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Heretic (Hellmage Chronicles, #1)
Heretic (Hellmage Chronicles, #1)
Jennifer deBie | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!


Somebody has killed an earth mage it's up to light keeper Sira, with the help of a Hellmage Jana to find who has committed the dreadful crime. Will they be able to work together or will their differences stop them from finding the abomination who's committed the act?


For saying that this book has a lot of fighting, lust and sex, it's quite gentle - who knew that could happen? It is a nice easy read with lots of action but made me eager to find out who was doing what. I couldn't read it fast enough. A couple of times I did find myself getting a bit confused over which character was talking but after re-reading the start I soon got my head straight and was able to continue without too much disruption.


A fantastic read.
  
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ClareR (5721 KP) rated Another Life in Books

Dec 11, 2022  
Another Life
Another Life
Jodie Chapman | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well, I think this book pretty much broke my heart, and I was quite happy for it to do just that. Beautifully written, it tells the story of Anna and Nick. They meet at their summer job at the local cinema and fall fast and hard for one another. But Anna is a Jehovahs Witness and her life is mapped out: marriage, babies and wait for the judgement.

But Anna can’t seem to give Nick up, and they have a summer of poetry, music and love, before Anna realises that she will have to give up this life in order to live the life expected of her. She can’t imagine losing her family.

Nick never forgets her, and everything feels like second best. Then something awful happens and Anna and Nick meet again years later.

 I loved this book and would most definitely recommend it. It’s just wonderful!
  
122 of 235
Kindle
Marked by the Alpha ( Bare Botes 1)
By Aria Cole and Mila Crawford
⭐️⭐️

Gavin is the Alpha of the Bare Mountain Clan, and although he's content, there's something missing in his life.

His mate.

But when a snowstorm hits his area, he never expected to find her.

Alone, abandoned, and left to die, Liza was deserted by her pack in a strange territory. Always the lone wolf, her mismatched eyes and inability to shift has marked her as an outcast from birth.

But this unexpected adventure never prepared her for what she'd find.

Her mate.

Because what she'll find out is that when a member of the Bare Clan mates... it's for life.

This was just a fast forward mating “story” with all the characters apart from 1 of just sex lol it was wham bam thank you man!! 😂
  
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Merissa (12051 KP) rated The Executioner in Books

Dec 17, 2018 (Updated May 26, 2023)  
The Executioner
The Executioner
Maggie Nash | 2016 | Contemporary, Erotica
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This short story briefly mentions a local myth and legend about The Executioner, but apart from that, the story is mainly a second-chance romance. On a team-building weekend, something goes wrong and they end up with two dead bodies. Maddie needs to keep it together as Team Leader to assist the police, whilst also figuring out if she will forgive her ex, Nick.

This is a fast-paced story that nevertheless manages to tell the complete story and give you a hint of the mysterious too. Well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found, this makes a perfect coffee break book. Recommended.

* 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!
Mar 8, 2016
  
A Reaper of Stone (A Reaper of Stone #1)
A Reaper of Stone (A Reaper of Stone #1)
Mark Gelineau | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a novella that comes with an epic story! With an excellent storyline, world continuation, and fantastic characters, you enter the world of Razors, the Academy and those people who believe in the dream. Friendships are forged but will they survive the fires?

Elinor is a feisty woman, sworn to uphold her duty to the King. It comes out in the story that she can't be bribed and she won't look the other way. But being such a character in a field of deception and intrigue is not so good for your health, as Elinor finds out.

Fast-paced, with plenty of action, and a storyline to thrill, this is a novella to read and enjoy. A perfect coffee break book.

* I received this book from the authors in return for a fair and honest review. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 12, 2016
  
The Exorcist Who Loved Me (Must Love Ghosts #2)
The Exorcist Who Loved Me (Must Love Ghosts #2)
Jennifer Savalli | 2015 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This a fast-paced and quirky story, telling of a young widow and an exorcist, and the things that they uncover both of the normal and paranormal types. The whole book has a timespan of about 5-7 days, so it is definitely in the 'insta-love' category, but somehow, it seems to work for them. Holly is warm, caring and babbles when she's nervous. Lawe is a 'wandering star' who doesn't want any roots to hold him down. Of course, things change when these two meet.

Well-written, with a healthy dose of humour, and a dollop of mystery. This book is a light read, guaranteed to delight. Definitely recommended.

* 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!
Apr 17, 2016
  
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure
Verdict: Stunt Work of the Year

Story: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw starts when MI6 Agent Hattie Shaw (Kirby) is framed for stealing a deadly virus that Brixton (Elba) is after, using her ability to go into hiding comes in handy, Luke Hobbs (Johnson) and Deckard (Statham) are recruited to work together to help find her and get the virus out of her before it becomes a threat to the world.
With the three teaming up, they must use their connections to stay ahead of Brixton who has been enhanced to make a deadly threat that neither can defeat on their own, can they put aside their different and save the world again?

