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ClareR (6256 KP) rated Time After Time in Books

Dec 9, 2022  
Time After Time
Time After Time
Louise Pentland | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Time After Time is a heartwarming and entertaining read about acceptance and not settling for second best.

Tabby works in a second hand shop and one day tries on a ring that she has taken a shine to - and is instantly transported back to the 1980’s. Her life becomes more interesting as she makes a new friend and sees her beloved 1980’s in the flesh.

In 2022, Tabby feels stifled. Her long term boyfriend, David, has a very fixed, old fashioned idea of what “his woman” should be doing with her time (cooking for him and having children seem to feature highly). And back at her family home, Tabby’s father drops a bombshell that leaves her mother reeling.

The characters are lovely (except the chauvinist David, of course!), Tabby could be a bit ‘ditsy’ at times, but that tended to add to her charm.

I do feel that more could have been done with the time travel aspect, but I think that’s more the science fiction fan in me (and the book would probably have needed to be a lot longer) - no one else reading on the Pigeonhole seemed to have the same opinion! In fact I do realise that the limited sci-Fi element may well make it more appealing to a lot of readers.

I really did enjoy this - a perfect summer read - or a winter read to remind you of the better weather!
  
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Morgan Sheppard (1036 KP) created a post

Jun 26, 2026  
#FolkloreFriday 🌩️

The Cŵn Annwn are among the most enduring presences in Welsh folklore, and are one of the most consistently misunderstood.

They are the hounds of Annwn, the Welsh Otherworld, white-bodied and red-eared in the oldest descriptions, running with Arawn their master across the night sky and through the storms that gather after midsummer. They are associated with the Wild Hunt in the broader Celtic tradition, though the Welsh understanding of them is its own distinct and carefully considered thing. They don't simply terrorise. They have purpose, direction, and a sovereignty entirely their own.

The piece of their folklore I find most compelling is the detail about sound. The Cŵn Annwn are loudest at a distance and grow quieter as they approach. To hear them clearly and close is not a warning. It is already too late for warnings. That inversion of the expected, of danger growing quieter rather than louder as it nears, says something very precise about the nature of the Otherworld in Welsh tradition. It operates by different rules and doesn't announce itself the way the mortal world does.

They were heard in storms, in the depths of winter, on the old roads between places. They ran where the boundaries were thinnest. And they were not cruel, in the tradition's own terms. They were simply doing what they had always done, moving through the world on business that was not the living's to question. 🌩️

#FolkloreFriday #WelshFolklore #TalesFromWales
      
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Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated The Mistletoe Bride in Books

Sep 10, 2019  
The Mistletoe Bride
The Mistletoe Bride
Scarlett Jade | 2019
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sometimes we all need a little bit of a pick-me-up during the holiday season. It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year and all that, but it’s frickin’ stressful. Between the in-laws and the holiday shopping (not to mention the calories. Yikes!), December can quickly turn into a jolly nightmare. However, The Mistletoe Bride is perfect for getting into the holiday season.

You see, Eve is having her own trouble this Christmas season. Two weeks before Christmas, her fiance breaks everything off with her because he had been having an affair with his secretary and had gotten her pregnant. This leaves her single and with two tickets to paradise she had been going to surprise her husband with. And she plans to do something crazy. Instead of moping at home, or going on vacation by herself, she plans on asking a perfect stranger on going on vacation with her.

Nick Christmas is shocked when a beautiful and mysterious woman asks him to go on a trip with her, and he’s a little wary, too. But after talking with her for a few minutes in a coffee shop, he’s drawn to her. He’s more than ready to go on vacation with Eve and help her forget her sorrows, but he knows there’s more to everything than an innocent holiday when she starts hearing bells in his laugh. After all, Nick is destined to become the next Santa Claus– and it looks like Eve is destined to be his bride.

First of all, “Two Tickets to Paradise” by Eddie Money will get stuck in your head when you’re reading this. So if you know the song but hate it (but why would you hate it, unless you’re insane?), this might not be the best stress reliever. (I happen to like the song just fine, so no harm done to me.)


Like I said before, this is a great pick-me-up for the holiday season. And that’s all it is: a pick me up to enjoy that will get you in the mood for Christmas. If you like made-for-TV Christmas romances, then you’ll probably like The Mistletoe Bride. It’s adorable. Eve is all innocent and vulnerable and kind, and Nick is all strong and protective and kind. He really wants to help Eve heal from the damage done from her last relationship, and he doesn’t rush her even though he knows she’s his mistletoe bride. It’s incredibly sweet. And I really like how Scarlett Jade build the magic and myth of Santa Claus like she did. Inheriting the role of Santa, a magic suit that fits all Santas perfectly, the knowledge of everyone, as if he’s a god…. it’s pretty awesome.

But the book isn’t perfect. It was anticlimactic, honestly. Yes, there was a lot of suspense what with the Winter Elf trying to destroy Christmas and the race to the altar and everything, but it was rushed. The Winter Elf didn’t even come in until later and probably just to add a little spice to the mainly bland aftermath of Eve’s and Nick’s betrothal. The big villain in the whole book just wanted to make toys for Santa’s workshop. That’s it. I mean really? It’s a romance, not a thriller, I know, but we could have drawn it out a little bit more.

There also shouldn’t have been any sex scenes in this book. I know, this is a really strange complaint for me. After all I love sex scenes and they’re never a problem, right? (But hell is not freezing over right now because the Winter Elf is too effing busy making toys for Santa to cause some damn chaos!) The thing is, the love interest is Santa. Even if he’s young and about to marry his soul mate, he should not have sex appeal. Why? Because he’s Santa. He defined at least a third of my childhood (I really love Christmas) and he’s supposed to be a jolly gift-giver who loves cookies. Having a Santa Clause with sex appeal is like having a Mickey Mouse with sex appeal. Just. Don’t. Do it.


Even Spock thinks a sexy Santa is weird.
Since I was in the right mood for this book when I read it, I’m giving it four out of five stars. But most days I would probably only give it three.
  
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Merissa (14132 KP) rated Finding You in Books

Sep 20, 2017  
Finding You
Finding You
Lydia Albano | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Finding You by Lydia Albano
Finding You is set in a world similar, yet different, to our own, with a possible historical/steampunk type setting. Isla and Tam have been best friends for years, yet Isla can't help but hope for more. Those hopes are dashed when Tam announces that he is signing on to the army, as it means his family will have food for the coming winter. She goes to the station to say goodbye to him, and is literally snatched off the streets. Horror and degradation follow, with her constantly hoping that Tam will rescue her. Once she realises that she has to do this own her own, the pace picks up slightly and the story quickly evolves.

This is a very good debut, with action and story aplenty. Isla is forced to do things that she would never have dreamed possible; that she never thought she would be strong enough for; simply because of the circumstances she found herself in.

With plenty of characters to keep your attention, this is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow. The pace was smooth, and the scenes flowed from one to the next.

A thoroughly entertaining read (some of it quite dark) that I have no hesitation in recommending.

* 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!