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Tic-Tac-Mistletoe (Hartbridge Christmas #1)
Tic-Tac-Mistletoe (Hartbridge Christmas #1)
N.R. Walker | 2020 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
TIC-TAC-MISTLETOE is the first book in the Hartbridge Christmas series and, honestly, this belongs on the Hallmark Channel. The book itself says so too!

Hamish is travelling from Australia to his sister's for Christmas - and the next two years. However, nothing has gone right for him, and he ends up going headfirst into a snowbank. Luckily for him, he is rescued by the local hardware shop owner, Ren. They click instantly but spend time trying to understand just what is going on, and how it will work when Ren is going to Mossley to be with his sister.

This is a low-angst full-of-Christmas-spirit book that will definitely give you the warm fuzzies! I loved Ren and Hamish together, together with Chutney the dog. I loved the TV references and how Ren and Hamish made it 'their thing'. We hear the back story of both of them, without it being an info dump.

Honestly? I have nothing bad to say. I would LOVE for Hallmark to grab this up and make a dream come true! A warm, fuzzy, cookies in the kitchen, sweet Christmas story that I adored. Absolutely 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!
  
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Merissa (11612 KP) rated Greeking Out (Destination Daddies) in Books

Aug 19, 2021 (Updated Jul 17, 2023)  
Greeking Out (Destination Daddies)
Greeking Out (Destination Daddies)
Colette Davison | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
GREEKING OUT is part of the Destination Daddies series, and now I have a new series to read!

Troy and Apollo meet online through the Cuffd app and strike up a friendship. Troy is a boy who has been badly hurt, and Apollo is a porn star who wants more. With Troy's honesty and Myth of the Day, they become integrated into each other's lives, even though they have an ocean between them. When Troy bravely overcomes his fear of flying and goes to Greece, a very nice surprise awaits him.

I loved this story! From the slow, online friendship, to the meeting, to the constant love and assurance they both show each other. I loved how we were shown how Sean slipped out of Troy's mind under the loving care of Apollo. Told from dual perspectives, you really got a feel for these guys.

This is a sweet and steamy summer story that I thoroughly enjoyed with fantastic descriptions of Greece, enough to make me want to go there immediately. I really hope Collette (or someone else in the Destination Daddies series) gives Jared his HEA.

A low angst, friends-to-lovers story that you really need to read. Loved it.

** 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!
Aug 19, 2021
  
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Merissa (11612 KP) rated Mr. Uptight in Books

Feb 16, 2021 (Updated Aug 3, 2023)  
Mr. Uptight
Mr. Uptight
Felice Stevens | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
MR. UPTIGHT is a standalone novel that is about opposites (in some ways) attracting, and how you can know of someone for years without actually knowing them. This is what happens between Mason and Jude. Both of them have ideas of what the other is like, without actually finding out if it is correct or not.

Mason is the 'younger brother', the one always partying and getting into trouble... or so Jude thinks. And Jude is the one who always takes the hard line, without any compassion or empathy... or so Mason thinks. Both of them are proven wrong when they start working together, and the sparks fly.

I love the writing style of Felice Stevens. It flows from scene to scene, taking the reader along with it. Some issues are real and cause problems, others are talked out, which always makes a pleasant change. There is a great supporting cast who provide backup and help the story move along where necessary.

A warm, feel-good story, with low angst and high emotion. It's a book to be kept and re-read whenever you want a hug from a book. Highly recommended by me.

* 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!
Feb 16, 2021
  
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Merissa (11612 KP) rated The Red Zone (Big Play, #2) in Books

Jan 17, 2019 (Updated Jun 7, 2023)  
The Red Zone (Big Play, #2)
The Red Zone (Big Play, #2)
Jordan Ford | 2016 | Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Red Zone (Big Play #2) by Jordan Ford
The second book in the series focuses on Mack and Kaija, although Colt and Tori still have integral roles to play to my unashamed pleasure! Mack is the Quarterback, the one every girl wants and every guy wants to be. He knows the 'rules' of the school, although he has his doubts when he sees how happy Tori and Colt are. It comes to a head when he sees Kaija for the first time and is instantly struck by her. Kaija feels the same way but has her own reasons for trying to stay away from him and keep under the radar.

Once again, this story is a smash!!! With believable characters that will have you laughing out loud at their prank war, and yet wiping your eyes at a different part, and a compelling and emotional storyline, this book is a fantastic addition to the Big Play series.

Exceedingly well written, smoothly paced, with enough angst to keep everyone happy, and no editing or grammatical errors that I found, I have no hesitation in highly recommending this to all fans of Young Adult, Contemporary, and Romance.

