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Merissa (13169 KP) rated Dark Prophecy: A Box Set in Books
Mar 26, 2019
Dark Prophecy Box Set by Kris Norris
The Dark Prophecy Box Set contains the three stories of the Dark Prophecy series. In it, we meet Rafe, Gabe, Mathias, and Gideon. All vampires, all charged with keeping a talisman safe... once they find it. Rafe is the first one, and he finds his talisman around the neck of Terryn. He is followed by Gabe and Mathias, and finally Gideon. Now, as you can imagine, all stories are similar in some respects, and yet different in others - which is very good when you are reading a box set. Terryn, Riley, and Genevieve are the three sassy heroines who keep our boys in check. They know nothing about the paranormal world, until they find out about their necklaces.
These books were just what I needed, and came at exactly the right time. There was enough story there to keep me involved, and yet it never went into too much detail that I felt I was drowning. There is enough steam to fill a bathroom, with a big dollop of insta-love that somehow seems to work! There were no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed, and the world-building was more than enough for these storylines. I am still left wanting more, which is such a good thing after reading three books back to back. I really hope to hear more from/about Sirus as he was a character that constantly intrigued me.
If you are looking for hot and steamy action, coupled with plenty of sass, and fighting the bad guys, then I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this book.
* 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!
These books were just what I needed, and came at exactly the right time. There was enough story there to keep me involved, and yet it never went into too much detail that I felt I was drowning. There is enough steam to fill a bathroom, with a big dollop of insta-love that somehow seems to work! There were no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed, and the world-building was more than enough for these storylines. I am still left wanting more, which is such a good thing after reading three books back to back. I really hope to hear more from/about Sirus as he was a character that constantly intrigued me.
If you are looking for hot and steamy action, coupled with plenty of sass, and fighting the bad guys, then I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this book.
* 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!
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!
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Demons in the Big Easy in Books
May 22, 2019
Adventurous in her youth, Cassandra built gateways between Domhan and its parallel realm of Earth. Now shes too old for that kind of thing. But something is making it easier for demons to pass into Domhan. Not only that, but their behavior becomes inexplicable: whenever Cassandra banishes one, it laughs at her rather than resists, and it promises it will soon devour her essence and that of every resident of her small village. Cassandra is certain such a thing is impossible, for strong wards protect her village.
But then Cassandras granddaughter Aine falls through an unstable gateway. Cassandra is the only one within a hundred miles capable of creating a gateway and bringing Aine back. Despite her aching joints, Cassandra goes after her, and the gateway lands her in New Orleans. But something goes wrong with her tracking spell, which indicates Aine exists in four different places at once. As Cassandra struggles to find the true location of her granddaughter in the Big Easy, she discovers the source of the demons confidence. Now, with an unlikely pair of alliesher timid granddaughter and a homeless man who may or may not be crazyshe has to not only save her granddaughter but also prevent both Domhan and Earth from being overrun by demons.
I really enjoyed this novella.
Demons in the Big Easy is a short urban fantasy novella following an elderly witch Cassandra as she searches for her lost granddaughter across dimensions.
I think this story has more to tell and would be first in line if the author decided to expand on it.
This story had a perfect mix of mystery, bad guys and horror. I could not believe the end, I never would have thought who the head demon was.
I am hoping for a sequel!
But then Cassandras granddaughter Aine falls through an unstable gateway. Cassandra is the only one within a hundred miles capable of creating a gateway and bringing Aine back. Despite her aching joints, Cassandra goes after her, and the gateway lands her in New Orleans. But something goes wrong with her tracking spell, which indicates Aine exists in four different places at once. As Cassandra struggles to find the true location of her granddaughter in the Big Easy, she discovers the source of the demons confidence. Now, with an unlikely pair of alliesher timid granddaughter and a homeless man who may or may not be crazyshe has to not only save her granddaughter but also prevent both Domhan and Earth from being overrun by demons.
I really enjoyed this novella.
Demons in the Big Easy is a short urban fantasy novella following an elderly witch Cassandra as she searches for her lost granddaughter across dimensions.
I think this story has more to tell and would be first in line if the author decided to expand on it.
This story had a perfect mix of mystery, bad guys and horror. I could not believe the end, I never would have thought who the head demon was.
I am hoping for a sequel!
