Alice Archer
2/5 - Ahhh this started off so well but just wasn't it!
If it was cut down considerably it would have been so much better, but to have about 200 pages of going back and worth on whether Honoria and Devil are going to get married got real boring, real quick.
Furthermore, I really don't feel Devil did anything in his past life that warranted the nickname “Devil”, the whole Bar Cynster thing just came across as a bit cheesy.
Also, far too much long sex scenes in the book that felt very pointless, and just placed in for the sake of it.
Murder mystery aspect of the books was very obvious from the start but that wasn't much of a deal breaker.
Disappointing as I thought the premise the Devil's Bride was going to be so good but sadly overall didn't meet the mark, 2 stars for the strong start but can't justify any more.
3/5 - I thought going into this book it was going to be a 5/5 read due to the really strong start, I was hooked.
But deary me it fell flat in the middle, it did pick up a bit towards the end but not enough to warrant a higher rating unfortunately.
I did, for the most part, enjoy the 2 love interests but the repetitive nature of the book I found really frustrating, just seemed to be circling through the same plot line over and over again.
Confused me how Mary went from being so strong at the start, breaking the brothers out of captivity to being so so meek throughout the middle of the book.
However, the 3 brothers where super interesting characters and their broken backgrounds made for a angsty read. I looks forward to reading the 2 other books in the series.
4.5/5 - I liked this so much that what I was expecting!
I didn't really know anything about this book going into it, apart from that the main character needed to marry a titled gentleman to inherit a cottage. So the events 30% of the way through the book (which is mentioned in the blurb) took me by surprise and really added to the plot line. I thought I knew where this was going but I was pleasantly surprised to see I was wrong.
Docking 0.5 of a star because I did find the first part a bit slow. However, once it picked up pace it stayed like that for the rest of the book.
The love story between Kathryn and Griff was very sweet and romantic, warmed my heart.
Lorraine Heath comes through as per usual!
4/5 - A solid mystery novel that keeps you engaged through out the majority of the novel.
For me personally I did not find this particularly scary, considering it was marketed to me as somewhat of a horror novel but this did not take away from the book at all as its mysterious plotline was executed really well.
Both Viv and Carly's perspectives were great to follow along with, I found them as well as the majority of other main characters enjoyable to read. In addition, switching between past and present added to the overall mystery plotline superbly too!
This is the first book from Simone St. James I have read and I will definitely be checking out more of her work in the future!
2.5/5 - This book was really well written but just unfortunately not for me! I think the problem was I went into it expecting it be something that it's not.
I didn't find the storyline particularly captivating, huge chunks of the book are about the 2 characters reflecting on the loss of their parents and I found it took away from the main plot.
Furthermore, any attempt of explanation to what was actually going on in the submarine and subsequent events were all annoying vague, which was a real shame for me.
However, I did find this book was really well written and enjoyed how the plot was split into different deeper oceanic layers as it progressed.
Will I pick up another one of Armfield's work? Unsure.
5/5 - Definitely the best book in the series, I went into this knowing it was super super hyped so was sceptical, however for the majority it didn't disappoint!
I didn't know a thing about this book before reading and was rather surprised to see that Sebastian St. Vincent was the love interest, considering how deeply unpleasant he was in the previous book. However, his redemption story is well worth a read!
Only thing is I wish it had not have take place so much inside the gambling club, I found the section in Gretna Green so much more enjoyable. But other than that was very good!
5/5 - Extremely disturbing novel about Lori's obsession with a serial killer and how far she will go in order to prove her love for him. This book made me feel numb through and through, Lori is one of the most unlikeable and truly nasty characters that I have come across, there was nothing redeemable about her. Even though I found this book challenging to get through due to some of it's subject matters I would was unable to put it down, I needed to know how it ended and how Lori's story was going to play out. Even though by a certain point you can perhaps see how this book is going to end, it does not make the ending any it any less satisfying when novel concludes.
5/5 - Absolute fantastic thriller mystery! This is an incredibly fast paced novel which once you get started you will find it very hard to put down! The twist at the end should have seen obvious but all my theories and guesses where very far off what the outcome ended up being. I especially loved the Greek Tragedy theme throughout the novel, makes want to see Alcestis on stage.
4/5 - So many people in this book make so many bad decisions! A captivating thriller about Oliver's spiralling lies as he tries to keep his trip gone wrong to a Bath Haus from his partner. This novel had me hooked from the very start, it is very fast paced throughout. Keeping you on the edge of your seat wondering where it is going to go next and how Oliver's continuous lies are going to work out for him in the end. With that being said, the ending did fall a somewhat flat for me, but by no means took away from this overall very enjoyable read!
4.5/5 - Fantastic mystery thiller novel with unsettling horror themes throughout! This book had me hooked from start to finish as you work your way through the clues with the main characters.
Although I'm docking it 0.5 of a star as I feel the author perhaps relied on considences and people just willing to hand the main investigators information a little too much for my liking, however this did not take away from the overall story.
Overall this book is a gripping, unsettling and creepy read and for someone who isn't really seen in the book for the majority, Cordova has chilling presence the entire way through. I will be thinking about the ending for while to come. I highly recommend!
3.5/5 - Provocative and disturbing novel with varing shifts in tone throughout, but at it's heart a devistating story about a women trying to cope with the trauma in her life. Trigger warning content scattered throughout the novel, although ending packed a particularly heavy punch that leaves you questioning how the story even ended up here!
I really didn't enjoy this one. Very short but could have been done with being much longer to flesh out the plot, atmosphere and characters. I found all characters similar and very unlikeable, to point where it took away from the plot (if there was any plot line to begin with). Spent the entire time waiting for something to happen and was meant to an anticlimax every time. Disappointing.
Alas not one of Christie's best that's for sure, maybe be due to the big age she was at when she wrote this book. The overall mystery was largely quite predictable and most of the novel consisted of Ariadne Oliver rambling on about various things that had no relation to the investigation what so ever. Although, Poirot moments made the book overall redeemable.
5/5 - One of Agatha Christie's best, if not her best! Would recommend to absolutely everyone, very clever and creepy book that will leave you scratching your head throughout to who the culprit is. Genius execution and conclusion, no surprise to why this is one of the most popular books in the world.
5/5 - Hands down one of the best books I've ever read! Based around the real life events of the Massacre of Nanking, this book is just as much unsettling and frightening as it is desperately sad. Can't recommend enough for people looking for a Horror / Mystery novel mixed in with Historical Fiction that will leave you feeling thoroughly numb by the end.