Search
Search results
Putting It On: The West End Theatre of Michael Codron
Michael Codron and Alan Strachan
2.0
Rate It
Book
Michael Codron is undoubtedly the leading producer of postwar British theatre. Still active after an...
The Best of MAKE
Book
In the two years and 10 volumes since its debut in early 2005, "MAKE": has become one of the hottest...
AT
Approaches to Teaching the History of the English Language: Pedagogy in Practice
Mary Hayes and Allison Burkette
5.0
Rate It
Book
The History of the English Language has been a standard university course offering for over 150...
RB
Rebel Barons: Resisting Royal Power in Medieval Culture
Book
Ambivalence towards kings, and other sovereign powers, is deep-seated in medieval culture:...
To be or Not to be
Douglas Bruster, Simon Palfrey and Ewan Fernie
Book
"Shakespeare Now!" is a series of short books of truly vital literary scholarship, each with its own...
Safari: A Memoir of a Worldwide Travel Pioneer
Book
In this breathtaking travel memoir and adventure guide, the legendary founder of the world's premier...
ClareR (6054 KP) rated The Shape of Darkness in Books
Feb 21, 2021
The Shape of Darkness was well worth the wait! I’ve read two of Laura Purcell’s books on The Pigeonhole, so when this book came up on NetGalley, I knew that I had to read it. This has been one of my half term reads, and well worth the wait!
Agnes is a silhouette artist in Victorian Bath, and she struggles to support her sickly mother and her nephew - although his father does contribute some money to help feed and clothe him (and help Agnes and her mother too).
Shortly after one of Agnes’ clients leaves her studio, he is murdered. She then discovers that another client has also been murdered - there is an unnerving pattern forming here, because this is just the start. In order to get some insight, Agnes decides that she should consult a medium. This is where Pearl and her sister Myrtle, a mesmerist-in-training, come in. Pearl is ethereal, a child with albinism, and seems to genuinely possess the gift of communicating with the dead.
This is an unnerving, chilling and at times, quite a scary book. It’s full of the detail of Victorian life too: poverty, class distinctions, the hustle and bustle of a busy Victorian Bath. I loved the dark, gothic feel, too. It contained loads of details of life, of how technology was changing and affecting the lives of Victorians. And it was just a really excellent mystery that kept me guessing to the very end. If you’re going to read it (and I strongly suggest that you do!), just don’t read it with only the little light on if you’re spooked easily!
Many thanks to Raven Books for providing me with an e-book through NetGalley to read and review.
Agnes is a silhouette artist in Victorian Bath, and she struggles to support her sickly mother and her nephew - although his father does contribute some money to help feed and clothe him (and help Agnes and her mother too).
Shortly after one of Agnes’ clients leaves her studio, he is murdered. She then discovers that another client has also been murdered - there is an unnerving pattern forming here, because this is just the start. In order to get some insight, Agnes decides that she should consult a medium. This is where Pearl and her sister Myrtle, a mesmerist-in-training, come in. Pearl is ethereal, a child with albinism, and seems to genuinely possess the gift of communicating with the dead.
This is an unnerving, chilling and at times, quite a scary book. It’s full of the detail of Victorian life too: poverty, class distinctions, the hustle and bustle of a busy Victorian Bath. I loved the dark, gothic feel, too. It contained loads of details of life, of how technology was changing and affecting the lives of Victorians. And it was just a really excellent mystery that kept me guessing to the very end. If you’re going to read it (and I strongly suggest that you do!), just don’t read it with only the little light on if you’re spooked easily!
Many thanks to Raven Books for providing me with an e-book through NetGalley to read and review.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Falling (Fall or Break, #1) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
DNF @ 37%
This had been on my Amazon wish-list for quite a while before I bought this and then even longer before I got around to reading it. (Another of those A-Z reading challenge reads.)
We start by learning about Malachi and how he's struggling to find a job and living with his sister and her rather mean husband who has a set of rules that Malachi must abide by if he wants to stay there. He does find Malachi a job and in the process Malachi meets the guy he's been obsessing over at the local shop. In rolls Harper, recently released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, he's renovating his old home with his dads money and Malachi ends up working on the house. They both have an attraction to the other but try to ignore it for their own reasons but it's impossible.
I don't know about this one. I can't say I ever really got into it. I carried on for a while longer but it never really...picked up for me. I didn't feel like I cared enough about the characters to carry on so I finally gave up.
The only thing I felt a little interested in was the fact that Harper had been put in prison for a crime he didn't commit and then spent ten years in prison, every appeal shot down in flames, because everyone thought he was guilty. I did feel like an injustice had been served and those two boys needed some sort of karma to come bite them in the arse for the lies they told.
And I liked that it was set in the UK. Most of the books I read are set in America so it's nice to read something set somewhere different.
This had been on my Amazon wish-list for quite a while before I bought this and then even longer before I got around to reading it. (Another of those A-Z reading challenge reads.)
We start by learning about Malachi and how he's struggling to find a job and living with his sister and her rather mean husband who has a set of rules that Malachi must abide by if he wants to stay there. He does find Malachi a job and in the process Malachi meets the guy he's been obsessing over at the local shop. In rolls Harper, recently released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, he's renovating his old home with his dads money and Malachi ends up working on the house. They both have an attraction to the other but try to ignore it for their own reasons but it's impossible.
