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Thrill (Pleasure Seekers #1)
Thrill (Pleasure Seekers #1)
Kristian Parker | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Danny's reaction to Tyler's words was not what I was expecting!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Tyler starts his new job, in a new town, and promptly finds himself testing lube, of all things, with the most gorgeous man he ever met (in the office, with others!) Danny works in the warehouse at Pleasure Seekers. They embark on a friends with benefits type thing that quickly moves into something. Both men carry some baggage, can they overcome that??

A quick glance tells me I've not read Kristian Parker's work before, and my TBR pile just got a whole lot bigger! Why have I not?? I don't know, I think he just hadn't hit my radar. But I met him, recently at a book signing and now I get to jump into his worlds.

I loved this, I really did.

Tyler and Danny are so suited to each other, they really are.

I loved the polar opposite in each man's family dynamics. While Danny's family are very supportive, and hilarious, Tyler's is not. And this marked difference is part of Tyler's baggage. Danny's is totally different, but you should know there is talk of attempted suicide by one of Danny's family members. Very emotional, reading that, and I cried a bit for Danny and that character.

It's well written from both Tyler and Danny's point of view, and we get it all. Tyler's immediate and powerful reaction to Danny. Danny's attraction to Tyler but his hesitation to start anything. Their joy at coming together, and their pain, when Danny finds out what Tyler said.

And it's THAT bit, that I loved so much about this book. While Danny was very hurt by Tyler's words, his reaction wasn't what you would expect. He stepped BACK from Tyler, but not totally AWAY. And I loved how that happened because I was expecting a massive break-up/make-up thing and while we get the make up bit, the break up doesn't really happen. Am I making sense? Probably not, but I'm trying not to spoil it for anyone!

I loved the supporting cast, Tyler's family notwithstanding. Eddie and Scott, who share with Tyler and also work at Pleasure Seekers, are funny but I think there is a lot they are both hiding, and I look forward to their stories. Eddis is next, so I assume book three will be Scott.

Oh, by the way. Even though all these guys work in a sex toy shop, there is very little about toys. And I loved that too. Danny does play a bit with Tyler though ;-)

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Doctor Sleep (2019)
2019 | Horror
Basically a new spin to vampirism (0 more)
The slow stabbing and cutting death of a screaming child, and going after other children was too much for me. (0 more)
Interesting spin
Contains spoilers, click to show
The movie takes place several decades after "The Shining", Danny is still haunted by the events from the hotel and is even hunted by the evil that was there. He has found a way to trap the "evil spirits". He makes use of his "shining" and it becomes a great story, however the main protagonist is a group of people that have the same special power as Danny and even more, but they've also learned how to suck the power from young children and this results in what I don't think needs to be in cinema. This world is evil enough as it is and to watch a child be cut and stabbed to death slowly while a group kneels over him inhaling his essence is revolting, I almost left the theater over it.
0/10 snore factor, cant sleep through this one!
  
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Gives the audience more of what was great about the first film, but also pushes forward the idea that anybody could inhabit those avatars. (0 more)
The plot felt a little repetitive of the first film (0 more)
Solid sequel
While the plot is a little derivative of the previous film, Next Level is a very worthy sequel to Welcome to the Jungle. It expands the world of Jumanji in a big way, it revisits the characters I grew to care about while introducing new ones, it has a big Easter egg from the original Jumanji from 1996 and it gives Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black tons of freedom to play around with the avatar characters and do different interpretations of them. Danny Devito and Danny Glover were easily my favorite part of the film...especially when seeing Dwayne and Kevin attempt to act the part. All in all, Next Level is not that big of an improvement over Welcome to the Jungle, but if you like Welcome to the Jungle you'll definitely enjoy this one.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2084 KP) rated Danny and the Dinosaur in Books

Aug 8, 2018 (Updated Aug 8, 2018)  
Danny and the Dinosaur
Danny and the Dinosaur
Syd Hoff | 2018 | Children
10
8.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Delightful Day with a Dinosaur
The book features Danny, a young boy whose day in the museum gets much better when he meets a real Dinosaur. The two spend the day together, heading downtown, to the zoo, and finally spending some time playing with Danny’s neighborhood friends.

