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Undercurrent
Undercurrent
J.A. Baker | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
211 of 250
Kindle
Undercurrent
By J.A. Baker

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Phoebe and her disabled husband, Martyn, move into a new house in a village on the edge of County Durham. They plan to lead a quiet existence, a set up that suits them both.

Then Anna, who lives over the road and is bored of spending her days alone, seeks friendship with Phoebe and events take a dark turn.

Phoebe has secrets and is haunted by her past and Anna's arrival in her life may prove to be the catalyst for her undoing.

What is Phoebe hiding and why are she and her husband so reclusive?

When Anna gets caught in a storm and is rescued by Phoebe the truth becomes apparent and Anna is thrown into danger.

Is there a difference between madness and evil?

Some friendships can be murder.


Brilliant! I loved it from start to finish! So well written and kept you interested from the first word to the last. This has to be one of my favourite books that I’ve read in 2021! The story follows a woman with a dark past moving to a small village things soon start going wrong.
  
Blue Moon Rising (Forest Kingdom #1)
Blue Moon Rising (Forest Kingdom #1)
Simon R. Green | 1989 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Once upon a time ...

this was my favourite book.

That was back in the early 90s, back when I was in my tweens and back before I had discovered the likes of Terry Pratchett or Bernard Cornwell.

I then lost track of the author for a good two decades or so, only recently re-discovering him when I happened to chance across the 'GraphicAudio' version of the novel on Audible.

I did wonder what a GraphicAudio meant: simply that it was fully dramatized with a full cast, background music, sound effects etc etc - basically, everything but the actual visual aspect! - instead of only one, maybe two, no more than a handful of people reading the story.

As for that story? Firmly in the fantasy genre - Princes, dragons, unicorns, Princesses, magic, royal politics et al - however I do remember when I first read it all those years ago thinking that I had never come across anything quite like it before. That still holds true to this day: yes, it does have all those familiar elements of a classic Good vs Evil story, but the real delight is in the subverting of expectations, and in the story of Rupert and Julia and the DarkWood / Blue Moon.
  
This book is an interesting look at the Osage murders. This is a version that's adapted for young readers and is more readable and easy to understand and follow. I read both the original book and this version and I prefer this version. This version was more interesting to me and I felt more connected to the story.
The story and look at the Osage people, the murders, and all the history is very intriguing to learn about and know. This tells the story of the true-life murders of the Osage people. This talks about how because of the wealth of the Osage a lot of people wished to control them all due to greed. It's an important part of history that's not discussed or shared about much so it was good to learn about this and it's a great addition to history books.
Reading about this was devastating and it appalled me to learn of the greed and evil people and the horrible treatment of the Osage. This is an enlightening and essential read.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Crown Books for Young Readers for letting me read and review this informative and good book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
  
Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves
Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves
Liz Ireland | 2022 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Evil Elves Complicating Christmas
April Claus is thrilled that, for her second Christmas as Mrs. Claus, she is able to host her friend Claire at the North Pole. However, on top of the normal holiday chaos, there are new challenges. The reindeer are on strike. Someone scares the crowd at the annual ice sculpture contest with a drone-deer. And April’s friend Jupiter is worried about her boyfriend. Can April juggle all of this with her normal Mrs. Claus duties?

Obviously, there is quite a lot happening here. It’s all balanced perfectly with plenty of action and twists in the mystery to keep us engaged the entire time. April leads a cast of charming characters, and I enjoyed the growth in some relationships. The fantasy setting is wonderfully realized. I love getting lost in this world, and I can only imagine how much fun it would be to read this in December. Then there’s the humor. Claire’s reactions to some of the things she sees are priceless, and there are other great moments, too. Yet the more serious themes and elements work as well. If you have yet to start this series, you are in for a treat. Fans will find the Christmas spirit here no matter when they pick up the book.
  
