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The Cockpit (Voyagers #3)
The Cockpit (Voyagers #3)
Ava Olsen | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE COCKPIT is the third book in the Voyagers series and it is now time for the twosome who can't stop bickering to get their HEA. Yep, I'm talking about the Captain and Rafe. They have appeared in the previous two books, arguing whenever they're in the same room, but now, they're on a trip around Australia with no one else there to buffer them.

This was a great addition to the series and I'm glad I got to see their previous interactions too as, once they got together, it was glossed over a little. It does go to show how you can be mistaken about someone and just need the space and time to have the chance to get to know them. Of course, it doesn't always work, but in their case, it did.

I enjoyed this book and am glad that Rafe likes someone possessive as George certainly fits that description. I also liked that they had so much in common, once they got past the hostilities, and that is, in part, what made their relationship work so well. I also loved how romantic George was!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for Jared's. I liked Rafe and George, but Dylan and Max are still my favourites.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 18, 2023
  
Veil of Shadows (Seven Deadly Veils #1)
Veil of Shadows (Seven Deadly Veils #1)
Diana Marik | 2016 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
VEIL OF SHADOWS is the first book in the Seven Deadly Veils series and we are introduced to a world that accepts paranormals... sort of. There is the usual hate group that wants to eradicate them from the face of the Earth, but most people accept them. Miranda is one who accepts. Her best friend is the Were Queen. Her roommate is a Were. Her lover is a Were. She is currently working for a vampire and is in the right place at the right time to take a poisoned dart for him. This brings her to the attention of the vampires, for good or for bad.

This is a twisted and intriguing story with romantic elements. But don't expect the MCs to immediately fall in love with each other, because you'll be disappointed. Miranda is free to be with anyone she chooses, and she does what she wants.

The biggest thing for me with this book was the multiple POVs. There were loads!!! And it wasn't announced in any way, so it was unclear who was talking and when it was. This made it quite confusing in places, even when I was enjoying it.

If you like Saga-type books with plenty of action and intrigue, then I definitely recommend this one.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 8, 2024
  
Arlo: An MM Age Play Daddy Romance
Arlo: An MM Age Play Daddy Romance
HJ Welch | 2024 | LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Loved This!
I was gifted my copy of this book.

Ima gush about this book, k? It's my review and I can do that, right??

Cos what this is, is a whole bunch of sweet and smexy; cute and downright angry enducing; cat rescuing and pirate fighting (not literally, mind) and the cutest Lolo ever!

I mean, come on! Thomas needs a boy of his own, and Arlo just needs someone to love him. His parental units have mapped out a life for Arlo that he does not want, but he cannot fight them. Thomas helps him see, really see himself for the first time in his life. And I loved Thomas for Arlo.

I loved how Thomas was able to interpret Arlo talking about the pirates and what that really meant. Loved that, cos at first, I wasn't getting it, and then I had a lightbulb moment!

Loved how, at first, Arlo was adamant that there would be no grown up feelings/stuff. He soon changed his mind, but it was ARLO who moved the goalposts, and no pressure was put on him, at all.

Hated the parental units and how they made Arlo feel.

Loved what Thomas does for Jolly!

I'm gonna wrap up, or I'll go on and on, and a ranting review does not a good review make!

I
LOVED
THIS!

Every time Ms Welch writes these kinds of books, I think it's the best yet, and here we go again! Her best one yet!!

5 full and shiny stars.

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
I've been picking up books on Autism since we realized my husband was on the spectrum, in hopes of finding tools to help us manage daily life. He's too busy with school and work to do much reading these days, so I've been doing the research and bringing it to him to discuss. It's led to some enlightening conversations and we've both learned a lot about each other. Cynthia Kim's blog was one I pored over and read parts of to him, and I finally got her book from my library.

One of the things I noticed most was she details social rules in ways I never would have thought to do - she has a list of seven very specific rules for eye contact, for example. As an allistic person, most of those rules are things I do instinctively, without even really knowing the reason for them. Like, in conversation, looking up or to the side means you're thinking, looking down means you're done talking. I read that to my husband and he jumped in, surprised, with "so THAT'S why I get interrupted so much!" I never would have thought to codify that into words, but it's something I naturally do.

She talks about meltdowns vs shutdowns, which are things we've already learned the difference between with my husband, but we're both eager for strategies to avoid, mitigate, and recover from them. She gave some strategies as places to start, but that's hard to give general advice on as every autistic is so very different in that regard.

The chapter on alexithymia was really interesting. Alexithymia being an impairment in identifying and describing emotions. It leads to a lot of "Hey, are you okay?" "I don't know." "Well, how do you feel?" "I DON'T KNOW!" We'd already been introduced to this concept through her blog, but she expands on it in the book.

Another interesting (and applicable!) chapter was the one on executive dysfunction. (We joke that I am my husband's personal assistant - I keep his calendar and remind him of important dates/events/homework due dates, and sometimes nudge him to do things if it seems he's having trouble getting started.)

Kim uses the term Asperger's in her writing (as well as autism), but Asperger's has been rolled into the greater Autism Spectrum Disorder since 2013. Very recently there's been some debate about the Asperger name, as it's been revealed that Hans Asperger at least cooperated with the Nazis, and possibly was one himself. It's still used commonly, though, and there is a large community built around being Aspies. Personally, I think using the Asperger term is a little too divisive - it's basically the same as "high-functioning." But. I'm allistic and my opinion on the matter isn't the important one, so. We use autistic for my husband. (His choice, and when I asked his thoughts, he also thinks the Asperger term is divisive and not useful.) There's a number of Twitter threads and articles on the subject of using or not using the Asperger term, and what it means to the community.

