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Merissa (12038 KP) rated The First Secret (Hidden Portals Trilogy #2) in Books
May 24, 2019
The First Secret (Hidden Portals Trilogy #2) by Maya Daniels
The First Secret is the second book in the Hidden Portals Trilogy, and there is no second-book-slump with this little beauty.
This is Fern and Iris' story, and we are able to catch up with Raphael and Artemis too. I love Iris, and have done from book one. She is sassy, has an attitude, and isn't afraid to stand up for herself against 'others'. Fern fights his attraction to Iris, fearing her to be the same as Lazarus. It takes a while, and some 'advice' from others, plus a near death experience before he realises he is an ass. And don't we all love it when that happens?!
Once again, this story is complete by itself, but it does lead you nicely to the next book. As with all Maya Daniels books, there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. I love her world-building, and the characters are just amazing. I am loving this series, and have no hesitation in recommending both the book and the series.
* 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!
This is Fern and Iris' story, and we are able to catch up with Raphael and Artemis too. I love Iris, and have done from book one. She is sassy, has an attitude, and isn't afraid to stand up for herself against 'others'. Fern fights his attraction to Iris, fearing her to be the same as Lazarus. It takes a while, and some 'advice' from others, plus a near death experience before he realises he is an ass. And don't we all love it when that happens?!
Once again, this story is complete by itself, but it does lead you nicely to the next book. As with all Maya Daniels books, there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. I love her world-building, and the characters are just amazing. I am loving this series, and have no hesitation in recommending both the book and the series.
* 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!
The Signalman's Trilogy
Book
Adrian Vaughan, born in Reading in January 1941, fell in love with the entire spectacle of the steam...
Thundercat recommended Journey to Love by Stanley Clarke in Music (curated)
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Fifth Grave Past the Light (Charley Davidson, #5) in Books
Sep 6, 2019
I adore this series! It is amazing!
I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more.
How can you not love Charley? She has this strange but sometimes brilliant way of thinking that makes you laugh out loud half the time. And Reyes? Come on! Reyes is hot! And he's incredibly sweet a lot of the time when he's not going all sever-your-spinal-cord mad at people who hurt Charley, though that's actually kinda hot, too, come to think of it :P
I love the progression of their relationship in this one. Having wild hot sex within the first 60 pages or so? Yeah! The post-its and him buying her things. I really think he loves you, Charley, and after what you did and said during those pages, I think you love him to. Aww, you'll make an amazing couple :')
For the first time ever (I think, anyway) I actually cried while reading one of these books. That scene near the end. God! I could hardly see the words in front of me because of the tears. You should have called Reyes, though, in my opinion.
And then that cliff-hanger question of an ending?!?! Girl, you have to say YES! of course.
Eagerly awaiting book 6 now to find out what she does say.
I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more.
How can you not love Charley? She has this strange but sometimes brilliant way of thinking that makes you laugh out loud half the time. And Reyes? Come on! Reyes is hot! And he's incredibly sweet a lot of the time when he's not going all sever-your-spinal-cord mad at people who hurt Charley, though that's actually kinda hot, too, come to think of it :P
I love the progression of their relationship in this one. Having wild hot sex within the first 60 pages or so? Yeah! The post-its and him buying her things. I really think he loves you, Charley, and after what you did and said during those pages, I think you love him to. Aww, you'll make an amazing couple :')
For the first time ever (I think, anyway) I actually cried while reading one of these books. That scene near the end. God! I could hardly see the words in front of me because of the tears. You should have called Reyes, though, in my opinion.
And then that cliff-hanger question of an ending?!?! Girl, you have to say YES! of course.
Eagerly awaiting book 6 now to find out what she does say.
The Poppy Girls (The Maitland Trilogy #1)
8.0
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Book
"The Poppy Girls is the first title in The Maitland Trilogy, by bestselling author Margaret...
Sex with Shakespeare: Here's Much to Do with Pain, but More with Love
Book
A provocative, moving, kinky, and often absurdly funny memoir about Shakespeare, love, obsession,...
