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    Rhino Hero

    Rhino Hero

    6.2 (5 Ratings) Rate It

    Tabletop Game

    Super Rhino! presents players with an incredibly heroic – and regrettably heavy – rhinoceros who...

Once Upon a Murder
Once Upon a Murder
Samantha Larsen | 2024 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not as Strong as the First Book
It’s 1784, and spinster Tiffany Woodall is hoping to put the chaos and intrigue of the last few months behind her. However, when she finds a dead body on her way to work at the castle one morning, she knows that isn’t going to happen. When the local bookseller, the man Tiffany loves, is accused of the crime, she can’t help but get involved. Can she figure out what happened?

The first book in this series was one of my favorites of last year. This book wasn’t as good, but it was still enjoyable. As with the first book, the mystery takes a backseat at times. However, here the other storylines weren’t as compelling. This is especially true of the romance. I was glad it wasn’t dragged out too much and I bought it in a way I wouldn’t in other series, but I wasn’t as invested in it. When the murder really kicks in during the second half, I was more fully on board, and I love how that was resolved. Likewise, I still loved all the characters and did enjoy seeing what happened to them. Fans of the first will want to pick this up. If you missed the first, you’ll definitely want to start there.
  
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Conclave (Devils Bight 3.5)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
125 of 220
Kindle
Conclave ( Devils Night 3.5)
By Penelope Douglas
⭐️⭐️⭐️

DAMON

Will is gone. He hasn't been seen in months, and the texts coming from his phone are almost certainly forged. Something's wrong. We need to act now.

Michael is ready to tear down The Cove, Rika's hiding something, Evans Crist is a threat, and Winter's father is still out there. Everyone is off in a million directions, and we're vulnerable.

It's time to do this. It's time to claim our place.

RIKA

A few years ago, I never thought I'd be here. On board Pithom. Miles out at sea. At a table with Michael Crist, Kai Mori, and Damon Torrance—men I now consider family.

We've locked ourselves on this yacht for however long it takes to address our agenda, and we won't leave until everything is on the table. Even things I don't want to talk about. Things Michael doesn't know.

We will find Will. We will solidify our plans, and we will remove any threats.

If we survive Conclave.

This was a quick catch-up with the characters also a lead into the next book. It was a quick read and I like it I’m looking forward to the next one.
  
The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo
Carrie Doyle | 2023 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Plum Yacht to Catch Another Killer
Plum Lockhart gets a surprise reunion with a friend she hasn’t seen in years. The friend is traveling with a group on an expensive yacht, and Plum finds herself on board one night catching up. But a couple of days later, one of the servants from the yacht is dead and the police are making an unusual request. Will Plum use her new connections to go on the yacht and investigate the death? Plum agrees just as the yacht takes off for their next destination. But with everyone seeming to have a motive, can she find the killer?

I’d struggled with the first in this series since I didn’t find Plum likable. I’m happy to say that island living has been good for her, and I enjoyed her and the returning characters here. The suspects were also distinct and helped draw me in despite some uneven pacing early on. I get why it happened, however. The ending was a bit less than I like, but I did find my questions answered. Sadly, this appears to be the final book in the series. I’m glad I stuck with it. If you need a tropical getaway, I suggest you give this series a chance.
  
Battletech.

Giant stompy robots, very much - it seems to me - the Western version of Japanese mecha.

A board (miniatures) game that's been around since the 1980s, with a fair few PC games and other associated elements spin-offs.

With said spin-offs including a series of novels which - although aware they existed (in much the same way as do Start Trek or Dr Who novels) I never really read any of them - I think I might have tried one, back in the mid 90s or so, but it was forgettable at best.

So, when I was recently looking for something light to read in between bouts of heavier literature (I hate that word), I thought I would give this one a try, since it is - apparently - #1 in the entire series, and since it was on sale for something silly like 99p on Kindle.

What I got was pretty much what I expected: a sci-fi war story, where the 'mechs are basically the equivalent of futuristic tanks, with a light smattering of intrigue but with the real draw, of course, being on the mech vs mech action.

I might pick up some more in the series, but don't think I'll be going out of my way to do so.
  
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ClareR (6238 KP) rated The Surf House in Books

Feb 22, 2026  
The Surf House
The Surf House
Lucy Clarke | 2025 | Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Surf House is an entertaining, fast moving, atmospheric thriller, and really doesn’t do many favours for the Moroccan tourist board. Bea is attacked in an alleyway after she decides to leave her modelling set in Marrakesh, and when a woman comes to her rescue, the unthinkable happens.

Bea is invited to The Surf House to hide out and gather her thoughts, and it seems idyllic. The descriptions of the sea, surfers and the beach almost made me want to learn how to surf somewhere hot (almost). But at the same time, it’s clear that there’s something else going on. Something rotten. When Bea finds out that a young woman went missing a year ago, she starts to notice more things that don’t seem right.

There are so many twists, turns and dead ends that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I did find myself wanting to shout at her to just leave - I was so frustrated! She is pretty naive. But this is so well written and evocative of the setting and Bea’s feelings when she feels trapped and scared (and she feels those things a lot!), that I can forgive her naivety!

Ideal for those who enjoy a good thriller!