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David McK (3425 KP) rated No Time to Die (2021) in Movies

Oct 21, 2021 (Updated Sep 10, 2023)  
No Time to Die (2021)
No Time to Die (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Thriller
The names Bond.... James Bond
The latest (at the time of writing) James Bond movie, this is both the 25th in the series and the one that is was much delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

It's also Daniel Craig's last outing as James Bond - the only actor whose Bond, I believe, has an arc across all the movies in which he starred, from his earliest days (Casino Royale) through to missions when he was in his prime (Skyfall) and finally - here - coming out of retirement for 'one last mission'. Daniel Craig's Bond is not the only returning character: Felix Leiter, M, Moneypenny, Q, Madeline Swann, and even Blofield all make a return.

Billie Eilish's theme song is completely forgettable, while I was also a bit surprised by the ending. Didn't mind it so much, though, as those who walked out of the showing I went to!
  
Restored: A Second Chance Romance (Chance Brothers #2)
Restored: A Second Chance Romance (Chance Brothers #2)
Nikki Kiley | 2022 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I liked that the bigger picture to why Dale left Becca isn't immediately obvious!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Chance Brothers series, and while not NECESSARY, reading book one, Renovated, might give you a better picture of this group of people, and also how Becca and Dale are around each other in that book.

Dale left Becca 8 years ago, and now she has returned to town, and finds him working in her mother's house. Dale always regretted leaving Becca, now he wants to make amends, but will she let him?

I really enjoyed book one, and while I did enjoy this one too, it doesn't quite hit THAT spot, and it pains me to say so, especially since I can't pinpoint why!

I liked that the bigger picture to why Dale left Becca isn't immediately obvious, it takes time for the full story to come out. I must admit, when reading, I kept thinking "there's something else coming" and then it comes, both from Dale AND Becca. So, it was a bit like watching a freight train coming at you, and there ain't nothing you can do to stop it. But I liked that, I really did.

I wasn't happy with the way Becca's mum and brother were with her, they totally put Becca down all the time. I wouldn't have been so forgiving as Becca is. Especially when the full story about that night, 8 years ago, comes out. I wanted to punch Becca's brother so bad!

I loved that Becca's friends are still looking out for her, keeping her heart safe from breaking but I also loved that Becca stands up for Dale, when her friends are dissing him, even before they decide to make it work between them.

Dale's brothers all play a huge part, and the foundations are laid for another brother to fall, whether that book is next, I'm not sure, but I will read it.

Even though it hits a different spot than Renovated, and that freight train kept coming at me, I still enjoyed this.

4 stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Without a Trace (Lancaster Falls Trilogy #2)
Without a Trace (Lancaster Falls Trilogy #2)
RJ Scott | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Amazing book two!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Bok two in the Lancaster Falls trilogy. I would say you really SHOULD read book one, What Lies Beneath, before this one. There is a underlaying story line that runs through all three and you need the information that comes out in that book.

Drew returns home when his brother's remains are discovered. Logan is a cop in town, and the pair butt heads. But deeper than the need to know what happened to his brother, Drew finds he needs Logan at his side. Both men have their secrets, though. As the town reveals its darker side, Drew and Logan have to decide whether the other is worth the heartache.

So, book 2 and Lancaster Falls is giving up its secrets. Darker, deadly and so much MORE than book one, I LOVED this!

Drew ran, after Casey disappeared and did not return. He said some things, his mum said some things and they fell out, and Drew ran away to the army. Now, with Casey's body being found, Drew returns to face not only his own demons, but Casey's too. Logan is a distraction, one he will willing use to attempt to shut out his problems.

Logan will, in turn, use Drew but to a lesser extent. Their first coming together is angry, its a battle, and its glazed over in a way that I really and honestly LOVED! I mean, the whole scene is a couple of pages, but it packs a powerful punch. It sets the way for these two, in a way I really enjoyed watching develop, and in a way I really didn't quite see coming.

Something set me off about certain people, and turns out, I was right, but now I'm left with some questions about how things will become clear as to what happened, not only to Casey, but the others.

Again, nothing is laid out for you, and I find myself putting bits together all wrong and now, I want book three! I NEED book three and I have to wait til June. I need to know what happened to everyone, and what that epilogue means, cos let me tell ya, I have no freaking clue how this will play out and I bloody LOVE that I don't!