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love in Books
Jun 4, 2019
The title of this book had me wary from the start, but I'd heard good things about it, and the author is a woman, so I hoped it wouldn't be what it sounded like. Because seriously. We don't need more books about angsty white guys complaining about the girl they love not liking them back.
Unfortunately that's exactly what I got in this book.
First, the good points. The author has a very immersive writing style, and she captured the feeling of a Comic Con VERY impressively. I haven't been to NYCC, but I've been to other nerdy cons, and the hectic pace of panels, and getting tickets, and standing in lines, but nerding out over ALL THE GEEKY STUFF - yeah, that was perfectly written. I really enjoyed that. The other characters - Casey and Felicia, specifically, and Samira, and the rest of Roxy and Graham's families - those were also well done. The brief scene with Roxy's Iranian family was especially nice, which is to be expected from an Iranian-American author!
But Graham irritated me. Roxy wasn't well explored because we only saw things from Graham's point of view, and her love interest Devin's appeal wasn't shown very well at ALL.
I spent most of the book wanting to yell at Graham to just TALK TO HER ALREADY. He's all miffed that his plans aren't going right and the obnoxious Brit is stealing his girl but he won't. Just. TALK. To her.
I think the only reason I actually finished the book was because it was short. And for the description of Comic Con, that was actually really good. But the main character was just frustrating. I should have spent this time on another book.You can find all my reviews and more at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Unfortunately that's exactly what I got in this book.
First, the good points. The author has a very immersive writing style, and she captured the feeling of a Comic Con VERY impressively. I haven't been to NYCC, but I've been to other nerdy cons, and the hectic pace of panels, and getting tickets, and standing in lines, but nerding out over ALL THE GEEKY STUFF - yeah, that was perfectly written. I really enjoyed that. The other characters - Casey and Felicia, specifically, and Samira, and the rest of Roxy and Graham's families - those were also well done. The brief scene with Roxy's Iranian family was especially nice, which is to be expected from an Iranian-American author!
But Graham irritated me. Roxy wasn't well explored because we only saw things from Graham's point of view, and her love interest Devin's appeal wasn't shown very well at ALL.
I spent most of the book wanting to yell at Graham to just TALK TO HER ALREADY. He's all miffed that his plans aren't going right and the obnoxious Brit is stealing his girl but he won't. Just. TALK. To her.
I think the only reason I actually finished the book was because it was short. And for the description of Comic Con, that was actually really good. But the main character was just frustrating. I should have spent this time on another book.You can find all my reviews and more at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Touched by an Alien (Katherine "Kitty" Katt, #1) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
Squee! What a fun book! I was nearly did not pick up this book due to the main character's name (Kitty Katt?) but I'm oh so glad I did. She sees a guy go from blowing his top over a little fender bender to actually, well, blowing his top - or, at least, blowing his back, by turning into a mutant and murdering the other party, then starting in an many others. What does she do? Run, hide, scream like a baby? Call 911? Trip in her high heels and cower until a he-man saves her?
Oh, hell, no!
She also doesn't take the super sexy, Armani-clad guys in the know who show up later at face value, a trait I liked almost as much.
I may not share Kitty's taste in music, but I do like her. A lot. I like her family too! In fact, I want her family. I want to be adopted into her family. I could happily live without the whole nasty aliens invading our world thing, but her parents are cool. It's refreshing to have a heroine from a good family with cool, living parents for a change.
I picked up book two, [bc:Alien Tango|7948544|Alien Tango (Katherine "Kitty" Katt, #2)|Gini Koch|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Oc9ib%2BrrL._SL75_.jpg|11556310], right away. After reading it, [a:Gini Koch|3219496|Gini Koch|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1275081028p2/3219496.jpg] is officially my favorite new author.
There is one little problem. I want to read [bc:Alien in the Family|8714075|Alien in the Family (Katherine "Kitty" Katt, #3)|Gini Koch|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1285844542s/8714075.jpg|13586954] right NOW. Right. This. Minute. Just how firm is that April release date, anyway?
Oh, hell, no!
She also doesn't take the super sexy, Armani-clad guys in the know who show up later at face value, a trait I liked almost as much.
I may not share Kitty's taste in music, but I do like her. A lot. I like her family too! In fact, I want her family. I want to be adopted into her family. I could happily live without the whole nasty aliens invading our world thing, but her parents are cool. It's refreshing to have a heroine from a good family with cool, living parents for a change.
