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Merissa (12669 KP) rated Darksider (Reveler #3) in Books

May 8, 2021 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
Darksider (Reveler #3)
Darksider (Reveler #3)
Erin Kellison | 2014 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.

This story focuses on Harlen and Sera (short for Serafina). Sera has been having trouble sleeping for over a year as a stalker has been entering her dreams. She has been able to deal with it for so long but now exhaustion is catching up with her and she also sees her stalker in 'real' life. So she decides to call in Harlen, a man from her past who she used to travel in the Darkside with. Harlen still has feelings for her and is not impressed with her stubbornness in not contacting him straight away but puts that aside as he tries to help her.

Rook and Jordan, Coll and Maisie all make an appearance here as the overall story arc continues. Erin Kellison has managed to give Harlen and Sera a story as well as continuing with the others.

This is part of a series and as such, you will need to read the other books in order to get the benefit from them. However, this series is just getting better and better so I can definitely recommend you give them a try.

August 11, 2016
  
Princess of Athelia (Unfinished Fairy Tales #1.5)
Princess of Athelia (Unfinished Fairy Tales #1.5)
Aya Ling | 2015 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a short but sweet addition to the Unfinished Fairy Tales series, starring "Uncle Ed and Aunt Kat". That part won't actually make sense unless you've read this novella, but trust me, it is just one of the many scenes that made me smile.

Kat is still bumbling her way through the atrocities of royal etiquette, in equal parts both charming and horrifying the court and the members of parliament. I love this about Kat - she is learning that things she took for granted could have a real impact here. Her heart is in the right place, and Edward is certainly keeping it safe for you.

I loved the insight into their relationship before they got engaged or married, although I'm not sure if I would be as strong as Kat is and be able to have a happy face on considering that she knows that she will have to leave when they get married.

Well-written and smoothly paced, this took me right back to the joys and woes of Athelia. Thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to Ever After.

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

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 8, 2015
  
F
Firebird
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
159 of 230
Kindle
Firebird
By Alice La Roux
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶

Being a King isn't easy.

When a rebel group threatens the family business, Golden Apple Incorporated, Seraphina King must step up to the plate. Her father keeps her on a tight leash, a prized possession locked away in a gilded cage. In desperation he grants her the freedom to find those who want to harm them, but nothing is as it seems. People are going missing, women are turning up dead and then there’s her renegade stalker. The maverick with the emerald green eyes who always seems to be in the middle of things. Sera doesn’t know who to trust or what to believe.

What happens when the golden apple is rotten?

This was a decent read although I was seriously frustrated at how short it is which gave it a little bit of a rushed feel. Although I have to say I really really enjoyed it. I liked the story and the characters I just wish we had more I know this was extended from a novella but it just still wasn’t long or feels enough! I’ve gone between a 3 and 4 but it could have been a 5 with more depth. I do like her writing style.
  
182 of 230
Kindle
Isobel ( Dark Warrior Alliance book 9)
By Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Elsie has everything she could ever want - mated to the Vampire King, working at her dream job, surrounded by family and friends and expecting her first child. Her bliss quickly turns into a nightmare of epic proportions when her newborn daughter becomes the primary target of the nefarious archdemon. Seeking guidance from the Goddess, Elsie and Zander discover the only way to protect their fragile baby is to summon a Guardian Angel. When the enticing guardian appears, Elsie and Zander face far more challenges than merely keeping their daughter safe. As feelings ignite, jealousy threatens to tear them apart and for the first time, being Fated may not guarantee an eternity together.

I just loved this! We have been waiting so long for this baby and in one short book she makes her appearance and boy does she come into the world with a bang! Elsie has to deal with a hell of a lot In this book especially with Ramis showing up and knocking the wind from her, but she’s just such an inspiring female character she handles it well Zander not so much 😂. This series is just so much fun to read.
  
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ClareR (5849 KP) rated Perestroika in Books

Mar 10, 2024  
Perestroika
Perestroika
Joao Cerqueira | 2024 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Perestroika by João Cerqueira is the story of a fictional country’s turn away from Communism.

