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The Sacred and Profane Love Machine
Iris Murdoch and Elaine Feinstein
Book
Montague Small, an obsessive writer of detective thrillers, mourns his lately dead wife, who may or...

Lindsay (1760 KP) rated The Giving Tree in Books
Jun 17, 2021
The Giving Tree is a lovely book; I love the hand drawing of the images in this book. The author does a beautiful job with that. Here is a classic book to have. It teaches about loving and giving love. It also shows what happens to a tree as well.
The book is more in the form of a poem. That is sweet. It is about a boy, and the tree is giving them and loving the boy. It goes through some emotions and shows you how the tree and the boy's wants and needs are different. But will the tree have what the boy needs to make him happy?
The hand drawings are different but lovely. I have not found a book that can beat or compare to it yet. The story is loving. The Giving Tree is great to have on any bookshelf. This book is for all ages, not just children. Though I think if you read this book, you may find what makes a tree so crucial in life and what could and has happened to them down to the stump of a tree.
Parents will love reading this book to their children; there is a meaning behind the story or the poem. I think this is a poem. The tree is giving and giving. Will the tree get love in return, or will the boy take advantage of the tree-giving nature and not return that love.
The book is more in the form of a poem. That is sweet. It is about a boy, and the tree is giving them and loving the boy. It goes through some emotions and shows you how the tree and the boy's wants and needs are different. But will the tree have what the boy needs to make him happy?
The hand drawings are different but lovely. I have not found a book that can beat or compare to it yet. The story is loving. The Giving Tree is great to have on any bookshelf. This book is for all ages, not just children. Though I think if you read this book, you may find what makes a tree so crucial in life and what could and has happened to them down to the stump of a tree.
Parents will love reading this book to their children; there is a meaning behind the story or the poem. I think this is a poem. The tree is giving and giving. Will the tree get love in return, or will the boy take advantage of the tree-giving nature and not return that love.

Rachel (48 KP) rated The Venetian: This Haunted World: Book 1 in Books
May 27, 2017
A Slow Burn
actually purchased this book by mistake, it's cover is similar to another novel, but I'm glad that I did!
This novel is certainly a slow burn, for the first 20% of it I was highly unimpressed. It felt flimsy and rushed, making it hard to sympathise with the main characters struggles. To be frank - I almost gave up on it. Suddenly, though, the story really kicks in and I read the remainder in one go.
This story is about anger,madness, betrayal and disappointment. It is also about survival, determination and love.
The main stage for the story is an island that is painted so vividly I can almost believe I have been there! The growing suspense and fear is skillfully built to a crescendo, the story woven between different times in just the right way. The ending is very satisfying - not a fairy tale where suddenly everything is perfect but instead a believable end note.
The medical practices described are even more distasteful and repugnant because they actually occurred. In fact a lot were very common sadly.
This would have been a 10/10 review had it not taken so long for the real, meaty story to start. Hopefully others who have purchased this book also continued with it and discovered this gem of a story.
This novel is certainly a slow burn, for the first 20% of it I was highly unimpressed. It felt flimsy and rushed, making it hard to sympathise with the main characters struggles. To be frank - I almost gave up on it. Suddenly, though, the story really kicks in and I read the remainder in one go.
This story is about anger,madness, betrayal and disappointment. It is also about survival, determination and love.
The main stage for the story is an island that is painted so vividly I can almost believe I have been there! The growing suspense and fear is skillfully built to a crescendo, the story woven between different times in just the right way. The ending is very satisfying - not a fairy tale where suddenly everything is perfect but instead a believable end note.
The medical practices described are even more distasteful and repugnant because they actually occurred. In fact a lot were very common sadly.
This would have been a 10/10 review had it not taken so long for the real, meaty story to start. Hopefully others who have purchased this book also continued with it and discovered this gem of a story.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Nogged Off in Books
Nov 3, 2019
Julia’s First Eventful Christmas Back Home
This story finds Julia Snowden taking a quick day trip to New York City to pack up the rest of her belongings so she can permanently move to Maine. When she arrives, she finds her sub-tenant to be upset about some setbacks in her personal life, and Julia winds up inviting Imogen home for Christmas. However, Julia’s Christmas gets more complicated when her moving truck is stolen after they arrive in Busman’s Harbor. What is going on?