I remember enjoying this book as a kid, and it holds up well today. While there is really nothing in the way of plot, the pictures and words, sometimes more captions to the pictures than anything else, tell of a delightful day together for these two new friends. The pictures are a bit dated since the book came out in the 1950’s, but I doubt kids notice or care. Instead, they’ll be caught up in the fun of spending a day with a dinosaur, smiling and laughing at some of the situations along the way.
  
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Lee (2222 KP) rated Fisherman's Friends (2019) in Movies

Mar 18, 2019 (Updated Mar 18, 2019)  
Fisherman's Friends (2019)
Fisherman's Friends (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Formulaic, clichéd, enjoyable bit of fun
Hot on the heels of Fighting with my Family comes yet another true story that I feel I should have known more about beforehand, but didn't. Fisherman's Friends tells the story of a group of singing Cornish fishermen who, in 2010, managed to land themselves not only a top 10 album but an appearance on Glastonbury's pyramid stage! The plot follows a much more formulaic and clichéd approach than Fighting with my Family does though, not quite managing to come close to the high bar that set, but is enjoyable enough all the same.

We begin by following a group of four men heading out on their stag do in the beautiful town of Port Isaac in Cornwall. A&R man Danny (Daniel Mays), his annoying record exec boss Troy (Noel Clarke) and a couple of their colleagues all arrive in the small fishing town for the weekend and immediately find themselves on the wrong side of the locals - driving the wrong way down a narrow one way street, foolishly ordering lager instead of bitter in the local pub (they don't serve fizzy drinks there) and needing to be rescued after their careless weekend enjoyment finds them all stranded at sea. City types who think they know it all, but haven't got a clue.

The fishermen that rescued the lads turn out to be part of a popular local singing group - singing sea shanties together while working out at sea and regularly putting on small concerts for the locals down on the harbour. It's while performing one of those gigs that Danny and his friends come across them. After a few moments of watching, Troy tells Danny that he wants him to go over and sign them up, and that he's not to take no for an answer. Off he goes, not knowing that it's all just a big joke, while his three colleagues all return home. Danny is left behind, struggling to try and convince the group that their unique sound is going to make them all big stars.

Out of the group of fishermen, only a handful of them are really explored and fleshed out as characters in any kind of way, with the majority of them simply fading into the background - backing singers if you will. Jim (James Purefoy) and his father Jago (David Hayman), are the main focus of the movie, along with Jim's single-mum daughter Alwyn (Tuppence Middleton), who Danny eventually begins to strike up a friendship with, and her young daughter. One of the other fishermen runs the local pub at the heart of the community, along with his wife, but is struggling to make ends meet in a sub-plot which comes to a head later on in the movie.

Fisherman's Friends is a movie full of clichés - the city slicker who initially doesn't understand the simple life, the familiar rom-com couple who start off disliking one another, but will clearly be falling madly in love before long, annoying city types who don't even look like they know how to tie their own shoelaces, let alone become successfully music moguls. But, despite it all, the movie works considerably well. The relationship and chemistry between Danny and Alwyn is believable, and the highs and lows that the group go through on their journey to stardom is both heartwarming and fun in equal measure. It's the kind of reliable movie you could quite happily sit and watch on the TV, on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
  
Heated Beat
Heated Beat
Garrett Leigh | 2016 | Essays
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
wonderful books/narration!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted the audio version of this book.

My Mate Jack (book 1)
Don't you just love a friends to lovers book? With lots of misunderstandings and mix-ups along the way? Nothing else, just these two friends, one with a crush on his straight best friend? Made even better by some awesome narration??