Connected Couples Eight Roadmaps for Mastering Love and Connection in Healthy Relationships
10.0
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A practical handbook for how to successfully navigate through “Love Land”. Are you still...
Self-help Healthy Relationships Family Health
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated First Love in Books
May 10, 2018
First Love is a story of two young people, Alexandra and Robinson. Axi is sitting at Ernie's, a cafe in their small town, waiting for Robinson. Next week, she has finals for her two AP classes. Now, normally, this straight laced, straight A student would be studying for those finals, but today she has something else on her mind. As Robinson enters the store, all thoughts of finals escape her mind and a smile spreads across her face. He has that skill, to brighten her mood whenever he is around. As he sits down, worry starts to envelope Axi. What if her plan backfires? What if Robinson isn't interested in what she has to say? She takes a deep breath and says..."Let's Run Away".
All over the country they travel, breaking the rules and trying not to get hurt or arrested along the way. When this carefree trip takes a devastating turn, Axi comes to realize that life is way too short.
We all remember our first love. I know at that time, there was almost nothing I wouldn't do for mine. Would you lie, steal, cheat? Would you sacrifice your own life for their happiness? First Love is definitely not your typical James Patterson book. While he does have other books that are non-crime/police drama, they are few and far between. This was a cute story about teens trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Time is of the essence for them and they intend to ride it until the wheels fall off. Penning themselves Bonnie and Clyde, Axi and Robinson take a cross-country tour neither of them will ever forget. Starting in Oregon and ending in North Carolina they cross the country seeing the sites and trying to avoid the police. If you're interested in a quick, cute love story about a couple of kids, then you will enjoy this story!
All over the country they travel, breaking the rules and trying not to get hurt or arrested along the way. When this carefree trip takes a devastating turn, Axi comes to realize that life is way too short.
We all remember our first love. I know at that time, there was almost nothing I wouldn't do for mine. Would you lie, steal, cheat? Would you sacrifice your own life for their happiness? First Love is definitely not your typical James Patterson book. While he does have other books that are non-crime/police drama, they are few and far between. This was a cute story about teens trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Time is of the essence for them and they intend to ride it until the wheels fall off. Penning themselves Bonnie and Clyde, Axi and Robinson take a cross-country tour neither of them will ever forget. Starting in Oregon and ending in North Carolina they cross the country seeing the sites and trying to avoid the police. If you're interested in a quick, cute love story about a couple of kids, then you will enjoy this story!
So Bright and Delicate: Love Letters and Poems of John Keats to Fanny Brawne
Book
So Bright and Delicate: Love Letters and Poems of John Keats to Fanny Brawne is a testament to the...
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Siege and Storm in Books
Sep 11, 2017
First half is good, slows down in the second with the last 50 pages exploding
Contains spoilers, click to show
***Spoilers ahead, you have been warned***
You’d have to read Shadow and Bone to read and understand Siege and Storm. Otherwise you’d be pretty lost as events follow up right after the first book.
The first half of the book was at a great pace and filled with lots of action, bombs, explosions, fighting, magic, all sorts of goodness you would expect for the second book to follow up for an excellent start in the first. It slows down in the second half of the book where preparations for encountering The Darkling are made and you have this whole drama with Alina and Mal going on;
Okay I was wrong about The Darkling. I was torn apart when he ended up being jackalope of the year and I was holding a banner of love for Alina and Mal.
Then Nikolai steps in.
Handsome, charismatic, swashbuckling, people sway to his beat Nikolai. I loved reading about him whenever he came into the picture. It’s like when your school crush comes into the classroom and you realize you’re going to share a table with him. That kind of giddiness is what Nikolai brings to the book.
I saw the chemistry with Alina and Mal in the first one, and it just falls apart here in Siege and Storm - understandably so as the dynamics have changed a lot and Alina has climbed up in the ladder of importance and Mal has suddenly fallen off the grid and is just considered a lowly guard of Alina the Sun Summoner. Which is pretty good right? You’re near the person you love and care about, you’re standing guard and you’re close by.
