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merlinscove's reviews
15 reviews
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Amy Perry's Assumptions by Laura Starkey
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I need to start this review with a disclaimer… I truly detest most of the romance genre.
There, now that’s out of the way, I LOVED this book so much! I don’t know why I decided to read it, given that the cover is the very definition of a romance cover, but I’m so glad I did. There was no smut - which I’m exceedingly chuffed about as I abhor smutty romance books above all else. No clue why, perhaps I just want an alternative to the movies and TV I watch. If I’m opting for reading time then I want something more cerebral than constant graphic sex…I can watch porn for that. Instead I want something with enough of a storyline to hook me, perhaps some real soul searching, deep diving into a character’s life and motivations and ending up with proper personal growth and learning to be a grown up. Plus a happily ever after…if I’m reading romance - that isn’t Bridget Jones’ Diary (elite tier of books), which ends in MY universe after book 2 - I’m gonna need a textbook HEA thank you very much. If I’m dipping my toe into the genre then I’m getting fully invested and going full romance diva!
Anyway…this book had a little extra on offer to me and I liked that immensely. So much so that it made me excited to get back to reading something in my least loved literary genre. If that doesn’t convince you that this is well worth a read then maybe me deciding to give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ will!
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
There, now that’s out of the way, I LOVED this book so much! I don’t know why I decided to read it, given that the cover is the very definition of a romance cover, but I’m so glad I did. There was no smut - which I’m exceedingly chuffed about as I abhor smutty romance books above all else. No clue why, perhaps I just want an alternative to the movies and TV I watch. If I’m opting for reading time then I want something more cerebral than constant graphic sex…I can watch porn for that. Instead I want something with enough of a storyline to hook me, perhaps some real soul searching, deep diving into a character’s life and motivations and ending up with proper personal growth and learning to be a grown up. Plus a happily ever after…if I’m reading romance - that isn’t Bridget Jones’ Diary (elite tier of books), which ends in MY universe after book 2 - I’m gonna need a textbook HEA thank you very much. If I’m dipping my toe into the genre then I’m getting fully invested and going full romance diva!
Anyway…this book had a little extra on offer to me and I liked that immensely. So much so that it made me excited to get back to reading something in my least loved literary genre. If that doesn’t convince you that this is well worth a read then maybe me deciding to give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ will!
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Abandonment, and Terminal illness
Luke Stevens and the Blood of St George by Ben Peyton
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
*PRPRODUCT*
Well now, despite being WELL passed middle grade - and even my 20’s and 30’s (she says silently weeping and rocking) - I’m here today with a review of Luke Stevens and the Blood of St George by Ben Peyton, a middle grade urban/contemporary fantasy.
Now, onto the review…
I thoroughly enjoyed this fun romp about an orphaned 13 year old discovering he has a pretty important family secret that involves the battle between good vs evil, and uncovering not only superpowers, but also unknown depths of strength and character. Now, if the above sounds a little familiar don’t worry about it too much. Yes there are some pretty big similarities between this and books like Harry Potter - far be it from me to point out how much She Who Must Not Be Named (certainly not on my profile/blog/GR anyway as I’m not…of her belief system shall we just say) borrowed liberally from other people’s work…mostly because others have already said it, and much better than I could hope to manage. The ‘hero’s quest’ storyline underpins many such stories, for example Star Wars: A New Hope. A young hero emerges from his terrible upbringing/orphaning/other tragedy etc to begin a quest to learn about their history/new powers/find the magical items to help them to fight the evil that lurks in the background etc. Pretty standard stuff right? Where authors shine or fail dismally is the execution - are the characters likeable? Is it a good quest? Is it fun or boring? Do you really care about the outcome by the end? Luckily, Ben Peyton did a great job and crafted some characters I’d love to get to know more, with a storyline that is perfectly poised for expansion with numerous sequels, and maybe even spin offs. I can also visualise the story so well that I can see this being a great film or TV show for teens (and adults!) to enjoy! The only reason I haven’t given the full 5 stars is that I wish there was a bit more to the story than running and escaping before the end showdown. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still executed well and heroic quests tend to be like that and it keeps the pace fast, but I was just left wanting a tiny bit more - typical woman, never satisfied, right? Hmmm didn’t think a sex joke would end up in a middle grade book review - I even surprise myself sometimes. Anyyywaaay…I really enjoyed the characters and world building and really look forward to more in the sequel, which I would most definitely buy and read myself - in fact I’m going to lend this one to my dad as he has similar books tastes to me when it comes to fantasy. We both love history and mythology too, which is also another plus in this book’s favour, some nice concise history knowledge and the fun of mythology. I’m most definitely not Christian and don’t like organised religion at all, nor am I a fan of rampant nationalism, but to my relief there wasn’t too much of either despite the basis of the story being St George.
