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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Happily Undead in Dark River (Dark River Days, #2) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
I read the first book in this series a few months ago and really quite enjoyed it so when I got my KU subscription and saw this was in the catalogue I decided to grab this one, too.
This one picks up not long after the events of the first with Raine now being persona non grata in Dark River apart from her four guys. It's going to take some time for the townspeople to come to terms with Raine being the victim of their well-loved, long-term resident (who I won't name.) It seems that what went down in their little town has drawn the attention of the Vampire Nation and they are on their way to investigate.
I did enjoy the first one, this one wasn't quite as engaging. I felt this one was getting a little too complicated with all the new lovers she was acquiring. Four men I can cope with - and have read several books with four males in reverse harems - but I think that at the end of this Raine was quickly verging on about 7 or 8 men that she would happily share her bed with and the others not be bothered about. It was getting a little ridiculous for me.
I can't say the storyline of this one pulled me into it, either. It was rather reminiscent of the first. Someone wants her dead, various attempts on her life and then saved by her guys - only the number of them has multiplied a little. There was quite a lot of sex in this, with various partners and combinations of men. It felt rather heavy on the erotica side of romance and I wasn't entirely convinced by the feelings floating around.
As much as I liked the first book I don't think I'll be continuing the series.
This one picks up not long after the events of the first with Raine now being persona non grata in Dark River apart from her four guys. It's going to take some time for the townspeople to come to terms with Raine being the victim of their well-loved, long-term resident (who I won't name.) It seems that what went down in their little town has drawn the attention of the Vampire Nation and they are on their way to investigate.
I did enjoy the first one, this one wasn't quite as engaging. I felt this one was getting a little too complicated with all the new lovers she was acquiring. Four men I can cope with - and have read several books with four males in reverse harems - but I think that at the end of this Raine was quickly verging on about 7 or 8 men that she would happily share her bed with and the others not be bothered about. It was getting a little ridiculous for me.
I can't say the storyline of this one pulled me into it, either. It was rather reminiscent of the first. Someone wants her dead, various attempts on her life and then saved by her guys - only the number of them has multiplied a little. There was quite a lot of sex in this, with various partners and combinations of men. It felt rather heavy on the erotica side of romance and I wasn't entirely convinced by the feelings floating around.
As much as I liked the first book I don't think I'll be continuing the series.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Half Blood in Books
Jan 7, 2021
I read a few reviews of this after I started it. I was starting Chapter 3, I think, and really enjoying it. It was the spark between Alex and Aiden. Anyway, I saw a lot of people were comparing this to Vampire Academy Well I loved the Vampire Academy series and I did see some similarities between the two: kick arse, heroine and older guard she has feelings for; school for teens; love triangle aspect, three classes of power...but it WAS different.
As mentioned above, I loved that first meeting of eyes in the first chapter between Alex and Aiden, I just knew something was going to happen between them, though it was forbidden. It was kinda slow to start with but it was nice to read it happening. The odd touch here, a look there. Awww. I'm a sucker for even the slightest chance of romance.
Then there was Seth...Well in (possible)--cos nothing's happened yet--love triangles I always want the girl to go with the first guy. And I still stand by that. Seth might be all powerful but I don't feel anything between him and Alex. So they spark off each other, literally. I don't care. In this one I'm Team Aiden!
I have to say I liked Alex. She may have struggled with the training and all the news she found out about herself but she was strong throughout it all. In the end, she pulled through and kicked arse.
I am so going to have to buy the second book so I can figure out what's going to happen next relationship wise for Alex (and to figure out what's going to happen when she turns 18, of course).
(Team Aiden, Team Aiden... ;D)<br/>
As mentioned above, I loved that first meeting of eyes in the first chapter between Alex and Aiden, I just knew something was going to happen between them, though it was forbidden. It was kinda slow to start with but it was nice to read it happening. The odd touch here, a look there. Awww. I'm a sucker for even the slightest chance of romance.
Then there was Seth...Well in (possible)--cos nothing's happened yet--love triangles I always want the girl to go with the first guy. And I still stand by that. Seth might be all powerful but I don't feel anything between him and Alex. So they spark off each other, literally. I don't care. In this one I'm Team Aiden!
I have to say I liked Alex. She may have struggled with the training and all the news she found out about herself but she was strong throughout it all. In the end, she pulled through and kicked arse.
I am so going to have to buy the second book so I can figure out what's going to happen next relationship wise for Alex (and to figure out what's going to happen when she turns 18, of course).
(Team Aiden, Team Aiden... ;D)<br/>
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Bound by Night (MoonBound Clan Vampire, #1) in Books
Jan 8, 2021
***ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
4.5 stars.
I’ll start by saying I really, really, liked Riker. He might have tried to act like a hard-ass but he wasn’t. Something right from the start grabbed me about him and I went a little mushy. Awww… :P And he was hot, too!!
Nicole turned out to be quite ballsy and I liked that about her. Riker needed someone like her in his life. I liked how she told it to him straight and if he didn’t like it, then she either fought to make him listen or walked away, making him come to her.
