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The Captain's Pet (Alien Slave Masters #1)
The Captain's Pet (Alien Slave Masters #1)
Samantha Cayto | 2015 | Erotica, LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
First of all, this book comes with a Reader Advisory - TAKE NOTE OF IT! Seriously, this book is not for everyone and contains scenes that may trigger. Don't think that the advisory is put there for the fun of it because it isn't, believe me.

The story itself is completely sci-fi. Earth has become overcrowded and colonists are sent out to various planets that have been discovered. One such planet, Seven, where our main character Wid comes from, has apparently been colonised by the Travians. War ensues between the humans and the Travians, resulting in a mindless act of vandalism that results in Wid and his associates being taken aboard the Travians' ship.

What happens next is why the advisory is there. There is a lot of violence and rape, although it is incredibly well-written. I won't say anything else about that part but this IS dark and it does come with an advisory.

As the story progresses, you see that some of the boys, Wid included, start to actually have a relationship with their captors. This doesn't feel like Stockholm Syndrome to me, mainly because of how it is written with each of the boys' personalities and experiences taken into account. You learn more about the Travian way of life and, indeed, the Travians learn more about the humans and why they won't just leave Seven even after they've been defeated.

I enjoyed this book, and even if parts of it did make me uncomfortable, I'm glad I stuck with it. I would certainly be interested in going further with this series. I can't emphasise enough though - TAKE NOTE OF THE ADVISORY!!

* 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!
Jun 29, 2015
  
The Hidden Beach
The Hidden Beach
Karen Swan | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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I had the most amazing opportunity this month! Thanks to the team at Tandem Collective UK, I participated in a #Readalong on Instagram for The Hidden Beach by Karen Swan. The book is published by the amazing team at Pan Macmillan.

And I can immediately say - this experience was, so far, the highlight of my reading year! 

Together with a number of amazing bookstagrammers, we read this book in 5 days, chatting about the plot twists and the ending. By the end of the second day, we were all in love with Karen Swan's writing and decided to do another read along for August. I also had the chance to participate in a Live Q&A session with Karen Swan herself and win a prize for being a runner-up to the quiz. And on top of everything, I visited my mum on the weekend, and we talked about books we're reading. And to my surprise, she owns FOUR books of Karen Swan already! So we decided to swap some books, and I came home with four more books I want to read!

We will be reading The Greek Escape by Karen Swan in August - so please shout if you have this book and want to join us! 

I shared my readalong journey on my Instagram, and the highlights are still up, in case you want to have a look at my journey! I always share posts and stories of the books I am currently reading - so don't forget to follow for more updates. 

<b><i>Synopsis:</i></b>

In the oldest part of Stockholm, Bell Everhurst is working as a nanny for an affluent family. Hanna and Max Von Greyerz are parents to 7 year-old Linus, and 5-year old twins Ellinor and Tilde, and Bell has been with the family for over two years.

One early Spring morning, as she’s rushing out to take the children to school, she answers the phone – and everything changes. A woman from a clinic she’s never heard of asks her to pass on the message that Hanna’s husband is awake.Bell is confused. She clearly just saw Max walking out of the house a few minutes earlier, but the woman mentioned Hanna by name...

When she gets hold of her employer, the truth is revealed: Hanna’s first husband fell into a coma seven years earlier, following a terrible accident. He has been in a Persistent Minimally Conscious State since and there was very little hope of further improvement. But now he’s awake. And life is going to change for them all.

<b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b>

I absolutely adored this book! I loved it so much, that I am unsure how to contain all my impressions in a well-written review. 

Let's start with the setting.

It is set in Stockholm, on the coast, during summer. The descriptions about the place and the season really fit the mood. There is also a midsummer festival in the book which made me feel as if I was transported there, dancing with people from the town and enjoying the sunshine. 

The characters have that aura about them, that makes you want to know them. Or they happen to remind you of someone you know, but you can't just recall where you know them from. They are so familiar, but distant at the same time. Each of them carrying their weight on their shoulders and each of them having their separate story. 