I most definitely would have read this as a kid, I was a voracious reader (still would be if life and illness didn’t stop me!) and had read Wuthering Heights by about aged 10, so would have read this way too young and not been phased at all. However, it is aged aptly as there are mature themes that may upset younger readers. Would make a great family buddy read, and could lead to some useful teachable moments aroused by a child’s own curiosity. I’m going to give this a well deserved ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5!
Thanks to Ben Peyton and @instabooktours for sending me a copy of this book for review. As always, my opinions are my own.
Well now, despite being WELL passed middle grade - and even my 20’s and 30’s (she says silently weeping and rocking) - I’m here today with a review of Luke Stevens and the Blood of St George by Ben Peyton, a middle grade urban/contemporary fantasy.
Now, onto the review…
I thoroughly enjoyed this fun romp about an orphaned 13 year old discovering he has a pretty important family secret that involves the battle between good vs evil, and uncovering not only superpowers, but also unknown depths of strength and character. Now, if the above sounds a little familiar don’t worry about it too much. Yes there are some pretty big similarities between this and books like Harry Potter - far be it from me to point out how much She Who Must Not Be Named (certainly not on my profile/blog/GR anyway as I’m not…of her belief system shall we just say) borrowed liberally from other people’s work…mostly because others have already said it, and much better than I could hope to manage. The ‘hero’s quest’ storyline underpins many such stories, for example Star Wars: A New Hope. A young hero emerges from his terrible upbringing/orphaning/other tragedy etc to begin a quest to learn about their history/new powers/find the magical items to help them to fight the evil that lurks in the background etc. Pretty standard stuff right? Where authors shine or fail dismally is the execution - are the characters likeable? Is it a good quest? Is it fun or boring? Do you really care about the outcome by the end? Luckily, Ben Peyton did a great job and crafted some characters I’d love to get to know more, with a storyline that is perfectly poised for expansion with numerous sequels, and maybe even spin offs. I can also visualise the story so well that I can see this being a great film or TV show for teens (and adults!) to enjoy! The only reason I haven’t given the full 5 stars is that I wish there was a bit more to the story than running and escaping before the end showdown. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still executed well and heroic quests tend to be like that and it keeps the pace fast, but I was just left wanting a tiny bit more - typical woman, never satisfied, right? Hmmm didn’t think a sex joke would end up in a middle grade book review - I even surprise myself sometimes. Anyyywaaay…I really enjoyed the characters and world building and really look forward to more in the sequel, which I would most definitely buy and read myself - in fact I’m going to lend this one to my dad as he has similar books tastes to me when it comes to fantasy. We both love history and mythology too, which is also another plus in this book’s favour, some nice concise history knowledge and the fun of mythology. I’m most definitely not Christian and don’t like organised religion at all, nor am I a fan of rampant nationalism, but to my relief there wasn’t too much of either despite the basis of the story being St George.
I most definitely would have read this as a kid, I was a voracious reader (still would be if life and illness didn’t stop me!) and had read Wuthering Heights by about aged 10, so would have read this way too young and not been phased at all. However, it is aged aptly as there are mature themes that may upset younger readers. Would make a great family buddy read, and could lead to some useful teachable moments aroused by a child’s own curiosity. I’m going to give this a well deserved ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5!
Thanks to Ben Peyton and @instabooktours for sending me a copy of this book for review. As always, my opinions are my own.
The Color of Trauma by Hollie Smurthwaite
dark
slow-paced
2.5
Intriguing premise which was almost completely ruined by excessive sex scenes. Not just excessive though…this was MIRACULOUS sex, the kind that could help to cure longstanding trauma, the result of holding memories of numerous violent crimes perpetrated on women. The insta love wasn’t the issue because it seemed to happen over a number of weeks and months - it was insta LUST rather than insta LOVE in truth, and I had some issues with the speed of intimacy based on the character Keira’s stated backstory.
Now anyone who has read my reviews before knows that I don’t like the romance genre. Hate it actually. Has some truly awful tropes in it that does woman no favours. I have been known to love a good Karen Rose book, or the occasional other romantic suspense novel. This book should just be erotic fiction, nothing more. The story gets so lost in all the relationship and sex stuff that it may as well be in a separate book, and THAT’S the book I’d want to read.
