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Waves (Inhuman Love Collection #1)
Waves (Inhuman Love Collection #1)
Howl Avery | 2023 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
WAVES is the first book in the Inhuman Love Collection and we start off with a selkie and a marine biologist. I loved how the first bit with Ezra was titled with his name, but the first bit with Kai was titled with what he was. A small detail, but one I liked.

There were a few things in this I didn't like - the ex-fiance for one, but then, I wasn't supposed to. I thought there would be more to his storyline as it seemed like a big deal but then it sort of fizzled out. Also Mary and Eric. I know Mary was Ezra's BFF but it felt like she was a little pushy. Eric was nice most of the time but jumping to conclusions when someone is injured isn't a good way to be. Some of the side characters didn't add anything to the story either in my opinion.

What I did like was the constant affection between Kai and Ezra. The forehead touches were so sweet and I loved those. And things like the pool and trying to get the pH levels right to imitate the sea. That's a love language right there. There was an occasion when Ezra is being slightly forward with Kai, but Kai did agree and ended up enjoying it, so I guess it worked out. It just felt a little icky considering Kai's preferences up to that point.

On the whole, I enjoyed this story and that epilogue was so sad! It left me with so many questions though, I'll admit! I definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more in the series.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 21, 2023
  
Dress Blues (Recalled to Love #2)
Dress Blues (Recalled to Love #2)
Lisa Carlisle | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dress Blues (Recalled to Love #2) by Lisa Carlisle
Dress Blues is the second novella in the Recalled to Love series, and is a complete standalone from the first. In this one, we meet Vivi who left the military after a devastating injury, and Jack, who has now left the military too but is unsure of what to do now. The sparks flew between these two when they first met, but nothing was allowed to come of it as Vivi was enlisted and Jack was an officer. Now though, they don't have those rules to get in the way, so it's all dependent upon whether they can work it as a couple.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I have to say that Stella stole the show! There is uncertainty in both of them for different reasons, and they will have to overcome those before they can move forwards together. I loved that Jack was pushy for all the right reasons, but could also completely understand where Vivi was coming from. I admired the fact that she admitted the fault, and worked on it to conquer it, rather than letting it beat her.

The story flowed at an even pace, and there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. This story has the feel-good factor, and is 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 my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Mute (Dragon Runners #1)
Mute (Dragon Runners #1)
ML Nystrom | 2018 | Contemporary, Romance
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good, but not great
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Katrina lands a job in the local biker bar while she finishes up her final semester at nursing school. Club enforcer Mute props himself up at the end of the bar for most of the night and watches. Kat's life is threatened, along with that of the club. Mute digs deep to overcome his fear of falling in love again, and pulls out all the stops to save both Kat and his beloved club.

Ok! SO!

I liked this, mostly. I think.

Not a particularly original story line, but it is told in a slightly different way. Kat has her say for the bigger part of the book in the first person. Then Mute has a say, for a little bit, in the third person. Until Mute has his say, I wasn't sure I was enjoying it, and maybe I wasn't even going to finish it. But Mute having his say made the book a little more enjoyable and I did finish it.

I liked that there was a slow build between Kat and Mute. I did not like that the love word was bandied about very early on.

From what I can see, this is a first time author and in places, it does show. It's a little . . . clunky . . . . .at points and some things don't flow too well.

A good start, not a great one.

3 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Ruin of Stars
Ruin of Stars
Linsey Miller | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
9
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (1 more)
World Creation
Just as good as the first
When I read Mask of Shadows I was blown away by Linsey Miller's book. I loved Sal and so many of the characters. They were truly lovely. It was horror filled love letter written and I loved everything about it. When I saw that Ruin of Stars was up on NetGalley, I knew that I had to read it! When I was accepted as an ARC reader I did a little jump of joy as well.

Just like Mask of Shadows, Ruin of Stars brings us the wonderful character of Sal. I honestly loved the gender fluid nature of Sal though at times in this book I felt is was a little too preachy on sexuality. What I loved about it is that though slightly preachy at times, Sal is still Sal. Sallot is written well and isn't a gender fluid character just to be gender fluid and I loved that Sal was so beautifully written.

