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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Broken Girls in Books
Jan 17, 2019
A Spooky Ghost Story and Mystery in One!
When I first read the synopsis for The Broken Girls by Simone St. James, I knew it was a book I had to read. I was going to wait for it to come down in price, but the more I thought about the book, the more I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. Luckily, it was such a fantastic read!
The Broken Girls has such an interesting plot with everything I love such as a creepy boarding school, a scary ghost, and very big mystery. It felt like I was reading two different stories at the same time whilst reading this book, but it worked very well. Two mysteries at different time frames within the same book made for a great read. I loved reading about the mystery of Deb, the main character's sister, as well as Mary Hand, the ghost that haunts Idlewild Hall. I enjoyed how the two desperate stories came together brilliantly. Nothing felt rushed. It just flowed together so well. I also loved the little bit of true life history in the book. I had never heard of Ravensbruck prior to reading The Broken Girls. That tidbit was interesting. Although there were a few plot twists, I found them to be easily predictable. Saying that, this didn't take away my enjoyment from the book.
The characters in The Broken Girls were written fantastically! Almost every single character was fleshed out perfectly. I felt as if I was reading about real life people instead of fictional characters. The character that felt the most real to me was Sonia. My heart went out to her the most after all she had endured at such a young age. I admired Katie's leadership qualities. I also admired Fiona's thirst for the truth throughout everything. Mary Hand made such an excellent ghost! I enjoyed her backstory as well. She was so spooky to read about and what she could make people see was even more scary! The only character I would have loved to read a little more about was Rose Albert. I felt as if she could have had a very interesting back story as well.
The pacing for The Broken Girls was done very well. Nothing ever felt rushed nor was the pacing too slow where reading the book felt tedious and like it had to be done. Everything flowed so well.
Trigger warnings in The Broken Girls include violence, murder, attempted murder, ghosts, profanities, and drinking alcohol.
All in all, The Broken Girls was such a thrilling read that held my attention throughout. I loved the Gothic feel as well as just how beautifully written this book was. I would definitely recommend The Broken Girls by Simone St. James to those aged 16+ who enjoy a fantastically written mystery with a bit of the paranormal. This is one book that won't disappoint!
The Broken Girls has such an interesting plot with everything I love such as a creepy boarding school, a scary ghost, and very big mystery. It felt like I was reading two different stories at the same time whilst reading this book, but it worked very well. Two mysteries at different time frames within the same book made for a great read. I loved reading about the mystery of Deb, the main character's sister, as well as Mary Hand, the ghost that haunts Idlewild Hall. I enjoyed how the two desperate stories came together brilliantly. Nothing felt rushed. It just flowed together so well. I also loved the little bit of true life history in the book. I had never heard of Ravensbruck prior to reading The Broken Girls. That tidbit was interesting. Although there were a few plot twists, I found them to be easily predictable. Saying that, this didn't take away my enjoyment from the book.
The characters in The Broken Girls were written fantastically! Almost every single character was fleshed out perfectly. I felt as if I was reading about real life people instead of fictional characters. The character that felt the most real to me was Sonia. My heart went out to her the most after all she had endured at such a young age. I admired Katie's leadership qualities. I also admired Fiona's thirst for the truth throughout everything. Mary Hand made such an excellent ghost! I enjoyed her backstory as well. She was so spooky to read about and what she could make people see was even more scary! The only character I would have loved to read a little more about was Rose Albert. I felt as if she could have had a very interesting back story as well.
The pacing for The Broken Girls was done very well. Nothing ever felt rushed nor was the pacing too slow where reading the book felt tedious and like it had to be done. Everything flowed so well.
Trigger warnings in The Broken Girls include violence, murder, attempted murder, ghosts, profanities, and drinking alcohol.
All in all, The Broken Girls was such a thrilling read that held my attention throughout. I loved the Gothic feel as well as just how beautifully written this book was. I would definitely recommend The Broken Girls by Simone St. James to those aged 16+ who enjoy a fantastically written mystery with a bit of the paranormal. This is one book that won't disappoint!
