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Wild Lavender (The Aurelian Guard #1)
Wild Lavender (The Aurelian Guard #1)
Nicole Elizabeth Kelleher | 2016 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wild Lavender (The Aurelian Guard #1) by Nicole Elizabeth Kelleher
WILD LAVENDER is the first book in The Aurelian Guard series, and is also the debut novel by this author. We are transported to a medieval world, where things aren't always equal or what they seem.

I found this book to be a strong opening to this series. We not only have strong characters on both sides of the conflict, but the world-building is there without overpowering the story. The romance comes later, after a horrific start for Anna. She surely deserves all the love she can get!

With no errors that I noticed, I loved this fantasy world, and I can't wait to read more. Absolutely recommended by me.
  
In Her Footsteps
In Her Footsteps
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In this exciting domestic thriller by Ruth Harrow, Harriet tells the story of her abuse and her efforts to go into hiding from her husband Dan.
Having fled from London, she sets up shop in Coventry, rebuilding her life, working and cautiously making new friends again. From the outside all looks well. However, the reader is led into a false sense of security and slowly we watch Harriet’s paranoia get the better of her, and cannot help but wonder if she is just worried because her past, or if there is something deeper going on.
In Her Footsteps was an entertaining debut book, broaching difficult topics surrounding physical abuse and the emotional distress it causes. I’ll be looking out for more from this author in the future.
  
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
2014 | Action, Sci-Fi
“Marvel has gone mad.” This was the kind of reaction that many film-fans greeted the news of a film adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy, one of the comic-book company’s lesser known band of heroes.

Thankfully, the film is an absolute masterclass. With the best ensemble cast of the entire MCU, some crazy set design and a great soundtrack, James Gunn’s MCU directorial-debut is practically perfect in every single way. We even get a decent villain in Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser. Plus, it’s got Glenn Close spouting absolute nonsense and Vin Diesel getting paid a ridiculous amount of money to say three words over and over again. What could be better?

https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/04/21/the-entire-marvel-cinematic-universe-ranked/
  
Lady Bird (2017)
Lady Bird (2017)
2017 | Comedy, Drama
Saoirse Ronan, relatability, story flow (0 more)
Questionable student casting (0 more)
Simple, relatable, beautiful.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut Is truly a spectacular one. Lady Bird is a masterpiece of simplicity. The simply story of a typical teenage girl trying to find who she is and what she wants. The love-hate relationship of Christine and her mother showcasing their struggle to demonstrate of perhaps understand their feelings added a much welcome layer of interesting plot on top of the typical struggles of an awkward high schooler.

If anything, I believe you can learn a few things from this film about forming and maintaining relationships with your parents or child(ren) in hope that when your time with them comes to a close you’ll have no regrets.
  
Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks, #1)
Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks, #1)
Miranda James | 2010 | Mystery
10
7.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
When Charlie's high school rival, successful novelist Godfrey Priest, comes to down, Charlie isn't too thrilled. Godfrey was always an ego driven jerk, and time and success hasn't changed any of that. But when Godfrey is killed and Charlie finds the body, he starts poking around trying to figure out who did it.

This series debut had lots of twists to the plot, even in the first 100 pages. The characters were real and fresh right out of the gate as well. I truly felt for them. I can't wait to visit them with the next book in the series.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/02/book-review-murder-past-due-by-miranda.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Darcy has taken a job helping her aunt in her San Francisco food truck. On her first day, Aunt Abby gets into an argument with the chef at a nearby restaurant who wants the food trucks, which he views as competition, gone. When he is murdered that night, Abby becomes the chief suspect.

This was a wonderful debut. The characters were real and fun to spend time with. I absolutely love how the romance is already progressing. The plot is strong with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing right until the very end. I'm already hungry for the sequel.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/08/book-review-death-of-crabby-cook-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Force of Nature
Force of Nature
Jane Harper | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
6
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Slow burner, slightly disappointing
As a fan of Jane Harper's debut novel @The Dry, this definitely felt like a sub-par sequel. Detective Aaron Falks returns with another case in the Australian wilderness, this time following the disappearance of a woman who went on a work retreat in the outback but never came back.

Four of the women who went with her all have motives to want to see her gone, so Falks attempts to understand what secrets she may have had about them.

The story, as described, felt underwhelming even though I appreciate the straightforward simplicity of Harper's writing. There is no massive conspiracy similar to the first but it may have lacked too much in this instance.
  
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Milleen (47 KP) rated Holding in Books

Nov 14, 2018  
Holding
Holding
Graham Norton | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a fine debut novel from the TV host. A body is unearthed in a small Irish village and PJ Collins, the local policeman, must dig through the characters’ past to find the killer. This is an exciting plot set against the humdrum of village life. The characters are believable in their mundanity, the tone of their conversation, peppered with occasional profanity, secrets and gossip, is a joy to read. The story is told with observational wit and flair but doesn’t rely too much on overplaying the Irish accent when reading. If you’re a fan of the author, I highly recommend listening to the audio version that’s available as Norton’s narration brings the characters to life, full of lilt and accent.