Search
Search results
Merissa (13725 KP) rated The Finding (Law of the Lycans, #5) in Books
Mar 26, 2018
The Finding (Law of the Lycans #5) by Nicky Charles
The Finding wraps up the story of Cassandra, Marla, and Leon Aldrich. In this book, Bryan manages to find Cassandra and heads off to Vegas to bring her back. He has been obsessed with finding her for years, and now it's his chance. Although Cassandra is having 'fun' in Vegas, she still has no wish to become a wolf, or part of a pack - not after watching her uncle be murdered by one. Through a series of events, Cassandra doesn't really have a choice, and Bryan does all he can for her. We also get to spend some time with Ryne and Mel, and Kane and Elise, which leads nicely onto Damien's book.
I will say that the parts with Marla and her wolf were excellent writing. Marla went from being the big bad, to one you feel sorry for. Franklin is another superb character, and I love the idea of him, Mrs Teasdale, and Meredith wandering around doing their thing! Read it, you'll find out what I mean.
Another excellently written story by Nicky Charles, finishing this round of stories (for now). I'm very glad I've got around to reading them now, although I'm sorry it's taken me five years to do so. If you want a thick paranormal read to sink your teeth into, then I can highly recommend this book and the series.
* Verified Purchase ~ April 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I will say that the parts with Marla and her wolf were excellent writing. Marla went from being the big bad, to one you feel sorry for. Franklin is another superb character, and I love the idea of him, Mrs Teasdale, and Meredith wandering around doing their thing! Read it, you'll find out what I mean.
Another excellently written story by Nicky Charles, finishing this round of stories (for now). I'm very glad I've got around to reading them now, although I'm sorry it's taken me five years to do so. If you want a thick paranormal read to sink your teeth into, then I can highly recommend this book and the series.
* Verified Purchase ~ April 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Booksy: Learn to Read Platform for K-2
Education and Book
App
Featured in the New York Times article "Learning to read with tablets"! Booksy is a...
Debbiereadsbook (1647 KP) rated Cowboy In The Crosshairs (Dreamspun Desires #53) in Books
Mar 6, 2018
a bit jumpy but an enjoyable 4 star read
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I liked this, I really did. Its just the characters tend to jump about with their thinking and it got a little difficult trying to keep up in places!
BUT!!!
A great easy read, as usual from Tortuga!
Wacey comes home after an accident and TJ is Sheriff in town now. They split some ten years before, for one reason or other, to be honest I wasn't entirely sure WHY they split! But it's clear they still have an attraction that won't go away. When it becomes obvious that the "accident" might not have been, TJ goes into deep protection mode, and Wacey welcomes it. The culprit is caught, but will Wacey leave TJ again??
Like I said, a really easy read! Told from both Wacey and TJ's point of view, we get how each man feels seeing the other for the first time, their reactions then and after. It's not overly explicit, because it's a DreamSpun Desires, from DreamSpinner, but there is enough that is right for this book. While I do tend to prefer my male/male romances on the more explicit side, I really did enjoy this one with that little bit less.
The story flows well (apart from the jumping around the minds of the guys did!) and I saw no spelling or editing errors. I did not get who was trying to get Wacey until it was revealed in the book!
A perfect way to spend a snowed in Friday afternoon!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
I liked this, I really did. Its just the characters tend to jump about with their thinking and it got a little difficult trying to keep up in places!
BUT!!!
A great easy read, as usual from Tortuga!
Wacey comes home after an accident and TJ is Sheriff in town now. They split some ten years before, for one reason or other, to be honest I wasn't entirely sure WHY they split! But it's clear they still have an attraction that won't go away. When it becomes obvious that the "accident" might not have been, TJ goes into deep protection mode, and Wacey welcomes it. The culprit is caught, but will Wacey leave TJ again??
Like I said, a really easy read! Told from both Wacey and TJ's point of view, we get how each man feels seeing the other for the first time, their reactions then and after. It's not overly explicit, because it's a DreamSpun Desires, from DreamSpinner, but there is enough that is right for this book. While I do tend to prefer my male/male romances on the more explicit side, I really did enjoy this one with that little bit less.
