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
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  • Uncategorized

    MUSIC MONDAY: Am I Really Going To Die & Blue Drift by White Lies

    February 28, 2022 / No Comments

    You pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.

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    March 7, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    BLOG TOUR: The Magnolia Murders by Aimee Nicole Walker (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 28, 2022 / No Comments
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    COVER REVEAL: Bona Fide Fake by Rebecca Raine (Giveaway)

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    BLOG TOUR: Lawful Attraction by Elouise East (Excerpt & Giveaway)

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    LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(August 17, 2022)

    August 17, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    BOOK BLITZ: Audiobook Club by Jessica Frances (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 28, 2022 / 4 Comments
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    MUSIC MONDAY: All I Want To Hear You Say by Sea Girls

    July 13, 2020

    RELEASE BLITZ: Khonsu by Romilly King (Excerpt & Giveaway)

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    FLICKer: Wetstone

    December 12, 2020
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    BOOK BLITZ: Bona Fides by Ash B. Whitley (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 27, 2022 / No Comments
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    SERIES STUFF: The Finished Ones

    April 25, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE TOUR: A Summer Without Rain by Christie Gordon (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 27, 2022 / No Comments
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    COVER REVEAL: Apex Predator by Cara Dee

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    FAVORITE COVERS: May 2020

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    RELEASE BLITZ: Defiance by Annabelle Jacobs (Giveaway)

    June 26, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: Restored Ruins by G.R. Lyons (Excerpt)

    February 27, 2022 / No Comments
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    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Say It by Sky McCoy (Excerpt & Giveaway)

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    VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR: Mind Fields by David-Matthew Barnes (Excerpt & Giveaway)

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    BLOG TOUR: Leo On Fire by Patricia Logan (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 6, 2022
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    RELEASE BLITZ: Night of The Blood Red Moon by Patricia Logan (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    February 26, 2022 / 2 Comments
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    COVER REVEAL: Heart2Heart Anthology Vol. 5

    December 1, 2021

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    December 1, 2022

    BLOG TOUR: As Far As I Can Tell by Philip Gambone (Excerpt + Q & A with Author)

    December 3, 2020
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    RELEASE BLITZ: Remembrance Lost by Arian Williams (Excerpt)

    February 26, 2022 / No Comments
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    November 11, 2022

    BLOG TOUR: I’m Not In Love by Mia Kerick (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    June 14, 2022

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Glorious Day by Skye Kilaen (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    August 5, 2020
  • manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Cut-Over Criteria

    February 25, 2022 / 1 Comment

    Cut-Over Criteria – Omugi Koala

    I haven’t heard that such a large-scale update is available at the age of 30, God.

    To Seto, a system engineer who is feared and relied on by the company because of his ability, a new graduate’s subordinate, Jin-kun, came! Jin-kun can work, but he doesn’t know what he’s thinking. It was Seto who felt the glance at random from such Jin-kun!?

    Cut-over is the transition of a company’s old telecommunications system to a new one. A very apt title for the upheaval of one system engineer’s sedate life by a very determined subordinate.

    Cut-over Criteria is about Seto, all work, rarely plays. He is the head of the software development department. Jin is the new hire, a coding genius who fell in love at first sight with his boss. The young man had no hesitations whatsoever in letting his feelings be known to the older man. And thus, Seto found himself a boyfriend before he even knew what hit him.

    These people are hardcore coding geeks. Majority of the chapters were told in Seto’s POV and he thinks of his life in terms of software development. Even as he talks about his relationship anxieties with another co-worker, he talks in terms of upgrades and bugs.

    I loved how the manga incorporated the coding theme in the story. It brings the reader effortlessly into the world of system engineers while still making it understandable to the average joe. At the same time, it paints a clear picture of how Seto’s and Jin’s personal lives, as well as their relationship, are closely intertwined with their work.

    Jin’s character could have easily been unlikable. While I admired his honesty and directness, the guy practically bulldozed his way into Seto’s life. The mangaka deftly created a balance between his pushiness and his better qualities, making it so that his obsession with Seto still comes across as devotion and adoration. It helps that he was sometimes drawn as a cat. It was pretty cute!

    One of the things I enjoyed the most was how the relationship developed. At first, I was kind of meh with Jin being pushy. But as the story progressed, he gradually won me over. Seto’s bisexual awakening may have gone through some dub-con moments but Jin is still considerate with his adored boyfriend in his own weird way.

    Overall, this manga is fluffy and super adorbs. Plus the artwork is fabulous! I didn’t think I would like it but I found myself loving the story and the two dorks!



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    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Demon’s Game by Xenia Melzer (Excerpt & Giveaway)

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  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Madison Square Murders by C.S. Poe

    February 25, 2022 / 1 Comment
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    Memento Mori: Madison Square Murders – C.S. Poe

    Everett Larkin works for the Cold Case Squad: an elite—if understaffed and overworked—group of detectives who solve the forgotten deaths of New York City. Larkin is different from others, but his deduction skills are unmatched and his memory for minute details is unparalleled.

