Search
Search results
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Evil Thing: A Villains Novel (Villains #7) in Books
Jan 14, 2022
I absolutely adore the Villains series. They are such good, quick reads and give an insight into how circumstances in someone’s life can make them into a villain. Evil Thing is no different.
Evil Thing is Cruella De Vil’s story, but not the story that we all think we know. It is styled as a memoir starting with Cruella’s childhood, or the childhood she remembers with rose tinted glasses from the age of eleven onwards. We see how she knew Anita Darling (before she married Roger) and how they were childhood friends who even went to finishing school together for a while. We see how Anita came to have Perdita. And we see exactly how Cruella ended up descending into madness in Hell Hall.
I was a little disappointed that we didn’t have anymore of the Odd Sisters story in this book, but I suppose it was left on a little bit of a cliffhanger, so I can only hope that Serena Valentino will revisit them in the future. But I also realise that it wouldn’t make sense to have them in this book, with Cruella’s life being in London and not in the realm of fairies and witches. It is however referenced as Cruella and Anita’s favourite fairytale book, where they follow Circe and Princess Tulip, which did make me smile.
While this isn’t my favourite of the Villains series (Mistress of All Evil takes that title!) I do like how it is just that little bit different from the others. I wonder if Cold Hearted will be written in the same style or another different style? It will be interesting to find out.
Evil Thing is Cruella De Vil’s story, but not the story that we all think we know. It is styled as a memoir starting with Cruella’s childhood, or the childhood she remembers with rose tinted glasses from the age of eleven onwards. We see how she knew Anita Darling (before she married Roger) and how they were childhood friends who even went to finishing school together for a while. We see how Anita came to have Perdita. And we see exactly how Cruella ended up descending into madness in Hell Hall.
I was a little disappointed that we didn’t have anymore of the Odd Sisters story in this book, but I suppose it was left on a little bit of a cliffhanger, so I can only hope that Serena Valentino will revisit them in the future. But I also realise that it wouldn’t make sense to have them in this book, with Cruella’s life being in London and not in the realm of fairies and witches. It is however referenced as Cruella and Anita’s favourite fairytale book, where they follow Circe and Princess Tulip, which did make me smile.
While this isn’t my favourite of the Villains series (Mistress of All Evil takes that title!) I do like how it is just that little bit different from the others. I wonder if Cold Hearted will be written in the same style or another different style? It will be interesting to find out.
Hell Train (The Cursed Manuscripts)
7.0
Rate It
Book
On December 21, 2012, according to the Mayan Calendar, the world was supposed to end. It didn't. But...
Death by Smoothie
10.0
Rate It
Book
It’s the funny side of homicide in acclaimed TV comedy writer and novelist Laura Levine’s newest...
Sweat Connection (Hot Under the Collar #1)
10.0
Rate It
Book
One disaster bi single dad. One sexy plumber on a house call. One hot-as-hell romance…. Rhys ...
Contemporary MM Romance
Debbiereadsbook (1444 KP) rated Town Bronze Box Set in Books
Sep 1, 2024
it was a wonderful read!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
3 stories, about three young men, finding themselves in 1812 London.
I found these easy reads, not too taxing on the emotional or angst side, and they were a welcome change after a couple of books that were high on both scales.
I loved watching each man fall, in a way they did not expect. Given the time, these men could have been hanged if they were caught, but what I liked about these was THAT particular fact wasn't too stressed. In some historical books, those things are shoved down your throat on almost every page, but not so here. Oh it's mentioned, don't get me wrong, but it's mostly in passing, what might happen if they get caught.
The three shorts aren't particularly explicit, but they are really rather sweet in the steaminess level. I liked that, a lot. And they were all a bit different, so that was good.
Two things stopped me giving it 5 stars.
This is the first I've read of this author. I'm not sure if it's her general style, or just these books, but it was very WORDY. Lots of words used to describe things. I found it a bit off putting in places, to be honest.
