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M(
More (The MORE Trilogy, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well yes, you know I am very open with my star ratings and IÕm quite liberal with them at times, but before we go any further, I really want you all to know that this book deserves every damn star a hundred times over. It was, quite frankly, PHENOMENAL and an amazing way to start a series (capitals are totally necessary).

To start, there is a brilliant mythos to the story and the development is this is excellent. I believe this is, in part, due to the fact Franklin builds the story very slowly to begin with, without losing pace. What IÕm trying to say, thereÕs that feeling that you never truly know the full story, but thatÕs a total plus because the characters and the plot keep you truly hooked from the very first page.

Ava, as a lead character is absolutely brilliant. SheÕs a very strong lead, charismatic yet still slightly vulnerable, a different and unique kind of female lead. This all adds up to one truly amazing character to read. Caleb, well, he has starred in many a dream since first reading himÉ.. HeÕs a very brooding kind of guy, with many inner secrets that he tries so desperately to hold close but Ava just chips away. The dynamic between them both is brilliant and makes for very interesting reading, with a great foundation for the rest of the series.

The drama, tension and mystery throughout all build at the perfect pace, pulling you unwittingly towards a truly stunning ending that leaves you needing (IÕm serious, the need was so intense I actually abandoned sleep to carry on reading) the next book ready loaded on your kindle to move straight on. This is a completely fantastic book from start to finish.

Gripping, exciting, amazing, phenomenal, something more than the others of itÕs kind on the market. This is a wonderful start to a series which has firmly wedged itself in my list of favourites. All I can say is that if this is my hangover after finishing book one, with the next one ready to move on to, I dread to think how debilitating it will be when I finish the third installment!

*This book was first reviewed on Lily Loves Indie as part of a blog tour, for which an ARC was received in return for an honest review*
  
A House at the Bottom of a Lake
A House at the Bottom of a Lake
Josh Malerman | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I’m a big Josh Malerman fan, with the exception of Unbury Carol which, if you read my DNF on it, was absolutely horrid. That said, when I came across A House at the Bottom of a Lake on Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited, I was a bit leery. Despite being a Malerman fan, I hadn’t heard of this title and… well, it was on KU. That alone struck me as a red flag. Nonetheless, I grabbed it and spent the night reading it. It wasn’t awful, but it’s definitely not Bird Box level great.

A House at the Bottom of a Lake is a coming of age story, one of those ones where the reader experiences the final moments of the main characters’ innocence. The house itself symbolizes the imaginative youthfulness and innocence of the more childlike mind, while the canoe represents the path to adulthood and the obstacles that must be overcome. Just like life experiences change us, the events leading up to the conclusion of the story change the canoe in ways that cannot be undone: paint chipping, dents, scratches, etc. I’d provide another example to support this theory, but that would, unfortunately, mean giving away a major spoiler to the story–so I won’t.

As far as the characters go, I found Amelia and James to be your stereotypical awkward teenagers. There is a bit of a disconnect between their age and their assumed behavior, leaning to the idea that these two kids are well-behaved and normally aren’t risk takers. Because of this, there are several moments where the story is dull.

There’s no doubt that this is a piece of work by Josh Malerman; it has his style all over it. That is, it’s meant to be suspenseful. However, the manner in which Malerman writes A House on the Bottom of a Lake struck me as a bit more jarring than edge-of-your-seat, ohmigawd what is happening!? This is probably because Malerman is a little too friendly with the parentheses in this book.

A House on the Bottom of a Lake is a great one-time read. It’s enjoyable and it has its moments, and the bond shared between Amelia and James feels realistic. It’s definitely something I’d recommend to a Malerman fan, though it isn’t worthy of a pedestal of its own.
  
Insurgent
Insurgent
Veronica Roth | 2013 | Children, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.3 (59 Ratings)
Book Rating
Original Review posted on <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-insurgent-by-veronica-roth.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>.

     YAYYYYY. Le Book Club decided to go straight to Insurgent after reading Divergent. Of course, I probably would've read it right before the book came out so I wouldn't be all "anticipation is killing me!!!" But a bookworm never runs out of books to read, so I'll just sit back, chillax and wait. And wait. And wait. Until the 3rd and final book finally comes out at last so I can beg my mom to go to the bookstore JUST so I can buy it. (I can always wait for the library though.) I mean, come on. Drastic cliff-hanger there. It's agonizing. Too agonizing.

     There are lots of shocking secrets here too. For one thing, WHY, CALEB, WHY?!?!?! I'm not even gonna say what he did for those who haven't read it. I just thought I was walking on my bedroom ceiling for a few minutes there when I read it. Of course... I wasn't. Or I would see clothes littering the ceiling and whatever's on the floor (not necessarily clothes). Oh, and Peter. Wow. Just wow. -_- But hey, without that, who knows what would've happened? But I am glad to say there are some peeps that are well, good riddance to them.

