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A Shadow of Light (A Shade of Vampire, #4)
A Shadow of Light (A Shade of Vampire, #4)
Bella Forrest | 2013 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
114 of 230
Kindle
A Shadow of Light ( A Shade of Vampire book 4)
By Bella Forrest
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Since the implosion at The Oasis and Derek's stay at Hawk Headquarters, The Shade has fallen into a state of utter chaos. To make matters worse, the citizens of Derek's kingdom have become suspicious of his loyalties and accuse him of siding with the enemy... At a time when Derek desperately needs full cooperation from his subjects, they wish to put their own King on trial.

Meanwhile, Sofia is being held hostage by the hunters. They are determined to rid her of her infatuation with the vampire. She submits to the strict routine and training they impose on her, but the only fuel that keeps her going is the thought of reuniting with Derek - something Reuben is fighting with every fiber of his being to ensure will never happen.

...Until one day, out of the blue, Reuben appears to have a change of heart and comes to Sofia with a proposal; a solution that she never dreamed possible. A solution that would fulfil her heart's deepest desires and secure her and Derek's future together, forever.

But can she really trust this man who is so renowned for his hatred of vampires? Does she even have a choice?

I really enjoyed this instalment of A Shade of Vampire series. We hear from a few of the characters and their point of views with Sofia being held captive by her father and Derek trying to find his way back to the shade it’s all going on. Sofia learns more about her so called parents while trying to convince her father to let her go back to Derek. Derek finds himself having to fight for his title against his own father. This books is all about positive parenting 😂😂. Overall a good read and a decent series.
  
M(
Moonville ( Gold Prophecy 1-4)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
40 of 220
Kindle
Booksirens arc
Moonville (Gold Blood Prophecy 1-4)
By K.J Devoir
⭐️⭐️

Please check Trigger warnings

Psycho gets the girl.

Leena Sperling has fallen into darkness. Darkness has a name...

ZAND BYRON

He’s larger than life. He’s also a deeply dangerous, twisted soul, a textbook psychopath. But, somehow...she makes him feel.

"You can run, Leena. But I will find you."

Leena: When I arrived to the City of Souls, the tiny cemetery town wrapping the Bay Area foothills where Moonvine Manor is located, I had no idea what to expect or how insane my life would become after moving into the former, Queen Anne, funeral home that belonged to my missing sister. I should have known that being greeted by a tombstone-shaped granite welcome sign was either a sick joke or a bad omen. But I could never have predicted that I would fall in love with the darkness.

Zand: I don’t want to ever stop making her cry. Her tears are full of human feelings, and I love the taste. She makes me feel, but part of me wants to end the human in her that brings out the human in me. In a heartbeat, I could make her nightmares infinitely darker. I'm a bad man, trying to be good.

Ok so this premise was good it gave me very much Morganville vibes but a little darker and steamy. The characters were ok and certainly lived up to the dark paranormal romance vibe.
But I had a few issues and I can only be honest. There were bits of the book that didn’t quite add up and there was something really off about it all. A few times I wanted to stop reading. It just wasn’t for me.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Please check Trigger warnings
  
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Thriller
Is the third time a charm for Mr. Butler's action thriller series?
Gerard Butler returns as Secret Service agent Mike Banning in the third entry of the "Fallen" series, picking up where London Has Fallen left off.

We see an aging and sore Banning, struggling with the rigors of his profession, torn between his love for his duty to protect the President and the smart, semi-retirement position as Secret Service Director.

This takes a little while to get going compared to most films in the genre, but it isn't too long before everything goes sideways and Banning finds himself on the run from everyone, framed for something we all know he didn't do. The question is: who did it?

Drawing obvious inspiration from classic genre entries like Die Hard, as well as more modern offerings like John Wick, Gerard Butler takes on everyone from both sides of the law as he tries to get to the bottom of the conspiracy.

Aside from the slightly slow start, the pacing of this film is spot-on, mixing balls-to-the-wall action with gripping tension - accompanied by a very clever soundtrack that enhances the experience well.

The dialogue feels real and meaningful. There's nothing cheesy, no scene-filling conversations or anything, which is always a genuine concern with this type of film. Everything is done with a purpose.

I think perhaps too much effort was made to make this a 15-certificate (an R-rating for you lovely Americans). It was more for the language than anything. The violence and fighting was well-choreographed, taking the up-close, gritty approach akin to the Bourne movies, but there was nothing here that wouldn't have made the cut for a 12A. I think they gambled with the post-Deadpool debate of having a wider audience for a 12A vs. the "it's a 15, therefore it must be good because kids aren't allowed" appeal. I'm not saying it ruins the movie, I just think it was unnecessary. The aforementioned Deadpool, for example, absolutely wouldn't have worked if it was less than a 15, so I get why they made it the way the did. But with this, it would've been the exact same film either way, so why cut out a sizable portion of cinema-goers?

