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Merissa (12051 KP) rated Riptide (Boys of Summer) in Books
Jun 18, 2019
Riptide (Boys of Summer) by Jordan Ford
Jace - or Bass as he is known throughout most of this book - is a thrill-seeker. He is the ultimate paradox - a bad boy who doesn't actually try to be bad, and has a heart. He makes stupid decisions based on hurt feelings. His story is completely understandable and heartbreaking with how he feels. Ms. Ford has done a magnificent job of bringing him to life, to make his quandary completely relate-able.
And that's the thing with this book. As a reader, I got it. I could see where Bass was coming from, and why he behaved the way he did. Would I make the same decisions? No, but then I'm not a sixteen-year-old boy with the same experiences as him.
With no editing or grammatical errors that jolted me, I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, and can't wait to see what happens when he goes to Ryder Bay and meets up with SnapDragon.
As a standalone, this is a great read. As a prequel to the next Ryder Bay story, it's fantastic! Definitely 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!
And that's the thing with this book. As a reader, I got it. I could see where Bass was coming from, and why he behaved the way he did. Would I make the same decisions? No, but then I'm not a sixteen-year-old boy with the same experiences as him.
With no editing or grammatical errors that jolted me, I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, and can't wait to see what happens when he goes to Ryder Bay and meets up with SnapDragon.
As a standalone, this is a great read. As a prequel to the next Ryder Bay story, it's fantastic! Definitely 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!
Merissa (12051 KP) rated Who am I: Prequel to the Semiramis series in Books
Oct 11, 2019
Who am I: Prequel to the Semiramis series is exactly what it says. It is a short novella giving you an insight into the main character's childhood. It shows you just what Alex goes through and why she is the person she is at the beginning of Semiramis Awakened (book one in the series).
It is exceedingly well-written and packs a punch for all it is so short. You will feel for Alex before you even really know her, which is exactly how it should be. The writing is the usual high standard you would expect from a Maya Daniels book, and although there is no world-building per se, it still gives you enough to give you an inkling into Alex's world.
I have already read the three books in this series, and am waiting oh so patiently (!!!!) for the fourth book to arrive. Therefore I already know Alex and what she goes through. Did this impact my enjoyment of this story? Absolutely not. You don't have to read it in order to gain maximum enjoyment out of it. Absolutely recommended!
* 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!
It is exceedingly well-written and packs a punch for all it is so short. You will feel for Alex before you even really know her, which is exactly how it should be. The writing is the usual high standard you would expect from a Maya Daniels book, and although there is no world-building per se, it still gives you enough to give you an inkling into Alex's world.
I have already read the three books in this series, and am waiting oh so patiently (!!!!) for the fourth book to arrive. Therefore I already know Alex and what she goes through. Did this impact my enjoyment of this story? Absolutely not. You don't have to read it in order to gain maximum enjoyment out of it. Absolutely recommended!
* 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 (12051 KP) rated Levkaseon (Gen-Heirs: The Guardians of Sziveria #0.5) in Books
Oct 14, 2021
LEVKASEON is a prequel novella to the Gen-Heirs: The Guardians of Sziveria series that gives an insight into the HRS and dust addictions that are rampant in this world. Tied in nicely with that is the relationship between Ciarra and Terran. They had a young love tested too soon by someone Ciarra thought she could trust. Not only that, but it turns out, they had much more to do with the current state of affairs than Ciarra would have dreamed possible.
Once again, there is a great mix of steamy romance and intrigue, paving the way for the story to unfold and draw you into it. The characters are fully dimensional, with their quirks and foibles.
This is definitely a series to read and enjoy, to lose yourself within the pages. I am loving how each story is individual whilst continuing with the general theme. I would love to see more of the characters where they are all in the same place, but that's just me.
A great addition to the series, and one absolutely 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Once again, there is a great mix of steamy romance and intrigue, paving the way for the story to unfold and draw you into it. The characters are fully dimensional, with their quirks and foibles.
This is definitely a series to read and enjoy, to lose yourself within the pages. I am loving how each story is individual whilst continuing with the general theme. I would love to see more of the characters where they are all in the same place, but that's just me.
A great addition to the series, and one absolutely 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (12051 KP) rated The Beginning in Books
Dec 17, 2018
For a prequel novella, this book packs in a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time. Cecily is a 'royal' Witch but she is royally fed up with her life. She wants to live like a human but is being hassled to be the one who gives birth the one long awaited, the one who will save the witches. Unfortunately, this means that she has suffered through nine miscarriages. I don't mean one or nine relationships though. She is there as a brood mare, along with the other royal witches, until the Tenth is born.
She meets up with her friend, only to find out that the meeting was just a ruse to try and get her to continue. Hurt by the betrayal, she leaves and finds her way to a bar where the music tempts her inside.
Like I said, there is a lot of information in here that will delight and tempt you, and definitely leave you wanting to know more - about Cecily, about James, about the situation they find themselves in, about their world in general.
