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Ensnared (The Life of Anna, #4)
10.0
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Everything Anna cared about is lost; the only thing left is Devin. She gives him all of herself, but...
Emerged (The Life of Anna #5)
9.0
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Anna has escaped from Devin. Now she must learn what it is to live without a master. Yet Devin will...
Twisted World
9.0
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Twenty years ago a deadly virus swept the globe, ravaging the population. People died and came back...
Post Apocalyptic Apocalypse Dystopia Dystopian Zombies
100 Days of Sunlight
9.0
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When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight...
Slow Motion (Pet Play by the Lake)
6.0
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Leaving everything behind and starting over as a masseur at the Mountain Lake Resort might have been...
MM Contemporary Romance Kink Pet Play
Merissa (11950 KP) rated Smith's Corner: Hunter and Holden (The Heartwood Series #6) in Books
May 11, 2022 (Updated Jun 20, 2023)
SMITH'S CORNER: HUNTER AND HOLDEN is the sixth book in the Heartwood series. I've been waiting for these two for what feels like forever, and you know what they say about expectations... Well, let me tell you now, this was NOT a disappointment!
Hunter and Holden make the perfect couple, each one wanting what the other can offer. Of course, they don't see that straight away, which brings its own difficulties! Hunter, bless him, has wanted Holden for years but didn't do anything about it, thinking Holden was straight. It's only when Holden started acting 'strangely' that Hunter thought there might be something there and took a big risk with his heart. Oh, and how it hurt! Honestly, I wanted to slap both of them upside the head at times but, luckily for me, Coco was there to do it for me.
She is Holden's daughter, straight-talking, no-nonsense and I CAN'T WAIT FOR HER TO MEET SOMEONE!!! And yes, that needs to be in caps. Why? Because not only do I think she'd make whoever it was work for it in the best kind of way, (this girl knows her own worth), but she's also a geek, which I love. Not only that, but I can already see Holden having a breakdown and Hunter talking him off the ledge. Please, Ms Paton, please?!!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the stories in this series up until now, and am so thankful there are more to come. I only hope Monty and Dakota are one of them. I would say though, that Hunter and Holden is my favourite story of the series. Once they got past the angry stage and allowed themselves to feel, it was no-holds-barred and I loved every word.
An absolute corker and highly recommended by me.
** 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!
May 10, 2022
Hunter and Holden make the perfect couple, each one wanting what the other can offer. Of course, they don't see that straight away, which brings its own difficulties! Hunter, bless him, has wanted Holden for years but didn't do anything about it, thinking Holden was straight. It's only when Holden started acting 'strangely' that Hunter thought there might be something there and took a big risk with his heart. Oh, and how it hurt! Honestly, I wanted to slap both of them upside the head at times but, luckily for me, Coco was there to do it for me.
She is Holden's daughter, straight-talking, no-nonsense and I CAN'T WAIT FOR HER TO MEET SOMEONE!!! And yes, that needs to be in caps. Why? Because not only do I think she'd make whoever it was work for it in the best kind of way, (this girl knows her own worth), but she's also a geek, which I love. Not only that, but I can already see Holden having a breakdown and Hunter talking him off the ledge. Please, Ms Paton, please?!!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the stories in this series up until now, and am so thankful there are more to come. I only hope Monty and Dakota are one of them. I would say though, that Hunter and Holden is my favourite story of the series. Once they got past the angry stage and allowed themselves to feel, it was no-holds-barred and I loved every word.
An absolute corker and highly recommended by me.
** 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!
May 10, 2022
ClareR (5674 KP) rated Savage Beasts in Books
Jul 4, 2023
Savage Beasts is a re-imagining of the story of Medea. This time, Meena (not Medea) betrays her father, the Nawab of Bengal, and runs away with an adventurer called James Chilcott. But Meena’s initial feelings of adventure and excitement soon wear off when she realises that the man she took to be an adventurer, was just an opportunist who spends her money and betrays her in turn.
I thought it was really clever how the Greek myth was woven into Meena’s story, and showed the impact of colonialism. Great Britain doesn’t come out of this well. James’ uncle, Sir Peter Chilcott, is a powerful man in the East India Company. He’s cold, unforgiving, and sees Meena, Indians, Bengali’s, and anyone from anywhere foreign, as below him and little better than an animal.
It made for really uncomfortable reading, and made me so angry!
Meena comes across as being so young but desperate to be older. She’s determined to make a good life for herself and her child - despite how difficult James and his reprehensible family make it for her.
Honestly, by the end I firmly believed they deserved whatever was coming their way!