This book right here!

Will has been in love with Jack forever, but Jack likes girls and Will doesn't. When Jack asks Will about kissing, then about having sex with men, Will allows Jack to get close. Then Jack goes to Ibiza and Will goes to uni and things are said, done, implied and the fall out is massive.

I want to be a bit picky here, cos, you know, I can, its my review but the only thing that would have made this book any better was if Jack had much more of a say. Apart from the epilogue, Jack doesn't get a say and I wanted him to, I so DESPERATELY wanted him to. I needed to know what was going through HIS mind when he kisses Jack, when they do what they do before they go their ways, and I don't get it. Had he been given a bigger say, I would be raving about this book! Oh, don't get me wrong, I LOVED this as it was but Jack? He would have been the icing on a pretty special cake.

Dan Calley narrates. Mr Calley is fast becoming a favourite. His voice carries a very British accent, and his reading voice is deep and even. His voices are amazing, and he hits the accents to a tee. He gets across all of Will's feelings about Jack. His reactions to what they do, to what comes after and to what he does when Jack fianlly, FINALLY, tells Will what he really wants. Or rather Who.

It's not a very long read/listen (108 pages/3 hours) but it packs a powerful punch. I didn't quite manage to listen to it in one go, cos that darn dayjob got in the way, but I very nearly did.

Apart from not getting enough of Jack, I cannot fault the book nor the narration so...

5 full and shiny stars for the book AND the narration.


~~same worded review will appear elsewhere~

Lucky Man (book 2)
This is book 2 in the Heated Beat series, and while it's not NECESSARY to read/listen to book one, My Mate Jack, I think you SHOULD, cos , you know, I said so! Jack and Will pop up a lot, since Jack lives with Finn, but it's not needed to have their story before this one. But you know, THAT book was a 5 star listen too!

Danny has drooled over Finn on stage for some time. Meeting him, going home with him, gave him the best night of his life. But Finn has a secret and Danny has a stressful job. Can they make it work?

This is a much darker, dirtier, deadly listen than book one, but I loved it just as much, maybe a tad more.

There is powerful and instant chemistry between Finn and Danny, and it carries right through the book. Its hot and steamy, but equally, deeply emotional, for both Finn and Danny. Finn's health issues, and what that meant in his previous relationships, are his primary concern. Danny is dealing with a murderer who has been on a spree across the country.

Danny reaction to Finn's health issues were not what Finn was expecting, but still, Danny struggled with Finn a couple of times, especially when he had an episode (is that the correct term? ) but Danny rode it out, and did his best to understand. Some serious research into Finn's condition has been done for this book, I'm not saying what that is, because spoilers, but the level of research into treatments and how people suffering this condition cope shows here.

I LOVED that this book is set in Nottingham. As a Nottingham gal, I got all the places that were mentioned, and loved that the shortened, locally used names for places like The Queens Medical Centre (big hospital!) are used. Loved the references to local towns, and how far they are away from Nottingham and the correct distances/times are used. Proper made my day!

I did get the murderer all wrong. I had a fairly close to Finn character pegged as the bad guy, but that all went belly up on me, so well played!

Both Finn and Danny have a say here, and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad they do! I think this one, especially, would have suffered had we not got them both, so thank you Garrett Leigh, for making my day twice in this book!

Dan Calley narrates again, and again, he knocks it out the park!

His voices for Will and Jack are spot on from book to book, but Danny and Finn's voices are perfect too. He gets over all of Danny's concern about the relationship, given that he isn't out at work. He gets over all of his concern about Finn when he has an episode, and how he deals with the aftermath. Calley gets over all of Finn's insecurities, and what's going on in his brain. I felt for Finn, listening to him have internal conversations with himself about Danny and his feelings for Danny, and where their relationship was going.

Mr Calley NAILS it, he really does.