I picked up book two, [bc:Alien Tango|7948544|Alien Tango (Katherine "Kitty" Katt, #2)|Gini Koch|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Oc9ib%2BrrL._SL75_.jpg|11556310], right away. After reading it, [a:Gini Koch|3219496|Gini Koch|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1275081028p2/3219496.jpg] is officially my favorite new author.
There is one little problem. I want to read [bc:Alien in the Family|8714075|Alien in the Family (Katherine "Kitty" Katt, #3)|Gini Koch|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1285844542s/8714075.jpg|13586954] right NOW. Right. This. Minute. Just how firm is that April release date, anyway?
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Heart of Venom (Elemental Assassin, #9) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
Sophia, the goth dwarf who is the head cook at the Pork Pit, has been a bit of a puzzle throughout the Elemental Assassin series. How did she come to have the body disposal skills she uses to help Gin? Has she always been so diametrically opposed to her oh-so-feminine sister, JoJo? And what is the full story behind the trauma that ruined her voice? This book answers those questions.
We also get a little movement in the will-they-or-won't-they-reunite story of Gin and Owen, as well as a tiny bit of movement in the bigger story arc concerning Mab Monroe's heir. Thankfully, Finn is largely absent this time around. I find his whining about his clothes, cars, hair, etc. to be insufferable and cannot imagine what Bria sees in him, but there you go.
I feel like I should mention that this book gets brutal. I mean, if you've followed Gin Blanco this far, you aren't expecting flowers and rainbows, but I had to out this one down a couple of times. The details got to me. The descriptions were just too much, and the depravity of the villains was just too far out there. There haven't exactly been any shades of gray with previous bad guys, but I fully expected these to be roasting babies for dinner or some such.
It just occurred to me that I don't recall encountering any queer characters in this series. Or in any of Estep's other work. I've read several Bigtime novels, one or two of the Mythos Academy books, and everything she's published in this series, and everybody seems to be straight. Am I forgetting Something? How can an entire universe be heterosexual? Anybody?
We also get a little movement in the will-they-or-won't-they-reunite story of Gin and Owen, as well as a tiny bit of movement in the bigger story arc concerning Mab Monroe's heir. Thankfully, Finn is largely absent this time around. I find his whining about his clothes, cars, hair, etc. to be insufferable and cannot imagine what Bria sees in him, but there you go.
I feel like I should mention that this book gets brutal. I mean, if you've followed Gin Blanco this far, you aren't expecting flowers and rainbows, but I had to out this one down a couple of times. The details got to me. The descriptions were just too much, and the depravity of the villains was just too far out there. There haven't exactly been any shades of gray with previous bad guys, but I fully expected these to be roasting babies for dinner or some such.
It just occurred to me that I don't recall encountering any queer characters in this series. Or in any of Estep's other work. I've read several Bigtime novels, one or two of the Mythos Academy books, and everything she's published in this series, and everybody seems to be straight. Am I forgetting Something? How can an entire universe be heterosexual? Anybody?
Merissa (13169 KP) rated Wonderfully Wicked (The Dreamcaster Series #1) in Books
Jun 19, 2018
Wonderfully Wicked (The Dreamcaster Series #1) by C.J. Burright
Wonderfully Wicked is the first book in The Dreamcaster series, and we start off with Kalila. She is an 'normal' woman plagued with un-normal nightmares. These nightmares can come to life and hurt both Kalila and those around her if she allows them. Lydon is the Black, and has come to take her to the Alderwood where she will be stripped of the nightmares. This will help his order and Kalila, although she won't survive long enough to appreciate that. His mission changes when she whispers his name, and he realises that she is HIS dreamcaster - the one he can be partnered with for life. Of course, now he just has to convince Kalila of this.
This is a fast-paced story, full of strong and sassy heroines, dark and brooding heroes, and slimy bad guys. It is very easy to see in which camp each character belongs. On the whole, this was a completely enjoyable story that kept my attention from start to end. The only time I got a bit confused was the jail break at the end, when Kalila seems to have a dream within a dream, and it changed from one scene to the next rather quickly.
An excellent start to the series, with a new and refreshing take on the paranormal scene. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading, this story flowed easily. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and I look forward to the rest in the series. Absolutely 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!
