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Annie Chanse (15 KP) rated The Chosen (Black Dagger Brotherhood #15) in Books
May 25, 2018
Blehc. Definitely not Ward's best...
Contains spoilers, click to show
Yechk. I honestly did not care for 90% of this book. The whole thing kind of pissed me off really.
Although, in general, I love the BDB books and the characters in those books (with only a few exceptions), this one was just... blah. There were really no sympathetic characters that made me want to read forward or 'root' for them. Xcor is semi-relatable with his awful upbringing, but he is kind of like a rip-off of V and Z, so there's no real flair there.
Quinn goes off the damned deep end and kinda makes you hate him.
Blay's hurt feelings and arguments make sense, I guess. He is really the only character I understood in this book.
V is all emo lonely, woe-is-me, should I or shouldn't I cheat?! and that is nothing if not hella boring.
And. DO. NOT. Get. Me. Started. On. Fucking. Layla. Her whole story arc just infuriates me. I mean, seriously? And she can't even understand why Quinn is so furious? Oh, and, you are told you're to leave your kids because you endangered them by being with a murderous traitor, and the FIRST THING you do is hunt down said murderous traitor and move him into your place?! Really? No matter how Ward wants to spin it, you are a horrible freaking mother, and you absolutely do not deserve to be around your kids ever again. Let me lose my son over a man? I would NEVER see that man again unless it was to cut his sac off to prove we were done and try to get my kid back. ...eye roll... Seriously, she's the worst.
The sideplot with Tres and Trez? Waaaaay too fairy tale, happy ending that honestly? Seems like a way for Ward to backtrack and try to appease fans that were irate at how "The Shadows" ended and also, it went nowhere, fell flat, and seemed waaay superfluous.
The Tohr/Xcor "twist"? At this point in the series... pretty predictable Ward behavior.
Really, the only interesting bit of this book were the 10 pages or so involving Lassiter's new gig in what is SEEMINGLY leading up to the actual defeat of the Omega, which I assume will also signal the end of the books. I never thought I'd say this, but maybe that's a good thing. Ward is truly off her game lately, and the BDB is getting a bit stale. Maybe it's time for an ending.
Although, in general, I love the BDB books and the characters in those books (with only a few exceptions), this one was just... blah. There were really no sympathetic characters that made me want to read forward or 'root' for them. Xcor is semi-relatable with his awful upbringing, but he is kind of like a rip-off of V and Z, so there's no real flair there.
Quinn goes off the damned deep end and kinda makes you hate him.
Blay's hurt feelings and arguments make sense, I guess. He is really the only character I understood in this book.
V is all emo lonely, woe-is-me, should I or shouldn't I cheat?! and that is nothing if not hella boring.
And. DO. NOT. Get. Me. Started. On. Fucking. Layla. Her whole story arc just infuriates me. I mean, seriously? And she can't even understand why Quinn is so furious? Oh, and, you are told you're to leave your kids because you endangered them by being with a murderous traitor, and the FIRST THING you do is hunt down said murderous traitor and move him into your place?! Really? No matter how Ward wants to spin it, you are a horrible freaking mother, and you absolutely do not deserve to be around your kids ever again. Let me lose my son over a man? I would NEVER see that man again unless it was to cut his sac off to prove we were done and try to get my kid back. ...eye roll... Seriously, she's the worst.
The sideplot with Tres and Trez? Waaaaay too fairy tale, happy ending that honestly? Seems like a way for Ward to backtrack and try to appease fans that were irate at how "The Shadows" ended and also, it went nowhere, fell flat, and seemed waaay superfluous.
The Tohr/Xcor "twist"? At this point in the series... pretty predictable Ward behavior.
Really, the only interesting bit of this book were the 10 pages or so involving Lassiter's new gig in what is SEEMINGLY leading up to the actual defeat of the Omega, which I assume will also signal the end of the books. I never thought I'd say this, but maybe that's a good thing. Ward is truly off her game lately, and the BDB is getting a bit stale. Maybe it's time for an ending.
ClareR (6253 KP) rated Reign Of The Wolf in Books
Apr 22, 2018
An outstanding end to the series.
I believe that if it’s a good book, I’ll read it. I don’t care what genre it falls in to. There’s good literature in every genre, and if you stick to just one type, you’re missing out (potentially, but hey! Read what makes you happy, thats the most important thing!).
I can’t believe this is the final book!! I admit, I’ve left off reading this for as long as possible, because I knew it was the last one. This was action packed! The final battle between the Wolves and the Trident couldn’t have been more exciting. Secrets of Lawrence’s family come out, we find out more about the Trident, and there’s the Egyptian connection too (which I love, by the way). It’s an end of an era! The story is left in such a way as there is the possibility of spin-offs, though. I know the author has written one and is writing another. I can see at least one more avenue that I’d like to see explored!
Just a warning to those of a sensitive nature: there’s a fair bit of sex in this novel, sex in all it’s many varied forms. Don’t read it if you don’t like smoking hot books ?
And yes, I really did just say that.
I can’t believe this is the final book!! I admit, I’ve left off reading this for as long as possible, because I knew it was the last one. This was action packed! The final battle between the Wolves and the Trident couldn’t have been more exciting. Secrets of Lawrence’s family come out, we find out more about the Trident, and there’s the Egyptian connection too (which I love, by the way). It’s an end of an era! The story is left in such a way as there is the possibility of spin-offs, though. I know the author has written one and is writing another. I can see at least one more avenue that I’d like to see explored!
Just a warning to those of a sensitive nature: there’s a fair bit of sex in this novel, sex in all it’s many varied forms. Don’t read it if you don’t like smoking hot books ?
And yes, I really did just say that.