We start off in Slavia in 1978 before any of the massive changes that will eventually take place, and we meet the inhabitants of the country: from the corrupt politicians to the men incarcerated in concentration camps. We see how people live on next to nothing and lies from the government that tell them all of their woes are because of the wicked Capitalist West.

The tables are turned on these corrupt Communists with the advent of Perestroika, and instead of Communists governing the country, an all-out crime boss finds himself in charge. But make no mistake: this was engineered by Ivan Fiorov (the crime boss) and his lackeys.

This is a story that is as relevant today as it always has been - especially with what is going on in the Ukraine at the moment. Some of the story arcs in this are horrific, and not just those that take place in the concentration camps. There’s child abuse, sexual coercion, drug abuse, neo-Nazis, violence. The people in this country experience a lot of change in a short period of time. But at the same time, everything stays the same.

Well worth a read.
  
31 of 220
Book
The Pig in the Derby Hat ( Trussel and Gout: Paranormal investigations 1)
By M.A. knights
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Young Clementine Trussel didn’t go looking for the supernatural. It found her.

When a small pig wearing a derby hat falls out of her Granny’s window, Clementine is inclined to believe she’s seeing things. Only someone else saw it too, the mysterious Theophilius Gout, and he claims to be an expert in the paranormal.

There is definitely something odd about the fat, tweed-clad man, and when her Granny falls deathly ill, Clementine is uneasy entrusting her recovery to a stranger. Even one as enigmatic as Mr Gout. Besides, he seems more interested in the cakes from her parents’ bakery than anything…otherworldly.

But with her grandmother's life, and Clementine's own future, hanging in the balance, she is forced to follow him into a world of magic and monsters hidden in the shadows of her quiet hometown.

Will they be in time to save her Granny? Is Mr Gout what he claims to be? And just what exactly is the pig in the derby hat?

This was a brilliant short read I loved it. A cosy paranormal story with fun characters, and so well written. Looking forward to reading more.
  
The Burial Society
The Burial Society
Nina Sadowsky | 2018 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
8
5.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Surprising (2 more)
Fast read
Original plot
Enjoyable, twisty novel
In Paris with her father and brother, eighteen-year-old Natalie Burrows returns back to their hotel room and finds her father dead. His death triggers an open wound in Natalie, reminding her of when her mother, Mallory, went missing three years earlier and was never found. A man who was her mother's supposed lover claimed responsibility for her disappearance and death. Natalie and her older brother Jake are both still reeling from that incident, as is Brian's brother, Frank, who must come to Paris to help his niece and nephew after his brother's death--much like he did following Mallory's disappearance. Meanwhile, also in Paris is a woman named Catherine who goes by many aliases; she has a vested interest in the Burrows family and is watching them from afar. When Brian is killed, the fate all these characters intertwines in ways no one could quite possibly imagine.

This was a really interesting novel that took me by surprise. It's told in very short bursts of chapters, each one from a different point of view--Catherine, Natalie, Jake, Frank, and so on. Most of the narrative is in the present, but we occasionally go back in time. The format takes a little getting used to but it's also incredibly effective in building up suspense and keeping you guessing, wondering, and frustrated (in a good way) as to what is happening.

The novel gets off to an interesting start and just keeps on rolling. I was completely bewildered from the beginning and fascinated, wondering how all the characters related to each other. The book was perplexing and if I hadn't read it while I was moving, I probably would have whipped through it in a day or two--it has all the makings of a very fast read.

I do want to note that there is a self-harm trigger in the book, so please take note if that's something that affects you.

The characters in the novel are all varied. I was probably drawn more to Catherine and Jake, but each is fascinating in their own right. You are always a little wary of each, contemplating how much we truly know them and can trust them. The book gives us a couple of good "oh wow" moments, which I certainly appreciated. I eventually mostly worked things out near the end, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the novel. Through it all, we're always puzzling things out, wondering what happened to Mallory and how things will play out.

Overall, this is a different sort of book, and I enjoyed the original plot. It's a bit odd at times and sometimes confusing, but it certainly kept me reading. An enjoyable, twisty read. 4 stars.