* 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!
Apr 23, 2016
  
Sexless in Seattle
Sexless in Seattle
D.J. Jamison | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
SEXLESS IN SEATTLE is the first book in a new series and is loosely based upon Sleepless in Seattle (no surprise there!)

Zach and Eric lost their parents two years ago, and Zach gave up everything to look after his brother, who was only ten at the time. Zach was only twenty and missed out on a lot of things. Luckily for him, he still has his friend group who try to make things better. Tristan is a little older than Zach and is looking for love. He's had enough of hookups. Through Eric's machinations, these two start texting and then the story moves along.

Low angst and super sweet - that's what you'll get if you pick this book up, and I loved every word! Zach and Tristan were great characters who weren't too good to be true. They both had doubts and fears but also communicated and thought about each other. I loved how they both changed in the bedroom! It was hot and steamy between them when they finally reached that stage, but I loved that Tristan took it slowly for Zach.

A great story and loads of other characters I now want stories for! Plus Skylar's!!! Absolutely 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 6, 2024
  
SWAT for Dummies (Deputy Gemma Stone #2)
SWAT for Dummies (Deputy Gemma Stone #2)
Gail Koger | 2023 | Humor & Comedy, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
some very funny moments
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Deputy Gemma Stone series. I have not read book one, but I picked this one up quick enough. So I'd say it can be read as a stand alone.

And for the most part, I did enjoy this short read, some 130 pages, I really did.

I just found the fact that Gemma got into so many scrapes and bumps, accidents and getting shot at, it all became a bit too much. FOR ME! I need to stress that, for me, I found it a bit too much in the short space of time it took me to read this book.

There is some kooky going on inthe Sheriff's department, and Gemma, along with her new boyfriend, need to figure it out, especially as it might have some relation to Dante's parent's deaths. And they do, eventually.

Some very funny moments, that really were laugh out loud bits and I think these are what made me give it 4 stars and not 3. It's full of drama, but not real angst. Low on the steam scale too. But I didn't mind that here.

I'm not usually one for comedy in my romance books, but I did enjoy this one. Whether I read more, will remain to be seen, though.

An enjoyable, 4 star read

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
RM
Read Me Like a Book
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ashleigh Walker's life is crumbling around her. Her parents are fighting constantly, she's not doing well in school, and her boyfriend, Dylan, doesn't exactly make her heart sing. Suddenly, the one bright spot in Ash's life becomes her new English teacher, Miss Murray. Young and hip, Miss Murray engages Ash in a way she's never felt before. She's even joined the debate club, for pete's sake, and started working hard on her English submissions. But there's more to it than that. Miss Murray makes Ash feel something else. If she really admits it, Miss Murray makes Ash feel what Dylan (and other boys) should. Is something wrong with Ash? And more importantly, Ash starts to think... does Miss Murray feel the same way?

This is a lovely gem of a book. It's the perfect blend of heartbreaking and funny. Kessler, who, as I mentioned, has previously written a series of books for young teens, expertly captures the older teen voice in this novel (which was actually her first book, finally published and updated for the more modern, digital era). She creates a picture as she writes, allowing you to vividly imagine her multi-faceted and complicated characters. Ash is no one-dimensional teen: she's intricate and her own person. As she deals with the agony of her parents' own issues, plus her own inner angst about her love life, your heart goes out to the girl.

Kessler easily paints the angst one feels when in love with a teacher, especially if LGBT - coupled with the delusion that comes with youth, no matter your sexual orientation. Ash's feelings are so real, so strong, and she seems so alone. It's an excellent portrayal of what young teens go through as they wrestle with their sexuality (believe me, I know; it took me back to some tough times in high school).

If anything, some of the resolution is a little too easy, a bit quick and forced at times, but it really doesn't diminish from the force of the book. Watching Ash grow up before our eyes is rather magical. There are some excellent comedic portions from the novel to balance out the heaviness, coupled with a great supporting cast of characters, including Ash's best friend, Cat, and some other youth she meets via school, family, and friends. The novel is perfect for teens struggling with their own sexuality, or needing to see someone "like them" in print, and those looking to support a LGBT best friend, but should also be given to parents of those teens -- as Ash's parents play a role in the story as well.

Overall, I found myself completely wrapped in Ash's coming of age (and coming out) tale. Books with a true to life, multi-dimensional lesbian heroine are still sadly hard to come by, it seems, but Kessler's novel certainly tries to change that.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review - thank you!

