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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Dancing in Circles (Circles Trilogy #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2021
So once again I was stuck for choice for what book to read next so I random number generated (RNG) it and got this, #22, which just shows you how old it is (2012).
I'm hoping my tastes haven't changed that much that I won't like it but we'll see what happens.
Okay, I'm going to DNF this at 35%. It wasn't that bad a story but as I mentioned in my status update, I can't help but picture Robert/Bob as some sort of Mexican thug/drug lord/drug runner with how he talks. I know he's from the wrong side of town but I'm sure they don't necessarily have to talk like he was doing. Then the fact he's in a gang...meh.
The main reason I'm not going to finish this is because I got a little bored. It was a bit too predictable. Bad boy, good girl. Meet, fall in love. Live happily ever after. Now if it had been the other way around; bad girl, good guy...then I might have stuck around for completion because I haven't read that situation often and I find it much more intriguing.
The characters were also a little strange in their actions. Stuff happened that a normal person would freak out about and instead our characters just sort of got on with life as if nothing had happened.
My taste in books has changed a fair bit in the three years since I downloaded this, when I downloaded almost everything that was free in the romance category.
I'm now going to go read something that I've paid for and actively sought out.
Not necessarily a bad book just not to my tastes.
I'm hoping my tastes haven't changed that much that I won't like it but we'll see what happens.
Okay, I'm going to DNF this at 35%. It wasn't that bad a story but as I mentioned in my status update, I can't help but picture Robert/Bob as some sort of Mexican thug/drug lord/drug runner with how he talks. I know he's from the wrong side of town but I'm sure they don't necessarily have to talk like he was doing. Then the fact he's in a gang...meh.
The main reason I'm not going to finish this is because I got a little bored. It was a bit too predictable. Bad boy, good girl. Meet, fall in love. Live happily ever after. Now if it had been the other way around; bad girl, good guy...then I might have stuck around for completion because I haven't read that situation often and I find it much more intriguing.
The characters were also a little strange in their actions. Stuff happened that a normal person would freak out about and instead our characters just sort of got on with life as if nothing had happened.
My taste in books has changed a fair bit in the three years since I downloaded this, when I downloaded almost everything that was free in the romance category.
I'm now going to go read something that I've paid for and actively sought out.
Not necessarily a bad book just not to my tastes.
ClareR (5667 KP) rated The Betrayals in Books
Dec 14, 2020
Firstly, I should say that The Betrayals is a phenomenal book. It opens up a whole new world to the reader. It brought to mind the type of society that I imagine we would have had under National Socialism: men in charge and better educated than women, women expected to know their place, only state sanctioned religion permitted, and those of other religions or schools of thought are ‘disappeared’. I really would have liked to have read more about this outside world, but I don’t feel short changed at only having read about what happens within the confines of Montverre. It is strange actually, that such a major part of Montverre, the grand jeu, is never explicitly talked about. We get the impression as a reader that it’s a performance consisting of maths, music, philosophy and state sanctioned religion. It’s held in extremely high regard: studying it is a sure fire open door to a position of power afterwards.
So what IS The Betrayals about? Well, betrayal, actually. Everyone is backstabbing and lying to everyone else in this book, and they’re lucky if they live to regret it. It’s the cloistered version of Dallas (with less sex)! I loved it. This was a hard book to put down, and one I steamed through far too quickly. This ticks a lot of boxes for me: historical fantasy (double whammy straight away), a mystery to solve, dystopian and a smattering of magical realism. I’m glad it looks like a book that could have a sequel - even if it never as one. It leaves the reader able to make up their own next moves (yes, I do that).
Huge thanks to the publisher for providing me with a NetGalley copy of this book - it was one of my reading highlights of 2020.
So what IS The Betrayals about? Well, betrayal, actually. Everyone is backstabbing and lying to everyone else in this book, and they’re lucky if they live to regret it. It’s the cloistered version of Dallas (with less sex)! I loved it. This was a hard book to put down, and one I steamed through far too quickly. This ticks a lot of boxes for me: historical fantasy (double whammy straight away), a mystery to solve, dystopian and a smattering of magical realism. I’m glad it looks like a book that could have a sequel - even if it never as one. It leaves the reader able to make up their own next moves (yes, I do that).
Huge thanks to the publisher for providing me with a NetGalley copy of this book - it was one of my reading highlights of 2020.
Making the Most of the Anthropocene: Facing the Future
Book
Ever since Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen coined the term "Anthropocene" to...
