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SWAT for Dummies (Deputy Gemma Stone #2)
SWAT for Dummies (Deputy Gemma Stone #2)
Gail Koger | 2023 | Humor & Comedy, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
some very funny moments
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Deputy Gemma Stone series. I have not read book one, but I picked this one up quick enough. So I'd say it can be read as a stand alone.

And for the most part, I did enjoy this short read, some 130 pages, I really did.

I just found the fact that Gemma got into so many scrapes and bumps, accidents and getting shot at, it all became a bit too much. FOR ME! I need to stress that, for me, I found it a bit too much in the short space of time it took me to read this book.

There is some kooky going on inthe Sheriff's department, and Gemma, along with her new boyfriend, need to figure it out, especially as it might have some relation to Dante's parent's deaths. And they do, eventually.

Some very funny moments, that really were laugh out loud bits and I think these are what made me give it 4 stars and not 3. It's full of drama, but not real angst. Low on the steam scale too. But I didn't mind that here.

I'm not usually one for comedy in my romance books, but I did enjoy this one. Whether I read more, will remain to be seen, though.

An enjoyable, 4 star read

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Hallowed & Haunted: A Northbound Novella
Hallowed & Haunted: A Northbound Novella
Saga Nansen | 2025 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
short, but packs a punch!
I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is set in the Northbound universe but you don't need to have read those books, they are all stand alones. This is only a novella, a short step into this world, and it will give you a beautiful step into Nansen's world, and their writing skill and style.

Sander and Niillas are rivals. But when Sander accepts a drunken dare, Niillas knows he can't let Sander into that house alone. Someone, or something, will need to keep him safe from things that go bump in the night.

This is only short, some 120 pages but it packs quite a punch!

Not everything is laid out for you, and I got more than a few surprises along the way and I loved being kept on my toes!

The romance aspect is minimal, it's more about Sander and Niillas learning about each other, and dealing with what's going on in the house. Niillas knows what it is, but letting Sander in on the secret will mean letting Sander in on a whole lot more than he bargained for.

I loved that Sander wasn't fazed by Niillas, once he knows. I'm being vague, I know but I need to be!

It is only short, as I said but it was brilliantly written and told and I loved it! Thank you.

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Brutal Reign (Shadow Heirs #5)
Brutal Reign (Shadow Heirs #5)
C.J. Primer | 2024 | Paranormal, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
You should probably start at the beginning!
Independent reviewer for BookSirens, I was gifted my copy of this book.

So, here's the thing. The blurb grabbed, it really did, even though it's the lsst in series, it says it can be read as a stand alone book. And I have no doubt that for some, it can. But for me? I missed something, I really did.

There were a lot of characters who grabbed me far more than Seb, Ace or River did and I think that's where I missed not reading any previous books.

So, here's what I did like.

All three have a say, and I liked getting into all three heads.

It's a slower burn book,. but once these three get with what Fate has in store for them, it's steamy and smexy. I liked that contrast in the before and after.

I didn't like how Seb and Ace were with River in the beginning, but given what happens later, I fully understand why they did what they did, to keep themselves away from River.

I'm just not sure this was the book for me to start with! And that's entirely my own fault, since it does it's last in series. I will, however, try something else of Primer's work, since this is the first I've read of their work.

But I finished it, and it had a satisfactory ending. I really liked the epilogues!

3 good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Commander (Hellfire #3)
Commander (Hellfire #3)
Ella Moore | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!


Mei has been followed by Kellias as a punishment, ever since she annoyed Lucifer with her attitude when he upset her best friend. She has tried to lose him whenever she can but she never seems to have much luck. When she is sent on a mission to see who is trying to make wildfire with Kellias will she finally get rid of him or find his value?


This is book number 3 in the hellfire series and I have enjoyed every single story in this series. As soon as I had finished one book I was ready to read the next one. There are a couple of novellas as well that I will be reading and I am eagerly waiting for book number 4!


The way that Ella has written these are fresh and exciting. Lots of anticipation about what could happen next and whom it involves. Although this story contains characters from previous books, I think you could read it as a stand-alone. Personally, I recommend you read them all as they are fast-paced, romantic, passionate, and gripping. I really can't praise them high enough they are brilliant!


** 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. *
  
When I Look In the Mirror
When I Look In the Mirror
Tanith Davenport | 2023 | Erotica, Paranormal, Romance
6
4.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
liked well enough, but not sure this author is for me!
Independent reviewer for Achaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I liked this, well enough, but I'm not sure this author works for ME. I stress the ME here!

I said in the first book I read from Davenport, I'm With The Band, that I wanted to read another book by this author, but not that series. And this book fits that bill, since it's a stand alone.

But while I read it, finished in under an hour, and there were some things I did like, it just really isn't one for me.

I liked that it doesn't get as scary as I thought it would, once I started reading. Ouija boards are nothing to be messed with, as Tatum finds out here, and I won't ever touch one! Finding a demon in her mists was tricky to deal with but Zach really helps her.

I liked the connection between Zach and Tatum, and how that all plays out. I wasn't sure which way things would play out and it left me hanging for a hot minute!

I didn't like that only Tatum gets a say, I would have liked to hear from Zach.

Like I said, only short, some 70 pages. Not sure it was really for me, but passed a lazy Tuesday morning in bed.

3 good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Murder at Sea Captain’s Inn
Murder at Sea Captain’s Inn
Melissa Bourbon | 2021 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Lane women are so genuinely interesting, I keep coming back for more.
The Book Magic Mystery series is such a splendid way to spend a couple of hours. It starts with a curse; the women in the family are doomed to die in childbirth and their men doomed to be taken by the sea. Add in the special power the women sometimes have as bibliomancers, that in itself makes this series intriguing. What avid reader wouldn’t want to be able to do that?

In Murder at Sea Captain’s Inn, Pippin and her brother Grey are the latest descendents of the Lane family. Pippin is desperate to find a way to break the family curse if only to save her brother from his seemingly preordained fate. She has turned the house they inherited from their parents into a bed and breakfast and she has her hands full with the grand opening. It is bad enough that one of her guests has turned up dead, but as Pippin gets pulled into investigating, it turns out that the woman may have known something about the curse that has been following the Lanes for the past two millennia.

Melissa Bourbon knows how to tell a story. Honestly, that is all that needs to be said.

There is so much going on in the 250+ pages of this book. Pippin has picked up her father’s investigation into her lineage and is learning to have confidence in her role as a biblimancer. That narrative alone is fascinating. I could read a 500 page book on that aspect of the story alone. The Lane women are so genuinely interesting, I keep coming back for more.

I truly enjoyed the tidbits of archeology and history laced into the plot. With a budding archaeologist in the house, I admit to being just a little too excited to read about optically stimulated luminescence in the course of a mystery novel. I mean that doesn’t just pop up in a typical conversation. I also love that I didn’t see whodunnit until it was explained. When Pippin figured it out, I was hoping she was wrong because I just didn’t want to believe it, but of course it was there in the clues the whole time. How did I miss it? Simply put, the clues are so subtly woven into the story that it is easy to forget that we, as readers, are here to help Pippen solve a mystery.

I do think this reads well as a stand alone if this is your first experience with the series. Still, book 1 and its prequel are so worth the effort. The story isn’t all told yet, so I will be back for more.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily