
Merissa (12911 KP) rated Everything (Songbird, #3) in Books
Apr 11, 2023
The thing I loved about this book is that Jody feels sorry for herself at times, but she doesn't wallow in it. Feeling sorry for yourself when things get on top of you - especially when you're dealing with the constant tiredness that comes with a newborn! - is only natural. She has her moment and then tries to think of what she can do to change matters. She's afraid to go it alone but is also prepared to face that fear to make a better life for herself and her daughter.
Leo has his own struggles to deal with and does sort of have an ulterior motive when offering Jody a place to live and a job, but he doesn't act on anything. He gives Jody the space and confidence she needs to stand tall. Of course, the fact that he's completely in love with Angelia is completely irrelevant ;)
This is a wonderful story which can be read as a standalone but I personally would recommend reading the whole series, simply because you're missing out on two other fantastic books if you don't read them.
Highly recommended for all fans of Contemporary Romance.
* 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!
August 7, 2016

Merissa (12911 KP) rated Cupcakes & Christmas in Books
Nov 27, 2020 (Updated Aug 14, 2023)
Justin and Brody are both chefs and have been asked to take part in a charity show that is featuring six season's winners. Justin won season one and although he still bakes, most of his time now is being an 'influencer'. He has imposter syndrome and doesn't think he'll be able to stay past week one. Oh, and he also had a crush on Brody when he watched season four. Brody is, as you may have guessed, the winner from season four. He has had his self-confidence severely knocked by his ex-husband and doesn't feel like he should be there, even though he desperately wants to win. Oh, and he had a crush on Justin from season one!
These two connect in an adorably sweet and awkward way. I loved how Justin stood up for himself against Erin. Both of them need to find themselves and they both help the other with that. Along with the aid of a magical snowman called Jeremy!
The pace is fast but both our guys know what they want. There are flies in the ointment but nothing is going to come in between Brody and Justin. I have never watched GBBO or been to Banff but this book made me want to do both.
A book guaranteed to give you the warm fuzzies in time for the Yuletide season, CUPCAKES & CHRISTMAS is a story I definitely recommend.
* 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!
Nov 27, 2020

Merissa (12911 KP) rated Stronger Than Longing (Chesapeake Days #3) in Books
Oct 31, 2022
Both Silas and Taran have their issues to deal with which, in turn, affects how they deal with each other. There was going to be a blow-up at some point, I knew that, it was just a matter of when. In the meantime, until that happened, I got an eyeful of tentative longing, sarcastic wit, and geeky flirting, and I loved every minute of it. These two are H.O.T. both in and out of the sheets.
As always, Ms McIntyre's characters are lifelike and loveable. The situations are not far-fetched, and love wins the day. This makes my hopeless romantic heart happy.
I have loved the Chesapeake Days series and was inconsolable (as I just wasn't ready to let it go) until I read that there will be a spin-off series called Chesapeake Nights. That put the smile back on my face so now I just have to wait patiently!
A brilliant addition to the series that I highly recommend. But read the others first - not because you have to but because you'll miss out on two other fantastic stories if you don't!
** 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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Little Ray Of Sunshine (41 KP) rated Three Fat Singletons in Books
Jan 11, 2019 (Updated Feb 10, 2019)
These three singletons feel unlucky in love as you can see in the title that they are overweight and wish they were slimmer and men will look more at them then laugh at them and call them names.
So they choose to go on a week-long getaway to Greece they made sure it was an adult only holiday resort so they can meet some single men and have some fun. But the holiday doesn't run smoothly it throws them some unexpected challenges as there is romance, sex, adultery and embarrassment. But while they on holiday it ain't all about them finding men to have their wicked way with it's for them to find themselves and start to appreciate themselves and build their confidence and self-esteem especially Dotty. The book ain't all doom and gloom it has hilarious parts what made me laugh out loud.
I felt for the characters as you see how being overweight can make them feel individual. Dotty is the one I feel more for as she realise that she can lose weight but she struggles with willpower with food. I can connect with the character as I personally know how my love food can become the addiction. I hope I see more of these three characters and I hope they find happiness.
I love finding authors I haven't read before and seen their debut books. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read your book.
I can't wait to see what J.M.Bartholomew will write next.
*I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated Illuminae: The Illuminae Files: Book 1 in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Let me start off by acknowledging the way in which the story is presented. This book is written completely in mixed media, and is set to resemble a dossier of an event. The story unfolds as you read emails, text messages, surveillance footage, and memorandums. When I read Illuminae I started by just reading the first 25-40 pages by myself. Then I decided to get the audiobook from the library and I listened to that while I read along and my reading experience grew exponentially. There are different narrators for different parts, sound effects, the whole nine. It brought the story to life and made me fall in love with it and the characters.
Kady Grand and Ezra Mason are the main characters of this adventure. Kady is the tough as nails hacker that is separated from the boy she hates to love and loves to hate. She is everything I look for in a badass heroine. She has a superpower (hacking), she has her sarcastic wit, she cares deeply about the people around her and humanity, she finally realizes how great she is when she needs the confidence boost the most, and she carries herself with integrity and aplomb. Ezra Mason is tough, but also unsure of himself. He loves Kady, but doesn’t quite want to admit it out loud. He is pretty badass and is always putting others ahead of himself.
If you at all enjoy sci-fi, and especially Battlestar Gallactica I encourage you to give Illuminae a chance.

Sarah (7800 KP) rated Dolittle (2020) in Movies
Feb 26, 2020 (Updated Feb 26, 2020)
Right from the opening scene, its obvious this film has been made solely for children. The plot is basic and predictable and a lot of the action and gags are very childish and puerile. Even Emma Thompson's narration made me feel like I was watching a kids educational show. I appreciate it's difficult to make a film suitable for kids and adults alike, but Disney and Pixar have proved it's possible without being infantile - sadly Dolittle doesn't. There are a few moments that I did have a small giggle at, but most of the gags I found either too obvious or childish to be funny. Weirdly enough I found Kevin the squirrel and his logs hilarious.
The cast themselves I found underused, or rather odd choices - some of the voice actors of the animals to me seemed a little out of place. That probably wasn't helped by how distractingly odd the animals looked when they were talking, and with the CGI ranging from pretty good to decidedly dodgy. Antonio Banderas was wasted as King Rassouli and Michael Sheen was hamming it up to the extremes, but it's Robert Downey Jnr that deserves a notable mention... for how terrible his accent is. I love RDJ, but his Welsh accent ranges from ok to downright horrendous. I couldn't even tell from the trailer what sort of accent he was doing it was that bad. And the problem with this is the accent took away all of the fun and charisma you'd expect from his performance.
The one benefit of this film is that it's fairly short, so it doesnt drag too much. Your kids will love it, but as an adult I wouldn't expect much.

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