Search
Search results
Merissa (11805 KP) rated One Wish Away in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I received this book from YA Bound Books Tours and NetGalley as part of the blog tour in return for a fair and honest review.
This book has a unique (as far as I know) concept in that scientists have figured out the way to harness the energy from stars into actually making wishes come true. The name for this project is the Cricket Project ie Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio.
It is a slow burner that builds up and tries to incorporate a lot of different elements into it - high school, romance, sci-fi, government plots, time alteration to name just some. Because of this, it can be quite jumpy as it flits from one aspect to another. There were also some aspects of it that just seemed completely unbelievable - and that's if you turn a blind eye to the actual star part of it. For example, a 16-year-old that thinks it is perfectly acceptable to go sneaking into a government building by stealing her dad's pass-card. And then nothing happens once she is caught except that she is offered a job!
An interesting concept with a twist but just not right for me. I liked it but I won't be going any further with the series.
This book has a unique (as far as I know) concept in that scientists have figured out the way to harness the energy from stars into actually making wishes come true. The name for this project is the Cricket Project ie Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio.
It is a slow burner that builds up and tries to incorporate a lot of different elements into it - high school, romance, sci-fi, government plots, time alteration to name just some. Because of this, it can be quite jumpy as it flits from one aspect to another. There were also some aspects of it that just seemed completely unbelievable - and that's if you turn a blind eye to the actual star part of it. For example, a 16-year-old that thinks it is perfectly acceptable to go sneaking into a government building by stealing her dad's pass-card. And then nothing happens once she is caught except that she is offered a job!
An interesting concept with a twist but just not right for me. I liked it but I won't be going any further with the series.
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Wildfire in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I received this book free from StoryCartel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I love books about shifters and if you throw in a bit of romance as well then I'm happy. I wasn't too sure about the mystery part of this book but I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did. This is a fast paced, funny, action packed book.
Lynn is a wonderful main female who is trying to figure out how to go one when the one rock in her life has been killed and she was accused of killing her. Then she gets a feeling that her best friend is in danger so of she goes. Lynn spends a lot of time second-guessing herself, both as human and as dragon, but seriously, if you've been through what she has, I think you'd take a step backwards too.
I loved the "tempting firefighter" and hated the "flirty city developer" so it didn't really come as a surprise that he was the bad guy. However, how it was wrapped into the story was wonderful and a delight to read.
If you want to read about dragons, firefighters, hormones, mystery then give this one a go!
http://archaeolibrarianologist.blogspot.de/2014/02/wildfire-paranormal-mystery-with.html
I love books about shifters and if you throw in a bit of romance as well then I'm happy. I wasn't too sure about the mystery part of this book but I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did. This is a fast paced, funny, action packed book.
Lynn is a wonderful main female who is trying to figure out how to go one when the one rock in her life has been killed and she was accused of killing her. Then she gets a feeling that her best friend is in danger so of she goes. Lynn spends a lot of time second-guessing herself, both as human and as dragon, but seriously, if you've been through what she has, I think you'd take a step backwards too.
I loved the "tempting firefighter" and hated the "flirty city developer" so it didn't really come as a surprise that he was the bad guy. However, how it was wrapped into the story was wonderful and a delight to read.
If you want to read about dragons, firefighters, hormones, mystery then give this one a go!
http://archaeolibrarianologist.blogspot.de/2014/02/wildfire-paranormal-mystery-with.html
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Shadow of Deception (The Kazumi Chronicles #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
There is so much that goes on in this book, but that is not a bad thing. In fact, even when it had finished, I still needed more!!
You get a prologue with a young child, then it skips forward ten years and she is the sole survivor of a plane crash. You don't know how or why, and you stay with "Gabi" as she tries to figure out who she is and where she belongs. She is taken to a secret location where there is a specialised group of people called Sarcomeres.
I won't go into the story any further as I hate giving away spoilers. Suffice it to say, I loved every word. It is full of action and intrigue, with snippets of memory surfacing occasionally. There is certainly more than enough to keep your attention! With a hint of romance between Finn and Gabi/Kazumi as well, this is a well-rounded story with full-bodied and believable characters.