The secondary characters were quite fun too. Hunter, the head of the MoonBound clan, made me smile a lot. Playing is video games and saying some of the stuff he did. Myne, a fellow member of the clan, was another favourite. He might have come across at the beginning of being some rather scary ass vampire but by the end, he’d grown on me.
I feel I have to mention that first sex scene. It was HOT!! As was the second. Crikey, Larissa Ione knows how to write passionate scenes between her characters.
The storyline was different, with vampires being slaves to humans and I wondered how it was all going to work out. I wasn’t disappointed, it was a hell of a journey. I was happy, sad (I almost cried a few times), and angry at various points in this. But to me that made it goooood. Really good.
If you’re a fan of Larissa Ione then this isn’t to be missed. If you like steamy paranormal romance, again, this isn’t to be missed. I highly recommend it.
P.S. I am so going to look up what an origami vampire looks like :P
4.5 stars.
I’ll start by saying I really, really, liked Riker. He might have tried to act like a hard-ass but he wasn’t. Something right from the start grabbed me about him and I went a little mushy. Awww… :P And he was hot, too!!
Nicole turned out to be quite ballsy and I liked that about her. Riker needed someone like her in his life. I liked how she told it to him straight and if he didn’t like it, then she either fought to make him listen or walked away, making him come to her.
The secondary characters were quite fun too. Hunter, the head of the MoonBound clan, made me smile a lot. Playing is video games and saying some of the stuff he did. Myne, a fellow member of the clan, was another favourite. He might have come across at the beginning of being some rather scary ass vampire but by the end, he’d grown on me.
I feel I have to mention that first sex scene. It was HOT!! As was the second. Crikey, Larissa Ione knows how to write passionate scenes between her characters.
The storyline was different, with vampires being slaves to humans and I wondered how it was all going to work out. I wasn’t disappointed, it was a hell of a journey. I was happy, sad (I almost cried a few times), and angry at various points in this. But to me that made it goooood. Really good.
If you’re a fan of Larissa Ione then this isn’t to be missed. If you like steamy paranormal romance, again, this isn’t to be missed. I highly recommend it.
P.S. I am so going to look up what an origami vampire looks like :P
Stephen Merchant recommended Play It Again, Sam (1972) in Movies (curated)
Merissa (11805 KP) created a post
Mar 13, 2021
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Insurgent (2015) in Movies
Apr 23, 2021
Not as decent as 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳, not as horrendous as 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, on nearly exactly the same level as the first 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵. I'm still shocked these still manage to be kind of entertaining even in spite of telling one of the dumbest stories to ever be translated to screen. At least half the cast just seems bored, but Jai Courtney and Daniel Dae Kim shine in supporting roles - which isn't all too hard to do here actually considering these two lead characters are inexplicably even *more* lifeless than they were in the first one. Great, we get to see more of this mid-2010s "trauma romance" crap - but at least they have the common decency to make the action sorta fun (the shameful choice to exchange Burger's visual panache [and... actual color] for this ugly ash-gray palette notwithstanding). And I'll always give credit to this one for being a lot ballsier than most of these YA copies-of-each-other - it's pretty violent and a fair amount of people get shot in the head, we even see more blood than just a nosebleed for once! Makes no human sense but that's also what makes it kind of enjoyable tbh. The Woodley character is the weakest link: emulating every overdramatic shithead teenager who thinks they're a revolutionary for making a Tweet about how much they hate 5th period geometry doesn't really help the cringe factor any (the 'dramatic haircut' smash cut into the flock of crows flying through the forest to triumphant music is one of the worst things ever). If this were made today Tris would be trying to cancel Kate Winslet's character for using the term "spirit animal" 11 years ago.
Shelle Perry (66 KP) rated Murder at the Lakeside Library: A Lakeside Library Mystery in Books
Aug 9, 2021
Rain has made her way home to the Wisconsin Northwoods
Rain has made her way home to the Wisconsin Northwoods. Pine Lake: the family cabin originally built by her great grandfather, but added onto over the decades. Her grandfather was a published author and her mother has turned the original log-built cabin into a local library, which she shares with the entire laker community.
Rain is dealing with the death of her husband and an estrangement from her parents. She is just hoping to spend a quiet summer recharging, but best laid plans and all. First Rain is blindsided by the opening of the library, luckily she has friends Julia and Marge, to help out. Just as they get the project going, they stumble upon the dead body of a man who is reputed to be a close friend of her mother’s. Next to his body is a copy of Rain’s grandfather’s book, which should not be outside of the library under any circumstances. The mystery unfolds encompassing details from Rain’s family. Julia and Rain pick up their friendship where it left off all those summers ago growing up on the lake. Together they are impulsive and irrepressible and actually kind of fun. Other great characters flesh out Rain’s inner circle including a charismatic police officer that is prime material for romance at some point down the road when Rain has gotten things more together.