Overall, this was a really great book for learning about how autism affects day-to-day life, and gave us lots of talking points and words for things we didn't have the vocabulary for. I'm looking forward to tackling the rest of my Autism Reading List.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
The Music Man
The Music Man
Moonyani Write | 2018 | Children
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What I liked best was the lessons this story offers. All the characters go through some kind transformation and many experience personal growth. (0 more)
What I didn't like was the style itself, in fact it was a major negative for me. I lost track of who was talking to who frequently because of the lack of paragraphs (0 more)
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Music Man by Moonyani Write is Written in a very different style, with no long paragraphs. Each sentence seems to be tarted on a different line, at least the dialogue is written this way. I recommend reading this book at a slower pace, there is no need to rush through it. In fact if you rush while reading this book there is a good chance that the reader wll miss things. Over all this book is a good way to kill some time.

A young boy by the name of Jimmy runs away from home on a cold day. He finds himself knocking on the door of the Music Man asking to come out of the cold. Jimmy and the Music Man find that they both have a love for music, especially melodies. With the help of a few neighbors, they bring the Music Man's piano downstairs from the attic. Then while playing a song together that the Music Man wrote on his piano they are magically transported to another world.

In this new world, the Music Man is a famous conductor who is scheduled to perform a concert in a few days. There is another conductor called Hornsbury who is using his music to possess people in an attempt to take over the world, one town at a time. Now Jimmy and his new friends must set out to stop Hornsbury. They travel to the town that Hornsbury came from in search of answers while the Music Man stays in Harmony town with his new friend Olivia. In the course of trying do defeat Hornsbuy it becomes clear that not everyone living in Harmony is exactly who they claim they are.

What I liked best was the lessons this story offers. All the characters go through some kind transformation and many experience personal growth. The happy ending, although expect was still a nice touch even with all the twists along the way. What I didn't like was the style itself, in fact, it was a major negative for me. I lost track of who was talking to who frequently because of the lack of paragraphs. The lack of paragraphs also caused me to get confused when the story shifted from Jimmny to Hornsbury. It was also extremely anti-climatic during the big battle at the end and did not build tension very well.

The target readers for this book are young teens. To be honest I would not recommend this book to teens with a high reading level. The content and subject matter should not be a problem if younger
readers would like to give this book a try as well. On face value the book may seem a bit on the longer side but readers should not let this intimidate them because it really is not that long of a book. I rate this book 2 out of 4. This is because while the story itself was decent the writing felt inconsistent. The style it was written in made it choppy to read. There were also times when it would be nicely detailed and then vague all in the same chapter.

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    Dream Talk Recorder Pro

    Dream Talk Recorder Pro

    Utilities and Entertainment

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    Over 3 million people use Dream Talk Recorder to record their sleep talks and snores at night! Do...

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
Really Useful
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.
  
Darkest Hour Before Dawn (THIRDS #9)
Darkest Hour Before Dawn (THIRDS #9)
Charlie Cochet | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Darkest Hour Before Dawn (THIRDS #9) by Charlie Cochet
Darkest Hour Before Dawn is the last book (so far) in the THIRDS series, and you do need to read the other books in the series to get the complete picture. It is in previous books that we have learned about the Hobbs family, about Hudson's relationship with Nina, and how Therians view the whole being marked phenomenon.

Now, I will admit to being torn going into this book. I like Hudson - the sexy, nerdy doctor who has helped Dex and Sloane without question. Okay, so maybe with some questions, but he still helped. BUT you then get the Hudson that is constantly pulling Seb to him, only to push him away again. I understand the story of how it happened, and I understand the guilt behind it. I also understand the bonding that is there between mates. What I don't understand is how Seb could carry on wanting Hudson with how he was behaving. Nina had it right with what she said to Hudson, but it was a few years too late in my opinion. I will also admit to getting slightly fed up with the 'poor me' Hudson routine.

On the whole though, this book manages to tie up some loose ends whilst leaving you with plenty of questions going forward. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, I found the pacing very smooth, with peaks of action in amongst the talking. This book is still a welcome addition to the series, and definitely recommended by me.

* Verified Purchase ~ April 2017 *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
VP
Vanishing Point (Nikki Boyd Files #4)
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is my second Nikki Boyd novel and I loved it every bit as much as the last one I read. Ms. Harris is a talented author who knows what to bring to her readers. She blends the heart pounding suspense, the breathtaking twists and the epic chills that make up a perfect suspense novel. The characters she throws into the story really bring it to life, making it play out more like a movie on the big screen than simply a thrilling novel.

Nikki, Garrett and Jordan come together in a wonderfully researched, well thought out novel. This is the back story of Nikki's sister Sarah and what happened to her. Each page turn truly captivated me, wrapping me up in the investigation and the shivering suspense that goes on behind the lines of duty. Throw in to the mix a little romance between two characters, God's unending glory and it rounds it out beautifully.

Ms. Harris takes a topic that isn't easily handled, the disappearance of a loved one, and creates a carefully woven, intricately pieced novel. This book is beyond 5 star worthy, and is one that will be at the top of my recommendation list for many months to come. This book will take you on a highest of high roller coaster ride, twist your gut, squeeze your heart, and the sudden stop at the end.....well, just grab a copy of this book now to see what I'm talking about.
 
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Books and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*