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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Sticks and Stones in Books
Nov 24, 2018
This is the debut novel for this author and, I think, a pretty accomplished one at that; a little unbelievable at times I admit but quite a satisfying read. Dealing with the difficult subject matter of domestic violence, this book is more about the subtleties of this abhorrent crime rather than the "in your face" violence although there is some violence.
The books starts with the funeral of a decorated Police Officer but thoroughly unpleasant man - Phillip - and "mourning" his death are 3 women; Ruby, Imogen and Naomi.
Ruby is the first wife who has never moved on and remains under Phillip's spell.
Imogen is the current but estranged wife and mother of their son.
Naomi is the girlfriend and soon to be third wife.
Phillip is an absolute a**hole; a master at manipulation and control, a bully and downright despicable person however, the tables are turned when Imogen manages to lock him in the cellar and so begins the story of the developing relationship between the three women, their growing strength and confidence and their common goal of getting revenge on the man that has caused them so much pain and heartache ... but, how did he die?
Well written with a good pace and well developed characters, this is a great debut psychological thriller and Jo Jakeman is certainly an author I will watch out for.
My thanks go to the publisher, Random House UK Vintage, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
The books starts with the funeral of a decorated Police Officer but thoroughly unpleasant man - Phillip - and "mourning" his death are 3 women; Ruby, Imogen and Naomi.
Ruby is the first wife who has never moved on and remains under Phillip's spell.
Imogen is the current but estranged wife and mother of their son.
Naomi is the girlfriend and soon to be third wife.
Phillip is an absolute a**hole; a master at manipulation and control, a bully and downright despicable person however, the tables are turned when Imogen manages to lock him in the cellar and so begins the story of the developing relationship between the three women, their growing strength and confidence and their common goal of getting revenge on the man that has caused them so much pain and heartache ... but, how did he die?
Well written with a good pace and well developed characters, this is a great debut psychological thriller and Jo Jakeman is certainly an author I will watch out for.
My thanks go to the publisher, Random House UK Vintage, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated Hearts Abroad (The Atlas Series #1) in Books
Aug 14, 2019
really rather cute!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Londyn takes a nanny job, while thinking what to do about her play writing. Since her 'boyfriend' stole the last play she wrote, she thinks she might give up. A summer out of town, looking after two little girls, might give her the clarity she needs. She just never expected to fall in love with the girls or their daddy. Callum is a museum curator and spends a lot of time away from his family. But the new nanny makes him see, really see, what that is doing to his girls. He just didn't see Londyn coming!
This was a really great, fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
It's well told, with both Callum and Londyn having a say, in the third person. We get all of Londyn's stressing about her playwriting, and how much fun she wants the girls to have. We get all of Callum's fretting over his feelings for the nanny, and we get his dawning realisation that it might not just be infatuation.
I liked the marked differences between Londyn and Callum, it made me giggle in some places!
It's funny, it's witty, it's sexy and it's emotional. It has a little bit of everything! It's one of those books you just fall into, you know, and the book runs out before the afternoon does.
It's the first book I've read of Ms McNeil, and I look forward to reading more.
A very well deserved 4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Londyn takes a nanny job, while thinking what to do about her play writing. Since her 'boyfriend' stole the last play she wrote, she thinks she might give up. A summer out of town, looking after two little girls, might give her the clarity she needs. She just never expected to fall in love with the girls or their daddy. Callum is a museum curator and spends a lot of time away from his family. But the new nanny makes him see, really see, what that is doing to his girls. He just didn't see Londyn coming!
This was a really great, fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
It's well told, with both Callum and Londyn having a say, in the third person. We get all of Londyn's stressing about her playwriting, and how much fun she wants the girls to have. We get all of Callum's fretting over his feelings for the nanny, and we get his dawning realisation that it might not just be infatuation.
I liked the marked differences between Londyn and Callum, it made me giggle in some places!
It's funny, it's witty, it's sexy and it's emotional. It has a little bit of everything! It's one of those books you just fall into, you know, and the book runs out before the afternoon does.
It's the first book I've read of Ms McNeil, and I look forward to reading more.
A very well deserved 4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated Murder on the Mountain (Marshall Brothers #1) in Books
May 2, 2020
good, but not one for me!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book.
It's well written, with both Adam and Emma having a say, in the third person. POV flips at random points though, and it got a bit confusing. There are some clear changes, it's just there are also some points its Emma in one paragraph and moves swiftly onto the next paragraph and its Adam.
It's CLEAN. Just some kissing. I struggled with the concept of a single kiss being the reason these two never really loved anyone else after 10 years. A Hig School kiss under the mistletoe. Just a bit odd to me, is all. Might make perfect sense to some, maybe I'm just too cynical.
There is violence, but dealing with a drug lord was never gonna be a picnic, now was it? It's not very graffic, it's just there and needed. But for the violence, I would have tagged this young adult. It's just a tad too much for that, but one scene less and it would be.
I liked this book, I did not love it. This is the first in a series of the brothers Marshall, 6 of them, I think Adam said at some point but I forget already. It is also the first of Ms LaRoche I've read. Will I read more? I will certainly try. I DID finish this book.
