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Gratification in Gluttony (Passing Through Cafe #2)
6.0
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When Jude entered The Passing Through Cafe, Toni thought he’d be nothing more than a fun night, a...
Urban Fantasy Rom-Com
Will (Almstead Island: Newcomer’s Club #1)
8.0
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What could go right with a social worker Daddy and an injured boy? Will As a social worker on...
Contemporary MM Romance Daddy kink
Dalton (3 KP) rated Brotherly Love in Books
Sep 24, 2017
The US Review of Books
Contains spoilers, click to show
Brotherly Love
by Dalton Giesick
Trafford Publishing
reviewed by Omar Figueras
"When Dayton was hammering the staples into the wood, Grandpa cut a window on each end. Then he made a door for us... Our clubhouse was fin."
Dalton Giesick's short memoir Brotherly Love depicts the author's e'rly childhood years, being the all too brief moment in time that he was able to spend with his little brother, Dayton. The book describes those early years in a fleeting but endearing way. At the center of the story is the family's relocation to Colorado, the boys' moving in with their grandparents during that short duration, and the heart-wrenching changes the family endures once they have moved out West.
Part coming of age story and part eulogy, Giesick's treatment of his subject is heart-felt and gentle. His book is a sweet and tender read and the author's presentation of his memories of Dayton is much in tune with how an adult would treat a young child. A quick, yet powerful read, Giesick's writing is strong and tight. There are foreboding moments embedded throughout the story alluding to Dayton's disappearance; however, this tragedy occurs at the end of the story where the author's dreadful imaginings become his harsh reality. Although anticipated, the last revelation is both unexpected to the narrator and reader.
A tribute to a little boy with a large heart and an even bigger soul, Brotherly Love is a big brother's beautiful telling of the precious and too brief an instant he spent in the company of his little brother. Although short, the time that the author spent with Dayton was deeply transformative for himself, and by telling his story the author was able to provide this transformation for his readers.
by Dalton Giesick
Trafford Publishing
reviewed by Omar Figueras
"When Dayton was hammering the staples into the wood, Grandpa cut a window on each end. Then he made a door for us... Our clubhouse was fin."
Dalton Giesick's short memoir Brotherly Love depicts the author's e'rly childhood years, being the all too brief moment in time that he was able to spend with his little brother, Dayton. The book describes those early years in a fleeting but endearing way. At the center of the story is the family's relocation to Colorado, the boys' moving in with their grandparents during that short duration, and the heart-wrenching changes the family endures once they have moved out West.
Part coming of age story and part eulogy, Giesick's treatment of his subject is heart-felt and gentle. His book is a sweet and tender read and the author's presentation of his memories of Dayton is much in tune with how an adult would treat a young child. A quick, yet powerful read, Giesick's writing is strong and tight. There are foreboding moments embedded throughout the story alluding to Dayton's disappearance; however, this tragedy occurs at the end of the story where the author's dreadful imaginings become his harsh reality. Although anticipated, the last revelation is both unexpected to the narrator and reader.
A tribute to a little boy with a large heart and an even bigger soul, Brotherly Love is a big brother's beautiful telling of the precious and too brief an instant he spent in the company of his little brother. Although short, the time that the author spent with Dayton was deeply transformative for himself, and by telling his story the author was able to provide this transformation for his readers.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Sundays at Tiffany's in Books
Apr 27, 2018
James Patterson never ceases to amaze me. I read this book in a matter of hours.
when Jane's imaginary friend, Michael, leaves and promises that she'll forget him, Jane is heartbroken. She goes through her life, seemingly in mediocrety, until one day after a terrible break-up with her crappy-boyfriend (dude, you so had it coming.), she visits her favorite childhood restaurant and is bombarded by memories of Michael.
then she looks across the room and sees him.
and then it takes off. Jane changes her life, no longer afraid to be who she really is. Michael calls into question who he is, and struggles through his own identity crisis--is he human, or angel, or something else? and why didn't Jane's "imaginary" experience go the way it was supposed to?
but then Michael realizes his mission in New York--and his whole world comes crashing down. how is he supposed to do this, and how is he supposed to live with it?
the whole time reading this book, i kept thinking questions. for the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free, I won't tell you what they were. one of them was "will he forget, like he did with all his other past experiences?" I couldn't see a way out of the climax... but the ending was all too sweet. i squealed (don't believe me? my sister was in the room at the time. ask her. it's true).
all in all, this book is a treasure to me. it's staying on my bookshelf where it belongs, i won't ever sell it or give it away (yeah, you can borrow it if you really want to. be careful of the pages.). maybe i loved it more than anyone else ever has, because of a strange connection I share with Jane Margaux. my imaginary friend's name was Michael, too.
