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An Amish Reunion
An Amish Reunion
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wonderful collection of stories about different seasons of change !
  In the first story Amy Clipston gives us a story about Marlene and Rudy, a young couple learning change through working together. Marlene navigates the change of moving home after years spent away and she deals with memories of loss associated home. I thought this was a great story on how to push yourself to overcome past sadness and turn it to something new.
  In the second story Beth Wiseman tells a story about Ruth and Gideon and how they deal with the loss of a child and the impact on their marriage. They don't handle the loss well at first, but after five years the Lord leads them home to each other. A great story about grief and the growing that can come out of that time in life.
  The third story is by Kathleen Fuller. She tells a story about a wonderful, sarcastic, and straight speaking Grandma type lady who is used to matchmaking for other people. But this time God had something special in mind for her. A very sweet story.
  Last but not least we get a story by Kelly Irvin. She tells us a story about a young couple who didn't wait and it was made worse by some decisions that were made. But through their trials came forgiveness and growing into the people that God wanted for them to be. A particularly good story as it is not always a subject people will face head on. I loved it and I think it was a great representation of the true circumstances that people go through when they have a baby out of wedlock, especially in an Amish community,
  This is a great collection of stories that I would definitely recommend reading, it is great encouragement when going through different seasons of change.
  I volunteered to read this book from Zondervan Fiction in return for my honest feedback. The opinions expressed within are my own.
  
The Monster of Farewell (Blacklighters #1)
The Monster of Farewell (Blacklighters #1)
Catherine Black | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Kickass females!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Mercury Havenworth
My mother always told me I had nothing. No place in civilized society. No moral compass. No soul...
But despite all my shortcomings, there is one thing I do have: Farewell. It's my home. My sanctuary and birthright. It's everything to me, and one day soon, I will oversee this feral matriarchy which gave me life.
The men who step through our gates see a crumbling mansion, they see a handful of women willing to bleed for a cause, but Farewell is so much more than that.
It's an empire.
MY empire.

Kessler Lawson
After eight years of incarceration, I'm a free man...for approximately two hours.
That's how long it takes to ruin my life.
Wedged between freedom and the officer who put me behind bars in the first place, I'm given a choice: Help the New Liberty Police Department infiltrate a band of criminals ruling over Farewell, Missouri...or score a one-way ticket back to prison.
With enemies on both sides, falling into bed with the boss's murderous daughter probably isn't the best idea, but there's no going back now...not after undressing the monster of Farewell.

(Warning: This book includes dark themes, offensive language, and explicit scenes that may make some readers uncomfortable. Read with caution.)

<strong>Very good</strong>

I don't know what one as expecting but I really really enjoyed it. The whole women kicking ass and the men do the "woman's work" was brilliant . The book was so well written it had a touch of violence but not to the point of being over the top, it had seriously hot sex scenes , strong female roles as well as some strong male characters it was well balanced read!

Watching Mercury develop through the book was empowering in a way. If I had one thing I thought could have bee better maybe the end not so rushed.


Highly recommend




  
Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo (2020)
Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo (2020)
2020 | Documentary
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Danny Trejo is a man with the most terrifying voice I've ever heard, but after watching this, I just really really really want to be his friend.
I remember being completely drawn in by his silent character in Desperado, and then shortly after, recognising him in From Dusk Till Dawn. He's a guy who always manages to cut an intriguing and intimidating figure whatever movie he has been in.
His backstory has become just as famous, his incarceration at San Quentin in particular being pretty common knowledge.
This documentary really dives into his life story, starting with his childhood years, through his time in multie prisons, and then through his acting career and life as a changed man, and a genuinely good person. Watching Trejo speak about his life is just wonderful. The details he recalls are hugely interesting and the way he speaks about everyone he has come across through his life is respectful. He acknowledges that his life these days is a good one, and he can look back on his tougher years and find the humour in some of the shit that he endured.

All of the guests on this documentary, from fellow actors like Donal Logue and Michelle Rodriguez, to director Robert Rodriguez, to fellow inmates, to family members, all speak of him with a lot of warmth.
While Inmate #1 (a reference to some of his early acting credits) does indeed chronicle all of his misdemeanors, his difficult upbringing, his criminal life, it also shines a light on all of the good he has done since leaving prison in 1969. The amount of work he has done for his community is tremendous, and he still gives talks and lectures today, trying to help people who need it. It's an important balance in the way the narrative is told and reveals Trejo to be a pretty down to earth guy.

Its a super interesting story that's worth checking out. Long Live Dany Trejo.
  
Cold Hearted
Cold Hearted
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
When you’re eight books into a series such as the Villain Tales by Serena Valentino you would think that I wouldn’t be smug anymore! You would think that I wouldn’t go into the book saying “I won’t end up feeling sorry for this villain”.

You would also think that I know I am always wrong!

Lady Tremaine is one of the easiest villains to hate in the Disney universe: she worked Cinderella to the bone, denied her a decent party and then locked her in the attic for good measure! These are hardly the actions of some misunderstood soul.

Until Serena Valentino comes along of course! Valentino has a truly unique way of humanising these characters that we love to hate and, with the help of the Odd Sisters, proves to us time and time again that there is more to our fairytales than meets the eye.

The previous book in the villain tales, Evil Thing, took the reader outside of the Many Kingdoms for the first time. Valentino takes advantage of this, neatly using Cold Hearted to join together Lady Tremaine’s life in London with both the Fairylands and the Many Kingdoms. This timeline means that the readers meet Lady Tremaine before her role as stepmother: we learn of her worries over indulging her two daughters and her unwillingness to move on after her husband’s death.

Cold Hearted skips time periods slightly so the reader is actually experiencing Nanny and the Fairy Godmother reading Lady Tremaine’s story. Don't worry: this doesn't mean we are deprived of our favourite creepy sisters, although this book may have you looking at the Odd Sisters in an entirely new light.

The 8th villain tale continues Valentino’s reign of brilliant, alternative views of our villains. Lady Tremaine was to be the heroine of her own fairytale; all she wanted was her own happily ever after. Where did it go so wrong?
  
Rock Crush and Roll
Rock Crush and Roll
Hunter Snow | 2023 | Contemporary, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
not overly explicit but very steamy in places!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

From what I can see, this is a debut author, and I enjoyed this!

Tyler has crushed on Cary for some time. And Cary has crushed on Tyler too, but they work together, sorta, and Tyler has a strict no musicians rule after being hurt badly by one. But with very little effort, they start to see the person behind the mask, and
 maybe, just maybe, Tyler can find her Happy Ever After.

This is cute, it really is. I liked that Tyler and Cary knew each other for a long time before they started a relationship. I liked that both of them fell fast and hard. I liked that Cary tried to spoil Tyler, but she managed to not let him get away with too
 much.

It’s not overly explicit, but it does get steamy in places. Just the right amount for these two, I think.

Both Cary and Tyler have a say in the third person, The change usually occurs as the chapter changes, but sometimes in the middle. Each change is clearly headed and I liked that.

Lots and LOTS of one liners from well-known songs (each with the artist named too) and some not so well known to me. Didn’t take anything away from the story, but I found myself trying to spot them all! And then to proceed to sing said song in my head til I
 came across the next one!

I struggled a bit with the workings of the music industry and found Tyler’s boss a slimeball, but he does get his comeuppence!

A great start from this author. When I come across a new (or new to me) author, my first question is always “Do I want to read more by this author?” and my answer here is a resounding “yes!”

So cute, and warm and fuzzies and a good solid 3 stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere