kikkrareads's Reviews (743)

 Ruth Morris is moved into a retirement home and then all but abandoned by her egocentric son. Although she has made some new friends, she learns of her best friend's tragic health diagnosis and how shady some of the nurses at Banksia House truly is. This results in her desperate desire to escape from the nursing home and leads to a life changing journey.

I really enjoyed the characters throughout this book. The friends from the nursing home were not just your average, cliched characters. There was depth and great back stories. I loved learning about each of them as I began to get to know them all.

Ruth's son was a real asshole. His selfish demur, throughout the whole book was so frustrating. I wanted to slap him so hard. Which is a great sign of excellent reading.

I found that this was a book I happily devoured and I cannot wait to see what James Roxburgh has in stall next.

4.5 

 After having read all of the Sullivan's Crossing series and slowly making my way through the Virgin River series, I decided to give one of Robyn Carr's stand-alones a go.

I will admit, the book blew me away. I didn't expect the same about of character depth that I read over an entire series, to come within one single novel. I found so many parts of this book so relatable. I guess the terminally ill family member was a big one, but I felt Carr wrote in a way that was both realistic and yet so respectful of how messed up it is when you see someone you love slowly fade away. Charley's mission to do whatever she can to help her Sister Meg was so beautiful, and so tender.

I loved the way the characters wove their stories together. There was a mix of past and present. The different points of view and the different pathways each character was on that made the story all the more beautiful.

Carr truly smashed it with this one!

4.5 Stars for me! 

 Book 41 in the In Death series had me hooked from the very beginning.

I really enjoyed the way the books tarted, with an insight and background on the criminals. Their Bonny and Clyde love affair. As the story then begun, we were reunited with our favourites; Eve and Roark. Again, there was growth between these characters. We see them grow and change as the books progress, which is such a delight.

The aspect I really enjoyed about this book was how I was able to make a connection with the victims. We were given more insight than usual and in the end I wanted to know more and more about them. I wanted to see what will happen next with them (and I hope JD. Robb will share that in a future book as she sometimes does).

I find that this series continues to get better and better. I am not tired of it, I do not find it repetitive at all. It is just a great read every time,

4.5 Stars 

Virgin River is a town that helps people come to heal and have a fresh start. When Noah Kincaid arrived to the town, having bought the town church via eBay, he has people wondering just what this man could be up to. Nick's goal is to restore the church and rebuild the faith community. 

Alicia Baldwin is a beautiful and sassy applicant for the Pastor's assistant's job. She may be over qualified but Nick is hesitant to employ her. He decided to take a chance and soon realises just how valuable she is. Buts he comes with baggage and a while she may seem all sunny and happy, she is currently fighting a battle for her children.

I adore the Virgin River series. I love the idea of this ideal town and community willing to help and support one another. I enjoy my happy endings and my romantic reads as I catch up on old friends (past main characters) and make new ones. This is such a warm and sweet series. 

 Hayley Morris is a comedian that has always made me giggle and laugh. I enjoy the content she makes and at times she is so relatable. A friend told me she had written a book and I just had to read it. I then found out she narrated her own book I had to get it on Audible.

Hayley, very openly, discusses mental health and her struggle with overthinking and intrusive thoughts. This was so relatable for me. I have always struggled with my mental health (Anxiety And OCD seems to plague my mind) and to hear the way Hayley described her thoughts had me constantly saying "me too!".

Here was someone who thought as I did and she normalised it in the most beautiful way. This was not a 'self help' book to help you 'fix your issues'. It was a book that allowed you to embrace your mind and find a way to live in harmony with it.

Hayley shares her struggles with mental health and its impact on her life especially in relation to family, love and loss. She has a way of making the reader laugh out loud and almost cry all at once. This is a book I will defiantly be sharing with others and I look forward to reading anything else she has to write. 

Ian is a loner, and that's just the way he liked it. While he will happily serve his King and the dragon community, he prefers life on his own. That is until Wink enters his world.

