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The Mister
The Mister
E.L. James | 2019 | Erotica, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
6
5.9 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Alessia Demachi has left her country of Albania in order to avoid being married to a violent man and is now in London. She is working for Maxim Trevelyan as his cleaner. She comes and does her job and then leaves. When she first spots Mister Maxim naked across his bed, she can't believe her eyes. And he has this wonderful piano in his apartment that she enjoys playing when he is not there. But life is not easy for Alessia and she is constantly looking over her shoulder so she is not found by the people who brought her here and are trying to traffic her.

Maxim has just lost his brother and inherited the keys to the Earldom. This is not the life he wanted, but it is the life he now has. When he meets Alessia, he is at first shocked, since he didn't know she was now working for him and then intrigued by her beauty. Will he be able to maintain the employer/employee relationship, or will this develop into something else?

I know this book isn't a literary masterpiece, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. I wanted to know what was going to happen and when. I liked this a little better than Fifty Shades since it didn't have all the BDSM associated with it. If you like 50 Shades, you should like this one too.

One of my biggest problems with this book is that the main character's name is so much like my daughter's. Other than that, it was a quick read.
  
For Sarah, Raquel and David: An Anthology by Legendary Stardust Cowboy
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It's hard to describe the Ledge. He was discovered on The Gong Show many years ago in America. He basically just shouts and screams. He's a cowboy. He was recording in the 1970s but he's still going now. This is his latest compilation. I met him a couple of months ago when I was on my American tour. Bowie's a big fan too. He got the idea for the name Ziggy Stardust from the Ledge and he covered 'I Took a Trip (On a Gemini Spaceship)' on one of his albums [Heathen, 2002]. The Ledge is an extraordinary character. He plays the bugle during some of his tracks. If you ever see him, bring earmuffs. He's not very musical. I used to play his song 'Paralyzed' before my gigs at the Marquee in '77 just to confuse the audience and set the tone for the night. Complete pandemonium. Some of the songs he writes are… [trails off, lost for words] He's obsessed with Nasa and space flights, which I'm into too. I loved the space missions. The visuals and the way they got there. It's science fact. They were like cowboys in space. But The Ledge took it one step further. I'd be quite interested to see what other people think if they check him out. He's not to everybody's taste. The album is an anthology of tracks like 'My Underwear Froze to the Clothesline' and 'Standing in a Trashcan'. It's all good stuff. The names refer to Fergie [Duchess of York], Raquel Welch and Bowie. They're all fans of the Ledge. [laughs]"

Source
  
...And Justice for All by Metallica
...And Justice for All by Metallica
1988 | Rock
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"All bands develop over time, and I'm definitely an old school Metallica fan. Those first three albums are about as good as it gets really. I really enjoyed the track 'One' on this record. It was a really complex piece of work. And that story of the guy who's come back from war and has lost his arms and legs and everything was just really dark and sombre. It was just a very strong political statement and that caught my imagination. I love those first three Metallica records, but I chose ...And Justice For All because of the overall complete experience of the album. This album shows the very first signs of Metallica being adventurous with their sound, and it has a great confidence to it. I've always admired them because they've always just been themselves, by themselves. They just do exactly what they want to do and I'm very excited to know exactly what this next one is going to sound like, even though Kirk [Hammett, Metallica guitarist] has dropped some hints that it won't sound like this record. But, y'know, everybody wants them to do Ride The Lightning again in the same way that everybody wants Priest to do Painkiller again. I don't think that some people understand that it's difficult to get things right for you as a band at the same time as trying to please your fans. I know from experience that you need to let your heart lead you, which is why I'm so interested to hear this new material."

Source
  
Devil's Due
Devil's Due
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
3.5 stars.

So I finally finished it and it was a good conclusion to the duet.
 
I grew to like Lucia but I still feel we didn't learn as much about her as we did Jazz in the first book, she's still a bit of a mystery in regards to her previous work. She's done work for the government? Very vague, Lucia.
 
As for Ben, I really liked him too. He came across as being a really nice guy in the end, though some of his decisions seemed a little doubtful at times. And his feelings for Lucia were sweet.
 