I listened to this on audiobook, kindly sent to me via NetGalley by HarperCollins UK Audio. The narrator, Shazia Nicholls, really was outstanding. It always amazes me how a good narrator can make all the characters sound so different - especially in this case, the men. Sir Peter came across as a sneering, superior, calculating monster, and in contrast, Meena was both young and wise - and it felt as though she was really there, speaking for herself. Shazia read with such emotion that it became entirely believable. This could well have been an historical memoir as much as a piece of fiction.
Yes, this is described as a Greek retelling, but it has been made into something all of its own. If you know the story of Medea, then you’ll see where in particular it is borrowing from that story - but this is a great story in its own right. It’s powerful, feminist and it’s about colonialism. It’s a story about family, trust and the devastation of betrayal.
Highly recommended!
I thought it was really clever how the Greek myth was woven into Meena’s story, and showed the impact of colonialism. Great Britain doesn’t come out of this well. James’ uncle, Sir Peter Chilcott, is a powerful man in the East India Company. He’s cold, unforgiving, and sees Meena, Indians, Bengali’s, and anyone from anywhere foreign, as below him and little better than an animal.
It made for really uncomfortable reading, and made me so angry!
Meena comes across as being so young but desperate to be older. She’s determined to make a good life for herself and her child - despite how difficult James and his reprehensible family make it for her.
Honestly, by the end I firmly believed they deserved whatever was coming their way!
I listened to this on audiobook, kindly sent to me via NetGalley by HarperCollins UK Audio. The narrator, Shazia Nicholls, really was outstanding. It always amazes me how a good narrator can make all the characters sound so different - especially in this case, the men. Sir Peter came across as a sneering, superior, calculating monster, and in contrast, Meena was both young and wise - and it felt as though she was really there, speaking for herself. Shazia read with such emotion that it became entirely believable. This could well have been an historical memoir as much as a piece of fiction.
Yes, this is described as a Greek retelling, but it has been made into something all of its own. If you know the story of Medea, then you’ll see where in particular it is borrowing from that story - but this is a great story in its own right. It’s powerful, feminist and it’s about colonialism. It’s a story about family, trust and the devastation of betrayal.
Highly recommended!
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Captain Marvel (2019) in Movies
Apr 2, 2019 (Updated Apr 2, 2019)
Blockbuster Fun (1 more)
SFX
Marvellous
I am usually there to see a Marvel movie on day 1, unfortunately though with this film there was a load of bias and negative mentality surrounding it's release. To be honest discussing this movie seemed like a volatile minefield immediately after it's release and it put me off going to see it for a while. Instead I decided to wait a couple of weeks for the dust to settle before going into it. The main reason for this was that I didn't want my experience of the movie to be tarnished by some bitter neckbeard's opinion on the other side of the planet. It is unfortunate that I felt repelled from the movie because of a loud angry minority, but in hindsight I am glad that I waited to see Captain Marvel, because I got to see it in with an untainted mind-set as the filmmakers most likely intended.
I had a lot of fun with this movie, far more than I expected to based on the trailers. Captain Marvel is a great space hopping romp that will put a smile on your face in spite of a few minor shortcomings. The action is great throughout and every fight sequence is exciting and impressive to watch unfold. The CGI is also incredible too, from the vast space shots to the impeccable de-aging on Sam Jackson throughout the movie, to allow him to portray a younger Nick Fury.
The characters are all great as well, I loved that Sam Jackson put a different more playful tone behind his younger, fresher Nick Fury performance as opposed to his stern colder portrayal as the older more battle hardened Fury in the Avengers movies. In the trailers it seemed out of place, but in the context of the movie, it worked really well. I also enjoyed seeing a younger, rookie Coulson and Ben Mendelsohn was great as the movies villain (?)
I was looking forward to seeing what Jude Law would bring to the MCU, but unfortunately he just played Jude Law, as in the same character type that we have already seen him play in a ton of other movies. His performance was perfectly serviceable, but nothing to write home about. Then there is arguably the most important performance of all, Brie Larson as the lead character, Captain Marvel. I thought for the most part she did a pretty great job. I will admit that there were a few lines, (mostly from flashback scenes before she left Earth for the first time,) that felt a bit forced and took me out of the movie slightly. As much as I wanted to buy everything in her performance, there was maybe 10% of the lines that she delivered that were just a bit too cheesy and somewhat wooden. However the other 90% was great and I am very much looking forward to her joining the larger Marvel universe.
The plot was given to us in drips and drabs due to the flashback filled nature of the way that the filmmakers chose to tell this story, but overall I enjoyed the ride. There were a few twists and turns along the way, - some painfully obvious and some not so much, - but most of them were enjoyable and some even felt refreshing, which isn't often said about the 21st movie in a franchise.
