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LP
Love Potions
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Since I don't seem to be having much luck with books that I have actively bought to read and then struggled to get into, I've gone back to the Random Number Generator and it chose #32, which is this one: a chick-lit romance. We will see how I get on with it...

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2.5 stars.

I'm really picky with my chick-lit. I like authors like [a:Paige Toon|515155|Paige Toon|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1276611385p2/515155.jpg] and [a:Belinda Jones|42220|Belinda Jones|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1272239001p2/42220.jpg] who focus a good 80-90% of the story on the main characters and their romance.

This was probably 30%, which was a big disappointment. I wanted more of Derry. He appeared in the book probably about 5 times total, which was rubbish.

The only good thing in my opinion was the Joss thing. I'm so glad she got rid of Marvin, the insensitive, manipulative old sod. Admittedly I was doing a little happy dance when they met in London and she told him how it was now. Go Joss!

Other than that though, I was disappointed. I read books for the romance and for me, there wasn't much between our main characters.

Not a book I'm likely to keep.
  
DG
Dead Girls are Easy ( Nicki Styx book 1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
8 of 230
Kindle
Dead Girls are Easy ( Nicki Styx book 1)
By Terri Garey

There's something about almost dying that makes a girl rethink her priorities. Take Nicki Styx—she was strictly goth and vintage, until a brush with the afterlife leaves her with the ability to see dead people.

Before you can say boo, Atlanta's ghosts are knocking at Nicki's door. Now her days consist of reluctantly cleaning up messes left by the dearly departed, leading ghouls to the Light . . . and one-on-one anatomy lessons with Dr. Joe Bascombe, the dreamy surgeon who saved her life. All this catering to the deceased is a real drag, especially for a girl who'd rather be playing hanky-panky with her hunky new boyfriend . . . who's beginning to think she's totally nuts.

But things get even more complicated when a friend foolishly sells her soul to the devil, and Nicki's new gift lands her in some deep voodoo.

As it turns out for Nicki Styx, death was just the beginning.



I really enjoyed this book it had some ghost whisperer vibes! I’ve not read this sort of storyline before and really glad I picked it up. I love her name Nicki Styx and her whole character was refreshing! Definitely a good read and recommended!
  
V(
Veiled ( Releasing the Magic 4)
Maya Riley | 2023
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
134 of 235
Kindle
Veiled ( Releasing the Magic 4)
By Maya Riley
⭐️⭐️⭐️

What do you do when your past takes you back?

The years I’d spent growing up were the darkest of my life, even with counting the rotter outbreak. Then I gained my freedom, met some guys who refused to leave, and even got some of my siblings back. Then my past came for me.

Now I spend my days watching, biding my time, waiting for my chance to escape while also trying to keep my sanity. During this time, I’m forced to endure their experiments. Some will test me, and some could possibly break me. What I learn, though, could change everything I thought I’d ever known to be true. I will fight my way out for my freedom.

I did it before, I can do it again.

Nobody will knock me down for good.

Not even the monster in the pearl necklace.

I really like this series it’s a different twist on a zombie apocalypse mixing it with a bit of magic. It’s a light fun read with a bit of a reverse harem going on. This was a little rushed in parts but still enjoyable for a quick read.
  
Blackmailer’s Delight
Blackmailer’s Delight
David Lawrence | 2024 | Humor & Comedy, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
steamy in places but lacking in romance
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. It's the first I've read of David Lawrence.

I liked Daniel and Luke, together and separately. I did think at points, Daniel was using his greater age over Luke to get what he wanted, but I don't think he was doing it deliberately, or maliciously.

It's steamy and smexy, plenty of that but I did find the romance element lacking. As a reader of romance, I do like a more in depth romantic element, to go along with the smexy stuff.

I did like the twist at the end! Clarence, Daniel's ex, was a thoroughly nasty piece of work, but he does come around to Daniel moving on, and does redeem himself somewhat.

Apart from the above mentioned, the story is well told and well written. I found the character development very good. It is a little long winded in the beginning, but it does pick up and then runs away with itself.

