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Deep Waters (Jagged Shores #3)
Deep Waters (Jagged Shores #3)
Thom Collins | 2022 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!


Harry has a sailing boat that tourists can rent out. He has been hired by writer Christian Costner to help him get a lay of the land and research for a new book the author is planning on writing. However, the weather takes a turn for the worse so they have to cut the trip short and head back to the shore, as they are heading back Christian is adamant he has seen somebody in the swell of the waves so speaks out. Harry, his onboard help and cousin Tom look to discover there is somebody in the water so a daring rescue takes place. They recover the body but that is only the start!


Thom has a very easy style of writing and it captivated me from the get-go. This is the 3rd book in the jagged shores series but can be read as a stand-alone. It has intrigue and mystery that does keep you guessing until it's all out in the open who has committed the crime. It certainly hoodwinked me I normally can be quite good at guessing whodunit but I was completely off the mark.

I was rooting for the relationship between Harry and Christian as it was something they both needed. There are sex scenes but nothing too crass.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the author's writing and look forward to reading more of his books.


** 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. *
  
Headshot (Model Love)
Headshot (Model Love)
JP Sayle | 2022 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
freaking loved it!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This book, right?? I freaking LOVED IT!!

Oh I might gush, so #sorrynotsorry it was so bloody good!

It's part of the Model Love series, a multi author series of stand alone books. But here we get to revisit with some of Sayle's other characters and I loved being able to cath up with Griffin and Charlie and of course, Nana!

Kit saved jack has loved him ever since. He's not quite sure when things changed for him, but they did. Now Kit's lifes work, Garfield House for homeless kids, is threatened and Jack will do anything for Kit.

I loved that while Jack loves Kit, he really does try to keep away. I loved that he decided to go for Kit and he really goes all in. I love that Kit loved Jack but was bound by his own sense of proper, even if Jack had left the house ages ago.

I loved that once they both accepted that they should be together they go all in and fully and totally commit to each other. I'm not usually one for professions of love early on but these two have dacned around each other for years!

It's steamy, and smexy. It's emotional and funny, Nana does her best to wreak her havoc. There isn't much drama, except that about the house, but I think this book didn't need it.

I loved this book, I really did. And I'll leave it at that.

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
The Final Hunt
The Final Hunt
Audrey J. Cole | 2022 | Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
3 good, but not for me, stars
Independent reviewer for Arcaheolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is the second book of Cole's I've read, and I think, the last. I had pretty much the same feeling about this one as I had about the other book I read.

Cameron is mourning her husband and finds a memory stick that sends her life into a tailspin. Finding out your husband is a serial killer is bad enough, but thinking he might not actually be dead and that he implicated her? She knows what she needs to do.

Sometimes, you need a book that has everything laid out for you very early on, and you can see exactly where it's gonna go, what's gonna happen and it veers very little from that long straight road. And I think, that this is such a book.

You put everything together quickly enough, putting all the pieces on the board and watching them do their thing. There was a few minor twists and turns, but none that were total shockers.

I did like the way Cameron dealt with the situation she found herself in, and that little bit at the end that did actually leave me wondering!

I can't say it was a Nice book, because of the subject matter, but it really is a relatively easy read that wiled away a few hours. I'm just sorry it really wasn't one for me.

While it isn't for me, what is here is well written, well delivered and well edited.

3 good, but not for me, stars.

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Caught Off Guard by Beth Laycock
Caught Off Guard by Beth Laycock
Beth Laycock | 2022 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I needed Tristan and I don't get him.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I think, this book fell in my queue right at the point I needed it to, and I really REALLY liked! Not quite enough to love it, but I will explain why.

Only Lane gets a voice. Yes, yes YES I know I say it often enough, but I am big enough and ugly enough to admit when I might be wrong about this, but I NEEDED Tristan, and I don't get him.

I needed to hear what he thought of Lane, right at the beginning. I needed to know what he was feeling when he kisses Lane that first time. I needed to know what was going through his head when he blanks Lane and I NEEDED, I really NEEDED to know what he was feeling when things are finally sorted with Lane's brother.

