I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reading copy of this book from Netgally and I have to say that I loved it!
I really like ghost stories so this appealed to me straight away and from the first page I was hooked.
It tells the story of Annie, who takes over being caretaker of an old run down house whilst her brother is out of the country. She is a police officer who has had a problem relationship and is glad of a little time on her own. However things don't quite go to plan.
She decides to explore the old house and stumbles upon a diary and some ghostly figures at the same time. The diary was written by a servant who used to live in the house, and that is the girl who Annie keeps seeing.
The story is told from several points of view, including lots of extracts from the diary, which really add to the atmosphere of the book. The house is described perfectly, and you can really get a feel of what it was like to live there - during the good and the bad times.
Having said that, there were a few downsides to the story. I felt that some of the characters had very basic conversations which felt quite forced, and not natural. Maybe it was just me, but it felt like some conversations didn't really flow very well.
Also, there were a few things towards to end that got forgotten about. It was never revealed what exactly happened to the servant girl in the end and I felt there was a big chunk missing that could have been finished better. There was also a character at the end who got forgotten and then suddenly reappeared - I can't really explain without giving the ending away!!
But overall this is a really heart-warming, and scary little tale. It incorporates some clever historical facts as well and I will certainly recommend it. It is a perfect story to read now the colder weather is drawing in as well!
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Sunday, 13 October 2013
S.E.C.R.E.T by L Marie Adeline
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I actually read these books out of order - I read the second book first and really enjoyed it. I didn't need to read the first book to understand what went on. However, as I really enjoyed it I thought I would read the first one too to see what I missed.
And it turns out that I didn't miss much! This first book did not have me as hooked as I was previously and in fact I skim read most of it to just get to the good parts.
The story did explain to me how Cassie comes to join S.E.C.R.E.T and what she was like before she did, and also the relationship between her and Will (which I thought was going to be made a lot more of). But it was far too wordy and full of description, the second book is much more erotic and there are far more descriptions and actions.
In this book, Cassie describes how frustrated she is by her first few steps because the men don't actually have full blown sex with her, they leave her wanting more - and it was making me frustrated as well. I also found that the fantasies weren't quite as exotic as they were in the second book, and weren't quite as exciting.
I would certainly recommend the S.E.C.R.E.T series to others but probably say that they shouldn't bother with this one and just skip to the second book as they will probably get more enjoyment from it.
I actually read these books out of order - I read the second book first and really enjoyed it. I didn't need to read the first book to understand what went on. However, as I really enjoyed it I thought I would read the first one too to see what I missed.
And it turns out that I didn't miss much! This first book did not have me as hooked as I was previously and in fact I skim read most of it to just get to the good parts.
The story did explain to me how Cassie comes to join S.E.C.R.E.T and what she was like before she did, and also the relationship between her and Will (which I thought was going to be made a lot more of). But it was far too wordy and full of description, the second book is much more erotic and there are far more descriptions and actions.
In this book, Cassie describes how frustrated she is by her first few steps because the men don't actually have full blown sex with her, they leave her wanting more - and it was making me frustrated as well. I also found that the fantasies weren't quite as exotic as they were in the second book, and weren't quite as exciting.
I would certainly recommend the S.E.C.R.E.T series to others but probably say that they shouldn't bother with this one and just skip to the second book as they will probably get more enjoyment from it.
Touch: The Dining Club Part 5, by Marina Anderson
I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
And so it carries on, straight on from the last one, with Grace going to her 3rd trial - the penultimate one. As the trial is happening, she realises that David's motive might not be as she originally thought and this worries her. But fear not, because Andrew has taken a liking to her and wanted her to himself, therefore wanting her to fail her next trial.
David has changed from the nice character he was at the beginning to someone not so friendly and it is looking like Andrew might be the one for Grace now. But as Andrew is starting to say something to Grace, the story ends (hence, making you want to read the next one and spend another £1.49 for 15 minutes of pleasure - or pain). It is getting a bit annoying now and would quite easily be made into one story, and cheaper for the reader. If you want to read all 8 parts it will set you back £11.92, which is far more expensive than a normal e-book. I don't think the story is that outstanding or gripping to make me want to pay that much to read them all!
And so it carries on, straight on from the last one, with Grace going to her 3rd trial - the penultimate one. As the trial is happening, she realises that David's motive might not be as she originally thought and this worries her. But fear not, because Andrew has taken a liking to her and wanted her to himself, therefore wanting her to fail her next trial.
David has changed from the nice character he was at the beginning to someone not so friendly and it is looking like Andrew might be the one for Grace now. But as Andrew is starting to say something to Grace, the story ends (hence, making you want to read the next one and spend another £1.49 for 15 minutes of pleasure - or pain). It is getting a bit annoying now and would quite easily be made into one story, and cheaper for the reader. If you want to read all 8 parts it will set you back £11.92, which is far more expensive than a normal e-book. I don't think the story is that outstanding or gripping to make me want to pay that much to read them all!
Seduce: The Dining Club Part 4, by Marina Anderson
I was provided with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. Seduce is the 4th instalment of the Dining Club saga and to be honest, nothing much happened in this story. The instalments seem to be getting shorter and shorter with nothing really going on. I read it in all of about 15 minutes and of course, because it ended at the crucial point, I was left wanting to read the next one.
Andrew and Amber are planning Grace's third trial and they don't want to see her succeed, we Amber in particular but Andrew as well, for different reasons. Then the last chapter tells of when Grace and David arrive at the Dining Club and David asks Grace to pleasure him for a change. Then it ends and you need to read the next one to find out what happens at the trial.
Andrew and Amber are planning Grace's third trial and they don't want to see her succeed, we Amber in particular but Andrew as well, for different reasons. Then the last chapter tells of when Grace and David arrive at the Dining Club and David asks Grace to pleasure him for a change. Then it ends and you need to read the next one to find out what happens at the trial.
Monday, 7 October 2013
Crave - The Dining Club Part Three, by Marina Anderson
Crave is the third instalment of the Dining Club saga, which is split up into several, very short stories. This one in particular is very short - only 8,000 words and was over before it had even started!
It carries on from the previous instalment, with Grace facing her next trial at the Dining Club. There wasn't as much build up and suspense as the second one, and the sex parts seemed like they were just thrown in there for the sake of it.
There isn't much more I can say about it, apart from the fact that I enjoyed it, having read it in about 20 minutes and am looking forward to reading the next instalment, which will hopefully finish off the story of Grace's second trial at the Dining Club.
It carries on from the previous instalment, with Grace facing her next trial at the Dining Club. There wasn't as much build up and suspense as the second one, and the sex parts seemed like they were just thrown in there for the sake of it.
There isn't much more I can say about it, apart from the fact that I enjoyed it, having read it in about 20 minutes and am looking forward to reading the next instalment, which will hopefully finish off the story of Grace's second trial at the Dining Club.
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