    So when a spring thunderstorm uproots a tree in Madison Square Park, unearthing a crate with human remains inside, the best Cold Case detective is assigned the job. And when a death mask, like those prominent during the Victorian era, is found with the body, Larkin requests assistance from the Forensic Artists Unit and receives it in the form of Detective Ira Doyle, his polar opposite in every way.

    Factual reasoning and facial reconstruction puts Larkin and Doyle on a trail of old homicide cases and a murderer obsessed with casting his victims’ likeness in death. Include some unapologetic flirting from Doyle, and this case just may end up killing Everett Larkin.


    Two things that always make me think of C.S. Poe are New York and neurodiverse detectives. Even before knowing she lives in the city, I always felt a distinct vibe with how she writes about NY. She has also created sleuths who have narcolepsy and color-blindness.

    Madison Square Murders is the first book of Memento Mori, a police procedural that introduces us to Detective Everett Larkin. Larkin has Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM), a condition where his memory works like a Rolodex. It’s useful in investigations but a curse most of the time because he is doomed to recall past traumas in perfect detail.

    The story opens with a skeleton unearthed under an uprooted tree in Madison Square Park. A death mask was found with the remains. This brought Larkin to a forensic artist, Detective Ira Doyle.

    I was a bit hesitant to read this at first because I’m not too keen on reading a romance with the MC already in a relationship with another person, even if it’s a failing marriage. The author had partnered with Gregory Ashe in another series. I felt she took inspiration from some of his works by making Larkin already married and infusing the story with a hefty amount of angst and suffering.

    Larkin is a very compelling character. He took it upon himself to investigate the thousands of cold cases in NY because he wanted the victims to be remembered. He knows exactly how many cases are there.

    “Remembrance is the greatest act of love there is. Because… because no one is truly dead and gone, so long as someone remembers them.”

    The story is told from his 3rd-person POV. His cold and blunt personality was one of the main things that drove the story. I felt empathetic because I could relate to the mental struggles and the lone wolf-ism. I felt sorry for him most of the time. I don’t dislike him, but I couldn’t say I actively liked him either.

    Doyle is Larkin’s complete opposite. Friendly and very flirty, he always has a smile ready. And he’s way smarter than he lets on. He was so into Larkin from the get-go but took a step back when he realized the man was married. I liked how we see Doyle’s obvious attraction through Larkin’s aggressively objective perspective.

    Not much to say about the romance because it is barely a romance at this point. Rightly so, or it would have been outright cheating. They had a thing where Doyle calls Larkin ‘work husband’. It’s cute, but I couldn’t squee yet cuz Larkin has an actual husband.

    I liked how Larkin’s and Doyle’s abilities and personalities complemented each other, especially during the investigation. This book is very much about the mystery. It was super into the nitty-gritty of the police work that there was even a point where I tuned out. The amount of research for this must have been astounding. However, it grabbed me back into focus soon after a breakthrough. I was pretty much riveted after that. The story kept me in the dark right to the point Larkin realized who the killer was.

    Objectively speaking, Madison Square Murders is a strong start to a very promising mystery series. It is a very well-written story with solid police procedural and fully flesh-out characters in complicated relationships. The stellar GR ratings are a testament to that.

    Subjectively though, it’s difficult for me to write this review because I felt a nebulous meh-ness towards the book I’m struggling to articulate. It’s not the lack of romance because this one did a great job laying the groundwork for a future love story. I guess it’s pretty much how I feel about Larkin. Intense, emotional, compelling, intriguing, even magnetic, but not necessarily likable.

    Rating:
    3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

    Soundtrack: I Remember
    Artist: Deadmau5 & Kaskade
    Album: Random Album Title


    If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Madison Square Murders. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.

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    Madison Square Murders

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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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🌈boy's love manga | MM romance | music | giveaways and more 🐾

neverhollowed
neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
16h

A shy lighthouse keeper who can talk to ghosts. A lonely ghost mourning the losses of the past and hoping for justice. A love strong enough to transcend death.

RELEASE TOUR: Light My Way by Morgan Brice (#Giveaway)

https://amzn.to/3DJxa0q

https://neverhollowed.com/2023/02/05/release-tour-light-my-way-by-morgan-brice-giveaway/

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
16h

RELEASE BLITZ: Pole Position by Kristian Parker (Excerpt & #Giveaway)

https://amzn.to/3Y3BkIP

https://neverhollowed.com/2023/02/04/release-blitz-pole-position-by-kristian-parker-excerpt-giveaway/

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
16h

Magic is old. Steam is progressive. And the world is falling into waste.

NEW RELEASE: A Tale of Steam & Cinders by Crea Reitan

https://books2read.com/u/4jq6dZ
https://neverhollowed.com/2023/02/04/new-release-a-tale-of-steam-cinders-by-crea-reitan/

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
16h

A sassy, snarky, and swoony alien romance that’s certainly more than the sum of its tentacles!

#REVIEW: It’s Not Unusual To Be Loved by an Alien by Chloe Archer

🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 holyhentaifantasybatman stars 🤓🐙👽🍩

https://neverhollowed.com/2023/02/03/review-its-not-unusual-to-be-loved-by-an-alien-by-chloe-archer/

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