I can't word this bit right, without giving anything away, so if this doesn't make sense, I'm sorry!

Things with Lane's brother don't end how I thought they would and (please don't hate me!) I actually loved that they didn't. It was a twist I did not see coming, and I was reading at work, and I must have made a noise cos a customer asked me if I was ok. So, well played there, Ms Laycock, very well played.

Like I said, only Lane gets a say, and that's the only reason I can't stretch to 5 stars!

4 really REALLY good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Kiss of Darkness (Curse of the Guardians #1) by Taylor Aston White
Kiss of Darkness (Curse of the Guardians #1) by Taylor Aston White
Taylor Aston White | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am now fully invested is this group of Guardians, and them finding their mates!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Oh I liked this, a LOT! It sort of grabs you, and doesn't let go, runs you through a wringer and spits you out again! And then you gotta wait Lord know how long til the fun starts again!

Kyra is a witch, and is bound to serve in exchange for her life. But when that threatens the lives of ordinary people, she know she has to stop it, somehow. Xander is forced to protect her while things settle but Xander hates black witches, with good reason. Given as they are both keeping secrets, things are bound to boil over. And when they do, sparks fly.

Like I said, I liked this. It's dark and deadly, it's keeping things from you, it's smexy in places, and downright blood thirsty in others. There is much going on and you gotta concentrate while running through that wringer, let me tell ya! It's been a long time since I had a book that did that!

Both Kyra and Xander have a say, and I loved that. I loved all of Xander's Guardian team, and there was a pairing I saw here, with Kyra's friend, that might just be as explosive as Kyra and Xander are.

I can't wait, cos I am now fully invested is this group of Guardians, and them finding their mates!

I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page, but nah, upgrading to the full

5 stars!

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Dexterity Check (Dungeons and Dating #5)
Dexterity Check (Dungeons and Dating #5)
Katherine McIntyre | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I wanted to punch Eli a time or two!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 5 in the Dungeons and Dating series. While not strictly necessary to have read books one to 4 before this, I strongly recommend that you do. It will give you a better feel of this group of people and their ever expanding found family. I loved all four of the previous books.

And while I liked this one well enough, there was something different about it and I can't put my finger on it and it pains me so that I can't!

I liked Arjun, and I liked Eli, both together and separately. I liked their interactions with the rest of the group. The progression of their relationship went as I expected it to. I loved Arjun's grandmother and how much love there is between those two! I loved how easy Eli fit into to that.

I did not like how Eli kinda strung Arjun along, when he was making a decision about moving, though! I wanted to punch him a time or two.

BUT! I do understand WHY Eli is the way he is. He has been hurt before, and they both went into this clear and up front as to what it was. It's just those pesky feelings doing their thing that throws a spanner in the works!

I enjoyed this; I really did. It's a welcome addition to the series. I just didn't love it as much as the other 4 books.

4 stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
A Love To Remember
A Love To Remember
Sarah Hadley Brook | 2018 | Erotica, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
so desperately wanted to hear from Sam!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Graham takes his dad to the cabin in the woods, because he cannot be on his own anymore. Ravaged by Alzheimer's, his father needs calm, and peace. But Graham can no longer look after his dad and work, so he hires an in-home nurse, Sam. Sam and Graham have met before, after a brief hook-up. Sam wants more, but Graham has to take a step back, and make Sam realise, what's slowly killing his father could very well kill him too.

It's only short, this one, some 85 pages, but Brook manages to get a lot in those 85 pages!

We get the intensity of that initial hook-up. We get all of Graham's fears for his dad. We get all of Graham's emotions trying to keep Sam at arms length, while fighting to pull him close. We get all of GRAHAM.

What we don't get is Sam. Any Sam, at all. And that's the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars, because it is single person point of view. Had Sam had a say, this could well have been a 5 star read, it really could!

It's not overly complicated, just two men falling in love while one tries really hard not to. There is no major breakup/make up, no nutty exes. It has some sexy time, and some emotional times, especially when Graham is fighting with himself to look after dad but having to admit that he really can't.

