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Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Eternity in Books
Jun 12, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
300 years ago, Raven St. James was hanged for witchcraft. But she revives among the dead to find herself alive. She is an Immortal High Witch, one of the light. A note from her mother warns that there are others, those of the Dark, who preserve their own lives by taking the hearts of those like her.
Duncan Wallace’s forbidden love for the secretive lass costs him his life.
300 years later, he loves her again, tormented by hazy memories of a past that can’t be real. She tells him of another lifetime, claims to be immortal. Though he knows she’s deluded, he can’t stay away. And the Dark Witch after her heart is far closer than either of them know.
After reading and loving the Once Upon a Time boxed set by Maggie Shayne, I was super excited to find her book Eternity free on Smashwords. But while I liked it a lot, I didn’t like it as much as Once Upon a Time. Perhaps my expectations were too high.
Raven and her sister Arianna are both good characters. I like Raven’s spirit and loyalty a lot, as well as Arianna’s sass. Duncan is pretty fine himself. His devotion to Raven is incredibly sexy and I’ve always enjoyed a good Scottish brogue myself. In one scene, she heals him from a fever while trying to keep her identity a secret from him. That is a very delicious scene and it’s one of the first real tastes of magic we see. Gotta love that scene, as well as reading about Duncan trying to protect Raven in the Americas.
But the initial meeting was a little lacking. Sure, it’s pretty powerful, having Duncan speak up on Raven’s behalf and then quit the Catholic church for her. I love the compassion he shows there, despite Raven telling him to stop before he’s hanged himself.
But they’re practically in love within two minutes of meeting each other. Sure, that would be fine if Raven, unaware of her immense power, accidentally put a spell on him. But she didn’t. There’s no real explanation for their insta-love. The most we get is their souls recognized each other. Yippee.
The insta-love wasn’t necessary, either. A young, idealistic man can be sickened by an execution without being in love with her. There was plenty of time to introduce more romantic feelings later.
Duncan and Raven in the Americas are excellent together, though. I wish we had seen more of them in the seventeenth century. Because Duncan in the twentieth is bland.
There’s no better word for it, really. He’s bland. Modern-day Duncan is easily confused and manipulated and even after he gets memories from his past life, he still doesn’t believe Raven when she tells him of their past. It takes him forever to realize Raven’s not mentally unbalanced and actually knows what she’s talking about.
There is a second book with Raven’s sister, Arianna. Even though I was a little disappointed in this book, I still might buy Infinity. After all, this wasn’t even close to being a bad book. It’s certainly well-written and entertaining. Now that my expectations for Maggie Shayne’s work has gotten a reality check– honestly, any book she wrote would have been a letdown after the two amazing love stories in Once Upon a Time.
Duncan Wallace’s forbidden love for the secretive lass costs him his life.
300 years later, he loves her again, tormented by hazy memories of a past that can’t be real. She tells him of another lifetime, claims to be immortal. Though he knows she’s deluded, he can’t stay away. And the Dark Witch after her heart is far closer than either of them know.
After reading and loving the Once Upon a Time boxed set by Maggie Shayne, I was super excited to find her book Eternity free on Smashwords. But while I liked it a lot, I didn’t like it as much as Once Upon a Time. Perhaps my expectations were too high.
Raven and her sister Arianna are both good characters. I like Raven’s spirit and loyalty a lot, as well as Arianna’s sass. Duncan is pretty fine himself. His devotion to Raven is incredibly sexy and I’ve always enjoyed a good Scottish brogue myself. In one scene, she heals him from a fever while trying to keep her identity a secret from him. That is a very delicious scene and it’s one of the first real tastes of magic we see. Gotta love that scene, as well as reading about Duncan trying to protect Raven in the Americas.
But the initial meeting was a little lacking. Sure, it’s pretty powerful, having Duncan speak up on Raven’s behalf and then quit the Catholic church for her. I love the compassion he shows there, despite Raven telling him to stop before he’s hanged himself.
But they’re practically in love within two minutes of meeting each other. Sure, that would be fine if Raven, unaware of her immense power, accidentally put a spell on him. But she didn’t. There’s no real explanation for their insta-love. The most we get is their souls recognized each other. Yippee.
The insta-love wasn’t necessary, either. A young, idealistic man can be sickened by an execution without being in love with her. There was plenty of time to introduce more romantic feelings later.
Duncan and Raven in the Americas are excellent together, though. I wish we had seen more of them in the seventeenth century. Because Duncan in the twentieth is bland.
There’s no better word for it, really. He’s bland. Modern-day Duncan is easily confused and manipulated and even after he gets memories from his past life, he still doesn’t believe Raven when she tells him of their past. It takes him forever to realize Raven’s not mentally unbalanced and actually knows what she’s talking about.
There is a second book with Raven’s sister, Arianna. Even though I was a little disappointed in this book, I still might buy Infinity. After all, this wasn’t even close to being a bad book. It’s certainly well-written and entertaining. Now that my expectations for Maggie Shayne’s work has gotten a reality check– honestly, any book she wrote would have been a letdown after the two amazing love stories in Once Upon a Time.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Collateral Damage in Books
May 14, 2020
79 of 200
Kindle
Collateral Damage (Tethered book 2)
By Jessica Wayne
Paislee Adams possessed what one man craved: power. After being held captive for fifteen years, she manages to escape and spends the next year of her life pursuing the one who destroyed her. A gunshot heard one night in an alley changes everything, when she comes face to face with Timothy McGinley, a man harboring his own secrets. Ever since a spell left him frozen in time nearly two centuries ago, Timothy has harbored a hatred for all things magic. But when a witch saves his life, he is forced to confront his own mortality for the first time in two hundred years.A man trapped in time.A powerful witch on the run.A dangerous enemy on the hunt.As these two unlikely allies join forces, they have to put aside old grudges in order to stop a man harboring a deadly obsession with them both.