when Jane's imaginary friend, Michael, leaves and promises that she'll forget him, Jane is heartbroken. She goes through her life, seemingly in mediocrety, until one day after a terrible break-up with her crappy-boyfriend (dude, you so had it coming.), she visits her favorite childhood restaurant and is bombarded by memories of Michael.
then she looks across the room and sees him.
and then it takes off. Jane changes her life, no longer afraid to be who she really is. Michael calls into question who he is, and struggles through his own identity crisis--is he human, or angel, or something else? and why didn't Jane's "imaginary" experience go the way it was supposed to?
but then Michael realizes his mission in New York--and his whole world comes crashing down. how is he supposed to do this, and how is he supposed to live with it?
the whole time reading this book, i kept thinking questions. for the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free, I won't tell you what they were. one of them was "will he forget, like he did with all his other past experiences?" I couldn't see a way out of the climax... but the ending was all too sweet. i squealed (don't believe me? my sister was in the room at the time. ask her. it's true).
all in all, this book is a treasure to me. it's staying on my bookshelf where it belongs, i won't ever sell it or give it away (yeah, you can borrow it if you really want to. be careful of the pages.). maybe i loved it more than anyone else ever has, because of a strange connection I share with Jane Margaux. my imaginary friend's name was Michael, too.
Midge (525 KP) rated The Year After You in Books
Feb 19, 2019
A Story Of Hope And Sadness
This is a wonderful, soul-searching, but sad story of hope and grief and it is one of the best books that I have read in a while.
It is set in Hope Hall, a Swiss boarding school located in the Alps. For me, one of the things that Nina de Pass did very cleverly was using the setting to maximum effect in THE YEAR AFTER YOU. Since my childhood, I have loved boarding school settings, as everything is so much more intense when in close proximity, such as romantic liaisons and relationships which tend to run at a different rate.
The main protagonist in this novel is Cara, who I found to be exceptionally frustrating at times, though this did not spoil the story for me in any way. From an honesty point of view, she was pretty unreliable as a narrator, however, I had a great deal of empathy for her because of what happened to her best friend Georgina. I loved that Nina de Pass developed Cara’s character so well.
I really liked all of the characters in THE YEAR AFTER YOU because they were so well formed as people with their own parts to play and were not just added after-thoughts to make the protagonist look better. For me, the story-telling also held some poignant messages about support mechanisms of friends and family and mental health issues.
I think that THE YEAR AFTER YOU is a book that I will remember. I would certainly recommend reading it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Black & White Publishing and Nina de Pass for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
It is set in Hope Hall, a Swiss boarding school located in the Alps. For me, one of the things that Nina de Pass did very cleverly was using the setting to maximum effect in THE YEAR AFTER YOU. Since my childhood, I have loved boarding school settings, as everything is so much more intense when in close proximity, such as romantic liaisons and relationships which tend to run at a different rate.
The main protagonist in this novel is Cara, who I found to be exceptionally frustrating at times, though this did not spoil the story for me in any way. From an honesty point of view, she was pretty unreliable as a narrator, however, I had a great deal of empathy for her because of what happened to her best friend Georgina. I loved that Nina de Pass developed Cara’s character so well.
I really liked all of the characters in THE YEAR AFTER YOU because they were so well formed as people with their own parts to play and were not just added after-thoughts to make the protagonist look better. For me, the story-telling also held some poignant messages about support mechanisms of friends and family and mental health issues.
I think that THE YEAR AFTER YOU is a book that I will remember. I would certainly recommend reading it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Black & White Publishing and Nina de Pass for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Letter to My Daughter in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Maya Angelou has long been one of my favorite authors. I have even performed her poetry during my high school day in regional speech & debate tournaments. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was her first book that I read as an adolescent. Her words are always inspiring and listening to her read Letter to My Daughter was incredible. Reading her books always leave me feeling refreshed and alive, but hearing the emotion in her voice while she was reading her words, gives the book even more enjoyable. Hearing her voice crack as she talks about being beaten and raped almost brought me to tears. It made me feel a deeper connection to Ms. Angelou.
It's ironic that this book is called Letter to My Daughter when Maya Angelou doesn't have a daughter. She claims women such as Oprah Winfrey, Rosa Johnson Butler, Valerie Simpson, Brenda Crisp, and Frances Berry allowed her to be a mother to them. This book goes through different aspects of Maya Angelou's life from childhood living with her grandmother, to becoming an undeveloped woman who thought sex would bring in her breasts. And it did, but they were filled with milk.
We as women go through many struggles in life. A lot of the time, we put ourselves on the back burner in order to take care of those around us. In this book, Maya Angelou proves to us that no matter the struggle, if we work hard and put ourselves first, we can accomplish anything. She had it just as hard, actually harder than any of us and look at all she had done in this world.
I recommend this book to all the women I know. It will leave you feeling empowered, strong and on top of the world.