The story flows well (apart from the jumping around the minds of the guys did!) and I saw no spelling or editing errors. I did not get who was trying to get Wacey until it was revealed in the book!
A perfect way to spend a snowed in Friday afternoon!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Dana (24 KP) rated The Graveyard Book in Books
Mar 23, 2018
This was my second book to read by Neil Gaiman and I wish I would have started with this one! It was so well written and the world was so well thought out that I felt I was in there with Bod on his adventures!
I think what I loved most about this is the fact that while each chapter can connect to one another, they are written in a way that can have them separate in a way. It's almost like they are a series of the children's picture books all put together. And that is amazing. If I was a parent reading this to my child, I wouldn't feel bad reading only one chapter a night to them because I feel that is one of the ways it is intended to be read. Who know, I could be completely wrong on that train of thought.
Bod and Silas are so great. I love their family dynamic without it being too over the top.
Each time Bod gets himself into a spot of trouble, I expect him to get out of it, but there is that lingering feeling of fear for him, especially with what happened to his family when he was a baby. There's nothing like starting off a book with a recently orphaned child, now is there? (Ahem, Harry Potter)
The story did feel a bit slow at some points for me, but I do understand that books cannot be ON at all times.
Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait to read another of Gaiman's books soon.
I think what I loved most about this is the fact that while each chapter can connect to one another, they are written in a way that can have them separate in a way. It's almost like they are a series of the children's picture books all put together. And that is amazing. If I was a parent reading this to my child, I wouldn't feel bad reading only one chapter a night to them because I feel that is one of the ways it is intended to be read. Who know, I could be completely wrong on that train of thought.
Bod and Silas are so great. I love their family dynamic without it being too over the top.
Each time Bod gets himself into a spot of trouble, I expect him to get out of it, but there is that lingering feeling of fear for him, especially with what happened to his family when he was a baby. There's nothing like starting off a book with a recently orphaned child, now is there? (Ahem, Harry Potter)
The story did feel a bit slow at some points for me, but I do understand that books cannot be ON at all times.
Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait to read another of Gaiman's books soon.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Last Black Unicorn in Books
Feb 24, 2018
I've been wanting to read this book ever since I saw Haddish's interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. This woman is HILARIOUS. Somehow I didn't realize she was in the movie Girls Night until I read about it in her book - I really do need to see that movie. That aside, this book was pretty great. It's written in her speaking style, so it's not technically correct grammar, but it SOUNDS right, which is more important in a memoir, in my opinion. It's supposed to show the author's personality, and this does.
I don't know that I'd put this on quite the same level as Trevor Noah's Born A Crime, or Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy, but it's not far behind them. Haddish talks about her childhood in the foster system and then raised by her grandmother, her string of no-good boyfriends, and her abusive marriage. She's had a rough life, but somehow she's come out of it with a gift for comedy and a grounded personality.
Her swamp tour with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith is one of the most hilarious stories in the book, and one of the few that is purely funny. Most of them are underscored with a serious issue that make me feel a little bad for laughing at them, but Haddish laughs at them, so how can you not? It's an interesting conflict that leaves me with slightly mixed feelings about the book.
It's a pretty quick, easy, fun read, and if you like Tiffany Haddish, it definitely shows what she's gone through to get where she is now.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
I don't know that I'd put this on quite the same level as Trevor Noah's Born A Crime, or Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy, but it's not far behind them. Haddish talks about her childhood in the foster system and then raised by her grandmother, her string of no-good boyfriends, and her abusive marriage. She's had a rough life, but somehow she's come out of it with a gift for comedy and a grounded personality.
Her swamp tour with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith is one of the most hilarious stories in the book, and one of the few that is purely funny. Most of them are underscored with a serious issue that make me feel a little bad for laughing at them, but Haddish laughs at them, so how can you not? It's an interesting conflict that leaves me with slightly mixed feelings about the book.
It's a pretty quick, easy, fun read, and if you like Tiffany Haddish, it definitely shows what she's gone through to get where she is now.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Gritty, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining
Kimberley Chambers isn't known as the "Queen of Gangland Crime Fiction" for nothing and here we have yet another masterpiece of story-telling ... the saga that is "Queenie".
