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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Death by Bubble Tea in Books
Jul 13, 2022
Deadly Drink in the Dark
Yale Yee is not thrilled that her cousin, Celine, is coming for a visit and even less thrilled when her father suggests the two of them work together to represent his restaurant at the new night market in her neighborhood of L.A. However, she is will to admit by the end of the first night that things went well. That’s before she finds a dead body on her way back to her apartment. The young woman is lying next to one of the distinctive glasses that Yale and Celine served their drinks in, so the police zero in on them as their prime suspects. Can Yale figure out what really happened?
Like many firsts in series, this one has to do a juggling act of introducing characters and setting while also getting the story going. It does a good job, especially since some of the things introduced early on do come into play later. The pacing did lag a little in the middle before we reached the logical solution. The characters did a few things that felt like they were more plot driven than coming from real characterizations. On the other hand, I really did like the characters and their relationships kept me reading. I found Yale’s aversion to technology interesting and fitting her character. Naturally, we get a couple recipes at the end of the book. I’m looking forward to visiting these characters again when the second book comes out.
Like many firsts in series, this one has to do a juggling act of introducing characters and setting while also getting the story going. It does a good job, especially since some of the things introduced early on do come into play later. The pacing did lag a little in the middle before we reached the logical solution. The characters did a few things that felt like they were more plot driven than coming from real characterizations. On the other hand, I really did like the characters and their relationships kept me reading. I found Yale’s aversion to technology interesting and fitting her character. Naturally, we get a couple recipes at the end of the book. I’m looking forward to visiting these characters again when the second book comes out.
Everything (Songbird, #3)
9.0
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Jody Pritchett had a dream...but life had other plans. Instead of singing and dancing on Broadway,...
Contemporary Romance
Loveborne
8.0
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A first shot at love and a last chance at living. Ever since the Loveborne virus wiped out half...
Contemporary Science Fiction Post Apocalyptic MM Romance
Merissa (13590 KP) rated Greed (Seven Princes of Sin #4) in Books
May 31, 2023
GREED is the fourth book in the Seven Princes of Sin series and more than one person meets their mate in this one!
Isabel and her two sons, Brandon and Will, were left with nothing when her husband died. He had used all her money and given everything to his mistress. Then she finds out her apartment is being condemned and they will have nowhere to live. With no other options, she goes to Club Greed to see if they can help. The help she receives is nothing like she expected and everything like she needed.
This series just keeps getting better and better. It is dark, in places, which just makes you appreciate the softer moments even more. Michael... gah, I can't wait to see what happens to him. He really is a piece of work. Well, they all are, but you know what I mean!
The overall story arc continues to move along and Lucifer remains an enigma. I would highly recommend you start from the beginning and work your way through, just to ensure you don't miss anything. GREED is a great addition to the series and is definitely 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!
Feb 1, 2023
Isabel and her two sons, Brandon and Will, were left with nothing when her husband died. He had used all her money and given everything to his mistress. Then she finds out her apartment is being condemned and they will have nowhere to live. With no other options, she goes to Club Greed to see if they can help. The help she receives is nothing like she expected and everything like she needed.
This series just keeps getting better and better. It is dark, in places, which just makes you appreciate the softer moments even more. Michael... gah, I can't wait to see what happens to him. He really is a piece of work. Well, they all are, but you know what I mean!
The overall story arc continues to move along and Lucifer remains an enigma. I would highly recommend you start from the beginning and work your way through, just to ensure you don't miss anything. GREED is a great addition to the series and is definitely 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!
Feb 1, 2023
Bored Gay Werewolf
8.0
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Brian, an aimless slacker in his twenties, works double shifts at his waiter job, never cleans his...
Fantasy Queer Werewolves
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective in Books
Jul 1, 2023 (Updated Jul 1, 2023)
For a Non-Detective, Charlotte is Busy Detecting
Growing up, Charlotte Illes gained fame as a child detective, solving cases everywhere she went. However, Charlotte is trying to put that behind her now that she is an adult. The trouble is, she doesn’t know what comes next job wise. When her brother’s girlfriend starts getting notes on their apartment door, Charlotte reluctantly agrees to investigate. The case takes an unexpected turn when kidnapping and murder get involved. Can Charlotte figure out what is going on?
Since I read about fictional child detectives as a kid, the premise of this one sounded like fun. I don’t think I was the target audience since many of the characters are queer Millennials, but for the most part, that wasn’t an issue. Still, there were a few moments that made me prickle a little. But that was minor. Charlotte and her two best friends make a fun trio, and I enjoyed watching them grow as the book progressed. The rest of the cast is great, too. The pacing was uneven in the middle, but we still reached a logical conclusion with several twists along the way. There was plenty of humor, quite often coming from the banter of the main trio. There are quite a few four letter words, but as long as you know that, you’ll be fine. Overall, this really was a fun debut, and I’m glad I picked it up.
Since I read about fictional child detectives as a kid, the premise of this one sounded like fun. I don’t think I was the target audience since many of the characters are queer Millennials, but for the most part, that wasn’t an issue. Still, there were a few moments that made me prickle a little. But that was minor. Charlotte and her two best friends make a fun trio, and I enjoyed watching them grow as the book progressed. The rest of the cast is great, too. The pacing was uneven in the middle, but we still reached a logical conclusion with several twists along the way. There was plenty of humor, quite often coming from the banter of the main trio. There are quite a few four letter words, but as long as you know that, you’ll be fine. Overall, this really was a fun debut, and I’m glad I picked it up.