With no spelling or grammatical errors that I found, this was an enjoyable and quick read, perfectly leading on to the next book in the series - A Late Summer Bloom. Definitely recommended.
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
She meets up with her friend, only to find out that the meeting was just a ruse to try and get her to continue. Hurt by the betrayal, she leaves and finds her way to a bar where the music tempts her inside.
Like I said, there is a lot of information in here that will delight and tempt you, and definitely leave you wanting to know more - about Cecily, about James, about the situation they find themselves in, about their world in general.
With no spelling or grammatical errors that I found, this was an enjoyable and quick read, perfectly leading on to the next book in the series - A Late Summer Bloom. Definitely recommended.
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (12051 KP) rated The Dawn of Peace (Etherya's Earth #0.5) in Books
Feb 4, 2022
THE DAWN OF PEACE is a prequel novella in the Etherya's Earth series. It introduces us to the two main characters, whilst also meeting other main characters for the first time.
Kilani is a strong woman, a brilliant warrior, and relegated to organising functions at her father's request because women aren't allowed to join the army or have a mind of their own. Alrec is a Vampyire who has lost his whole family and swore to avenge them. These two meet in a meadow one evening when Alrec is there to raid the Slayer men. They fight and Alrec lets Kilani live. Sometime later, Kilani returns the favour, and mutual respect and trust begin to flourish between these two.
I loved this story! It was fast-paced but had enough attention to detail to keep me satisfied. The only trouble I have now is I want to read The End of Hatred again to see if they feature in that. The world-building is second to none, with plentiful descriptions and situations to keep everyone's attention.
If this had been the first book in the series I had read, it would definitely have pushed me to read more. Absolutely brilliant and 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Kilani is a strong woman, a brilliant warrior, and relegated to organising functions at her father's request because women aren't allowed to join the army or have a mind of their own. Alrec is a Vampyire who has lost his whole family and swore to avenge them. These two meet in a meadow one evening when Alrec is there to raid the Slayer men. They fight and Alrec lets Kilani live. Sometime later, Kilani returns the favour, and mutual respect and trust begin to flourish between these two.
I loved this story! It was fast-paced but had enough attention to detail to keep me satisfied. The only trouble I have now is I want to read The End of Hatred again to see if they feature in that. The world-building is second to none, with plentiful descriptions and situations to keep everyone's attention.
If this had been the first book in the series I had read, it would definitely have pushed me to read more. Absolutely brilliant and 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (12051 KP) rated Chalvaren Rising (Kingdom of Chalvaren #2) in Books
May 5, 2023
Different worlds, dragons, elves, evil yet misguided women - what more could you ask for?
Now, this is the first 'full' book in the Kingdom of Chalvaren series, although there is the novella in which our two main characters meet. What made this book interesting for me is that they were already 'together' right at the start. So although I knew that things had moved quickly in the prequel, it actually made for fantastic reading as the two of them got to know each other and explored their feelings for each other. Trust me when I say those feelings run hot! Their relationship has the normal ups, downs and misunderstandings that occur when two people are trying to live together and that made for excellent reading. Throw in a world in chaos, with a crazy woman trying to resurrect the dead along with killing the dragons, you have an action-packed world, full of character and heart.
With a smooth, steady pace and excitement on every page, this is a wonderful Fantasy Action Romance. I know that there are two books in this series but I am really hoping for more. I loved the world of Chalvaren and hope to see more of it, and the dragons, in the future. Highly recommended for all fans of Fantasy!
* 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!
Nov 25, 2015
Now, this is the first 'full' book in the Kingdom of Chalvaren series, although there is the novella in which our two main characters meet. What made this book interesting for me is that they were already 'together' right at the start. So although I knew that things had moved quickly in the prequel, it actually made for fantastic reading as the two of them got to know each other and explored their feelings for each other. Trust me when I say those feelings run hot! Their relationship has the normal ups, downs and misunderstandings that occur when two people are trying to live together and that made for excellent reading. Throw in a world in chaos, with a crazy woman trying to resurrect the dead along with killing the dragons, you have an action-packed world, full of character and heart.
With a smooth, steady pace and excitement on every page, this is a wonderful Fantasy Action Romance. I know that there are two books in this series but I am really hoping for more. I loved the world of Chalvaren and hope to see more of it, and the dragons, in the future. Highly recommended for all fans of Fantasy!
* 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!
Nov 25, 2015
The Girl You Left Behind
9.0
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The Girl You Left Behind is a hauntingly romantic and utterly irresistible new weepy from Jojo...
Jo (37 KP) rated Opposition (Lux, #5) in Books
Oct 6, 2018
The last installment in the Lux series. Luxen have invaded earth in their thousands without so much as a smidgeon of friendly intent. In the face of alien domination, salvation rests on our brave ragtag bunch of Lux, Hybrid and Origin heroes. Who can they trust? Where can they turn for help? Oh my, things are grimmer than grim.