The last major thing to address is the female empowerment element that lies under the film's plot and is the thing that a bunch of bigots on Reddit seemed to assume would become the focus of the movie and take away from their beloved superhero fantasy. I am glad to report that no, although it is present, it in no way takes away from the scale or plot of the film. Some moments, (again moments predominately from the flashbacks before Carol leaves Earth for the first time,) were a bit on the nose and felt somewhat forced, such as the 'cockpit,' comment. However, later on in the movie there is an incredibly powerful, more subtle scene that shows different stages of Carol's life where she has been pushed to the ground and has had to get back on her own two feet and carry on. This sequence which showed a bunch of different young girls, ending with Brie Larson herself, standing up to face adversity with bravery and it was it moving and empowering and very well done.
Overall, I had way more fun with this film than I expected to. Try and ignore the negative comments coming from a loud minority of angry people when you see this one and enjoy what is actually happening onscreen.
I had a lot of fun with this movie, far more than I expected to based on the trailers. Captain Marvel is a great space hopping romp that will put a smile on your face in spite of a few minor shortcomings. The action is great throughout and every fight sequence is exciting and impressive to watch unfold. The CGI is also incredible too, from the vast space shots to the impeccable de-aging on Sam Jackson throughout the movie, to allow him to portray a younger Nick Fury.
The characters are all great as well, I loved that Sam Jackson put a different more playful tone behind his younger, fresher Nick Fury performance as opposed to his stern colder portrayal as the older more battle hardened Fury in the Avengers movies. In the trailers it seemed out of place, but in the context of the movie, it worked really well. I also enjoyed seeing a younger, rookie Coulson and Ben Mendelsohn was great as the movies villain (?)
I was looking forward to seeing what Jude Law would bring to the MCU, but unfortunately he just played Jude Law, as in the same character type that we have already seen him play in a ton of other movies. His performance was perfectly serviceable, but nothing to write home about. Then there is arguably the most important performance of all, Brie Larson as the lead character, Captain Marvel. I thought for the most part she did a pretty great job. I will admit that there were a few lines, (mostly from flashback scenes before she left Earth for the first time,) that felt a bit forced and took me out of the movie slightly. As much as I wanted to buy everything in her performance, there was maybe 10% of the lines that she delivered that were just a bit too cheesy and somewhat wooden. However the other 90% was great and I am very much looking forward to her joining the larger Marvel universe.
The plot was given to us in drips and drabs due to the flashback filled nature of the way that the filmmakers chose to tell this story, but overall I enjoyed the ride. There were a few twists and turns along the way, - some painfully obvious and some not so much, - but most of them were enjoyable and some even felt refreshing, which isn't often said about the 21st movie in a franchise.
The last major thing to address is the female empowerment element that lies under the film's plot and is the thing that a bunch of bigots on Reddit seemed to assume would become the focus of the movie and take away from their beloved superhero fantasy. I am glad to report that no, although it is present, it in no way takes away from the scale or plot of the film. Some moments, (again moments predominately from the flashbacks before Carol leaves Earth for the first time,) were a bit on the nose and felt somewhat forced, such as the 'cockpit,' comment. However, later on in the movie there is an incredibly powerful, more subtle scene that shows different stages of Carol's life where she has been pushed to the ground and has had to get back on her own two feet and carry on. This sequence which showed a bunch of different young girls, ending with Brie Larson herself, standing up to face adversity with bravery and it was it moving and empowering and very well done.
Overall, I had way more fun with this film than I expected to. Try and ignore the negative comments coming from a loud minority of angry people when you see this one and enjoy what is actually happening onscreen.
Merissa (11950 KP) rated Finding Mr. Wrong in Books
Sep 27, 2017
Finding Mr. Wrong by Charlie Cochet
Finding Mr. Wrong starts off with Matthew having a near-death experience. He is the very successful owner of the family run firm Hart & Home. However, he isn't sure about his cousin, who is coming up with very strange ideas. Following his experience, he speaks to his best friend/PA, Adam, and they decide he is going to find Mr Right. They put down a few things, and then Adam wangles the story out of 'the one that got away'. It is obvious that Matthew has never got over this. Circumstances (and people) conspire, and Matthew and Jax end up meeting again. Jax can't believe his eyes, whilst Matthew is spitting feathers he is so angry. Don't worry, they do work it out... for a while at least.