Old Hollywood with a Dash of Mystery
The year in 1940, and Babs Norman and Guy Brandt have set up a detective agency. But it is struggling to bring in any money, which is why Babs has just been evicted from her apartment. But the potential for positive cash flow comes when they learn that Hollywood isn’t going to the dogs since their dogs are disappearing. Basil Rathbone’s dog has been kidnapped as has the dog that plays Asta in the Thin Man movies. Since a new Thin Man movie is supposed to start production soon, the studio is desperate to get their canine star back. Can Babs and Guy figure out what is going on?
The draw for this book is old Hollywood, and it is fun spending time with the stars. They are an active part of the plot and at times outnumber the fictional characters. Sadly, the plot is uneven with too much time spent on the antics of the stars. While it does reach a satisfactory conclusion, the plotting is clunky with elements introduced roughly. And there’s a subplot that feels forced and isn’t really resolved. While most of the book felt right historically, I did find a blatant historical error early on. The writing kept us at arm’s length, making the characters thin. This is a book to read for the old stars. If you want a good mystery, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
The draw for this book is old Hollywood, and it is fun spending time with the stars. They are an active part of the plot and at times outnumber the fictional characters. Sadly, the plot is uneven with too much time spent on the antics of the stars. While it does reach a satisfactory conclusion, the plotting is clunky with elements introduced roughly. And there’s a subplot that feels forced and isn’t really resolved. While most of the book felt right historically, I did find a blatant historical error early on. The writing kept us at arm’s length, making the characters thin. This is a book to read for the old stars. If you want a good mystery, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
He Should Be Mine (My Mobster #1)
Book
The only man I want is the one man I can’t have. Molly is beautiful. Feisty. Sensual. Passionate....
Dark MM Mafia Age Gap Hurt / Comfort
Jazzy Jeff (7 KP) rated REC (2007) in Movies
Jan 6, 2018
Zombies (2 more)
Suspenseful
Tense zombie chases
My favorite horror film
Contains spoilers, click to show
The film offers newbies to the horror genre the kick they are looking for within the horror genre. Suspenseful, intense, scary, and gory, it is without a doubt one of the best Horror movies of the past decade, if not of all time, and one i have remembered. 2007 had not seen a whole lot of found footage movies, or those of memorable ones other than cloverfield and the blair witch project, so this style was relatively new, and it's yet to have been done better. We follow a young reporter and her cameraman (who represents us as the audience) as they become unwillingly quarantined in an apartment with its residents, pleading with the outside for their escape. An outbreak is turning those infected into flesh eating "zombies" carried within the people as a standard illness at first. This film creates the "you are there" experience like nothing you have seen or will see before, and that you are just as desperate to escape as the camera crew. Nothing within this film feels staged, the emotions feel raw and geniune. The scariest moments are things that are happening in the frame but not front and centre, those things lingering in the dark or the corner of your eye. As the story slowly gets revealed, you get more unnerved by the events unfolding. There are brilliant and terrifying scenes that will stay with you for life.
However, the rest of the franchise doesnt give as much impact as this one presents.
However, the rest of the franchise doesnt give as much impact as this one presents.
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Ides of April (Flavia Albia Mystery, #1) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
What's the next best thing to a new Falco novel? I suspect it must be this latest offering from Lindsey Davis who, with her tongue firmly in cheek, introduces us to the next generation in the form of Falco's adopted daughter, Flavia Albia, who is all grown up (and indeed widowed) and, guess what? Working as a private informer out of an apartment in Fountain Court!
If you liked the Falco novels, you'll like this, but if you haven't read any then you will be able to pick this up without any confusion about the back story. We've moved on from the somewhat benign Vespasian through the short lived Titus and on to mad, bad and dangerous to know Domitian. Falco and Helena are cautiously keeping their heads down!
Davis always has a knack from bringing ancient Rome to life so you get a bit of an history lesson without even realising it.
I was quite pleased with myself for picking out the culprit about halfway in. To start with, they seem to be random, senseless killings, but all is explained by the time you turn the final page - which seems to come all too soon. There were still some surprises in there that I didn't see coming too!
My favourite bit? A throwaway remark from Albia that her dad has seem some things so secret that he probably won't be able to publish his memoirs for a couple of thousand years.... Great stuff; bring on the next instalment!
If you liked the Falco novels, you'll like this, but if you haven't read any then you will be able to pick this up without any confusion about the back story. We've moved on from the somewhat benign Vespasian through the short lived Titus and on to mad, bad and dangerous to know Domitian. Falco and Helena are cautiously keeping their heads down!
Davis always has a knack from bringing ancient Rome to life so you get a bit of an history lesson without even realising it.
I was quite pleased with myself for picking out the culprit about halfway in. To start with, they seem to be random, senseless killings, but all is explained by the time you turn the final page - which seems to come all too soon. There were still some surprises in there that I didn't see coming too!
My favourite bit? A throwaway remark from Albia that her dad has seem some things so secret that he probably won't be able to publish his memoirs for a couple of thousand years.... Great stuff; bring on the next instalment!