This is certainly an author I will be following and I really hope that she brings out more books in general, but specifically with this world and characters. Highly recommended.
* I received this book from Xpresso Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
You get a prologue with a young child, then it skips forward ten years and she is the sole survivor of a plane crash. You don't know how or why, and you stay with "Gabi" as she tries to figure out who she is and where she belongs. She is taken to a secret location where there is a specialised group of people called Sarcomeres.
I won't go into the story any further as I hate giving away spoilers. Suffice it to say, I loved every word. It is full of action and intrigue, with snippets of memory surfacing occasionally. There is certainly more than enough to keep your attention! With a hint of romance between Finn and Gabi/Kazumi as well, this is a well-rounded story with full-bodied and believable characters.
This is certainly an author I will be following and I really hope that she brings out more books in general, but specifically with this world and characters. Highly recommended.
* I received this book from Xpresso Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Polar Nights (Under an Arctic Sky #1.5) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I received this book from NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.
This story is set in Svalbard where Andreas is in his last year of University to gain his Masters Degree in Geophysics. Until he is able to get into his dorm, he is due to stay with his step-mother's brother, Christian, which would be okay except Andreas has had a crush on Christian for years.
They are awkward with each other as they try to fight the attraction for a number of reasons, not the least being Christian's concern with how the family would see it and that both of them is afraid to say anything in case of rejection.
This is a gentle, sweet romance with a couple of sexy scenes in there that help you to feel the depth of love they have for each other. The supporting characters are all interesting and with their own stories that I would like to hear more about as the series continues.
There was only one editing issue that I found which was where the word sceptic had been used instead of sceptical. This certainly did not ruin my enjoyment and there was nothing more than that that I saw.
Thoroughly enjoyable and definitely one to continue in the series.
This story is set in Svalbard where Andreas is in his last year of University to gain his Masters Degree in Geophysics. Until he is able to get into his dorm, he is due to stay with his step-mother's brother, Christian, which would be okay except Andreas has had a crush on Christian for years.
They are awkward with each other as they try to fight the attraction for a number of reasons, not the least being Christian's concern with how the family would see it and that both of them is afraid to say anything in case of rejection.
This is a gentle, sweet romance with a couple of sexy scenes in there that help you to feel the depth of love they have for each other. The supporting characters are all interesting and with their own stories that I would like to hear more about as the series continues.
There was only one editing issue that I found which was where the word sceptic had been used instead of sceptical. This certainly did not ruin my enjoyment and there was nothing more than that that I saw.
Thoroughly enjoyable and definitely one to continue in the series.
Anne (15117 KP) rated Frankly in Love (Frankly in Love, #1) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
Thanks to Libro.fm and Penguin Random House Audio for letting me listen and review this book. I was curious about this book since everyone was talking about it so I decided to check it out and I'm glad I listened to the audio because I don't think I would have done as well reading it. It was a little challenging for me to finish it even with the audio as it was.
I liked the story idea and premise to the story with the fake dating trope and the insight into Korean culture and family and culture issues and differences. It was a good portrayal of YA/teen years and crushes and romances and other things. There were a few things that caught me off guard, but for the most part, it seemed to be pretty straight forward.
This isn't my usual reading genre, but I thought it was alright although my biggest things were 1-it seemed a bit long, which is one of the reasons why audio helped and 2 - the language - there was so much profanity and language that I didn't enjoy, so that's my two cents on that.
If you like romance, fake dating tropes and such then you'll probably like this.
I liked the story idea and premise to the story with the fake dating trope and the insight into Korean culture and family and culture issues and differences. It was a good portrayal of YA/teen years and crushes and romances and other things. There were a few things that caught me off guard, but for the most part, it seemed to be pretty straight forward.
This isn't my usual reading genre, but I thought it was alright although my biggest things were 1-it seemed a bit long, which is one of the reasons why audio helped and 2 - the language - there was so much profanity and language that I didn't enjoy, so that's my two cents on that.
If you like romance, fake dating tropes and such then you'll probably like this.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Smoke and Mirrors & White Lies (Grey Areas #4) in Books
Nov 26, 2019
The epic saga of the events set in motion by Barrett Grayson fleeing a murder investigation comes to a head in this final installment. This doesn't let the series down.
