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Fence #1 (Fence, #1)
Fence #1 (Fence, #1)
C.S. Pacat | 2017
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've been eyeing this for a while. I've read the author's M/M Fantasy Romance series Captive Prince and fell in love with it so I was hoping this would be just as good. It's only short being the first instalment but it had potential to be something quite good. The artwork was great and the storyline has me intrigued.

It follows Nicholas Cox, illegitimate son to a fencing star who has followed in his dad's footsteps and likes fencing. He enters a tournament and is up against fencing prodigy Seiji Katayama and fails miserably. Shortly afterwards he get's into a prestigious all boy's school where he hopes to get better with his fencing and hopefully get on the team.

I am intrigued what's going to end up happening with this series both with Nicholas and his fencing dreams and knowing the author writes M/M Romances.

I've just bought book 2, will review it soon.
  
The Bite of Winter (Love Bites #1)
The Bite of Winter (Love Bites #1)
Lauren Smith | 2015 | Erotica, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a short, seasonal story of a woman who has been dealt a really rough hand, plus two Irish vampires - one of which wants to help, the other one wants to help himself... to start with. The connection that comes alive with these three is almost tangible. It is a bond that starts with the familiarity of loneliness and swiftly moves on to happier, more passionate feelings.

The Bite of Winter is the first book in a new series that I am looking forward to reading more of. The 'black' character of Seamus surely has to appear in future books.

For a hot book with a seasonal smile, I can surely recommend this one.

* 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!
Nov 28, 2015
  
Angel 6.0: Concubine (Angel 6.0 #1)
Angel 6.0: Concubine (Angel 6.0 #1)
Travis Luedke | 2015 | Erotica, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a fast-paced sci-fi erotica novella, the main character of which is an "experiment". She isn't human, she wasn't born but created, and yet she thinks and feels. 'Angel' is kept aboard Nugene station and is the secret of D'Anton - her "father" - and Carver - her "lover".

Her life is good until the day The Gran board the station, earlier than expected, and sees her. They decide that they will have her and the story takes off very quickly. Above all, Angel is a survivor and she will do whatever it takes to make sure that she does. Facing sorrow, loss and fear, she comes out fighting.

The first instalment of this sci-fi erotica series starts with a bang and is brilliant reading from start to finish. Definitely recommended for a short, hot read.

* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 25, 2016
  
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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Highway Blue in Books

Apr 9, 2024  
Highway Blue
Highway Blue
Ailsa McFarlane | 2024 | Contemporary, Crime, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Highway Blue was rich in description, especially for such a relatively short book (192 pages). I could see the story unrolling in my head as I read.

It’s almost a modern day Bonnie and Clyde - except there aren’t multiple deaths or bank robberies! Anne Marie is trying to forget about her estranged husband, Cal, and when he turns up out of nowhere, it comes as a shock. He brings trouble with him, a man ends up dead, and they find themselves on the run. It seemed to me that Anne Marie is in a state of shock throughout this whole novel.

Will they make it to safety before they’re caught? I was hoping that Anne Marie would leave Cal and make her own way. At the beginning he clearly wants money from her to solve whatever problem he has made for himself and is very disappointed when he realises she has nothing.

Despite its darkness, and it was relentless at times, I really enjoyed this.
  
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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Anna O in Books

May 13, 2024  
Anna O
Anna O
Matthew Blake | 2024 | Contemporary, Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I do like a book with an unreliable narrator, and Anna O has them in spades! You won’t know who to trust - even the people you’re supposed to be able to rely on will prove thoroughly untrustworthy. And everyone in this novel has a secret or two that they don’t want anyone to know about.

The Anna O in question, is a woman who committed murder and then immediately fell asleep. Four years later, the Home Office want Dr. Benedict Prince, a specialist in sleep disorders, to wake her up. He’s reluctant to be involved with the case because of his own secrets, and as the story continues his fears are proven correct.

This is an exciting read believe it or not, even though one of the main characters is asleep!
The short chapters means the story races along, and I was repeatedly left on a cliffhanger.
What a ride this story was!!
  
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Ross (3284 KP) rated Ironclads in Books

Oct 6, 2017  
Ironclads
Ironclads
Adrian Tchaikovsky | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
*** I received a free advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***


I have read Adrian Tchakovsky's Shadows of the Apt series and loved it.
I recently read his Dogs of War and enjoyed it. However I think this has somewhat tainted Ironclads for me.


Ireonclads sees us again in the near-future where the UK (read as England which annoyed me, being Scottish) has gained independence from Europe and subsequently gone bust and been bought over by the USA. The USA is likewise invading or at war with much of the rest of the world. These wars are now fought mainly in corporate interest (but then what's new *cough gulf war cough*) with armies of poorly equipped government soldiers being dent in to conflict occasionally supported by corporate playboys (generally the heir to the corporate fortunes) in their massive armoured scion suits (hence iron-clad) where they are fully protected from pretty much everything. These playboys tend to be captured by each other and ransomed back to their families, guffawing at their japes all the way.


The story sees one small group of US soldiers sent in to deepest darkest Sweden to rescue one such playboy who got himself too far ahead of the army and appears to have gone missing but without ransom (without his scion suit).