It is a terrific beginning to a new series I a looking forward to keeping up with
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Rain is dealing with the death of her husband and an estrangement from her parents. She is just hoping to spend a quiet summer recharging, but best laid plans and all. First Rain is blindsided by the opening of the library, luckily she has friends Julia and Marge, to help out. Just as they get the project going, they stumble upon the dead body of a man who is reputed to be a close friend of her mother’s. Next to his body is a copy of Rain’s grandfather’s book, which should not be outside of the library under any circumstances. The mystery unfolds encompassing details from Rain’s family. Julia and Rain pick up their friendship where it left off all those summers ago growing up on the lake. Together they are impulsive and irrepressible and actually kind of fun. Other great characters flesh out Rain’s inner circle including a charismatic police officer that is prime material for romance at some point down the road when Rain has gotten things more together.
It is a terrific beginning to a new series I a looking forward to keeping up with
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Allison Anders recommended Charade (1963) in Movies (curated)
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Val (The Hawks #2) in Books
Jul 9, 2021
VAL is the second book in The Hawks series, and to get the most out of this story, I would recommend you read Tristan first. We start where Tristan finished - Val has been rescued but Alanna is still in the castle.
Val is... I would say disheartened but it's so much more than that. He's broken. He believes his brothers left him when he needed them the most. It didn't help when they started to believe the hype and lies told about Alanna, when he alone knew the truth. Of course, he could have opened his mouth, but then he wouldn't be the tortured hero.
Alanna is stronger than she realises. When you find out her back story and just what she went through? Horrible! I was really rooting for Alanna and Val to get together, but Ballanor is on their tail all the way. Val and Lanni have a slow-burn romance, which drove me insane, as I really wanted them to do the do, but it was all for a very good reason which I only figured out at the same time as the other characters! Loved that.
There are new characters introduced in this book, and Ramiel and Haniel are my favourites (so far!) I can't wait to see them in future books.
The pacing is smooth and the story is well maintained, both with Val and Lanni's individual story plus the overall arc. Oh, and if you thought Ballanor was bad, brace yourself. There's someone far worse!
A fantastic addition to the series and highly 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!
Val is... I would say disheartened but it's so much more than that. He's broken. He believes his brothers left him when he needed them the most. It didn't help when they started to believe the hype and lies told about Alanna, when he alone knew the truth. Of course, he could have opened his mouth, but then he wouldn't be the tortured hero.
Alanna is stronger than she realises. When you find out her back story and just what she went through? Horrible! I was really rooting for Alanna and Val to get together, but Ballanor is on their tail all the way. Val and Lanni have a slow-burn romance, which drove me insane, as I really wanted them to do the do, but it was all for a very good reason which I only figured out at the same time as the other characters! Loved that.
There are new characters introduced in this book, and Ramiel and Haniel are my favourites (so far!) I can't wait to see them in future books.
The pacing is smooth and the story is well maintained, both with Val and Lanni's individual story plus the overall arc. Oh, and if you thought Ballanor was bad, brace yourself. There's someone far worse!
A fantastic addition to the series and highly 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!
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Follow the Snowflakes in Books
Sep 24, 2020
Previously I read some of the short romance books, and unfortunately, they kind of disappointed me, but I actually enjoyed this novella, maybe because I read it at the suitable time, or maybe because I could relate with some of the things which were mentioned in the book.
The blurb of this novella is pretty accurate, Cat accidentally meets a stranger in a car accident, and because she has a good heart, she helps him out. One thing leads to another and they spend more and more time together, but life throws in some pleasant surprises and twists for Cat. This is a sweet story, with pleasant characters and interesting twists. I enjoyed reading this novel because it was not too sweet, it had its edge in it, but at the same time, it was pleasant and romantic.
The author was born in Novosibirsk, Russian Siberia, and I did like the little details she proudly shared about her Russian heritage. Do not be fooled by the cover, even though this book is filled with pictures giving it a playful feel, it is a story for adults. I really liked the art at the end of the novel, and I think it is great if you have children, you can give it to them to colour in. Everybody wins!!!
The writing style of this novella is quite simple, with easy and understandable vocabulary. I liked the short chapters, it made this book really great one sitting read. The ending of this story rounded everything as I was suspecting, and for me, it didn’t leave any loose ends. So to conclude, it is a great read if you like Hallmark and looking for a quick, playful and Christmasy story which is pleasant, romantic and not over sweetened. Enjoy
The blurb of this novella is pretty accurate, Cat accidentally meets a stranger in a car accident, and because she has a good heart, she helps him out. One thing leads to another and they spend more and more time together, but life throws in some pleasant surprises and twists for Cat. This is a sweet story, with pleasant characters and interesting twists. I enjoyed reading this novel because it was not too sweet, it had its edge in it, but at the same time, it was pleasant and romantic.
The author was born in Novosibirsk, Russian Siberia, and I did like the little details she proudly shared about her Russian heritage. Do not be fooled by the cover, even though this book is filled with pictures giving it a playful feel, it is a story for adults. I really liked the art at the end of the novel, and I think it is great if you have children, you can give it to them to colour in. Everybody wins!!!
The writing style of this novella is quite simple, with easy and understandable vocabulary. I liked the short chapters, it made this book really great one sitting read. The ending of this story rounded everything as I was suspecting, and for me, it didn’t leave any loose ends. So to conclude, it is a great read if you like Hallmark and looking for a quick, playful and Christmasy story which is pleasant, romantic and not over sweetened. Enjoy