Barrett is wondering what to do with the secret his dying father told him. Claire is wondering if her future is with Barrett. Della De Marco's life hangs in the balance while her FBI agent brother is seeking to find out the truth about Sergeant Jackson's involvement with the drugs cartel.
The number of threads and number of characters that need to be covered are enormous but nothing is left out. All are given time and all the stories come to a conclusion. It is hard to imagine how much time Carl spent plotting everything that is going on but it all ties up very nicely and at a pace which means nothing is rushed despite the amount of ground that has to be covered.
Once again we have everything from romance to a gunfire laden confrontation in a warehouse. The whole of life is here and the author shows us the frailties and strengths of human nature in all its forms.
A fantastic conclusion to the series that started so long ago with a stranger appearing in Gable, Iowa
Barrett is wondering what to do with the secret his dying father told him. Claire is wondering if her future is with Barrett. Della De Marco's life hangs in the balance while her FBI agent brother is seeking to find out the truth about Sergeant Jackson's involvement with the drugs cartel.
The number of threads and number of characters that need to be covered are enormous but nothing is left out. All are given time and all the stories come to a conclusion. It is hard to imagine how much time Carl spent plotting everything that is going on but it all ties up very nicely and at a pace which means nothing is rushed despite the amount of ground that has to be covered.
Once again we have everything from romance to a gunfire laden confrontation in a warehouse. The whole of life is here and the author shows us the frailties and strengths of human nature in all its forms.
A fantastic conclusion to the series that started so long ago with a stranger appearing in Gable, Iowa
Awix (3310 KP) rated The War of the Worlds in TV
Dec 2, 2019
Grisly non-adaptation of the immortal H.G. Wells story retains the same basic premise and the very occasional moment, but essentially scoops out the innards of the actual novel and replaces them with indescribably turgid attempts to (I would guess) update the story and make it relevant to the modern world.
Part of a grim tradition where BBC attempts to adapt SF, fantasy and horror classics operate to different standards than when they are tackling Austen or Dickens. If the team who perpetrated War of the Worlds got their hands on Pride and Prejudice, it would end up being a lesbian romance between the Bennets' maid and one of the minor daughters, performed on ice, with a frame story concerning the Boer war. It's not just that it does the book badly, it genuinely doesn't seem interested in it at all. Someone gets a leaden, clumsy speech articulating the subtext of the novel (how to adapt a great book for the hard-of-thinking) but as to what this version of the story is supposed to be about or why we should care at all... It takes real skill and determination to screw up a classic piece of literature quite this badly.
Part of a grim tradition where BBC attempts to adapt SF, fantasy and horror classics operate to different standards than when they are tackling Austen or Dickens. If the team who perpetrated War of the Worlds got their hands on Pride and Prejudice, it would end up being a lesbian romance between the Bennets' maid and one of the minor daughters, performed on ice, with a frame story concerning the Boer war. It's not just that it does the book badly, it genuinely doesn't seem interested in it at all. Someone gets a leaden, clumsy speech articulating the subtext of the novel (how to adapt a great book for the hard-of-thinking) but as to what this version of the story is supposed to be about or why we should care at all... It takes real skill and determination to screw up a classic piece of literature quite this badly.
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Open Mind (Kink Chronicles #1) in Books
Feb 5, 2020
bdsm, contemporary, grrc, m-m, read, romance
OPEN MIND is the first book in the Kink Chronicles and we meet Jamie and Ronan. Jamie is 28 and has been a travelling nurse for the past couple of years but is now ready to settle down. Ronan has settled down but is in need of a new nurse for his specialised practice!
This story is an interesting mix of being sweet and full of kink! Different kinds of kink so if kink is your thing, there is probably at least one scene in here you will like. As for Jamie and Ronan, I kind of thought they were the perfect pair - once Ronan pulled his head out of his backside! Not every relationship is destined to be monogamous and so long as everyone agrees to that BEFORE anything happens, I'm okay with it.
This was an enjoyable book that moved along at a fair pace. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to reading more in this series.
