Review: Tasteful

Tasteful by Celina Grace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Received an ARC from the author for an honest review. Must admit, the series has too much romance for my taste, and the heroine in the books I have read seems weak to me. But I will read on for free books, cheapskate that I am.
As this a Novella, it felt better, than the last books I read from the series, a little romance, but thankfully not too much - as there was probable not enough room for it, although I still tink, Kate would be more interesting as a single, this for me is the 1 missing star.
While I took my time reading this with starting a completely different book in between ( if interested: YA Fantasy Thief of Lies ) as I read a few police procedurals lately, may be a bit much.

Liked this Novella more than the last books in the series, for the short reading time quite a few twists, which I really liked. Can probably be read whole on a rainy afternoon, which just feels about right.

Recommended, even if you do not know other books from the series. Great teaser for the next book, I think.

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Review: Tasteful

Tasteful by Celina Grace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Received an ARC from the author for an honest review. Must admit, the series has too much romance for my taste, and the heroine in the books I have read seems weak to me. But I will read on for free books, cheapskate that I am.
As this a Novella, it felt better, than the last books I read from the series, a little romance, but thankfully not too much - as there was probable not enough room for it, although I still tink, Kate would be more interesting as a single.
While I took my time reading this with starting a completely different book in between ( if interested: YA Fantasy Thief of Lies ) as I read a few police procedurals lately, may be a bit much.

Liked this Novella more than the last books in the series, for the short reading time quite a few twists, which I really liked. Can probably be read whole on a rainy afternoon, which just feels about right.
Recommended, even if you do not know other books from the series. Great teaser for the next book, I think.

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Review: Splinter in the Blood

Splinter in the Blood by Ashley Dyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Read the second book in the series first, not planned, and that was great, so I wanted to know what happened before en détail.
Here my review of the second book in the series - will not repeat this here, as most also relates to this book, except (sadly), not as much use of social media, but the use of smartphones, computer, internet etc. is up-to-date, very real and you get the feeling the author knows her way with these tech and devices.

Wow! And what a beginning. Not wanting to spoil it, read the blurb, and so far it looks like the second book: a fast moving plot, leading to a probable 5star page-turner, short chapters, with changing POV, vivid bad dreams and memories from Carver with his medical problems. And is it one case (the Thorn Killer) or two (then what happened to Carver)?
Even just 10% into the book, one twist is answered, but lots of questions remain.
Setting is Liverpool, UK. So not London, which has been used too often for my taste, like it.

Breathtaking beginning, you do not know what happened, the first clues you get at 30%, and then that later that gets turned 90° or even 180°, nice twists.

So, 5stars for this book, during some part the investigation lacks suspense (middle or 60% into the book imho) and drags a little, but the twists are well done and I did not guess the killer till the revelation, very well done. Changing POV's, Carver, Lake, Killer. Some secrets stay buried and what I really liked, that for all the mistakes they (Carver and Lake) make: no vigilant heroism, and when they go places alone, they leave word where they are going (well most times).

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Review: Splinter in the Blood

Splinter in the Blood by Ashley Dyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Read the second book in the series first, not planned, and that was great, so I wanted to know what happened before en détail.
Here my review of the second book in the series - will not repeat this here, as most also relates to this book, except (sadly), not as much use of social media, but the use of smartphones, computer, internet etc. is up-to-date, very real and you get the feeling the author knows her way with these tech and devices.

Wow! And what a beginning. Not wanting to spoil it, read the blurb, and so far it looks like the second book: a fast moving plot, leading to a probable 5star page-turner, short chapters, with changing POV, vivid bad dreams and memories from Carver with his medical problems. And is it one case (the Thorn Killer) or two (then what happened to Carver)?
Even just 10% into the book, one twist is answered, but lots of questions remain.
Setting is Liverpool, UK. So not London, which has been used too often for my taste, like it.

Breathtaking beginning, you do not know what happened, the first clues you get at 30%, and then that later that gets turned 90° or even 180°, nice twists.

So, 5stars for this book, during some part the investigation lacks suspense (middle or 60% into the book imho) and drags a little, but the twists are well done and I did not guess the killer till the revelation, very well done. Changing POV's, Carver, Lake, Killer. Some secrets stay buried and what I really liked, that for all the mistakes they (Carver and Lake) make, no vigilant heroism, and when they go places alone, they leave word where they are going (well most times).