     I didn't get what the title really meant at first. It didn't even make sense, in my opinion. Until later. Until it was explained (kinda). But oy, what a way to end. Totally unexpected. As much as I'm a bit exhausted with Dystopian Fiction (believe me, there are probably a lot that are lurking on my Kindle App and I have no clue about. Or do I?), I'll say Insurgent was a delightful read. On the overall end, I kinda liked Divergent more. By no means of bashing whatsoever, it was more... unique from The Hunger Games (I guess that applies to all first books in a series), in the means of corrupted government.

     But what can I say? Perks to Veronica Roth for creating a unique world with it's own unique parts. :3

     And now, I have to wait. And wait. And wait. For a few months. Or is it? *checks date on Goodreads* Oh facepalm. More than a few months. Oh wait, it comes out 10 days after I'm 16! Hey, when's the choosing ceremony for us? :p
  
GL
Girl Last Seen
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
I really thought I had written a review for this one during winter break, but since it has been sitting on my Kindle App shelf since I read it and there are no signs of its existence on the blog, Goodreads, or Netgalley…. I mean, that says something, right?
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I remember almost nothing from the book (this is the saddest thing ever, because I’m still in that stupid thing called reviewing slump and all I want to do is write creative posts consisting of GIFs) aside from two girls, Kadence and Lauren, who make videos and got famous on YouTube for it. One of them can’t really speak, so she primarily focuses on writing music while the other does the singing. Kadence ends up missing and no one actually knows where she’s at, if she’s even alive, etc.

(I hope my notes are somewhat helpful…)

<i>Girl Last Seen</i>, despite the fact the story is primarily focused on the characters trying to find Kadence, isn’t just about looking for a YouTube sensation. Kadence I couldn’t care less about (I know that sounds really insensitive) - she’s a spoiled brat who likes to get what she wants and doesn’t let anything stop her, but she also likes to use people like little puppets on a string.

I cared far more about the other characters: Lauren, Mason, Jude, and how they all related to each other or to Kadence. Their relationships with each other and Kadence were complex, and I really liked how they all connected. <i>Girl Last Seen</i> feels much more along the lines of relationships and finding oneself without constantly looking towards someone else as support than a mystery (though that is certainly a bonus).

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/girl-last-seen-by-heather-anastasiu/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
Wolf Reborn (The Westervelt Wolves #3)
Wolf Reborn (The Westervelt Wolves #3)
Rebecca Royce | 2021 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
107 of 250
Kindle
Wolf Reborn ( Westervelt Wolves book 3)
By Rebecca Royce

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

A lone wolf is a dangerous creature, until he meets his mate. Then he'll become lethal to protect her. Faith Shatner never asked to be a wolf shifter but one strange encounter with the Westervelt Wolves and she suddenly has a past she knows nothing about and a future wrought with danger. No one is more disappointed than she to discover that the island does not hold a mate for her, that is until she collides with Theo Kane, the missing prince of the Westervelt Wolves who has chosen isolation to save his pack from what he believes are his insane tendencies. Theo couldn't imagine anything worse than the near death experience that left him scarred and forever changed. That is until he thinks of the same things happening to Faith. Now he will have no choice but to face what he has avoided for over a year if he doesn't want the past to repeat itself, this time taking Faith along for the ride. Together they will battle demons, invisible wolves, and worst of all his father to find their eternal love. But if the price is eternity, are they willing to risk it all? PLUS a special bonus of Wolf's Valentine - a Westervelt Holiday Short Story Jana thought she was through with Westervelt. Fleeing for her life thirty years ago, she's hidden as a human ever since. But a strangely worded Valentine delivered to her desk at work has given her pause. Malcolm never expected to find his mate working for a crooked company he was sent to investigate in New York City. But there she is. Now, on Valentine's Day, the two will battle their attraction for each other while taking down a conglomerate built for the sole purpose of destroying the Westervelt Wolves. Will love win the day?


Another enjoyable book in this series and from Rebecca Royce. Not sure how I feel about the invisible wolves yet but I’m hoping for some explanation in the next books as it’s called Wolfs Magic. Nice car hoo up with gang again and seeing more mated wolves. The boys still have some major daddy issues to work through!
  
Firefly: Big Damn Hero (Firefly #1)
Firefly: Big Damn Hero (Firefly #1)
Nancy Holder | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
WOW! No, really, <b>WOW!</b> That was gorram incredible!