This book tells the story of Queenie from her life as a young girl during World War II right up to the early 60's and what a life she leads! She is one heck of a character; one minute you absolutely adore her, the next she disappoints you, then she'll surprise you and then shock ... I felt like I was on a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish and I still don't know how I feel about her even now!
Queenie is not the only character however, this book is absolutely brimmed to the rim with fantastic personalities from the bit players to the main stars; some you'll love and some ... not so much. The setting in the east end of London felt perfect but it could equally have worked in any inner-city borough. For those of us who weren't around during the time span of this book, I felt it captured them well and it felt authentic and believable to me.
"Queenie" is a gritty, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining read and one I would definitely recommend even if you haven't read any of the other books in the "Butler" series; this can easily be read as a standalone as it is the prequel to the first book in the series "The Trap."
Thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
This book tells the story of Queenie from her life as a young girl during World War II right up to the early 60's and what a life she leads! She is one heck of a character; one minute you absolutely adore her, the next she disappoints you, then she'll surprise you and then shock ... I felt like I was on a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish and I still don't know how I feel about her even now!
Queenie is not the only character however, this book is absolutely brimmed to the rim with fantastic personalities from the bit players to the main stars; some you'll love and some ... not so much. The setting in the east end of London felt perfect but it could equally have worked in any inner-city borough. For those of us who weren't around during the time span of this book, I felt it captured them well and it felt authentic and believable to me.
"Queenie" is a gritty, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining read and one I would definitely recommend even if you haven't read any of the other books in the "Butler" series; this can easily be read as a standalone as it is the prequel to the first book in the series "The Trap."
Thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Dead and the Dark in Books
Aug 19, 2021
Captivating look at the supernatural and the pull of family
In Snakebite, Oregon, teenagers keep disappearing or turning up dead. Things just seem off. The locals blame Brandon and Alejo Ortiz-Woodley, two former Snakebite residents who are back in town. They now host a popular ghost hunting show and travel the country with their daughter Logan. Wanting to clear the family name, Logan winds up joining forces with Ashley Barton, whose boyfriend was the first to go missing. Ashley is sure she can feel his presence guiding her around Snakebite. But as the two team up, they discover some pretty terrifying and dangerous things about Snakebite.
I loved this book so much. Sometimes it feels like I read similar books over and over. Not this time. Gould’s book is original and spellbinding. This is such a dark and ominous read. Gould truly brings you into Snakebite, the supernatural, creepy, and quite unwelcoming small town. It’s atmospheric and spooky. I could not put this book down!
DARK is filled with LGBTQIA representation, between Logan’s dads, the fact that she’s an out lesbian, and her own burgeoning friendship (and more) with Ashley. I loved everything about all of it.
This book is part horror story, part exploration of the meaning and depths of darkness, and part look at family dynamics. It’s an extremely well written ghost story with a sapphic love interest. It really doesn’t get much better than that! (It’s so good, read it—and it’s a debut!)
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
I loved this book so much. Sometimes it feels like I read similar books over and over. Not this time. Gould’s book is original and spellbinding. This is such a dark and ominous read. Gould truly brings you into Snakebite, the supernatural, creepy, and quite unwelcoming small town. It’s atmospheric and spooky. I could not put this book down!
DARK is filled with LGBTQIA representation, between Logan’s dads, the fact that she’s an out lesbian, and her own burgeoning friendship (and more) with Ashley. I loved everything about all of it.
This book is part horror story, part exploration of the meaning and depths of darkness, and part look at family dynamics. It’s an extremely well written ghost story with a sapphic love interest. It really doesn’t get much better than that! (It’s so good, read it—and it’s a debut!)
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Merissa (13725 KP) rated The Lost Art of Seducing a Mage Warrior (The Lost Arts #1) in Books
May 9, 2025
THE LOST ART OF SEDUCING A MAGE WARRIOR is the first book in The Lost Arts series and does NOT give you everything all at once, which I loved!
Perian is a charismatic character, effortlessly drawing others to him. He is aware of this but doesn't weaponise it. When he is attacked by three men who don't understand that "No" is a complete sentence, he thinks his time is up. Instead, he is rescued by Brannal, a Mage Warrior, who takes him back to the Queen's castle to recover. If Perian is the sunshine one, then Brannal is the grumpy one, although this description doesn't fit either of them perfectly.
