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I know this series has some issues that people will struggle with. The bullying is pretty bad at times and some of the stuff these kids got up to when they were 15? I cringe remembering but this is the fourth and final book of the series so something about it has kept me hooked.

Marnye is entering her final year of Burberry Prep. She wants to graduate the top of her class and head off to her dream university, Bornstead. If the five boys she's torn between follow her there then that's a bonus for her. Her mission is to bring down the remaining Bluebloods and to stop bullying at the school and the Infinity Clubs influence. Nothing is ever easy, though. I'm also not going to go into any more detail as it will totally spoil the story for you.

I'll hold my hand up and say that the two Z's - Zach and Zayd have always been my favourites but we see a softer side to all of them in this and I truly - FINALLY! - believe that the boys care for her. Even Tristan, who's cold and stiff most of the time, had a really nice scene in this with Marnye and I actually softened a lot towards him. Creed is still the "look bored while totally caring" one but he did have a few cute scenes with Maryne, too. And then finally Windsor, the Prince. I'd liked him all along but I never quite understood his fascination with Marnye when he finally arrived at the school so he was never going to be top of my list. Above is probably my preferred order of the boys, which is a little strange BUT at the end of the book there's an Author's Note where she mentions being interested in doing an older series following this group as they head off to University as there little group of six and I have to say I am interested in that!

So, yeah. The series has grown on me a lot since that first one where when I started the second book it was all about Marnye getting her revenge on the Idols for the crap they'd pulled.


My rating is only a 3.5 for this as I do feel a bit like the ending wasn't entirely finished, though Harper du Pont did get what she deserved.

This is a little messed up initially but if you like bully romances and reverse harem books then you should totally give this a go and stick it out after the slightly cringe-worthy sex scenes and evil plots.
  
Alpha's Fake Wife by Maria Warren
Alpha's Fake Wife by Maria Warren
Maria Warren | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
ALPHA'S FAKE WIFE is the first book in a series that really does show potential but, unfortunately for me, I just didn't feel as though it lived up to that potential as it stands right now.

It is a slow-burn Reverse Harem romance with a mystery/romantic suspense element to it as someone is drugging and assaulting females in Drew's pack.

Our main female, Laura, is brought to a party by her not-so-likeable best friend, Brandon, before he abandons her for other women. After he leaves her, she is handed a drink, drinks it, is immediately drugged, and starts to be led away. She is able to free herself but feels ill - which is how she meets Drew. Lance is Drew's half-brother who acts completely out of character when he throws a party for the pack to celebrate the new Luna - even though he is only tolerated by most of them, and actually prefers to stay out of the limelight. Lance meets Laura the same night and mistakes her for one of Drew's usual floozies. We don't meet Xavier until about halfway through (or so it felt) although he is supposed to be Drew's bodyguard! I am told about these four having a connection - or rather, three having a connection to Laura, and her to the three - but I never see or feel it.

There are situations and circumstances left unexplained in here that, although may be explained in future books, could have done with at least something to be going on with. For example, what is with the intense dislike of cherries? There are some fruits I don't like, but hers is crazy. And seriously, if you've got someone going around assaulting women, stop going out by yourself when you've been asked not to (unless it's for a bloody good reason which none of hers were). And how many times are you going to be on the receiving end of a drugged drink and be able to pass it off as a mistake?

There are a couple of Not-So-Big Bads here that didn't come as a surprise at all, but there are clues given to a Big Bad called The Alchemist who I guess will be the overall story arc going forward.

If this book went through a severe editing process, dropped a few thousand unnecessary words, tightened up the story as a whole, made a connection between the characters, and made said characters more relatable, then I would continue with it, but as it stands, I won't be reading this series any further.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated It's Blunderful in Tabletop Games

Jun 12, 2019 (Updated Jun 12, 2019)  
It's Blunderful
It's Blunderful
2019 | Party Game
Party games. We all have them, and our families all want to play them. But how many times can you stomach Apples to Apples or its harem of vomit-inducing copycat clones? Maybe you have a gamer family that can handle the Werewolf/Mafia/The Resistance line (Avalon ftw, homies). But if you just cannot get them to connect on something more gamer-y, maybe try putting them into awkward scenarios and see how they fare.

This is a straight up party game where you are bidding your VPs to answer questions about the person reading the question cards. We have all played games like this, right (Say Anything, anyone)? Well, this is in a similar vein, but the situations and scenarios printed on the cards here are a little more updated and unique. The genre and playstyle are not at all unique, mind you, but this may still have some value for some families.

