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ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Rising Tide in Books

Sep 14, 2021  
The Rising Tide
The Rising Tide
Sam Lloyd | 2021 | Contemporary, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Rising Tide is a fast paced thriller, a race against time. Lucy must find her children before something terrible happens to them - provided that the terrible thing hasn’t already happened.

The finger of blame is pointed firmly at Lucy’s husband, but even when he’s arrested the police still can’t find the children, and Daniel isn’t going to tell them. Abraham Rose, who is terminally ill, is the detective in charge of the investigation and the hunt for the children. He’s quite some force of nature: a quiet, dedicated man, he’s determined to bring Lucy’s children home to her. This determination and his now wavering faith, are the driving force for a man who should really be in hospital. He wants to be the one to run and solve the case, though.

There’s a lot going on under the surface of this book. Is Lucy the person she says she is? Is something not quite right in her marriage with Daniel? What is going on with Daniel’s business partner?

This book constantly surprised me, and the tension was immense! I really enjoyed Sam Lloyd’s first novel (The Memory Wood), and this book, whilst completely different, didn’t disappoint at all. My emotions throughout this book were as turbulent as the weather (which was pretty bad!). I loved it!

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this and to Sam Lloyd for joining in with the discussion.
  
CT
Chasing the Dragon
Mark Towse | 2024
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
28 of 220
ARC
Chasing the Dragon
By Mark Towse
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A town on its knees, dread's bony fingers wrapping around its throat and squeezing, death rattles soon to follow.

Drugs, filth, and a lack of human decency are starving it of hope.

Introducing Simon Dooley, our trauma-driven wannabe superhero, the relentless voice of his dead mother pleading with him to "end the chaos." Dressed in a leotard and armed only with a dozen dog poop bags, Simon's plight will find him falling in love and going head to head with the seediest characters walking the streets.

The town needed a hero... it got Reformo.

This was honestly such a fun read. This dude has some parental issues that’s for certain. So Simon decided on the advice of his dead mother that he’s going to clean house and the neighbourhood. So he invents Reformo the super hero everyone needs. Now all the way through this book I couldn’t stop laughing which when you’re on a bus full of people you get crazy looks. You can tell the author has poured everything into this book and it really has paid off. It’s dark, funny, bloody , violent and even a little emotional at the end there. Please read any trigger warnings as it does touch a few and it is dark and violent with some graphic details.

I was kindly given this to me by the author in return for an honest review.
  
The Du Lac Princess (The Du Lac Chronicles #3)
The Du Lac Princess (The Du Lac Chronicles #3)
Mary Anne Yarde | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Du Lac Princess (The Du Lac Chronicles #3) by Mary Anne Yarde
The Du Lac Princess is the third book in The Du Lac Chronicles, and we start off how it The Du Lac Devil ended. Back in the 6th Century, the world was a harsh place, and Amandine learns this more than most people do. She goes through horrors that you would not believe, but still somehow holds onto life. Merton, now known as Galahad, has been told that she is dead. Together with his own horrific injuries, he doesn't want to live without her, but also clings to life. Garren has returned, Josephine is a poisoned viper, Budic is a bully. All the characters we have grown to love (or hate) are here, and the story will pull you in and not let go until the last page has been turned. Even then, you will want for more!

There is one new character that needs her own mention, and that is Tegan. She was a knight in Arthur's court, in love with Lancelot. She has her own tale to tell, and her own way of telling it, so I won't even try. All I will say is that Tegan wriggled into my heart, and I was sad when we heard no more about her. I am fervently hoping that she will make a reappearance in the next book.

Exceptionally written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, The Du Lac Princess is an astounding read of the highest quality. With impeccable research and honour to traditions of a time gone by, this book and series continue to fascinate. I am happy to learn there will be more in this series, and can't wait to continue. Absolutely and utterly recommended.

* 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!
  
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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Triangles in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
Triangles
Triangles
Ellen Hopkins | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The thing about Ellen Hopkins is she writes about the stuff that everyone knows happens, but nobody is willing to admit to. She gives emotion and reason to why people make the choices we do, and what they feel like in the middle of a messy hurtful situation. She is the opposite of happyland syndrome. She tells it how it is.

I had read a little bit of Hopkins's work before: I started Crank (When I say started I mean read the first few pages) and loved it, but I was busy and never got the chance to get into it. But I got an ARC of Triangles, so I sat down and read it—and after one page I was hooked.

If you've been reading my blog at all, you know I'm not a person who likes stories about love gone wrong and marriages failing and extramarital sex etc. because I'm a Christian, and a romantic, and a softie (read 'wimp'). But I went ahead and dove into this book, because I knew Hopkins is a good writer.

It surpassed my expectations. I should have expected her to be this awesome, since obviously she's pretty famous and everyone else figured it out before I did, but I really am blown away, not only by her blunt yet graceful storytelling, but by her nerve to tackle the stories nobody wants to tell: a dying child, a gay son, a pregnant teen, sexual disease, threesomes, a woman sleeping with her best friend's husband… it's all in here. Yet, it's not plot overkill. She made it work. Somehow.

Though, be warned. Since she does say it like it is, this book is not for the easily offended. But if you're willing to look past the content, there's a gem waiting for you about forgiveness, hope, and what love really means.

Content/recommendation: explicit sexual content, swearing. Ages 18+