Tag: read

Romance · Suspense · War/Military

Blindsided – Kaylea Cross

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32951240| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: It’s a Titanium Christmas reunion… Grace and Alex Rycroft have just moved into their newly renovated house in upstate New York and they’ve invited the whole Titanium Security crew to celebrate an early Christmas with them. But not all is merry and bright. Unfortunately things don’t go as planned. When the unthinkable happens at a veteran’s charity event in the middle of Manhattan, the team must pull together to take down the attacker and rally around a wounded teammate in the tragic aftermath. With one of their own left fighting for his life, it’s going to take a Christmas miracle to pull him through and make the holiday season bright. (*Note: This novella is a final wrap-up of the Titanium Security Series and is not meant to be read as a stand-alone.)

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My thoughts:

“Perfect, just perfect.”

The last book in the Titanium Security series and I cried like a baby. It was so wonderful to meet them all again, but “stuff” happens and it was terrible, but in the end it was the most perfect closure on a great series and I could not have asked for more. I have nothing more to say but only that this series is worth reading by everyone who likes romantic suspense in a war environment where both the male and female characters is strong and lovable. Perfect, just perfect. Kaylea Cross has several series in the same caliber and I hope they are just as good.

The order the Titanium series should be read in is as following:

Ignited
Signed
Burned
Extinguished
Rekindled
Blindsided

TBR

To Be Read – May

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I had six books on my TBR list for the month of May. Not including the one book from my book club and I’m so excited. I already started Death Note and Hollow City and I have already finished Blindsided. I’m on a roll right now. 😀

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Death note: One of the horror, graphic novels I have really looking forward to. I have the black edition 1, which include vol 1 and 2 in one book, and it is beautiful.

Hollow city, the second book in the Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children series. It is time to continue the series since I have this one and the third one on my bookshelf. I have high hopes. I do hope not to high.

The Fiery Cross, the fifth book in the Outlander series. After the fourth book I’m not that excited to continue the series, but will give it a try. Maybe.

Sugar, the 12th book in the Henchmen MC series. I love these guys.

Through the fire, fourth book in the rocky mountain K9 unit. This series has been quite up and down for me, but this is the last one and it is time to close this series.

Blindsided, last book in the Titanium security series. I have wanted to read this one for long time, but never got to it. It is the last book in the series and I was so excited so I started and ended it the first day of May.

What are you planing on reading in the month of May?

Monthly summary

April Summary

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monthlysummery2

A kind of average reading month. I did read all my books on my TBR list and a couple of more so I’m happy.

Favorite book this month: The storied life of A.J. Fikry – Gabrielle Zevin
Least favorite book this month: Breathe – Kristen Ashley

Number of physical books: 2
Number of e-books: 5
Number of audiobooks: 2
Total pages: 3781
Female authors: 7
Male authors: 2

18773967Breathe – Kristen Ashley
Pages: 554 Published: 2012
Genres: Contemporary, romance, suspense
My rating: 1/5
Links: Review
Book 4 in The Colorado Mountain series.
39784787Ritual – Mo Hayder
Pages: 428 Published: 2008
Genres: Thriller, crime, mystery, fiction.
My rating: 2/5
Links: Review
Book 3 in The Jack Caffery series.
51YOjBvyolLThe pet sematary – Stephen King
Pages: 484 Published: 1983
Genres: Horror, fiction, thriller.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
42527241The general – Jessica Gadziala
Pages: 221 Published: 2018
Genres: Contemporary, romance, adult.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 4 in The Professionals series.
18293427The storied life of A.J. Fikry – Gabrielle Zevin
Pages: 260 Published: 2014
Genres: Contemporary, fiction, adult.
My rating: 5/5
Links: Review
29774026The priory of the orange tree – Samantha Shannon
Pages: 848 Published: 2019
Genres: Epic, high, adult fantasy
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
17841564The girl with a clock for a heart – Peter Swanson
Pages: 289 Published: 2014
Genres: Crime, thriller, mystery, suspense.
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review
36303602Dirty laundry – Liliana Hart
Pages: 252 Published: 2018
Genres: Contemporary, romance, suspense, mystery, crime.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 5 in The J.J Graves Mystery series.
42898Lover revealed – J.R Ward
Pages: 445 Published: 2007
Genres: Paranormal, romance, fantasy
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review
Book 4 in The Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
Fantasy/Paranormal · Romance

Lover revealed – J.R Ward

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42898| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Butch O’Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he’s the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world—to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He’s got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who’s way out of his league. If he can’t have Marissa, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers…

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he’s found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him…

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My thoughts:

“He is like the perfect character with a moral compass always pointing in the right directions but still this ruff , broken and hurting man with an hell of a history.”