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Review: Expire

Expire by Danielle Girard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As the book before #3 ended with a cliffhanger, I was really looking forward to reading this book and started it soon after it was delivered to my Kindle.
Currently looking good, 4 or 5 stars, I guess. Also looks like a fast read, page-turner, which suits me currently. On the third day of reading I am a third into the book.
My only fears are that it may be too short and again ending with a cliffhanger and then the waiting time for the next book?!
Starting with a twist.
OK, so maybe 5 stars is a bit much. But I liked how the multiple POV and short chapters came together. Ending was bit too sweet, but ok. No vigilante killing, so that was a plus and the problems with investigating something alone while trying to do your normal police job was VERY well balanced. Also no "going places alone, stumble into an obvious trap and no-one knows where you are (or even misses you)". So that's a plus. The scene in the WASP/Aryan-Nation country played out well, with Hal (being black) doing everything right, even though it irked him.

Everything played out logically and while at times it was a bit repetitive, it was a good page-turner, helped by the changing POV and again the short chapters.

Not for all, others might think this is a 3 star book, and might question my 5 stars. These are more 4.5 rounded up and together with the last book - which ended in a cliffhanger.

Recommended, like the whole series so far.

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Review: The Initial Fold: A first contact space opera adventure

The Initial Fold: A first contact space opera adventure by Nick Adams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lent this with a free Kindle Unlimited trial.
Good beginning for the series, but not sure, wether I will read the next books, 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 - due to the language, which was unnecessarily juvenile-jokingly, even in serious situations and when it was dangerous due to possible miss-understandings (sarcasm not understood by some races etc.).
The main story with two first-contact scenarios happening, was fast moving and without the language this could easily have been a 4star book, but the sexual innuendos and the language seemed out of place, without it this could have been an easy fast rainy-weekend-YA-read, so while not really NA, it felt off for me. With real sex scenes this might have worked, but as it was written this was somehow feeling like a different story added to the book, and did not work for me.
The persons where ok written, but some got on my nerves, with their quirks and ticks.

For KU this was one of the better books, so I recommend it, it may also be that the next books in the series get better, but to state it again, I am not sure wether I will read them.

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Review: Portraits of the Dead

Portraits of the Dead by John Nicholl
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Lent this with a free Kindle Unlimited trial.
DNF at 9% percent, wow, what a drivel. Skimmed the ending, that did not help.
Another bad KU choice, where I fell for the blurb.
Not recommended, what others see in this boring writing I will never understand.
Have to change my way to decide which book to get, I am doing something wrong, my last choices where too often really bad.

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Review: The Cutting Room

The Cutting Room by Ashley Dyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let's see if this book can hold my interest.
Short intro in the 2 mc's then they are lured to the remains of the next victim of a serial killer.
With the setting being in UK, and for once not London, instead Liverpool, this might just be my kind of book.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Up-to-date internet social media-use, with facebook, twitter, tumblr, instagram, live-streaming, VPN, email and short-messages (SMS and chat). Very well done, without embellishing or any mistakes I could spot. Also without hacking, sadly, but as that is often wrong or over-the-top, achieving too much, the fact that it is not used makes it more real for me.
In other books the police (or the investigating people) have a go-to-Hacker (often male) who is like a magician, making things happen that (without explanation) are very expensive, very hard to do in a short time frame or simply impossible.

The POV was mainly from three different persons, the female detective (DS Ruth Lake, which for me is the main character), the male detective (DCI Greg Carver) and the Killer. This was one of the things which did not sit too well with me, but the chapters where short, and the story connecting Art, Performances, Streaming, Graffiti, Exhibition, Tattoos and even crowd-manipulation, was well written, and delved into ethics, asking "what is allowed in Art" and "what is Art" without giving a certain answer - you have to think about the book, probably even after you have finished it.
As I am an interested observer who likes Giger, I know some of the images which are in that style described in The Cutting Room - see the linked book Biomechanics.
Page-turner, with short-chapters, so you can try to take a break after finishing another chapter - if you really want to...

The personal problems of Lake & Carver played a certain role in this book, very well integrated into the story, but a bit much, will be interesting to see how this will grow or develop in the next book (there will be a next book, I hope?!). Will try to get the first book in the series cheap, or borrow it, if possible (just checked, it is not that expensive, might buy it after reading something different).

Highly recommended UK Serial Killer case with excellent Internet integration in the story.

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