We meet Bell - the nanny, who has her own reasons of why she decides to become a nanny and stay in Stockholm longer than she needed to. Her love for the children, especially for Linus is so adorable, and I can understand why she is so protective of him. 

<b><i>I felt for Linus.</i></b>

The trauma he is going through in this book is heartbreaking, he's introduced to his real father, but he doesn't remember him. The way some situations are handled also doesn't do him any favours and just contributes to his confusion and anger, and I completely understand him. It is a very difficult situation to be in. 

The most intriguing character in this book is definitely the husband that was in coma. Losing seven years of your life is devastating. One day - you have everything, and then you wake up to find out that your wife is with another person, happy, and has more children of her own with another man. And all you want to do is bring them back. Just like it was. Like time never passed. But time did pass. And people continued living... 

<b><i>Very emotional read.</i></b>

I had all emotions flowing in me at certain moments. Sometimes I had conflicted opinions about some decisions the characters made. I had suspicions, hopes and anticipated a lot. And I loved it. It ended on a very (for me) satisfying ending, and I got the result I was hoping to get. 

<b><i>I definitely recommend you pick up this book straight ahead - it's simply amazing! The perfect summer read with thriller elements, plot twists like you've never seen before and a subtle touch of romance.</i></b>

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Live in Stockholm 1960 by John Coltrane / Miles Davis
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This album has multiple covers and titles; it seems to be barely official. This is Coltrane’s last tour with Davis. He didn't want to go. His career had already started. He is sulky and petulant on these shows. His playing is edging towards the more raucous howl of his later revolutionary period. The night before this show he was booed in Paris; Miles would leave the stage during his solos. In Stockholm, eight minutes into ‘All Blues’, Coltrane does a remarkable thing. He hits a split note, a strangled harmonic that is clearly unintentional. He plays the same mistake a second time, and I would be prepared to venture that this second time was also accidental. Then he plays it a third time, then a fourth and fifth. It could be that he is going for the rule that if you play a mistake, then you should play it again and it becomes a part. You underline it and make it seem intentional. But it’s more than that. Coltrane is fascinated by this tortured phrase. He becomes obsessed with what his saxophone is doing, or rather what it isn't doing. He is going into a trance and circling the five notes again and again, sometimes with the smallest changes, sometimes repeated in different ways, but always this curious, odd, raspy note in the middle. The audience doesn't exist. It is just him and this one phrase. In total, he repeats the line 33 times. I just counted. The band goes with him as well, from initial worry to uncertainty and finally to outrageous confidence. It is both the dumbest and most intelligent piece of music I've ever heard, and I think about it all the time when I'm making records. It speaks about the power of repetition, the beauty of pure experimentation, and what you can get away with if you show confidence."

Source
  
Discordant Cultivation
Discordant Cultivation
Gale Ian Tate | 2025 | Contemporary, Horror, LGBTQ+
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
DISCORDANT CULTIVATION is a DARK standalone novel about a music producer who sees the potential in a street busker. He kidnaps him and uses 'dubious' methods to teach him how to get the best out of his music.

Vale is the producer, and Kieran is the musician. You read the story from both perspectives, seeing Kieran succumb to Stockholm Syndrome in real time, along with everything else. There isn't a massive supporting cast, but each one plays a part in Vale and Kieran's story.

Now, it says it is "A Dark MM Captive Musician Romance", but I don't know if I would put the word romance anywhere near this. I mean, yes, they fall into something, a dark and twisted version of love, maybe, but romance? Maybe psychological horror fits better? Don't get me wrong, I love a dark romance, but I struggled with this book. It took me over three days to read it, when I can normally finish a book (or more) in a day.

I will say, read the trigger warnings! You will need to, to protect your own mental health. This book pushed boundaries I didn't even know I had. It was an extremely uncomfortable book to read, BUT it was so incredibly well-written!!! Gale Ian Tate has a knack for dark stories, but I think this one might be both the best and the worst! And while I both loved and loathed it, it definitely won't be one I read again!

An amazing, horrible, uncomfortable story that pushed everything I thought I knew. If that sounds like the book for you, then I can definitely recommend it. Just be careful with your own mental health, though!

** 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!
Jan 2, 2026