
A Divine's Retribution (Rise of the Stria #3)
Book
Strike the match... and ignite the rebellion. Standing in front of her brownstone in Boston was...
Science Fiction Romance

A Christmas to Die For
Book
Drink way too much tequila at the office Christmas party? Check. Get fired after doing something...
LGBTQ+ Science Fiction Romance Seasonal

Polaris Rising (Consortium Rebellion #1)
Book
A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this...

The Shadow War
Book
Inglourious Basterds meets Stranger Things in this dark and thrilling tale of power, shadow, and...

Merissa (12827 KP) rated Interstellar Angel (Astral Heat #1) in Books
Sep 16, 2021 (Updated Jul 14, 2023)
The prologue starts with a character called Zorin being held in a cell. He escapes (with help) and disappears until the last part of the book, but not before kissing one of our main males senseless. Kaia has run away from home to escape the chains of being a princess - and I mean that literally. Only now she has been caught and things are never going to be the same for her.
There was a lot to this that didn't make sense to me - the whole cyber aspect of it, if I'm honest. I use a computer but I don't know all about the innards, and that's what it felt like. Once I skimmed over those parts, it got better.
There are some very steamy moments in this but, as Kaia says, no penetration. There is also a lot of back and forth, life-mates, mating pheromones, protective instincts, you name it. Overall, it was a good read that I enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.
Fair warning though - it does end on a cliffhanger so be prepared to wait to find out what happens next. The next book, Renegade Angel, is due for release in December.
** 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!
Sep 16, 2021

Smart Ass (The SPARK Files, #2)
Book
Ben doesn’t need anybody. Maybe he’s a little lonely sometimes. And isn’t known for making...
Science Fiction MM Transgender Romance BDSM

ClareR (5874 KP) rated The Memory of Animals in Books
Jun 8, 2023
This is a pandemic novel - but not our pandemic, not Covid. This is a dropsy-type disease, where those infected swell up, their brains swell up too, they forget - and more often than not, they die.
Neffy (Nefeli) and a group of young people volunteer to be vaccinated against, and then infected by, the virus. Something goes wrong, and it looks as though Neffy and four other test volunteers are the only ones who are alive and well. But they can’t leave the building they’re in and the food is running out.
Neffy is a Marine Biologist, an Aquarist, and my favourite parts were her letters to ‘H’ as well as her flashbacks to childhood and pre-pandemic.
This isn’t *just* a speculative, science fiction book, it’s a story about the human condition, about the human drive to survive against the odds, regret, loss, grief, memory, love and above all, hope.
I could go on and on about this. I would never have expected a novel like this from Claire Fuller after reading her previous novels, but that’s what makes it even better. I actually read this twice (unheard of for me, actually). I finished it and immediately started reading again.
So yes, I would most definitely strongly recommend this book!

Taken by the Alien Triton King (Abducted by the Ruthless Royal)
Book
One minute, I am studying alien plants. The next, I am thrown over the shoulder of a blue-scaled...
Science Fiction Romance Erotica Novella

Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Vanished in Books
Mar 18, 2020
Andrea lives with her little dog, Muff, out in the country. She tries to live a structured life but since she works from home she finds herself giving in to cravings more often. Luckily Muff is extremely high energy for a little dog and requires Andrea to take her for long walks. One day Andrea makes plans with the neighbor guy for a date after Muff’s walk. The neighbor waits for her but she doesn't show up, for years.
During their walk Andrea and Muff finds themselves pulled into a dense yellow mist and when it dissipates things have changed. The area they are in looks familiar yet it is not the home they are used to, but instead, it looks more like pictures from a history book. Andrea draws a lot of attention to herself from the way she talks and dresses and soon finds herself with Father Jones. Through the Father, Andrea learns of Robert who also seems to have come from the future. Andrea manages to secure work along with room and board for herself and Robert at the home of William Farthing, a Lord. Sadly Andrea knows of the fate that is going to befall William and wars with herself about intervening. She also must come up with a decision if she wishes to return to her old life in the 21st century or try to keep her new one int the 17th.
I enjoyed how both positive and negative aspects of the 17th century are addressed. The dirty and poor living conditions are clearly depicted, as are the differences in food compared to what we are used to today. The lifestyle of those in the 17th century is very different from modern times but slower and calmer as well. There was inconsistency with the names of the characters in a few places. At times it was as if the reader is expected to recognize the name of a character that is only mentioned once. I can only guess that this is in error. The back of the book also says that it takes place in 2015 but in the actual story it is (to start out with) 2019. Without going into a lot of details as to why the wedding is also in the wrong year.
There is nothing in this book the I noticed that would make it inappropriate in any way. The topic and writing style might make it quite a bit boring for even middle school-aged readers. Those who like historical fiction and romance will probably enjoy this book. I rate this book 2 out of 4. Besides the inconsistencies and other issues, I mentioned earlier the book also had multiple typos and grammar errors. While I myself am not good in that area of writing the errors in this book were glaringly obvious even to me. The book needs to be closely edited and this seriously lowered the score.
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Joe Julians (221 KP) rated Artemis in Books
Feb 17, 2018
Artemis isn't a bad book and there's plenty of things to enjoy here. The moon based setting complete with it's changes in gravity and Kenyan set up make for an interesting read. There's a ton I want to know about Artemis and Weir does a great job in bringing this place to life. But it feels like there could have been more explored here and it's like the surface is only just being scratched.
With his central character, Jazz, we basically have another version of the lead from The Martian. The same wise cracks are there, but whereas with Mark Watney the wise cracking feels natural- here it feels forced. It doesn't help that Weir decided to write this from the perspective of Jazz, a Muslim woman. Some of the worst aspects of the book are based on that decision. Some of the dialogue here is appalling- embarrassing even. There were many moments I just groaned at how childish some of the things he makes Jazz say are. This doesn't feel like a woman talking. Instead it feels like what it is- a man trying to write as a woman but failing. Which is a shame as Jazz is an interesting character and one I could at times enjoy spending time with- other times though I couldn't stand her. Characters are a problem across the whole story really. Side characters feel under developed and there wasn't really anyone that I could single out as a highlight- none of them felt natural.
There's issues with the story itself too. This is essentially a heist story, but the heist is actually the least interesting part of Artemis. Rarely did I find myself invested in what was going on and this actually got worse as things went on. The first half of Artemis did a good job at setting things up, it's just a shame that as the story started building towards a climax- it lost momentum at the exact moment it should be gaining it.
Also, the science talk. Weir loves science, that's obvious. But here it at times feels like he is showing off to prove how much he knows. I don't actually think he was, but I quickly started to faze out when he went into details about how something works as it came so hot on the heels of a previous explanation of something else. I'm also so bored of welding now that I don't want to ever hear the word again.
I feel like I'm being a tad harsh here by focusing on the negatives. I do want to stress this book isn't bad. I may have got bored and frustrated on occasion I did however for the most part enjoy it. As I said Artemis is a great place and the city is one that I would love to have him explore in future installments. And while Jazz and a lot of the things she said did irritate me, there were flashes of brilliance with the character. I think personally I would like a second book to focus on someone new, but if Weir could sort the dialogue and some of her more annoying traits out- I'd happily spend more time with her.