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Merissa (13854 KP) rated The Secret of Drulea Cottage (Betwixt the Sea and Shore #1) in Books
Aug 20, 2021 (Updated Jul 17, 2023)
THE SECRET OF DRULEA COTTAGE is the first book in the Betwixt the Sea and the Shore series and we arrive in Everton, a small town in Orkney, also known as the Orkney Islands, which is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland.
Briony is the village midwife but that is the only time she is wanted. She is the illegitimate daughter of Bethany, who was also illegitimate. The villagers shun her and expect her to follow in her mother's footsteps. Briony is used to it and tries to keep out of their way, although she enjoys spending time with Adaira, her only friend. Her life changes when two men enter it.
The beginning of this story was a slow burn, gently leading you in with old terms and descriptions of Briony's life. It really gets going once Santiago and Niall turn up. Both men have a powerful effect on Briony, but with secrets galore, she has no idea just who or what they are.
This was a fascinating story of the Selkies, with some Portuguese political intrigue thrown in for good measure. The characters are well-described and fit neatly in their boxes. You immediately know who the good guys are, and who are the big bad, even if you don't know why.
A great start to the series that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 20, 2021
Briony is the village midwife but that is the only time she is wanted. She is the illegitimate daughter of Bethany, who was also illegitimate. The villagers shun her and expect her to follow in her mother's footsteps. Briony is used to it and tries to keep out of their way, although she enjoys spending time with Adaira, her only friend. Her life changes when two men enter it.
The beginning of this story was a slow burn, gently leading you in with old terms and descriptions of Briony's life. It really gets going once Santiago and Niall turn up. Both men have a powerful effect on Briony, but with secrets galore, she has no idea just who or what they are.
This was a fascinating story of the Selkies, with some Portuguese political intrigue thrown in for good measure. The characters are well-described and fit neatly in their boxes. You immediately know who the good guys are, and who are the big bad, even if you don't know why.
A great start to the series that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 20, 2021
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Outlaw Takes a Bride in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Can an outlaw find love and happiness when his life is nothing but a lie?
Springtime in Colorado, 1885. Johnny Paynter is accused of a murder and flees towards his brother’s ranch in Texas. Although when he arrives, he finds his brother Mark dead! Folk in town think that Johnny is Mark, and Johnny doesn’t correct them. He begins to start a new life as Mark and things go rather well. Until he finds out that Mark has a mail order bride on her way to Texas. Deciding that there is nothing else to do, he takes Sally as his wife and continues life as Mark Paynter. With a relationship founded on lies, how can it survive?
The foundation of any relationship should be founded on truth and honesty. If it isn’t, there is much turmoil working through the mess. But there is always hope, the Lord can heal the hurt and His mercies are new every day. We can always begin again. I have enjoyed both books that I have read by Susan Page Davis now. The Outlaw Takes a Bride is a western romance, with really good Christian principles. She reminds us that we should strive to live an honest life, but even when we mess things up, the Lord is there to forgive and restore what has been broken. This book is action packed with bandits, touching and romantic, and an overall good read!
I received a free digital copy of The Outlaw Takes a Bride from Barbour Publishing, Inc. through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Springtime in Colorado, 1885. Johnny Paynter is accused of a murder and flees towards his brother’s ranch in Texas. Although when he arrives, he finds his brother Mark dead! Folk in town think that Johnny is Mark, and Johnny doesn’t correct them. He begins to start a new life as Mark and things go rather well. Until he finds out that Mark has a mail order bride on her way to Texas. Deciding that there is nothing else to do, he takes Sally as his wife and continues life as Mark Paynter. With a relationship founded on lies, how can it survive?
The foundation of any relationship should be founded on truth and honesty. If it isn’t, there is much turmoil working through the mess. But there is always hope, the Lord can heal the hurt and His mercies are new every day. We can always begin again. I have enjoyed both books that I have read by Susan Page Davis now. The Outlaw Takes a Bride is a western romance, with really good Christian principles. She reminds us that we should strive to live an honest life, but even when we mess things up, the Lord is there to forgive and restore what has been broken. This book is action packed with bandits, touching and romantic, and an overall good read!