5 full and shiny stars for the book AND narration

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Hercules (1997)
Hercules (1997)
1997 | Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
8
8.2 (75 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Vibrant colours, character development, good story, fun musical numbers (0 more)
Plot was a little light (0 more)
Zero to Hero
Contains spoilers, click to show
Disney's take on the Greek mythological Hero.
 Hercules (Tate Donovan), son of Zeus, was kidnapped as a baby by minions of Hades (James Woods) and is found and raised by mortals in a superman-esque kinda way.
Now a teenager, Hercules wants to know about his real parents. Along the way he needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus and dealing with his first true love With help from his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), who's along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to become the hero he's needed to be.

This movie is very light hearted and has an array of characters you can appreciate, many vibrant colours manage to draw you in, great dialogue and banter between characters with a meaningful story.

My personal favourite Disney animation.
  
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Doctor Sleep (2019)
2019 | Horror
Originally, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to see this film. I'm not a huge fan of horror, but I am a fan of Kubrick's The Shining. I'm not a huge fan of Stephen King, his writing style is obnoxious to me.
Anyway, I had no idea as to what to expect out of this film. While it was long, it was nicely paced, and I was never bored. I thought Euan McGregor was a great Danny. The story line was interesting, and I liked the new characters introduced.
My favorite part was the end, when they returned to the Overlook.
Also, with the way it was shot, you could tell the director was a huge fan of Kubrick's film. The overhead shots were a good choice.
Overall, I really enjoyed the film. BUT, seriously, the recurring lady in the bathtub freaked me out for a few days and I made sure my shower curtain was drawn all of the way back.
  
Dead Ant (2017)
Dead Ant (2017)
2017 | Comedy, Horror
6
5.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Let's get the obvious out of the way first...the CGI giant ants, or course, look awful...but honestly, if one can look beyond that, Dead Ant is a genuinely funny and entertaining B-Movie blast.

It has a cast that's not to be sniffed at - Sean Astin, Tom Arnold, Jake Busey, Danny Woodburn, Twin Peaks legend Michael Horse, Sydney Sweeney, Entourage's Rhys Coiro - not too shabby for a low budget creature feature.
It's screenplay is constantly humourous, and everyone involved seems like they're having a good time.
As mentioned, the special effects are bargain bin level, but I don't know, that sort of adds to the whole experience.

I might just be a sucker for heavy metal themed comedies, but Dead Ant is a perfectly fine way to spend 90 minutes, and the song "Sideboob" from the movies fictional band Sonic Grave is now on one of my Spotify playlists 🤘
  
Dog Days (Wolf Winter #1)
Dog Days (Wolf Winter #1)
TA Moore | 2016 | Horror, LGBTQ+, Paranormal
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
struggled with this one!
Danny isn't a full wolf, but classed as a dog, a half breed. Jack is heir to the pack. When they come together in Durham amid the onset of a bitter winter, they have to face the creatures of nightmares, both human and Wolf.

I struggled with which shelves to file this one. It kinda straddles a couple of categories. It's not any sort of romance, at all. The creatures made by the Prophet really are the stuff of nightmares, so I've filed it as horror, werewolves, and male/male, because Jack and Danny to get it on.

I also struggled reading it. Usually, being drip fed hints and clues as to what is happening both above and below The Wall, keeps me on my toes and keeps my fully engaged. But there were not enough of them! I kept having to double back, seeing if I missed something along the way.

The story itself is good, but because of the lack of drip feeding, I have huge gaps in my knowledge of these people and their world.

It does get a bit graphic, when dealing with the Prophet's creations, and these are mostly why I've filed it as horror.

Jack and Danny has history, but that isn't fully explained, and I wanted to know more about what happened.

I loved Ms Moore's Bone To Pick, a unrelated book to this, but this one, not so much. I have Stone The Crows to read next, which is Jack's brother, Gregor's story. Upon writing this review, I'm nearly done with that one. Finding it a much better read!

3 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**