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Between the years of 1869 to 1939 more than 100,000 poor British children were sent across the ocean to Canada with the promise of a better life. Those who took them in to work as farm laborers or household servants were told they were orphans–but was that the truth?



After the tragic loss of their father, the McAlister family is living at the edge of the poorhouse in London in 1908, leaving their mother to scrape by for her three younger children, while oldest daughter, Laura, works on a large estate more than an hour away. When Edna McAlister falls gravely ill and is hospitalized, twins Katie and Garth and eight-year-old Grace are forced into an orphans’ home before Laura is notified about her family’s unfortunate turn of events in London. With hundreds of British children sent on ships to Canada, whether truly orphans or not, Laura knows she must act quickly. But finding her siblings and taking care of her family may cost her everything.



Andrew Fraser, a wealthy young British lawyer and heir to the estate where Laura is in service, discovers that this common practice of finding new homes for penniless children might not be all that it seems. Together Laura and Andrew form an unlikely partnership. Will they arrive in time? Will their friendship blossom into something more?



Inspired by true events, this moving novel follows Laura as she seeks to reunite her family and her siblings who, in their darkest hours, must cling to the words from Isaiah: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God”



My Thoughts: This was an interesting compelling book to read. It is honestly hard to read about children being taken away from their families by those who feel they are making the children's lives better when in fact the children are treated like slaves. This is the hard part of the book to read, but the fact is, is that this was actually happening during this time period. The author has done a tremendous job of bringing the truth out in this novel. Like every story that has hardship in it, this one does have a little hope. I certainly look forward to reading the second book in this series.
  
Let the Dead Speak (Maeve Kerrigan, #7)
Let the Dead Speak (Maeve Kerrigan, #7)
Jane Casey | 2017 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
For more reviews please visit https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
This book is seventh in Kerrigan series, but it was my first encounter with Jane Casey’s work, and I definitely will be reading some more of her books. The blurb above describes this book quite accurate, Chloe comes back home and finds her home full of blood and her mother missing. DI Maeve starts the investigation, and more she digs in, more loose ends she gets.

This novel offers a wide variety of characters to choose from, but main characters are Maeve and Josh. The whole story was told from DI Maeve Kerrigan’s perspective, maybe that’s why characters felt not fully explored. I would’ve liked to read different perspectives of the investigation, I think that would’ve allowed understanding characters better and would’ve made the whole book more appealing. I really liked Josh Derwent’s character, and I think Maeve was missing some qualities, like the ability to fight well or great insight into the issues, to be the main lead in this book. On the other hand, the lack of those abilities made her more relatable and believable.

What I really enjoyed, was the narrative of this novel. The investigation was riveting, with a steady flow of twists and turns, which kept me intrigued and the suspense going, and I couldn’t wait to find out, what will happen next. I really loved, that almost in every chapter, the author very smartly revealed some new clues, and constantly kept the action going not to bore the reader, and that steady built up suspense was a great transition between the chapters. I really liked the way the author portrayed police work in this book; it was not over the top and was really believable. Being a Londoner, author portrayed the places and atmosphere really accurately, and for me, it was a real pleasure to read it.

The writing style used in this novel is easy to read and the language used was not complicated, with decent chapter length which didn’t make the book boring. The ending of the book had a great new twist, and left me confused and intrigued all over again. So, to conclude, this book had an exciting plot with lots of twists and turns along the way and I quite enjoyed it, I hope you will too.
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
2016 | Fantasy
Attempting to continue the phenomenal literary and cinematic successes of the Harry Potter series of books and films is a daunting task for anyone to undertake. Even when series creator J.K. Rowling Rowling is involved, many would shy away from such a monumental taak.

However when you consider the books, movies, and merchandise have become a billion dollar industry and that rabid fans cannot get enough of the word that Rowlings created, it is not surprising that Rowlings and Warner Brothers have created a new cinematic series inspired by a story contained within the original book series.

In “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”, audiences are introduced to Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), who is just embarking on his adventures which will later be turned into books that Harry and his friends will read some seventy years onward.