No. Can’t be that easy right? First Nikolai steps into the picture and is suddenly looking like a much better prospect and the drama with Alina looking for the Firebird to amplify her powers even more - the point where she becomes obsessed with it changes her personality and makes her more darker, assertive, and she’s not the girl we all once knew in the first book. I really love this personality change in her. There’s a slight whiny voice to it but she really steps up and grows exponentially as a character.
So I can see the romance aspect of the book falling apart, but at the same time you ask yourself is it really necessary? I can see the attempt at a love triangle with Mal and Nikolai with Alina in the middle but from what I see, she gets along fine with both of them, but does she really need one or the other as a love interest? I don’t see the chemistry there with either of them.
Sure, Alina still cares a lot for Mal but everything’s changed and it just seems like she doesn’t need romance..not yet anyway. Instead, the attempt at the romance is seen as two whiny people who can’t get their own way and they take it out on each other by indulging themselves on the road to self destruction. Again, that’s a very human trait and good on portraying that. The whininess though, I could do without. It caused unnecessary drama in the book, and endless of pages in the second half where the plot doesn’t seem to be moving forward or anywhere. It feels like an unnecessary filler.
The last third of the novel though did pick up the pace (did not make up for the whiny drama though) and provided a lot of the explosions and action you had in the first half. Not really featuring a cliffhanger ending, but it’s making me look forward to what I have to see in the third and final book of this series.
PS: My heart bled for Genya.
You’d have to read Shadow and Bone to read and understand Siege and Storm. Otherwise you’d be pretty lost as events follow up right after the first book.
The first half of the book was at a great pace and filled with lots of action, bombs, explosions, fighting, magic, all sorts of goodness you would expect for the second book to follow up for an excellent start in the first. It slows down in the second half of the book where preparations for encountering The Darkling are made and you have this whole drama with Alina and Mal going on;
Okay I was wrong about The Darkling. I was torn apart when he ended up being jackalope of the year and I was holding a banner of love for Alina and Mal.
Then Nikolai steps in.
Handsome, charismatic, swashbuckling, people sway to his beat Nikolai. I loved reading about him whenever he came into the picture. It’s like when your school crush comes into the classroom and you realize you’re going to share a table with him. That kind of giddiness is what Nikolai brings to the book.
I saw the chemistry with Alina and Mal in the first one, and it just falls apart here in Siege and Storm - understandably so as the dynamics have changed a lot and Alina has climbed up in the ladder of importance and Mal has suddenly fallen off the grid and is just considered a lowly guard of Alina the Sun Summoner. Which is pretty good right? You’re near the person you love and care about, you’re standing guard and you’re close by.
No. Can’t be that easy right? First Nikolai steps into the picture and is suddenly looking like a much better prospect and the drama with Alina looking for the Firebird to amplify her powers even more - the point where she becomes obsessed with it changes her personality and makes her more darker, assertive, and she’s not the girl we all once knew in the first book. I really love this personality change in her. There’s a slight whiny voice to it but she really steps up and grows exponentially as a character.
So I can see the romance aspect of the book falling apart, but at the same time you ask yourself is it really necessary? I can see the attempt at a love triangle with Mal and Nikolai with Alina in the middle but from what I see, she gets along fine with both of them, but does she really need one or the other as a love interest? I don’t see the chemistry there with either of them.
Sure, Alina still cares a lot for Mal but everything’s changed and it just seems like she doesn’t need romance..not yet anyway. Instead, the attempt at the romance is seen as two whiny people who can’t get their own way and they take it out on each other by indulging themselves on the road to self destruction. Again, that’s a very human trait and good on portraying that. The whininess though, I could do without. It caused unnecessary drama in the book, and endless of pages in the second half where the plot doesn’t seem to be moving forward or anywhere. It feels like an unnecessary filler.
The last third of the novel though did pick up the pace (did not make up for the whiny drama though) and provided a lot of the explosions and action you had in the first half. Not really featuring a cliffhanger ending, but it’s making me look forward to what I have to see in the third and final book of this series.
PS: My heart bled for Genya.