And I found the three shorts kinda ended, totally out the blue! Very abrupt endings, that threw me!
The short bonus chapters made up for some of it, but still.
WIll I read more by this author? Possibly.
4 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewheree
3 stories, about three young men, finding themselves in 1812 London.
I found these easy reads, not too taxing on the emotional or angst side, and they were a welcome change after a couple of books that were high on both scales.
I loved watching each man fall, in a way they did not expect. Given the time, these men could have been hanged if they were caught, but what I liked about these was THAT particular fact wasn't too stressed. In some historical books, those things are shoved down your throat on almost every page, but not so here. Oh it's mentioned, don't get me wrong, but it's mostly in passing, what might happen if they get caught.
The three shorts aren't particularly explicit, but they are really rather sweet in the steaminess level. I liked that, a lot. And they were all a bit different, so that was good.
Two things stopped me giving it 5 stars.
This is the first I've read of this author. I'm not sure if it's her general style, or just these books, but it was very WORDY. Lots of words used to describe things. I found it a bit off putting in places, to be honest.
And I found the three shorts kinda ended, totally out the blue! Very abrupt endings, that threw me!
The short bonus chapters made up for some of it, but still.
WIll I read more by this author? Possibly.
4 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewheree
Debbiereadsbook (1444 KP) rated Cowboy Watch (The Watchers #1) in Books
May 11, 2025
I found it kinda sweet, with very little spice.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Kellan inherits her mother's house. She doesn't want it, it holds too many bad memories. But things start to change when she goes home to close up the house and land for sale. She meets Luke for a start. He doesn't want her to sell, for his own reasons. Then someone starts shooting at Kellan, and there is someone watching Kellan.
I liked this. I found it kinda sweet, with very little spice. Not a bad thing, but it needs mentioning. It does carry some violence, on page, to both Kellan and Luke, I do, however, think it was necessary for the pinnacle of the plot.
I think what . . bothered. . . me the most was this book is billed as the Watchers stories. Taken straight from the blurb: Offered parole in exchange for penance, these Watchers are given the toughest bodyguard missions with little leeway for success.
One last chance.
These are their stories . . .
And we get very little, only a teeny tiny bit in the last chapter! I wanted more from The Watchers, how they were feeling about how things were going, and what they were going to do next. How they felt about being given this last chance, and there is nothing from them, other than when they reveal who they are to Kellan and Luke right at the end.
So, a Nice book, with a little drama, that filled a gap between two very heavy reads, but doesn't quite deliver what it promised.
3 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Kellan inherits her mother's house. She doesn't want it, it holds too many bad memories. But things start to change when she goes home to close up the house and land for sale. She meets Luke for a start. He doesn't want her to sell, for his own reasons. Then someone starts shooting at Kellan, and there is someone watching Kellan.
I liked this. I found it kinda sweet, with very little spice. Not a bad thing, but it needs mentioning. It does carry some violence, on page, to both Kellan and Luke, I do, however, think it was necessary for the pinnacle of the plot.
I think what . . bothered. . . me the most was this book is billed as the Watchers stories. Taken straight from the blurb: Offered parole in exchange for penance, these Watchers are given the toughest bodyguard missions with little leeway for success.
One last chance.
These are their stories . . .
And we get very little, only a teeny tiny bit in the last chapter! I wanted more from The Watchers, how they were feeling about how things were going, and what they were going to do next. How they felt about being given this last chance, and there is nothing from them, other than when they reveal who they are to Kellan and Luke right at the end.
So, a Nice book, with a little drama, that filled a gap between two very heavy reads, but doesn't quite deliver what it promised.
3 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Kids French ABC alphabets book for preschool Kindergarten & toddlers boys & girls with free phonics & nursery rhyme game style song as an educational app for montessori learn to read letters flash cards fun by sound sight & touch to improve vocabulary.
