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What Lies Within
What Lies Within
Robert Smith | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences, Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
For more reviews please visit https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com

When I read the description of this book, I found it very catchy, and it got me really intrigued of what this book can offer. I had this ARC for a while now, and I am not sure was anything edited before publication, so this review is my opinion of the copy the author sent me.

The main character in this book is Tyler, along with his younger brother Devil, they are killing child abusers, who have been released by police due to lack of evidence. Unfortunately, their “good deeds” don’t get unnoticed by the police, and the chase begins. I really liked Tyler as a character, I liked his personality, his manners, and his way of thinking was very amusing and interesting to follow throughout the book. I really loved his complex relationship with Devil, and wish to adjust in society. This novel was told from multiple perspectives – Tyler’s and Police investigators. I preferred Tyler’s parts, I think they opened his character very nicely and was more interesting to read than the police investigation.

The plot of this novel was appealing but not fully utilized. I think this book has lots of potentials, and by adding some deeper parts about Devil’s identity, where he came from, it would’ve been better. I think Smith did a good job by incorporating Devil, but the truth was given away too early. Another thing which disappointed me was the investigation, I was not very happy with how detectives were working, I didn’t feel the suspense breathing through the pages, and I think they could’ve done better. However, I think this book would make a pretty interesting film because it has the right amount of action and a riveting suspect. There were some interesting turns and twists in this novel, which kept my interest going. What really struck me, was the topics which Smith was discussing in this book, such as child abuse; how mental illness affects children, when there is nobody to help; children homelessness; survival and adjustment in the society.

This book was very easy to read, and the language used in this novel was not complicated. It has short chapters and it got me binge-reading all the way through. These short chapters kind of made me keep going to find out, what else Tyler has planned. The ending of this novel is unexpected, but absolutely impossible and compromises what detectives said, once they entered Tyler’s flat. I was very pleasantly surprised, that at the end, the author gave a little description of all the characters who were mentioned in this book. I think it was pretty awesome. So, to conclude, I think this novel has a really engrossing message to share with the world, through these intense characters and the struggle between what is good and what is bad in this world. I do recommend to read it and to figure out for yourselves, how people try to cope in this world after something horrible has happened to them in the past.

I would like to throw in a disclaimer, there is murders, violence, child abuse scenes in this book.
  
I received this book as a complimentary review copy through Story Cartel.

A love story of a different kind, The Divided Hearts tells the tale of Judith and Nate, and the long realisation they both go through before they accept their love for each other. Set against the backdrop of Newport, America, on the another war with the motherland, some great historical points are raised, as well as dealing with the emotional conflict of those with English ties but who are American at heart.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is quite strange as I usually stay away from romance, and there are many reasons for this! Firstly I'll start with how easy it was to read. The flow was fantastic, really easy to get your head into, Darcy really sets the scene well and gives you just the right amount of information to keep you engaged in the story without overloading you. IT's very rare to find a book that's so easy to read, but you could dip in and out at your own leisure, knowing the idyllic life of early America was waiting for you to return.

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the fantastic description used by Darcy. It was beautifully detailed, I felt that I could see every vista she described, feel all the dresses Judith wore and get all hot and flustered at Nate's muscles! It's rare that a book truly appeals to all senses whilst you are reading it, but Darcy manages this superbly and it is a great delight to read.

In addition, the characters deserve a mention. In a relatively short text, it's sometimes difficult to really engage and invest emotionally in the characters, but in 'The Divided Hearts' you are drawn whole heartedly into their lives. You agonise with Judith over her decision of whether to stay in America or not. You get excited when good things happen to the characters, you feel scared for them when they're in danger. I know it sounds vague, but believe me, this is a book you want to read for yourself, and I won't spoil that first read excitement!

Perhaps the best thing for me though was the story itself. It was entirely believable from start to finish. You really could have imagined this happening during that difficult transition time, and that makes it all the more enjoyable. It's like you're getting a lovely snippet into the past, and although it's a story, you don't feel it is entirely fictional, rather, you feel like there's some truth and somewhere out there this actually did happen. I think the accuracy of the history in general helps greatly with this, and it's a relief (and a pleasure!) to see a book that's so well researched and that presents such an accurate historical representation of the time and place it is describing.

In conclusion, this is a brilliant read for an easy afternoon sat in the sunshine. The plot, characters and description work fantastically together to provide a much needed release from the drama's of every day like. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or a little bit of easy reading romance.
  
Berlin Calling
Berlin Calling
Kelly Durham | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am quite a bit of a fan, when it comes to books about World War II, add women in it, and I’m intrigued. That was what drew me to this book, a woman figure in the context of war and not just woman, a foreigner. The description above, describes this novel quite well. It started with very romantic notes, how Maggie met Kurt, and how she ended up in Berlin, landing a job in Propaganda House. Maggie is very interesting character in this book, and I really loved her in this novel. She is beautiful, pleasant to be around, incredibly hard working and independent. I’m kind of used to these disturbed characters which are used in most of the books, and it was very refreshing to read about one, who is not mentally or emotionally messed up. Other characters were interesting to read about as well, and all of them where quite the personalities. I really enjoyed, that author did not make this book from one characters perspective, and included most of the characters by allowing them to speak. This made the book more pleasant to read, and more interesting.