Opposition was a decent read, and it certainly wrapped the series up neatly. However, it does conclude rather abruptly on a note which felt slap-dash rushed. On reaching the epilogue at only 63% -way before I was prepared for the story's end -I did feel kinda cheated. I don't know how long the book actually is, but it buzzed with a powerful not-long-enough vibe. And going off my kindle's progress bar, it was like I was robbed of almost half a book. The Shadows novella takes up the final 40%. I skimmed through this with very little interest. In place of this prequel, I'd have most definitely preferred more of the Opposition storyline, and there was a wealth of play space to expand upon the drama of the whole invasion fiasco and the fight against it.
I enjoyed the Lux series on the whole; the characters were great, and their interactions never failed to tickle me. But...
- Kat's excessive use of 'Holy alien babies' and similar such exclamations became increasingly annoying.
- The sizable proportion of word count devoted to declarations of love everlasting (and promises of sacrifice in the name of) would have been better spent on developing the actual plot.
- Daemon's lips 'kicked up' repeatedly. Sometimes, he could have just 'smiled'.
- Kat and Daemon reacted to situations in some bewilderingly dumb ways.
- Solutions to, and escapes from life threatening situations of doom played out way too swiftly and conveniently.
Opposition was a decent read, and it certainly wrapped the series up neatly. However, it does conclude rather abruptly on a note which felt slap-dash rushed. On reaching the epilogue at only 63% -way before I was prepared for the story's end -I did feel kinda cheated. I don't know how long the book actually is, but it buzzed with a powerful not-long-enough vibe. And going off my kindle's progress bar, it was like I was robbed of almost half a book. The Shadows novella takes up the final 40%. I skimmed through this with very little interest. In place of this prequel, I'd have most definitely preferred more of the Opposition storyline, and there was a wealth of play space to expand upon the drama of the whole invasion fiasco and the fight against it.
I enjoyed the Lux series on the whole; the characters were great, and their interactions never failed to tickle me. But...
- Kat's excessive use of 'Holy alien babies' and similar such exclamations became increasingly annoying.
- The sizable proportion of word count devoted to declarations of love everlasting (and promises of sacrifice in the name of) would have been better spent on developing the actual plot.
- Daemon's lips 'kicked up' repeatedly. Sometimes, he could have just 'smiled'.
- Kat and Daemon reacted to situations in some bewilderingly dumb ways.
- Solutions to, and escapes from life threatening situations of doom played out way too swiftly and conveniently.
David McK (3425 KP) rated The Scarlet Thief (Jack Lark, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
While I had heard (read) this described as 'the new Richard Sharpe', this is a novel that, if I'm honest, I was unsure of whether to purchase or not - those are some big boots to fill, after all, and I'd both read and later been disappointed in other books that made the same claim.
However, when I read the short prequel novella [b: Jack Lark: Rogue|23646134|Jack Lark Rogue|Paul Fraser Collard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424476493s/23646134.jpg|43253728], that was enough to convince me to start in on the series proper.
having now read this, it is very obvious where the template comes from, even down to the evil Sergeant Slater who is really Hakeswill in all but name. As the first in the series, however (even before said prequels), I am prepared to make allowances.
The novel actually starts with Jack Lark leading his troops to cross the Alma river (in the Crimea), before moving back to six months before to show the events that led up to this: events that see Lark (who is from the East End slums) deciding to impersonate his officer when said officer dies on the way to his new posting.
As for the battle of Alma itself: while it is one that I had heard of, it's not one that I am overly familiar with; not one as famous as (say) Waterloo or even the Battle of Balaclava that would later occur during the same war (the Crimean). As such, and interwoven in the latter part of the novel - I actually find the history just as interesting as the fiction.
I think I will be picking more of these up :)
However, when I read the short prequel novella [b: Jack Lark: Rogue|23646134|Jack Lark Rogue|Paul Fraser Collard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424476493s/23646134.jpg|43253728], that was enough to convince me to start in on the series proper.
having now read this, it is very obvious where the template comes from, even down to the evil Sergeant Slater who is really Hakeswill in all but name. As the first in the series, however (even before said prequels), I am prepared to make allowances.
The novel actually starts with Jack Lark leading his troops to cross the Alma river (in the Crimea), before moving back to six months before to show the events that led up to this: events that see Lark (who is from the East End slums) deciding to impersonate his officer when said officer dies on the way to his new posting.
As for the battle of Alma itself: while it is one that I had heard of, it's not one that I am overly familiar with; not one as famous as (say) Waterloo or even the Battle of Balaclava that would later occur during the same war (the Crimean). As such, and interwoven in the latter part of the novel - I actually find the history just as interesting as the fiction.
I think I will be picking more of these up :)
The Complete Love Mark Box Set by Linda Kage
8.0
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All Five Books in the Fantasy Romance Love Mark Series It all starts with a little tattoo. ...
Fantasy Romance Epic Fantasy Box Set