Merissa (11935 KP) rated Infuriated (Daywalker Academy #5) in Books
May 13, 2020
Infuriated is the fifth book in the Daywalker Academy series and it should definitely be read as a series or you just won't understand the nuances of what is going on.
We start where the last one ended almost. Franky is hiding out with Myst and Tenebris is keeping her company, whether she wants it or not. That's okay until Myst has had enough and lets Zoltan know where she is. Franky returns to the Academy with Zoltan and the fun starts.
There is a lot that goes on in this book - like the others in the series. You have to hold onto your hat and follow it word for word or you may get lost. Ms. Daniels certainly knows how to write an amazing fight scene and I love how Franky reacts and copes when someone attacks her, even if they think they are protecting her.
Unfortunately for me, Franky also annoyed me slightly in this one. She was full of how Roberti knows her and pushes her buttons so she needs to stop and think. Only trouble is, at the first opportunity, she throws that out of the window and goes off by herself to do something she's already been warned about. I know it describes Franky's character (as well as helping the story to move along) but seriously? Listen to yourself and maybe hesitate for just half a second before you go rushing off!
Overall though, it was a fantastic story with Tenebris and Zoltan still remaining my firm favourites. I absolutely recommend this book, the whole series, 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!
We start where the last one ended almost. Franky is hiding out with Myst and Tenebris is keeping her company, whether she wants it or not. That's okay until Myst has had enough and lets Zoltan know where she is. Franky returns to the Academy with Zoltan and the fun starts.
There is a lot that goes on in this book - like the others in the series. You have to hold onto your hat and follow it word for word or you may get lost. Ms. Daniels certainly knows how to write an amazing fight scene and I love how Franky reacts and copes when someone attacks her, even if they think they are protecting her.
Unfortunately for me, Franky also annoyed me slightly in this one. She was full of how Roberti knows her and pushes her buttons so she needs to stop and think. Only trouble is, at the first opportunity, she throws that out of the window and goes off by herself to do something she's already been warned about. I know it describes Franky's character (as well as helping the story to move along) but seriously? Listen to yourself and maybe hesitate for just half a second before you go rushing off!
Overall though, it was a fantastic story with Tenebris and Zoltan still remaining my firm favourites. I absolutely recommend this book, the whole series, 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!
Shark Baroni And The Stars In The Sea
10.0
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Book
A fantastic debut from a budding young author, Shark Baroni and the Stars in the Sea is a tale full...
children's book children's picture book
Merissa (11935 KP) rated Shot Across the Bow (Deep Six #5) in Books
Nov 29, 2021 (Updated Jul 10, 2023)
SHOT ACROSS THE BOW is the fifth book in the Deep Six series and is the turn of Romeo and Mia. Romeo - as you can tell by the nickname - is a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy, whereas he thinks Mia has relationship written all over her. So, they both put each other in the dreaded #FriendZone, even though that's not where either of them wants to be.
If one good thing could come out of a plane crash, it's that it got them talking and stopped skirting around the edges. Once a certain conversation happens, all bets are off as to what will happen next. They both have a lot of emotional trauma and baggage to work through.
Doc and Cami meet for the first time in this book and the sharp-edged banter starts, which I think will continue all the way through their book. We don't see much of any of the others, and nothing at all of Wolf and Chrissy from book four.
There's not much at all of the historical story to this one, so I didn't get as much as I wanted, but that's probably just me. The mystery side of it didn't really grab me either as I thought it was quite obvious who was behind it, and what the reasons were.
On the whole, this was a steamy read with lots of sexual tension to begin with. I enjoyed this story and have no hesitation in recommending it.
** 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!
Nov 29, 2021
If one good thing could come out of a plane crash, it's that it got them talking and stopped skirting around the edges. Once a certain conversation happens, all bets are off as to what will happen next. They both have a lot of emotional trauma and baggage to work through.
Doc and Cami meet for the first time in this book and the sharp-edged banter starts, which I think will continue all the way through their book. We don't see much of any of the others, and nothing at all of Wolf and Chrissy from book four.
There's not much at all of the historical story to this one, so I didn't get as much as I wanted, but that's probably just me. The mystery side of it didn't really grab me either as I thought it was quite obvious who was behind it, and what the reasons were.
On the whole, this was a steamy read with lots of sexual tension to begin with. I enjoyed this story and have no hesitation in recommending it.
** 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!
Nov 29, 2021
Merissa (11935 KP) rated Reservations (Reservations #1) in Books
Dec 15, 2021
RESERVATIONS is the first in a new series of the same name. In this one, we are introduced to a host of characters, some of whom have found their partners, some haven't. Thane is one that hasn't. He is happy to use escort services to give him what he needs without any messy emotions or complications getting in the way. When he sees Levi, he immediately wants him and makes the mistake of thinking that everyone can be bought. Levi is struggling to hold his family together but has a strong moral character with ethics that put Thane to shame.