This was quite a hard review to write. I feel kind of indifferent toward it. I really liked to read about Butch aka. Cop O’Neal and Marissa, but at the same time I do not feel much for the story itself. The dynamic of the characters around and in the Black Dagger Brotherhood is still as fantastic as usual. There is also some characters outside of the brotherhood who we are learning to know more and more. But the rest is starting to be somewhat repetitive and bored me out most of the times.

I love Butch. He is like the perfect character with a moral compass always pointing in the right directions but still this ruff , broken and hurting man with an hell of a history. It was even better to really get to know him and learn about his history and the plot twist made sense and fit perfectly. Marissa however I did not like as much in the beginning. But when she finally took a firm grip of her own life and “grew” a spine, she also grew on me.

My favorite part of the book is however the virginity thing.  This is probably the first time I have ever read a realistic telling about the first time and that it is not perfect for many women. That you get just a little pain but after a couple of strokes an explosive orgasm is braking through your body. No! Come on! Ward did a great job with an realistic telling about the emotions and confusion and I just feel it somewhat ironic that it is where the character is a vampire. They are supposed to be bad asses. But I’m not complaining. At least I now know that there is one book out there who have it somewhat realistic and not a fantasy.

Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

Dirty laundry – Liliana Hart

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36303602

| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: A new novel in the New York Times bestselling series: Coroner JJ Graves and her husband Sheriff Jack Lawson are back on the job when the body of an elderly woman is found in Bloody Mary.

Rosalyn McGowen is everyone’s favorite great-grandmother. She always has baked treats in her bag, she smells of roses, and she takes in stray cats. No one knows who could hurt a sweet old lady. But Rosalyn isn’t exactly as she seems. Every Thursday at noon Rosalyn secretly posts The Bloody Mary Tattler on social media, and it has everyone in town both captivated and horrified.

When Rosalyn’s secret is discovered along with her body, it’s not easy for JJ to determine her death as a homicide. But it’s not long before they discover the list of suspects is endless and Rosalyn didn’t exactly take all of her secrets to the grave.

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My thoughts:

“There relationship is so well written, it feels natural and realistic and it is easy to connect with.”

Another brilliant J.J Graves story from Liliana Hart. I read book 4.5 in the series several years ago and then I quite forgot about the series while waiting for book five. It was nice to pick up the thread again. I really like Harts writing where you get this warm, fuzzy feeling and even though the book about murder, death and human eating cats, there is also an aura of a feel good book at the same time. Mostly because I love JJ and Jack. Their relationship is so well written, it feels natural and realistic and it is easy to connect with. This time the book also has the feel of a mix between “desperate housewives” and “Midsomer Murders”. Such a fun story and plot to follow.

The conclusion in the end was however somewhat rushed and rich in details. It was a little hard to keep up with it to understand who the killer was and the why’s. It also ended on a major cliffhanger and we still haven’t received the whole truth around JJ’s dead parents. There is just so many loose threads floats around and it is time to knot some of them and be done with it. It is time to reveal those secrets.

Mystery/Crime · Suspense · Thriller/Horror

The girl with a clock for a heart – Peter Swanson

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17841564| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: George Foss never thought he’d see her again, but on a late-August night in Boston, there she is, in his local bar, Jack’s Tavern.

When George first met her, she was an eighteen-year-old college freshman from Sweetgum, Florida. She and George became inseparable in their first fall semester, so George was devastated when he got the news that she had committed suicide over Christmas break. But, as he stood in the living room of the girl’s grieving parents, he realized the girl in the photo on their mantelpiece – the one who had committed suicide – was not his girlfriend. Later, he discovered the true identity of the girl he had loved – and of the things she may have done to escape her past.

Now, twenty years later, she’s back, and she’s telling George that he’s the only one who can help her…

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My thoughts:

“It has not put me off reading more written by Swanson but this is not the one I would recommend to my fellow readers.”

This is the second book by Peter Swanson I have read. The first one “The kind worth killing” totally blew me away with both story, plot and writing. It is one of my top five read so far this year and it was great. This one however was not as great in my opinion.

The writing is still as good and capturing as I found it from TKWK. It was the story and main plot I had issues with this time. Even the ending is terrible, just terrible in comparison with the line of the story. The first half of the book was fascinating, where we jump back and forth between today George and George 20 years ago at college. The history with him and Liana is a sticky web of love, lies and secrets which was really captivating at first.

The other half however just got to be too much for me. I started to annoy me on how stupid George was and how an unbelievable turn the story took. It got repetitive, the pace slowed down and I started to lose interest and it made me detached from the story.

It is a decent story overall and I did like it. It has not put me off reading more written by Swanson but this is not the one I would recommend to my fellow readers.

