srm's reviews
1140 reviews

A Thief in the Night by KJ Charles

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emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Another charmer from Charles. She does the meeting your one night stand again trope so well. And I really want to go reread Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting now! And the short story and the other novel after that! What a fun, sexy, romantic universe.
ETA Or... I won't read the next novel, because, apparently, it doesn't seem to be available to libraries. Disappointing. 
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Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires by David Chaffetz

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adventurous informative medium-paced

4.0

I don't particularly consider myself a horse person, but this book is utterly fascinating. Learning bout the history of horses on the Eurasia steppe and how their development intertwined with cultural development and the rise of empires is so compelling. And the book it just so readable. Recommend to both horse and non-horse interested folks. 
Kei X Yaku: Bound by Law 3 by Yoshie Kaoruhara

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Another fun installment! The big twists was exciting, but I'm starting to wonder how slow this burn is going to be on the romance front. 
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Nero by Conn Iggulden

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Excellent historical fiction. The characters (focusing primarily on Agrippina) are delightful in that way only murderous Julio-Claudians can be. Looking forward to Book 2 in the spring.
Good on audio. 
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Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue by Buddy Levy

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

4.25

Levy offers up yet another compelling tale of disaster in the Arctic, only this time there are also airships, and who doesn't love airships?
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A Gentleman Tutor by Harper Fox

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Sad and emotional, but ultimately happy historical M/M romance. (Although definitely one to mind the content warnings, if that's an issue.)
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How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Just wasn't clicking, and I had other things to read.
Patriot by Alexei Navalny

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dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Remarkable, heartbreaking, inspirational, and often quite funny, this book is utterly amazing. The world is richer for Navalny having been in it. 
Also, because it's not in the metadata here or anywhere on the audiobook, shout out to the excellent translation work of Arch Tait and Stephen Dalziel.
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Blood Ties by Jo Nesbø

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Still working out how I feel about the ending, but once again, Nesbo puts incredibly compelling characters through it. 
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The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee, S.J. Rozan

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A fun take on the Sherlock Holmes formula, only with Chinese immigrants to London post-WWI. The Holmes and Watson characters are both charming and interesting. And the audiobook narrator is fantastic.
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