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A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold, #9.5)
A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold, #9.5)
Susan Mallery | 2012 | Contemporary, Romance
10
9.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fun Christmas Read
This is a great book for anyone looking to get into the holiday spirit. The plot is much like that for your typically Hallmark movie, and I for one love it.
Evie is a dancer who finds herself in the small town of Fools Gold after she is injured. The story follows her as she reconnects with her family, and fights against her attraction for the boy next door.
This is technically part of a series, but you do not need to be familer with the other books to enjoy it. I do want to read the other books as soon as possible now. Mostly in hopes of my favorite characters making an appearance.
  
Gerard's Beauty (Kingdom, #2)
Gerard's Beauty (Kingdom, #2)
Marie Hall | 2012
7
7.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Beauty and the beast with a twist
A not so classic retelling of Beauty and the Beast, as seen through the eyes of the villain...

Betty Hart has had it with men. Jilted in love, her life now consists of shelving books by day, watching too much Anime by night, and occasionally dressing up like a superhero on ...

The second book in the Kingdom series and for a short read it was pretty good. I enjoy Marie Halls take on the beloved fairy tales bringing them up to date with a bit of spice. Gerard's beauty is a spin on beauty and the beast but with a bit of a twist. An easy but fun read!
  
TF
The Furthest Station (Peter Grant, #5.5)
Ben Aaronovitch | 2017 | Crime, Paranormal
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read the first entry in Ben Aaronovitch's Peter grant series (Rivers of London) a few years back.

It was an OK read, but didn't really grab me enough to want to go out and pick up others in the series.

However, this novella was recently on sale on Amazon Kindle a while back for something like 99 pence, so I thought I would give it another go. And what is immediately obvious is just how much I've missed by skipping those full-length novels in-between Rivers of London (#1) and this (# 5.5).

Which is probably why I struggled to get into this: as before, I found this an OK read (once I got past the initial "who's s/he now? What're they talking about?" confusion, but nothing that would pull me back into the world of PC Grant
  
Three Dark Crowns
Three Dark Crowns
Kendare Blake | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
7.8 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
pacing (1 more)
story
world building (0 more)
Great Read
I bought this book probably over a year ago while browsing some books in my local supermarket. The cover pulled me in, but the blurb made me buy the book. It was a promising premise of the book and I knew I just had to buy it and find out what happens.

Overall, I love the book. It is such a refreshing read from the stock, cliche, ya books you usually read. This has originality in it. The characters are fully developed and interesting. The story does feel like it is going too slowly or too quickly unless it is needed. It is a well written book and well worth the read if you want something different to you traditional YA reads.

My only woe with this book is the somewhat lack of world building. Usually it would be enough if the book was not a fantasy. But I feel all fantasy books, especially those not based on our world, in our time, needs a lot of world building to it. Sure, there is a map, and you can some world building and traditions/ceremonies. But I am still unsure of what the whole island looks like as a whole. Is it a hot country? Cold? Is it mountainous or flat? Is it a large island or small? Do they have electricity or not? It is just simple things like this, and to be honest, I'm just nit-picking here because I did rather enjoy the whole story.

Now if you need me, I will be reading the second book, One Dark Throne because that cliff-hanger at the end was so juicy I need to find out more...
  
    Big Weather Forecast

    Big Weather Forecast

    Weather and Travel

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    See the Weather Live - on a BIG, SIMPLE, and EASY TO READ display. See the temperature, humidity and...

Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter #2)
Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter #2)
Sherrilyn Kenyon | 2003 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.3 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well I loved the first book, I think I gave it five stars. This one, not so much. Unfortunately for it, the romance was based on reincarnation which is not something I enjoy reading about. I think it's because I don't get to really see the relationship grow, more like scenes of them now and then when the feelings are already there and I feel a little cheated.

Nevertheless, I still love the secondary characters and can't wait to read more. Zarek certainly has me intrigued and I can't wait to see who makes him turn all warm and gooey.

Not just yet, though. I appear to have lost interest in paranormal books right now, but soon.
  
The Stranger (Jude Lyon)
The Stranger (Jude Lyon)
Simon Conway | 2020 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Complex, tense and gripping
I was lucky enough to be invited to read "The Stranger" by Hodder & Stoughton after having read and reviewed other books from their catalogue in the past. I haven't read anything by Simon Conway despite this being his fifth book and, if I'm honest, I hadn't heard of him before either but he is definitely on my radar now.

This is a complex tail involving terrorists, spies, lies and subterfuge within the murky world of MI6. I admit that it took me a while to get into it but once I did, I couldn't put it down. The characters are believable and interesting and the plot is complex, tense and gripping and, unfortunately, not beyond the realms of reality.

This is a very well written and researched spy thriller and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review and for introducing me to yet another great author.
  
House Of Leaves
House Of Leaves
Mark Z. Danielewski | 2000 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.4 (14 Ratings)
Book Rating
Multiple plotlines building on top of each other. (0 more)
Yes, it is challenging..
I know a few people that gave up on this one.. while I have reread it multiple times.. The author challenges the reader in multiple ways. I honestly loved the fact that by the end you almost felt like you were also on the edge of sanity.. you are witnessing the building insanity in the main character, all due to the ravings of a mad man.. Now, if you happen to have POE'S album Haunted, play it while you read.. she wrote the music while he wrote the book... It brings a unique sense of continuity.
  
40x40

Erika (17789 KP) rated Neverwhere in Books

Jun 19, 2018  
Neverwhere
Neverwhere
Neil Gaiman | 2003 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.8 (25 Ratings)
Book Rating
Gaiman is very hit or miss for me. I've only really liked one book.
I really disliked Neverwhere when I first read it, it took me forever to get through, and I really liked the idea of the novel, just not the execution. But, yes, I am rating this an 8. The reason for this high of a rating is the BBC production of this book with James McAvoy. That radio adaption made me like it so much more, and I've now listened to it twice.
After this, I decided to only audiobook or get BBC productions of Gaiman's novels, but thus far, it's still been a bust.
  
Learning to Feel
Learning to Feel
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Huh...2.5 stars.

As mentioned in my previous N.R. Walker review, I seem to love all her books...apart from this one. I don't know what it was about it but i was a little bored by it.

I don't know if it's due to the other M/M series I've just read, where they were rather naughty questionable straight guys who ended up in gay relationships but this paled in comparison to the excitement I felt for the other stories.

It's probably unfair to compare them but that's the kind of mood I'm in right now.

It was far too sweet and gentle for me.