Ian is a different main character to the previous two. He has lived a different life, a harder one. His loyalty to the royal family and dragons is like no other, but he also doesn't let people in. He enjoys his own life and world. 

Wink is a strong, determined and not one who is scared to back down from a fight. She is loyal and loving. She is eager to learn and when she realises she is part of the dragon world, she is excited. 

This concluding book in the series is much like the others. A great laugh and light read. Jumpy at times but delightful and sweet all at once. 

I enjoyed the Audible version which was available with my membership. 

Nikolai Vassago lives a life he is happy with. He works hard, is loyal to his family and lives his best life. He feels happy, content and enjoys things the way they are. That is until Brooklyn, unconscious and almost at deaths doors, enters his world. 

Book two the in "I Like Big Dragons" series starts where book 1 finished. Once again we are faced with mad men on the loose, prophesies and dragons! We do like our dragons, especially when they are sassy. 

This series was a great bit of fun to read. It wasn't in depth, the timeline made no sense and there was a bit of deja vu in regards to the first book, but it was the perfect read on a rainy day. I liked the two main characters and felt that Vale was able to create something nice in this quick read! 

This book was read via audible and purchased by myself.

 Keifer Vassago is the Prince of Dragons with a huge chip on his shoulder. It seems his whole world depends on him and he just has no time for anything else. Enter Blythe, a strong willed woman who fete has deemed his soulmate.

I Like Big Dragons and I Cannot Lie is a fun, easy going read. I went in expecting a laugh and that is exactly what I got. There were many plot holes, many time jumps and questions, but there were laughs to be had, a happy ending was provided and some spice sprinkled in.

The dragon aspect was pretty cool. I enjoyed Vale's take on the dragon world. It provided more depth and characters. The story was short, spunky and light-hearted. This is no work of art, but it was good.

I listened to this book via Audible at my own expense. 

A villain genesis story written in a way that will leave you truly despising the main character.

I loved the Hunger Games. That is a series, that I feel, was brilliantly written. A series I have read a number of times and plan to read again and again in future. When this book was announced, I was so excited. 

I will admitted, it took me two attempts to get into this book. I stopped rather quickly the first time, and marked it as DNF, and then, after watching the film, I decided I should try the book again. I was quiet happy I did although I found that after reading the book, I hated Coriolanus Snow so much more than ever before.

Coriolanus Snow saw everyone as beneath him, He failed to see humanity at all and was a very selfish, self-centred and possessive man. His very idea of love, was on on her terms and filled to service him only. His decent into evil wasn't due to some mistreatment but simply a sense of entitlement. Every single action he did was to service his own needs. 

Lucy Gray was an interesting Female main character. I love that she broke the mould, had people around her thinking. It makes me sad that she is never recognised as winning the games (when you read the original series that is.) and I wonder what connection she has to Katniss in her future. 

The book was an interesting read, but it lacked in some areas. It was a little repetitive, a little dreary and Coriolanus Snow was just a HORRIBLE main character. Weak, spineless and manipulative. 

The book had me hooked, it controlled my every move. Any spare chance I had, I read! The book went EVERYWHERE with me. 

The book starts where Fourth Wing ended. I wanted to savour every word, I wanted to read as fast as possible but didn't want the book to end! 

Violet is the main character I crave for in a book. I love her strength as much as I adore her flaws. She can be stubborn at times, pig-headed even. She is also determined and passionate. Her intelligence is a weapon, just as is her compassion and determination. 

Xaden shows how hard he will fight for those he loves. And again his flaws make him all the more amazing! There are times I want to yell and scream at him and others I want to hug him and tell him all will be okay. 

Their relationship continues to grow and developed and I love being a spectator to it all. 

Yarros has also shown great development in her secondary characters. We see growth and emotion in each one which is a testament to her writing. 

The ending had my heart racing and breaking all at once. This is something I didn't see coming. So many things I didn't see coming. Yarros left us readers with so many questions that I hope will be answered in book three. I also hope book three won't be too far away! 

Bravo Yarros! I am loving this series