5 more amazing stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
The Deep End
The Deep End
Julie Mulhern | 2015 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I’m glad I Jumped into this Series
Ellison Russell is devoted to her teenage daughter, Grace, and her art. She and her husband are still living together, but that is only because they have decided to wait to get divorced until Grace is out of the house. Part of Ellison’s routine is a swim at dawn in the country club’s pool. On this particular June morning in 1974, she swims into a dead body in the pool. Worse yet, when the police arrive and pull the body out of the pool, she recognizes the victim as Madeline Harper, her husband’s mistress. Ellison knows that she makes a pretty compelling suspect in the woman’s murder, as does her husband. She knows she is innocent and she believes that her husband may be an adulterer, but he isn’t a killer. However, the fact that he’s suddenly left town for parts unknown doesn’t make him appear innocent. Can Ellison figure out what really happened to Madeline?

I’ve been hearing about this series for years, but I kept putting off starting it. I wish I’d read it sooner. The plot starts out right away and gives us plenty of action and twists along the way. I never saw the solution coming until Ellison figured it out either. The main characters are all strong and help pull us into the world, although I do wish that we had a little more context for some of the supporting players. I was also bothered by Ellison’s love life; it just felt inappropriate for this book. I’m sure in future books I will be fine with what is set up here. The subject matter does stray to the edges of cozies, but I thought how things were handled here was fine and it didn’t bother me. I greatly enjoyed the humor in the book, mostly coming from Ellison’s narration on things. Yet it is perfectly balances with some of the more serious elements of the plot. I can see why this series has so many fans, and I’m already one of them. Now, to find time to visit Ellison again.
  
Hold Back the Dark (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #18)
Hold Back the Dark (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #18)
Kay Hooper | 2018 | Crime, Mystery, Paranormal
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ending felt abrupt. (0 more)
I always love a good Bishop/SCU story.
Contains spoilers, click to show
** spoiler alert ** I was lucky enough to win a copy of this in a Goodreads giveaway!

I love, love, LOVE the Bishop/SCU books. The characters are so familiar to me, it feels like coming home each time I start a new story.

I found HOLD BACK THE DARK to be just as good as the previous installments, with one exception: the ending felt rushed. Once the team found the cave, it seemed like everything moved very quickly and then -boom- the story was over. What happened to the people who were forced by the energy to do horrible things? Does the woman who killed her family ever come out of the coma, horrified at what she's done? Does the real estate agent who killed his clients ever "snap out of it?" In addition, what about the team members who were not SCU or Haven? Do any of them decide to finally join?

While I was completely engrossed in the story from the very first page, I do wish the ending had been fleshed out a bit more. Won't stop me from continuing the series, though! :)
  
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Adam Lambert recommended track Zombie by The Cranberries in Something Else by The Cranberries in Music (curated)

 
Something Else by The Cranberries
Something Else by The Cranberries
2017 | Alternative
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It's such a cool song and it so represents that sound, the grunge of the 90s. I’ve just turned 37, so for me with the 90s’ I remember all the music that was out, I remember turning on MTV and seeing all the music videos and hearing all these songs. Rock videos were at their height at that point - at least in America - I know in the UK you had a little more pop than we did earlier on, but rock music was just everywhere. “This song reminds me of me coming out of adolescence and smoking cigarettes for the first time, trying rebellious teenage things like sneaking out of the house and going with my friends to the beach without our parents knowing; things that were kind of wrong. Now I look back, they were pretty harmless, but it was me kind of being a rebel for the first time as a teenager. “’Zombie’ reminds me of a couple of close friends. Actually, the girl that played it for me passed away about eight years later. It reminds me of her and that time."

Source
  
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Pete Fowler recommended Silver Apples by Silver Apples in Music (curated)

 
Silver Apples by Silver Apples
Silver Apples by Silver Apples
1968 | Electronic, Psychedelic
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The first time I can remember hearing a synthesiser was sometime in the late '70s. I must have been eight or nine and I was on a driving holiday with my parents in the Pyrenees. 'I Feel Love' was on the radio and it freaked me right out. It scared me; that sequence flipped me out. 2000AD had just launched and I was really, deeply into it. All the stories were about terrifying dystopias and that song coming out of the radio sounded like a herald for one of those places. Years later, Silver Apples pushed similar buttons for me. They came about when synthesisers were more readily associated with almost academic music – people like Pierre Henry, Morton Subotnick, musique concrète stuff. Silver Apples created a sound I'd never heard before. The closest comparison (with a bit of hindsight) is something like NEU! – that driven, motorik sound. Silver Apples were before the first NEU! record by a few years. They sounded futuristic in name and sound; they built their own gear and credited the synth as a member of the band (The Simeon). There's a real toughness to the music, something very street."

Source