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Beyond the Veil (The Veil, #1)
Beyond the Veil (The Veil, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have developed a bit of a recent obsession with Pippa DaCosta books but this one has been on my Kindle for quite a while now, longer than the other two books I've read recently. So here goes:

We meet Charlie Henderson, half demon half human who has an affinity for metal and reading its history. When assassin Stefan walks into her blacksmith shop asking her to read a weapon of his it sets in motion a little mystery for us readers as we try to figure out who's trying to kill Charlie and what Stefan wants with her.

It was all very intriguing as Charlie tried to figure out who to trust and as the story unravelled I was rather caught up in it. I was cheering Charlie on as she finally started to believe in her own strength and lets not forget the romance that began to spark between Charlie and Stefan.

After that ending, I am definitely going straight into book two.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Talisman in Books

Mar 27, 2019  
The Talisman
The Talisman
Stephen King, Peter Straub | 1984 | Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.3 (30 Ratings)
Book Rating
A great read
Whenever I pick up a door stop of a Stephen King novel, I always expect great things as most of his epic novels are fantastically good. And for the most part, The Talisman definitely meets expectations.

It's a great fantasy story filled with all manner of concepts including alternate worlds, werewolves, wizards etc and it does well to blend all of these together into a cohesive story without becoming too convoluted. Jack is an endearing main character and develops well over the course of the story, and all of the other characters too are in their own ways intriguing, even Morgan Sloat as the bad guy. This story really reminds me of The Dark Tower series, which isn't a bad thing as it had a similar quest type theme. My only criticisms are that it seems to drag a little towards the very end, which isn't good for a 700 page book. And also I've never read any Peter Straub, but I could tell reading this the parts that weren't all King, and I think the story might have been worse off for it. When you've read as many of King's books as i have, you can tell his narrative apart and whilst it's still a very good book, I would've been interested to see how this book would've turned out if it had been written by him alone.

That said, I feel like I need to read the sequel now in the hope it's just as good!
  
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Keli is an attorney building her own practice, she’s also a semi closeted Wiccan. When an ill-fated favour for a friend lands her not only in the middle of a murder investigation, but also a person of interest in the investigation, Keli attempts to clear her name, find the real killer, and save her reputation. Whilst also struggling with her now public identity as a practising Wiccan.
I loved this book!! It was a nice quick read, no complicated texts, although some things, I felt, were a little bit over explained. Saying that it was a good engaging story, the characters were well developed, and I love it when I feel I’ve learnt something from a book too. As there was also a nice touch where Hesse gives a few little insights into the life of a practicing Wiccans. As a pagan myself, it was actually quite a joy to read these aspects openly described in the book. I hope that this could also help any non-esoteric types gain a better insight into what Wicca is really all about.
This is the fifth book in a series. I haven’t actually read any of the other books in the series, so was a little worried that there would be a lot of references that wouldn’t make sense, or characters with pre-existing back story. Surprisingly had a good standalone storyline, I thoroughly enjoyed it without needing any prior knowledge of the series. All the characters were well introduced and any references to past events were relevant to the story and had a brief explanation with it.
In fact, I enjoyed this so much, I’ve now purchased Midsummer nights mischief (book one in the Wiccan wheel mystery series)
  
The Princess Diarist
The Princess Diarist
Carrie Fisher | 2017 | Biography
10
7.5 (22 Ratings)
Book Rating
I want to start off by saying that I was so saddened to hear about Carrie's passing. She was a childhood hero of mine, so to see that she was gone was devastating.

Carrie Fisher was a brilliant woman, but like was not always kind to her. She battled with addiction, depression, and so many other things, but I would have never guessed it.

It was interesting to actually read what she thought of herself when she was younger. With her self worth and self-esteem issues, it was very easy to identify with her journal pages. Now, having read the whole book, I know she would tell me to buck up and don't give a damn about what other people think of me. Which is something I am trying to do now. It honestly hurt to read these things because I can see myself in these pages. People are so quick to put these famous people on pedestals and forget that they are human too. I can say that I did the same thing.

Yes, we get information on her affair with Harrison, but I don't necessarily want to get into that. If you want information on it, feel free to pick up the book.

We also get an understanding of how fame affected her. She often speaks of her own mortality, talking about how people will see her after her death. Many of these things have already started happening. For example, she talked about how she would be forever immortalized by her pictures as Princess Leia with those buns she hated so much. Oh, and she loved fan interactions because it showed why her work was important to others.

I loved reading this book and I am going to pick up some of her other biographies.
  