I don't know about this one. I can't say I ever really got into it. I carried on for a while longer but it never really...picked up for me. I didn't feel like I cared enough about the characters to carry on so I finally gave up.
The only thing I felt a little interested in was the fact that Harper had been put in prison for a crime he didn't commit and then spent ten years in prison, every appeal shot down in flames, because everyone thought he was guilty. I did feel like an injustice had been served and those two boys needed some sort of karma to come bite them in the arse for the lies they told.
And I liked that it was set in the UK. Most of the books I read are set in America so it's nice to read something set somewhere different.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated A Dragon's Heart in Books
Nov 3, 2020
183 of 200
Kindle
A dragons Heart
By Terry Bolryder
A mate worth fighting for…
Tor and Perry are Dragon shifters, powerful protectors of their region and the people and shifters in it. With the world only getting more evil, Tor and Perry know there’s only one thing to do. Find a mate, one brave enough to be gifted with a third dragon power to join their triad. They just need to find someone brave. Too bad the only woman they seem to be interested in is their curvy secretary, a woman they found hiding under a desk…
Lexie knows she’s no hero. Always the first to run, she is just grateful the dragons found her when they did and rescued her from a bad situation. She’s fine just being their secretary, as it gives her a safe place while they try to track down the people that are still after her. Even if being around tall, dark and handsome Tor and graceful, elegant Perry is starting to do funny things to her lady bits.
As the three work together in close quarters, sparks fly between Lexie and her dragon employers, threatening to ignite into a blaze. But though they know they can’t be together, they can’t resist stoking the flames, and when trouble catches up, all three will have to decide just what they are willing to lose, and what’s really worth fighting for…
Read preview >
Ok so I’ve read a few of Terry Bolryders books now and they follow a pattern and are decent reads, after finishing the Tiger box set this was added to the end and I found myself getting emotional god knows if it’s just me but this story was one of the best! I absolutely loved the Tor! These books are fabulous for those that love the shifters!
Kindle
A dragons Heart
By Terry Bolryder
A mate worth fighting for…
Tor and Perry are Dragon shifters, powerful protectors of their region and the people and shifters in it. With the world only getting more evil, Tor and Perry know there’s only one thing to do. Find a mate, one brave enough to be gifted with a third dragon power to join their triad. They just need to find someone brave. Too bad the only woman they seem to be interested in is their curvy secretary, a woman they found hiding under a desk…
Lexie knows she’s no hero. Always the first to run, she is just grateful the dragons found her when they did and rescued her from a bad situation. She’s fine just being their secretary, as it gives her a safe place while they try to track down the people that are still after her. Even if being around tall, dark and handsome Tor and graceful, elegant Perry is starting to do funny things to her lady bits.
As the three work together in close quarters, sparks fly between Lexie and her dragon employers, threatening to ignite into a blaze. But though they know they can’t be together, they can’t resist stoking the flames, and when trouble catches up, all three will have to decide just what they are willing to lose, and what’s really worth fighting for…
Read preview >
Ok so I’ve read a few of Terry Bolryders books now and they follow a pattern and are decent reads, after finishing the Tiger box set this was added to the end and I found myself getting emotional god knows if it’s just me but this story was one of the best! I absolutely loved the Tor! These books are fabulous for those that love the shifters!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Bones to Pick in Books
Apr 18, 2021 (Updated Apr 18, 2021)
I’m Glad I Picked This Debut
Vegan chef Brie Hooker hadn’t planned to start working on her aunt Eva’s goat farm and dairy, but when Eva needs help, Brie is happy to step in. That’s before a pot-bellied pig turns up bones – human bones. The skeleton turns out to be Eva’s husband, who disappeared four decades ago. There was no love lost between Eva and her husband, but Eva didn’t kill him. However, he has too many relatives in the area who are willing to blame Eva, so Brie starts investigating, hoping to clear her aunt. When another dead body turns up, Brie finds herself in trouble with the law as well. Are the two dead bodies related? Can she figure out what happened?
The characters drew me into this book right away; they are fully developed and fun. Their teasing and Brie’s creative meat and cheese curses added a level of humor that I enjoyed. The book was hard to put down with plenty of events to keep me engaged. Unfortunately, I did feel that the events took the place of the investigation moving forward, which frustrated me. However, the climax resolved things and upped the stakes in a major way. This book is a bit edgy for my normal reads, on the border between PG and PG-13, thanks in part of the teasing Brie gets about her love life. Yes, this book does introduce a love triangle. While I am getting tired of them, I do like both of the guys here, so I hope it doesn’t get dragged out for very long. Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you enjoy humor in your mysteries, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
The characters drew me into this book right away; they are fully developed and fun. Their teasing and Brie’s creative meat and cheese curses added a level of humor that I enjoyed. The book was hard to put down with plenty of events to keep me engaged. Unfortunately, I did feel that the events took the place of the investigation moving forward, which frustrated me. However, the climax resolved things and upped the stakes in a major way. This book is a bit edgy for my normal reads, on the border between PG and PG-13, thanks in part of the teasing Brie gets about her love life. Yes, this book does introduce a love triangle. While I am getting tired of them, I do like both of the guys here, so I hope it doesn’t get dragged out for very long. Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you enjoy humor in your mysteries, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
