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Merissa (13489 KP) rated The Blue Veil (Seven Deadly Veils #1.5) in Books
Feb 26, 2024
THE BLUE VEIL is a novella that sits between the first and second books in the Seven Deadly Veils series and we meet up with Miranda and Remare once again. One of Valadon's paintings has gone missing and Remare wants to find it before Valadon returns home.
This was a brilliant novella, with everything you could wish for... there are attacks by Rogues, steam enough to fill a sauna, and delving into the underworld of illegal auctions. It was also full of emotion and I devoured every word.
I am looking forward to reading the next book and hope for a HEA for Miranda and Remare! I also want one for Valadon, as he's not a bad guy, just infatuated with Miranda when it's clear he's not the one for her. Definitely recommended but I would suggest you start with Book One first, as it details instances that you will need to know about.
** 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!
Feb 13, 2024
This was a brilliant novella, with everything you could wish for... there are attacks by Rogues, steam enough to fill a sauna, and delving into the underworld of illegal auctions. It was also full of emotion and I devoured every word.
I am looking forward to reading the next book and hope for a HEA for Miranda and Remare! I also want one for Valadon, as he's not a bad guy, just infatuated with Miranda when it's clear he's not the one for her. Definitely recommended but I would suggest you start with Book One first, as it details instances that you will need to know about.
** 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!
Feb 13, 2024
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2450 KP) rated Puzzle Me a Murder in Books
Aug 2, 2024
Missing Pieces
Alice Pepper enjoys having her friends over to work on puzzles most nights. Among the group is her childhood best friend Ruby Milliner. When Ruby arrives home from a business trip early, she catches her husband with his mistress. The next morning, Ruby’s husband is dead, and the police are looking at Ruby as their prime suspect. Alice jumps in to find the killer. But does she have all the pieces to solve this puzzle?
Despite the fact that I’m not much of a jigsaw puzzle guy, I thought this sounded like a fun premise for a series. Sadly, I was wrong. I didn’t feel like the characters ever went beyond being types, and it felt like they had too many interests or skills in their background. It felt like the author was checking boxes instead of making well rounded characters. There wasn’t attention to detail, so these things bumped me out of the book. The novel could have lost 60 pages without losing anything, the pacing was that off. And the climax, while logical, seemed abrupt to me. I really did want to like it more, but I won’t give this series another chance.
Despite the fact that I’m not much of a jigsaw puzzle guy, I thought this sounded like a fun premise for a series. Sadly, I was wrong. I didn’t feel like the characters ever went beyond being types, and it felt like they had too many interests or skills in their background. It felt like the author was checking boxes instead of making well rounded characters. There wasn’t attention to detail, so these things bumped me out of the book. The novel could have lost 60 pages without losing anything, the pacing was that off. And the climax, while logical, seemed abrupt to me. I really did want to like it more, but I won’t give this series another chance.
Merissa (13489 KP) rated You Otter Know (Part of: Double-Booked for the Holidays) in Books
Nov 24, 2025 - 4:09 PM
YOU OTTER KNOW is part of the Double-Booked for the Holidays series, and it is a cabin by a river that is double-booked in this story. Both Bodhi and River were looking forward to a quiet Christmas, away from well-meaning but repetitive mothers and loud family time. Instead, they have a Christmas that is both sweet and steamy, with a missing desk clerk and surprise gift baskets left on the porch.
You may want to hold onto your hat for this one, as the pacing is FAST. In twelve or thirteen chapters, you get an entire year, a pregnancy, and a relationship from meeting to marriage; all at breakneck speed.
I would have preferred a little more show and less tell, but it's a cute, easy read that begins and ends at Christmas. If you're not looking for anything more than that, then this is the one for you.
** 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!
Nov 24, 2025
You may want to hold onto your hat for this one, as the pacing is FAST. In twelve or thirteen chapters, you get an entire year, a pregnancy, and a relationship from meeting to marriage; all at breakneck speed.
I would have preferred a little more show and less tell, but it's a cute, easy read that begins and ends at Christmas. If you're not looking for anything more than that, then this is the one for you.
** 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!
Nov 24, 2025
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2450 KP) rated Framed for Murder in Books
Feb 5, 2025
Can Mel Clear a Frenemy?
Former police officer Mel O’Rourke is trying to settle into her new life running a B & B in the mountain town of Pine Cove. But then her past walks in. Poppy Phillips is a thief that Mel spent time trying to arrest when she was an officer. Poppy is looking for help since she stumbled over a body, and she is afraid the police will think she did it. The fact that Poppy was there committing a burglary does complicate things. Can Mel clear her? Does she want to?