Lindsay (1735 KP) rated The Ghost of Mavis in Books
Apr 9, 2019
The Ghost of Mavis had me intuited by wanting to know what it was about. Was it a mother that died with a young girl. There a mystery to it that you are pondering from the minute you start reading.
Mavis shows up at the Pearly gates in a wedding dress. Why and what reason. Mary Lynn Plaisance write the story well. This is her first book, that I have read. She leaves you guessing and pondering about a little girl. Who is this little girl and what is she waiting for? All we know at the beginning Mavis as died and is at the age of 88. What her angels tell her is, that she miss her lick and was to marry again.
Mavis is confused but are we as well? She also wonders why she wears a wedding dress. She wants to go back to earth to be born into a rich family. When she goes to ask, her angels she's going back to earth on a mission. To do that she will go back as a ghost and her angel Anna will help her until she finds this James Windsor.
You start to wonder what life is after death. Where do we go? Is it a belief that we reincarnate back to our family or do we stay in haven. That you will have to decide. Mary does a splendid job with this and talking about the afterlife. I would suggest if you enjoy paranormal fan or even a little mystery fan this is a good book to read. I recommend it to read.
The book is well written and few mistakes. I believe a may have caught one mistake in the entire book. It was probably one that got the word misplaced not even spell wrong when editing, it wonderful. I hope to read more by Mary Lynn Plaisance.
Mavis shows up at the Pearly gates in a wedding dress. Why and what reason. Mary Lynn Plaisance write the story well. This is her first book, that I have read. She leaves you guessing and pondering about a little girl. Who is this little girl and what is she waiting for? All we know at the beginning Mavis as died and is at the age of 88. What her angels tell her is, that she miss her lick and was to marry again.
Mavis is confused but are we as well? She also wonders why she wears a wedding dress. She wants to go back to earth to be born into a rich family. When she goes to ask, her angels she's going back to earth on a mission. To do that she will go back as a ghost and her angel Anna will help her until she finds this James Windsor.
You start to wonder what life is after death. Where do we go? Is it a belief that we reincarnate back to our family or do we stay in haven. That you will have to decide. Mary does a splendid job with this and talking about the afterlife. I would suggest if you enjoy paranormal fan or even a little mystery fan this is a good book to read. I recommend it to read.
The book is well written and few mistakes. I believe a may have caught one mistake in the entire book. It was probably one that got the word misplaced not even spell wrong when editing, it wonderful. I hope to read more by Mary Lynn Plaisance.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I first read this in 2006 and never got to another Sookie book. Since I want to see <i>True Blood</i> whenever it comes out on DVD, and I don't quite remember too much of the book to get to the rest of the series, I decided to re-read it.
I really don't have anything additional to say to my first review, other than I'm not as picky about the romance this time around. So here's my original review from June 24, 2006:
I've been in a paranormal mood lately so figured I'd pick this one up and see what's different here. While there's nothing original in the vampire front, the story was nonetheless told in a new and fresh way. Although the start seemed slow, I quickly immersed myself into the pace of the book and thought it was quite fitting to it being a southern book. I enjoyed reading about the courtship between a vampire and human, although a slightly different human. It was kind of sweet and though I thought they professed their love to each other too soon, it was still quite lovely in a strange way. The mystery was nice in that I didn't necessarily know who the culprit was. I did have a niggling of who it was a few times but wasn't quite sure. The book also had some interesting characters and I am curious to what direction(s) the author decides to go next.
I really don't have anything additional to say to my first review, other than I'm not as picky about the romance this time around. So here's my original review from June 24, 2006:
I've been in a paranormal mood lately so figured I'd pick this one up and see what's different here. While there's nothing original in the vampire front, the story was nonetheless told in a new and fresh way. Although the start seemed slow, I quickly immersed myself into the pace of the book and thought it was quite fitting to it being a southern book. I enjoyed reading about the courtship between a vampire and human, although a slightly different human. It was kind of sweet and though I thought they professed their love to each other too soon, it was still quite lovely in a strange way. The mystery was nice in that I didn't necessarily know who the culprit was. I did have a niggling of who it was a few times but wasn't quite sure. The book also had some interesting characters and I am curious to what direction(s) the author decides to go next.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The Diviners (The Diviners, #1) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
Evie O'Neill is a seventeen year old flapper with a gift - the gift of "reading" an object to discover its owner's secrets. After an impromptu reading at a party gets her in trouble at home in Ohio, she is sent to live with her Uncle Will in New York. Her uncle runs a museum of the paranormal, and is called in by the police to help look into a string of unusual murders. Hoping to secure a permanent place in New York, Evie joins her Uncle Will's team and helps investigate.