3 good solid stars, just not really one for me.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
For the most part, I enjoyed this book.
It's well written, with both Adam and Emma having a say, in the third person. POV flips at random points though, and it got a bit confusing. There are some clear changes, it's just there are also some points its Emma in one paragraph and moves swiftly onto the next paragraph and its Adam.
It's CLEAN. Just some kissing. I struggled with the concept of a single kiss being the reason these two never really loved anyone else after 10 years. A Hig School kiss under the mistletoe. Just a bit odd to me, is all. Might make perfect sense to some, maybe I'm just too cynical.
There is violence, but dealing with a drug lord was never gonna be a picnic, now was it? It's not very graffic, it's just there and needed. But for the violence, I would have tagged this young adult. It's just a tad too much for that, but one scene less and it would be.
I liked this book, I did not love it. This is the first in a series of the brothers Marshall, 6 of them, I think Adam said at some point but I forget already. It is also the first of Ms LaRoche I've read. Will I read more? I will certainly try. I DID finish this book.
3 good solid stars, just not really one for me.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
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Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated Storm Warning in Books
Nov 24, 2020
For the most part, I enjoyed this book, it was a nice (and yes, I mean that here!) and easy read.
Indepedent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book, it was a nice (and yes, I mean that here!) and easy read.
Both Dexter and Jamie have a say, in the third person, and both voices are clear and distinctive. I just kinda felt a bit . . . disconnected i think . . from them both. They both have had difficult childhoods, losing one/both parents at young ages (although Jamie's parents loss was very different to Dexter's) but none of it really comes across. I only really felt Jamie's guilt at sleeping with Dexter when he was in the shower scrubbing himself raw.
I did NOT like what Dexter does, both before and after he sleeps with Jamie. I understand the why, I just didn't like it.
Very much an insta-love, but for me, it's too soon, and doesn't quite work.
What threw me the most, though, wasn't anything about Jamie and Dexter, it was the epilogue! I mean, what was the point in that? If that had been worked into the story, maybe it would have worked better, but just chucking it on the end was a bit mad, I thought.
I think this will be one of those books that every else loves, but one I can't see the reason why. Sorry!
3 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
For the most part, I enjoyed this book, it was a nice (and yes, I mean that here!) and easy read.
Both Dexter and Jamie have a say, in the third person, and both voices are clear and distinctive. I just kinda felt a bit . . . disconnected i think . . from them both. They both have had difficult childhoods, losing one/both parents at young ages (although Jamie's parents loss was very different to Dexter's) but none of it really comes across. I only really felt Jamie's guilt at sleeping with Dexter when he was in the shower scrubbing himself raw.
I did NOT like what Dexter does, both before and after he sleeps with Jamie. I understand the why, I just didn't like it.
Very much an insta-love, but for me, it's too soon, and doesn't quite work.
What threw me the most, though, wasn't anything about Jamie and Dexter, it was the epilogue! I mean, what was the point in that? If that had been worked into the story, maybe it would have worked better, but just chucking it on the end was a bit mad, I thought.
I think this will be one of those books that every else loves, but one I can't see the reason why. Sorry!
3 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Only Ashes Remain (Market of Monsters #2) in Books
Jun 8, 2021
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.
Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer is the second novel in her Market of Monsters series. To give a fair review, I read the first book, Not Even Bones. I will review the first book, but this review concerns only Only Ashes Remain.
After Nita escaped and destroyed the black market, she just wants to be left alone. When a video of her abilities appears on the dark web, she knows she must go on the offensive. With the help of Kovit, Nita starts to take revenge on the person who sold her to her kidnappers. With everyone searching for her, Nita needs to do whatever it takes to stay alive and free.
Even though I enjoyed the first book, I discovered I needed a break before reading the second. Once I did begin reading this, I found I enjoyed this more than the first book. This book could be read as a stand-alone novel, but reading the first book would enhance this one.
This story is darker than the first, but it is a fun read since the writing makes you feel for all of the characters, including Kovit.
A third novel, When Villains Rise, was published in 2020.
This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.
Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer is the second novel in her Market of Monsters series. To give a fair review, I read the first book, Not Even Bones. I will review the first book, but this review concerns only Only Ashes Remain.
After Nita escaped and destroyed the black market, she just wants to be left alone. When a video of her abilities appears on the dark web, she knows she must go on the offensive. With the help of Kovit, Nita starts to take revenge on the person who sold her to her kidnappers. With everyone searching for her, Nita needs to do whatever it takes to stay alive and free.
Even though I enjoyed the first book, I discovered I needed a break before reading the second. Once I did begin reading this, I found I enjoyed this more than the first book. This book could be read as a stand-alone novel, but reading the first book would enhance this one.
This story is darker than the first, but it is a fun read since the writing makes you feel for all of the characters, including Kovit.
A third novel, When Villains Rise, was published in 2020.