AF
Awaiting Fate (Fated Immortals, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this so much. I read this one not realizing it was a spin off from another series, but it wasn't necessary to read the other series first even though I do have a feeling I would understand some of the characters more if I had. However, it is NOT needed at all. Cain is so hott. He is a demon, he is sexy, and when he turns demon so much yummy. He has insecurities and jealousy. He loves his mate so much but is worried she won't want or need him so he takes his time. Olivia is amazing. She is so strong but thinks she isn't. She was sheltered because of her fear and needing her brother so much. She falls for Cain who is a demon and she is a werewolf so she isn't supposed to love a demon. They both have to work through so much just to be together including his issues and her brother. This is an amazing start to this series and thanks to reading this one I now need to read the other series before this one. I highly recommend this book if you love paranormal romance.
  
Daughter of Persephone (Cerberus #1)
Daughter of Persephone (Cerberus #1)
Helen Scott | 2021 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
43 of 250
Kindle
Daughter of Persephone ( Cerberus book 1)
By Helen Scott

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Poppy is nothing special.

She was making ends meet and trying to enjoy life. But a strange necklace caught her eye at the thrift store. Now, three gorgeous men have stumbled into her life, and she's torn between being terrified and excited. That is until they tell her she is the future queen of the Underworld.

Not only that, but she needs to bond with her hellhounds, the three heads of Cerberus, and protect the Underworld from a goddess who wants it for herself. Forced to face unnatural enemies, and too-sexy-for-their-own-good men, Poppy must choose: keep the life she's always had or take her rightful place as queen.

If she survives.



Wasn’t sure I was going to like this! Although I love my Greek mythology themed books! I was actually surprised it was good the running theme is similar to a lot of those that I’ve read but it still made an enjoyable read. It’s certainly a series I’ll see through.
  
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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Lingus in Books

Jan 12, 2021  
Lingus
Lingus
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
4.5 stars.

I'll start by saying that the only reason I read this was because of this reading list on BookLikes: http://booklikes.com/apps/reading-lists/146/books-to-fall-in-love-with

And I'm really glad that I did because despite the cover, which I'll admit put me off quite a bit, I really enjoyed this story. I totally get the cover now too after reading it.

To put it bluntly one of the main characters is a porn star and our lead female meets him at a porn convention (I didn't even know these existed! Maybe it's more of an American thing since I've never heard of them in the UK). And they meet and get along famously. From there it's a series of meetings and get-togethers with other friends that eventually leads to something more and I LOVED IT!

I'm a sucker for a good romance with an interesting plot and this certainly had that. I loved Triston. And Kat. And the rest of the gang, including the dog!

If you like a funny read with sex toys, romance and crazy friends then this would be the perfect read for you.
  
Murder in the Graveyard
Murder in the Graveyard
Various Authors | 2025 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Watch Out for the Extra Body
Just in time for Halloween, we get this fun collection of murders set in and around graveyards. In addition to the unexpected dead body or two, we also get involved in revenge, teenage parties, amnesia, family feuds, and an escaped convict. Many of these stories are set around Halloween, although a few take place at other times of the year. And yes, a couple lean into the spooky, but it always fits the story, so I didn’t mind.

Many of these authors featured their series stars. I’ve read many of those novels, so it was fun to spend time with them. For those who I haven’t met outside of these short story collections, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything with the stories we got here. Each story was fun, taking me about half an hour to read. With nine stories, we get plenty of content. I was smiling through most of them, even laughing some. And the stories kept me engaged from start to finish.

Whether you read this book now or open it in a different season of the year, you’ll enjoy these stories.
  
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Gail Honeyman | 2017 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
8.6 (80 Ratings)
Book Rating
Pros: ▪ Character is relatable ▪ Laugh out loud moments ▪ unpredictable storyline (although I did catch on pretty quick)
▪ Realistic mental health
No cons today!
Oh Eleanor! What an absolute incredible story. She is the most relatable character I have read about so far in any book.
Like many others this book isnt what I had expected, I'm not really sure what I was expecting but this certainly wasn't it, I avoided reading this for so long because it had been hyped up so much I didn't want to be disappointed. I was not disappointed, actually pleasantly surprised!
I have to admit, I did catch on to the plot twist that is revealed at the end, quite quickly, but even so once I had read it I put it down and thought wow, such clever writing!
This is the first 10 rating I've given since Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient, after reading that I didn't expect to find another 10 rating so soon.
Gail Honeyman has such a unique yet genuine way of writing, she perfects the descriptive writing concerning mental health and loneliness and keeps it extremely realistic and relatable. I have read many books now where the main character has complex mental health issues but usually the authors get a bit too unrealistic with it, however, Honeyman keeps it realistic, so much so it almost feels like reading a memoir. I wish it was a memoir because I'd love to meet Eleanor in real life and just give her a big hug!
Nobody should ever feel lonely, even more so whilst dealing with mental health, unfortunately that is reality for too many people nowa days.