It's ironic that this book is called Letter to My Daughter when Maya Angelou doesn't have a daughter. She claims women such as Oprah Winfrey, Rosa Johnson Butler, Valerie Simpson, Brenda Crisp, and Frances Berry allowed her to be a mother to them. This book goes through different aspects of Maya Angelou's life from childhood living with her grandmother, to becoming an undeveloped woman who thought sex would bring in her breasts. And it did, but they were filled with milk.
We as women go through many struggles in life. A lot of the time, we put ourselves on the back burner in order to take care of those around us. In this book, Maya Angelou proves to us that no matter the struggle, if we work hard and put ourselves first, we can accomplish anything. She had it just as hard, actually harder than any of us and look at all she had done in this world.
I recommend this book to all the women I know. It will leave you feeling empowered, strong and on top of the world.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Invitation to a Bonfire in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Zoya is an orphan from Moscow who is now living in the United States. She is a student at the Donne School, but she has no family. So when school is over, what will her life become? When her favorite author becomes a teacher at the school, Zoya's life changes dramatically. They start an affair even though Zoya knows his wife from childhood. Strange twists happen toward the end, that I didn't suspect. The story is told from Zoya's journal entries during her life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This book started off really slowly for me. I really didn't get much out of it at the beginning. The last 30% of the book, though really had me on the edge of my seat and ready to find out what this girl is all about. Zoya is really kind of a boring character. She goes to class and makes very few friends. When she graduates, she has no family to return home to, so she stays on at the Donne School and works in the greenhouse. There she encounters many students and few faculty members. The students constantly harass her and the faculty basically ignores her. All of that changes when she find out that, Lev Orlo is now a professor. She has been pining for this man through his books for years. Now that he is here, she can't tear herself away from him.
None of the characters were very likable in this book. Zoya is very boring, Lev is full of himself for no good reason, and his wife well she's a character we really don't get to know too well, but she is a strange bird.
3 stars for this one and the best part is at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This book started off really slowly for me. I really didn't get much out of it at the beginning. The last 30% of the book, though really had me on the edge of my seat and ready to find out what this girl is all about. Zoya is really kind of a boring character. She goes to class and makes very few friends. When she graduates, she has no family to return home to, so she stays on at the Donne School and works in the greenhouse. There she encounters many students and few faculty members. The students constantly harass her and the faculty basically ignores her. All of that changes when she find out that, Lev Orlo is now a professor. She has been pining for this man through his books for years. Now that he is here, she can't tear herself away from him.
None of the characters were very likable in this book. Zoya is very boring, Lev is full of himself for no good reason, and his wife well she's a character we really don't get to know too well, but she is a strange bird.
3 stars for this one and the best part is at the end.
It’s not often that we’re given the chance to read a book set in the UK from a black protagonists perspective, and here is a great book to do just that. I’d also like to say though, that although this book was lauded as a cross between Bridget Jones and Americanah, I’m relieved that I’ve read a book that was wholly it’s own story. It’s not a comedy, although there are parts that were funny, and it’s not a story of immigration, because Queenie is second generation British-Jamaican. However, it does hold up to us issues surrounding race - how when a white person thinks they’re being accepting of other cultures, many of them aren’t - and mental health.
Queenie has a breakdown after she splits up with her (white) boyfriend, and suffers so badly with anxiety. Her family believe that the ‘cure’ is to pull herself together, and can’t understand the need for counselling. I’m glad she does it though, because her actions after the split had involved risky sexual behaviour, and her life (personal and work) was unravelling. This is just what happens to some people with anxiety. And Queenie’s childhood has been far from ideal.
Queenie is a great character though: she’s funny, intelligent, outspoken, sensitive and independent. She has some great friends, and her family, even though they have their faults (and whose family doesn’t?!), are there for her - and they’re all fascinating characters.
I really, really enjoyed this. It’s not some cute and fluffy read, and it can be quite raw at times.
For those who appreciate trigger warnings, there may well be some in this book, but it’s a book that reflects Queenie’s life.
Candice Carty-Williams will definitely be a name that I watch out for in future!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
Queenie has a breakdown after she splits up with her (white) boyfriend, and suffers so badly with anxiety. Her family believe that the ‘cure’ is to pull herself together, and can’t understand the need for counselling. I’m glad she does it though, because her actions after the split had involved risky sexual behaviour, and her life (personal and work) was unravelling. This is just what happens to some people with anxiety. And Queenie’s childhood has been far from ideal.
Queenie is a great character though: she’s funny, intelligent, outspoken, sensitive and independent. She has some great friends, and her family, even though they have their faults (and whose family doesn’t?!), are there for her - and they’re all fascinating characters.
I really, really enjoyed this. It’s not some cute and fluffy read, and it can be quite raw at times.
