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The Guns of Ivrea (Tales of Valdur #1)
Book
Acquel Galenus, former thief and now monk, uncovers a terrible secret under the Great Temple at...
Her Druid Desire (The Amber Druid Series #1)
10.0
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Book
At the tender age of sixteen, Nadia Morales loses both of her parents in a car accident caused by a...
Paranormal Romance
Merissa (12919 KP) rated The Bandalore (Pitch & Sickle #1) in Books
Sep 21, 2022
THE BANDALORE is the first book in the Pitch & Sickle series. It begins with Silas dying and coming back to life in a coffin, and no, he's not a vampire. He isn't sure what he is now and has no idea who he was before. His memory of his previous life has disappeared, leaving him uncertain in a world full of uncertainties.
This is slow-burn - so slow there is no romance at all in this first book. That isn't an issue as I can see there is so much to this world, I am happy to take in all the details first and then move on to the romance.
Silas and Tobias are two very different souls. Silas is trusting, caring, and almost naïve. Tobias is obnoxious, and harsh, with a rather bitter view of the world. Is it justified? I think so, but I still have so much more to learn about his past.
I loved the addition of Black Annis being as I'm Leicestershire born and bred! It was very descriptive but remained true to the myths and legends surrounding her.
An intriguing start to a series where nothing is as it seems and you can't even trust the 'good' guys - if they are indeed good. I can't wait to continue with this series and see where it goes from here. Definitely 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!
This is slow-burn - so slow there is no romance at all in this first book. That isn't an issue as I can see there is so much to this world, I am happy to take in all the details first and then move on to the romance.
Silas and Tobias are two very different souls. Silas is trusting, caring, and almost naïve. Tobias is obnoxious, and harsh, with a rather bitter view of the world. Is it justified? I think so, but I still have so much more to learn about his past.
I loved the addition of Black Annis being as I'm Leicestershire born and bred! It was very descriptive but remained true to the myths and legends surrounding her.
An intriguing start to a series where nothing is as it seems and you can't even trust the 'good' guys - if they are indeed good. I can't wait to continue with this series and see where it goes from here. Definitely 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!
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Vine Witch in Books
Mar 6, 2023
27 of 235
Kindle
The Vine Witch ( book 1)
By Luanne G.Smith
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy set in turn-of-the-century France.
For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.
Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.
I really liked it! The style was a little different compared to what I normally read and I love that she starts off as a frog. It moved quickly and was a really good story.
The characters were fun to get to know and it had a lovely romance blooming.
Kindle
The Vine Witch ( book 1)
By Luanne G.Smith
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy set in turn-of-the-century France.
For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.
Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.
I really liked it! The style was a little different compared to what I normally read and I love that she starts off as a frog. It moved quickly and was a really good story.
The characters were fun to get to know and it had a lovely romance blooming.
ClareR (5884 KP) rated The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven in Books
Aug 9, 2022
The Arctic has always seemed to me to be a terrifying, forbidding place, which sounds very much like I’m not going to enjoy “The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven”, doesn’t it?
Well, wrong.
Fascination and terror seem to often walk hand in hand in my reading. There’s no way that I’d willingly go to these freezing, inhospitable places, but that’s no reason not to read a novel about it.
And what a novel this is.
Sven, who unsurprisingly comes from Stockholm, has always stood out from others and wants to go to the Arctic to seek adventure. But when he does go he finds himself working in a mine. Back-breaking, dangerous work, that ultimately ends in disaster for him. The result is a face that makes him even more of an outcast. But it also seems to attract the people who will be his friends. People who will help him to learn to live in the frozen north independently: Tapio, the Finn who teaches him to trap animals, shows him what to eat and when to eat it; Charles MacIntyre, a Scottish geologist who helps him to find his way back to life after the accident.
