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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Once You Go This Far in Books
Jul 9, 2020
Probably my favorite book in the series and that's saying *a lot.*
Private investigator Roxane Weary is out for a stroll when another hiker, Rebecca Newsome, falls to her death on a nearby trail. Her daughter, Maggie, doesn't think it was an accident, and she hires Roxane to look into the the incident, believing strongly that Rebecca's ex-husband, Keir, a former cop, was responsible. Roxane learns quickly that Keir is a bit of a jerk, but did he kill his ex? Roxane soon finds herself driving between Detroit and Canada, following the path of Rebecca's last days. Soon she's embroiled in the Fellowship, a mega-church founded by Joel Creedle and talking to Constance Archer, a wealthy businesswoman who is now running for office. Roxane's running herself so ragged she can barely make time for herself, let alone Tom, her sometimes romantic interest. Not to mention, things are heating up in her case, and she may find herself in danger, yet again.
"Only bad things happened when it was cold out, as it was becoming now."
This is one of the best detective serious out there, hands down, and I wish that Kristen Lepionka and Roxane Weary were household names. I adore these books and this one may be my favorite yet, which is high praise, as I've loved every book since the first.
"That was the thing about mysteries--no one ever deviated from the routine until the moment they did."
Roxane is her own person--a witty, intelligent private investigator who, oh yeah, just happens to be bisexual (and not a side character or the villain of our tale). Book four finds her working on a perplexing case, but also dealing with some personal growth: having to confront emotions and relationships, dreaded words in Roxane's world. I loved the balance of the mystery and Roxane's personal life in this one.
"Not knowing was hard for me. It always was."
Reading these books is like falling back with familiar friends--Lepionka captures Roxane and her crew perfectly: her brothers and mom; her on again/off again boyfriend Tom and ex-girlfriend, Catherine; her work partners; and more. She expertly portrays Roxane's wonderful sarcasm and her inability to commit. Here, we see Roxane dealing with a bombshell about her father's past--poor Roxane: she can never quite escape the shadow of her father, a former cop.
But, of course, we also read for the mystery, and this is a great one--Lepionka takes us in the world of an Evangelical church while delving into Rebecca Newsome's past, her relationship with her daughter, Maggie, and the many secrets Roxane uncovers. She also throws in Rebecca's wonderful spunky elderly neighbor who keeps things lively. This was an excellent mystery that kept me guessing (and worrying for Roxane's safety)--it's timely, interesting, and suspenseful.
Highly recommend this book and the entire Roxane Weary series. 4.5 stars.
Private investigator Roxane Weary is out for a stroll when another hiker, Rebecca Newsome, falls to her death on a nearby trail. Her daughter, Maggie, doesn't think it was an accident, and she hires Roxane to look into the the incident, believing strongly that Rebecca's ex-husband, Keir, a former cop, was responsible. Roxane learns quickly that Keir is a bit of a jerk, but did he kill his ex? Roxane soon finds herself driving between Detroit and Canada, following the path of Rebecca's last days. Soon she's embroiled in the Fellowship, a mega-church founded by Joel Creedle and talking to Constance Archer, a wealthy businesswoman who is now running for office. Roxane's running herself so ragged she can barely make time for herself, let alone Tom, her sometimes romantic interest. Not to mention, things are heating up in her case, and she may find herself in danger, yet again.
"Only bad things happened when it was cold out, as it was becoming now."
This is one of the best detective serious out there, hands down, and I wish that Kristen Lepionka and Roxane Weary were household names. I adore these books and this one may be my favorite yet, which is high praise, as I've loved every book since the first.
"That was the thing about mysteries--no one ever deviated from the routine until the moment they did."
Roxane is her own person--a witty, intelligent private investigator who, oh yeah, just happens to be bisexual (and not a side character or the villain of our tale). Book four finds her working on a perplexing case, but also dealing with some personal growth: having to confront emotions and relationships, dreaded words in Roxane's world. I loved the balance of the mystery and Roxane's personal life in this one.
"Not knowing was hard for me. It always was."
Reading these books is like falling back with familiar friends--Lepionka captures Roxane and her crew perfectly: her brothers and mom; her on again/off again boyfriend Tom and ex-girlfriend, Catherine; her work partners; and more. She expertly portrays Roxane's wonderful sarcasm and her inability to commit. Here, we see Roxane dealing with a bombshell about her father's past--poor Roxane: she can never quite escape the shadow of her father, a former cop.