The plot of this book was really absorbing, and different from most of the WWII books I read. Normally, I encountered the books, which used to describe the tragedy of war, such as concentration camps or Jew’s killings, and their fighting for survival. This book was softer on that part, it mentioned the cruelties’ which happened during the war, but never in so much detail to make it stomach turning. It was written more about the political aspects of it, and how German propaganda was used to influence people from other countries. It’s been a while since I studied history of WWII, and I studied from different countries’ perspective, so to see how it looked from Germany's perspective was quite appealing. I think that author was trying to show, how Germans thought about this war and why most of them supported what Hitler was doing.

I am a big fan of short chapters, and this book didn’t disappoint me with that. The chapters were divided into smaller parts, which made it more pleasant to read. Every chapter was quite detailed, but the meaning and the point of that chapter was very lovely opened, and concluded for the reader. The story was flowing nicely and smoothly. I believe Author has a great personal knowledge about war, and used it greatly in this book. There was a little bit of monotony while reading this book, and lack of twists and turns, that would’ve make it more exciting. The language used was not difficult and easy to read, but I had to look up some German terms used in this book, as I’m not familiar with the language. The ending of the book was really entertaining but not complete. I wished more conclusions, and to know what happened to Dieter. To conclude, it is a great book if you looking for World War II stories of war from German perspective, love, and survival.
  
It seems that when women reach a certain age in their life, they start to feel like their value is decreasing; they are facing the empty nest, (the children are leaving home), they tend to feel like they are limited in what they can do, and there is the fear of aging.

Well, it's time to start looking at life after 40 in a different light! In this book, well-known Christian women from ages 40 to 85 give their wisdom on how to face these worries. With Spiritual wisdom, a sense of humor, these women give some incredible insight into life after 40.

You will read the writings of Lauren F. Winner, Joni Eareckson Tada, Elisa Morgan, Madeleine Engle and kay Warren.

These women will provide ideas and thoughts about aging and to look at aging with your eyes open to new possibilities and most of all to grow closer to God. Each essay provides a look into God's perspective on the later years of life, reminding us that it's always possible to serve Him with the life experiences we have.

The book is comprised of short essays, that makes it quick to read, you can put it down and pick it back up at without interruption of the book.

It was interesting and it made me chuckle a couple of times. This is a good book for those who are in the 40 and over age, or those who are approaching it. It might even be a good book to do in a group setting with women of this age group.
  
The Beautful Beureaucrat
The Beautful Beureaucrat
Helen Phillips | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Josephine Jones has just move to the big city and is in need of a job. She finds one where her job is to input information into a database. She will sit in an office with smudged pink walls, in a building with no windows. Her only job is to enter the information and don't ask questions. But curiosity is a part of human nature. Will she be able to continue the job when she discovers what it is she is really doing?

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Josephine and Joseph Jones have left the hinterland(the place they call home) for the big city. I'm not sure what city they are in or what kind of people Josephine and Joseph are. Sometimes Josephine calls Joseph by a number 041-74-3400. They jump around their new city from sublet to sublet, each with one disgusting trait or another. Like black bubbling coming from the bathtub and gray sheets on the futon that were at some time in their life white.

This was a short story that captivated my attention, but also had me confused. There didn't seem to be enough time to tell the background of the story or develop the characters enough to really get to know them. There wasn't a name to the city they were living in and Josephine constantly refers to her boss as "The Person with Bad Breath". Overall this book was pretty good and I would read more by this author.
  
WD
Who Do You Love
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Rachel grows up the beloved daughter of wealthy parents in Florida. They are extra attention as she is born with a heart problem and requires multiple surgeries as a child. At age eight, in the ER, she meets Andy, also age 8. Waiting alone in the ER, he has a broken arm, and Rachel calms him down with stories. While it's a short meeting, the two leave a clear impression on each other, even as children.

Obviously, the premise of the novel is that Rachel and Andy will meet again, so when they do so in high school it doesn't come as a big shock. In fact, one of things Weiner does so well with this story is weaving a compelling tale, despite the reader knowing that Rachel and Andy will run into each other, over and over. It's definitely rough in some spots and jumps around a bit, but it's an enjoyable read. Rachel is an interesting character, if not always a likable one, but she comes across as human and real. Andy is a little harder to get to know, but he too is an intriguing character. The book makes a big show comparing Rachel's wealthy upbringing and Andy's impoverished childhood in Philadelphia - sometimes it seems a bit forced, but it brings up some good points about the class system. Some of the plot is a little unrealistic and it wraps up rather predictably, but I still found this a fun read and more enjoyable than some of Weiner's last couple of books.
  