This is all written in the first person, and it really does feel like a personal account. You could be forgiven for thinking it’s a true story - in fact it is a very human story. Sven’s determination to survive and learn to be self-sufficient is touching, funny at times and always life affirming. Sven experiences great highs and achievements, as well as terrible lows.
I’m so glad that I read this.
Well, wrong.
Fascination and terror seem to often walk hand in hand in my reading. There’s no way that I’d willingly go to these freezing, inhospitable places, but that’s no reason not to read a novel about it.
And what a novel this is.
Sven, who unsurprisingly comes from Stockholm, has always stood out from others and wants to go to the Arctic to seek adventure. But when he does go he finds himself working in a mine. Back-breaking, dangerous work, that ultimately ends in disaster for him. The result is a face that makes him even more of an outcast. But it also seems to attract the people who will be his friends. People who will help him to learn to live in the frozen north independently: Tapio, the Finn who teaches him to trap animals, shows him what to eat and when to eat it; Charles MacIntyre, a Scottish geologist who helps him to find his way back to life after the accident.
This is all written in the first person, and it really does feel like a personal account. You could be forgiven for thinking it’s a true story - in fact it is a very human story. Sven’s determination to survive and learn to be self-sufficient is touching, funny at times and always life affirming. Sven experiences great highs and achievements, as well as terrible lows.
I’m so glad that I read this.
Not If I See You First
8.0
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Book
The Rules Don't deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public. Don't...
Young Adult Contemporary Romance
His Boy to Tease (Naughty or Nice Season Two)
8.0
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Book
Dear Santa, I lost my Christmas spirit some years back, but in February I met a boy with angel...
Contemporary MM Romance Daddy Kink
The Committee Will Kill You Now
Book
The gripping new book from the author of The Algorithm Will See You Now. Based on the true-life...
Medical Thriller
ClareR (5884 KP) rated Creation Lake in Books
Jan 20, 2025
Creation Lake was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and I can see why. I really enjoyed this story of a spy called Sadie, who infiltrates an eco-terrorist cult in France. They are led from afar by a man called Bruno, who lives in a cave, and believes that the only way to save humanity is to give up technology and return to out non-mechanised, non- fossil-fuelled past. They are extremists, but even the eco-cult reach a point where they can see that Bruno’s vision goes a bit too far.
I really enjoyed reading Bruno’s emails with Sadie (she has hacked into the email account of the eco-terrorists), got really involved with his theories, googled some and discovered that what he was saying may not have been 100% true or sane.
Sadie is an observer. She’s not your typical all action spy, but she certainly drinks quite a lot of alcohol and has to fend off a lot of unwanted male advances. But she does also use her sexuality to get what she wants.
There are some observations on the state of modern life: greedy landowners who will do anything to make money, the effects of modern life on the young (there’s a young boys story that I found particularly disturbing, and the fact that I wasn’t surprised by it, made it all the more disturbing!).
There were several laugh out loud moments in this too, and the laughs tended to come most needed.
I liked this thought-provoking, tongue-in-cheek novel, and I thought that the way that Bruno’s emails were dotted throughout the novel really worked well alongside Sadie’s investigations.
I really enjoyed reading Bruno’s emails with Sadie (she has hacked into the email account of the eco-terrorists), got really involved with his theories, googled some and discovered that what he was saying may not have been 100% true or sane.
Sadie is an observer. She’s not your typical all action spy, but she certainly drinks quite a lot of alcohol and has to fend off a lot of unwanted male advances. But she does also use her sexuality to get what she wants.
There are some observations on the state of modern life: greedy landowners who will do anything to make money, the effects of modern life on the young (there’s a young boys story that I found particularly disturbing, and the fact that I wasn’t surprised by it, made it all the more disturbing!).
There were several laugh out loud moments in this too, and the laughs tended to come most needed.
I liked this thought-provoking, tongue-in-cheek novel, and I thought that the way that Bruno’s emails were dotted throughout the novel really worked well alongside Sadie’s investigations.