I enjoyed the story of these two getting together. I LOVED that Thane was shot down in flames by Levi and the grovelling he did to try and put things right. The fact he learnt an important lesson during that made it all the more special. The sparks fly between these two and it is HOT! Be prepared for steam to come off your Kindle.
This novel is smoothly-paced and gives you plenty of time to get to know the characters. There is a LOT of miscommunication here, but then, love never runs smoothly.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of Julien as this didn't give me the information I wanted on him. Being as this isn't his book, that's not really surprising though! He is next so we'll see what happens.
A great start to a new series and 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!
I enjoyed the story of these two getting together. I LOVED that Thane was shot down in flames by Levi and the grovelling he did to try and put things right. The fact he learnt an important lesson during that made it all the more special. The sparks fly between these two and it is HOT! Be prepared for steam to come off your Kindle.
This novel is smoothly-paced and gives you plenty of time to get to know the characters. There is a LOT of miscommunication here, but then, love never runs smoothly.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of Julien as this didn't give me the information I wanted on him. Being as this isn't his book, that's not really surprising though! He is next so we'll see what happens.
A great start to a new series and 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!
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Manchester Vice in Books
Jun 6, 2019
^^ Imagine you’re able to make contact with a serial killer, and before he dies he passes on his diary, which reveals the secret location of his murderous lair; all set up and ready to go. Then imagine, before you know what to do with this information, you discover your wife is having an affair with your annoying brother of whom you’ve never been close to. Of course, your wife’s not to blame, as lately you’ve not been a very attentive husband, but that could change with your brother out of the way, right? In fact, it’s the perfect solution. What could possibly go wrong with such a rock solid plan?
^^ This is what happens to the main character, Brad Sharpe, in Jack Strange’s Manchester Vice. Brad is often portrayed as a guy who contemplates what’s going on in his life, and seems to discover the answers to his own problems as he is telling us the story, yet, he fails to understand the blantly obvious staring at him in the face. As an example, in one scene he thinks there is a strong possibility his wife is having an affair with someone who lives in the same block of flats as his brother…. (At this point I’m throwing my hands up in the air and going, “Well, doh?”). Yep, see what I mean? So, when he finally cottons on (hallelujah) he’s on to his next get even scheme. I guess, Sharpe’s not as sharp as he likes to think!
^^ And what of the diary? This is a great addition to the story as it acts like a step-by-step manual to extract (or should I say extinguish?) anything he doesn’t like from his life. Yet there’s an even bigger twist in this story of revenge, and that’s how he keeps in close proximity with the police as a journalist reporting on the crime of this elusive serial killer. Himself.
^^ The ending did not disappoint, in fact, I kind of regretted that it ended at all and throughly enjoyed reading about Brad’s escapades, especially his reign of power and journalistic fame.
Overall: Manchester Vice is a story of betrayal, comeuppance, and rash decisions made from a rookie murderer bungling his way through one mistake after another. Jack Strange’s character Brad Sharpe has a fresh voice and his antics are both gruesome and downright comedic. I love the way he maintains a sense of right and wrong throughout, even though his morals are very different to most of ours. A fun, dark and fabulously disturbing, “Brit Grit” read.
^^ This is what happens to the main character, Brad Sharpe, in Jack Strange’s Manchester Vice. Brad is often portrayed as a guy who contemplates what’s going on in his life, and seems to discover the answers to his own problems as he is telling us the story, yet, he fails to understand the blantly obvious staring at him in the face. As an example, in one scene he thinks there is a strong possibility his wife is having an affair with someone who lives in the same block of flats as his brother…. (At this point I’m throwing my hands up in the air and going, “Well, doh?”). Yep, see what I mean? So, when he finally cottons on (hallelujah) he’s on to his next get even scheme. I guess, Sharpe’s not as sharp as he likes to think!
^^ And what of the diary? This is a great addition to the story as it acts like a step-by-step manual to extract (or should I say extinguish?) anything he doesn’t like from his life. Yet there’s an even bigger twist in this story of revenge, and that’s how he keeps in close proximity with the police as a journalist reporting on the crime of this elusive serial killer. Himself.
^^ The ending did not disappoint, in fact, I kind of regretted that it ended at all and throughly enjoyed reading about Brad’s escapades, especially his reign of power and journalistic fame.
