Ria

I picked this up on a whim, then wound up reading the 400+ page book in an hour and a half. It's brutal. Dark. But smouldering. This is a bleak intense read where they truly are enemies. I devoured this. 5 ⭐.

While the writing is superb, the first short story was about child abuse/sexual assault and I just can't get into it right now. I can definitely see why it's so popular, the writing draws you in, but do keep in mind your mental health and the trigger warnings that go along with this short story collection.

I gave this a try but the writing wasn't for me. In just the first paragraph alone:

Nicola was dreaming.

She walked and walked until suddenly she was no longer alone.Suddenly is used a lot, the writing style is a bit disjointed and while I had a mild interest it slowly disappeared around page 50 and I just did not care. Maybe I'm not in the mood for a gothic thriller/romance, or maybe this was poor writing having been published back in 1970. It certainly feels dated, at least to me it does. I might try this again in the future but I highly doubt it. 2 ⭐.

I have always wanted to visit Scotland. There's so much rich history and beautiful landscape that it's been high on my list since I was a teenager. This was a lovely book depicting beautiful photos of Scotland with backstory. I still haven't and probably won't see Scotland any time soon, however this was most beautiful to flip through and a quick, informative read. 4 and a half ⭐.

This surprised me by how good it was! A western romance (many would probably call it a “clean” romance) with lots of action, brave heroines and a bit of humor too. While short, this was a good find. It wasn't one that constantly flung religion into every page. Sure it's mentioned but only in bits and pieces and it was refreshing to see barely a bit of it in a historical romance/western. I'm not sure when this takes place. It's not clear on the dates but in the time of wild horses, wagons, and damsels in distress most definitely. Rebecca is an easy character to like however my one gripe is why didn't she first offer Anna a place to stay at the beginning? Otherwise, it all came together neatly in that a hint of a mystery was thrown in for good measure. Trigger warnings for attempted rape, mentions of abuse towards children, alcoholism, and sexual assault towards women. Though I will note that this has a HEA. Its well worth the five ⭐!

Actual rating 3.5 ⭐. This was good but I'm personally not a fan of alternating character chapters. That being said the author did a great job making an atmospheric feel for this book. Though it slowed in the center, the story overall wasn't bad. I'm definitely interested in checking out the authors backlog.

A mysterious beginning with a girl named Ruby who can see ghosts and works in a bookstore was sure to be an interesting read for a couple of hours. And I was right, this book was fascinating and very intense all the way through to the end. My only complaint was how short the book is, just ten chapters!

Ruby Wynn is a twenty year old virgin who can't drive, works in a bookstore, is a loner, and loves her mom. After waking up one day with the entire world vanished, except for a mysterious man she met at the bookstore just the day before that introduced himself as Markus, she finds out that she's a draem'ar, and that she is one of a few who was listed in a prophecy given by her late Aunt Agatha.

Cue the evil beings stepping in to try to kill both her and Markus. The two put up a valiant fight, remaining behind a barrier inside a strange home that reminds Ruby so much of her own home, except for certain magical differences, like how the food is prepared.

The battle between the Etherean and the two last humans escalates quickly, bringing the ridiculously short book to a cliffhanger that makes the reader instantly want to go out and buy the next book.

The writing is intense, the characters are very realistic, and the bad guys are fascinating if a bit predicatible in the ‘hate humans, must kill' approach. I really enjoyed this book, and encourage anyone who hasn't read it to go and do so. It's well worth it, and a fast read too so it will be easy enough to knock off that TBR pile that's stacked miles high.

Thanks to Kingston Publishing for the arc, and this review is my own honest opinion. I hope book two is released ASAP, because this was a great read by an amazingly talented author.

{Review also posted on my blog}

I managed to read this while dealing with family holiday stuff, and finally finished! Thoughts:

Rating: 4 out of 5

Likes:
-interesting characters
-it reads like a DW episode
-fascinating plot
-unexpected ending
-Clara
-women being awesome
-good people fighting bad
-brief moment where the Doctor says he met C.S. Lewis and took him to Narnia (Eeeeeek!)

Dislikes:
-single quotations ‘when people talk' (I like double quotations better, but this wasn't all bad)
-book two in series (I didn't read book one, but this really works as a standalone)
-certain character (won't say who so as to avoid spoilers)
-how short the story seemed, even though it's close to 200 pages
-I DON'T HAVE THE OTHER TWO BOOKS!!!!

Really, I loved this book, enough that I will probably get the others in the series, and look forward to more by this author. Reading this made me believe I was actually watching the show, it was well written, thought-provoking, and entertaining all around!

I'm definitely going to look forward to more Doctor Who books, because if they're all like this then I am seriously missing out.

Thoughts: definitely check this book out, if not outright buy it!