Everything, Everything
Everything, Everything
Nicola Yoon | 2015 | Children
10
8.3 (49 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book doesn't come out until September of 2015, but I was lucky enough to win an ARC at YA'll West in Santa Monica earlier this year.

I really needed this book. I needed something cute with only hints of sadness. This could easily be compared to The Fault in Our Stars, being about a sick girl and all, but it is so different. Instead of being centered around death, it is centered around life and what it means to really be alive.

Yes, there were some parts that almost made me cry, but it was so good!

The characters were very beautifully written, there were no instances where it felt like the author was looking down on the characters. They were very much respected. They grew a lot as well. In such a short book, they were able to grow so much! The plot was excellently executed as well. It went by at a great pace and didn't really have any dull points.

If you want to read a cute and quick book, pick this up! I recommend it to anyone who wants something relatively light to read after reading consecutive heavy books (by this I don't mean in the actual weight, but the emotional toll for reading it).

When it comes out, please buy this book. Tell everyone you know to buy this book and if they can't share your copy. This is Nicola Yoon's first novel and it is important to show her that her book was awesome and that everyone loved it!
  
The Perfect Whore
The Perfect Whore
Josephine Myles | 2018 | Erotica, LGBTQ+
3
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fanfiction is usually free. You can find better stuff there
Once upon a time, I read Star Wars slash fanfiction. That was a lot better than this. I don't quite know what the author was going for here, as the story leans too far into plot and exposition to be a "romance" novel (not a bad thing, if the plot wasn't just a vehicle for the romance), and the erotica was less than erotic. I've read female authors who could write believable gay characters, but this isn't one of them. These characters interact more like men in Japanese yaoi, which is to say, you could sub one of the men with a woman and have the same story. I would be more generous (considering one character is a shapeshifting alien with no true gender) but her author's bio specifically states she writes gay erotica. So let's be clear: this is gay erotica for women. So if you're a lady who fetishizes gay men, this is in your wheelhouse. If you're a gay man, probably avoid this one, unless you really have a thing for sci-fi and lizardmen.

Circling back around, of course the title is attention grabbing. And the story is short enough to be fun. Both characters are obnoxious, but not so much that you can't sit two or three hours with them. The story employs standard tropes, including using rape as a dramatic crutch. If that's your thing, you'll probably enjoy this and also what's wrong with you?
  
Networking Thoughtfully: The 30 Minute Read That Could Change Your Life
Networking Thoughtfully: The 30 Minute Read That Could Change Your Life
M. Wheadon | 2017 | Business & Finance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Are you the kind of person that struggles with networking? Do you have to strain to come up with satisfactory conversation starters? Is making business deals with other people something you find challenging? Then Networking Thoughtfully is exactly what you need. This short book by Martin Wheadon is a guide for people who need to build relationships but do not know where to start. With simple points, Wheadon takes readers through a step-by-step process to help achieve positive results.

With over thirty thoughts, the reader is taken through clever ideas to boost their confidence and communication skills. The advice is written clearly, accompanied with examples to help get the most of the author's guidance. The tone of the writing is almost conversational, resulting in the sense that the author understands your anxieties and is talking from personal experience.

Although written with business gain at the forefront, Networking Thoughtfully can also be used to aid personal development. Learning how to start conversations and come up with ways to introduce yourself is beneficial when meeting new people regardless of the circumstances.

The book itself is set out neatly making it easy to follow. It is also easy to dip in and out, reading only the parts relevant to yourself, though if you wish to read it cover to cover it will only take half an hour.

Whether you are new to networking or want to improve your skills, Networking Thoughtfully is an excellent book to read. You are guaranteed to learn something new and develop techniques that benefit both your business and yourself.
  
Lies & Deception(Soldiers of Fury MC #1)
Lies & Deception(Soldiers of Fury MC #1)
Nic Starr | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not really one for me :-(
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

*insert sigh*

Gonna jump straight in here, and this review may well be on the short side!

For the most part, I DID enjoy this. Mostly.

And for the life of me, I cannot, I simply CAN'T figure out what didn't work, or why! And you KNOW how much that frustrates me!!

It's well told, from both Fin and Mitch's POV, in the third person. Perfect for me. It's a very well delivered tale.

I did see who was feeding the police their insider information very early on, I did NOT see who was helping him. I would have love to have been told how Mitch and Finn dealt with finding out each other's secrets, because we don't get that here and I wanted to know how that went down!

It's not overly explicit for a male/male book, but it does come with a contemporary tag. Just the right amount for this book. It does get rather detailed in the description of the violence dished out by Finn's older brother, Rocky. But then again, Rocky isn't the best example of big brother material!

It is, as far as I can see, the first I've read of this author. I'd like to read more. Maybe I just picked the wrong book to jump into Nic Starr's world!

A GOOD 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 for the blog.

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**