This is a fast-paced story, full of strong and sassy heroines, dark and brooding heroes, and slimy bad guys. It is very easy to see in which camp each character belongs. On the whole, this was a completely enjoyable story that kept my attention from start to end. The only time I got a bit confused was the jail break at the end, when Kalila seems to have a dream within a dream, and it changed from one scene to the next rather quickly.
An excellent start to the series, with a new and refreshing take on the paranormal scene. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading, this story flowed easily. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and I look forward to the rest in the series. Absolutely 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!
Mike Wilder (20 KP) rated Horrible Bosses (2011) in Movies
May 30, 2018
Easily my favourite comedy of 2011
Contains spoilers, click to show
Easily my favourite comedy of 2011, with Crazy, Stupid, Love. coming a close second. The film is about three guys whose jobs are made hell by their bosses. They decide to kill them in a "Strangers on a train" style, where one kills another's boss so it can't be traced back to the employee. I wasn't sure what to expect from the cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Jason Bateman, Colin Farrell, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Aniston. Each fine actors but how would they fair in this film? Amazingly is how. Colin Farrell is almost unrecognizable as one of the bosses and Kevin Spacey is great as usual. However the stand out performance of the film is Jennifer Aniston. She plays a dentist, the boss of Dale (Charlie Day) and she is sexually harassing him. She really takes the role and plays it to perfection. Dale is her shy assistant who is engaged to Stacy (Lindsay Sloane). He is faithful to her and resists all advances from his over sexed boss. It is not a role we are used to seeing her play but it is a perfect performance. Another great performance was Jamie Foxx the murder consultant they hire. Horrible Bosses is a great comedy, almost a perfect comedy. The only flaw for me was it was all tied up a little too neatly. I saw the ending coming before it happened and it would have been nice to have an ending a little more surprising. Having said that I can't imagine how it could have been ended differently. The film doesn't have to resort to crude gags and just lets the script and performances of the cast tell the story. This works so well and full credit to the writers for a great comedy.
Becs (244 KP) rated Warrior Protect in Books
Sep 24, 2018
Cade. (5 more)
Aurora.
Karas.
The story as a whole.
The cover.
The plot
A fun and thrilling read that will leave you wanting more.
I received a read and review copy of Warrior Protect by Brie Farmer from the author herself for my full honest opinion.
This is the second novel I have read by Brie Farmer and when I say you need to check her out, I mean you need to drop everything and check her out now. She is a great writer and I absolutely loved her debut novel. Now, I can add another great book to my loved list. So let's talk about everything I loved.
Warrior Protect was a thrilling and very engaging read that had me going through all of my emotions. Guys, I cried... I actually cried and I haven't cried over a book in a very long time. I'm not emotional, you are! That's how you know a book is good. If you cry, if you get angry, if you get overwhelmed with emotions, the books is good and worth a million rereads. I'm not kidding. Everybody needs to read this.
I loved how relatable the female MC was and man, the male MC sounds very attractive. Who needs a husband when you can have all the book boyfriends. ;) The love that was felt, the anger that caused blood to spill, the happiness that resulted in friendship. It was all amazing to read and Brie Farmer did a wonderful job portraying it in a way that brought the reader into the story. There were a few grammatical and editing errors, but this was still a four-star read!
This is the second novel I have read by Brie Farmer and when I say you need to check her out, I mean you need to drop everything and check her out now. She is a great writer and I absolutely loved her debut novel. Now, I can add another great book to my loved list. So let's talk about everything I loved.
Warrior Protect was a thrilling and very engaging read that had me going through all of my emotions. Guys, I cried... I actually cried and I haven't cried over a book in a very long time. I'm not emotional, you are! That's how you know a book is good. If you cry, if you get angry, if you get overwhelmed with emotions, the books is good and worth a million rereads. I'm not kidding. Everybody needs to read this.
I loved how relatable the female MC was and man, the male MC sounds very attractive. Who needs a husband when you can have all the book boyfriends. ;) The love that was felt, the anger that caused blood to spill, the happiness that resulted in friendship. It was all amazing to read and Brie Farmer did a wonderful job portraying it in a way that brought the reader into the story. There were a few grammatical and editing errors, but this was still a four-star read!