On your turn you read a card that has an awkward scenario and three answers that you will need to answer for yourself how you would/or probably could see yourself reacting. Choose your answer card (A, B, C) and place it face-down in front of you. Every other player will have a score board that they will wager 5, 10, or 15 of their points to match your answer. Get it right and you gain the amount of wagered points. Get it wrong, and you fall that many points. The first player to reach 100 points is the winner!

Components: this game has a few different components, but the vast majority is a whomping stack of question cards. The cards are great Bicycle quality cards, and are easy to read. You also receive in the box eight dual-layered scoreboards with notches to keep your translucent scoring cube safe and bump-proof. The boards are great quality and the cube is a normal smoke-colored translucent cube (see below). No problems with components at all here.

I am going to just admit that I am not a huge fan of party games. Maybe once upon a time I liked them quite a bit, but it seems to me that many party games are just variations of the same game over and over. This one doesn’t really break the mold here, either, but it is enjoyable. The awkward situations are unique and the answers are mostly humorous. When we were playing my brother, Bryan, mentioned that he liked this game because it gave him alternatives to how he would normally react in these situations, so it was somewhat educational for him. I wouldn’t necessarily go that far, but I believe if you are a fan of party games, you can’t really go wrong with this one. Purple Phoenix Games gives this title an positively awkward 12/18


https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/06/11/its-blunderful-review/
  
T(
Tenacity ( Rise of Iliri book 5)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
❗️❗️❗️ spoiler in last paragraph!‼️‼️

20 of 230
Kindle
Tenacity ( Rise of Iliri book 5)
By Auryn Hadley

WAR, HEARTBREAK, MORE WAR... AND A NEW FRIEND

In the fifth heart-stopping tale of her epic fantasy series The Rise of the Iliri, Auryn Hadley interjects a compelling sci-fi action fantasy with an emotionally charged reverse harem romance, setting the heart-warming experience of everyday community against the heart-wrenching reality of war - and the loss it causes. A jarring emotional roller coaster, Tenacity tells the age-old tale of pure love amidst a struggle between good and evil - but with a heaping dose of the light-hearted, cross-cultural birds and bees. This one has plenty of laughs. And plenty of heartbreak.

Slowly, region by region, the Lieutenant Salryc Luxx and her elite Black Blades are pushing forward and liberating an enslaved nation from the emperor's reign of terror. But the battle's not without consequence.

While scoping out the quiet remains of a fallen town - too quiet, actually - they discover scores of slaughtered families. But they also discover life: a young girl, locked in a cage below a tavern. No one is certain exactly what she is. She has unusual streaks of red, blonde, and white hair, and two different-colored eyes. She's fluent in iliri language, and she's terrified. So terrified that when an officer approaches to unlock her, her fear burns a hole in his armor.

The girl's name is Shaden. She's too young to know what exactly her talents are, or how to control them, but she's powerful. Immediately recognizing Sal as the fabled Kaisae, she trusts only Sal. Meanwhile, as the Black Blades continue their assault on a city thought to be impenetrable, Shaden manages to harness her power to help keep her newfound family of warriors safe. But for Sal's part, Shaden triggers difficult emotional memories of her own enslavement as a girl. And her longing to free anyone she can

With every win, Sal is bombarded by the thanks of those she rescued, and the disdain of those whose families she could not save. She can't sleep, she can't eat ... but she cannot stop fighting, either.

Victory is near. The Emperor is losing. He knows this. He knows Sal's responsible, and he knows exactly how to destroy her - go after those she loves most.

There’s me going a long nicely really enjoying the book and being back with Sal and her guys the Bam!!!! Not only does Balaec get killed in front of her she has to watch the dogs eat him! My heart broke this was a character death I won’t forget in a hurry poor Sal. Poor black blades. This was another brilliant book from a series I absolutely love! I just need to hide this one in the freezer (if you know you know) .
  
R(
Resilience ( Rise of Iliri book 6)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
4 of 235
Kindle
Resilience ( Rise of Iliri book 6)
By Auryn Hadley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Auryn Hadley's sixth action-adventure in The Rise of the Iliri fantasy series asks how far mankind will go to protect their pride. Because it seems they'll guard it at the expense of all else. Reminiscent of a futuristic Lord of the Rings, this epic fantasy romance traces not only the personal journey of its heroine and her family - a reverse harem made up of nine indomitable warriors who comprise an elite military force called the Black Blades - but also the liberation of a people and a new way of thinking for the whole world. For the source of iliri power is not domination, but connection. They seek it, cultivate it, and use it to defeat their enemies.

