Category: Ebook

charter?

Posted on by Greig

The Puffin Island Trilogy

Sarah Morgan

first time in foreverThis trilogy of romance novels are mainly set on the idyllic holiday spot of Puffin Island located on the North East coast of the US.
Book 1 is First Time in Forever which follows Emily as she takes custody of her recently deceased movie star half-sister’s child. They move to Puffin Island to hide the kid from the paparazzi. It’s a perfectly competent romance novel even if the lead character is a bit of a wet blanket. This one I read as an ebook. Rated C+
Book 2 is Some Kind of Wonderful. This one follows Brittany as she returns to her native Puffin Island afer breaking her arm while working at an archaeological dig in Crete. On the journey back she discovers that her ex-husband from a ten day teenage marriage is back in town.
This one has much better leads than the first book. Rated C+
Book 3 is Christmas Ever After and it is the best of this series. It tells the story of Skylar and what happens to her after rejecting a public marriage offer from her distant politician boyfriend and is left alone in London at Christmas time. I really like the couple in this book. Rated B-

Rating: B-

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scalpel?

Posted on by Greig

Stiletto

Daniel O’Malley

stilettoStiletto is the long-awaited follow up to The Rook. As you can see in the linked review I was a bit worried about how sequels could add anything worthwhile to the world of the Chechquy.
I’m happy to report that this is a fun book in it’s own right. It earns much of it’s appeal from the way that it dives into the history and motivations of the Grafters (Centuries old enemies of the Chechquy) as the two groups enter formal negotiations.
Unlike the first book very little of this tale is told from the perspective of Myfanwy Thomas. Instead the lead characters are a junior member of the Grafters and the agent assigned as her bodyguard.
It certainly isn’t without flaws – there’s an unnecessary subplot and one of the action set pieces is rather confusing – but it is still very enjoyable.
I’d happily recommend it to fans of the first book, though I’d read The Rook first if you haven’t come to the series yet.

Rating: B+

pho?

Posted on by Greig

Me, Earl & The Dying Girl

Jesse Andrews

me, earl and the dying girlI read this after watching the film adaptation. I really enjoyed the film and I started to wonder how much of the weirdness of the characters actually came from the source material.
It turns out that it’s a pretty straightforward adaptation of a wonderfully quirky novel.
Unlike the last book I read about a teenager with cancer this is significantly less manipulative of the reader’s emotions.
I recommend both the book and the film if you like heightened reality in your contemporary YA entertainment

Rating: A-

samir?

Posted on by Greig

The Twenty-Sided Sorceress

Annie Bellet

justice callingThis is a series of short urban fantasy novels. Sorceress Jade Crow has made a life for herself the remote community of Wylde, Idaho. Friends with the large shape-shifter population and making a living selling games to college students it’s a pretty decent life.
This all starts to fall apart when a shape-shifter Justice comes into town with a vision of disaster and her at the heart of it.
They’re all brief but they run efficiently through all sorts of genre tropes but in entertaining fashion.
I acquired the first book free from the Kindle store and I picked up all the other books in short order because they were reasonably priced.
Recommended for urban fantasy fans looking for a quick, fun but utterly predictable fix.

Rating: B-

Continue reading “samir?”

beetroot?

Posted on by Greig

Johnny and the Bomb

Terry Pratchett

johnny-and-the-bomb-largeThe final Johnny Maxwell book finds Johnny and his friends find themselves travelling to 1941 thanks to the contents of bag lady Mrs Tachyon’s shopping trolley and caught up in events as German planes bomb their home town.
Pratchett has a lot of fun playing with time travel paradoxes and the trappings of war time provincial Britain.
I first reviewed this back in 2003 and as then I think it’s just a very good book.
Very much recommended.

Rating: A-

steve?

Posted on by Greig

The Royal We

Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

heather-cocks-jessica-morgan-theroyalweThis is a soapy romance novel telling the story of an American exchange student who falls in love with a future British King.
Basically it’s an AU version of the courtship of the Cambridges.
This book has been really popular with one of my online communities. Honestly I didn’t really enjoy it very much. I’m guessing it plays better if you’re American and have a really romanticized version of Royalty in your head.
I have no romantic notions regarding the Royals and very limited sympathy for them.
If you like a competently written contemporary romance about royals then this might be for you.

Rating: C+

unkar?

Posted on by Greig

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Alan Dean Foster

force awakensThe novelization of the latest Star Wars tale is a very enjoyable translation of a very enjoyable film.
As with all books of this type there’s a few things that make it into the book from the script that didn’t end up in the finished film. They’re pretty minor in this case for the most part but still worth checking out if you’re hungering for more after seeing the film
Recommended for fans of the film.

Rating: B+

alderman?

Posted on by Greig

Johnny and the Dead

Terry Pratchett

johnny and the deadThe second Johnny Maxwell book finds him living with his grandfather. His new short cut home takes him through the local cemetery.
This is a sweet tale of community activism and as least as much about how the living need the memory of their dead as about the fate those who have died.
Everything that makes Pratchett a great writer is in this book – his humanity, empathy, wit and intelligence.
I will repeat myself once again – everybody should read Pratchett.

Rating: A-

screewee?

Posted on by Greig

Only You Can Save Mankind

Terry Pratchett

Only You Can Save MankindThis is the first of the Johnny Maxwell young adult series and the first of Terry Pratchett’s books I’ve been able to read since his death.
I stayed over at my parents on Christmas Eve and I woke up early on Christmas morning before dawn. As I sat, slightly cold, watching the sun rise over the Forth I borrowed this ebook from Edinburgh Overdrive.
I first read it a long time ago before this blog existed and never again since I started keeping a record of my reading.
This short book retains all of Pratchett’s humour, insight, and empathy while squarely viewing the world from a the perspective of a twelve year old boy.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time on the plot of this one – I just want to recommend it.
Everyone should read Terry Pratchett. If the fantasy trappings of Discworld are putting you off this is as good a place to start as any.

Rating: A-

sober?

Posted on by Greig

What I Did For Love

Susan Elizabeth Phillips

what i did for loveThis is an exemplary piece of Fake Marrieds romantic fiction. I read it last year during my great glut of romance reading but I didn’t give it more than a rating then.
This is the story of a former teen TV comedy star whose recent divorce from the biggest male star in Hollywood has caused the paparazzi to make her life hell. After a night out in Las Vegas she wakes up married to her hated (and washed up) former co-star. Despite their mutual loathing they stay together for the sake of her image and his bank balance. Of course real feelings turn up along the way.
This book coasts along brilliantly until the weird section with the quarantine lockdown. From there to the happy denouement there are some really ugly bits that very nearly spoil the book.
Still recommended if you, like me, have a thing for the Fake Married trope.

Rating: B-