Set in 1926 New York amongst the secret community of wizards and witches; the film follows the arrival of Newt in America as he has come with a suitcase filled with magical creatures. When a non-magic user named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), accidentally mistakes the suitcase for his own and unleashes some of the creatures, chaos follows.

The timing of this mishap could not be worse for the magic community as magic users have lived in secret and the arrival of Nate and his creatures threatens to expose them and make a bad situational even worse. Further complicating matters are a series of events that have caused destruction in the city which has given rise to a group who are convinced that witches are amongst them and must be destroyed at all cost.

Being an unregistered magic user; Newt, is soon taken in by an agent in New York named Porpentina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), who herself has fallen out of favor within her community of magic users. In time; Newt is taken into custody by Percival Graves (Collin Farrell), who not only seems to have a disdain for Newt, but is working with a member of the anti-witch group for his own ambitions.

Newt and his friends soon find themselves on the run as they attempt to gather the missing creatures and get to the bottom of a much bigger and more dangerous menace that threatens their community as well as the people of New York. What follows is a journey filled with magic, comedy, and danger that will delight fans.

The film is a pure delight and the Potter magic has continued in this highly-entertaining new series. The cast and characters are very enjoyable and the visual magic is wonderful to behold.

The story is filled with charm and humor but has a few nods to the previous films as well as a few surprises along the way.

I was easily swept up by the madcap adventure and cast that all gave solid performances. Never once did the characters let the dazzling array of visual effects overshadow the fact that this is a character driven story.

Redmayne and Fogler work very well with one another and the innocent fish out of water story that they both embark on makes them easily endearing to the audience.

It will be very interesting to see where the future films will go, but if this one is any indication of what is in store, there is plenty of magic left in this world and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

http://sknr.net/2016/11/15/fantastic-beasts-find/
  
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Autumn (430 KP) rated A Plague of Giants in Books

Nov 18, 2017 (Updated Nov 18, 2017)  
A Plague of Giants
A Plague of Giants
Kevin Hearne | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The world building (2 more)
The kennings
Abhinava Khose, Murr, and Eep
Took some time to get me interested (0 more)
I received an ARC at no cost through a giveaway hosted by the author and/or publisher.

What I liked: Wow, Hearne has really created a whole new world in this series. I can't imagine the time it took to come up with several nations, kennings, and all the culture behind each. I was impressed. The kennings are interesting and somewhat horrifying. It would be amazing to do any of the things the blessed are able to do, but the fact that you age and use up your life span if you push your kenning too hard is horrifying and almost not worth it, in my opinion. The creatures in this book are scary and I would not want to live in a world where they exist. However, they really added to the world building, especially once the 6th kenning is found. Abhinava Khose was probably my favorite character, largely due to the fact that he can control and communicate with animals. I found myself sucked in any time the bard delivered a piece of his story. I love books that switch perspectives, and this was definitely a new way of doing it. I liked the way it was written for the most part.
What I didn't like: I will say that it took some time to grab my attention, but that may be because I don't usually read high fantasy. It took me a while to read this book and at one point I didn't know if I would continue. However, I am glad I stuck it out because it picked up and I became invested in the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took some time for me to get into it, but I am glad I finished it. I think the author has built an interesting world full of magic and war and I will definitely pick up the next book in this series.
  
Hale and Gemini (The Alder Tales #3)
Hale and Gemini (The Alder Tales #3)
R.S. McCoy | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Hale and Gemini (The Alder Tales #3) by R.S. McCoy
Hale and Gemini is the fairytale retelling of Hansel and Gretel, written in R.S. McCoy's inimitable style. It is the third book in The Alder Tales series, and although I would say you don't 'have' to have read those to understand the story, you will benefit immensely from reading books one and two, plus you get the added bonus of reading fantastic stories.