Libba Bray has done a wonderful job of transporting the reader back to 1920's New York. I could almost see the flapper dresses and cloche hats, and hear the music and the clinking of glasses in the speakeasy clubs. The book would be worth reading for the glimpse into the past alone, but it has so much more to offer. Mystery, danger, secrets, powers, music, romance - I could go on and on!
I listened to this book, rather than reading a print edition, and I would highly recommend it. January LaVoy did an amazing job of bringing each character to life with his or her own voice and inflections. This was no small feat considering the size of the cast of characters she had to work with! I hope she will continue to read the rest of the books in this series as they are published.
Libba Bray has done a wonderful job of transporting the reader back to 1920's New York. I could almost see the flapper dresses and cloche hats, and hear the music and the clinking of glasses in the speakeasy clubs. The book would be worth reading for the glimpse into the past alone, but it has so much more to offer. Mystery, danger, secrets, powers, music, romance - I could go on and on!
I listened to this book, rather than reading a print edition, and I would highly recommend it. January LaVoy did an amazing job of bringing each character to life with his or her own voice and inflections. This was no small feat considering the size of the cast of characters she had to work with! I hope she will continue to read the rest of the books in this series as they are published.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Mar 28, 2020
Black Snow (Birds of a Feather #4)
10.0
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Snow’s best friend is a bird. An osprey, to be specific. Everyone knows Snow’s parents died a...
Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Merissa (12589 KP) rated The Curse of Lord Stanstead (The Order of the MUSE #1) in Books
Apr 14, 2023
This is one of Entangled's Select Historical novels and my first introduction to both them and this author. I have to say that I am in no way disappointed!
The Order of the M.U.S.E. is a secret society that you learn about as you go on. They have various members who are capable in various ways. The latest 'recruit' is Cassie, an emergent fire mage who needs help controlling her element. But this is also during the time of the 'mad King George' and it is the Order's job to protect royalty against any who would harm them. Where there is yin, there is yang and although it is only mentioned in passing, you are left with the impression that there is another Order there who seeks to harm, not help.
This is very well written and gives you a good insight on the ton and the rules and regulations that would need to be followed to be part of Polite Society. The plot is smoothly written and moves along at a fair pace, never slumping.
A warm-hearted story with a hint of mystery, a dash of the paranormal and more than a tinge of hot romance. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Jul 28, 2015
The Order of the M.U.S.E. is a secret society that you learn about as you go on. They have various members who are capable in various ways. The latest 'recruit' is Cassie, an emergent fire mage who needs help controlling her element. But this is also during the time of the 'mad King George' and it is the Order's job to protect royalty against any who would harm them. Where there is yin, there is yang and although it is only mentioned in passing, you are left with the impression that there is another Order there who seeks to harm, not help.
This is very well written and gives you a good insight on the ton and the rules and regulations that would need to be followed to be part of Polite Society. The plot is smoothly written and moves along at a fair pace, never slumping.
A warm-hearted story with a hint of mystery, a dash of the paranormal and more than a tinge of hot romance. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Jul 28, 2015
Merissa (12589 KP) rated Stone Heart (The Compelled Chronicles #1) in Books
May 8, 2023
This is the first of the Compelled Chronicles and it starts with a bang! Dani is starting a new school and although she is nervous, it is not because of the usual new school reasons. The reason Dani is nervous is because she seems to have this ability that draws members of the opposite sex to her, before either making them head for the hills or become a stalker. She has no idea what's going on or why this happens, but she has learned how to live with it. The first boy she meets, Caine, seems immune to her 'charms' and Dani hopes that she has found herself the first male friend she has had in a long time. However, meeting Caine is something that starts off her journey into the unknown where she will have to fight the paranormal, and her life will be threatened simply 'because'.
