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Fever (Songbird #1)
8.0
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Singing in the shower takes on a whole new meaning in Melissa Pearl's first New Adult Contemporary...
Contemporary Romance
I Saw Mommy Kissing the Nanny
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Morgan loves three things; Books, women, and being single. But when Grad school costs more than her...
Seasonal Contemporary FF Romance Holiday Romance Nanny/Parent
Bearly There (City Shifters #1)
8.0
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One surly bear and one bunny boy…what could possibly go wrong? Jagger Osterman is having a bad...
MM Paranormal Romance
Merissa (14056 KP) rated The Du Lac Princess (The Du Lac Chronicles #3) in Books
Nov 21, 2017
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!
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!
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Triangles in Books
Apr 27, 2018
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+
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+
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Icons (Icons, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
This book had a lot of potential, and I was really getting into it… before I just got too out of it to keep going. Maybe one day I’ll read it again but I stopped at chapter 8.
There are only two reasons why. Which is really too bad because like I said, there was A LOT of potential here.
1. Emotionally sappy. Sap city, guys. "It was like “Our wrists touched and I felt it tingling down my arm and into my toes to the depths of my soul” kind of sappy. Overdramatic is another way to say it. I’ve talked about this before, and I’m sure I’ll talk about it again… romantic scenes are hard to write. But if you suck at them, find a way to tell the romantic story without writing sucky scenes.
2. The story itself was almost a repeat of The Hunger Games. Now I know, there are a lot of major differences, but let’s look at the similarities: An evil all-powerful and all-controlling government, a creepy government leader, a boy and a girl who are totally in love with each other but won’t admit it are trying to bring it down and just get back to the way things are supposed to be, they get brought to the main city and forced to participate in something they don’t want to do but don’t have a choice in… etc. Also, love triangle. Yeah. It’s The Hunger Games but more sci-fi technically advanced.
It just wasn’t for me. That being said, there were a lot of good things about it! It was exciting, it drew you in right away, the characters were distinct, the setting and descriptions were excellent. It was just those two things that kept coming back to me, and I knew there was no way I was going to be able to finish listening to it.
Content/Recommendation: occasional use of light language. Ages 13+
There are only two reasons why. Which is really too bad because like I said, there was A LOT of potential here.
1. Emotionally sappy. Sap city, guys. "It was like “Our wrists touched and I felt it tingling down my arm and into my toes to the depths of my soul” kind of sappy. Overdramatic is another way to say it. I’ve talked about this before, and I’m sure I’ll talk about it again… romantic scenes are hard to write. But if you suck at them, find a way to tell the romantic story without writing sucky scenes.
2. The story itself was almost a repeat of The Hunger Games. Now I know, there are a lot of major differences, but let’s look at the similarities: An evil all-powerful and all-controlling government, a creepy government leader, a boy and a girl who are totally in love with each other but won’t admit it are trying to bring it down and just get back to the way things are supposed to be, they get brought to the main city and forced to participate in something they don’t want to do but don’t have a choice in… etc. Also, love triangle. Yeah. It’s The Hunger Games but more sci-fi technically advanced.
It just wasn’t for me. That being said, there were a lot of good things about it! It was exciting, it drew you in right away, the characters were distinct, the setting and descriptions were excellent. It was just those two things that kept coming back to me, and I knew there was no way I was going to be able to finish listening to it.
Content/Recommendation: occasional use of light language. Ages 13+
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Room in Books
May 10, 2018
Jack is five years old and to him Room is his entire world. He lives in Room with his Ma, Joy, and calls each inanimate object by it's name, toilet, sink, table, plant, etc. What Jack doesn't know is that his Ma was kidnapped 7 years ago and was brought to Room and hasn't left since. No one knows she is there and no one knows Jack exists. When Joy decides it's time to make a great escape, she has to tell Jack about the outside world. Up until now, he has thought everything outside of Room was only on TV. He doesn't know that there are really other people and a great big world outside the walls of Room. Will the plan Joy has mapped out work? How will their lives change if they are able to get away? What happens if they don't?
Room has been on my TBR for a very long time. I have no idea why I didn't read it sooner, I loved it. The book made me laugh and cry. I also watched the movie, which as usual was not as good as the book, but still it was a good movie.