It was great to see Jazz, Borden, Manny and Pansy in this one too; like seeing the Red Letter Days family back together again. There were a few other reappearances too and some new characters that we came to know and lost.
 
The storyline was a continuation of the first but at the same time there were different crimes to investigate and cases to work. Different ways for them to get shot and into trouble, and I think they found every single one lol.
 
Once again, I'll say this isn't the usual Rachel Caine book. It doesn't have a particularly paranormal feel. It's more P.I firm getting mixed up with some psychics about the fate of the world with some kick arse heroines as the P.I.'s.
 
I liked it anyway!
  
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Merissa (13398 KP) rated The Scent of a Storm in Books

Dec 8, 2021 (Updated Jul 9, 2023)  
The Scent of a Storm
The Scent of a Storm
Annette Oppenlander | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE SCENT OF A STORM is the second book by this author I have read and gave me the same authentic feel I got from the first. This is based upon real events that made it into the history books.

One thing that seems easy to forget is not everyone in Germany thought Hitler was doing the right thing; not everyone belonged to the SS. This book paints the picture of what it was like for those who tried to live as best they could before they were unwillingly drawn into the middle of events that would change their lives forever.

The hardships told in this book sound like fiction; terrible, horrible fiction, which makes it even harder to understand when you realise circumstances like those mentioned were 'normal'.

Whilst the whole book is brilliantly written, I preferred it when Annie and Werner were young, even though the conditions were heartbreaking. When it changed to the more recent time, I felt like I'd lost something. That is the way of war, I guess. I just wanted more than I received.

For anyone with an interest in the history of WWII, especially if you are interested in the German perspective, then this is definitely one for your bookshelves. 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!
Dec 8, 2021
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated It Was Her in Books

Aug 11, 2018  
It Was Her
It Was Her
Mark Hill | 2018 | Crime, Thriller
9
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Highly recommended
Having read the first in this series "His First Lie" (previously named "The Two O'Clock Boy") and thoroughly enjoyed it, I was excited to get my hands on this second outing for the team of DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

I know that sometimes you can dip into a series out of order but not this one. I strongly suggest you read "His First Lie" before "It Was Her" otherwise you could become a little lost as this book builds on the events of that one. In addition, you might feel differently about the characters, especially Ray, without the back story that is so important in understanding his thought processes and actions.

What we have in "It Was Her" is not just your run-of-the-mill crime thriller, it is so much more than that and I can't even begin to describe how much I became totally immersed in the story. I won't go into detailing the plot as it's clearly set out in the blurb but I will say that it is complex, dark, gritty and edgy with suspense and tension but amongst all that, is quite a sad story and the ending ... well, I didn't see that coming until it was on top of me and it left me having to take a few deep breaths and a few minutes to take it all in.

So, would I recommend this book? Absolutely. Would I recommend this author? Without a doubt. Do I want to read the next instalment? Hell yes!!

My thanks go to the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and NetGalley for my e-copy in return for an honest review.
  
Poisoned Pawn
Poisoned Pawn
David Siegel Bernstein | 2020 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
not one for me
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I am struggling with my review for this one, and I have no idea if any of this will make sense you, since I'm struggling to make sense of the book.

Positives:

It's well written. I saw no spelling or editing errors. It plays well with the Sherlock Holmes and the characters all to do with him, the good and the bad. There is a huge supporting cast of well rounded and developed characters, that fit in, in all the right places. It's very different to my usual reads. I DID like the twist that I did not see coming, not in the slightest!

And I finished it!

Negatives (for me):

Single person point of view, in the first person.

And I have not a single clue about what was the point of the whole book! I kept on reading, since I thought *something* will make sense soon. Something will give me a sign what the whole point of this tale is. And I got nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero clue. There is an EXTREMELY tangled web within the book, and I tried to keep up, I really did, but I got lost somewhere around a key player's murder. I can see HOW everything came together, I just can't see WHY, you know?

Maybe it was just a little TOO far out of my corfort zone, although, pre-kindle days, crime/thriller/police books were my main stay, so I don't know!

Will I read anything else by this author? Probably not, no. Someone will be fully engrossed in the book and it will make total sense to them, but for me? Sorry.

3 stars, since what I read WAS well written, and I DID finish it.

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**