That being said, I did really, really enjoy this film. Is it predictable? Sadly, yes. That probably isn't THAT shocking of a revelation, as these types of films tend to follow a similar (and usually winning) formula, but I confess to being a little disappointed that I was able to figure out the main antagonist and the overall "big bad" within three minutes of the film starting. However, to this film's credit, this predictability doesn't take away from the experience at all. It's quite honest about what it is from the get-go, and it simply doesn't care. It does what it sets out to do, and it does it very well - better than a lot of similar movies in recent times. As with all films in this genre, people tend to watch them knowing what they're getting themselves in for, so you can just relax, switch off, and enjoy the ride for a couple of hours.

I can't sign off without mentioning Nick Nolte's turn as Butler's father. His performance, while not surprising, feels almost out-of-place, as it's so damn good he deserves an Oscar nod. He probably won't get one, as films like this tend not to get noticed by the Academy, but let me tell you, he steals every scene he's in, and you feel every word he says. There's an obvious comparison to the character he portrayed in Warrior, alongside Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton. While he gets nowhere near as much screen time here, he makes the most of what he does get, and it truly is the stand-out performance of the year so far, by a long way.

This film is a solid 7/10, and I highly recommend it. I bumped it to an 8/10 because of Nick Nolte. If I could go back and just watch his scenes again, I would. Grab the popcorn, forget about the outside world... you could do a lot worse at the cinema right now than this.
  
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Paul Kellett (118 KP) created a post in Solo Gamers

May 9, 2019  
What solo games do I have in my collection? Have a look...

1066: Tears to Many Mothers
7th Continent
A4 Quest
Apex Theropod Deckbuilding Game
BIOS: Genesis
BIOS: Megafauna
Blackstone Fortress
The Cave
Cavern Tavern
The City of Kings
Clacks: A Discworld Game
The Colonists
D100 Dungeon
Dark Darker Darkest
Darkest Night Second Edition
Deep Space D6
Dice Brewing
Dice Settlers
Dungeon Crawler
Dungeon Roll
Emergence Event
Escape Tales: The Awakening
Fallen Land: A Post-apocalyptic Board Game
Far Space Foundry
Four Against Darkness
Ghostel
Gloom of Kilforth
Greenland
Guilds of London
Haze Islands
High Frontier 3rd Edition
Imperial Settlers
Legends Untold: The Weeping Caves
Legends Untold: The Great Sewers
Lagoon: City of Druids
La Granja
Leaving Earth
Le Havre
Martians: A Story of Civilization
Mythos Tales
Neanderthal
Oh My Goods
One Deck Dungeon
Page Quest
Pathfinder Adventure Card Game - Rise of the Runelords
Pathfinder Adventure Card Game - Skulls & Shackles
Perdition’s Mouth: Abyssal Rift
Race For The Galaxy
Rallyman
Ravage: Dungeons of Plunder
Rise to Nobility
Secrets of the Lost Tomb
Shadows of Malice
Side Quest
Small Star Empires
Snowdonia
Space Cadets Away Missions
Space Empires 4x
Star Wars Escape From the Death Star
Sub Terra
Terraforming Mars
This War of Mine
Tiny Epic Defenders
Tiny Epic Kingdoms
Tiny Epic Galaxies
Tiny Epic Quest
Tiny Epic Western
Tiny Epic Zombies
Witches: A Discworld Game
Xia: Legends of a Drift System
Zombie Dawn of the Dead


Games I'm waiting to arrive / games on my wishlist -
Shadows of Kilforth
Tainted Grail
Hero Realms Journeys
Rallyman GT
BIOS: Origins
Cthulhu : The Horror in Dunwich
The Artemis Project
Machina Arcana
Infinities: Defiance of Fate
Dawn of the Zeds 3rd Edition reprint
Snowdonia Deluxe Master Set
Trickerion Collectors Edition
Lifeform
Unbroken
Isle of Terror
Secrets of the Lost Station
The Gallerist
On Mars
Clinic
Vinhos




I also have a few games that don't have official solo rules but I enjoy playing "two-handed" or with fan-made solo rules (usually available on BGG) -

Alien Frontiers
Castles of Burgundy
Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition
Impulse
Last Night On Earth 10 Year Anniversary Edition
Mombasa
  
Anna and the French Kiss
Anna and the French Kiss
Stephanie Perkins | 2010 | Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.8 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
What happens when your nouveau-riche father decides that his daughter needs to be more cultures? Your entire world is flipped upside-down as you're sent to a boarding school in a country where you don't speak the language. That's exactly what happens to Anna when she's sent to the School of America, in Paris. She now must make new friends, try to stay in touch with her old ones and the most terrifying ordeal of all? Ordering her meals in French. She might want some nice fresh <i>pain</i> (bread) but ends up saying <i>paon</i> (peacock). Yum, <i>paon</i> and <i>fromage</i> for breakfast.

