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In Bloom (Sweetpea, #2)
In Bloom (Sweetpea, #2)
C.J. Skuse | 2018 | Crime, Law
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This time Rhiannon takes us on an exclusive journey through her pregnancy, and it is absolutely hilarious. My inner psycho really missed this foul-mouthed but brutally honest character. (Don’t pretend you don’t have one!) It is so amusing to read about all her actions, pretending and manipulations and at the same time to hear what she is truly thinking about everybody in this book. She is a very original and absorbing character, that is why a single perspective in this book works very well.

This book is a continuation of the previous part, so if you would like to understand what is going on, you have to read Sweetpea first. The author takes us through Rhiannon’s pregnancy and the ugly stuff that pregnancy brings you. Yes, all the vomiting, backache, bloating and non stop eating etc., not the bliss, joy and other unicorn poop. SHE KEEPS IT REAL! 😀 The police are on Rhiannon’s back, and her baby is TRYING to stop her from the murdering, that is why our main character has to take it a bit easier in this book. For this reason, I found it a bit slow in some places, as not many things were happening, but the author threw in some unexpected twists in this story as well.

I really enjoyed C.J. Skuse’s writing style, which is not suitable for young readers, this book is filled with swear words, murders, and everything that you trying to protect your young ones from. 😀 The short chapters made the whole reading experience even more pleasurable. The ending of this novel was very unexpected but I really liked it, and I can not wait for another book in the series.

So, to conclude, if you like books about psychopaths, served with a huge portion of humour, foul language, and dark, but honest thoughts, these series are definitely for you! I hope you will give this book a try and will enjoy as much as I did. 🙂
  
Taming of a Wolf (Viking Wolves #2)
Taming of a Wolf (Viking Wolves #2)
CJ Ravenna | 2025 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bites differently to book 1 but no less powerfully!
Independent reviewer for GRR, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Viking Wolves series, and I do recommend you read book 1, Heart of a Wolf before this one. It will give you a better picture of what Anders does to warrant his exiling. You do get a recap here, but I think you need it from Kieran's point of view to get the full effect.And, cos I bloody said so!

I loved book 1, I really did. And I loved this one too. It doesn't bite the same way as book 1, but it's bite is different and just as powerful!

While book 1 is a slow burn, this is full on INSTA for Anders and Jamie and I loved the marked differences in the two tales. I'm gonna be doing a lot of comparisons but I will try to keep them to a minimum!

What I particularly loved, and this probably makes me a bit weird, was the pain these two carried. Anders, for what he did, what he thought he was doing for the better of the pack, but deep down?? He was hurting just as much as Wulfric was at the death of his parents. But he wasn't any better able to stop that than Wulfric was. And Jamie, at the death of HIS parents, that he believes was his fault. I cried when they both told the other their deepest pain.

I loved that Anders was able to get some sort of closure with his brothers. I expect there is more pain to come from the other brothers though, about their parents death.

Loved the introduction of Gunnar's mate, and the revelation that Lyall's is still alive. I hope I get a chance to read their books!

Loving this series, and I highly recommend them!

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
The Serpent's Mark
The Serpent's Mark
S.W. Perry | 2019
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;

<b>Nicholas Shelby Series</b>

#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39904044-the-angel-s-mark">The Angel's Mark</a> - Not Read
#2 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2849284383">The Serpent's Mark</a> - DNF

<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Book-Review-Banner-1.png"/>;

<b><i>The first book in 2019 that I didn't manage to finish is The Serpent's Mark by S.W. Perry.</i></b>

I am sad and disappointed. If you know me, you will know how I don't want to leave things unfinished, especially when reading books. I want to finish every book I read, so I can have a thorough opinion and valid comments.

I stopped reading this book at page 75, which is very early days, but I just couldn't continue because of a few points.

Before I start, I need to mention all the things that attracted me to this book in the first place. I love mysteries, and this book promised conspiracy, murder and espionage in Elizabethan London. It is set in the year 1591, where a doctor is investigated of his questionable practices. This was, by itself a promising start. And if you haven't seen the beautiful cover already, please do. It's art to have this book on your shelves.

However, while reading those 75 pages, I haven't encountered any murder. Conspiracy and espionage maybe, but it is so subtle, that everything else comes in first place, while I am here, flipping pages and desperately waiting for something to happen.

A book that contains a lot of politics and religion in a same chapter is just not the book for me. As a person that moved into the UK, I know a little bit about politics and not much about history politics, but I am also not very interested in it either. Documentaries, yes - but books for pleasure, not quite so much. This book was over-flooding with politics and religion, and it is something I just couldn't put past me. After deciding to DNF it, I also realized that it was a second book of a series, but can also be read as a standalone.

I wish I enjoyed it, but I just couldn't. However, if the book seems like something you might enjoy, please go for it, read it, and let me know how it went. <b>We all have different tastes in book - and that's OKAY! :)</b>

Thank you to ReadersFirst, a UK based website that sends me books every month in exchange for my honest reviews. What you do it absolutely amazing!

