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Merissa (12051 KP) rated Daughter of Chaos (Red Magic #1) in Books
Jun 8, 2023
In Darlena's world, magic is divided into three different categories. To put it simply - white is good, black is bad, and green is balance. Normally a witch will choose a path on her 16th birthday. Darlena has passed this milestone without declaring which path she will follow. One evening Hecate shows up and puts Darlena on the spot - which path will she choose? Darlena follows her heart and her instincts and chooses a colour that she has never heard of before - Red. It must be a real path because the next day she is expelled from school with no explanation. Anyone who hears what colour she has chosen, reacts in a very different way to how Darlena was expecting.
I loved how Jen McConnel set this all up and how it was all executed. The writing and links are flawless, with plenty of surprises along the way. I thought having Aphrodite as a patron of Red magic was brilliant, and anyone who thinks that love isn't chaotic is seriously mistaken!
With lessons to be learnt, Darlena has some serious choices to make. Some of which she makes on the rebound, some of which she has time to think about. With friends and allies helping her along the way, as well as enemies trying to hinder her, her life is moving along at breakneck speed. Will she find the time to figure out what to do?
With a cast of amazing characters, from the noble yet slightly self-righteous Justin to the flawed and grasping Rochelle, you have a fast-paced story that will keep you engrossed from beginning to end. I can't wait to read more about Darlena's story to see what happens next. Definitely recommended.
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 19, 2016
I loved how Jen McConnel set this all up and how it was all executed. The writing and links are flawless, with plenty of surprises along the way. I thought having Aphrodite as a patron of Red magic was brilliant, and anyone who thinks that love isn't chaotic is seriously mistaken!
With lessons to be learnt, Darlena has some serious choices to make. Some of which she makes on the rebound, some of which she has time to think about. With friends and allies helping her along the way, as well as enemies trying to hinder her, her life is moving along at breakneck speed. Will she find the time to figure out what to do?
With a cast of amazing characters, from the noble yet slightly self-righteous Justin to the flawed and grasping Rochelle, you have a fast-paced story that will keep you engrossed from beginning to end. I can't wait to read more about Darlena's story to see what happens next. Definitely recommended.
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 19, 2016
Merissa (12051 KP) rated Hers, Unleashed (Hers #3) in Books
Jun 15, 2021 (Updated Jul 18, 2023)
HERS, UNLEASHED is the third book in the Hers series and follows on from Hers, Unbroken, with situations arising following actions and situations in that book, so I would definitely recommend you read at least that one first. Of course, my full recommendation would be to read both, but that's because they're both brilliant.
Roth has escaped one prison in exchange for a voluntary one of three months. He knows Selenia has no interest in his past, so if he can just disappear, he'll be fine. His mistress, Kaitlyn, is a Security Office who lives in one of the underground domes, so he figures he'll be even safer. But what happens when convenience turns into something else?
Oh, I do love these books!!! Anna Adler gives you a nicely rounded story with plenty of steamy moments plus action on the streets. Holly and Chase have a small cameo here, which was great to see. Selenia has changed since Book 2, and Kaitlyn hasn't really questioned any of it too deeply. Meeting Roth, and eventually hearing some of his back story, well, it all changed for her and they both realised the world wasn't perfect.
I read this book in one sitting, one sunny afternoon, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single word and scene. I really can't wait to return to Selenia and see what happens next. Absolutely 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!
Jun 15, 2021
Roth has escaped one prison in exchange for a voluntary one of three months. He knows Selenia has no interest in his past, so if he can just disappear, he'll be fine. His mistress, Kaitlyn, is a Security Office who lives in one of the underground domes, so he figures he'll be even safer. But what happens when convenience turns into something else?
Oh, I do love these books!!! Anna Adler gives you a nicely rounded story with plenty of steamy moments plus action on the streets. Holly and Chase have a small cameo here, which was great to see. Selenia has changed since Book 2, and Kaitlyn hasn't really questioned any of it too deeply. Meeting Roth, and eventually hearing some of his back story, well, it all changed for her and they both realised the world wasn't perfect.
I read this book in one sitting, one sunny afternoon, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single word and scene. I really can't wait to return to Selenia and see what happens next. Absolutely 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!
Jun 15, 2021
Merissa (12051 KP) rated Infinite Blue in Books
Oct 19, 2018
Infinite Blue by Natalina Reis
Infinite Blue is a standalone story (as far as I can tell), which tells the story of soul mates, and what happens when it is between a shifter and a human. Shahin has been told for years by his mother that it can never happen, but finds his own soul mate in the very human form of Cai. He spends time watching him from afar (admitting to himself how stalkerish his behaviour is!) before actually meeting up with him. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as smoothly as he hoped for. Will he live to see them bond, or will he die to have Cai in his life?
This was a great story, with plenty of humorous moments, as well as heat between the sheets. The "mystery" behind Shahin's illness wasn't too difficult to figure out, but the fun was in watching them figure it out, and what they would do next.
Whilst Cai doesn't have that big a family, Shahin does - and I would love to see more of them. This was a brilliantly written story, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. I found the pacing to be spot on, with plenty of intrigue and humour from one page to the next.