It's the iliri - now a rising, formidable race of underdogs - who must decide whether to risk their lives for the ungracious human race. Unbeknownst to humans, their fate lies in the capable hands of the iliri leader, the powerful Salryc Luxx. And she's no longer willing to be yanked around at any price.

Sal and the Black Blades have been summoned to a meeting with Parliament representatives of the Conglomerate of Free Citizens. But this time, she's not serving as their slave. Nor is she about to be captured and brought to trial again. Now the ruler of all iliri in her adopted country of Anglia - and de facto queen - she knows she has the upper hand.

The enemy Terrans have besieged Eastward, engaging in brutal guerrilla tactics throughout the country - hitting without mercy and killing all in their path. The world of humans is desperate.

"Tell me why I should send my brothers and sisters to die for humans that care so little for us?" Sal asks. The answer she's searching for comes from a frail iliri servant, whose telltale snow-colored skin is almost as light as Sal's: If she leaves the humans to die by the Terrans, war and enslavement will continue. History will repeat itself. But if it's the iliri and their allies who manage to defeat evil, perhaps humans can learn to respect them.

She knows she isn't finished fighting. Iliri warriors haven't yet "done enough." Not while so many of their brothers are still enslaved.

Alongside her faithful friends and leaders--and the tireless Black Blades - Sal must choose whether to surrender to her role as their leader and contend with The Emperor's murderous army - as well as the treacherous pride of the human race.




!!! Has a spoiler for book 5!!!



Every time I pick one of these books up I say it’s the best one yet and yes I’m saying it again! After the tears at the end of Book 5 we catch up with Sal and the blades dealing with the aftermath of losing Blaec and finding her feet with her new role and new male. This is non stop from the first word to the last. Brilliantly written it has to be one of my favourite series. Highly recommended for the fantasy readers!
  
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
2015 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When we last saw former cop turned wasteland warrior Max, it was nearly 30 years ago. Writer/Director George Miller had envisioned a follow up back in 2000, but various factors delayed the film so much that star Mel Gibson believed he had become too old to play the character which opened the door for Tom Hardy to don the knee brace of the famous character.

In “Fury Road”, fans are given a lavish spectacle that is one non-stop ride of intensity that is as my wife put it, “pushing me so far back into my seat that I am almost in the row behind us”.

When Max is captured by a vicious group lead by Immortal Joe, he stumbles into a true hell on earth as Joe has legions of warriors, most of whom have various health issues, it is assumed from the post nuclear world in which they live. They use captured individuals as blood donors to help make the sick live longer and Joe himself controls a large supply of fresh water as well as oversees what he considers his breeding stock of women.

When Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), goes rogue and abducts Joe’s harem, this begins a breakneck and deadly pursuit across the wastelands where Max finds himself literally chained to the front of a car as a blood bag for the driver.

Amidst the eventually carnage that follows, Max is able to free himself and forges an uneasy alliance with Furiosa as she is attempting to lead the women she has liberated from Joe to safety.

With Joe and his large band of followers hot on their heels, Max must once again face overwhelming odds to save the day.

The film does an amazing job of creating an intense visual spectacle as the car chases and combat take up a good half the film and they are absolutely breathtaking to watch. CGI is kept to a minimum and what you see on the screen is a clash of metal as vehicles flip through the air, crash, and explode in spectacular fashion.

The film though is light on details as much of the story is left for you to read between the lines and fill in the blanks. Theron has explained her characters motivations very well in interviews but in the film it is at times murky. The limited dialogue in the film can at times be hard to understand due to accent and a form of “New Speak” but it is Hardy himself who is most interesting. He plays Max as a strong and silent type who is haunted by ghosts of his past, the people he could not save are a constant presence in his life as he sees them in his dreams and when he is awake, this leads to a character who is reduced to little more than pure survival instinct and does not allow for much in the way of character development.

In many ways this is a reintroduction of Max to a new generation so much of the charisma and intensity that was a part of Gibson’s portrayal has been scaled back to a world weary individual who has pretty much given up on finding the better life that he lost many years ago.

Miller has said he has enough material for two more films and if they are in the same league as this one, I would love to see further adventures for Max, let us just hope the wait is not as long next time out.

http://sknr.net/2015/05/14/mad-max-fury-road/