Peter O'Toole: Hellraiser, Sexual Outlaw, Irish Rebel
Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince
Book
Born to a vagabond bookie working the U.K's racetracks, Peter O'Toole became "the most notorious...
Siege Line
Book
Myke Cole continues to blow the military fantasy genre wide open with SIEGE LINE, an all-new epic...
Christmas at Woolworths
Book
1942. All across Britain, people's lives have been altered by the war, and for the girls of...
Inferno Squad (Star Wars Battlefront #2)
9.5
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The Rebellion may have heroes like Jyn Erso and Luke Skywalker. But the Empire has Inferno Squad. ...
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated A Star to Sail By in Books
Sep 9, 2023
Crispin wanted to be in the Navy, and now he finds himself on a pirate ship, helping them. But these pirates aren't like anything he heard about and Billy, especially, calls to him for reasons he can't figure out. Billy knows though, and it takes a storm to bring them finally to admit to each other what they could be.
What I especially liked about this, was being kept on my toes!
We are aware that something happened to Crispin to mean he is surviving on a merchant ship, and is no longer in the Royal Navy, but not WHY. We know Billy hates Naval officers, but not WHY. And we get the answers to both almost at the same time. Very different reasons, but equally devastating to them. I'm not going to go into it, for spoilers, but difficult reading, Billy's especially. Be mindful of the trigger warnings on this book.
It's not especially explicit, but I didn't mind that here. It's more about the feeling these two men have for each other, and knowing that they can be together, in this time, and be safe.
It is, however, quite violent. These pirates are ...reasonable...in their behaviours, but things happen and then Crispin and Billy are dealt a nasty blow. The level of violence is not graphic, though it does carry some detailed descriptions of punishments and the aftermath. Also, the reason Billy hates Naval officers is described in some detail.
It's not a complicated read, and I found I read it faster than I normally would for a book of this length, some 370 pages.
First I've read of this author, I like the way she spins her tales. I'll certainly read more by this author.
A very enjoyable, 4 star read
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Rebecca Billcliff (2409 KP) rated His Majesty's Dragon in Books
Nov 13, 2019
The series gives something different in each book, and the first gives all the info to the world, without playing the excessive exposition game.
This universe is set in the Nepolionic war, but in this reality, alongside the Marines and Navy, there is also the Arial Corp, where the men fight from the back of massive dragons!
They have a hyerachy on bord, with captains bonded strongly with their dragons, who are themselves, strong characters.
There is a rich mythology within this series, and includes topics like political strife, religion, slavery and historical events, adapted to include it's scaly new additions.
Both a great read for fantasy and history lovers alike, give this book a go, and see if you read all 9.
The Soldiers' Story: Vietnam in Their Own Words
9.0
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Veteran journalist Ron Steinman gathers candid reminiscences from seventy-six men (including Senator...
Peter the Great: The Compelling Story of the Man Who Created Modern Russia, Founded St Petersburg and Made His Country Part of Europe
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Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, Robert K....
The Diary of Samuel Pepys: Volume 1
Samuel Pepys and Leighton Pugh
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The Diary of Samuel Pepys is one of the most entertaining documents in English history. Written...
Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals
Bernd Wursig, J. G. M. 'Hans' Thewissen and Kit M. Kovacs
Book
The Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, Third Edition, features revisions of comprehensive coverage in...