But, of course, we also read for the mystery, and this is a great one--Lepionka takes us in the world of an Evangelical church while delving into Rebecca Newsome's past, her relationship with her daughter, Maggie, and the many secrets Roxane uncovers. She also throws in Rebecca's wonderful spunky elderly neighbor who keeps things lively. This was an excellent mystery that kept me guessing (and worrying for Roxane's safety)--it's timely, interesting, and suspenseful.
Highly recommend this book and the entire Roxane Weary series. 4.5 stars.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Life's Too Short in Books
Jun 24, 2021
A touching and heartfelt romance
Vanessa is a famous travel blogger/YouTuber. She spends her life as she wants, seizing the moment. She lost her mom and sister to a genetic disease and--not knowing if she will wind up like them--doesn't want to waste a moment of her life. But when her troubled half sister leaves Vanessa custody of her infant daughter, Grace, Vanessa finds herself stuck at home. She's forced to deal with her sister and her father and confront her illness. But she also meets Adrian, her handsome next-door neighbor. A lawyer, Adrian turns up on her doorstep, and suddenly he and Vanessa become inseparable. He's helping care for Grace as they share take-out dinners and their life stories. Vanessa knows she cannot get close to Adrian, but she's finding it really hard not to.
I loved the first two books in this loosely tied series. This was probably my least favorite of the three, but I still enjoyed it. Jimenez writes excellent slow burn romances, and this one was no exception. Plus, it offers excellent escapism while delving into serious subjects, which I always love about her work.
Adrian was my favorite here--dependable, sweet Adrian. Both characters have a lot baggage in this book, so be prepared. Beyond her genetic illness woes, there's a lot going on with Vanessa's family. Some of the way the book deals with mental illness is excellent; sometimes, I'm not so sure. And Adrian has his own issues with his family as well. As for Vanessa, her attitude and approach toward her potential genetic illness was a little hard for me to handle. It's one of those things where you just want to take the character and try to shake some sense into them. Yes, Jimenez provides some backstory and reasoning for Vanessa's attitude, but... this was the one part of the book that was hard for me to swallow. (And it was, um, key to the plot.)
If I overlooked that piece, Vanessa and Adrian were cute together. There's lots of the patented Jimenez banter, romance, and cuteness. Someone needs to learn to trust again, someone needs to come out of their shell. But, because it's Jimenez, it's done in this adorable, funny way tinged with a heartfelt touch. And this time there's a baby! (Who is amazingly portable and never causes any trouble--wish my kids were like that, ha.) The book can be heartbreaking at times. I honestly adored Adrian, his outlook on the world, and how supportive he was of Vanessa. We could all use an Adrian to take care of us.
If you like romances, you'll enjoy this one. It's cute and sweet, without being sickeningly so, and there are lots of moments that make you laugh. It's also serious in places, covering illness and family. It's not the best of the series, but it's worth a read. Just be prepared for some frustration with some of the characters! 3.5 stars, rounded up.
I loved the first two books in this loosely tied series. This was probably my least favorite of the three, but I still enjoyed it. Jimenez writes excellent slow burn romances, and this one was no exception. Plus, it offers excellent escapism while delving into serious subjects, which I always love about her work.
Adrian was my favorite here--dependable, sweet Adrian. Both characters have a lot baggage in this book, so be prepared. Beyond her genetic illness woes, there's a lot going on with Vanessa's family. Some of the way the book deals with mental illness is excellent; sometimes, I'm not so sure. And Adrian has his own issues with his family as well. As for Vanessa, her attitude and approach toward her potential genetic illness was a little hard for me to handle. It's one of those things where you just want to take the character and try to shake some sense into them. Yes, Jimenez provides some backstory and reasoning for Vanessa's attitude, but... this was the one part of the book that was hard for me to swallow. (And it was, um, key to the plot.)
If I overlooked that piece, Vanessa and Adrian were cute together. There's lots of the patented Jimenez banter, romance, and cuteness. Someone needs to learn to trust again, someone needs to come out of their shell. But, because it's Jimenez, it's done in this adorable, funny way tinged with a heartfelt touch. And this time there's a baby! (Who is amazingly portable and never causes any trouble--wish my kids were like that, ha.) The book can be heartbreaking at times. I honestly adored Adrian, his outlook on the world, and how supportive he was of Vanessa. We could all use an Adrian to take care of us.