DO
Diary of a Reformed Mean Girl (Reformed 1)
CY Jones | 2023
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
191 of 235
Kindle
Diary of a Reformed Mean Girl (Reformed 1)
By CY Jones
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dear Diary
Petty, cruel, mean, and a well known curse word that starts with a B.
Those are words used to describe me.
Now I’m trying to do better.
I want to be a better person, but the forces of evil aren’t making this venture to reform myself easy.
What do you do when your past catches up to you, in the form of hot twins that you used to torment?
Then let’s add in an equally hot best friend, and a jealous Alpha’s daughter to the mix.
How does one reform herself when said past is looking for its own payback?
Do I turn a blind eye, or do I fight back?
The path to reform myself won’t be easy, but I have never been one to back down from a challenge.

I really enjoyed this and read it within an hour and a half. It was easy to read and kept you engrossed. Aspen is definitely an alpha and I’m looking forward to seeing this series play out. CY Jones is one of those writers that has you wanting more. I thought 3⭐️ was too low so went for the 4.
  
Morgan is my Name
Morgan is my Name
Sophie Keetch | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Morgan is My Name is a fantastic retelling of the Arthurian legend from Morgan’s (or as we’re most likely to know her, Morgana) perspective.

Morgan le Fey is the daughter of the Lord that King Uther Pendragon vanquished. Uther then goes on to claim her mother, the Lady Igraine - and in the most underhand way possible with the help of the equally unpleasant Merlin.

Actually, the men don’t do well out of this retelling. Even the lover that a young Morgan takes, abandons her when she is found out and sent to a convent.

This book had me in its grip within minutes of pressing ‘play’. Vanessa Kirby’s narration was wonderful, and she made a convincing Morgan. She built on the book, making the reader/ listener really believe in the duality of Morgan. Not the evil woman we’ve been led to believe in (not in this first instalment, anyway!), but a young woman with a thirst for knowledge, who wants the freedom to pursue it. But it’s always the men who put a stop to her ambitions: whether it’s Uther, Merlin or her feckless husband (whatever happens to him, he deserves it!).

Oh, and the magic! Just the icing on the cake!

I can’t wait for the next book in this trilogy to come out!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Murder on Bedford Street in Books

Aug 9, 2023 (Updated Aug 9, 2023)  
Murder on Bedford Street
Murder on Bedford Street
Victoria Thompson | 2023 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Rescuing a Woman from a Mental Institute
Frank Malloy is hired by Hugh Breedlove who is convinced that his niece, Julia, has been sent to an insane asylum because her husband is abusive and evil. When Frank and his wife Sarah go to visit Julia, she certainly appears sane. But can they prove it to a judge?

It’s always a pleasure to travel back to New York City in 1901 with this series. I thought I knew where this story was going early on, but I turned out to be wrong. Instead, I got a great story that turned into a thriller by the end. It’s always wonderful to spend time with these characters, we even got to see a couple of the recurring characters and some of the regular characters played a different role than normal. The multiple view points are use perfectly to advance the story. I get lost in the time period as I read this story, and that happened here again as well. It’s a little hard to believe I’m caught up on the series, but I’m happy to see the next book in the series will be out in the spring, so I won’t have to wait too long to visit these characters again.
  
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Morgan Sheppard (968 KP) created a post

Jan 6, 2022  
A Hero. Honourable Thief. Lovable Rogue. Scoundrel. Blackguard.

Everyone’s heard of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men, with big, bad Sheriff of Nottingham and evil Prince John trying their best to thwart Robin at every turn. But what if things were different to what you’ve been told? What if Robin wasn’t as altruistic as history portrayed?

In the late spring of 1198, the hamlet of Girton is razed to the ground. Newly married eighteen-year-old Will Scathlock and sixteen-year-old Alana move to the larger village of Blidworth to start their lives anew. In his new job as a forester for the Royal Palace of Clipstone, known to the locals as King’s Houses, Will hears tales of a good thief, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. But in her role as seamstress for the Manor House, Alana hears a different story.

Find out what it was like for the peasant folk Robin was supposed to be helping, before his well-known adventures in Nottingham. Meet Alana Dale and read her story of what it was really like, and how it all began.

Available for pre-order - https://books2read.com/CabbagesKings

#YoungAdult
#ComingofAge
#HistoricalFiction
#RobinHoodOrigin