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David McK (3425 KP) rated Knights of Dark Renown in Books

Aug 8, 2021  
Knights of Dark Renown
Knights of Dark Renown
David Gemmell | 1989 | Fiction & Poetry
7
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
One of the rare(ish) David Gemmell stand-alone novels; [u]not[/u] part of any series such as the Stones of Power/Sipstrassi sereis, or even of the Drenai.

Indeed, there's only a single other reference made to the events of this in any of his other works: a throw-away line, briefly, during Morningstar.

The central character of this is Manannan, the Coward-Knight who once abandoned his other eight companions (the legendary 'Knights of the Gabala') to ride alone through a mysterious portal to another realm, and who is now (as the novel starts) trapped within his own armour and slowly being strangled to death by his own beard, as the armour was fashioned so that it could only be opened by passing through the portal.

As the land seems to be falling further and further into chaos, the rest of the novel deals with a terrible discovery made by Mannanan, and with the creation of a new Knights of the Gabala (the 'Knights of Dark Renown' of the title), most of whom - in true inimitable Gemmell style - start out as far from the ideal as it is possible to be!

I have to say, though, that I've always felt the ending of this story to be a little bit rushed: lots of work laying the groundwork; lots of 'meat' in the body and then it just seemingly ... ends. Almost as if Gemmell had gotten tired of the story!
  
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Debbiereadsbook (1197 KP) rated Divided Road (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024) in Books

Nov 1, 2024  
Divided Road (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024)
Divided Road (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024)
Anne Barwell | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I liked that I was able to get into their minds a good deal
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This book is part of the Road to Rockoberfest 2024, but can be read as a stand alone to the other books in the series.

Owen is the fiddler in Flightless, an up and coming rock band. Jared joins as a stand in when the keyboard player takes some family time. But time is short for Owen and Jared.

For the most part, I liked this book.

Both Jared and Owen have a say, and they say a great deal. I liked that I was able to get into their minds a good deal.

It's not overly explicit but there are smexy times. No real angst or drama, I didn't think.

I did like the way it all played out.

It's an easy read, a Nice book.

*insert sigh*

I just felt I was missing MUCH information. About both men, and their history. Case in point: these guys met before, The Beer Guy incident. I needed that explained. I don't fully get that and I wanted it. I also found it was a little . . . flat . . .on the romance. They meet, they kiss, and they are in love. I wanted more build up.

BUT like I said, I did enjoy it, I'm just saying what I wanted that I didn't get.

3.5 stars, but rounded UP for the blog.

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
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TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Network of Deceit in Books

Feb 22, 2021  
Network of Deceit
Network of Deceit
Tom Threadgill | 2021 | Crime, Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great Deductive Reasoning
Detective Amara Alvarez from the SAPD (San Antonio Police Department) Homicide brings us a great new case in Network of Deceit. From the first page, I was hooked on this story. I was a big fan of Collision of Lies the first book in this stand-alone series, for the character development Tom Threadgill uses, and how he walks us through the case just as if we were there asking the questions to figure out the case right along Detective Alvarez. Detective Alvarez has a light sense of humor, and she is a bit of a quirky character take this for instance: “[Detective Alvarez] heading home to Larry, her three-foot-long pet iguana”. I also love Tom Threadgill’s use of dry sarcastic humor and wit in the conversations between Detective Alvarez and Detective Jeremiah “Starsky” Peckham is it fun to read and adds another layer to the story.

This particular case was rife with speculation, suspense, and unanswered questions that left me guessing until the end. A true mystery in every sense of the word. We are shown every step in the case and it is not tv fast paced, it is realistic. Tom Threadgill gives accurate timelines for the turnaround on things like autopsy reports and toxicology reports, unlike most tv shows. I also really enjoyed the cybercrime aspects of the story and I thought that it was explained in an easy-to-understand way for anyone, even if you do not have any previous knowledge of cybercrimes.

I would suggest that you go back and read Collision of Lies before this one as it gives you more background on the characters and you would have a better understanding of the case the previous book covers that is mentioned a few times in this one. But this one can be read as a stand-alone since the whole case is started and wrapped up in this book. Overall, I truly loved this book, and the way Tom Threadgill moved the case along, and I am looking forward to what other adventures that Detective Alvarez takes me on. 5 out of 5 stars.