Education and Games
App
Kids French ABC alphabets book is a very interactive and colorful book for toddlers to learn French...
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated A Courtesan's Scandal (The Scandalous Series, #3) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
A Courtesan’s Scandal by Julia London
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Summary: Kate is a courtesan who only lives the way she does to keep herself from being tossed into the streets. She is “sold” to the Prince of Whales, but as the price is married, he cannot afford a scandal. While the prince divorces his wife, he instructs the Duke of Darlington to be seen in public with Kate so that nobody suspects him. But Kate and Grayson, the Duke, aren’t expecting to fall in love.
Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it was pretty entertaining at times, but on the other it was hard to sit down and read more than a few chapters at a time. I found the story rather trivial, really it was all silly politics and unfaithfulness in marriage.
I couldn’t finish this book. I got to the part where they fall in love (a little more than halfway) and just didn’t have the patience to finish it. There wasn’t much of a story line besides, again, politics and reputation and sex.
Characters: The characters were the strong point in this book. They were very real and well developed immediately, and I enjoyed their dialogue.
Writing: The writing was also very good. It’s very refreshing to read a novel that uses good sentence structure and a wide range of vocabulary. The prose flowed nicely.
Content: There was no language, but some sex in the book. The scenes were pretty outlined and there were a few pages I skipped. Occasionally a man is drunk and says something a bit odd, but other than that there are no major alcohol references.
Recommendation: Ages 16+ (18+ if you’re picky about content) to lovers of historical fiction and romance, and quick easy reads.
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Summary: Kate is a courtesan who only lives the way she does to keep herself from being tossed into the streets. She is “sold” to the Prince of Whales, but as the price is married, he cannot afford a scandal. While the prince divorces his wife, he instructs the Duke of Darlington to be seen in public with Kate so that nobody suspects him. But Kate and Grayson, the Duke, aren’t expecting to fall in love.
Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it was pretty entertaining at times, but on the other it was hard to sit down and read more than a few chapters at a time. I found the story rather trivial, really it was all silly politics and unfaithfulness in marriage.
I couldn’t finish this book. I got to the part where they fall in love (a little more than halfway) and just didn’t have the patience to finish it. There wasn’t much of a story line besides, again, politics and reputation and sex.
Characters: The characters were the strong point in this book. They were very real and well developed immediately, and I enjoyed their dialogue.
Writing: The writing was also very good. It’s very refreshing to read a novel that uses good sentence structure and a wide range of vocabulary. The prose flowed nicely.
Content: There was no language, but some sex in the book. The scenes were pretty outlined and there were a few pages I skipped. Occasionally a man is drunk and says something a bit odd, but other than that there are no major alcohol references.
Recommendation: Ages 16+ (18+ if you’re picky about content) to lovers of historical fiction and romance, and quick easy reads.
*＊✿❀ Maki ❀✿＊* (7 KP) rated The Lightning Thief in Books
May 3, 2018
Percy Jackson is a series that I've been meaning to get around to for ages. Pretty much everybody I know who have read the books absolutely adore them.
So, when I needed a few quick reads to play catch up on my reading challenge, I decided that it was a good enough time to give the series a go.
...and it's not too bad.
There was a lot about The Lightning Thief that I enjoyed. The premise was a lot of fun. I liked the humor - especially the chapter titles. I liked the translation of Olympus from ancient European culture to modern American culture. I loved that this is a kids' series that rewards children for knowing mythology - if you're familiar with Greek myths at all, you'll know almost from the start of each encounter what Percy and the group are up against.
That's also kind where I started having problems, though.
The book is essentially non-stop action. Which isn't, in itself, a bad thing. But the action plays out like a series of video game encounters. Percy and his friends will travel so far in their quest, run into someone/a monster who will (sometimes accidentally) help them get to the next step of their quest, where they'll travel a certain distance again before running into something else. Repeat throughout the entire book. There are small moments of character building, but they're squeezed in where they'll fit between action scenes.
