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Merissa (12854 KP) rated Awakened by Fire (Dragons of Bloodfire #2) in Books

May 8, 2021 (Updated Jun 8, 2023)  
Awakened by Fire (Dragons of Bloodfire #2)
Awakened by Fire (Dragons of Bloodfire #2)
Erin Kellison | 2016 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In the second book of the series, we return to the world of the Bloodkin. In this instalment, we meet Warrick, the face of the Triad and one of the 'young' dragons at only one hundred and forty plus years. He is at his mother's home for a wedding in the family and is reunited with 'Sammy', a human child from his past. However, he soon realises that Sammy has grown up into Samantha, and he is all the more interested. The heat gets turned up when threats are made against the family and Samantha's secret is exposed to Warrick's mother, who makes her promise to help him.

This is a fast-paced, well-written book, with a romance that is a slow burner. They actually know each other from the past, but take time to know each in the now before anything happens. The difference between how a dragon thinks and how a human does is clearly demonstrated.

Recommended for all fans of adult dragon stories, with an intriguing world that continues to excite and thrill with each book.

* 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!
May 26, 2016
  
A Slay Ride Together with You
A Slay Ride Together with You
Vicki Delany | 2024 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Spring Brings Another Murder to Rudolph
Spring in Rudolph, New York, American’s Christmas town, is usually a little show, which means it is the perfect time for Merry Wilkinson’s friends Vicki and Mark to plan their wedding. They’ve even managed to buy the Cole House to move into, but only because it needs a lot of work. However, things aren’t going well at the house since the couple are hearing strange noises in the night. Then, when Merry is visiting, the trio find a dead body. With Mark under suspicion, Merry starts gathering clues. Can she figure out what happened?

Normally, I enjoy this series, but this entry didn’t work for me. The story was too slow to get going. While things did pick up once we found the body, including giving us some great suspects, it wasn’t satisfying. Having said that, my questions were answered at the end. Since this is set in spring, it didn’t have quite the usual Christmas cheer, but I think that’s on me more than anything. The series regulars were still fantastic, and I did enjoy getting to see them again. And we got three recipes that Vicki has been working on for her cookbook. Fans of the series will be happy to check in on the characters, but everyone else can pass this one by.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated London Calling in Books

Feb 20, 2025 (Updated Feb 20, 2025)  
London Calling
London Calling
James Ponti | 2025 | Children
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Family Found Finally?
This book starts with Annie in Istanbul. Thanks to things her mom has drilled into her, she realizes someone is following her and manages to give them the slip before she sends out a cry for help. A cry that the City Spies get and immediately jump into action. You see, Annie is the daughter of Mother, their leader. But the spies are already on assignment protecting the fiancée of one of the princes before their royal wedding. Can they find Annie and rescue her while keeping their current assignment on track?

If you haven’t yet started this fantastic series, don’t start here since it will spoil many of the twists of the previous books. But fans will be highly satisfied when they finish the book since it gives us many of the answers we’d been waiting for. A couple things were glossed over, but that’s minor. Along the way, we get all the twists and excitement that fans expect. We also get to spend time with characters we love. They are so great at working together, and it is a joy to watch. While this book does wrap up quite a bit, it leaves the door open for further adventures - ones I hope we get. If you are a fan, pick up this book today.
  
Caraval
Caraval
Stephanie Garber | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.1 (97 Ratings)
Book Rating
Roll up roll up to the world of Caraval, a game where nothing is ever as it seems but if you succeed you can make your greatest wish come true! For Scarlett, she has been writing to Caraval Master Legend for many years, hoping that he will bring his players to her Isle of Trisda so she can experience the joy and wonder her Grandmother’s stories told her about. When her final letter see’s an older Scarlett informing Legend that she is about to marry, a pre-wedding gift arrives in the form of tickets to Caraval! One for her, her sister Donatella and Scarlett’s fiance, who by the way she has never met…. Her father is a cruel man and Scarlett see’s the opportunity for marriage as a way to escape, which won’t happen if she attends Caraval. But her sister and the young sailor, Julian, have other plans!

 Sailed away to Master Legends Island, Scarlet must play the game of Caraval and the stakes are higher than she ever thought. Not everything is real and everything has a price, can Scarlett complete the game and get back to Trisda before her father knows she has gone and before her wedding day? Or will the secrets of Caraval pull her in too deep?
 
I went into Caraval a little sceptical, I had heard mixed reviews from friends but I wanted to love it as the story sounded amazing, thankfully I wasn’t disappointed. In a book where I was constantly told that not everything is real I found myself second guessing everything, trying to figure out the clues along with Scarlett. The Caraval itself is wonderful and vibrant but yet a little sinister if you scratch the surface, I almost felt transported to a Victorian era where the currency is secrets rather than coin. There are a ton of twists in this tale and I have to say that I struggled a little to keep up at times. My only quibble is that it did get quite ridiculous as the story progressed and I was longing for a little stability in the story. There are however, some genius bits that I loved especially around some of the forms of payment.

I found it a struggle to put this down, for the most part it was the kind of read that I didn’t have to think about as I flew through the pages and apart from the odd moments of wading through treacle I found myself utterly caught up in the world, my heart racing against the clock just as Scarlett’s did. I would totally recommend giving this a read, it’s not 100% up to the hype, but I’m glad I read it and I think it may end up in that rare pile of books that I have that I would want to read again!