I tried the first couple of chapters and wasn't in the mood for it. Though it was good, I'm just not in a mystery sort of mood. I'll come back to this later. Temporary dnf.

A delightful yet very short historical romance story! 4.5 ⭐ rounded up! I wished there was more!

This wasn't quite for me. The writing was good but I just didn't feel connected with the characters. 3.5 ⭐

A fast paced, fun read. 5 ⭐

This Book Will Make You Cry

Filled with sadness and humor combined, this book was excellent. Evan was a realistic character and I loved Story Island, as well as Under the Waves scenes, and the whole idea of Last Chance. I am now a fan of the author and am impressed with this amazing debut novel. Five stars!

A quick read about history and how it affects the future. 2.5 stars rounded up. Read through the Wayback Machine.

Read for #Smutathon2020

Historical girl runs away, dresses up as boy falls for man story plot. Not much romance more historical tbh. I might or might not do a longer review later.

I love fluffy romance, but I generally have to be in the right mood to read them. This was one of the better fluffy romances that I've read, and ranks right up there with Mary Poppins and all the fluffy Harlequin holiday movies you can probably think of. It's a feel-good love story, complete with twin little girls and a billionaire single dad.

I really liked this one. I won't say I loved it, because I don't think I'm there yet, but I can definitely see myself re-reading this again and again in the future, because it's just that much of a fun book to read. I really liked how this one had art exhibits, planes, and even an enormous library. Scotland was mentioned quite a bit, and as the next book may take place in Scotland, I'm definitely interested in reading the continuation of the duology? Series?-not sure how many books will be in this, but they're definitely well worth reading.

There's even an Alfred in this book, and he's even compared to the same Alfred from Batman, which I found hilariously awesome.

Overall, I'm rating this a 4/5 stars for the delightful atmosphere this book had, and the perfect timing in wanting to read an entertaining and fluffy hearted romance. My thanks to the publisher/author for providing me with this light atmospheric novel, and I highly recommend it to romance and contemporary fans all.

If I was thirteen, and back in the country with no internet and WiFi, I would've loved this book even more. But I'm closing towards 30, and therefore it didn't quite strike home enough for me. Still, I loved the setting, the characters-Asteria was an awesome leading character-and I enjoyed the space themes quite a lot.
A fair amount of technical jargon in the book, but not enough to confuse people who know some of it.
Book One, and it ends with a cliffhanger-another reason to make a four out of five stars, because I was really hoping it would be a smooth ending, not more questions and stuff.
I really enjoyed it, though, it was a delightful space opera!
Recommended especially for young teenagers.

A mute girl and a girl with a cleft foot positive representation! This was very good, and I'm definitely adding this author to my watch list.

Dnf and not for me. 3 ⭐.

Hanna Who Fell From the Sky is a beautiful, lyrical book that will likely make me go out and read other books that this author publishes in the future. Hanna has a snappy wit, a strong backbone, and is overall a wonderful character. Her storyline reminded strongly of “It Ain't Me Babe” by Tillie Cole, only without the bikers, and dark pasts. She was spared all that, though apparently it was a close call in some scenes.

This book features strong religious themes, child abuse, and a mean drunk alcoholic father if you have triggers.

The characters in this were a mix bag of tricks-Hanna was easily my favorite, but I liked all her brothers and sisters as well, I hated Jessamina, Jotham, and a few of the others. I disagreed strongly with the church she attended. The entire thing is something that I wish wasn't true, but sadly happens in the world regardless.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. I flew through this book in about three days, trying to make the book linger but quickly finishing it at the same time so that I can write up a review. I really recommend this book, it's beautifully written and well worth the read.

Four out of five stars!

A nicely woven story. I really liked it and will continue the series. Longer review to come.

This was very good, but also very sad. Joan's life was filled with rape, abuse, war, and death. It is not light reading, however the writing is very good. Despite the heavy religious overtones, it made sense with the story and wasn't preachy, just a part of the time period. Joan was fearless and fantastic. I would like to own a physical copy of this book someday. 5 ⭐.

I always enjoy a good mystery by Phyllis. She's an excellent writer and while these do feel a bit dated, they are still rather entertaining to read. 4 ⭐!

This was fun, adventurous and with a bit of suspense and mystery tossed in. Also has the trope of lady with knife against her lover, and a missing brother, murder, revenge all the good stuff. It dragged a bit towards the end and had a light cliffhanger. Otherwise this was a good romantic suspense, marriage of convenience novel. 4 ⭐

An interesting bag of tricks

All of my favorite fantasy authors are in this book, so of course I read it. Though each story was unique in its own way, I believe my favorite was likely the one by Anne McCaffrey, in her Dragonriders of Perm series. Still, all of them are worth the read.