I love this series, and I enjoyed getting to visit Julia at Christmas. I was able to get fully lost in this story right away since I already know the series characters and the setting. The plot was fun with some good twists before we reached the end. Barbara Ross includes some fun Christmas traditions that are unique to Maine without slowing down the story, and they give us that all important Christmas feeling. There are a couple of recipes at the end of the story, as always, to enjoy during the holiday season.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Eggnog Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas trip to Maine.
I love this series, and I enjoyed getting to visit Julia at Christmas. I was able to get fully lost in this story right away since I already know the series characters and the setting. The plot was fun with some good twists before we reached the end. Barbara Ross includes some fun Christmas traditions that are unique to Maine without slowing down the story, and they give us that all important Christmas feeling. There are a couple of recipes at the end of the story, as always, to enjoy during the holiday season.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Eggnog Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas trip to Maine.

Maris (8 KP) rated The Sun is Also a Star in Books
Jun 10, 2019
SPOILER FREE!
Young love...Who would have thought that I would actually fall in love with this story? I'm not really into romance stories it would have to really get me and I thought this story was pretty cute from the beginning to the very end.
This book has been in my TBR jar and I selected the title surprised to find out that the movie comes out next month so It was meant to be. I knew it was going to be a romance story and I had my fingers crossed it was going to be worth the read and sure enough it was. It's different, unique, and beautiful...a love story I have not read before so it has originality for me to keep reading.
Our story starts out in New York City. We get to meet Natasha, a young girl who is originally born in Jamaica along with her younger brother and parents. Natasha and her family are being deported back to Jamaica, Natasha is doing everything she can for her and her family to be able to stay in America. Natasha is all about facts and what's in front of her type of person.
We also get to meet Daniel, who is a Korean - American whose family is from South Korea. Daniels family have high expectations for him to be a doctor and has a very important interview to get into Yale. Daniel is all about fate and destiny and true love.
I definitely feel like the love tension between the two went really fast but in a really good way. We have two completely different people and one who truly believes in fate and tries to show the other to follow your heart and what it says.
You know its a good book when you really can't put the book down and you want to know what's going to happen and I mean I had to know what the fate was between these two young couples and where they were going to end up. So many questions running thru my head... Are they going to end up being together? Are they getting married on the same day they meet? Do Natasha and her family have to go back to Jamaica? The ending gave me goosebumps! I love endings of stories, it's everything for me and it ended perfectly for me.
Get your popcorn and candies! The movie comes out next month and I'm very stoked to have a "Me-Time" to watch this!
Young love...Who would have thought that I would actually fall in love with this story? I'm not really into romance stories it would have to really get me and I thought this story was pretty cute from the beginning to the very end.
This book has been in my TBR jar and I selected the title surprised to find out that the movie comes out next month so It was meant to be. I knew it was going to be a romance story and I had my fingers crossed it was going to be worth the read and sure enough it was. It's different, unique, and beautiful...a love story I have not read before so it has originality for me to keep reading.
Our story starts out in New York City. We get to meet Natasha, a young girl who is originally born in Jamaica along with her younger brother and parents. Natasha and her family are being deported back to Jamaica, Natasha is doing everything she can for her and her family to be able to stay in America. Natasha is all about facts and what's in front of her type of person.
We also get to meet Daniel, who is a Korean - American whose family is from South Korea. Daniels family have high expectations for him to be a doctor and has a very important interview to get into Yale. Daniel is all about fate and destiny and true love.
I definitely feel like the love tension between the two went really fast but in a really good way. We have two completely different people and one who truly believes in fate and tries to show the other to follow your heart and what it says.
You know its a good book when you really can't put the book down and you want to know what's going to happen and I mean I had to know what the fate was between these two young couples and where they were going to end up. So many questions running thru my head... Are they going to end up being together? Are they getting married on the same day they meet? Do Natasha and her family have to go back to Jamaica? The ending gave me goosebumps! I love endings of stories, it's everything for me and it ended perfectly for me.