This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Murder on the Home Front in Books
May 4, 2023
Body in the Air Raid Shelter
Billie Harkness has been on the job as one of only two female constables in the Hull police force for a few weeks now. In that time, neither her co-workers nor the public have come to accept her any more then when she first started. One of her true allies has been Peter Upton, a fellow constable who has been training her. When the two of them find a dead body in an air raid shelter, Billie discovers some details that don’t make any sense. Can they use those to figure out what happened to the victim?
It was great to be back in summer 1940 with Billie and Peter. While most of the book is written from Billie’s third person point of view, we get some scenes from Peter’s, and they help flesh out the characters and plot wonderfully. I was hooked the entire way through the story, although I did wonder where it was going a bit at first. Once the body turned up, things were full speed ahead until we reached the end. There is a strong sub-plot that is unfortunately too real and should not have been acceptable then or now. I appreciated how it was handled. The overall mystery is something that could only be told in England during World War II, and it helped bring details of that time in history to life for me. If you enjoy historical mysteries, you need to pick it up.
It was great to be back in summer 1940 with Billie and Peter. While most of the book is written from Billie’s third person point of view, we get some scenes from Peter’s, and they help flesh out the characters and plot wonderfully. I was hooked the entire way through the story, although I did wonder where it was going a bit at first. Once the body turned up, things were full speed ahead until we reached the end. There is a strong sub-plot that is unfortunately too real and should not have been acceptable then or now. I appreciated how it was handled. The overall mystery is something that could only be told in England during World War II, and it helped bring details of that time in history to life for me. If you enjoy historical mysteries, you need to pick it up.
Merissa (12061 KP) rated Dreams Never Seen (Gen-Heirs World: Bella and the Beast Master #3) in Books
Oct 31, 2023
DREAMS NEVER SEEN is the third novella in the Gen-Heirs World: Bella and the Beast Master series. It does follow on from the previous two, so I would definitely recommend you read those first.
Markus is back in town, and this time, Bella is there for him. This time, it's Lunah who throws the first spanner in the works, simply by being too enthusiastic. That aside, Markus and Bella are both looking forward to being together, making their home their own, and deepening the bond that has forged between them. And here comes the second (and biggest) spanner.
Instead of being at home, Markus, Bella, and Lunah travel to a new land, Thanzia, to find a missing archaeologist. They are interrupted at every turn, whether by a person, a circumstance, or even by travel. They make time though, and phew, it's a hot one!
The story regarding the archaeologist is a sad one, but I loved where it led. The discoveries were wonderful, and I could imagine how others would see them.
As with the previous books in this series, it was over too soon and has definitely left me wanting more. I can't wait to see where they go and what happens next. Brilliant reading and highly recommended by me.
** 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. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 29, 2023
Markus is back in town, and this time, Bella is there for him. This time, it's Lunah who throws the first spanner in the works, simply by being too enthusiastic. That aside, Markus and Bella are both looking forward to being together, making their home their own, and deepening the bond that has forged between them. And here comes the second (and biggest) spanner.
Instead of being at home, Markus, Bella, and Lunah travel to a new land, Thanzia, to find a missing archaeologist. They are interrupted at every turn, whether by a person, a circumstance, or even by travel. They make time though, and phew, it's a hot one!
The story regarding the archaeologist is a sad one, but I loved where it led. The discoveries were wonderful, and I could imagine how others would see them.
As with the previous books in this series, it was over too soon and has definitely left me wanting more. I can't wait to see where they go and what happens next. Brilliant reading and highly recommended by me.
** 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. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 29, 2023
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Island of Thieves in Books
Jun 23, 2022
“A Thrilling Adventures of Thieves and Mysterious Islands and Magic Potions”
Van Shaw has been hired by an eccentric businessman to assess the security of the art gallery on his private island during a several day business meeting being hosted there. Van isn’t sure he believes the story he’s been given, but the money is good, so he agrees to the job. When he arrives, he finds the man’s normal security forces more hostile than expected. Then he finds a dead body on the beach. What has Van stumbled into this time?
I picked up this book expecting another thrilling adventure, and I wasn’t disappointed. The plot was a little slow in the set up, but once it got going, there were plenty of twists and action to keep us engaged. I was surprised to see the book switch to third person point of view, which made it a little harder than I expected to connect with Van again, but the multiple points of view we had for the climax made it clear why this book needed that switch. And the changes from one point of view to another were always easy to follow. I did have a little trouble connecting the characters to which side they were on, but that might be me. We do see some of the other series regulars, and I love how they bring out other sides in Van. Overall, this is another great entry in the series. If you are a fan of thrillers and you haven’t started these books yet, do so today.
I picked up this book expecting another thrilling adventure, and I wasn’t disappointed. The plot was a little slow in the set up, but once it got going, there were plenty of twists and action to keep us engaged. I was surprised to see the book switch to third person point of view, which made it a little harder than I expected to connect with Van again, but the multiple points of view we had for the climax made it clear why this book needed that switch. And the changes from one point of view to another were always easy to follow. I did have a little trouble connecting the characters to which side they were on, but that might be me. We do see some of the other series regulars, and I love how they bring out other sides in Van. Overall, this is another great entry in the series. If you are a fan of thrillers and you haven’t started these books yet, do so today.