I saw no editing or spelling errors to spoil my reading.

I'd like to read something else by this author, he's on my radar now.

4 good stars
  
A List of Cages
A List of Cages
Robin Roe | 2017 | Contemporary
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read this while at work, and I still finished this book in under 4 hours. It is seriously that good that you just can't put it down. For Robin Roe's first novel, he hit it out of the park. The book is about two teenagers, Adam and Julien, and the viewpoint switches seamlessly between the two throughout the book. There is never any confusion on who is talking or what is going on. Now, the book does revolve around child abuse, so for those sensitive to this type of plot, this story may not be the best for you. While the story of child abuse is devastating (I definitely caught myself trying to hold back tears a few times), the way the story is told will make you feel like you're in the situation that the characters are in. You can feel elation, fear, love, and everything in between with this novel. Everything about this book was great and I would definitely recommend it to others who aren't sensitive to child abuse.
  
M(
Magonia (Magonia, #1)
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my goodness! This is a mix of magic, pirates, and sadness. Trust me, you will need some goddamn tissues near you when you are reading this book. It was so good! The characters are very realistic, the relationships are drawn very well, and the plot goes by very smoothly. There were only a few slow parts, but even those were good. The only thing I wished for was a little more world building. I wish we could have known more about the non main character's backgrounds and a little about the magical world and how it all works. I really recommend this book to people who like magical, piratey books. But really, if you haven't picked this book up yet, do it now. I mean, just by looking at the cover you should want to read it!! If you want to know more about the book, go to: <a href="
video</a> to watch a brief explanatory video from Epic Reads!
  
MJ
Misquoting Jesus
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There are few times that I miss my first husband, but this is one of them. I do wish that I had someone with whom I could seriously discuss this book, someone who would also read it and Ehrman's other works. I participate in a Facebook group that provides some of that need, but it isn't quite the same as a face-to-face conversation.

Anyway, I finished the book today. It was wonderful. Now I want a copy of the New Testament with all of these changes that Ehrman points out marked. I don't know what translation to trust, or if any of them are trustworthy! And what about the Old Testament - he doesn't even address that! Even if one were fluent in all the languages in question, who would have access to all the relevant manuscripts, let alone the lifetime it would take to compare them all? No, it's been done by various scholars, so a definitive "this is what we THINK is what the autographs said" version needs to be in print.
  
Herland, the Yellow Wall-Paper, and Selected Writings
Herland, the Yellow Wall-Paper, and Selected Writings
Charlotte Perkins Gilman | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This review is for Herland only!
This is lauded as being amongst the first feminist literature, and I'm sure it is - both now and at the time it was first published.
An all-female society is discovered in the middle of nowhere (I envisioned deepest, darkest South America, in the jungle somewhere) by three male explorers. They arrive with their male preconceptions, and two of them change their way of thinking for the better.
It's an idyllic life in Herland (the men's name for the country, not the women's - they never mention a name). There is someone in charge, but she's elected. No (or little) conflict, no crime, everyone does their share. Motherhood is sacred and limited to one child. They conceive magically, it seems, as there are no men, and all women share the parenting. It's idyllic all right!
A short little novella, and an easy, quick read. It's interesting to see what a woman in the early part of the twentieth century thought would be an idyllic society - and rather telling that men didn't actually feature in it at all!
  
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
N.K. Jemisin | 2000 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Finally got around to reading this one to see what all the fuss was about. I purchased the omnibus ebook on my nook app to have all three after reading the sample a few days prior and it stuck with me. let me just say that the hype is warranted. going into it I really didn't expect to be so entranced by the story, as I haven't read this sort of fantasy in a long time, but I found myself resentful every time real life interfered with my reading forcing me to put it down for a while. I was so absorbed that I even dreamed about it lol. there is something about the authors writing style that hooked me from the beginning, the world building is superb, and the characters were very well developed. I loved that there were plot twists I didn't see coming a mile away, especially at the end. the ending was nicely done, tying up this particular story while also setting up the next book in the trilogy. highly recommended! now I'm on to book two!