Get your popcorn and candies! The movie comes out next month and I'm very stoked to have a "Me-Time" to watch this!

MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Trial by Patience (The Trials #3) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
Danny Solomon operates Break Away Acres, an equine therapy center for abused kids and teens. As a former abuse victim, Danny knows how important it is to let these kids know that someone still cares. God has blessed Danny with a gift: the ability to see the past of anyone who meets his eye. The information he is given through this gift allows him to know how he might best help those around him. Phoenix Nichols is Dannys new trail guide. Her job is to help with the horses and keep an eye on the kids. With a past more painful than anything Danny has ever encountered, he finds himself unable to resist trying to help. When her past becomes her present, her trust in Danny is the only link she has to finding God
and peace.
My Thoughts: This is a wonderful story about healing. It teaches us not to judge people, not knowing what their life events have been or where it's taken them. This story introduces the readers to equine therapy which allows the abused learn to trust and love again.
The characters in the story were very believable and the reader feels empathy for them. The writer engages the reader and keeps the storyline moving. It was a joy to read. It is also a story about turning to God and trusting Him in everything.
This is a great story for those who love horses and cowboys. It may even lead to an interest in equine therapy.
My Thoughts: This is a wonderful story about healing. It teaches us not to judge people, not knowing what their life events have been or where it's taken them. This story introduces the readers to equine therapy which allows the abused learn to trust and love again.
The characters in the story were very believable and the reader feels empathy for them. The writer engages the reader and keeps the storyline moving. It was a joy to read. It is also a story about turning to God and trusting Him in everything.
This is a great story for those who love horses and cowboys. It may even lead to an interest in equine therapy.

Merissa (12934 KP) rated Headshot (Model Love) in Books
Oct 17, 2022
A feel-good, funny, steamy story!
HEADSHOT is a standalone story in the multi-author series, Model Love. I was happily reunited with some of the fellows from J.P. Sayle's Billionaire’s Playground series. In this story, Kit and Garfield House are under threat from the new owner, who wants to sell it against his deceased uncle's wishes. Jack has bided his time, not wanting to act upon his feelings for Kit until he knows they are returned. But when Garfield is threatened, he will stop at nothing to save it, and show Kit exactly how he feels at the same time.
These two! There is a slight age gap here, but nothing too bad, 'grandpa'! LOL! What you have is a beautiful story about two men who fight to save what is important to them and so many others AND what they might have together too. It was gorgeous!!!
Nanna was here, causing trouble as always, plus ham candles. Nope, I won't explain, you really have to read it! This was so light-hearted in places and yet the sense of what would be lost if Garfield closed was never downplayed.
This was a feel-good, funny, steamy story that I loved from beginning to end. A brilliant addition both to Model Love and also Billionaire's Playground. Highly recommended by me.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
These two! There is a slight age gap here, but nothing too bad, 'grandpa'! LOL! What you have is a beautiful story about two men who fight to save what is important to them and so many others AND what they might have together too. It was gorgeous!!!
Nanna was here, causing trouble as always, plus ham candles. Nope, I won't explain, you really have to read it! This was so light-hearted in places and yet the sense of what would be lost if Garfield closed was never downplayed.
This was a feel-good, funny, steamy story that I loved from beginning to end. A brilliant addition both to Model Love and also Billionaire's Playground. Highly recommended by me.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

Merissa (12934 KP) rated A Wolf's Love: A Paranormal Romance Short Read (Flame #5.1) in Books
Nov 20, 2017
A Wolf's Love: A Paranormal Romance Short Read (Flame #5.5) by Caris Roane
A Wolf's Love is a short story addition to the Flame series. Cole and Lauren were together, until Lauren did something that Cole couldn't accept, and he called it off. However, when a teenager is kidnapped, Cole is the one that Lauren turns to, even though he refuses to help (at first). What follows is the two of them putting another's needs before their own, and working together to save her.