So, concentrating on the book without the over abundant sex and relationship drama…for one thing it would make it a much shorter book, which would be a positive! It would be much less bloated and would probably have more impact, if it concentrated on the really interesting idea of memory surgeons, and their ability to help solve crimes. I don’t even mind romances/love stories in books as long as it doesn’t overwhelm the point of the book. I wanted to see more of the crime fighting side, and the emotional impact on the main characters. The main male character, Dean, felt to be a wish fulfilment fantasy to me! A man who never pushes their partner, who can control himself to such an extent that no matter what she wants/needs during sex he can do, without a microsecond of hesitation or selfishness…I mean, I have a wonderful husband who knew I had triggers that he had to navigate and even he wasn’t always perfect/able to be completely in control - and he’s always managed to keep me feeling safe and loved. I don’t believe that a human being exists that could behave like Dean does, especially one who believes there is such darkness within him.
This book mostly confused me - and annoyed me. I did not enjoy reading the majority of it, yet at times I was itching for some reading time because I really liked the premise of crime and memory surgeons. I think this is two books - one is the crime/memory surgeon and the other is a wish fulfilment sex book, with some relationship drama thrown in - that’s the only way my mind can cope with it. So I think I’ll go for a ⭐️ on the sex book and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ on the crime/memory surgeon book. It would have got more than 3 ⭐️’s if there was more attention paid to that part , so I’ll give it a ⭐️⭐️.5, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ as I’m feeling kind.
I’d recommend this book if you’re a romance fan - emphasis on the sex part of that genre, or you like erotic fiction. This book does have some crime and a fantasy element, which is how it trapped me…so tread carefully! I really hope that you enjoy this book if you choose to read it. It had great writing and some extremely good characters that I wish we saw more from and about, which all just added to my frustration. This could have been SO GOOD! As it is though it’s a 2.5 ⭐️ rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️!
Thanks to BookSirens and the author, Hollie Smurthwhaite, for sending me an eARC, free of charge, to review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Now anyone who has read my reviews before knows that I don’t like the romance genre. Hate it actually. Has some truly awful tropes in it that does woman no favours. I have been known to love a good Karen Rose book, or the occasional other romantic suspense novel. This book should just be erotic fiction, nothing more. The story gets so lost in all the relationship and sex stuff that it may as well be in a separate book, and THAT’S the book I’d want to read.
So, concentrating on the book without the over abundant sex and relationship drama…for one thing it would make it a much shorter book, which would be a positive! It would be much less bloated and would probably have more impact, if it concentrated on the really interesting idea of memory surgeons, and their ability to help solve crimes. I don’t even mind romances/love stories in books as long as it doesn’t overwhelm the point of the book. I wanted to see more of the crime fighting side, and the emotional impact on the main characters. The main male character, Dean, felt to be a wish fulfilment fantasy to me! A man who never pushes their partner, who can control himself to such an extent that no matter what she wants/needs during sex he can do, without a microsecond of hesitation or selfishness…I mean, I have a wonderful husband who knew I had triggers that he had to navigate and even he wasn’t always perfect/able to be completely in control - and he’s always managed to keep me feeling safe and loved. I don’t believe that a human being exists that could behave like Dean does, especially one who believes there is such darkness within him.
This book mostly confused me - and annoyed me. I did not enjoy reading the majority of it, yet at times I was itching for some reading time because I really liked the premise of crime and memory surgeons. I think this is two books - one is the crime/memory surgeon and the other is a wish fulfilment sex book, with some relationship drama thrown in - that’s the only way my mind can cope with it. So I think I’ll go for a ⭐️ on the sex book and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ on the crime/memory surgeon book. It would have got more than 3 ⭐️’s if there was more attention paid to that part , so I’ll give it a ⭐️⭐️.5, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ as I’m feeling kind.
I’d recommend this book if you’re a romance fan - emphasis on the sex part of that genre, or you like erotic fiction. This book does have some crime and a fantasy element, which is how it trapped me…so tread carefully! I really hope that you enjoy this book if you choose to read it. It had great writing and some extremely good characters that I wish we saw more from and about, which all just added to my frustration. This could have been SO GOOD! As it is though it’s a 2.5 ⭐️ rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️!
Thanks to BookSirens and the author, Hollie Smurthwhaite, for sending me an eARC, free of charge, to review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
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