David McK (3843 KP) rated Wraith Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing, #5) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
How best to describe 'X-Wing: Wraith Squadron', the fifth book in the Star Wars series of books (loosely) based on the old video-games? I think the following exchange from the early part of the novel sums it up best (with Wedge speaking):
' " .. I'd originally thought that Rogue Squadron would be used opportunistically: a strike mission would reveal a ground-based weakness, and we'd have the training and supplies ot go down and perform the necessary ground mission. The way it turned out, we keep landing full-fledged commando missions. So I think we need another Commando X-Wing squadron, one where we choose pilots so as to have a full range of intrusion and subversion skills. Rogue Sqaudron was designed as a fighter unit first, commando unit second; this time, I want to go the other way around."
...
"I want pilots no one else want. Washouts. Pilots staring court-martials in the face. Trouble-makers and screw-ups." '
The rest of the novel deals, primarily, with the formation of that unit and their first mission, concentrating in particular on two members of that unit and their own internal battle against themselves.
While not the strongest of spin-off novels (and, maybe, slightly longer than it needs to be), this is still an enjoyable enough diversion for a couple of days light reading.
' " .. I'd originally thought that Rogue Squadron would be used opportunistically: a strike mission would reveal a ground-based weakness, and we'd have the training and supplies ot go down and perform the necessary ground mission. The way it turned out, we keep landing full-fledged commando missions. So I think we need another Commando X-Wing squadron, one where we choose pilots so as to have a full range of intrusion and subversion skills. Rogue Sqaudron was designed as a fighter unit first, commando unit second; this time, I want to go the other way around."
...
"I want pilots no one else want. Washouts. Pilots staring court-martials in the face. Trouble-makers and screw-ups." '
The rest of the novel deals, primarily, with the formation of that unit and their first mission, concentrating in particular on two members of that unit and their own internal battle against themselves.
While not the strongest of spin-off novels (and, maybe, slightly longer than it needs to be), this is still an enjoyable enough diversion for a couple of days light reading.
The Impossible Has Happened: The Life and Work of Gene Roddenberry, Creator of Star Trek
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8 September 2016 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the debut of the world's most successful...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Encyclopedia: The Ultimate Guide to the Buffyverse
8.0
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A comprehensive, authorized compendium of all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer, published in...
Podcast – Mark Dawson's Self Publishing Formula
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Mark Dawson is a best selling self-published author on multiple platforms including Amazon and Kobo....
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The Other Rights Revolution: Conservative Lawyers and the Remaking of American Government
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In 1973, a group of California lawyers formed a non-profit, public-interest legal foundation...
Merissa (14086 KP) rated Unbar the Barred (Darling Ranch #1) in Books
Aug 25, 2025
UNBAR THE BARRED is a fast-paced prequel novella to begin the Darling Ranch series, a spin-off set in the Divergent Omegaverse. If you have read Silas's Sweetheart, then you will have met Cass and his chicks. Now you have the opportunity to meet Trey, the bar owner and wolf Cass pines after. But they're just FWBs, aren't they?
This novella gives you a little more detail and behind-the-scenes footage of when Silas and his brothers and the PAs were at the Ranch. You see flirty Jupiter, who is all too intuitive. You see a sweet moment with Cass' chickens, Bowie, and Kari. Plus, it seems as though Rue had a thing going on!
I definitely recommend you read at least Silas's Sweetheart, just to get the feel of this world and how it operates. Cass is a divergent, or a shifter who can't shift. As this is a novella, it really is fast-paced, so hold onto your (cowboy) hats. I look forward to returning to Darling Ranch and the Divergent Omegaverse. 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 25, 2025
This novella gives you a little more detail and behind-the-scenes footage of when Silas and his brothers and the PAs were at the Ranch. You see flirty Jupiter, who is all too intuitive. You see a sweet moment with Cass' chickens, Bowie, and Kari. Plus, it seems as though Rue had a thing going on!
I definitely recommend you read at least Silas's Sweetheart, just to get the feel of this world and how it operates. Cass is a divergent, or a shifter who can't shift. As this is a novella, it really is fast-paced, so hold onto your (cowboy) hats. I look forward to returning to Darling Ranch and the Divergent Omegaverse. 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 25, 2025
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2609 KP) rated Vinyl Resting Place in Books
Mar 16, 2023 (Updated Mar 16, 2023)
Vinyl May Not be Dead, but Somebody Is
Juni Jessup and her sisters have opened Sip and Spin Records, a combined record store and coffee shop, on the site of the one that their family used to own before records stopped selling. The night before their official opening, they are throwing a party, but things turn tragic afterward when Juni finds a dead body in their storage closet. When their uncle is arrested for the crime, Juni and her sisters don’t hesitate to put their shop up to get him released on bail. But then he vanishes. Can the three of them figure out what is really going on in time to save their shop?
I really enjoyed this debut. The plot takes off in a couple of different directions, and I enjoyed that creativity. I did feel it slowed down a little in the middle, but it picked up again for a fantastic climax. You can feel the history between Juni and her sisters, and I loved their relationships. There are other fun series regulars, and the suspects fit into the book perfectly. I also enjoyed the humor running through the book. The setting, a small town just outside of Austin, Texas, was charming as well. I can’t wait to revisit Juni and the rest of the characters again soon.
I really enjoyed this debut. The plot takes off in a couple of different directions, and I enjoyed that creativity. I did feel it slowed down a little in the middle, but it picked up again for a fantastic climax. You can feel the history between Juni and her sisters, and I loved their relationships. There are other fun series regulars, and the suspects fit into the book perfectly. I also enjoyed the humor running through the book. The setting, a small town just outside of Austin, Texas, was charming as well. I can’t wait to revisit Juni and the rest of the characters again soon.
The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future
Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda
Book
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the classic show, a fully authorized revision of the...