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Gore in the Garden (Washington Whodunit #5)

Colleen J. Shogan

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

After her boss narrowly escaped political defeat, Kit Marshall is settling into life as a busy...

Mystery

ClareR (6052 KP) rated Peach Blossom Spring in Books

Feb 13, 2023

Peach Blossom Spring

Melissa Fu | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Peach Blossom Spring is the beautifully told story of three generations of a Chinese family as they experience love, war, migration and their driving need to belong.

Meilin leaves her home in order to protect her son Henry, and find somewhere safe for him to grow up. But without passports or papers to isn’t easy. She relies on her own abilities to survive along with the help she gets from others.

Henry goes to America to study at university and ends up staying on to work. He marries, gets a good job, and tries his best to be a good American. This is at a time of fear and suspicion of communists and everything either Chinese or Russian. Henry is terrified that he’ll draw the wrong kind of attention, and deprives his daughter of learning his language or traditions.

I felt so sorry for Meilin, left behind in Taiwan, so far from her son and unable to join him in America. I also felt for Henry, limited by his fear. But Henry’s daughter provides the bridge for Henry to return to his homeland.

I loved everything about this book - the settings, the history, the characters. And the fact that this is semi-autobiographical was just the icing on the cake.

A wonderful novel.

Kudos

Murder on Madison Square

Victoria Thompson

7.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Sarah and Frank Malloy must catch a scheming killer in this latest gripping installment of the USA...

Merissa (13592 KP) rated Her Mountain Christmas (Honey Ridge #4) in Books

Nov 17, 2025

HER MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS is the fourth book in the Honey Ridge series and, as you may have figured out, takes place at Christmastime.

Ella comes from money, but that has a price tag. When she finds out her parents have basically sold her to a man she can't stand, she leaves the party and leaves her apartment. Unfortunately, as happens when you're running away, she doesn't check the weather forecast and ends up driving in a blizzard. Along comes Jack to the rescue, who warms her up in more ways than one!

This is another cracker of a book from Alyson Archer. It is Christmassy with plenty of snow, but steam aplenty indoors. I loved how Ella knew what she wanted and made no bones about it, whereas Jack was more than happy to give his girl what she wanted, even when she didn't know what that was.

Although Ms Archer writes one helluva steamy scene, my favourite was when Ella stood up to her parents, with Jack by her side. Take that, you snotty pair!!!

Absolutely fantastic and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Nov 17, 2025

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Haunted House Ghost in Books

Oct 22, 2025

The Need for a Good Edit Haunts This Book

It’s been a few months since we last checked in on Kellan Ayrwick, single father and new professor at Braxton University, where his family has been involved for decades. In that time, he’s been overseeing the contractor working on his new house, and it’s almost ready for move in. That is, until someone comes along and sabotages it, leaving behind a threatening message. Who could be doing it? Does it have anything to do with the former inhabitants? How does the old skeleton uncovered on campus tie in?

Knowing that the story driving so much of the first half of this series was mostly completed, I was curious to see where things would go. Sadly, this was disappointing. The book tried to take on too much. Even though the pacing was good and the book is long for a cozy, we still got data dumps and exposition with summarized dialogue in the final quarter. It also kept me from really connecting with the characters. Given the October setting, the book does have fun with the seasonal vibes. But I am going to need a break before I move on to the next book, if I decide to.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Batman: Arkham Knight in Video Games

Jun 19, 2019

Playing as Batman never gets old for fans of the Caped Crusader and in the latest video game offering Arkham Knight from Warner Bros Interactive and Rocksteady Studios, fans can once again climb, soar, and now drive through the streets of Gotham City to make the world a safer place.

After the Scarecrow has launched an attack on the city, it is up to Batman to save the day as the mass exodus caused by the attack has left Gotham a shell of its former self and allowed more of the seedy underbelly of the city to come to ground.

As Batman investigates he encounters all sorts of foes ranging from Poison Ivy to the Arkham Knight who stand in his way. Of course there are legions of henchmen and goons for you to fight through and the free-form combat that has been established in the previous games in the series really shines as the action is as fast and smooth as you would want.

Driving segments played a big part in the game and while I loved racing through the city, I did find the vehicle combat a bit linear and repetitive for my taste, but there are some great side missions such as one in the sewers with the Riddler that will put your driving skills to the test.

What I loved about the game was that the city was a true living and breathing city. It is vast, complex, and something to enjoy when you’re gliding or rappelling your way across the rooftops.
The plot of the game is also a huge selling point as it is filled with twists and turns that will keep you hooked during the entire time that you are playing the game.

From the great graphics and action, the sound quality in the game really makes things come to life, especially the thuds of your fists hitting the next bad guy who was crazy enough to think that they could get away from Batman.

If you are a fan of the previous Batman games in the series, there is much to like about Arkham Knight as aside from the Batmobile issues, I had very little to complain about. The control system works well, the graphics, and sound are first-rate, and the storyline is gripping and engaging.

I look forward to playing the game again and focusing more on the side quests, but for now, let me say that Batman: Arkham Knight is a must own for fan of the series as it is on par with the amazing Arkham Asylum for the best Batman adaptation to date.

http://sknr.net/2015/07/28/batman-arkham-knight/