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Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear
Book
"Part memoir, part history, part documentary, part impassioned manifesto...it might be the most...
Amelia Peabody's Egypt: A Compendium
Elizabeth Peters and Kristen Whitbread
8.0
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The Egypt that so enticed and enchanted intrepid archaeologist-sleuth Amelia Peabody in the late...
No Fear (No Shame #3)
10.0
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Aaron is drowning. After coming out as gay, he lost his parents’ approval, his job, and his sense...
M_M Contemporary Romance
Omega Required (Wolves in the World #1)
Book
An alpha werewolf chasing his dream meets an omega fighting for his life in a strictly temporary...
Mpreg MM Paranormal Romance
The East End
9.0
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THE EAST END opens with Corey Halpern, a Hamptons local from a broken home who breaks into mansions...
Drugs Crime Alcohol Addiction Love Dysfunction Family
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Man Who Died Twice in Books
Sep 5, 2021
One Heck of a Hoot!
I have read and enjoyed the first in this series which introduced us to the members of The Thursday Murder Club and what a surprising and enjoyable read it was; this second instalment is, in my opinion, even better. You don't have to have read the first as The Man Who Died Twice can be read as a standalone but it will certainly help to have a knowledge of the main characters.
I am loving being back amongst the members of the Thursday Murder Club - Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim and the additional, but definitely not superfluous, characters of Chris, Donna, Stephen, Bogdan, Patrice and Kendrick ... I love them all and really enjoyed getting to more about them which was skilfully woven within the story. The relationships they have with each other is special and really shows the value of friendship, trust and loyalty.
Reading The Man Who Died Twice is like putting on a pair of comfy slippers, a fluffy dressing gown, cosying up on the sofa in front of a real fire with the rain pouring down outside - perfect. Do not, however, be mistaken - this is not a cosy mystery, it is so much more than that - it has action, humour (lots of it), violence (although not a lot and not gratuitous) and tender moments all wrapped up in an excellent plot which is addictive and enthralling.
Is it plausible? Not really but its one heck of a hoot and I love it and cannot wait for the next .. there'd better be one Mr Osman!
Many thanks to Penguin General UK via NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
I am loving being back amongst the members of the Thursday Murder Club - Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim and the additional, but definitely not superfluous, characters of Chris, Donna, Stephen, Bogdan, Patrice and Kendrick ... I love them all and really enjoyed getting to more about them which was skilfully woven within the story. The relationships they have with each other is special and really shows the value of friendship, trust and loyalty.
Reading The Man Who Died Twice is like putting on a pair of comfy slippers, a fluffy dressing gown, cosying up on the sofa in front of a real fire with the rain pouring down outside - perfect. Do not, however, be mistaken - this is not a cosy mystery, it is so much more than that - it has action, humour (lots of it), violence (although not a lot and not gratuitous) and tender moments all wrapped up in an excellent plot which is addictive and enthralling.
Is it plausible? Not really but its one heck of a hoot and I love it and cannot wait for the next .. there'd better be one Mr Osman!
Many thanks to Penguin General UK via NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
Merissa (13382 KP) rated Jenelyn's Journey: The Werewolf of Wittlich in Books
Nov 21, 2022
A very different story is being told here and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
JENELYN'S JOURNEY: THE WEREWOLF OF WITTLICH is the first book in the Jenelyn's Journey series and we start off in L.A. with Jenelyn and her parents. Because she is now eighteen, she must start her Journey, following where the Spirits lead. She will start her Journey in Germany, the starting point changing for each person but following as tradition dictates. Luckily for Jenelyn, a German couple who helped her mother on her own Journey, have agreed to let Jenelyn stay with them.
I loved the changes in German and American cultures and traditions, as seen through Jenelyn's eyes. She had a wide-eyed wonder about the architecture, places, and people that I thoroughly enjoyed. She was both naive and street-smart which worked for her. She makes friends and has great relationships with various people in her life, which just makes the goodbyes so much harder! Gretchen and Laszlo were brilliant characters with their own secrets but always supportive of Jenelyn.