Being a short (200 pages) book worked well for me, I felt any more scenes or narrative would have felt like padding and this was its natural length.


However, for me this book felt like the notes or background story to Dogs of War and has suffered from my having read the latter. That book notes that wars used to be fought with machines and robots but moves on to cybernetically enhanced animals. This book felt like a side story or introduction to the Dogs of War world and little more.


Other aspects of the story chimed with that of Dogs of War as well and showed the author to be a little short of ideas - living beings with their brains/bodies cybernetically enhanced, swarms of insects used to disrupt communications, the USA being a little bit invadey and corrupt etc.


While this is not my usual cup of tea, I have enjoyed other sci-fi and felt this was a little slapdash. I didn't like the narrative style, finding the blasé, informal tones of the army sergeant both jarring and poorly executed. And while I don't need to be spoon-fed the plot, I found some elements badly or barely explained (what DID the Finns do?!) and the major plot twist neither surprising nor worth the wait.


Tchaikovsky can describe a battle scene well and you get a feel for the whole battle as well as the key conflicts, so the action itself is fairly gripping at times. However, the finished article left me feeling a bit meh.


All in all I am glad I read this, but had expected better things from his sci-fi given Children of Time won the Arthur C Clarke award.
  
Where Are You Hiding, God?
Where Are You Hiding, God?
Elisabeth Zartl | 2017 | Children, Religion
9
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Cute
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Where Are You Hiding, God? is a children’s picture book by the Austrian illustrator Elisabeth Zartl. Originally published in 2013 under the German title Wo versteckst du dich, lieber Gott? it has been translated into English in order to reach a wider audience. Primarily targeted at children of Christian families, the book attempts to explain the concept of God.

The short story begins with an anonymous little girl searching for God in a manner that resembles a game of Hide and Seek. She looks in her bedroom, the bathroom and the garden before giving up in defeat. As she sits desolately alone, a gust of wind and a falling leaf prompt her to realise that God does not have a corporeal body, but is, in fact, everywhere. Exhilarated by her newfound understanding, she exclaims that God was in all the places she looked and that he is inside her, too. God is everywhere.

Aimed at children ages three and over, Where Are You Hiding, God? explores the confusion a child may have in comprehending the idea of God. For a child, knowing something or someone is there but not being able to see them is a difficult idea to grasp. This book, through the demonstration of someone their own age, helps to explain their questions and uncertainties.

Elizabeth Zartl’s illustrations capture the attention of those reading or looking at the pages. Filling each page with a full-colour palette, the drawings are child-friendly but realistic, making it easy to process, and accurately creates a visual narrative of the written words. The language is also suitable for the intended demographic and, although three-year-olds may not be able to read it themselves, they will certainly understand the story.

From a design point of view, the text and illustrations do not quite match up. The full-page artworks make it difficult to place the short sentences in a way that both elements can work together. This, however, is not the fault of the author/illustrator who would have originally been working with a German text.

Overall, Where Are You Hiding, God? is a sweet, short story that can be read to children or grandchildren over and over again. As well as being a source of entertainment, it introduces them to the beliefs they will encounter during their Christian upbringing and prepares them to develop a greater understanding of God.
  
Where Are You Hiding, God?
Where Are You Hiding, God?
Elisabeth Zartl | 2017 | Children, Religion
10
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Where Are You Hiding, God?</i> is a children’s picture book by the Austrian illustrator Elisabeth Zartl. Originally published in 2013 under the German title <i>Wo versteckst du dich, lieber Gott?</i> it has been translated into English in order to reach a wider audience. Primarily targeted at children of Christian families, the book attempts to explain the concept of God.

The short story begins with an anonymous little girl searching for God in a manner that resembles a game of Hide and Seek. She looks in her bedroom, the bathroom and the garden before giving up in defeat. As she sits desolately alone, a gust of wind and a falling leaf prompt her to realise that God does not have a corporeal body, but is, in fact, everywhere. Exhilarated by her newfound understanding, she exclaims that God was in all the places she looked and that he is inside her, too. God is everywhere.

Aimed at children ages three and over, <i>Where Are You Hiding, God?</i> explores the confusion a child may have in comprehending the idea of God. For a child, knowing something or someone is there but not being able to see them is a difficult idea to grasp. This book, through the demonstration of someone their own age, helps to explain their questions and uncertainties.

Elizabeth Zartl’s illustrations capture the attention of those reading or looking at the pages. Filling each page with a full-colour palette, the drawings are child-friendly but realistic, making it easy to process, and accurately creates a visual narrative of the written words. The language is also suitable for the intended demographic and, although three-year-olds may not be able to read it themselves, they will certainly understand the story.

From a design point of view, the text and illustrations do not quite match up. The full-page artworks make it difficult to place the short sentences in a way that both elements can work together. This, however, is not the fault of the author/illustrator who would have originally been working with a German text.

Overall,<i> Where Are You Hiding, God?</i> is a sweet, short story that can be read to children or grandchildren over and over again. As well as being a source of entertainment, it introduces them to the beliefs they will encounter during their Christian upbringing and prepares them to develop a greater understanding of God.