If you like romances, you'll enjoy this one. It's cute and sweet, without being sickeningly so, and there are lots of moments that make you laugh. It's also serious in places, covering illness and family. It's not the best of the series, but it's worth a read. Just be prepared for some frustration with some of the characters! 3.5 stars, rounded up.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Game Of Thrones - Season 4 in TV
Jul 14, 2017
The Mountain and Viper episode (5 more)
Purple Wedding
Daenerys
Tyrell's
Ayra
Tyrion
Dragons come into play
Finally this season the Dragons are big enough to be fun to watch Daenerys is finally becoming a strong leader and has some power. Without a doubt this season my favorite episode was the mountain and viper episode and what a great fight scene that consisted of. For the first time in game of thrones series i cant remember much about the final two episode so this is slightly disappointing but my biggest disappointment came in the fact they didn't bring the character Lady Stoneheart into play. By know we all know charterers that get killed on game of thrones don't always stay dead and in the book the character that was killed last season should of returned as a big bad but alas they didn't create her in the TV show and i was highly disappointed by this.
Tee highlight of this season was the second episode got to love a game of thrones wedding. Didn't I say the queen of thorns was brilliant
Tee highlight of this season was the second episode got to love a game of thrones wedding. Didn't I say the queen of thorns was brilliant
Terrifying visuals (2 more)
Great job on casting
Faithful to the book for the most part
Firstly, I do want to address the running time: it's two hours and fifteen minutes. Yet, I didn't feel as if I was sitting in a chair for that long. There was one point where I did question how long had the movie run, but then something happened in the movie to pull me right back in and ignore the outside world.
You really do end up liking the kids and rooting for them. The interactions between Beverly and Ben were really well done and were my favorites. I have heard some people criticizing the amount of time that focused on the kids, but that's really what the story is about: kids dealing with adult-like trauma and facing it.
Of course Pennywise steals each scene he's in. Or should I say 'every scene it's in?' Pun intended.
It's hard to talk (write) about my favorite bits without giving away spoilers, so just go watch it and enjoy!
I can't wait for the second part!
You really do end up liking the kids and rooting for them. The interactions between Beverly and Ben were really well done and were my favorites. I have heard some people criticizing the amount of time that focused on the kids, but that's really what the story is about: kids dealing with adult-like trauma and facing it.
Of course Pennywise steals each scene he's in. Or should I say 'every scene it's in?' Pun intended.
It's hard to talk (write) about my favorite bits without giving away spoilers, so just go watch it and enjoy!
I can't wait for the second part!
Rachel King (13 KP) rated The Doctor's Forever Family (Forever, Texas, #3) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I try to make a point of posting a review of everything I read, even cheesy Harlequin romances. Unfortunately, I do not have a whole lot to say about this one. The romance was sweet, and at times sexy, but it was predictable that the two main characters would end up together, since that is the focus of the book. My favorite character was actually the owner of the diner, simply because she seemed to be the one really running the town. I found the doctor to be melodramatic and behave at times as if he had a split personality, which was kind of a turn-off for me. I felt sorry for the baby, since he rarely seemed to see much of his mom at all, what with her passing him off to the baby-sitters so she could go fool around with the doctor. Tina could have planned the motherhood vs. dating aspects better by having Dan come to her place instead, and then Dan could have spent some time with the baby, too.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Gone Without a Trace in Books
Feb 21, 2018
When Hannah returns home one day to find all traces of her boyfriend, Matt, have vanished, she is determined to figure out what has happened. While I was at times just as invested in figuring things out as Hannah was, at other times I felt frustrated with her for making what seemed to be foolish choices. Never having been in such a situation though, I cant say how I would react, so I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and stuck with it even when I wanted to shout at her. Im glad I did the resolution was just as unexpected as I had hoped it would be.
Once it gets going, the story moves along at a good pace with very little downtime, and I read it in just a couple of sittings. Hannah may not be my favorite protagonist in the recent spate of thrillers with a twist, but the story is an enjoyable one, and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book from Mary Torjussen.
Once it gets going, the story moves along at a good pace with very little downtime, and I read it in just a couple of sittings. Hannah may not be my favorite protagonist in the recent spate of thrillers with a twist, but the story is an enjoyable one, and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book from Mary Torjussen.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated The Favorite Sister in Books
May 29, 2018
I thought the story in general of The Favorite Sister had lots of promise! But it was just too much all over the place. Telling us Brett was dead in the beginning did nothing for me. It would have been a better shocker at the end to know that Stephanie had died, and Brett a surprise death. It just wasn't necessary to do all the back and for now and then. It made the book confusing, it was hard to keep track of where we were in the story and also who's story we were following. I didn't know who was talking, since they were all just really vain horrible people, their voices all seemed similar. This made it difficult to relate or identify with any character, let alone like them or keep track of them! I found that even in Luckiest Girl Alive, I had trouble even liking ONE character. I liked Brett at first, but then slowly hated her towards the end. Maybe just throw in ONE likeable character in your books! Just throw us a bone!