I would say this book was a bit heavier on the mystery side than the Spirits. There wasn't as much on the supernatural side as I was expecting, but I still found it interesting, especially with how it all tied together. The book is immersive in Germany, so I expect the same will happen in the next book - I won't say where she's off to next so I don't spoil it for anyone.
A very different story is being told here and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I loved the changes in German and American cultures and traditions, as seen through Jenelyn's eyes. She had a wide-eyed wonder about the architecture, places, and people that I thoroughly enjoyed. She was both naive and street-smart which worked for her. She makes friends and has great relationships with various people in her life, which just makes the goodbyes so much harder! Gretchen and Laszlo were brilliant characters with their own secrets but always supportive of Jenelyn.
I would say this book was a bit heavier on the mystery side than the Spirits. There wasn't as much on the supernatural side as I was expecting, but I still found it interesting, especially with how it all tied together. The book is immersive in Germany, so I expect the same will happen in the next book - I won't say where she's off to next so I don't spoil it for anyone.
A very different story is being told here and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
ClareR (5996 KP) rated The Hemlock Cure in Books
Apr 6, 2023
The Hemlock Cure was a fascinating insight into the lives of ordinary people during the Black Death (Bubonic Plague) epidemic of 1665-1666. The plague is very much in the background of this story for most of it, though.
The real evil isn’t a disease, it’s being shut in with people who clearly do not have good intentions.
The village of Eyam is well known for the decision to shut itself off from the outside world when its inhabitants started to become ill and die. They understood that the only way to halt the spread of the disease was to isolate themselves - a selfless act.
This novel looks at some of the families and their relationships inside and outside of their family units. The local apothecary and his daughter Mae, are one such family. Mae is desperate to be her fathers apprentice, but this isn’t a time in history where it’s safe for a woman to be working with herbs. So Mae studies with the midwife and a local wise woman (who are both also skating on thin ice, truth be told).
The plague wasn’t a constant in London it appears, and we travel there with one of the main characters. The contrast between the country village and London was quite something to read. I could almost smell the difference off the page!!
I enjoyed the pacing of this book: in Eyam the time crawls, whilst in London everything is all hustle and bustle.
The slow reveal of the terrible secrets in Mae’s family are not so much shocking as terrifying. Wulfric, Mae’s father, is not a well man. It seems to be a race against time for Mae.
I would most definitely recommend this book to historical fiction fans - and if you like a mystery, you may well like this as well.
The real evil isn’t a disease, it’s being shut in with people who clearly do not have good intentions.
The village of Eyam is well known for the decision to shut itself off from the outside world when its inhabitants started to become ill and die. They understood that the only way to halt the spread of the disease was to isolate themselves - a selfless act.
This novel looks at some of the families and their relationships inside and outside of their family units. The local apothecary and his daughter Mae, are one such family. Mae is desperate to be her fathers apprentice, but this isn’t a time in history where it’s safe for a woman to be working with herbs. So Mae studies with the midwife and a local wise woman (who are both also skating on thin ice, truth be told).
The plague wasn’t a constant in London it appears, and we travel there with one of the main characters. The contrast between the country village and London was quite something to read. I could almost smell the difference off the page!!
I enjoyed the pacing of this book: in Eyam the time crawls, whilst in London everything is all hustle and bustle.
The slow reveal of the terrible secrets in Mae’s family are not so much shocking as terrifying. Wulfric, Mae’s father, is not a well man. It seems to be a race against time for Mae.
I would most definitely recommend this book to historical fiction fans - and if you like a mystery, you may well like this as well.
Merissa (13382 KP) rated The Mayfair Moon (The Darkwoods Trilogy #1) in Books
Mar 31, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)
About a week ago I was lamenting the fact that I am so behind on reading the books that I have downloaded onto my Kindle, and that I have so many now (over a thousand) that I can't remember what they are about. I have now come to realise that this is not always a bad thing. For hidden in the middle of August 2012, I have just read a book that is absolutely fantastic.