This was a great shifter story, and definitely recommended by me.
* 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 was a great story, with plenty of humorous moments, as well as heat between the sheets. The "mystery" behind Shahin's illness wasn't too difficult to figure out, but the fun was in watching them figure it out, and what they would do next.
Whilst Cai doesn't have that big a family, Shahin does - and I would love to see more of them. This was a brilliantly written story, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. I found the pacing to be spot on, with plenty of intrigue and humour from one page to the next.
This was a great shifter story, and definitely recommended by me.
* 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!
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Angelic Retribution in Books
Nov 8, 2019
I thought the the first two installments of the Afterlife saga, following the exploits of human-turned-angel Aurora, were absoluately terrific. With this third installment I feel like I need to invent some new superlatives as all the existing ones seem somehow inadequate.
There's not much of the story I can discuss without giving things away, but this very much continues following the trend for the themes to get darker as the series has gone on. The angels are becoming desperate as the demon hordes press in relentlessly. After her actions in the second book Aurora is viewed with a great deal of suspicion by everyone and Abaddon is still focussed on getting her join the demon ranks.
The story that Cope tells here begs to be read; the stakes have been raised and it's really not clear what is going to happen next, and there are a number of shock twists and developments that take the plot in all sorts of directions I hadn't expected at the outset. As usual the writing and characterisation is flawless, smoothly flowing off the page throughout, effortlessly following the changes in pace as the story twists through its chapters.
If you enjoyed the first two books and want to find out what happens next to Aurora and her friends you will not be disappointed. If you have not read any of the series and are looking for something interesting, thought-provoking and pacey to read then I can't recommend these books highly enough.
There's not much of the story I can discuss without giving things away, but this very much continues following the trend for the themes to get darker as the series has gone on. The angels are becoming desperate as the demon hordes press in relentlessly. After her actions in the second book Aurora is viewed with a great deal of suspicion by everyone and Abaddon is still focussed on getting her join the demon ranks.
The story that Cope tells here begs to be read; the stakes have been raised and it's really not clear what is going to happen next, and there are a number of shock twists and developments that take the plot in all sorts of directions I hadn't expected at the outset. As usual the writing and characterisation is flawless, smoothly flowing off the page throughout, effortlessly following the changes in pace as the story twists through its chapters.
If you enjoyed the first two books and want to find out what happens next to Aurora and her friends you will not be disappointed. If you have not read any of the series and are looking for something interesting, thought-provoking and pacey to read then I can't recommend these books highly enough.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated White is the Coldest Colour in Books
Jun 6, 2019
^^ Dr David Galbraith is a very good child psychologist and all sorts of children come his way for help. But immediately, within the first few pages, we discover that he is NOT to be trusted, and to say he is abusing his power is an understatement. It’s horrifying what he is able to get away with.
^^ Unfortunately, the Mailer family are going through some tough times due to marital breakdown, so in an effort to help their child Anthony, they take him to the well-known Dr Galbraith. Oh yes, you can see where this is going, right? This fact alone made me race through this book. One half of me is screaming at the pages, “Don’t take him to Dr Galbraith!” and the other half of me is going, “WOW! This is going to turn out bad, I can’t wait to see what happens!” ? It’s both terrifying and intriguing at the same time. I loved it.
^^ It’s clear the author also drew from his own experiences as a member of the police force with child protection social worker contacts, and this is also what made the book an outstanding and realistic read. It’s all too terrifyingly real in some places, and that’s what makes this plot so gripping.
^^ This totally exceeded all my expectations as a debut book by an author I have never actually heard of before. It’s well written, fast paced and totally unputdownable.
Overall: This is a stunning, psychological thriller, which really pulls you in deep to the dark side, and although the subject matter at times is very sad, and quite distressing, it’s very well done. I am totally looking forward to what this author has to offer next!
^^ Unfortunately, the Mailer family are going through some tough times due to marital breakdown, so in an effort to help their child Anthony, they take him to the well-known Dr Galbraith. Oh yes, you can see where this is going, right? This fact alone made me race through this book. One half of me is screaming at the pages, “Don’t take him to Dr Galbraith!” and the other half of me is going, “WOW! This is going to turn out bad, I can’t wait to see what happens!” ? It’s both terrifying and intriguing at the same time. I loved it.
^^ It’s clear the author also drew from his own experiences as a member of the police force with child protection social worker contacts, and this is also what made the book an outstanding and realistic read. It’s all too terrifyingly real in some places, and that’s what makes this plot so gripping.
^^ This totally exceeded all my expectations as a debut book by an author I have never actually heard of before. It’s well written, fast paced and totally unputdownable.
Overall: This is a stunning, psychological thriller, which really pulls you in deep to the dark side, and although the subject matter at times is very sad, and quite distressing, it’s very well done. I am totally looking forward to what this author has to offer next!
All American Boys
Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Book
Rashad is absent again today. That’s the sidewalk graffiti that started it all… Well, no,...