<a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">My Blog</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/justacatandbook">Twitter</a>;
  
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Robert Englund recommended East of Eden (1955) in Movies (curated)

 
East of Eden (1955)
East of Eden (1955)
1955 | Classics, Drama

"I also love Elia Kazan and it was a toss up for me between On the Waterfront, which I saw as a child, and East of Eden, which I saw as a young kid, and also rediscovered as an adult. But I do remember more recently a beautiful print that was struck — maybe by UCLA archives, maybe by AFI; I’m not sure who — and they had a screening of it at a theater that’s the longer one there in Century City, beautiful theater. At one time I think it was the state of the art theater in the country, with the first reclining seats and all that. They had [screened it] somehow, in conjunction with the LA city school system and the English department of LA city schools. And I believe that the matinee that I saw was predominantly schools… And the kids have to read East of Eden or Steinbeck, Travels with Charley or something in school, and you could tell this was going to be their Steinbeck assignment, so it was a field trip. But this… wasn’t a movie for young people, and I was a little worried that the noise, the kicking of the seats, and the high jinx that were prevailing in the auditorium before the lights went down would keep going. And I remember about five minutes into the film there’s a shot of James Dean hopping a freight — he jumps this train, near Monterey and he goes to Salinas, or vice versa — he hops the train and is on his way to Monterey to visit his mother, to find his mother in a brothel. And it’s cold, it’s evening — he pulls his little sweater over his head like a hoodie and he bundles up almost in a fetal position on the top of this train, snaking it’s way through the country side in Monterey county. And the entire audience shut up and you could hear a pin drop. It was the power of a true movie star. It was the first American teenager, James Dean, on the screen. And it didn’t matter that it was a predominantly… junior high school to high school kids — they got it. They got his angst, they got his beauty, they got his rebellion, all in literally 30 seconds’ worth of him exuding teen angst in the film and it was just this great moment. It reminded me of the power of stardom, of light and shadow on the screen, of a Greta Garbo, of a great screen kiss between — God rest her soul — the late Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne in The Quiet Man, or John Travolta strutting down the sidewalk in Saturday Night Fever— it’s just this great thing. And I love that movie anyway. There’s sequences and scenes in that movie, and James Dean, his grace in that movie — I think his movement in that movie is only matched by one or two Lee Marvin performances, and maybe one or two Sean Connery performances that I’ve seen in terms of just male physical grace. Really a great film, and I had to put Kazan on my list. So Kazan would be my number five for East of Eden starring James Dean."

Source
  
Turning Red (2022)
Turning Red (2022)
2022 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
6
6.5 (11 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The digital animation geniuses at Pixar are back with “Turning Red” and it marks a departure for the studio known for the “Toy Story” and “Cars”, franchises.

Set in 1990s Toronto, the film centers around 8th grader Mei (Rosalie Chiang), who considers herself an adult at 13 and eagerly applies herself to school when she is not helping her family tour business at a local Temple or hanging with her friends.

Life comes crashing to a halt when after a traumatic day of embarrassment; Mei awakens in the form of a large Red Panda. In a panic, Mei attempts to hide her situation which causes her over-protective mother to assume it is Puberty related and that her hormones are kicking in.

Mei desperately wants to get her life back to normal and learns that as long as she is calm her Panda is under control. However, this proves to be harder than expected and soon Mei learns that the Panda is the result of a family bloodline but there is a way to end it during a Lunar ceremony in a couple of weeks.

Chaos soon follows as Mei struggles with her situation and must find a way to cope with the changes that are going on and make some very important decisions about her life and her future.

The film is a difficult one to review for me as never having been a teenage girl dealing with puberty, raging estrogen, and the issues that go with it. That being said the film struggles to find a balance as it tacks on the capers of Mei in Panda form without being overly funny or charming and keeps the focus on Teen Angst, puberty-related issues and becoming an adult.

The film lacks the interesting characters, charm, and appeal that have set the foundation for so many Pixar films and it is surprising that a company that can elicit a range of emotions in an animated short fail to really connect with their latest feature. There were some amusing parts but the film as a whole was rather dull and lacked much in the way of humor and was very predictable.

The decision to put the film directly on Disney+ as the studio’s recent “Soul” and “Luca” was raised some controversy but in the end, I do believe it was the right decision as “Turning Red” is not likely to be a film that draws people to the cinema beyond the opening weekend.

It is a film that is a bold step for the company, but one that lacks the charm and humor of previous films as not everyone is going to want to sit through a feature-length film on teenage angst and dealing with changing bodies and the emotional turmoil that follows. However, the target audience is likely to connect with the characters and it will be interesting to see what the reaction to the film is long-term.

3 stars out of 5

“Turning Red” will debut on Disney+ on March 11th