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
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  • manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Hate no Kouya de Vacances Wo

    August 14, 2020 / 2 Comments

    Hate no Kouya de Vacances Wo – Akagawa Sagan

    Our Ever After: A cursed boy fell in love with a fiend

    The Frog Prince: A high schooler too beautiful for his own good befriends a classmate who doesn’t care for his pretty face.

    Vacationing at World’s End: An astronaut on a mission to colonize a faraway planet looks forward to the day he returns to earth. Meanwhile he is kept company by an AI designed by his boyfriend.

    I knew when I saw the cover that this was going to be a good one! The artwork is lovely.

    Our Ever After: The haunting one. Where a mysterious man named Magnolia tells a young boy the story of a monster and the boy who fell in love with him. For a minute there I thought it was going to be a tragic ending then it turned bittersweet.

    The Frog Prince: The sweet and fluffy one. Where a high school student struggles with love when all people see is his pretty face. I love how he got to know his classmate who was obsessed with different animals.

    Vacationing at World’s End: The heartbreaking one. Where an astronaut eagerly looks forward to returning home. Meanwhile he finds comfort in the AI who can take the form of the one he loves. All was going well until BAM! That twist had me crying!

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  • book,  Uncategorized

    AUDIO REVIEW: Long Shadow by Elle Keaton

    August 14, 2020 / 4 Comments
    53246761. sy475

    Hamarsson & Dempsey: Long Shadow – Elle Keaton

    Niall’s known nothing but betrayal. All Mat wants is Niall’s heart; what will it take for him to coax Niall in from the cold?

    Mat’s connection with Niall is tenuous. One step forward, two steps back. Since that night on the beach Niall’s been avoiding Mat like a bad case of the flu–which, ironically, most of his deputies have come down with. What will it take for Niall to believe Mat wants him for who he is?

    Mat’s overworked, Niall’s unnerved, and then things really go sideways.

    Will a killer destroy everything before Niall realizes they are stronger together than apart?

    Long Shadow is a dual POV about a broody introvert and a somewhat patient Sheriff. Mat will have to prove to Niall he’s the man for him. The Hamarsson and Dempsey series follows the same couple as they find their way to their happily ever after.


    I was very much looking forward to this sequel. The first book, Conspiracy Theory, left us with an open ending that badly needed a resolution and this second book certainly made up for it!

    Long Shadow picked up from where we last saw Niall, living in a hotel when his cottage was burned to the ground. Another case of fire soon appeared and Mat suspected a serial arsonist.

    I very much appreciated the fact that this is not another murder case. No one was burned. The only casualties were the building structures. Although Mat had a close call when somebody planted a bomb in his cruiser. I liked how this part allowed Niall to step up as the significant person in Mat’s life.

    I also liked that Mat and Niall were not partners as is usually the case with police procedural. Mat is the sheriff and Niall is a retired cop wondering what to do with his life.

    The Hamarsson & Dempsey stories have a cozy feel to them. This is probably due to the small town setting and the way the gruesome details of the crimes were toned down, in addition to warm, friendly secondary characters and as well as other ‘distinguished’ minor characters.

    The author was able to build an interesting small town community and establish recurring characters that made me wish they had books of their own. One of them, Marshall Sopper (?), the doctor who loves taking in strays. The good doctor took in an army medic and his son and there’s a big story there waiting to be told.

    Another character I’d love to read about is Shay Delacombe, a lawyer who had surprising connections to Niall. He had a take-charge personality and would probably annoy Niall just for the heck of it.

    Admittedly, the first parts of the story meandered a bit the way Niall was meandering through town, suspecting unsuspecting RVs and taking his own sweet time deciding what to do with his relationship with Mat. ‘Glacial’ was how Mat described it.

    Luckily, the sheriff had infinite patience. Shouldering on, the story picked up when things started exploding and from then on it went on a quicker pace. Niall finally pulled his head out of his ass and took action. Then the story hurtled to an HEA. It may have been fast, it was still done nicely and with a few laughs especially with Shay butting in their business.

    Now I’m not sure if we will get another book. I hope we’ll get more. There’s something about this series that appeals to me. It does not go over the top with the action and suspense, the cases aren’t the type that would involved huge media coverage. Yet somehow, it’s very engaging.

    The audiobook was narrated by Michael Dean. He’s one of the more enjoyable narrators out there. He delivered suspense with just the right amount of tension. He also created distinct voices for each characters, even the female ones. I especially liked how his Niall voice suited the character to a T.

    The books are written in dual POVs and I liked Niall’s and Mat’s narrative voices.

    Niall is the last of the Hamarssons. He tends to overthink and is afraid of trusting anybody due to a rather traumatic childhood where he was abandoned by his mother. He says little and loves his alone time very much. As tactiturn as he is with humans, he talks a lot to his dog, Fenrir. His arc wasn’t fully resolved but I guess that leaves it open for more books.

    Meanwhile, Mat tends to be easy-going and open. He takes his numerous responsibilities seriously. He lives with his mother, sister and niece. I liked how he saw through Niall’s walls to the good person behind it. Then he proceeded to leap over those walls and love that person too.

    These books are not standalones. There were many events from the past that were directly referred to with not much explanation. I highly recommend meeting Niall when he first landed in Piedras Island. He was so alone and grumpy.

    Witness him as he slooowly open up to Mat and his endearing family. Niall had come a long way. He still has ways to go. At least now, he had friends, family and a loyal dog with him. That’s all he needs really.

    P.S.

    Thank you to Gay Romance Reviews and Audible UK for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

    Review of book 1, Conspiracy Theory, here.

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

    Soundtrack: Headlights On Dark Roads
    Artist: Snow Patrol
    Album: Eyes Open


    If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to get your copy of Hamarrson & Dempsey. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.

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  • song,  Uncategorized

    SOUNDTRACK: Headlights On Dark Roads by Snow Patrol

    August 14, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Soundtrack to Hamarsson & Dempsey: Long Shadow by Elle Keaton

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  • Uncategorized
    August 14, 2020 / No Comments

    For once I want to be the car crash
    Not always, just the traffic jam
    Hit me hard enough to wake me
    And lead me wild to your dark roads

    Headlights, before me
    So beautiful, so clear
    Reach out, and take it
    ‘Cause I’m so tired of all this fear

    My tongue is lost, oh, I can’t tell you
    Please just see it in my eyes
    I pull up thorns from our ripped bodies
    And let the blood fall in my mouth

    Headlights, before me
    So beautiful, so clear
    Reach out, and take it
    ‘Cause I’m so tired of all this fear

    Headlights, before me
    So beautiful, so clear
    Reach out, and take it
    ‘Cause I’m so tired of all this fear

    Read More
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  • trailer,  Uncategorized

    MOVIE FEATURE: Aligarh

    August 14, 2020 / No Comments
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  • Uncategorized

    BOOK BLAST: Taste: A Novella Inspired by the film ‘Call Me By Your Name’ by Christian Williams (Excerpt)

    August 14, 2020 / No Comments
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  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: The Honeymoon Gambit by I.M. Flippy (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    August 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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