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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Gerard's Beauty (Kingdom, #2) in Books
Dec 11, 2019
Beauty and the beast with a twist
A not so classic retelling of Beauty and the Beast, as seen through the eyes of the villain...
Betty Hart has had it with men. Jilted in love, her life now consists of shelving books by day, watching too much Anime by night, and occasionally dressing up like a superhero on ...
The second book in the Kingdom series and for a short read it was pretty good. I enjoy Marie Halls take on the beloved fairy tales bringing them up to date with a bit of spice. Gerard's beauty is a spin on beauty and the beast but with a bit of a twist. An easy but fun read!
Betty Hart has had it with men. Jilted in love, her life now consists of shelving books by day, watching too much Anime by night, and occasionally dressing up like a superhero on ...
The second book in the Kingdom series and for a short read it was pretty good. I enjoy Marie Halls take on the beloved fairy tales bringing them up to date with a bit of spice. Gerard's beauty is a spin on beauty and the beast but with a bit of a twist. An easy but fun read!

Ross (3284 KP) rated That's Your Lot in Books
Aug 1, 2019
Not as good as Daft Wee Stories
Some more daft wee stories from Limmy. I picked this up as a holiday read when my current fantasy book became too grim for poolside reading. These short stories are all of a similar feel to the first set but to my mind of lesser quality. The stories are generally all someone getting themselves into a ludicrous situation after a series of seemingly logical decisions. None of these quite match up with those in the first book, and some just end without his trademark twisted punchline. The final story, more of a novella, is more like a rejected Irvine Welsh story than his usual, and is really quite an unpleasant read.

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Dark Dates (Cassandra Bick Chronicles #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2021
I struggled with this from the beginning. I'd finish one of the short chapters and put it down for days, not at all interested in picking it back up again. Then do the same again a few days later. Until last night when I just decided to give up. It wasn't working for me. Over two weeks I've been reading this and I wasn't getting anywhere.
It may be that my taste has changed from my recent obsession with Paranormal/Urban Fantasy and back into Contemporary Romances as I've just read entire backlog of books pretty much back to back.
I may attempt to read this again at a later date when my taste changes back to paranormal
It may be that my taste has changed from my recent obsession with Paranormal/Urban Fantasy and back into Contemporary Romances as I've just read entire backlog of books pretty much back to back.
I may attempt to read this again at a later date when my taste changes back to paranormal

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) in Movies
Sep 3, 2019
Dark Scary Stories
This movie was very good, i jumped couple of times. I thought this movie was rated R, because of some of the death sences, cut to the first one. But it turns out its PG-13 and man oh man that first death sence was terrorfying and horrorfying. Guilmoro Del Toro only produces this film, but i wish he also directed. He knows how to make monsters scary and make monsters look terrorfying. I didnt read the short horror series of books. So i went in not knowing anything. I do want to read then know, because of this movie.
I would highly reccordmend going to see this film because it is very good.
I would highly reccordmend going to see this film because it is very good.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2310 KP) rated Chesapeake Crimes: Fur, Feathers, and Felonies in Books
Apr 25, 2018
Criminally Fun Animal Inspired Short Stories
This latest collection of short stories from the members of Sisters in Crime Chesapeake Chapter features 13 tales, or is it tails, involving animals. Yes, there are lots of dogs and cats featured, including a murdered crazy cat lady, a story about a dog getting into trouble with his human, and a movie stars famous dog. But we get some unusual animals, too, including an octopus and exploding cows.
As with any collection, there were a couple of stories that weren’t to my taste. But I would then find I loved the next one. And when each story takes less than 30 minutes to read, you aren’t committed to something you don’t like for very long. For short stories, the characters were well drawn, and each story featured at least one twist with longer ones features a few more surprises. While a couple stories trend a little darker, there are some light, very fun stories in the collection as well. Truly, there is something here everyone will enjoy.
As with any collection, there were a couple of stories that weren’t to my taste. But I would then find I loved the next one. And when each story takes less than 30 minutes to read, you aren’t committed to something you don’t like for very long. For short stories, the characters were well drawn, and each story featured at least one twist with longer ones features a few more surprises. While a couple stories trend a little darker, there are some light, very fun stories in the collection as well. Truly, there is something here everyone will enjoy.

Merissa (12611 KP) rated Forever Mine in Books
May 30, 2023
This is a free short story that I received after signing up for the author's newsletter. As far as I know, it isn't available anywhere else.
It is fast-paced and full of action, and yet you are also able to receive hundreds of years of history and tradition without an info dump. There is a more recent history between Asher and Roya. They were together but Roya wanted her career to take off more before she settled down with Asher. However, when circumstances change, it is Asher that she turns to.
With fantastic characters that leave you wanting more, this is a short story that could quite easily be the forerunner to a series. Well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found, this was a short but hot coffee break book. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Mar 20, 2016
It is fast-paced and full of action, and yet you are also able to receive hundreds of years of history and tradition without an info dump. There is a more recent history between Asher and Roya. They were together but Roya wanted her career to take off more before she settled down with Asher. However, when circumstances change, it is Asher that she turns to.
With fantastic characters that leave you wanting more, this is a short story that could quite easily be the forerunner to a series. Well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found, this was a short but hot coffee break book. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Mar 20, 2016

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2310 KP) rated Murder on the Beach in Books
May 28, 2021
Beach Reads to Enjoy Anywhere
Surfs up with this collection of eight mystery short stories set on the beach. We’ve got everything from a constantly disappearing family heirloom at a beach side wedding reception to a dead body on a girls’ weekend, a death at a frog leg cooking competition, a ring half buried in the sand, and an accident plagued trip to Cabo San Lucas.
Each story in this collection averaged 40 minutes for me to read, so there is plenty of content in the book. While some of the authors have written about their series sleuths, all of the stories can be read on their own, which was good because I was only familiar with one set of characters before I started the collection. All the stories feature strong characters and fun mysteries in addition to the variety of beach settings. Whether you take this book along to read at the beach or read it at home while dreaming of being at the beach, you’ll enjoy it.
Each story in this collection averaged 40 minutes for me to read, so there is plenty of content in the book. While some of the authors have written about their series sleuths, all of the stories can be read on their own, which was good because I was only familiar with one set of characters before I started the collection. All the stories feature strong characters and fun mysteries in addition to the variety of beach settings. Whether you take this book along to read at the beach or read it at home while dreaming of being at the beach, you’ll enjoy it.

