trial has now made it known that THAT trial was prejudiced. Maeve and her partner, Josh Derwent, are in charge of re-examining the evidence. Another woman goes missing whilst Sone is in custody, though, throwing the whole investigation into doubt.
This is a seriously exciting book - there are cliff hangers all over the place (I had to stop reading from time to time to work, eat, sleep, parent, so the multiple cliffhangers may have been of my own making), and I loved how new evidence revealed. The main characters are immensely likeable, and those who are less so are so well described that you end up disliking them as well. The last chapters of the book also tense and exceedingly fast paced, that I felt as though I couldn’t breathe until the end! I was well and truly sucked in to the action.
I will be going back to the first seven books of this series to fill in my Kerrigan knowledge, and I’m looking forward to any future books in this series! This one comes highly recommended!
Considering that this is the eighth book in the series and I haven’t read the other seven (soon to be e was no confusion, and I didn’t feel as though I was missing out at all.
The lead character, Maeve Kerrigan, is a detective sergeant, and she has been put on the case of the retrial of Leo Stone. He had been found guilty of the gruesome murders of two women. However, a juror from the original trial has now made it known that THAT trial was prejudiced. Maeve and her partner, Josh Derwent, are in charge of re-examining the evidence. Another woman goes missing whilst Sone is in custody, though, throwing the whole investigation into doubt.
This is a seriously exciting book - there are cliff hangers all over the place (I had to stop reading from time to time to work, eat, sleep, parent, so the multiple cliffhangers may have been of my own making), and I loved how new evidence revealed. The main characters are immensely likeable, and those who are less so are so well described that you end up disliking them as well. The last chapters of the book also tense and exceedingly fast paced, that I felt as though I couldn’t breathe until the end! I was well and truly sucked in to the action.
I will be going back to the first seven books of this series to fill in my Kerrigan knowledge, and I’m looking forward to any future books in this series! This one comes highly recommended!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2474 KP) rated A Pairing to Die For in Books
Jan 29, 2021
Can Parker Pair the Victim with the Correct Killer?
Reid Wallace’s estranged family has come for a visit to Boulder, Colorado, and Parker Valentine is hoping to make a good impression on her boyfriend’s family. However, things aren’t going well as Reid’s family is constantly judging everything she says as not being up to their standards. Never mind their opinions of her wine. The visit is interrupted when Reid is arrested for murder. Oscar, the sous chef at Reid’s restaurant and his long-time friend, was murder behind the restaurant, and the police are certain that Reid did it. Parker doesn’t believe that Reid is capable of murder and sets out to figure out what really happened. Can she free her boyfriend from jail?
The first in this series was one of my favorite books from 2020, so I had high hopes for this one. I’m pleased to say I enjoyed it. There is plenty of conflict in this book to keep us hooked. I did think the pacing started to slow in the middle, but about the time I thought that, it picked up again and kept going until we reached the end. The characters are still rich, and I appreciated the growth in their relationships, while the new characters fit perfectly into Parker’s world. For those interested because of the wine theme, there are plenty of scenes in Parker’s winery. I’d forgotten that this series is written in the present tense, which I don’t mind once my brain adjusts. There are three delicious sounding recipes with suggested wine pairings at the end of the book. If you haven’t started this series, you need to fix that. If you’ve read the first, this book will please you.
The first in this series was one of my favorite books from 2020, so I had high hopes for this one. I’m pleased to say I enjoyed it. There is plenty of conflict in this book to keep us hooked. I did think the pacing started to slow in the middle, but about the time I thought that, it picked up again and kept going until we reached the end. The characters are still rich, and I appreciated the growth in their relationships, while the new characters fit perfectly into Parker’s world. For those interested because of the wine theme, there are plenty of scenes in Parker’s winery. I’d forgotten that this series is written in the present tense, which I don’t mind once my brain adjusts. There are three delicious sounding recipes with suggested wine pairings at the end of the book. If you haven’t started this series, you need to fix that. If you’ve read the first, this book will please you.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County, #3) in Books
Jul 13, 2019
Hope this was just a blip in a promising series......