So I was in between 3 and 4 stars for this as I really did enjoy it ! There was a bit more bye to this book than Tethered. Both Timothy and paislee had a bit more character but it was also nice to go back to Aengus and Abby too. A few small inconsistencies but nothing to ruing the book and a lovely nod to Meg Anne who I absolutely love! Another magical romance and if you like romance you will enjoy this!!
Kindle
Collateral Damage (Tethered book 2)
By Jessica Wayne
Paislee Adams possessed what one man craved: power. After being held captive for fifteen years, she manages to escape and spends the next year of her life pursuing the one who destroyed her. A gunshot heard one night in an alley changes everything, when she comes face to face with Timothy McGinley, a man harboring his own secrets. Ever since a spell left him frozen in time nearly two centuries ago, Timothy has harbored a hatred for all things magic. But when a witch saves his life, he is forced to confront his own mortality for the first time in two hundred years.A man trapped in time.A powerful witch on the run.A dangerous enemy on the hunt.As these two unlikely allies join forces, they have to put aside old grudges in order to stop a man harboring a deadly obsession with them both.
So I was in between 3 and 4 stars for this as I really did enjoy it ! There was a bit more bye to this book than Tethered. Both Timothy and paislee had a bit more character but it was also nice to go back to Aengus and Abby too. A few small inconsistencies but nothing to ruing the book and a lovely nod to Meg Anne who I absolutely love! Another magical romance and if you like romance you will enjoy this!!
Love, Paul Gambaccini: My Year Under the Yewtree
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Paul Gambaccini was arrested in the dead of night in October 2013. Possessions confiscated, smeared...
The Bass Rock
8.0
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A modern gothic triumph. Spectacularly well-observed, profoundly disquieting and utterly riveting....
Historical fiction Scotland
AJaneClark (3962 KP) rated A Witch Awakens in Books
Apr 27, 2020 (Updated Apr 27, 2020)
I came across this lovely little book in a charity shop a while back, and it lingered in the TBR pile for a long while.
A relatively short read, coming in at less than 200 pages. This slow starter rapidly became one of those books that I struggled to put down.
Scarlett has felt different for a long while, but seems to develop her magick powers naturally without any guidance. Scarlett is your typical 21 year old, enjoying living away from home, in the big city, looking for love, finding a job after finishing school, managing finances and having fun with friends, oh and being a witch! That was until the night of the break in. After that Scarlett started to notice odd little things, would lose train of thought, or moments in time. Until one day when it all came together in an intriguing climax.
The first in this series, I would happily purchases the rest.
A relatively short read, coming in at less than 200 pages. This slow starter rapidly became one of those books that I struggled to put down.
Scarlett has felt different for a long while, but seems to develop her magick powers naturally without any guidance. Scarlett is your typical 21 year old, enjoying living away from home, in the big city, looking for love, finding a job after finishing school, managing finances and having fun with friends, oh and being a witch! That was until the night of the break in. After that Scarlett started to notice odd little things, would lose train of thought, or moments in time. Until one day when it all came together in an intriguing climax.
The first in this series, I would happily purchases the rest.
Book Divas (227 KP) rated A Bit Witchy in Books
Dec 12, 2017
I received an eARC via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. I made no guarantee of a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are my own.
I felt a bit mislead by the title of this book but in all honesty I have no one to blame but myself as I didn't read the synopsis however, this book about guardian angels was an enjoyable read.
Lena is the school loner and her peers have labeled her a witch which she isn't but she is indeed very special as she can see guardian angels. I love how the author wrote the Lena character; a bit of a foul mouthed teen with just the right amount of spunk. The story line moved quickly and it is humorously written. I look forward to seeing these characters once again.
My two personal favorite quotes:
" I cannot think of anyone I'd rather breathe with."
" You can only see the moral scars when there's a good guardian angel to show you. For whatever reason shmuck here doesn't have one of those."
I felt a bit mislead by the title of this book but in all honesty I have no one to blame but myself as I didn't read the synopsis however, this book about guardian angels was an enjoyable read.
Lena is the school loner and her peers have labeled her a witch which she isn't but she is indeed very special as she can see guardian angels. I love how the author wrote the Lena character; a bit of a foul mouthed teen with just the right amount of spunk. The story line moved quickly and it is humorously written. I look forward to seeing these characters once again.
My two personal favorite quotes:
" I cannot think of anyone I'd rather breathe with."
" You can only see the moral scars when there's a good guardian angel to show you. For whatever reason shmuck here doesn't have one of those."
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Sara Cox (1845 KP) rated The Surface Breaks in Books
May 22, 2020
Anyone that knows me, knows that I love a good retelling. And this is definitely a good retelling. The story is not dissimilar to the original; and I'm talking original Hans Christian Andersen, not Disney. Where this was happening in time was not clear but I read it as quite modern, rather than the age of horse and carriage. I really liked the back story of the little mermaid's mother and the intertwining back story of the "Prince's" father. I say "Prince" but in reality he is a rich young man due to a boating company. Like many retellings of The Little Mermaid the sea witch has a back story which takes away the perception of malice, but of a merperson wrongly outcasted and trying to help while keeping within the rules and bounds of magic. I found the different groups of merpeople really interesting, especially the creatures that now spend their days punishing men due to how they have been treated by men in their former life - a kind of revenge.
For people who like the original story and would like a slightly updated version, this is definitely the read for you!
For people who like the original story and would like a slightly updated version, this is definitely the read for you!