After Alice
4.8
Rate It
Book
After Alice by Gregory Maguire, the bestselling author of WICKED, is a wonderful retelling of what...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Murder in Greenwich Village in Books
Mar 10, 2021 (Updated Mar 10, 2021)
The Murdered Roommate
In the summer of 1913, Louise Faulk is enjoying her new life in New York City until one evening when she and her roommate, Callie, return to their apartment to find Callie’s cousin, Ethel, dead. Ethel had been staying with them for several weeks, but was from out of town and hardly knew anyone. The police focus on someone that Louise knows would never commit murder, so she starts to investigate. But who could have motive to kill Ethel?
The book starts off quickly, but I did feel the pacing was a bit uneven as the story unfolded. There was one thing that I wasn’t satisfied with at the end of the book as well, but only because I disagreed with Louise’s conclusion. Overall, the plot is interesting and held my interest all the way until we reached the logical climax. Louise is a wonderful main character, and I’m very interested to see where the series takes her next. The suspects are strong, and the rest of the cast is interesting. The book was a little darker than I was expecting, more a traditional than the cozies I normally read. As long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. I will definitely be visiting Louise again. I’m anxious to find out what happens to her next.
The book starts off quickly, but I did feel the pacing was a bit uneven as the story unfolded. There was one thing that I wasn’t satisfied with at the end of the book as well, but only because I disagreed with Louise’s conclusion. Overall, the plot is interesting and held my interest all the way until we reached the logical climax. Louise is a wonderful main character, and I’m very interested to see where the series takes her next. The suspects are strong, and the rest of the cast is interesting. The book was a little darker than I was expecting, more a traditional than the cozies I normally read. As long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. I will definitely be visiting Louise again. I’m anxious to find out what happens to her next.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Cactus in Books
Jan 27, 2018
A rather unexpected story!
I noticed the cover of this first - it's not like the picture here. It's densely covered with cacti (no humans!). I've bought so many books based purely on the cover and surprisingly (or is that 'fortunately'?), it's not often that I'm disappointed. I certainly wasn't disappointed here either. The main character, Susan, you quickly learn is the cactus. She collects them, and she seems to have learnt from their defence mechanism: if you're prickly, no one wants to get too close. I've seen a few reviewers refer to her as being on the autistic spectrum, but I would argue that that really isn't the case at all: and as you read further in to the story, you can see that this stand-offishness has been cultivated on purpose.
There is no rush to this story, but plenty happens. There's LOADS of character building: we get a really good insight into Susan and how she ticks. I found myself really plugging for her and wanting her to find her happy ending. The characters who populate her world are also really likeable, even her rogue of a brother (who she has the measure of right from the beginning). I'd love to know what happens next - I'm not a huge fan of sequels, but if someone (the author, perhaps!) could just satisfy my curiosity, that would be great!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read such a great book!
There is no rush to this story, but plenty happens. There's LOADS of character building: we get a really good insight into Susan and how she ticks. I found myself really plugging for her and wanting her to find her happy ending. The characters who populate her world are also really likeable, even her rogue of a brother (who she has the measure of right from the beginning). I'd love to know what happens next - I'm not a huge fan of sequels, but if someone (the author, perhaps!) could just satisfy my curiosity, that would be great!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read such a great book!
Merissa (12051 KP) rated Wicked Night (A Warrior's Promise #1) in Books
Aug 7, 2020
Wicked Night is the first book in The Warrior's Promise series and we meet Gwen, who is half vampire. Although she comes from a wealthy family, she is not the usual spoilt little rich girl. Wicked is in line to be the next King and has agreed to take Gwen as his charge as a favour to her father (who we don't get to meet in this book.)
Gwen is a good character for the most part. She doesn't allow unnecessary miscommunication to blow out of proportion (too much) but she is a hot-head and allows her anger to run away with her at times. Wicked wants Gwen but doesn't want to act on it, which means he is stupid until he sorts it out!
This is a long book which is good because it allows you to delve into the characters' lives. However, I would say there are parts where this book could be tightened up. Some parts seem repetitive and, for saying it is a long book, Gwen hasn't even gone through her change when the book finishes. It will be interesting to see if things 'speed up' a bit in the next book without losing any of the quality.
This storyline did remind me of the Black Dagger Brotherhood which is not a bad thing, just an observation. All in all, this was a very enjoyable book and I can't wait to see what happens next.
* 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!
Gwen is a good character for the most part. She doesn't allow unnecessary miscommunication to blow out of proportion (too much) but she is a hot-head and allows her anger to run away with her at times. Wicked wants Gwen but doesn't want to act on it, which means he is stupid until he sorts it out!
This is a long book which is good because it allows you to delve into the characters' lives. However, I would say there are parts where this book could be tightened up. Some parts seem repetitive and, for saying it is a long book, Gwen hasn't even gone through her change when the book finishes. It will be interesting to see if things 'speed up' a bit in the next book without losing any of the quality.
This storyline did remind me of the Black Dagger Brotherhood which is not a bad thing, just an observation. All in all, this was a very enjoyable book and I can't wait to see what happens next.
* 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!