As with all Caris Roane's books, this is very well-written. It may only be a short story, but a full story is here. Nothing has been skimped on, instead you can settle in for a very good read. Personally, I would recommend that you start at book one, just to get the full enjoyment of the world of the Flame, but it isn't fully necessary. You 'could' read them in any order and as a standalone, but I do feel that you would miss something out of this well-developed world. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, I can highly recommend this short story.
* 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!
As with all Caris Roane's books, this is very well-written. It may only be a short story, but a full story is here. Nothing has been skimped on, instead you can settle in for a very good read. Personally, I would recommend that you start at book one, just to get the full enjoyment of the world of the Flame, but it isn't fully necessary. You 'could' read them in any order and as a standalone, but I do feel that you would miss something out of this well-developed world. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, I can highly recommend this short story.
* 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!
I love Christmas, and I love a good cozy mystery and this book has both! Ms. Griep has talented hands and created a story that not only captured me instantly, but kept me hooked on this book the entire time. Her twists and turns, her characters, her messages woven through out the book, truly made for a wonderful, one sitting read!
Clara and Ben are chiseled wonderfully for their roles. Clara, stood up at the altar, and Ben, the one who caused the pain. I wanted to throttle Ben a time or two but if he wasn't the way he was, I wouldn't have loved the story half as much! These two come to life among the walls of Bleakly Manor and the story unfolds in a most fascinating way!
I definitely recommend this book to all who want a wonderful, clean romantic story, that is pieced together among a Christmas mystery. It's 4 star worthy and one of my favorite Christmas stories of 2017! I am looking forward to adding the print version to my keeper shelf and to reading more amazing books like this in the future from the talented Michelle Griep! Bravo!
*Cafinated Reads received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit Blog Tours and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Clara and Ben are chiseled wonderfully for their roles. Clara, stood up at the altar, and Ben, the one who caused the pain. I wanted to throttle Ben a time or two but if he wasn't the way he was, I wouldn't have loved the story half as much! These two come to life among the walls of Bleakly Manor and the story unfolds in a most fascinating way!
I definitely recommend this book to all who want a wonderful, clean romantic story, that is pieced together among a Christmas mystery. It's 4 star worthy and one of my favorite Christmas stories of 2017! I am looking forward to adding the print version to my keeper shelf and to reading more amazing books like this in the future from the talented Michelle Griep! Bravo!
*Cafinated Reads received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit Blog Tours and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Child Who Lived in Books
Aug 13, 2023
Although a work of fiction, The Child Who Lived is based on true events and tells a little told story of female prisoners within Mauthausen.
The book starts in the divorce courts in 1946 where Lore's husband is filing for divorce due to her 'unacceptable behaviour'. There, she tells the story of her remarkable life before and during the war.
Lore was a political prisoner initially interred in Ravensbrück but sent to Mauthausen with another group of women there to service the needs of the men. Lore and the other women soon become like family; looking out for and supporting each other whilst trying to survive the brutal regime inflicted by the SS. Against all the odds and rules, Lore finds love and unexpectedly becomes pregnant ... a death sentence for both mother and baby. How is she going to survive and save the life of her unborn child?
This is a story of bravery, strength, love and survival and although a work of fiction and therefore there is some 'artistic licence' and a suspension of reality at times, it is a story that hits all the emotions and the characters stay with you long after you finish.
Recommended to those who enjoy reading historical fiction from this era and thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Child Who Lived.
The book starts in the divorce courts in 1946 where Lore's husband is filing for divorce due to her 'unacceptable behaviour'. There, she tells the story of her remarkable life before and during the war.
Lore was a political prisoner initially interred in Ravensbrück but sent to Mauthausen with another group of women there to service the needs of the men. Lore and the other women soon become like family; looking out for and supporting each other whilst trying to survive the brutal regime inflicted by the SS. Against all the odds and rules, Lore finds love and unexpectedly becomes pregnant ... a death sentence for both mother and baby. How is she going to survive and save the life of her unborn child?
This is a story of bravery, strength, love and survival and although a work of fiction and therefore there is some 'artistic licence' and a suspension of reality at times, it is a story that hits all the emotions and the characters stay with you long after you finish.
Recommended to those who enjoy reading historical fiction from this era and thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Child Who Lived.