I picked up this book thinking it was the first in a series. There is a novella that introduces some of the characters, and this book has major spoilers for that story. I also found the language in this book to be much worse than I wanted to read. The mystery was good, although I found some things bumped me, like police jurisdiction. It just didn’t seem logical, although maybe there is something I was missing. On the other hand, I really did like the characters and the relationships they were forming. Overall, this was a mixed bag for me.
I picked up this book thinking it was the first in a series. There is a novella that introduces some of the characters, and this book has major spoilers for that story. I also found the language in this book to be much worse than I wanted to read. The mystery was good, although I found some things bumped me, like police jurisdiction. It just didn’t seem logical, although maybe there is something I was missing. On the other hand, I really did like the characters and the relationships they were forming. Overall, this was a mixed bag for me.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2450 KP) rated The Tell-Tale Homicide in Books
Sep 10, 2025
The Tale of the Poor Sequel
Juniper Blume has moved to Rose Mallow to work from the Calverton Family and their personal library. However, on her second day, she finds a dead man inside clutching a rare early edition of Edgar Allan Poe – one that was missing from the library. Can Juniper figure out what is going on?
I enjoyed the first, but this one was a real let down. The book needed a serious edit. Most obnoxious to me with the multiple blatant timeline issues. They, along with some other things, left me wondering if the suspicious behavior I was observing was poor editing or something I was supposed to pick up on. The pacing was uneven, and a storyline involving the future of the town was wrapped up too easily. There was an element of the climax that was never explained. And some politics of the day pop up, making me roll my eyes. I did still enjoy my time with the returning characters. Well, most of them. (And don’t get me started on how that character behaved.) I see others have really enjoyed this book, so maybe it’s me, but I can’t recommend it.
I enjoyed the first, but this one was a real let down. The book needed a serious edit. Most obnoxious to me with the multiple blatant timeline issues. They, along with some other things, left me wondering if the suspicious behavior I was observing was poor editing or something I was supposed to pick up on. The pacing was uneven, and a storyline involving the future of the town was wrapped up too easily. There was an element of the climax that was never explained. And some politics of the day pop up, making me roll my eyes. I did still enjoy my time with the returning characters. Well, most of them. (And don’t get me started on how that character behaved.) I see others have really enjoyed this book, so maybe it’s me, but I can’t recommend it.
Debbiereadsbook (1579 KP) rated Heard (Breaking Free #3) in Books
Mar 14, 2019
**verified purchase Dec 2018**
This is book three in the Breaking Free series. While it stands more alone from books one, Saved and two, Seen, I would STRONGLY recommend you read those first. Not least because there is an on-going story arc, but because you need to know how Karter came to this point: you need to know just how much he has changed over the course of the last few months, dealing with everything about the missing and abducted omegas. Also, I mean, I said so, right?? Both are 5 star reads from me too.
As is this one!
Karter responds to a break in, and chases down a scent that tickles his nose. Finding Jax, and his 6 week old son, is the source of that scent, and just what that scent means is a shock and surprise to both Karter and Jax. When Karter gets Jax' full story, the Alpha in him rears up and goes all out protect his mate, he has a good old proper MINE moment! But Jax is wary, not of Karter himself, but of Karter the ALPHA. He has been treated badly, abused by alphas in the past and he won't let it happen anymore. Can they make it work?
These books are quite difficult to read, not the writing, because that is brilliant, but the subject matter. Jax was abducted out of the home that Braun (Saved) managed to escape from, and when we find out what has been happening to those omegas who are missing, it's shocking! I mean, what happened to Kell (Seen) was bad, but this?? Really really bad, and I have a feeling there is a lot more about the missing omegas that will be worse, far, far worse.
Karter was brought up in a very strict household, his father was in control and everyone toed the line. His Omegin is a much softer person, who tries to keep everyone happy. Karter doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps and works hard to control his Alpha tendencies. But he never realised how powerful the mating bond is, even before he and Jax fully mate, and he messes up along the way. Granted, he is incredibly sweet about it, and once he knows what he did to upset Jax or to anger Jax, he tries, you know, REALLY hard! And I loved him for it.
Jax is STRONG! He went into the home for alpha-less omegas when his previous alpha died. While Orris wasn't abusive, Jax knew Orris was in control and Jax swore to himself, that he would never be in that position again, especially after what happens when he is taken from the home. His reaction to Karter is something he wanted, but he knew that a new mating would muddy his scent and put his abusers off his trail. that he actually begins to FEEL for Karter, well, that wasn't expected and he begins to realise that things are beginning to change: the attitude towards omegas as people, not just baby making machines is changing, and maybe, just maybe, he and Karter and the baby can be really happy.