For those who appreciate trigger warnings, there may well be some in this book, but it’s a book that reflects Queenie’s life.
Candice Carty-Williams will definitely be a name that I watch out for in future!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated All the Broken People in Books
May 22, 2019
Alice Bennett knows what it means to suffer. After burying her abusive childhood and reinventing herself, Alice is living a life she never imagined could be hers. She's married to a perfect Southern gentleman. She has a challenging job she loves--writing for a woman's magazine. But when her past comes back with a vengeance, Alice finds herself on the outs with her husband, her perfect life crumbling around her feet.
Desperate to get things back to where they were, Alice travels to the mountains of North Georgia to care for her mother-in-law who was injured in a bad fall. Her motives aren't purely altruistic; she's hoping to get back into her husband's good graces. When she arrives, Alice discovers that the fall was no accident. Alice must battle her own inner demons as she uncovers the not-so-perfect truth of her husband's past. Ugly family secrets and devious attacks from an unknown assailant threaten to kill more than just Alice's dreams.
A dark journey into the Georgia mountains where kudzu covers the landscape and a grudge can last generations.All the Broken People will leave you questioning who the good guys really are or whether they exist at all.
This is an absolutely great suspenseful thriller, a roller coaster ride of a book! I couldn't put it down! The characters were well written, the intricate plot was fascinating. Just a wonderful book!
There is plenty of suspense and surprises.
The conclusion was something I didn’t see coming which is always fun.
The author has a real sense of how to build the tension to bring out the best pieces of the plot.
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this early copy!
Desperate to get things back to where they were, Alice travels to the mountains of North Georgia to care for her mother-in-law who was injured in a bad fall. Her motives aren't purely altruistic; she's hoping to get back into her husband's good graces. When she arrives, Alice discovers that the fall was no accident. Alice must battle her own inner demons as she uncovers the not-so-perfect truth of her husband's past. Ugly family secrets and devious attacks from an unknown assailant threaten to kill more than just Alice's dreams.
A dark journey into the Georgia mountains where kudzu covers the landscape and a grudge can last generations.All the Broken People will leave you questioning who the good guys really are or whether they exist at all.
This is an absolutely great suspenseful thriller, a roller coaster ride of a book! I couldn't put it down! The characters were well written, the intricate plot was fascinating. Just a wonderful book!
There is plenty of suspense and surprises.
The conclusion was something I didn’t see coming which is always fun.
The author has a real sense of how to build the tension to bring out the best pieces of the plot.
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this early copy!
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Snow's Surrender (A Snow White Werewolf Tale, #3) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
Since this is the third in the series and emphasizes the story from previous two, I will include my original review.
This is supposed to be a Snow White retelling but I really couldnt see it. Regardless, its an erotic fairytale retelling which is right up my alley. Its heavy on the erotica while still having enough plot to push the story forward. Normally I would be aggravated that this story is divided into three parts but I knew that going in and already had the rest of the story so I didnt have to wait for the rest.
I love friends to lovers stories, especially childhood friends. I would like to say I enjoyed the premise to this story but honestly I thought it was stupid. I wish I had better word but there it is. Now you may be saying but you knew that going in! Honestly, I was hoping it was going to be a ménage. I guess it was just wishful thinking, because what I got instead was the age old hey let me ask my male friend how to seduce this other male but wait my friend wants me trope.
The final in the series is everything you need and more. Even from someone who is bitter that this wasnt the ménage she was looking for. I couldnt have been happier with the ending if I wrote it myself. That being said, there were still many things I was aggravated with. There were few ties to Snow White, little shifter elements, and the story was split in three when it could have easily been one whole story.
Overall, the story was enjoyable if you are looking for a friends-to-lovers erotica.
This is supposed to be a Snow White retelling but I really couldnt see it. Regardless, its an erotic fairytale retelling which is right up my alley. Its heavy on the erotica while still having enough plot to push the story forward. Normally I would be aggravated that this story is divided into three parts but I knew that going in and already had the rest of the story so I didnt have to wait for the rest.
I love friends to lovers stories, especially childhood friends. I would like to say I enjoyed the premise to this story but honestly I thought it was stupid. I wish I had better word but there it is. Now you may be saying but you knew that going in! Honestly, I was hoping it was going to be a ménage. I guess it was just wishful thinking, because what I got instead was the age old hey let me ask my male friend how to seduce this other male but wait my friend wants me trope.
The final in the series is everything you need and more. Even from someone who is bitter that this wasnt the ménage she was looking for. I couldnt have been happier with the ending if I wrote it myself. That being said, there were still many things I was aggravated with. There were few ties to Snow White, little shifter elements, and the story was split in three when it could have easily been one whole story.
Overall, the story was enjoyable if you are looking for a friends-to-lovers erotica.