I'm more than willing to admit that that's just me, though. I'm not exactly the book's intended audience, and I can completely see how the pacing and whatnot would appeal to kids. I did enjoy it enough to continue on in the series, though.
So, when I needed a few quick reads to play catch up on my reading challenge, I decided that it was a good enough time to give the series a go.
...and it's not too bad.
There was a lot about The Lightning Thief that I enjoyed. The premise was a lot of fun. I liked the humor - especially the chapter titles. I liked the translation of Olympus from ancient European culture to modern American culture. I loved that this is a kids' series that rewards children for knowing mythology - if you're familiar with Greek myths at all, you'll know almost from the start of each encounter what Percy and the group are up against.
That's also kind where I started having problems, though.
The book is essentially non-stop action. Which isn't, in itself, a bad thing. But the action plays out like a series of video game encounters. Percy and his friends will travel so far in their quest, run into someone/a monster who will (sometimes accidentally) help them get to the next step of their quest, where they'll travel a certain distance again before running into something else. Repeat throughout the entire book. There are small moments of character building, but they're squeezed in where they'll fit between action scenes.
I'm more than willing to admit that that's just me, though. I'm not exactly the book's intended audience, and I can completely see how the pacing and whatnot would appeal to kids. I did enjoy it enough to continue on in the series, though.
Lee Ann (116 KP) rated Moonlight Sins in Books
May 18, 2018
This book is so awkward. That's really the only way I can put it. The female MC flits between sounding like a woman in her 20s to a teenager and back again with alarming regularity.
The three de Vincent brothers are flat. It's like JLA picked out three primary alpha male qualities, gave one to each and figured that was enough. Devlin is the silent, mysterious one, Gabe is the easygoing one and Lucian is the playboy. Each trope isn't a bad one, but there's barely any fleshing out.
The plot alludes to ghosts haunting the house, but nothing ever really comes of that other than ghostly footsteps and flickering lights happening here and there but have no real impact on the story, it's like they're used as an excuse for mystery.
The primary storyline is okay - Lucian is painted as a womaniser at first, and the first few scenes with him are boring and predictable. When he first meets Julia, the JLA we know and love shines through for a while, with witty banter and Lucian gets a little bit of padding.
Sadly, the plot seems to lose its way at some point - it's almost like she's trying to hard and throwing as much into the mix as she can to ensure she covers all bases.
The result is a messy read, up and down, good parts and bad. It reads mostly like it should be YA, but with some of the most awkward sex scenes with things like "he caught her nipple between thumb and forefinger and did something that...." lots of sentences in these scenes end with "did something that..." we never find out what that something is lol
Overall, it's not horrible, but it was awkward and clumsy. I do have the second one on preorder, so we'll see..
The three de Vincent brothers are flat. It's like JLA picked out three primary alpha male qualities, gave one to each and figured that was enough. Devlin is the silent, mysterious one, Gabe is the easygoing one and Lucian is the playboy. Each trope isn't a bad one, but there's barely any fleshing out.
The plot alludes to ghosts haunting the house, but nothing ever really comes of that other than ghostly footsteps and flickering lights happening here and there but have no real impact on the story, it's like they're used as an excuse for mystery.
The primary storyline is okay - Lucian is painted as a womaniser at first, and the first few scenes with him are boring and predictable. When he first meets Julia, the JLA we know and love shines through for a while, with witty banter and Lucian gets a little bit of padding.
Sadly, the plot seems to lose its way at some point - it's almost like she's trying to hard and throwing as much into the mix as she can to ensure she covers all bases.
The result is a messy read, up and down, good parts and bad. It reads mostly like it should be YA, but with some of the most awkward sex scenes with things like "he caught her nipple between thumb and forefinger and did something that...." lots of sentences in these scenes end with "did something that..." we never find out what that something is lol
Overall, it's not horrible, but it was awkward and clumsy. I do have the second one on preorder, so we'll see..