Loved that Braun, Tarek, Ronin, Kell, Serge and Dex all play a part here and we catch up with them and the exciting news they all have!
I have Serge and Dex' story to read next, followed by Liam's story, who was the omega that Braun saw being kidnapped from the home.
I am totally loving this series, and I WILL be reading them all!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book three in the Breaking Free series. While it stands more alone from books one, Saved and two, Seen, I would STRONGLY recommend you read those first. Not least because there is an on-going story arc, but because you need to know how Karter came to this point: you need to know just how much he has changed over the course of the last few months, dealing with everything about the missing and abducted omegas. Also, I mean, I said so, right?? Both are 5 star reads from me too.
As is this one!
Karter responds to a break in, and chases down a scent that tickles his nose. Finding Jax, and his 6 week old son, is the source of that scent, and just what that scent means is a shock and surprise to both Karter and Jax. When Karter gets Jax' full story, the Alpha in him rears up and goes all out protect his mate, he has a good old proper MINE moment! But Jax is wary, not of Karter himself, but of Karter the ALPHA. He has been treated badly, abused by alphas in the past and he won't let it happen anymore. Can they make it work?
These books are quite difficult to read, not the writing, because that is brilliant, but the subject matter. Jax was abducted out of the home that Braun (Saved) managed to escape from, and when we find out what has been happening to those omegas who are missing, it's shocking! I mean, what happened to Kell (Seen) was bad, but this?? Really really bad, and I have a feeling there is a lot more about the missing omegas that will be worse, far, far worse.
Karter was brought up in a very strict household, his father was in control and everyone toed the line. His Omegin is a much softer person, who tries to keep everyone happy. Karter doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps and works hard to control his Alpha tendencies. But he never realised how powerful the mating bond is, even before he and Jax fully mate, and he messes up along the way. Granted, he is incredibly sweet about it, and once he knows what he did to upset Jax or to anger Jax, he tries, you know, REALLY hard! And I loved him for it.
Jax is STRONG! He went into the home for alpha-less omegas when his previous alpha died. While Orris wasn't abusive, Jax knew Orris was in control and Jax swore to himself, that he would never be in that position again, especially after what happens when he is taken from the home. His reaction to Karter is something he wanted, but he knew that a new mating would muddy his scent and put his abusers off his trail. that he actually begins to FEEL for Karter, well, that wasn't expected and he begins to realise that things are beginning to change: the attitude towards omegas as people, not just baby making machines is changing, and maybe, just maybe, he and Karter and the baby can be really happy.
Loved that Braun, Tarek, Ronin, Kell, Serge and Dex all play a part here and we catch up with them and the exciting news they all have!
I have Serge and Dex' story to read next, followed by Liam's story, who was the omega that Braun saw being kidnapped from the home.
I am totally loving this series, and I WILL be reading them all!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Darren (1599 KP) rated Alaska (1996) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: Alaska starts as we meet the Barnes family, father Jake (Benedict) a small plane pilot and his kids Jessie (Birch) and Sean (Kartheiser), the family has started a new life in Alaska after their death of Jake’s wife and mother of Jessie and Sean. While Jessie has embraced this new life enjoying the beautiful sites, Sean is struggling with new life. We also get to meet to poachers Perry (Heston) and Koontz (Fraser) who have been hunting polar bears.
When their father goes missing, Jessie and Sean aim to go in search of him through the Alaskan wilderness discovering a captured baby polar bear cub that they release who joins them on their adventure, which only attracts the poachers attention as they find themselves chased through the wilderness by the poachers too in a race against time to find their father.
Thoughts on Alaska
Characters/Performance – Jessie is the sister of the siblings, she has embraced the change to Alaska learning to be part of the team with her father, while they both want to search for their father, she is the most prepared of the two. Sean hates his new life in Alaska and wants to move back to Chicago but you can clearly see he is grieving his mother with his behaviour, but with his father missing he will do everything he can to find him, learning to love the beautiful landscape they are part of now. Jake is the father of the family that has given up his 747-pilot job to start a new life in the small town in Alaska, he does spend most of the film trapped in his plane but his character gives Jessie and Sean the reason for going on their adventure. Perry and Koontz are two poachers hunting polar bears, they cross paths with the kids as they menacingly try to recapture the polar bear cub that they had released.