I will start by saying that it is the Paranormal genre, which as most of you know, is a favourite of mine. It has been compared to the Twilight Saga and admittedly, if you have read the books - not just seen the films - there are similarities and not just for the fact that there are werewolves. But there are also striking differences which make this book stand alone and not just in the shadow of Twilight.
This is a gritty, fast-paced book with well-rounded characters that you can get your teeth into (pardon the pun). There are twists and turns, revelations and mysteries, good guys who are not saccharine sweet and evil guys that you really do dislike. The relationships between the characters are believable and I know I had a best friend like Harry and still do.
There is violence and blood in this book but it does not take over the story and becomes unnecessary. This actually makes a nice change from the loveable, cuddly werewolves that you normally get who are so soft they can't fight out of a wet paper bag.
Recommended for anyone who was Team Jacob, who like Paranormal with a hint of romance and for all who like reading about werewolves.
* Verified Purchase ~ August 2012 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
July 27, 2016
I will start by saying that it is the Paranormal genre, which as most of you know, is a favourite of mine. It has been compared to the Twilight Saga and admittedly, if you have read the books - not just seen the films - there are similarities and not just for the fact that there are werewolves. But there are also striking differences which make this book stand alone and not just in the shadow of Twilight.
This is a gritty, fast-paced book with well-rounded characters that you can get your teeth into (pardon the pun). There are twists and turns, revelations and mysteries, good guys who are not saccharine sweet and evil guys that you really do dislike. The relationships between the characters are believable and I know I had a best friend like Harry and still do.
There is violence and blood in this book but it does not take over the story and becomes unnecessary. This actually makes a nice change from the loveable, cuddly werewolves that you normally get who are so soft they can't fight out of a wet paper bag.
Recommended for anyone who was Team Jacob, who like Paranormal with a hint of romance and for all who like reading about werewolves.
* Verified Purchase ~ August 2012 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
July 27, 2016
Merissa (13382 KP) rated Charmed & Dangerous in Books
Apr 15, 2023
First off, I think this is the first anthology I've ever given a 5-star rating for! Normally it's a 4-star as some stories are better than others but going for the average, it's a 4-star. I did the same with this collection - some I liked more than others - but the average rating is still 5 stars. There are new authors here (for me at least) and now I'm very happy as I can go searching for more of their books.
There is a little bit of everything for everyone here - the common thread being MM romance. Some are new relationships, and some are already established, but each story is individual and very well-written. Some (but not all) of my favourites were 'A Queer Trade', 'The Thirteenth Hex' and 'The Soldati Prince'. All different, all brilliant, all thoroughly enjoyable.
I could mention each and every one but you'd become bored so all I will say is that if you know at least one of these authors and like their work, then I can highly recommend this collection. If you don't know any of these authors but like M/M Romance, then I can highly recommend this collection. If you like a variety of M/M stories including shapeshifters, witches, a vaguely steampunk-type story, alternate realities etc, then I can highly recommend this collection. I'm sure you're getting the idea by now so there you go. I highly recommend this collection and loved it!
* 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!
Aug 25, 2015
There is a little bit of everything for everyone here - the common thread being MM romance. Some are new relationships, and some are already established, but each story is individual and very well-written. Some (but not all) of my favourites were 'A Queer Trade', 'The Thirteenth Hex' and 'The Soldati Prince'. All different, all brilliant, all thoroughly enjoyable.
I could mention each and every one but you'd become bored so all I will say is that if you know at least one of these authors and like their work, then I can highly recommend this collection. If you don't know any of these authors but like M/M Romance, then I can highly recommend this collection. If you like a variety of M/M stories including shapeshifters, witches, a vaguely steampunk-type story, alternate realities etc, then I can highly recommend this collection. I'm sure you're getting the idea by now so there you go. I highly recommend this collection and loved it!
* 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!
Aug 25, 2015