I love that the book was told from Jack's perspective. Getting to see him learn the world for the first time is interesting and exciting. You feel for his mother and all that she has to endure just to keep Jack safe. They look forward to "Sunday Treat" from Old Nick, their capture, they move all the furniture around in the house to run track and stay healthy. Even though the TV is the only connection they have to the outside world, she still limits Jack's time on it so it won't rot his brain.
If you haven't read Room, I suggest you pick up a copy right away. Read the book and then see the movie. The only other book I have read by Emma Donoghue is [bc:Frog Music|18295858|Frog Music|Emma Donoghue|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393227215s/18295858.jpg|25778638]
Room has been on my TBR for a very long time. I have no idea why I didn't read it sooner, I loved it. The book made me laugh and cry. I also watched the movie, which as usual was not as good as the book, but still it was a good movie.
I love that the book was told from Jack's perspective. Getting to see him learn the world for the first time is interesting and exciting. You feel for his mother and all that she has to endure just to keep Jack safe. They look forward to "Sunday Treat" from Old Nick, their capture, they move all the furniture around in the house to run track and stay healthy. Even though the TV is the only connection they have to the outside world, she still limits Jack's time on it so it won't rot his brain.
If you haven't read Room, I suggest you pick up a copy right away. Read the book and then see the movie. The only other book I have read by Emma Donoghue is [bc:Frog Music|18295858|Frog Music|Emma Donoghue|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393227215s/18295858.jpg|25778638]
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Ablaze in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Actually the back cover is wrong and he never makes an offer of money for dinner with her.
As with most other books of the 80's, there are a lot of "endearments", which drive me crazy for some reason. Maybe because there’s one in every sentence the "hero" utters in the beginning? I don't know, I just get tired of hearing, "little one", "darling", and let us not forget in this book, "Heller mine"! Ugh, how awful that one is!! Not to mention all the comments about her voice going squeaky. *rolls eyes* The typical overbearing, bulldozing male is once again used in this book. Why he can't just let Heller tell things in her own time is beyond me, instead he has a private investigator (or the like) pry into her business to find out.
Some other things I didn't like about the book:
1. There was too much going on in it; mother's health, a fire, the Witness Protection Program, misunderstandings (which are usually the main or only thing in a romance book). Just pick one and stick with that, don't go over-the-top.
2. Heller was worried about endangering Conrad's life but not Simeon's, I found that wrong. Some convoluted thinking there.
3. Why-oh-why did the author decide to name Heller's best friend Doodie?
Even with all that I still found myself enjoying it more and more as I progressed through the book. Both Con and Heller became more likeable and Heller started showing more spunk. I do have to say that everything tied itself up rather nicely in the end and their relationship was rather sweet and instead of not being together until the end, they actually had a relationship during the book. And the after-party was highly entertaining, too. :)
If you can get through the first 50 or so pages it's actually rather rewarding! I ended up enjoying it way more than I thought I would. :)
As with most other books of the 80's, there are a lot of "endearments", which drive me crazy for some reason. Maybe because there’s one in every sentence the "hero" utters in the beginning? I don't know, I just get tired of hearing, "little one", "darling", and let us not forget in this book, "Heller mine"! Ugh, how awful that one is!! Not to mention all the comments about her voice going squeaky. *rolls eyes* The typical overbearing, bulldozing male is once again used in this book. Why he can't just let Heller tell things in her own time is beyond me, instead he has a private investigator (or the like) pry into her business to find out.
Some other things I didn't like about the book:
1. There was too much going on in it; mother's health, a fire, the Witness Protection Program, misunderstandings (which are usually the main or only thing in a romance book). Just pick one and stick with that, don't go over-the-top.
2. Heller was worried about endangering Conrad's life but not Simeon's, I found that wrong. Some convoluted thinking there.