Performance wise, Thora Birch and Vincent Kartheiser are both great in the lead roles as the children in search of their father. Dirk doesn’t have much to do but does what he needs to well. Charlton Heston as the menacing poacher does seem to enjoy the role he plays in the movie.
Story – The story of two young teenagers going into the wilderness to find their missing father is a nice tried and tested formula, this style of film seemed to be the rave for family films around the time too, so to stand out you had to do something different. We get the moments of peril which are good and well-paced but we also get the moments of discovery which are just as important. Obviously, there are negatives here which include the idea the adults are clueless when searching for people in crashes and poachers being just evil people. I would also like to point out, that it is very unlikely a polar bear mother is just going to accept another cub, well that is what David Attenborough has taught me.
Adventure/Family – The adventure the kids get to go on is one I remember watching as a kid going, I wanna do that and I still would like to. The family side of this film is about the unity between a broken family doing everything to stay together and of course having a cute little polar bear helping them out.
Settings – Alaska as a setting, beautiful, stunning, peril filled and perfect for the story being told.
Effects – We only have a few effects in use here, most feels practical with the stunt work and working with a potential deadly animal in a polar bear.
Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the better kids work with animal films of the 90s, one that gives you hope in humanity and a wonderful setting.
Overall: Family night sorted.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/01/31/alaska-1996/
When their father goes missing, Jessie and Sean aim to go in search of him through the Alaskan wilderness discovering a captured baby polar bear cub that they release who joins them on their adventure, which only attracts the poachers attention as they find themselves chased through the wilderness by the poachers too in a race against time to find their father.
Thoughts on Alaska
Characters/Performance – Jessie is the sister of the siblings, she has embraced the change to Alaska learning to be part of the team with her father, while they both want to search for their father, she is the most prepared of the two. Sean hates his new life in Alaska and wants to move back to Chicago but you can clearly see he is grieving his mother with his behaviour, but with his father missing he will do everything he can to find him, learning to love the beautiful landscape they are part of now. Jake is the father of the family that has given up his 747-pilot job to start a new life in the small town in Alaska, he does spend most of the film trapped in his plane but his character gives Jessie and Sean the reason for going on their adventure. Perry and Koontz are two poachers hunting polar bears, they cross paths with the kids as they menacingly try to recapture the polar bear cub that they had released.
Performance wise, Thora Birch and Vincent Kartheiser are both great in the lead roles as the children in search of their father. Dirk doesn’t have much to do but does what he needs to well. Charlton Heston as the menacing poacher does seem to enjoy the role he plays in the movie.
Story – The story of two young teenagers going into the wilderness to find their missing father is a nice tried and tested formula, this style of film seemed to be the rave for family films around the time too, so to stand out you had to do something different. We get the moments of peril which are good and well-paced but we also get the moments of discovery which are just as important. Obviously, there are negatives here which include the idea the adults are clueless when searching for people in crashes and poachers being just evil people. I would also like to point out, that it is very unlikely a polar bear mother is just going to accept another cub, well that is what David Attenborough has taught me.
Adventure/Family – The adventure the kids get to go on is one I remember watching as a kid going, I wanna do that and I still would like to. The family side of this film is about the unity between a broken family doing everything to stay together and of course having a cute little polar bear helping them out.
Settings – Alaska as a setting, beautiful, stunning, peril filled and perfect for the story being told.
Effects – We only have a few effects in use here, most feels practical with the stunt work and working with a potential deadly animal in a polar bear.
Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the better kids work with animal films of the 90s, one that gives you hope in humanity and a wonderful setting.
Overall: Family night sorted.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/01/31/alaska-1996/
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Leaving Time: A Novel in Books
May 10, 2018
Jenna Metcalf is thirteen years old and more than anything, she wants to find her mother, Dr. Alice Metcalf. Alice is a doctor who studies the behavior of elephants, specifically, grief. She goes missing when Jenna is just three years old and there was a tragic accident at the Elephant Sanctuary where they lived and that her parents owned/worked. Jenna doesn't believe that her mother would have ever left her behind, so she enlists the help of Serenity Jones, a once famous psychic who helped to find missing people and Virgil Stanhope, a private detective, who was on the police force and was a part of the investigation of the accident at the Sanctuary. With their help, will Jenna be able to find her mother? And when she does, will she be disappointed by what she finds?