Thoughts on Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

Characters – Hobbs is still working in the field to hunt down bad guys, but he remains family based with his daughter being the most important part of his life, he gets the call to save the world once again and doesn’t say no, heading to London to team up with an old enemy and friend in Deckard. He does play the I am bigger than you card, as the two constantly try to play the alpha male card. Deckard must come out of hiding to rescue his own little sister, he is better designed to the spy like side of this mission, we do get to learn a lot more about his past in this film too. Brixton is the big bad, he even introduces himself as ‘the bad guy’ he has been enhanced, making him a proper deadly weapon that will win any one on one fight, he isn’t afraid to fight with his men, though he is only part of a bigger plan going on. Hattie is the MI6 agent that gets framed, she is Deckard sister and knows how to get off the grid, she can handle herself in a fight and isn’t afraid to use a few tricks she learnt from her mother to get out of a sticky situation.
Performances – Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham must be looked at as one, they are excellent when it comes to the action sequences, you wouldn’t expect anything less, when they have a moment of serious material they do well, it is part of the back and forth between them which does get slightly tiresome after a while. It is almost like the film must stop for 30 seconds to a minute so they can go at each with insults. Idris Elba does look like he is having a hell of a time as the villainous figure, while Vanessa Kirby keeps up with the action heavy stars with ease bring another aspect to the styles of the three.
Story – The story here follows Hobbs and Shaw as they must once again put their differences a side to help Shaw’s sister get away from a deadly enhanced soldier and the virus he is threatening the world with. Breaking down this story, it does feel like any Fast & Furious film, there is no questions there, we get everything we expect with cheesy dialogue to match. If we do look at the story it is strange because we could easily have had this as a Hobbs or Shaw solo film with the way everything unfolds, with only one aspect of the film truly needing them to work together. The pair do seem to lose certain parts of the chemistry and respect for one an other they got from Fast 8, which again confuses why we need so much bickering between the two, as they are both the alpha, neither comes off as the comical side of the buddy relationship, meaning a lot of the jokes just hold up the film. It is nice this story could build on both the pairs backgrounds more, with slightly more focus on Deckard. If we are being honest, we don’t need a deep story here, we just come for the action.
Action/Adventure – The action in this film is huge, the fights, the chases and the explosions, though when it comes to the fights we do get a lot of cuts in them, which just doesn’t work as well as other action heavy films. The adventure does take the crew from London, to Russian to Samoa proving it to be an international mission.
Settings – The film uses the tight streets of London for the spy side of the movie, along with one big car chase, we use the other cities for the wide-open big action sequences in the film.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are also a mixed bad, certain bits look wonderful, including how Brixton is almost attached to his motorbike, it is the couple of moments which you can see the CGI effects at work which let it down.

Scene of the Movie – The base escape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The bickering gets tiresome.
Final Thoughts – This is everything you expect in a Fast & Furious film, it is big, the action is ridiculous, and you can just sit back and enjoy.

Overall: Big dumb fun
Rating
  
The Croods (2013)
The Croods (2013)
2013 | Action, Animation, Comedy
7
7.3 (21 Ratings)
Movie Rating
When seeing the trailers for this film it seemed like so many other stories that have come before (Ice Age: Continental Drift for example). I figured that this was just the next shameless animated money grab by studios attempting to cash in on those parents who take their young children to each new animated film no matter what it is. That being said, the trailer for this film does not do it justice. Seriously, 20th Century Fox is doing Dreamworks Animation a disservice by not providing better trailers and promotion for The Croods. While the complete package of this film is not the best animated film, it is more than just a mere money grab.

The film opens with Eep, voiced by Emma Stone who introduces us to her cave family led by her overly protective father Grug (Nicolas Cage) and shares her rebellious desire to follow her curiosity and see more of the world. The scene quickly shifts to the family’s quest to find some food that plays like a fast paced prehistoric game of football that clues us in on each of the characters’ strengths and weaknesses. From this point forward the film does a fantastic job of keeping a steady pace that will keep both parents and young children’s interest. As I am sure most parents know, you can always tell how good a children’s movie is based on how fast the young ones lose interest and start to become fidgety. Right from the start, my girlfriend’s three year-old son was attentively glued to his seat. Also I did not notice any of the other children in the theater talking or making noise which is usually a sign of a good children’s film.

Keeping with the fast paced action we are introduced to Guy voiced by Ryan Reynolds. Guy is traveling to high ground in an effort to escape the end of the world caused by earthquakes and lava. Unlike The Croods who are simple minded cavemen, Guy has a brain and is constantly introducing the family to new ideas like fire, shoes and umbrellas. His adventurous spirit is a foil to Grug’s living in constant fear of the unknown in order to stay alive. And while the family starts to fall for Guy’s spirit, they go on an adventure not only to find safety but to finally live.

The voice acting is solid across the board. Emma Stone really shines as the rebellious teenager and Nicolas Cage gives one of his better performances in years. Ryan Reynolds is accompanied with his sloth sidekick “Belt” who provides some of the most memorable comedic moments in the film. Together, along with the other supporting actors in this film, you have several inspired performances. It is these performances that appeal to the adults in the audience and make the film memorable and fun for all ages.