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Debbiereadsbook (1753 KP) rated The Selkie's Coat (Waves of Fate #1) in Books

Apr 12, 2020

The Selkie's Coat (Waves of Fate #1)

Drea Roman | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance

8.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

3 good solid stars

Indpendent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.

For the most part, I did enjoy this book.

Its about a selkie, and I had to look up what a selkie was, because I really didn't know and so this is the first selkie book I've read.

Gregory is an alpha selkie, and Daniel a human omega. That Gregory can recognise his fated mate by sound is different, and there are lots of subtle differences to shifter lore in the book, and I really enjoyed that.

But Daniel is like a flipping ping pong ball, back and forth, almost through the whole book, and I got a bit dizzy keeping up with him! I mean, one minute he wants to mate with Gregory, then he reads something, and he doesn't. Then his friend says something, and he does. Then Gregory says something and Daniel is against it again. I really wanted to slap Daniel and make him make a decision.

I liked Gregory's mum getting involved but she does go a bit too far at points. Love Henri, Daniel's best friend. Loved Winston, who is Gregory's best friend too. Loved how he was all, "oh, okay then, thats us done, then, right?" when Gregory tells him he met his fated mate.

Both Daniel and Gregory have a voice, in the first person. I loved that Gregory's voice is what I call "proper" and Daniel makes reference to it being a Victorian voice. Gregory likes to use whole words, and proper words, rather than to shorten them to the modern version.

I LOVED that neither Gregory or Daniel was shortened though!

From what I can see, this is the first I've read of this author (unless something pops up in a box set somewhere) Will I read more? I will certainly give them a go. Will I continue with this series? I hope to be able to. I loved that I saw the next book going one way, but then was thrown for a loop later on.

So, a good book, with a difference, but one that doesn't quite hit *that* spot, you know?

3 good solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Kudos

This Other London: Adventures in the Overlooked City

Russell Brand and John Rogers

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Join John Rogers as he ventures out into an uncharted London like a redbrick Indiana Jones in search...

Oxford

Martin Garrett

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Oxford started as an Anglo-Saxon border outpost, with a bridge replacing the 'oxen ford' from which...

Slum Tourism: Poverty, Power and Ethics

Fabian Frenzel, Ko Koens and Malte Steinbrink

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Slum tourism is a globalizing trend and a controversial form of tourism. Impoverished urban areas...

The Biopolitics of Gender

Jemima Repo

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Winner, 2017 International Studies Association's Feminist Theory and Gender Studies Section Best...

Alex Kapranos recommended track Lady Rachel by Kevin Ayers in Confessions of Doctor Dream and Other Stories by Kevin Ayers in Music (curated)

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Lady Rachel by Kevin Ayers

(0 Ratings)

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"I’ve always had a soft spot for those artists that came out of the sort of psych-folk scene in Canterbury in the late ‘60s, but of all those performers Kevin Ayers is probably my favourite. “‘Lady Rachel’ has a real Englishness about it, which is kind of alien and almost exotic to me, because it’s a place I don’t really know much about; I never lived there. There’s something so far removed about the way he sings and pronounces words, like he’s from some far-off land. It feels like it’s come from the world of King Arthur and Alice in Wonderland and maybe a little bit of Mary Shelley or something. It’s a little bit Victorian and again, the themes are dark - it suggests death in the water. I liked that section of the ‘60s, where the psychedelic stuff was becoming a little bit more playful and wacky. “I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get really obsessed with songs and hunt down every version I can find of it. With ‘Lady Rachel’ I always felt like no one take of the song completely captured everything that was good about it; instead, each version captures one element of what I loved about it. The one that ended up on the album, Joy of a Toy, is really full and rich and very produced, but it’s played too fast and it loses a bit of the suspense - that glittery other-worldliness that gets lost in the speed of the performance. “There’s an amazing rendition of it that he did on The John Peel Show in 1973. Again, it’s a really beautiful version but there’s just this one line where he kind of steps out of character - he says “at least not very much!” in this kind of dorky, jokey voice and it undermines the mood of the rest of the song. It’s like going to see a play, getting to a critical moment and then the lead actor turns to the audience and says, ‘Hey, everyone - I’m actually just an actor.’ I’m always going, “Oh, man! Why did you do that?” Anyway, what the fuck am I doing, chasing perfection in music"

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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Fearless (Scarlet Suffragette #1) in Books

Apr 21, 2021

Fearless (Scarlet Suffragette #1)

Nicola Claire | 2021 | History & Politics, Mystery, Romance

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

54 of 250
Kindle
Fearless ( Scarlet suffragette book 1)
By Nicola Claire

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Nicola Claire's captivating new Gothic romance series introduces a dark and sinister early settler New Zealand at the end of the nineteenth century - brightened by a fearless and talented heroine and a loyal and secretive police inspector...

Free spirit. Brilliant. A Liability?

Doctor Anna Cassidy has been trained by the best; the former Chief Surgeon for the Auckland Police Force. She knows how to dissect a body. She knows how to treat any ailment. And she knows how to find a cause of death.

But society is not ready for a female surgeon.

Fighting for what she believes in has been ingrained in Anna since she was a young child. But the battles she faces now are not all based on equality. A murderer stalks her fellow Suffragettes and the police inspector in charge of the case could be Anna's downfall.

Experienced. Dedicated. Something to hide?

Inspector Andrew Kelly holds duty and honour in the highest regard. His role as a detective proves just that; he never stops until justice is served. Love is something he has forsaken, for reasons he'd rather you didn't know.

But Anna is not a woman a man can ignore.

Fighting his instincts with cold determination is something Kelly has become accustomed to. But a murderer is loose in his adopted city, bringing memories to the fore of a killer who walked in the shadows of Whitechapel, and shining light on a dark past the Inspector is trying hard to forget.

A gritty, twisted, and authentic Victorian romantic suspense, sure to rip you apart... just like old Jack.

This had all of my favourite things! Gruesome murders linked to Jack the Ripper, historical romance , strong female lead and a very good story. Although the murderer was quite clear to me from the beginning I absolutely loved reading it play out! Definitely worth a try if you like any of the things I mentioned!