It's been ages since I read any fan fiction, as so much of it, at the end of the day, was just glorified 'Shipping. It's been almost two months since I have picked up anything (comic or prose) to read, as my wife and I have been through a hellish two months (started with the MS diagnosis, and ended with our 14 year old Mini Schnauzer having to be put to sleep). Long story short, not a whole hell of lot of reading going on my life, as I have been walking around in a fog, caring not one whit about much of anything, including eating or reading.

FIREFLY: BIG DAMN HERO came out on my Kindle November 20th, the day before my 50th birthday (without Lily, our 14 y.o. Mini, no longer with us, it was more like an UnBirthday, as I really felt it was no longer worth celebrating). I read the first two Chapters, or rather, I <i>tried</i>, but they seemed as though I had not when I returned to the book last week.

No matter, for it appeared not to affect my overall satisfaction that the FIREFLY prose novels were off to a very good start indeed! And I was able to focus my attention enough to finish the book in such a quick time!

From beginning to end, we are a presented with a tale of the SERENITY and her crew early in the first Season. Everyone is true to form, from Mal to Wash and Zoë to Simon and River, etc. No one ever seemed out-of-character.

At a base level, this was a Mal-centric story. We gain some backstory into his past, on Shadow, just prior to the War. We are also given an inside track to his inner thoughts, allowing us to gain an even deeper understanding of his character, beyond what we learned in the short-lived TV series and subsequent movie SERENITY.

DOCTOR WHO is a hot mess right now, something I am unable to get behind (after being a fan for almost 48 years). Too many changes, good and bad. Fortunately, though, FIREFLY remains the same, untouched, let to continue as the way it was intended, and I am totally fine with that!

If you love FIREFLY as much as I do, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up!
  
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.

In this one Morgan has just buried his older brother, Jake, who was part of an MC. He was the only family that Morgan had left in the world and now so he focuses on his ballet with the help of his best friend, Nikki. Only Morgan arrives home to someone in his apartment and he struggles against the man. It turns out the man, Zeke, is from Jake's MC and is there to protect him from a rival biker club after Jake died with a female from the other MC. Zeke is drawn to Morgan and vice versa so it's not long before sparks are flying, though Zeke is adamant he's straight.

This definitely felt like a gay-for-you story. Zeke wasn't attracted to any other guys really, though in the end he settled on himself being bisexual. He's the strong silent type and completely opposite to ballerino - Italian for male ballerina - Morgan. They do have an intense attraction for each other and it takes a while for anything to happen but once it does, it quickly turns into more than physical attraction. Opposites attract and all that.

I'm intrigued by some of the other MC members like Blaze and what's going to happen between Dante and Swish.

Speaking of the MC, we didn't really see much of that side of the story. Most of the time Zeke was working on cars in the garage or the guys were settling down to meals together. We know the MC run a business out back that films their own pornography but that's about it. And we had that short bit at the start involving the Hedonist's rivals wanting to hurt Morgan in retaliation for the death of one of theirs but that was it.

That end bit with Morgan's stalker was a bit strange, if you ask me. I wasn't expecting it to take that turn or be that person and it threw me a little but it all worked out in the end due to Morgan's quick thinking

As mentioned above I do think I'll look up this series in the future to see what happens with Dante and Swish and Blaze with his questions on gay sex etc.
  
Hands Down
Hands Down
Mariana Zapata | 2020 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Borrowed this from the Kindle Unlimited Library.

This starts with Bianca at work and taking a call from her cousin who asks her to go and get NFO star and his best friend Zac, since they haven't been able to get hold of him to tell him that his Paw-Paw has been admitted to hospital. It's been about ten years since Bianca last saw Zac, her teenage crush, and is reluctant to see him again but because she loves her cousin like a brother, she agrees to go see Zac and let him know what's happened. Before she realises it, Zac is a major part of her life again and the friendship they used to have has come back into full force. Only those pesky feelings she used to have for him haven't completely disappeared.

Mariana Zapata is the Queen of slow burn romances. You only ever see the woman's POV in her books and have to read the body language of the males to figure out what they're thinking and I think she is brilliant at it. Zac's facial expressions in this gave a lot away about how he was feeling but it still took somewhere around the 90% mark for the words to be spoken - the "I love you"s.

Her books are always long - I've pointed out several times I'm not the biggest fan of long books - but most of the time you don't even realise it because you're so engrossed in the story. The same could be said of this one although I did find Bianca a bit annoying at times with her persistent belief that Zac was only hanging around because he felt guilty for losing touch with her when he made sure she was there for everything and always wanted to hang out with her. I did feel like giving her a slap every now and then because it was pretty obvious he cared about you, you donut!

I also love how she writes the characters from her previous books into her latest. We see several of them in this one including characters from From Lukov with Love and The Wall of Winnipeg and Me and even DeMaio House gym plays a vital part in this book.

P.S. I can't help feeling like we've met Enzo somewhere before...?