It really is a lovely, if short, read. Passed an hour, while watching the rain, on a Sunday afternoon.

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Machine, Metal, Magic (Mind % Machine #1)
Machine, Metal, Magic (Mind % Machine #1)
Hanna Dare | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
really REALLY good
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Jaime runs, after the facility he and his kind were housed in, was attacked and everyone else killed. He can talk to the computers that run everything. He thinks this is not a gift, but a curse. He finds himself taken prisoner by a starship crew, carrying a cargo that needs delivering. Rylan is his jailer. But Rylan is keeping secrets from his crew, just as much as they keep secrets from him.

Sci-fi is growing on me, it really is!

Sometimes, sci-fi can be a little overwhelming, with all the technology and what-not, but not so here. I loved how it was explained how Jaime talks to the computers, to the ship, and to Rylan's artificial arm. Love how they play with that one ?

Loved how we don't get what Rylan is up to,not all in one go, and loved how I did not see what was in the cargo coming at me, never in a million years! I had an idea, but that was way off base!

I wrote four stars at the top of the page, but honestly?? Can't find a single thing to fault it!

 First in the series Mind + Machine, and I hope I get to read more. Also first I've read of Ms dare, so hope that it's not the last. I loved how she spins her tale, how you don't get it all in one go, just in dribs and drabs, a little at a time. Meant I can keep up!

so, because I can't fault it....

5 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Attachments
Attachments
Rainbow Rowell | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.4 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
Attachments was a really cute story. It's one of the weirdest love stories that you will ever root for!

Lincoln works in the IT department of The Courier, the local newspaper. But Lincoln doesn't have a typical IT job. It's his job to flag any email messages that contain personal messages or any kind of threat against the paper. For the most part, the job is a mindless night of not having much to do. But nearly every night he's got something in his folder that has been flagged. Mostly, it's the emails between the movie reviewer, Beth and her best friend, copy editor, Jennifer. There isn't anything harmful in the emails, but they are all deeply personal. When Lincoln finds himself falling in love with one of these women just through their email correspondence, he's not sure how he's going to be able to face her without telling her how he knows her.

Through a series of strange encounters and near misses, the opportunity never arises for them to formally meet, and to top it all off, she already has a boyfriend. Will Lincoln ever find a way to tell this girl how he feels? Will she ever feel the same way knowing what he had done? Would they ever find a love that would "leave the lights on all the time"?


The thing I liked best about the book, is that there aren't any overly handsome or beautiful people in it. The characters could be your friends or your neighbors, or the person you are sitting next to at work. It's a story we can all get behind. This is the first book I have read by Rainbow Rowell, but not the first one that I had put on my TBR list. I am for sure going to read more!
  
Ryker (Owatonna U Hockey #1)
Ryker (Owatonna U Hockey #1)
RJ Scott, V.L. Locey | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not sure I liked Ryker!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

**This review will be short, I really dislike writing the three star reviews!**

Ryker is hockey royalty, coming up as 4th generation championship winning players. Jacob works his family farm with his mum and dad. Both end up at hockey camp for the summer, and are polar opposites in most things. Sharing a room brings them closer, then camp is over and they are on opposite sides of the country. When Ryker switches college to be closer to Jacob, will Jacob let him?

I can't put my finger on why this one didn't work for me, and ya'll know how much that does my head in! So, here's what I DID like.

Both Jacob and Ryker have their say, so we get both sides of the coin. Both voices are clear and very different, and their voice is in the first person. Each change is clearly headed, and comes as the chapter changes.

I saw no spelling or editing errors to spoil my reading.

I tagged it as a short read, because it does NOT seem as long as the billed 196 pages! One sitting read, too.

There are some characters from the series this one spins off, and that makes me want to go back and read THEIR series, or at least, Jared and Ten (Ryker's dad and step dad) stories.

I just . . . .DON'T know what didn't work!

Or at least, that was what I thought when writing this review. Now I'm typing it up, I *think* it might be Ryker himself. I dunno, maybe. Possibly.

So, gonna leave it at that.

3 good solid but maybe not for me, stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**