Kristin (149 KP) rated Let's Move On in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
We find ourselves where we left off with the last book: a bunch of dirty laundry is now out in the open, pretty much all the main cast has been filled in about the lives of the others, and there's a TON of mixed emotions flying around. However, this group have all been through Hell before, right? They'll definitely get past this, no problem...right?
This series is one of my favorites, because you can really find yourself involved with every single character. This one pays more attention to Zainab than the previous ones, but of course, everyone else still has significant roles. Without giving too much away for anyone who's not caught up by this point, there's a WHOLE lot of drama, many tears, lots of shouting, but also happy-go-lucky moments and love is still in the air. How will your favorite fair in this installment? Definitely read it to find out!
5 stars
We find ourselves where we left off with the last book: a bunch of dirty laundry is now out in the open, pretty much all the main cast has been filled in about the lives of the others, and there's a TON of mixed emotions flying around. However, this group have all been through Hell before, right? They'll definitely get past this, no problem...right?
This series is one of my favorites, because you can really find yourself involved with every single character. This one pays more attention to Zainab than the previous ones, but of course, everyone else still has significant roles. Without giving too much away for anyone who's not caught up by this point, there's a WHOLE lot of drama, many tears, lots of shouting, but also happy-go-lucky moments and love is still in the air. How will your favorite fair in this installment? Definitely read it to find out!
5 stars
Felicia (44 KP) rated To All The Boys I've Loved Before (2018) in Movies
Aug 19, 2018
They story of Lara Jean and her hat box with 5 love letters is a teen romantic for the ages. This movie found on netflix is based off of the book with the same name by Jenny Han. Lara Jean writes a love letter for every boy that she has had a huge crush on, she places them in a hat box in her closet in an attempt to hide her feelings. But all that changes when the letters get sent out. Life changes for Lara Jean as she has to deal with new found male attention and her own sense of self.
This movie was really good, the cast was terrific and the storyline doesn't ever really drag as the hour and a half plays out. My only real complaint is that they left out some of my favorite plots from the books but that is to be expected.
I would totally recommend this movie to anybody who wants to watch a cute fluff romance type movie.
This movie was really good, the cast was terrific and the storyline doesn't ever really drag as the hour and a half plays out. My only real complaint is that they left out some of my favorite plots from the books but that is to be expected.
I would totally recommend this movie to anybody who wants to watch a cute fluff romance type movie.
FilmIntuition (33 KP) rated Virgil Wander in Books
Nov 21, 2018
Like a warm quilt on a cold day, in "Virgil Wander," Leif Enger wraps up his reader in evocative language that makes them want to pull the book closer and hold tight for this imaginative tale.
Narrated by the well-liked eponymous film projectionist who finds himself still getting his bearings and memory back after his car soars into Lake Superior during a snowfall, as Virgil navigates his small town with new perspective, we get acquainted with the equally affable, unique characters who inhabit the “cursed” town of Greenstone, Minnesota.
A seemingly straightforward journey made all the more enchanting by the author's magnetic prose, “Virgil Wander” is stunning not only in its simplicity but by how masterfully Enger builds a strong foundation of characters you can relate to before seasoning his story with elements of Norwegian myth and fisherman's tall tales, which in his hands become Minnesota magic.
A highly recommended chronicle of small town life with much more on its mind, this gorgeously penned sleeper is one of my favorite novels of 2018.
Narrated by the well-liked eponymous film projectionist who finds himself still getting his bearings and memory back after his car soars into Lake Superior during a snowfall, as Virgil navigates his small town with new perspective, we get acquainted with the equally affable, unique characters who inhabit the “cursed” town of Greenstone, Minnesota.
A seemingly straightforward journey made all the more enchanting by the author's magnetic prose, “Virgil Wander” is stunning not only in its simplicity but by how masterfully Enger builds a strong foundation of characters you can relate to before seasoning his story with elements of Norwegian myth and fisherman's tall tales, which in his hands become Minnesota magic.
A highly recommended chronicle of small town life with much more on its mind, this gorgeously penned sleeper is one of my favorite novels of 2018.