<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
  
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Ross (3284 KP) rated The White Song in Books

Nov 17, 2017  
The White Song
The White Song
Phil Tucker | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Virtually non-stop action (0 more)
The final book in the Chronicles of the Black Gate sees all the previous forces unite to try and defeat the horde of demons that has taken over much of the Empire.
The book gets straight into the action from the off with battles against the demons taking place as the forces of good are gradually driven back and forced to flee to regroup.
Meanwhile Audsley is doing what he does best: snooping around, working out people's motives and discovering things. In so doing, he may just have sided with someone with even worse intentions than the current enemy.
Other than one or two regrouping chapters the action is pretty much non-stop and thoroughly exciting.
I think this is the shortest book in the series, but it doesn't feel like it was rushed through, I think there was just so much story left to tell in the conclusion that there was less time for characters' pondering and soul-searching.
The conclusion is satisfying with some people of the world's underclasses sacrificing themselves to save the day, with hopefully lasting consequences for their races in the aftermath.
In summary, a thoroughly exciting conclusion to an excellent series written with Tucker's excellent style of flowing prose.
  
TK
The Kill (Maeve Kerrigan, #5)
Jane Casey | 2014
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received a copy of this book from the Dead Good Crime Book Group on Goodreads and I want to thank them, once again, for introducing me to another new author that I may never have found.

I haven't read any of the preceding books in this series so started reading with no background or information on any of the characters at all. In hindsight, I think it would have been better to have that knowledge as I did find myself wondering where some of the characters were coming from. Having said that though, I thought it was well written with engaging and complex characters. The storyline was great, delivered with good pace and with interesting twists. I like the relationships between the various characters and despite Derwent being a chauvinistic pig, he was the cause of an internal battle I had with myself - one minute I liked him, the next he was a total [insert appropriate swear word]. Derwent was also the one who made me laugh out loud by his ludicrous statements and the situation he found himself in towards the end of the book.

Overall, a good read but one that would probably have been much better had I read previous books in the series.
  
My Hurricane
My Hurricane
J.A. Owenby | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
My Hurricane by J.A. Owenby
My Hurricane is the short story of what Walker's life was like before he met Lacey. When we first meet him, he is still with Brittany and certainly not the person we know from the other books. However, things happen which change him, and we as the reader are with him every step of the way.

I loved how he changed from Mr Fly High Party Boy into someone to be relied upon, not only by his family but also the school. Now, I've already read the three full-length novels in The Truth series, so knowing what I know now only makes my heart ache for Walker even more.

Excellently written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, I found this book to be outstanding. Giving just enough for you to learn about Walker, whilst leaving you wanting more.

Get this novella, and then lose yourself in The Truth series. I can promise you won't regret it. Highly 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!
  
Blake Blacks Out (Differing Sexuality)
Blake Blacks Out (Differing Sexuality)
Rafe Jadison | 2019 | Erotica, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
6.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Blake Blacks Out by Rafe Jadison
Blake Blacks Out is the first in what I hope will be a series of books, about people and various 'problems' they have. This one deals with a medical condition where Blake passes out during sex. He wakes up disorientated and distressed, which is where most people walk - or in Blake's case, tell him to get the hell out.

Although this is a fast-paced novella, I thought the inclusion of the details about the condition were really well done. Mr. Jadison was able to get the information across without sounding like a medical journal! Not only that, but there are characters here to like and loathe, which is always a good thing. I loved how Jerome knew what he wanted, and wasn't afraid to work for it.

This book takes place during just one evening, with a small epilogue. The pace is smooth, and the emotions are easy to see/feel. Extremely well-written, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and hope for more in this series. 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!
  
Living on a Dare (Shore Thing #1)
Living on a Dare (Shore Thing #1)
Grace Kilian Delaney | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Living on a Dare (Shore Thing #1) by Grace Kilian Delaney
Living on a Dare is the first book in the Shore Thing series, and we start off with two friends, Draven and Julien. Draven is gay, and has known it for years. Julien is struggling to come to terms with his bi-sexuality, and as such, pushes Draven away until he is sure. Both of these have had feelings for the other for years, but neither thought anything would come of it. It takes a dare to bring their feelings to the surface, but even then, there is a lot of confusion going on.

This was a great story, with plenty of action and steam. I loved how these two worked together, although I could also slap them upside the head at times! There is a great cast of supporting characters too. I actually loved Julien's mum, and the role she played. This is the first in the series, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

A sweet, hot, humorous story that I definitely recommend.

* 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!
  
Death On The Coast
Death On The Coast
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I thoroughly enjoyed this “West Country Crime Mystery” Death on the Coast by Bernie Steadman, even though it was book 3 and I’d not read the previous two books in this series.

Set in Devon, DCI Dan Hellier and DS Sally Ellis’ crew make a gruesome discovery; someone is burning body parts in a very ritualistic way. Could a cult be responsible for this? What are their motivations? Can his team work out what is happening before another death hits their shores?

I whizzed through this well written story and although the title suggests cosy mystery to me, this is a much darker and more realistic police procedural. It’s got everything I love in a good murder mystery; a great cast of people with their own issues to contend with, interesting plot twists (despite knowing who is responsible all the way through the book) and enough intriguing goings on to keep me reading long well into the night until I finished it. Bernie Steadman is on fire with this book! I must keep up with this series from now on!

Thank you to Bloodhound Books, and #NetGalley for my ARC copy. This is my own opinion and not biased in any way.