What to say about this one? My first thought was "poor Hale". He got put through the wringer in the previous book, and you can't even be annoyed with Raene for doing so. He makes the decision to leave Clan land and travel to Pyrona, in the hope of reuniting with his sister, Blossom, not realising that her story has moved her on from there. Gemini follows him for her own reasons, and through arguments and disagreements, these two become friends with the possibility of more.

I LOVE THIS SERIES! Every story is different, and yes it's a retelling, but no it's not 'usual'. This world is unique (as far as I am aware), with characters that are simply amazing. Each section has people that you will loathe and love, sometimes both! The world-building is second to none, and the political scheming constantly has me amazed.

It was with a smile on my face that I read about Kaide and Blossom! Seriously, I NEED these two to be happy! Parson and Raene continue to delight, and then we have Hale and Gemini.

Fair Warning - this book ends on one helluva cliffhanger. It should be against the law! ;) A fantastic read that updates you on past pairings, gives full attention to the new story, whilst leaving you wanting more. I definitely can't wait for book 4! Highly recommended by me.

* 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!
  
SF
Shadows from the Past
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Synopsis: ..."It is the price you pay for choosing to be a cop. Your brother's life..." Those words haunt her dreams and her waking moments. LAPD officer, Aurora Kavvan cannot rest until she finds her brothers killer. Digging into the past always brings back unpleasant things: memories, guilt...the hitman. Now she is in a race against time to find the murderer before he finds her. ͞Kill her. I don͛t care how, and I don͛t care where, but I want her dead now! Someone was trying to kill his dead partner͛s sister. FBI agent, Jordan Reiley will stop at nothing to protect the woman he loves. Even if it means going against her wishes; putting himself between her and the man who murdered her brother. Will God keep them alive long enough for them to find the truth?






My Thoughts: This is an action-packed thriller! This is the story of Aurora, has some issues from her past that keep coming back in her dreams, but she won't stop looking for the man who killed her brother.


This book has a clear message that God is there for you, especially in the hard times. That we can't do everything on our own, that we do need to give our troubles to God. It's a book about forgiveness, and not rushing into judgments of other people.


I enjoyed this novel, it was full of adventure, romance, and mystery. It was easy to follow along and the characters were wonderful. Some people may not notice quickly, but the main character Aurora suffers from PTSD; the nightmares, pushing people away all are part of it, and I believe that the author did a wonderful job bringing this forward. I did enjoy that she began to trust again, both in her friends and in God.


This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the next books in the series... so look for the upcoming reviews of the shadow series.
  
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
1986 | Horror
If you were to show someone who had never watched a Friday the 13th movie, one single film from the franchise, then Part VI would surely be the one. It does everything that this series aims to do so well - it's easy to see why it's such a fan favourite.

Part VI marks the turning point into supernatural territory. Jason is back properly this time, risen from the grave, essentially a zombie, and even more unkillable than he was before. In the entries preceding this one, Jason has always been an imposing figure sure, but this time around C.J. Graham makes him feel like a proper tank (something that would be carried on wholeheartedly by Kane Hodder).
Most of the cast are typical slasher types purely here to up the kill count, but Tommy Jarvis appear once again to round off his trilogy of films, this time played by Thom Mathews, easily the most recognisable and iconic portrayal of the character.
The kills come thick and fast, and although certainly not the bloodiest of the series, it still has some memorable moments (a dude gets folded in half like a deckchair, which is suitably ridiculous) and the general pacing of the movie is well realised.
The comedic tone is just right as well. It's not quite as goofy as Part V, and the humourous parts are genuinely funny. The dumb script just adds to this. The paintball scene is a little too much though, silly music and all.
Talking of music, Harry Manfredini returns to score, and his work continues to be one of the best parts about the franchise.

Jason Lives is a good time, through and through. It's a shining example of what can be great about 80s slashers - it's fun, it's violent, just the right amount of hammy, and is simply one of the best Friday the 13th films out there.
  
Lost Energy (Energy Series #2)
Lost Energy (Energy Series #2)
Lynn Vroman | 2015 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Book 2 continues where Book 1 stopped - Tarek is still Warden of Arcus and Lena is still on Earth. He can talk to her every night but she can't respond. What a heartbreaking way to start the book!

