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David McK (3557 KP) rated Brothers of the Sword (Warrior #5) in Books

Jun 3, 2023  
Brothers of the Sword (Warrior #5)
Brothers of the Sword (Warrior #5)
Simon Scarrow, TJ Andrews | 2023
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Entry number 4 (of 5) in Simon Scarrow & Tj Andrews's 'Warrior' series of novellas, in which the Catuvellaunian tribe go to war against the Atrabates, with Caratacus here first experimenting with the guerilla tactics he would later use against the Roman invaders.

As with the previous three entries, this is presented as the elderly Caratacus, whilst in exile in Rome, recounting his experiences to a Roman historian, with the sub-plot that this may be bringing that historian unwelcome attention from Nero's officials.

As also before - and as required by the fact that this is a novella - it's also a rather short read, complete with it's own 'intro' and 'outro'
  
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Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Falling for the Beast in Books

May 5, 2019  
Falling for the Beast
Falling for the Beast
Skye Warren | 2019 | Erotica, Romance
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Character development (0 more)
**I Received this book in exchange for an honest review**

Falling for the Beast is the second novella in the “A Modern Fairy Tale Duet.” I rated the first book, Beauty and the Professor, 3 1/2 Caffeinated Stars, and though there were some faults, I was excited to continue on in the series. I love Skye Warren as an author & I’m a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast, so I really thought this duet would be perfect for me. Unfortunately, I really did struggle with this series.

Going into part two, I was hoping for more character development but I never really got that. The characters though likable were not my favorite. I liked that both characters were open and honest with each other, but I also struggled with their relationship. It seemed that every time there was a conflict it was solved by sex. Don’t get me wrong, sex is fantastic, but it shouldn’t be used as the sole way to resolve a conflict.

Something else that struck me as weird and out of place was being blindsided by specific characteristics. We have the entire first novella where PTSD isn’t really mentioned, and then, we’re hit with him having PTSD nightmares. It was a little off-putting to me that we’re just now learning about his nightmares. The same thing can be said about him “holding back” his need for rough sex.

Though I had a few things that I didn’t like about his novella, I had some stuff I loved. I really liked that Blake always had Erin’s back. He constantly wanted to be there for her and supported her in whatever way he could. I loved that though they both had insecurities, their relationship wasn’t one of them. They both were willing to fight for what they had & shut down some of the antagonists in this book.

Even though this book wasn’t perfect, I did enjoy it. I do recommend reading some of Skye Warren’s latest books instead of this series. You can tell that her writing has grown & improved since this book was first released. One of my personal favorites of hers is Prisoner.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated Christmas Cocoa Murder in Books

Sep 26, 2019  
Christmas Cocoa Murder
Christmas Cocoa Murder
Carlene O'Connor, Maddie Day, Alex Erickson | 2019 | Mystery
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Snuggle Up for this Christmas Novella Collection
Kensington has released another Christmas novella collection, this time featuring three authors that haven’t been featured before. All three stories feature hot cocoa is some capacity. Up first is “Christmas Cocoa Murder” by Carlene O’Connor, which takes place in an Irish village leading up to Christmas. Her series main character, Siobhan O’Sullivan, is just a couple of weeks away from joining the police force, but she gets pulled in early when the village’s Santa’s stunt at the annual panto goes horribly wrong and he’s found floating in a dunk tank filled with hot cocoa. Next, we get “Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse” by Maddie Day. Robbie Jordan, the star of the Country Store Mysteries, is looking forward to a quiet Christmas, but first she must figure out what happened to Jed Greenburg who was found dead while out walking a dog and drinking some of Robbie’s special hot chocolate mix. Finally, comes “Death by Hot Cocoa” by Alex Erickson. Krissy Hancock, his main character, has been talked into doing a Christmas themed escape room, but when she and the rest of the participants finish the first part, they find themselves locked in a second room with the body of their host next to a puddle of hot chocolate.

All three of these stories are fun. The only series I read regularly is Maddie Day’s, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying all of them. The plots are all wonderfully constructed and perfect for the shorter novella format. I did feel a little lost with some of the series regular characters in the first story, but that’s to be expected since I haven’t read the series before. However, it didn’t hamper my overall enjoyment at all. The main characters all come to life in the stories, and the suspects are just as vivid. Each story is filled with Christmas detail that will put you in the holiday spirit no matter what time of year you read them. A couple of the stories even feature some recipes, including two different versions of hot chocolate. So, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate (or maybe not given the theme of this book) and snuggle up and enjoy.