This is a gripping and thrilling first instalment that ends on an amazing cliffhanger! Full of mystery and action, you are left with questions unanswered. I won't put the questions out here, you'll need to read the book for yourself, but I will say that you will immediately want to know more. Excellent start and definitely recommended.
* 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!
Dec 26, 2015
This is a gripping and thrilling first instalment that ends on an amazing cliffhanger! Full of mystery and action, you are left with questions unanswered. I won't put the questions out here, you'll need to read the book for yourself, but I will say that you will immediately want to know more. Excellent start and definitely recommended.
* 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!
Dec 26, 2015
Merissa (12589 KP) rated Earth Wolf & Fire (Eliza Falls #2) in Books
Feb 1, 2023
EARTH WOLF AND FIRE is the second book in the Eliza Falls series, although it can be read as a standalone. The couple from the first book, Seb and Cora, are in here but you don't need their story for this one to work.
Ulla is someone who has connected with Nature at a very young age. Unfortunately, children can be cruel and she paid the price. The only people she really sees as friends are Cora and Desi. She returns home to Eliza Falls and runs into Desi, sparking their friendship again. However, Cora and Desi are now part of a Pack. Through one thing and another, Ulla meets Tate and BOOM. There you go. Insta-lust in spades.
This is a great paranormal romance series, one that I am thoroughly enjoying. It is funny in places, spicy in others, and even the occasional hint of mystery. Ulla and Tate are just so goddamned cute together! AND you get it from both of their perspectives which makes it nicely rounded out.
All in all, this was a great addition to the series. I'm really hoping Desi is next, and with someone she doesn't see coming. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
** 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!
Ulla is someone who has connected with Nature at a very young age. Unfortunately, children can be cruel and she paid the price. The only people she really sees as friends are Cora and Desi. She returns home to Eliza Falls and runs into Desi, sparking their friendship again. However, Cora and Desi are now part of a Pack. Through one thing and another, Ulla meets Tate and BOOM. There you go. Insta-lust in spades.
This is a great paranormal romance series, one that I am thoroughly enjoying. It is funny in places, spicy in others, and even the occasional hint of mystery. Ulla and Tate are just so goddamned cute together! AND you get it from both of their perspectives which makes it nicely rounded out.
All in all, this was a great addition to the series. I'm really hoping Desi is next, and with someone she doesn't see coming. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
** 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 (12589 KP) rated Searching (Dragons of New York, #1) in Books
Nov 4, 2022
SEARCHING is the first book in the Dragons of New York series and is first and foremost a mystery. Bloodless bodies are showing up and Ravenna Drake is linked to each scene by a piece of thread, an email, her name. Ian Chen wants to trust her but until he knows she's not a suspect, he won't do anything.
Told from both Ian and Ravenna's perspectives, it takes you into the story, giving you details about both their lives prior to them meeting. It also tells you how the case is moving along, what they have found, and what still needs answering. Whether you get those answers is another story.
The world-building was descriptive, giving clear examples of prejudice and how living in a world where magic exists might not be accepted by everyone. The pacing is smooth, and the story flows to its natural conclusion. There is a HFN ending with the case unsolved so I am presuming their story will continue on in the next book.
A good start to a series that will leave you with questions unanswered. If you like paranormal mysteries, then I can definitely recommend this one.
** 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!
Told from both Ian and Ravenna's perspectives, it takes you into the story, giving you details about both their lives prior to them meeting. It also tells you how the case is moving along, what they have found, and what still needs answering. Whether you get those answers is another story.
The world-building was descriptive, giving clear examples of prejudice and how living in a world where magic exists might not be accepted by everyone. The pacing is smooth, and the story flows to its natural conclusion. There is a HFN ending with the case unsolved so I am presuming their story will continue on in the next book.
A good start to a series that will leave you with questions unanswered. If you like paranormal mysteries, then I can definitely recommend this one.
** 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!
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) Jan 31, 2019
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) Jan 31, 2019