There are plenty of misunderstandings between Perian and Brannal, which I actually loved to read. They are at the beginning of a new relationship, with lots of things going on and different characters in the mix, so, surprisingly, they're not that good at communicating. When they do speak to each other, they both admit it is something they need to work on, and that neither of them will get it right all the time. It made a refreshing change to read that, rather than unnecessary angst.
The ending was satisfying for now, but I oh-so-desperately want more! Lots of loose threads that I want tying up! A great story and a brilliant beginning to the series. Definitely recommended by me.
** 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!
May 9, 2025
Perian is a charismatic character, effortlessly drawing others to him. He is aware of this but doesn't weaponise it. When he is attacked by three men who don't understand that "No" is a complete sentence, he thinks his time is up. Instead, he is rescued by Brannal, a Mage Warrior, who takes him back to the Queen's castle to recover. If Perian is the sunshine one, then Brannal is the grumpy one, although this description doesn't fit either of them perfectly.
There are plenty of misunderstandings between Perian and Brannal, which I actually loved to read. They are at the beginning of a new relationship, with lots of things going on and different characters in the mix, so, surprisingly, they're not that good at communicating. When they do speak to each other, they both admit it is something they need to work on, and that neither of them will get it right all the time. It made a refreshing change to read that, rather than unnecessary angst.
The ending was satisfying for now, but I oh-so-desperately want more! Lots of loose threads that I want tying up! A great story and a brilliant beginning to the series. Definitely recommended by me.
** 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!
May 9, 2025
Dana (24 KP) rated Extraordinary Means in Books
Mar 23, 2018
To be completely honest, I didn't know how I would feel about this book. I am not normally into the contemporary type novels, but hold crap, this one was extraordinary. (See what I did there?)
I was lucky enough to get to meet the author at Yall West this year in Santa Monica. She is very nice and was kind enough to sign my book!! Yay!!!
Not only were the characters well drawn out, they felt very real in the way Robyn wrote them. They were the outcasts who didn't care about being different. They just were who they were and didn't let others control what they thought about themselves.
People will probably compare this to The Fault in Our Stars because both are about sick kids dealing with their disease, but in a way, I liked this book better. It felt more real and honest. I am not saying that I didn't like TFIOS, because I very much enjoyed it. But there is just something about the way this was written made me feel more of a connection to it.
For me, the language of the story felt very organic as well. There weren't too many instances where it felt forced or like it was trying too hard to be more mature than it needed to be. It had a perfect balance for the kind of messages the story was trying to show the audience.
This story talked a lot about the fragility of life and how people shouldn't waste it. No matter what stage you are in at any point in your life, whether it be in high school studying to perfect your SAT scores or sitting in a forest contemplating life and existence, people shouldn't take what they have for granted. I think this was one of the most important messages in this story. To not waste your life studying, but to actually try to live it.
The story went by very quickly, but it was a good kind of quickly. It didn't drag on for too long, but it also didn't rush past important parts of the story. It had very good pacing to it.
I would recommend this to anyone. It doesn't matter if you absolutely love contemporary teen fiction or not, this is just an amazing novel that everyone should read.
I am going to put on one of my favorite quotations from the book now, so if you don't want to read it, stop reading this review now:
"There's a difference between being dead and dying. We're all dying. Some of us die for ninety years, and some of us die for nineteen. But each morning everyone on this planet wakes up one day closer to their death. Everyone. So living and dying are actually different words for the same thing, if you think about it."
I was lucky enough to get to meet the author at Yall West this year in Santa Monica. She is very nice and was kind enough to sign my book!! Yay!!!
Not only were the characters well drawn out, they felt very real in the way Robyn wrote them. They were the outcasts who didn't care about being different. They just were who they were and didn't let others control what they thought about themselves.
People will probably compare this to The Fault in Our Stars because both are about sick kids dealing with their disease, but in a way, I liked this book better. It felt more real and honest. I am not saying that I didn't like TFIOS, because I very much enjoyed it. But there is just something about the way this was written made me feel more of a connection to it.