This story just swept you along, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word. Charlie Cochet is an amazing author, and I have yet to read anything by her that I didn't like. There are a couple of side stories that help to make this the enjoyable read that it is - one is Jax's dad, and the other is Adam. Now, I won't say too much about Jax's dad (Dale), as I feel you should really read it and make up your own mind. As for me, I would say that Jax is a saint, and I honestly don't know if I could have done that. As for Adam, I really REALLY want to know his story. He comes across as very sweet and caring, but he has a history. I know he does. I just don't know what it is just yet. He knew immediately what Rai did for a living, whereas I didn't have a clue! He knows what it's like to be without money too. I really need to know!
With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this is one contemporary M/M romance that I have no hesitation in recommending. With humour, grit, action, misunderstandings, and a little twist that I never saw coming at the end, this was absolutely wonderful. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This story just swept you along, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word. Charlie Cochet is an amazing author, and I have yet to read anything by her that I didn't like. There are a couple of side stories that help to make this the enjoyable read that it is - one is Jax's dad, and the other is Adam. Now, I won't say too much about Jax's dad (Dale), as I feel you should really read it and make up your own mind. As for me, I would say that Jax is a saint, and I honestly don't know if I could have done that. As for Adam, I really REALLY want to know his story. He comes across as very sweet and caring, but he has a history. I know he does. I just don't know what it is just yet. He knew immediately what Rai did for a living, whereas I didn't have a clue! He knows what it's like to be without money too. I really need to know!
With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this is one contemporary M/M romance that I have no hesitation in recommending. With humour, grit, action, misunderstandings, and a little twist that I never saw coming at the end, this was absolutely wonderful. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Futuristic Fantasy
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a futuristic, fantasy novel where society is divided by rich and poor; powerful and weak; elite and commoners; Silver and Red. Those with silver blood have magical abilities which make them believe they are more important than the talentless Reds who are forced to live in dilapidated towns and be sent to their deaths in wars they cannot survive.
Mare Barrow is a Red and knows that her future is doomed. Desperate to escape she confides in a stranger and lands herself a serving position in the Silver palace. Suddenly, however, her world is turned upside down after an accident reveals that, although she has red blood, she has a magical ability too. Instead of killing her as she expected, the king and queen force her to pretend she is a Silver, threatening her family if she steps out of line.
Naturally Mare hates the Silvers and involves herself with the Scarlet Guard – a terrorist group of Red rebels. However a complicated love triangle, and a shocking plot twist, puts Mare in even more danger than she bargained for.
The Cinderella-like idea of Mare coming from a poor background yet finding herself a member of the elite is nothing new. The difference here is that Mare does not want anything to do with the Silvers. She does not trust them and is angry about the way they are treating her family and her people.
Red Queen reminds me slightly of a couple of other young adult novels. It is a mishmash of The Selection by Kiera Cass (the poor become elite) and stories such as The Hunger Games (violence, rich verses poor etc.) Therefore this did not feel like a completely original piece of work. Nevertheless it was still exciting and Mare is such an admirable character.
I recommend this novel to readers of fantasy, dystopia and romance as Red Queen combines all three ideas. It is suitable for teenagers and adults alike, and do not let the word “Queen” make you believe that it is going to be overly girly. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next installment of this series – the ending suggests that there will be a lot more fighting!
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a futuristic, fantasy novel where society is divided by rich and poor; powerful and weak; elite and commoners; Silver and Red. Those with silver blood have magical abilities which make them believe they are more important than the talentless Reds who are forced to live in dilapidated towns and be sent to their deaths in wars they cannot survive.
Mare Barrow is a Red and knows that her future is doomed. Desperate to escape she confides in a stranger and lands herself a serving position in the Silver palace. Suddenly, however, her world is turned upside down after an accident reveals that, although she has red blood, she has a magical ability too. Instead of killing her as she expected, the king and queen force her to pretend she is a Silver, threatening her family if she steps out of line.
Naturally Mare hates the Silvers and involves herself with the Scarlet Guard – a terrorist group of Red rebels. However a complicated love triangle, and a shocking plot twist, puts Mare in even more danger than she bargained for.
The Cinderella-like idea of Mare coming from a poor background yet finding herself a member of the elite is nothing new. The difference here is that Mare does not want anything to do with the Silvers. She does not trust them and is angry about the way they are treating her family and her people.
Red Queen reminds me slightly of a couple of other young adult novels. It is a mishmash of The Selection by Kiera Cass (the poor become elite) and stories such as The Hunger Games (violence, rich verses poor etc.) Therefore this did not feel like a completely original piece of work. Nevertheless it was still exciting and Mare is such an admirable character.
I recommend this novel to readers of fantasy, dystopia and romance as Red Queen combines all three ideas. It is suitable for teenagers and adults alike, and do not let the word “Queen” make you believe that it is going to be overly girly. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next installment of this series – the ending suggests that there will be a lot more fighting!