Overall: Manchester Vice is a story of betrayal, comeuppance, and rash decisions made from a rookie murderer bungling his way through one mistake after another. Jack Strange’s character Brad Sharpe has a fresh voice and his antics are both gruesome and downright comedic. I love the way he maintains a sense of right and wrong throughout, even though his morals are very different to most of ours. A fun, dark and fabulously disturbing, “Brit Grit” read.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Twilight (Season 8, Volume 7) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Surprise, surprise, surprise. I actually ended up enjoying this. Sorta.
The Good:
* The dialogue was a <b>big</b> improvement over the last few installments and some of it actually made me laugh, which hasn't happened with this season lately.
* While the artwork still isn't terrific, I could differentiate between the characters better than the last volume.
* The villain, Twilight, is finally revealed. <u>Finally</u>.
* The dig at the Twilight series. I got a chuckle out of it. [Buffy: <i>"You listen to me, Twilight -- My God, is that really the name you picked? <b>Twilight?</b> Y'know I lived that idea first, right? (And my vampire was so much better.)</i> - pg. 69]
* As seen by the cover for this volume, Angel's back. Always a good thing.
The Bad:
* There's still ridiculousness, although it was a little tamer here therefore easier to deal with.
* Some relationship developments I'm iffy about, one of which I'm not sure I buy and definitely don't like, but I'll attempt an open mind.
The Ugly:
* Amy and Warren aren't dead yet. Boo, hiss.
The Verdict:
The stories were mostly interesting, though also could be quite weird, and I am curious to how it will develop in the future. Just when I thought this series wouldn't get better, this happened and now I genuinely want to know what happens next instead of the can't-turn-away-from-the-trainwreck state of mind I've been employing for the last several issues.
The Good:
* The dialogue was a <b>big</b> improvement over the last few installments and some of it actually made me laugh, which hasn't happened with this season lately.
* While the artwork still isn't terrific, I could differentiate between the characters better than the last volume.
* The villain, Twilight, is finally revealed. <u>Finally</u>.
* The dig at the Twilight series. I got a chuckle out of it. [Buffy: <i>"You listen to me, Twilight -- My God, is that really the name you picked? <b>Twilight?</b> Y'know I lived that idea first, right? (And my vampire was so much better.)</i> - pg. 69]
* As seen by the cover for this volume, Angel's back. Always a good thing.
The Bad:
* There's still ridiculousness, although it was a little tamer here therefore easier to deal with.
* Some relationship developments I'm iffy about, one of which I'm not sure I buy and definitely don't like, but I'll attempt an open mind.
The Ugly:
* Amy and Warren aren't dead yet. Boo, hiss.
The Verdict:
The stories were mostly interesting, though also could be quite weird, and I am curious to how it will develop in the future. Just when I thought this series wouldn't get better, this happened and now I genuinely want to know what happens next instead of the can't-turn-away-from-the-trainwreck state of mind I've been employing for the last several issues.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The House at Saltwater Point (Lavender Tides #2) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
Another cover love novel from the hands of Mrs. Colleen Coble, a gem among the Christian Fiction authors I review books by! I struggled just a bit with the first 3 chapters, trying to get engrossed, but once I did......boy, this novel flew by for me! The characters were wonderfully chiseled and the theme of the story was suspenseful, just as the first.
This book, to me, while having amazing characters, started off too slow for me. It wasn't until about chapter 4 that I became fully engrossed and flew through the book with lightening speed, following Ellie and Grayson through their story. There was unique twists and turns through the story once I got engrossed in it. Those twists and turns left me on the edge of my seat on a few occasions.
This book, filled with terrorism, truths that don't add up, and characters that are perfect for their roles, will leave you ready to get book three in your hands to find out what happens next. This is definitely a 4 star worthy novel and one that I will recommend to all who love a good, faith filled, thrilling suspense page turner. Mrs. Coble's talented hands have once again created a thrilling addition to her Lavender Tides series! Well done!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under not obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
This book, to me, while having amazing characters, started off too slow for me. It wasn't until about chapter 4 that I became fully engrossed and flew through the book with lightening speed, following Ellie and Grayson through their story. There was unique twists and turns through the story once I got engrossed in it. Those twists and turns left me on the edge of my seat on a few occasions.
This book, filled with terrorism, truths that don't add up, and characters that are perfect for their roles, will leave you ready to get book three in your hands to find out what happens next. This is definitely a 4 star worthy novel and one that I will recommend to all who love a good, faith filled, thrilling suspense page turner. Mrs. Coble's talented hands have once again created a thrilling addition to her Lavender Tides series! Well done!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under not obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*