For me, the language of the story felt very organic as well. There weren't too many instances where it felt forced or like it was trying too hard to be more mature than it needed to be. It had a perfect balance for the kind of messages the story was trying to show the audience.
This story talked a lot about the fragility of life and how people shouldn't waste it. No matter what stage you are in at any point in your life, whether it be in high school studying to perfect your SAT scores or sitting in a forest contemplating life and existence, people shouldn't take what they have for granted. I think this was one of the most important messages in this story. To not waste your life studying, but to actually try to live it.
The story went by very quickly, but it was a good kind of quickly. It didn't drag on for too long, but it also didn't rush past important parts of the story. It had very good pacing to it.
I would recommend this to anyone. It doesn't matter if you absolutely love contemporary teen fiction or not, this is just an amazing novel that everyone should read.
I am going to put on one of my favorite quotations from the book now, so if you don't want to read it, stop reading this review now:
"There's a difference between being dead and dying. We're all dying. Some of us die for ninety years, and some of us die for nineteen. But each morning everyone on this planet wakes up one day closer to their death. Everyone. So living and dying are actually different words for the same thing, if you think about it."
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The King's Men (All for the Game, #3) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
4.5 stars
This one picks up a few days after the second book with Neil a battered mess and on his way to the Foxhole Court for training. He has some explaining to do to his team mates about where he disappeared to over Christmas and about the state he's in. Add in the tension that's sparked between Neil and Andrew and the budding friendship between the rest of the group and this is a roller coaster.
Everything was now out in the open and the shit had hit the fan, pitting Neil against his abusive father, and I was honestly waiting for Andrew to come kicking the door down to rescue him. (I'll let you read it to figure out if that actually happened) It was some crazy stuff but God, I was hooked. I'm just glad that nobody I'm come to care about in this series died in this one. Good riddance to the evil ones though.
I haven't been this invested in a series or bunch of characters in a long time. I was literally bouncing in my seat when the final match between the Foxes and the Ravens began, thinking "Come on, guys, you can do it!" and what a ride it was! I actually had to put it on hold while i went to work at 98% and couldn't stop thinking about it on my half hour walk, waiting for when i could finish those last few pages. It was killing me! Luckily I had a little time before I started and binged it and wow! I wish that there had been a separate little epilogue with just Andrew and Neil to see them now that the threat had gone. (I totally understand why people have written fanfic about this series!)
Every single one of the characters grew in one way or another as people, thanks to Neil's urging - okay, maybe not Andrew as such, he's still a little psychotic at times - and I feel like most other people who've read this book that i may have to reread it once a year or so just to relive this amazing series. Yes, it is dark in places but you can't help caring for this team of friends and urging them to come out of the other end after their crappy upbringings.
This one picks up a few days after the second book with Neil a battered mess and on his way to the Foxhole Court for training. He has some explaining to do to his team mates about where he disappeared to over Christmas and about the state he's in. Add in the tension that's sparked between Neil and Andrew and the budding friendship between the rest of the group and this is a roller coaster.
Everything was now out in the open and the shit had hit the fan, pitting Neil against his abusive father, and I was honestly waiting for Andrew to come kicking the door down to rescue him. (I'll let you read it to figure out if that actually happened) It was some crazy stuff but God, I was hooked. I'm just glad that nobody I'm come to care about in this series died in this one. Good riddance to the evil ones though.
I haven't been this invested in a series or bunch of characters in a long time. I was literally bouncing in my seat when the final match between the Foxes and the Ravens began, thinking "Come on, guys, you can do it!" and what a ride it was! I actually had to put it on hold while i went to work at 98% and couldn't stop thinking about it on my half hour walk, waiting for when i could finish those last few pages. It was killing me! Luckily I had a little time before I started and binged it and wow! I wish that there had been a separate little epilogue with just Andrew and Neil to see them now that the threat had gone. (I totally understand why people have written fanfic about this series!)
Every single one of the characters grew in one way or another as people, thanks to Neil's urging - okay, maybe not Andrew as such, he's still a little psychotic at times - and I feel like most other people who've read this book that i may have to reread it once a year or so just to relive this amazing series. Yes, it is dark in places but you can't help caring for this team of friends and urging them to come out of the other end after their crappy upbringings.