Never Hollowed By The Stare

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Never Hollowed By The Stare
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  • Home
  • REVIEWS+RECS
    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
    • TRAILER
    • DESERT ISLAND CASTAWAYS
    • BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
    • Reviews A-Z
    • MINI MOVIE REVIEWS
  • MEMES+TAGS
    • MUSIC MONDAY
    • LAST YEAR I WAS READING
    • FLICKer FADE SUNDAY
    • TAGS
    • MISC POSTS
    • PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
    • FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56
  • TOURS & BLITZES
    • COVER REVEAL
    • GIVEAWAYS
  • About + Ratings
    • ABOUT + RATINGS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
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  • manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Kimagure na Boku no Neko

    February 14, 2020 / No Comments
    Image result for Kimagure Na Boku No Neko manga 気まぐれな僕の猫

    Kimagure na Boku no Neko – Okuyama Shu

    A really short story about the hardship of having a total egoist as a lover.

    This behavior is only charming with cats.

    Read More
    neverhollowed

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  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Conspiracy Theory by Elle Keaton

    February 14, 2020 / 7 Comments
    53161271. sx318 sy475

    Hamarsson & Dempsey: Conspiracy Theory – Elle Keaton

    Years of grueling police work have left Niall Hamarsson jaded and disillusioned with life…although it’s likely he’s been that way all along. The last straw lands when the DA refuses to try a case Niall worked for years to bring to justice. Within hours he finds himself heading to the only place he’s ever been able to call home—a place he knows he doesn’t belong.

    Mat Dempsey returned to Piedras Island after his father’s death. These days he’s Island County’s sheriff. He’s happy enough, even if moving home from San Francisco effectively forced him back into the closet. Mat’s well-ordered universe collapses when a local’s body is discovered floating in the cold waters of Hidden Harbor’s marina. All hell breaks loose in the community, and accusations fly…all coinciding with Niall Hamarsson’s return.Niall and Mat have a history, and it’s not one Mat’s proud of. He owes Niall an apology, even if it means getting down on his knees. However, Mat’s first priority is investigating the murder before his community tears itself apart and he may have to ask the aloof Niall Hamarsson for help.

    Push apart, pull together, yes or no… The chemistry crackles between them but will the two men be able to put aside their pasts and embrace a future?
    Maybe.


    Hamarsson & Dempsey is a promising police procedural by new to me author Elle Keaton. The series is set in Piedras Island where everybody had their noses in everybody else’s business. While it is reminiscent of many mystery series, the first book, Conspiracy Theory, held its own.

    First, the mystery had me guessing until the end. I liked how the various threads and mini-mysteries relate to the main plot. The pacing was good but the resolution was just okay. It left some things open for the next books.

    The book also had a strong cast of secondary characters. As with many small town mysteries, it had its fair share of interesting eccentric town fixtures that will either serve as future victims, future perps, comic relief or mere annoyance. Chief of these are the town’s prominent families who were notorious for their bitter feuds.

    The two main characters couldn’t be more different from each other. Both were likable in their own way. The book is character-driven and the two leads were very compelling. Hamarsson in particular has a backstory that you make you feel for the guy.

    Hamarsson is of Viking descent and is built like one. He is anti-social with a miserly way of speaking as though each word cost him money. He has a troubled childhood and is the first to admit he is a not a good person. But the man had a rarely seen caring side that appeared when he became Fenrir’s human. The total number of sentences he used to explain the dog’s presence equaled the total number of the rest of sentences he spoke in the entire book. That’s how much he liked the dog.

    Dempsey is the town sheriff. He is a serial do-gooder who takes his responsibilities to the entire town very seriously. He’s a genial guy who loves his mom. He’s really easy to like. Early on, he knew there were hidden depths to Hamarsson that were worth taking the time to explore.

    The two men had mutual crushes on each other back in high school. Now face to face as grown ups, the attraction is still there. I liked how the slow-burn romance was built-up. I liked how it worked with the police procedural aspect. I even liked the cliffy ending because it felt right for the kind of thing they had at that moment.

    Overall, Conspiracy Theory is a great series opener. It has characters you can root for, a mystery that kept you turning the page and a tight plot that made you exciting for what’s coming next. Highly recommended for those into stories of big, taciturn men with giant hairy dogs and small island sheriffs who couldn’t stay away.

    Rating:
    4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

    Soundtrack: This Island Life
    Artist: Violent Femmes
    Album: New Times

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    neverhollowed

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  • song,  Uncategorized

    SOUNDTRACK: This Island Life by Violent Femmes

    February 14, 2020 / 2 Comments

    Soundtrack to Hamarsson & Dempsey: Conspiracy Theory by Elle Keaton

    Read More
    neverhollowed

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  • Uncategorized
    February 14, 2020 / No Comments

    This tea’s too strong for me as I await your company
    I had too much sun today
    Ocean waters wash away
    Nothing but the present presenting its presence

    This island life
    Separate my right from my wrong

    No, I am not pagan but my heart has been forsaken
    And the hand of God was on my mind
    It took some time from time to time
    Now in the course I know time itself will go

    This island life
    Separates my right from my wrong

    You forgot your shoes and I, I have sent a message but I
    So many stars in the sky
    It’s the truths that will not lie
    There’s a young wild native maiden running mad and barefoot to the sea

    Until this island life
    Separates my rights from my wrongsThis island life
    Finally separates my rights from my wrong

    This tea’s too strong for me as I await more company
    I had too much sun today
    Dream of lands lying far away
    Pregnant with the present presenting its presents

    This island life
    Separate my right from my wrong

    This island life
    Separate my rights from my song

    Separate my right from my wrong
    Separate my right from my wrong
    Separate my right from my wrong
    (Separate my right from my wrong)

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  • trailer,  Uncategorized

    MOVIE FEATURE: The Handmaiden

    February 14, 2020 / No Comments
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  • Uncategorized

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  • Uncategorized

    COVER REVEAL: Unholy by Morgan Brice (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 14, 2020 / No Comments
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Book images and promotional materials are from Goodreads or media kits provided for blog tours, cover reveals and release blitzes. Manga covers and other images are sourced through Google image search. The two dorks in the header image is from a manga by TogaQ & Kikuchi Neko. The cat logo is my own design. Reviews and other writings found in the blog are mine unless otherwise stated. All Buy Links to Amazon and Bookshop in my posts contain affiliate links.

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