3. Why-oh-why did the author decide to name Heller's best friend Doodie?
Even with all that I still found myself enjoying it more and more as I progressed through the book. Both Con and Heller became more likeable and Heller started showing more spunk. I do have to say that everything tied itself up rather nicely in the end and their relationship was rather sweet and instead of not being together until the end, they actually had a relationship during the book. And the after-party was highly entertaining, too. :)
If you can get through the first 50 or so pages it's actually rather rewarding! I ended up enjoying it way more than I thought I would. :)
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The Man He Never Was in Books
Feb 27, 2019
I believe in honesty, so I'll make my review completely honest. I didn't like this book. Not at first. It took me a bit to get into it. I don't normally read this type of book. But, after hearing of some rave reviews on it, I decided to take a dive and branch out to another realm of reading. Mr. Rubart, I will tell you that after a couple of tries, I finally got into the book and it swept me away and left me in awe of your amazing talent and ability to create a retelling like this.
Toren Daniels is a man with two sides: good.....and evil. I never really thought of my own life as having a good side and an evil side, until Toren's story came to life for me. The anger, the pain, the not knowing what happened and the why of it all.....those are all things that Toren struggles with, and he seeks out to remedy that. Those are things that we, as everyday human beings, struggle with. It's an emotional roller coaster ride for certain as the reader gets to follow Toren through his life and see how he deals with with doing right and wrong, good or evil.
This ended up, in my honest opinion, a 4 star read. It's a story that will not only entertain you after you give it a chance, but it's a story that will twist you up and make you think, really, really think about the meaning of good versus evil, and the way the Lord helps to deal with those. I definitely will be sharing this book with other Christian fiction fans! Mr. Rubart, hats off to you for creating this story full of meaning and truth.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Toren Daniels is a man with two sides: good.....and evil. I never really thought of my own life as having a good side and an evil side, until Toren's story came to life for me. The anger, the pain, the not knowing what happened and the why of it all.....those are all things that Toren struggles with, and he seeks out to remedy that. Those are things that we, as everyday human beings, struggle with. It's an emotional roller coaster ride for certain as the reader gets to follow Toren through his life and see how he deals with with doing right and wrong, good or evil.
This ended up, in my honest opinion, a 4 star read. It's a story that will not only entertain you after you give it a chance, but it's a story that will twist you up and make you think, really, really think about the meaning of good versus evil, and the way the Lord helps to deal with those. I definitely will be sharing this book with other Christian fiction fans! Mr. Rubart, hats off to you for creating this story full of meaning and truth.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Redemption (Redemption, #1) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
I reviewed this book several years ago, so this is a reread review. I can tell you that my thoughts then were high on this book and not much has changed through the years. Mrs. Kingsbury's books were introduced to me by my mother many years ago, and I was hooked. Redemption was one of the first Kingsbury books that I read, and it is one of my favorites. I was instantly hooked on it the first time I read it, and the reread was no different. Whenever I find myself in a book funk, or I suffer a tragedy in my life, I pick up Redemption and am reminded that with God's redeeming grace, I can pull through anything.
As someone who went through a bad first marriage, this book truly hits home for me. There are many elements of the book that I went through but I didn't lean on God through it all like Kari did. I loved watching her character again. It truly felt like reuniting with a long lost friend. The pain and suffering she felt, once again became my own. The sadness and the struggling, were mine. I found myself wanting to wrap her in a big old hug and fall to my knees to pray for her.
This is definitely still a 5 star book in my opinion. Mrs. Kingsbury can create a novel that will suck you in, wrap you up in God's warmth and grace, and set you down in a brand new place. Her words will stay with you long after you've shut the pages, long after you've placed the book back on the shelf. She will leave you breathless and ready for the next book. I highly recommend this book to all!
*I purchased this book for my personal collection. Cafinated Reads was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
As someone who went through a bad first marriage, this book truly hits home for me. There are many elements of the book that I went through but I didn't lean on God through it all like Kari did. I loved watching her character again. It truly felt like reuniting with a long lost friend. The pain and suffering she felt, once again became my own. The sadness and the struggling, were mine. I found myself wanting to wrap her in a big old hug and fall to my knees to pray for her.
This is definitely still a 5 star book in my opinion. Mrs. Kingsbury can create a novel that will suck you in, wrap you up in God's warmth and grace, and set you down in a brand new place. Her words will stay with you long after you've shut the pages, long after you've placed the book back on the shelf. She will leave you breathless and ready for the next book. I highly recommend this book to all!
*I purchased this book for my personal collection. Cafinated Reads was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*