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ClareR (5686 KP) rated Burntcoat in Books

Feb 13, 2022  
Burntcoat
Burntcoat
Sarah Hall | 2021 | Contemporary, Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novella really packs a punch - as all good novellas do!
It’s set in a world that we all know a little about. A Covid-19-type virus, except far more severe, breaks out and social panic ensues. Society goes ion to lockdown, hospitals are unable to cope with the sheer volume of cases, and the army is drafted in to keep order. Shops are looted, food is rationed, people die horrifically.

Edith Harkness looks back on her life as she prepares to enter the last stages of Long-Nonovirus. It’s a much more serious version of Long-Covid, where the affected person dies. Edith looks back on her life, from her childhood where she lives with her brain-damaged mother, to her years of study and consequent art prizes, and then her time in lockdown with her lover, a Bulgarian Turk.

It’s a book about love, sex, desire, illness, caring, family and grief. Those are some big topics for a slim book, but it’s beautifully told.
Now I need to read some more Sarah Hall books.
  
A Curse of Forever
A Curse of Forever
Tessa McFionn | 2021 | Contemporary, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Laurel has gone back to her happiest place from childhood. Her reasons for the visit not so much, as she is there for her beloved grandfather's funeral. Wanting to feel close to him, she goes to visit the black bay lighthouse - the setting of a story filled with love, betrayal heartbreak and more.


It's a beautifully written story. There are some sex scenes in there, a couple are a bit harsh, but the majority are soft and sensual. I didn't quite expect the ending to go how it did and I was hoping for a bit more to be honest. Fair enough, the villain got what he deserved but I was expecting it to go in a different direction. There is a lot of detail in the writing but it seems rushed almost as you get towards the end, like I've got details to get down, I'll cram it all in now. That's the only bit that disappointed me to be honest.


I would still recommend this book
  
The Crimson and the Black (Hidden Empire #2)
The Crimson and the Black (Hidden Empire #2)
Nicola M. Cameron | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Countess Fyodora julianova Korelev is at a loose end. She is feeling no joy in life until she gets asked to help on a case of missing selkies. Whilst on the hunt for them she has a run-in with a Mr Callum Brown who she is very mysteriously taken with. On their journey, they find more than just the selkie they are searching for.


This story is brilliant, I feel like I have been waiting forever for a follow-up from shadow of the swan and it didn't go in the direction I thought it would. The way it has gone is fantastic finding out more about Fyadora is fascinating no wonder she's the hardened woman she is. The hardships that she and Callum have been through could be enough to send somebody insane!


The growth between them is very carefully written the sex scenes are very steamy and intimate. There are battle scenes that are a wee bit gruesome but the detail is all there.


Nicola is a fantastic author and she has done another stellar job well done.
  
Reborn (Hollow City Coven #6)
Reborn (Hollow City Coven #6)
Hazel Hunter | 2016 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Gillian and Shayne have made it out of Tenebris, only to find Mathias under attack. Apparently, he has been for the whole amount of time that they were in Tenebris. Help arrives in the form of a coven master and a friend. Things are not as they seem to be though, and Gillian, Shayne, and Mathias are drawn deeper into intrigue that they have no control over. They need to do something but are unsure of what.

This is an explosive and twisted ending to this series, which has been full of turns the whole way through. There is so much more to this than just hot sex, although, trust me, that is more than good too. 😉

The perfect ending to a fantastic series, each novella is the perfect length for a quick and steamy read, full of enjoyment and adventure. Definitely recommended by me.

* 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!
Feb 24, 2016