Hazel (2934 KP) rated Cat and Mouse (Helen Grace #11) in Books
Jun 21, 2022
Oh my goodness ... that was a good book ... had me absolutely hooked from the beginning to the end!
This is the 11th book in the Helen Grace series but if you haven't read any of the others, don't worry, it works quite well as a standalone but I think you will want to go back and read the others after finishing this one if only to put a bit more flesh onto the main characters.
This is an intense read where the short and punchy chapters add to that intensity and keeps the story rolling along very nicely. The plot is engaging and intriguing and the characters are strong and well developed.
Full of action and heart-in-the-mouth scenes of peril, this is one for people who enjoy a great crime thriller/police procedural but, be warned, you will definitely be checking your windows and doors more than once each night!!
Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read Cat & Mouse and to share my thoughts.
This is the 11th book in the Helen Grace series but if you haven't read any of the others, don't worry, it works quite well as a standalone but I think you will want to go back and read the others after finishing this one if only to put a bit more flesh onto the main characters.
This is an intense read where the short and punchy chapters add to that intensity and keeps the story rolling along very nicely. The plot is engaging and intriguing and the characters are strong and well developed.
Full of action and heart-in-the-mouth scenes of peril, this is one for people who enjoy a great crime thriller/police procedural but, be warned, you will definitely be checking your windows and doors more than once each night!!
Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read Cat & Mouse and to share my thoughts.

Short Vowel Word Study
Education and Games
App
Teaching kids to spell includes much more than a list of spelling words students should memorize and...

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow in Books
Jan 4, 2019
The Plot (2 more)
The Pacing
The Characters
A Great Spooky Read!
I've read two other novels by Nancy Gray, Empty Eyes and Krampus, so when I read the synopsis of The Scarecrow, I know I had to read it. It sounded really interesting. I was not disappointed.
All of the previous books in the Spine Chillers series have been short, and The Scarecrow was no exception. I love how each book in the series can be read as a standalone.
I found myself enthralled by the plot of The Scarecrow from the very beginning. Once I started reading, I was immediately thrust into all the action. Yes, the plot about a scary scarecrow come to life has been done many times before, but I loved the way Nancy Gray made her story a bit different. There are a couple of plot twists, and there was even one I didn't see coming. The Scarecrow is a scary read, but it's not overly scary for its targeted audience. I found the world building to be believable. It was easy to be transported to Sophie's world with each word I read.
The pacing for The Scarecrow is done fantastically. Not once did it slow down to where it became boring, and it was never too fast paced where I was just left confused. The pacing is spot on, and I found myself wanting to know more about the scarecrow, Hunt, Sophie, and Edward with each page. This was a definite page turner. Luckily The Scarecrow is a short read because I never wanted to stop reading. I had to know how everything would turn out.
I loved the characters in The Scarecrow. I found Sophie to be incredibly brave and sweet the way she was willing to put her life on the line to look for and save her cousin. Edward was an interesting character in a good way. Even the adults in this book were likable as well as believable.
Trigger warnings for The Scarecrow include one minor profanity (one of the characters says "what the hell"), violence, and disobeying adults.
Overall, The Scarecrow is a great read for those that like to be spooked. It has a great story line, interesting characters, and fantastic pacing. I would definitely recommend Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow by Nancy Gray to those aged 11+. Even though this is written for the middle grade age group, I really think adults would enjoy it too.
All of the previous books in the Spine Chillers series have been short, and The Scarecrow was no exception. I love how each book in the series can be read as a standalone.
I found myself enthralled by the plot of The Scarecrow from the very beginning. Once I started reading, I was immediately thrust into all the action. Yes, the plot about a scary scarecrow come to life has been done many times before, but I loved the way Nancy Gray made her story a bit different. There are a couple of plot twists, and there was even one I didn't see coming. The Scarecrow is a scary read, but it's not overly scary for its targeted audience. I found the world building to be believable. It was easy to be transported to Sophie's world with each word I read.
The pacing for The Scarecrow is done fantastically. Not once did it slow down to where it became boring, and it was never too fast paced where I was just left confused. The pacing is spot on, and I found myself wanting to know more about the scarecrow, Hunt, Sophie, and Edward with each page. This was a definite page turner. Luckily The Scarecrow is a short read because I never wanted to stop reading. I had to know how everything would turn out.
I loved the characters in The Scarecrow. I found Sophie to be incredibly brave and sweet the way she was willing to put her life on the line to look for and save her cousin. Edward was an interesting character in a good way. Even the adults in this book were likable as well as believable.
Trigger warnings for The Scarecrow include one minor profanity (one of the characters says "what the hell"), violence, and disobeying adults.
Overall, The Scarecrow is a great read for those that like to be spooked. It has a great story line, interesting characters, and fantastic pacing. I would definitely recommend Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow by Nancy Gray to those aged 11+. Even though this is written for the middle grade age group, I really think adults would enjoy it too.