It may seem strange, but I enjoy the use of language in this book. I think accents, like St. Clair's are written very authentically. Bridge's love of words is a great way to introduce readers to new worlds. (And seriously inspires me to see if I can find a set of Oxford English Dictionaries for my personal library.) The use of foreign languages in books can be tricky to do well, but I think the author struck a balance brilliantly.

I find Anna very relatable - it doesn't hurt that she's a fellow lefty. But I also feel like she reads older than she is. Throughout the novel, I feel like she is at University (aged 19-20) rather than still in high school. Her desire to be a film ritic is how I feel about books and reviewing. She says, "I just like... expressing my opinion. That possiblity of turning someone on to something really great." Reading is my passion and I wan to share that with people. If I can introduce them to a book I've fallen in love with and it touches them in some way - I'm happy.

When I read the novel, I can feel myself walking along the Seine or admiring Notre Dame. Paris is a beautiful setting adn the author represents it wonderfully. It is one of those novels that gives you wanderlust and an undeniable urge to visit the places that Anna does.
  
The content; illustrations; summary of plays; readability; userfriendly; able to comprehend material easily; easy to enjoy; includes brief overview of Shakespeare’s life (0 more)
I wish it included a short story of ALL plays; however, it does include a 1-page summary of a handful of the plays it doesn’t provide a full short-story of, so all of his plays are included in the book. (0 more)
MY FAVORITE USBORNE BOOK!
This book is absolutely breathtaking! In most schools, children are not introduced to Shakespeare until at least late middle, if not high-school, and by then, it’s in his original language. By providing children, and adults even, with a book such as this, in a readable language relavent to today, we are able to fully enjoy Shakespeare’s stories in a way that we can comprehend before diving into his original works. By providing books such as these, our children will better appreciate his work when they approach it in school in later years because they will already be familiar with his plays. Each play is labeled as a comedy, tragedy, or historical play, and then provided with a one-page synopsis of the play, along with beautiful illustrations of the characters and how they relate to the other characters. Then you’ll dive into 7-8 pages of text that are written in plain-English that relay the story! This is brilliant! There are a handful of his lesser-popular works that are provided in a simple one-page summary with illustrated characters, but they are still included, as well as a brief section of Williams Shakespeare’s life. This book is also hard bound with extra padding to protect the cover, and a ribbon bookmark to save your place. It will definitely be a treasured book in your family’s library for years to come! My 6yo daughter has absolutely fallen in love with is works because of this...and I must say.....she’s SIX and already knows Shakespeare!!!! All thanks to Usborne Books and More! This is why I do what I do! You can find this book on my website at: https://k6798.myubam.com for only $24.99 and it’s well worth it! Happy reading!
  
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
John Boyega (0 more)
More of the same... not that there's anything wrong with that
It's 10 years since the apocalypse was cancelled. The son of the man who uttered those immortal words is Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), currently doing anything but follow in his fathers footsteps. Scavenging fallen Jaegers for parts in order to sell to the highest bidder and living a carefree party lifestyle.

His hunt for a highly expensive Jaeger part leads him to a 15 year old girl called Amara, who is a bit of a mechanical hacking genius and has managed to use old spare parts she has scavenged (including the big one that Jake had his eye on) to build her own, much smaller, Jaeger. Rogue Jaegers are illegal, so after a bit of a tussle with one of the official, bigger Jaegers, Jake and Amara find themselves in trouble with the law. Thanks to Jakes sister stepping in though, they find themselves paying for their crime by being sent to the PPDC (Pan Pacific Defense Corps) where they begin training for a possible return of a Kaiju related world threat. And, coincidentally, one of those just happens to be right around the corner!

John Boyega manages to carry this movie with his lovable roguish charm for quite a while, in what is otherwise a pretty average movie. But, we're here for Jaegers and the Kaiju (well, I was anyway), and once that action kicks in, that's when the movie really steps up a gear. To be fair, if you enjoyed the original Pacific Rim, then you know exactly what you're in for and really should enjoy this second outing. For me, I enjoyed it just as much as the first.

Something that many other reviews have commented on is the fact that the fight scenes in Uprising tend to take place during daylight, whereas the original tended to favour night. I found the daylight scenes to be a huge improvement, allowing for much greater enjoyment of the incredible fight choreography on display, along with the gloriously detailed CGI destruction of Tokyo!