* 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!
OPEN MIND is the first book in the Kink Chronicles and we meet Jamie and Ronan. Jamie is 28 and has been a travelling nurse for the past couple of years but is now ready to settle down. Ronan has settled down but is in need of a new nurse for his specialised practice!
This story is an interesting mix of being sweet and full of kink! Different kinds of kink so if kink is your thing, there is probably at least one scene in here you will like. As for Jamie and Ronan, I kind of thought they were the perfect pair - once Ronan pulled his head out of his backside! Not every relationship is destined to be monogamous and so long as everyone agrees to that BEFORE anything happens, I'm okay with it.
This was an enjoyable book that moved along at a fair pace. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to reading more in this series.
* 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!
David McK (3248 KP) rated The Three Musketeers in Books
Jan 18, 2020
Let me start by saying that this is (was) one of the few novels I had abandoned, finding it very hard going and plodding.
And, truth be told, I still haven't actually read it.
You might be wondering, then, why I'm reviewing it?
Because, thanks to a well-known Amazon-owned subsidiary, I've now listened to it!
The subject of a fair-few movies over the years (most noticeably the 1970s Michael York duo The Three/Four Musketeers), I have to admit to being somewhat surprised at just how closely that Michael York fronted film actually sticks to the source material, with the first half of the novel (The Queens Diamonds) virtually transposed straight to the screen. And, as a result, I found this portion not really all that engaging, perhaps due to (over)familiarity.
However, things picked up once we got past the halfway point, and into more unfamiliar territory, before (roughly) the final third of the novel, which obviously served as the inspiration for The Four Musketeers (where d'Artagnan actually becomes one such).
Full of swashbuckling romance and acts of derring do, this - like many other classics - is one of those novels that you read simply so that you can say you've read it!
And, truth be told, I still haven't actually read it.
You might be wondering, then, why I'm reviewing it?
Because, thanks to a well-known Amazon-owned subsidiary, I've now listened to it!
The subject of a fair-few movies over the years (most noticeably the 1970s Michael York duo The Three/Four Musketeers), I have to admit to being somewhat surprised at just how closely that Michael York fronted film actually sticks to the source material, with the first half of the novel (The Queens Diamonds) virtually transposed straight to the screen. And, as a result, I found this portion not really all that engaging, perhaps due to (over)familiarity.
However, things picked up once we got past the halfway point, and into more unfamiliar territory, before (roughly) the final third of the novel, which obviously served as the inspiration for The Four Musketeers (where d'Artagnan actually becomes one such).
Full of swashbuckling romance and acts of derring do, this - like many other classics - is one of those novels that you read simply so that you can say you've read it!
Kirsten Myra Edwards (303 KP) rated Destined to Play (Avalon Trilogy #1) in Books
Feb 2, 2020
I picked this book up by chance at a caravan site I'm staying at. I can honestly say I didn't expect masses from this book thinking it will be like all the others. It had it's moments where I almost gave up but I honestly couldn't put this book down. It's only taken me 3 days to read it and I am so glad I didn't give up.
The reviews are very mixed on this book but I believe it brought a whole new concept to the cheesy sex/romance books that are out there.
The fact the characters are actually professional people just opens up a new view on people. It shows everyone is human in their desires no matter what they do in their careers.
I loved all the little flash backs that Alex had throughout her weekend. They make you crave more from her and Jeremy's relationship.
I did always feel that bit of guilt towards Robert and her children as if I was feeling this for Alex as I was reading.
She lived somethings that some people can only dream of in real life. That is what reading is all about escaping real life just for a bit.
The reviews are very mixed on this book but I believe it brought a whole new concept to the cheesy sex/romance books that are out there.
The fact the characters are actually professional people just opens up a new view on people. It shows everyone is human in their desires no matter what they do in their careers.
I loved all the little flash backs that Alex had throughout her weekend. They make you crave more from her and Jeremy's relationship.
I did always feel that bit of guilt towards Robert and her children as if I was feeling this for Alex as I was reading.
She lived somethings that some people can only dream of in real life. That is what reading is all about escaping real life just for a bit.