This book is building up to so much more than 'just' a romance. It is full of action, humour, double-crossing, rivalry and even loss. Lena has grown up a lot since the first book but still has some to do, and Wilma is more than happy to help set her straight. The pace of the book is fast although not frantic. There are events that need to happen, and they do. It is not all sweetness and light though.

I love the characters in these books as they all have depth and their own personalities. Farren's relationship with Lena is simply fantastic and they have the unconditional love and support of each other that nothing can break (I hope!). The emotional range in this book will draw you in before it tears you apart. I don't like talking too much about the story as you have the synopsis for that - but one that that I really need to say is that you NEED to read this series. I was in tears by the end of the book, totally side-swiped by an event that I just never saw coming because I was too wrapped up in the story. What happens after said event is even worse and I really, really need the next book, like now, just to ensure that all will be well.

If you like fantasy then get your grubby mitts on this series because, trust me, it's a brilliant one! HIGHLY 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!
September 2, 2016
  
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Merissa (13343 KP) rated The Darkness Within (Etherya's Earth #3) in Books

Mar 14, 2022 (Updated Jul 3, 2023)  
The Darkness Within (Etherya's Earth #3)
The Darkness Within (Etherya's Earth #3)
Rebecca Hefner | 2019 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE DARKNESS WITHIN continues the Etherya's Earth series and it is Darkrip and Arderin's turn. Now, if you've read the other books, which you really should have, you will know that sparks fly whenever these two are near. Is it really loathing or something else?

I honestly don't know where to start with this book. So many things. First of all, we see Miranda nearing the end of her pregnancy and feeling like a blue whale (her words, not mine). Nolan makes his move with Sadie - and I really need more from these two!!! Latimus and Lila show up, with adorable Jack. And we finally meet Evie.

But this story is also about Arderin and Darkrip. I would say more about Arderin, being as it's written mainly from her perspective. She is stubborn, feisty, and a virgin - something she finds intolerable. When a trip to the human world causes problems for them, things look dire for our two main characters. Of course, they don't die, that would be ridiculous as the book was only half over! They do behave in ways they didn't think they would though, and Darkrip is left wondering how Arderin can even look at him, whilst she is amazed by his strength of will.

Arderin knows what she wants and will do what she can to get it. She refuses to take no for an answer, and Darkrip really doesn't argue much at all, considering he wants exactly the same as she does.

As I've said, there are other stories interwoven with theirs, and I loved every word. This is a series not to be missed, and I highly recommend this book so long as you read it in order to get the full benefit. Another brilliant read.

** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 7, 2022
  
Resist Me Not (Bloody Desires)
Resist Me Not (Bloody Desires)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
RESIST ME NOT is part of the Bloody Desires series, featuring Walker, a doctor, and Trey, a travel writer/serial killer. Trey doesn't target just anyone, but rather those who harm others, especially wives and children. The reasons for this are explained, so don't worry about that.

Now, of course, killing anyone is never supposed to be good, but how it is done here gives an excellent moral debate, and as shown in a group conversation, this same question has been asked many times. It becomes personal for Walker when he knows what Trey is doing. After all, he is a doctor dedicated to saving lives, while Trey is taking them. But is it as clean-cut and concise as that?

While I thoroughly enjoyed this story, there were parts that I didn't feel necessary. Firstly, there was the Daddy part. That was more of a term of endearment than anything else. And did Daddy and good boy really have to be in italics most of the time? I didn't feel any need to emphasise those words in the context they were being used in. They could have been changed for different terms, and it would still read perfectly. And secondly, was how many times First Do No Harm was mentioned. I get that was the question of the moment; I didn't need the repetition to compound on it.

 Trey was an excellently written character, showing depth and thought that you might not expect. Walker was a little more self-righteous, a little more bland, until the end--that part, I loved!

I am loving this series and have no hesitation in recommending it if morally grey stories are your thing.

** 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!
Sep 4, 2025