I received a free digital copy of The Outlaw Takes a Bride from Barbour Publishing, Inc. through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) in Movies
Dec 4, 2017
Yet another unnecessary Spider-Man movie. The entire point of this movie was to set up for Infinity War. The movie was entertaining, and Tom Holland was a good Spidey. Ned was one of the best parts as well. Batman, I mean, Michael Keaton, was a fairly solid villain. I felt like the casting of Zendaya was unnecessary, and wait, plot twist, she's MJ.
I could live my entire life without having to see Tony Stark in another damn movie, but alas, he's at least in Infinity War.
I could live my entire life without having to see Tony Stark in another damn movie, but alas, he's at least in Infinity War.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Marmalade Martini in Books
Feb 20, 2018
An excellent debut novel. The story had a nice flow and the characters were very believable. I really enjoyed the way the story developed with some twists and turns just like in real life. Jamie is a little like all of us, or if you are one of those perfect people you have a friend like her. She deserves to have good things happen to her and you are overjoyed when it does. You also want to punch anyone who mistreats her. I hope to see a follow up novel soon.
Sarah Betts (103 KP) rated Sweet Tea and Secrets (A Tea and Read Mystery #2) in Books
Dec 31, 2019
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Callie has switched her job as a tour guide for a so we're paced life. She meets a strange man and basically uncovers a 30 year old mystery right in time for a 4th of July celebration!
I liked Callie. She seemed a bit on the naive side but overall a good character.
I was able to solve half the mystery *polishes imaginary apple* and the rest played out in a way that absolutely made sense.
Callie has switched her job as a tour guide for a so we're paced life. She meets a strange man and basically uncovers a 30 year old mystery right in time for a 4th of July celebration!
I liked Callie. She seemed a bit on the naive side but overall a good character.
I was able to solve half the mystery *polishes imaginary apple* and the rest played out in a way that absolutely made sense.
How to Hold Your Breath
Book
Because we live in Europe. Because nothing really bad happens. The worst is a bit of an...
Grandmother's Wisdom: Good, Old-Fashioned Advice Handed Down Through the Ages
Book
There's no one quite like Grandma, particularly when it comes to offering sage advice. From...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Falling into You (Falling, #1) in Books
Sep 5, 2019
For me this started off a little slow and I didn't really have any feelings regarding Kyle when he died. In fact the first time I cried in this was when Colton was talking about India. Then I bawled like a baby at the end because that was kinda heart-breaking.
They go through a lot of sh*t in this story, as the characters do in New Adult books, but I did like the main characters a lot, they were good people who had had a hard life and deserved a happy ending.
They go through a lot of sh*t in this story, as the characters do in New Adult books, but I did like the main characters a lot, they were good people who had had a hard life and deserved a happy ending.
Merissa (13854 KP) created a post
Sep 22, 2025
ClareR (6106 KP) rated The Trick to Time in Books
Nov 6, 2018
A surprisingly beautiful novel.
I knew (and hoped) that this was going to be a good book, based on Kit de Waal's previous book 'My Name is Leon'. I have not been let down. I loved this. If it wasn't a library book, I would probably have turned back to the start and begun again.
This is the story of Mona: her life as a child, a young woman and an older woman (in the present day). She moves from Ireland to England to work and find more excitement than the village life she has experienced in Ireland, leaving her father behind (her mother dies when she is young). She meets a young Irish man and marries him. We skip between the present day and her past from chapter to chapter. In the present day, Mona hand makes dolls which she sells online around the world. These wooden dolls are made by 'the carpenter' and Mona makes their clothes. She meets a German 'gentleman' who always seems a little pushy to me (he made me feel uncomfortable).
It's the gradual revelations that really affected me: the hard life she had and the heartache. Such a beautifully written, emotional novel.
This is the story of Mona: her life as a child, a young woman and an older woman (in the present day). She moves from Ireland to England to work and find more excitement than the village life she has experienced in Ireland, leaving her father behind (her mother dies when she is young). She meets a young Irish man and marries him. We skip between the present day and her past from chapter to chapter. In the present day, Mona hand makes dolls which she sells online around the world. These wooden dolls are made by 'the carpenter' and Mona makes their clothes. She meets a German 'gentleman' who always seems a little pushy to me (he made me feel uncomfortable).
It's the gradual revelations that really affected me: the hard life she had and the heartache. Such a beautifully written, emotional novel.