This book revisits all of our favorite & least favorite characters from Mask of Shadows, you see Sal trying to cross off his list. You also see the struggle of all of the characters when it comes to living, dying, and everything in between.

The descriptions, the characters, and everything you loved about Mask of Shadows is here. This is one of my favorite reads so far. I loved it so much, I refused to finish it for the longest of times. If you liked the first one, you'll love this one too.
  
Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)
Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)
Marissa Meyer | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.8 (29 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am officially submerged into The Lunar Chronicles and I am anxiously waiting to read Winter. Cress, book three of the series, adds another level to the story and I love Crescent. With threads of Rapunzel woven through the book it is so much fun to see the story through another set of eyes. Cinder and Kai are still main characters in Cress. Scarlet and Wolf continue their story as well. Fairy tale retellings are some of my favorite stories and Marissa Meyer has just taken this genre to a whole new level. It is such a unique and intriguing storyline. With so many characters to follow and fall in love with, it is easy to get lost in this world.

Seeing Marissa's style mature throughout this series has been so much fun. The pace has picked up a lot in Cress. Lots of action, chaos, stress, and adventure! We also get our first glimpse at Winter and I think I am really going to like her.

Cress is so young and naive, being taken from her family as a baby and then isolated for the last seven years. She is so smart, quirky, and innocent. Seeing earth, sand, trees...for the first time through her eyes definitely inspires a new view of the world. It encourages us to see the beauty all around us rather than taking it for granted.

This series must be read in order beginning with Cinder. I highly recommend these books. Stay tuned for my review of the grand finale!
  
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Alison Brie recommended Alien (1979) in Movies (curated)

 
Alien (1979)
Alien (1979)
1979 | Horror, Sci-Fi

"This next one, there’s an actress tie-in. The next one is Alien. So, I clearly have a bit of a Sigourney Weaver fetish. I love the movie Alien. I wouldn’t say… I mean, I like sci-fi movies – I’m open to them – but I’m not a huge sci-fi buff, I guess. I really love watching the older sci-fi films that had the man-made special effects, the pre-CGI practical effects, and I think that Alien is one of the greatest examples of that. I think that movie is so cool. For the time when it was made, the effects, I think, hold up completely. You know, the scene with the alien popping out of the guy’s chest. It’s gripping. And also, it’s very dramatic as a film. It’s not as action-heavy as you might think it should be in your mind; because you’re setting up the whole thing, there’s a lot of silence. There’s a lot of people alone – you see them on their own. And obviously Sigourney Weaver is so incredible in it. I don’t think it was the first time I saw it, but the first movie that I saw in the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight was Alien, so I think it just cinematically took my breath away. You know, by that time, The Matrix is getting made, and you’re having these cooler effects and other things going on, and I still found it so admirable that something like that holds up and cinematically is so beautiful."

Source
  
Terminal (Virals 5)
Terminal (Virals 5)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Terminal is the fifth book in the Virals series by Kathy Reichs. I know I've reviewed a ton of books in this series now, so I'll try to keep this one relatively short!

The Virals gang are always getting into trouble. But this time, they have multiple severe problems to worry about: a rival pack and, worse, some mysterious black-suited men asking questions about them. Which was worse? Losing against the Trinity, or becoming a bunch of lab rats for some secret government agency?

First, Tory and her friends need to find out the identities of their opponents. While the first two seem to be somewhat easy to find, the third member of the Trinity - the mystery girl - brings quite a shock to every member of the Viral pack.

As usual, the Reichs' bring tons of action, problem-solving and surprises in this Virals sequel. Nothing is certain: who are the Trinity? Who are these mystery detectives? Will this be their last adventure?

I said I'd keep this short, so I'll try to wrap this up now. I love this series. I've been looking forward to this book for ages, and I definitely was not disappointed. As well as the two main problems the pack is facing, Tory has another issue; multiple boys are after her, and she doesn't know who she wants. I love how this book has teenage humour to it, a little bit of romance - the perfect amount, in my opinion - and tons of unexpected plot twists. 4 stars for Terminal!