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Jinni's Wish (Kingdom, #4)
Marie Hall | 2012
7
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
193 of 250
Kindle
Jinni’s Wish ( Kingdome Chronicles book 4)
By Marie Hall

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

A long, long time ago there lived a man. A Jinni, who had one wish. To know love. But the woman he thought he knew betrayed him and the love he thought they shared. Tortured for his crimes, he was cast out of Kingdom, stripped of all his powers, left to langour in pain and solitude, until eventually he becomes nothing but a ghost...

Paz Lopez is an artist with a dream. To buy a ridiculously large penthouse in the swankiest section of Chicago. But there's just one hitch, she has no man to share her dream with. A fateful visit to a carnival and Madam Pandora's tent sends Paz on a mission to find the love of her life before it's too late.

But the Madam forgot to tell Paz one very important detail... to meet him, Paz will have to die first.


I enjoyed it. It was sweet little story could have been longer got a bit of a rushed feel from it that I didn’t from the first 3 books. Definitely a spin on these fairly tales and finding love!
  
TS
The Silent Unseen
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Title: The Silent Unseen: A Novel of World War Two
Author: Amanda McCrina
320 Pages
Published on April 5th 2022
Genre: Historical fiction

This book takes place in Poland in July of 1944 during World War Two. The main character Maria is on her way home after labor she was forced into in Nazi Germany only to find her parents deceased and village gone from the war. When her brother Tomek commander of the local Resistance unit disappears Maria is determined to find him.

This book had a slow start but I love Historical fiction especially World War Two novels so I decided to continue. I loved the plot of the story it's very interesting and felt so real. I love what you can learn from historical fiction novels too. It shows us how emotional and hard it was for the people living during this time. I will be honest that some parts were hard to follow listening to the audiobook though so if you plan to read this book I reccomend getting the physical copy. It didn't take away from the storyline though I still loved it. Finally, I would definitely reccomend reading this emotional book if you love Historical fiction and love novels about World War Two.
  
The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Horror
The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Horror
Joyce Carol Oates | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I will write a sentence or two about each story in the book but not too much as I don’t want to give anything away and spoil your enjoyment of the book.

The Doll – Master: Robbie’s cousin Amy passes away from Leukemia at a very early age. Stealing Amy’s doll is the start of his obsession and begins collecting more throughout his life. His collection includes china, wooden and even barbie dolls which he keeps in a deserted part of the house, however they are not just any old dolls.

I gave this story 3 stars, it was eerie and disturbing and more of a psychological read but for me this one just wasn’t the best. It seemd too predictable

Soldier: Brendan Schrank is up on trial for shooting a black teenager, his story is that it was self-defence. There are gangs that roam the streets and he has stolen his Uncle’s shotgun for security reasons. This story follows Brendan, the trial and his journey.

I also gave this story 3 stars – I liked this story, it was thought-provoking and I am so glad that gun’s are not really a thing in the UK. It also shows how people can become paranoid about going outside with teenagers and gangs. This story is controversial as it deals with racism.

Gun Accident: This is Hanna’s story told 26 years after the gun accident. Hanna was asked by her teacher to house and cat sit whilst she went to her husband’s bedside. The teacher lives in a well to-do part of town with a large house and pays Hanna generously for her troubles, however not everything goes to plan when she gets an unexpected visitor.

This was a 4 star read for me, I really enjoyed the writing and the story. I would class this more of a thriller than a horror story though. I also felt a connection with the character, who likes being home alone? Especially when it’s not your familiar surroundings and your sense are elevated, you hear every little thing and your imagination runs wild…. Just me? Ok then…moving on.

Equatorial:Audrey is currently on holiday with her husband in the Galapagos islands, the trip involves hiking which she is not so keen on but does it for love. Her husband is older but adventurous and likes to travel. Audrey feels like she is constantly letting her husband down as this isn’t really her thing. During the trip Audrey gets this niggling suspicion her husband doesn’t want her there and that there is a possibility there is another woman

This was a 4 stars for me, I really connected with Audrey – I felt sorry for her, clearly grief stricken that her husband no longer loves her and is having an affair. She was a very likeable character.

Big Momma: Violet is the new girl in town and is trying to make friends, This town has a bit of a reputation for animals and children going missing, however undeterred Violet befriends Rita Mae and starts going round her house for dinner. Violets mum is hardly at home, either working or out drinking so she spends a lot of time with the family. She feels like she fits in and would rather love with them but they are not what they are made up to be.

5 stars – best story in the book for me. It was very creepy, the father in this story made me cringe a lot. Violet just wanted to fit in, being overweight and the new girl in school she was happy to be excepted by Rita Mae’s family.

Mystery Inc: A young tradesman comes across an elegant bookshop with rare books and antiques, he falls in love with the shop and must find a way to be the next proprietor.

4 stars – who doesn’t like a story about books and bookstores? I know I do! It was slow-paced but interesting and gripping read.

These stories were truly gripping, I have never read anything from this author before and was not let down. These are not so much as horror but definitely eerie and individual. The pace of the stories are slow, so if you want something quick with lots of action these are not the stories for you. If you are looking for reads with endings that will shock you this is not the book for you! Oates writing is amazing, as the stories went on I became more accustomed to her style and ended up really enjoying myself. All the stories are open-ended, I am not usually a fan of these sort of stories, I like closure and knowing what’s what. But then I started to think about the story and the characters for myself and realised that I could end the story how I wanted to it to end.

I will definitely be reading some more of Oates works, if anyone has read any that they recommend please let me know as I would be really interested.

Overall I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.
  
When You Are Near
When You Are Near
Tracie Peterson | 2019 | Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (2 more)
Plot
Writing Style
Those that know me, know I love to read Historical novels, so it will come as no surprise at all that I love this novel. It’s my first Peterson novel in a long time, and I was excited to see what she had in store for her readers with this one. Let me tell, I was taken on a whirl wind ride with this one and I loved every minute of it! Those that know me, also know that I love to be around horses and ride them (though it’s been a while since I’ve ridden one!), so I definitely enjoyed this book for that aspect alone.

I adored Lizzy’s character. She’s beautifully chiseled and I loved that she was a trick rider in this story! I haven’t read a book like this one, about women trick rider’s, so it made Lizzy’s story that much more fun for me. I felt a connection with Lizzy, having lost my mother a few years back, and I dealt with my own pain and struggles much like Lizzy did. Watching her blossom from that pain and struggle, seeing her connection with her horse, seeing how she realized that love is what she truly needs to get through it all, was a fantastic experience!

If you love novels that are beautifully written, filled with rich Historical detail, and filled with characters that come to life, then you need not look any further than Peterson’s new novel. She has tremendous talent and fills her books with hope, understanding and love, along with some powerful messages for her readers. This book is fast paced, and before I knew it, it was over, so I’m highly anxious to get book 2 in this series, as I am not yet done with these trick riders and their stunning horses! Grab this 4 star novel now and see what I’m talking about! You won’t be sorry.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*