Contains spoilers, click to show
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series so was looking forward to reading this, and I may be guilty of over anticipation as it fell far short of expectations.
It got off to a powerful start but soon turned into a bit of a slog. The previous books felt more story driven, while this more focused on the characters which isn't my ideal. Despite the focus the characters didn't seem to develop. Lena I could do without at this point, yes she's been through a lot and she's not coping well but god make the odd good decision at least, just so frustrating.
Jeffery and Sara's constant bickering followed by making up is tedious, why she wants to get back with the guy is lost on me. When Jeffery looses is because Sara is speaking to an old colleague in a hospital while a loved one is in critical condition made me just want to yell run from him he's a controlling, cheating bastard stop going back to him your a strong woman you don't need that. Updates on the critically injured sister just got stupid how many times was it just "she's doing better" without really addressing what was going on with her just seemed odd, we got more detail on how long and much traffic there was on the way to the hospital.
The main plot just never caught on for me and the investigation just lacked any sense of urgency or intrigue.
I'll be continuing with the series hoping this one was a blip and we return to stronger stories.
It got off to a powerful start but soon turned into a bit of a slog. The previous books felt more story driven, while this more focused on the characters which isn't my ideal. Despite the focus the characters didn't seem to develop. Lena I could do without at this point, yes she's been through a lot and she's not coping well but god make the odd good decision at least, just so frustrating.
Jeffery and Sara's constant bickering followed by making up is tedious, why she wants to get back with the guy is lost on me. When Jeffery looses is because Sara is speaking to an old colleague in a hospital while a loved one is in critical condition made me just want to yell run from him he's a controlling, cheating bastard stop going back to him your a strong woman you don't need that. Updates on the critically injured sister just got stupid how many times was it just "she's doing better" without really addressing what was going on with her just seemed odd, we got more detail on how long and much traffic there was on the way to the hospital.
The main plot just never caught on for me and the investigation just lacked any sense of urgency or intrigue.
I'll be continuing with the series hoping this one was a blip and we return to stronger stories.
Merissa (13742 KP) rated Alien Indiscretions (World of Kalquor #9) in Books
Oct 31, 2023
Alien Indiscretions is the ninth book in the Worlds of Kalquor series. I have read some of these before, but not all of them. I would recommend you read the series though, as previous characters and relationships are mentioned.
Crissy and Tasha are Jessica's cousins and have made their way to Kalquor to start a new life, one where they can be with whomever they wish. Crissy takes an instant dislike to one of the councillors but is more than happy to push them onto her twin. Of course, that doesn't happen, and Crissy and the Kalquorians need to figure a lot of things out while they still have the chance.
This is definitely a case of those who know, see a different person, because at first glance Crissy is uncouth, brash, and downright rude at times. However, those who know her, love her. And there is enough about her to catch the interest of two out of the three Kalquorians.
This story has a lot of backstory to it, with an overall story arc playing a BIG part of this story. For that reason, I would definitely recommend reading some of the others before this one. It was all well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The pacing is smooth, and there are plenty of sexy scenes for your titillation.
If you have read any of these books before, then I can absolutely recommend it. If you haven't, then I still recommend it, but would suggest you start the series properly first.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 2, 2018
Crissy and Tasha are Jessica's cousins and have made their way to Kalquor to start a new life, one where they can be with whomever they wish. Crissy takes an instant dislike to one of the councillors but is more than happy to push them onto her twin. Of course, that doesn't happen, and Crissy and the Kalquorians need to figure a lot of things out while they still have the chance.
This is definitely a case of those who know, see a different person, because at first glance Crissy is uncouth, brash, and downright rude at times. However, those who know her, love her. And there is enough about her to catch the interest of two out of the three Kalquorians.
This story has a lot of backstory to it, with an overall story arc playing a BIG part of this story. For that reason, I would definitely recommend reading some of the others before this one. It was all well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The pacing is smooth, and there are plenty of sexy scenes for your titillation.
If you have read any of these books before, then I can absolutely recommend it. If you haven't, then I still recommend it, but would suggest you start the series properly first.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 2, 2018