I have enjoyed reading Jodi Picoult novels for a long time. They always leave me with different kinds of emotions. Some happy, some sad, sometimes confused. [b:Leaving Time|18816603|Leaving Time|Jodi Picoult|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394487223s/18816603.jpg|26757264] was no exception. I felt a connection to each character. With Jenna, I felt sadness of the loss of her mother and her plight to find her. For Alice, a felt compassion for her work and the situation she was living in. For Serenity, I'm not quite sure my feelings about her, but she was a caring force in Jenna's life. For Virgil, it was pity, that he was unable to get his life together and accomplish his goals.
Listening to this book I was intrigued by the subject matter. Based on the idea that "an elephant never forgets" it was fascinating to learn about how elephants interact with humans and with each other, especially after they suffer a loss. A lot how we as humans grieve. This is another book that will make you think and keep you on your toes, covering subject matters of wildlife, mental illness and supernatural abilities. In the last 5% of the book there was a twist that I didn't see coming and it made me rethink everything I had just read/listened to. This is why Jodi Picoult is one of my favorites.
My favorite line from the book: "...there was a tear in the fabric I was made of and he was the only color thread that would match to stitch it back up."
See more of my reviews at http://whatchatreadin.blogspot.com
I have enjoyed reading Jodi Picoult novels for a long time. They always leave me with different kinds of emotions. Some happy, some sad, sometimes confused. [b:Leaving Time|18816603|Leaving Time|Jodi Picoult|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394487223s/18816603.jpg|26757264] was no exception. I felt a connection to each character. With Jenna, I felt sadness of the loss of her mother and her plight to find her. For Alice, a felt compassion for her work and the situation she was living in. For Serenity, I'm not quite sure my feelings about her, but she was a caring force in Jenna's life. For Virgil, it was pity, that he was unable to get his life together and accomplish his goals.
Listening to this book I was intrigued by the subject matter. Based on the idea that "an elephant never forgets" it was fascinating to learn about how elephants interact with humans and with each other, especially after they suffer a loss. A lot how we as humans grieve. This is another book that will make you think and keep you on your toes, covering subject matters of wildlife, mental illness and supernatural abilities. In the last 5% of the book there was a twist that I didn't see coming and it made me rethink everything I had just read/listened to. This is why Jodi Picoult is one of my favorites.
My favorite line from the book: "...there was a tear in the fabric I was made of and he was the only color thread that would match to stitch it back up."
See more of my reviews at http://whatchatreadin.blogspot.com
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Just Let Go (Harbor Pointe #2) in Books
Mar 5, 2019
For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe fulfills a childhood dream, but also gives her the chance to stick it to her mom, who owned the store before skipping town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also competing for a prestigious flower competition with her mother as the head judge, soon has Quinn in over her head. Not that she’d ever ask for help.
Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn’s father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community-service sentence seems like the quickest way out—and the best way to avoid more negative press.
Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she’s uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But when a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town—and Quinn’s life—possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.
My Thoughts: What do an Olympian skier, a flower shop and a small town have in common? a storyline for a wonderful novel "Just Let Go". When Olympian skier Grady Benson comes to town no one knows the trials he has been going through, but like most people, they assume he lives and acts a certain way. With the help of a judge, a teenage boy and Quin, all help him realze what he's been missing in life. Sometimes God does put people in our lives to either help us or four us to help them. This s a story about not judging a book by its cover. Learning to take time to get to know someone. We all have a life, a past; burdens we carry with us and sometimes we have to learn to let it all go and move on with the future. That is the theme of this novel. Well written, and hard to put down. The reader can easily identify with the characters. The characters in the novel all work well and interweave in the storyline that compliments the narrative.
I truly enjoyed this story and Courtney Walsh's writing.
Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn’s father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community-service sentence seems like the quickest way out—and the best way to avoid more negative press.
Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she’s uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But when a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town—and Quinn’s life—possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.
My Thoughts: What do an Olympian skier, a flower shop and a small town have in common? a storyline for a wonderful novel "Just Let Go". When Olympian skier Grady Benson comes to town no one knows the trials he has been going through, but like most people, they assume he lives and acts a certain way. With the help of a judge, a teenage boy and Quin, all help him realze what he's been missing in life. Sometimes God does put people in our lives to either help us or four us to help them. This s a story about not judging a book by its cover. Learning to take time to get to know someone. We all have a life, a past; burdens we carry with us and sometimes we have to learn to let it all go and move on with the future. That is the theme of this novel. Well written, and hard to put down. The reader can easily identify with the characters. The characters in the novel all work well and interweave in the storyline that compliments the narrative.
I truly enjoyed this story and Courtney Walsh's writing.