Adult fiction/Erotica · Fantasy/Paranormal · Fiction/Science Fiction

The priory of the orange tree – Samantha Shannon

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29774026| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

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My thoughts:

“This was certainly an epic journey and overall I really enjoyed it.”

Wow. It feels like someone have stolen my breath away and taken a piece of my body and soul. This was certainly an epic journey and overall I really enjoyed it. The world is so complex, extremely rich, colourful and truly a work of art. Then we have the characters. And they are many, who together weaves a story of love, hate, good and evil. Thanks Shannon for the character overview in the end of the book. Without it I would have had even bigger challenges with keeping track over who was who and who did what. Even with the help it was quite overwhelming at times and that is one of my two negative feelings toward the book. Thankfully there is mostly four point of views you are following which makes it easier.

The other negative thought I have about the book is that it is too damn long. I wouldn’t say it bored me per say, but it made me indifferent. At sometimes I read it mostly automatically because I knew if I stopped, I would have it hard to pick it up again. At other times I devoured it and could not put it down. It was somewhat inconsistent and that made me somewhat detached.

In the end I am happy. I would probably not reread it anytime soon, but I may read it again sometime in the distant future. And I do agree with the hype around the book. It is worth reading for everyone who wants or need an epic journey through the lands in this epic adult fantasy.

 

 

 

 

Adult fiction/Erotica · Contemporary · Fiction/Science Fiction

The storied life of A.J Fikry – Gabrielle Zevin

Book Chick1 Comment

18293427| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

We are not quite novels.
We are not quite short stories.
In the end, we are collected works.

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died; his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history; and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Chief Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward him; from Ismay, his sister-in-law, who is hell-bent on saving A.J. from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who persists in taking the ferry to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, he can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, though large in weight—an unexpected arrival that gives A.J. the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J., for the determined sales rep Amelia to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light, for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world. Or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming.

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My thoughts:

“Heartwarming.”

What a lovely book. Took me by total surprise. I started it because I had it on my list after seeing one of the book tubers I follow talking about it. I just wanted something easy to read during the days before the holiday where I planned to start a real brick of a book, and oh my what a wonderful story. So captivating, sad but jet happy at the same time. It is by far, one of the best books I have read this year.

This is a short story with only 260 pages but it is enough to capture both my heart and soul. It is charming, funny and an easy read with some deep thoughts and emotions. How I have missed it for so long I have no idea. I love this kind of books. Heartwarming. I read a review on Goodreads written by a person who do not like heartwarming books. *Dramatic gasps* That is like the best thing ever. And I love when I find those like The Storied Life och A.J. Fikry who are not only heartwarming but also captivating on the brink to life changing. I cannot rave enough about this one without giving away spoilers. You just have to read it.

This is a definite reread for me.

Contemporary · Romance

The General – Jessica Gadziala

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42527241| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Everyone in Navesink Bank knows about Senator Ericsson’s son, his wife, and the story that hit headlines that eventually led to one of the Mallick boys going to jail for assault.

What became of that woman after being coerced into lying on the stand was unknown.

That was until late one night when a phone rang in the offices of Quinton Baird & Associates.

And her voice was on the other end of the line.

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My thoughts:

“It is a great story in a somewhat passive pace and an easy read.”

A sweet story about a woman who finally has had enough and taking her own life in her own hands. With a story that didn’t disappoint and a romantic twist that feels natural and compelling we finally get to know the whole truth and nothing but the truth about Jenny and Eli. Why she lied and destroyed the life of her savior. In the book about Eli I disliked Jenny and in The General, you do get to know the whole truth and see that in the end, she pretty much saved his and somewhat her own life right there and then. But in Jenny’s case it is Smith who is the real savior. The man who not only saves her from a life in prison but also from a life she didn’t want.

Jenny is a really sweet character and a deep one with a lot of layers. Smith is a typical good guy characters who I feel is missing a couple of layers but in the end is just as perfect as he can be. It is a great story in a somewhat passive pace and an easy read.

There is however two thinks that bothers me.

  1. If Quinton Baird & Associates goes under the cover of security, how the heck could she do a simple Google search and find “fixers” when they are not supposed to exist and be that easy to find. If for an example Maren had leave a card or something for Jenny way back, since she knew the truth, I would totally understand. But not just a simple Google search to find this cloak and dagger company.
  2. What was on the laptop? Why even bring it up in the story if not saying what was or not was on it and not even mentioning it later on.
Everyday things

Happy Easter!

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Today my Easter holiday starts which means a couple of extra days of work. Yay! And I will spend it blissfully with books. And maybe my partner and some friends to. 😉 The weather is suppose to be fantastic so who knows. But yeah, Books, would love to just lay on the sofa and read the holiday away.

What are you planing to do this weekend? Do you celebrate Easter? Do you have another holiday? What do you plane on reading? Happy weekend dear readers. 😀

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