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Merissa (14009 KP) rated Psychic Whispers (Woodward Hill #1) in Books

Sep 16, 2020

Psychic Whispers (Woodward Hill #1)

Arial Burnz, AJ Nuest | 2020 | Mystery, Paranormal, Romance

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Psychic Whispers is the first book in the Woodward Hill series and I LOVED IT! This was just the right book at the right time and I fell in love with the characters of this small, gossipy, quirky town.

Inara has the ability to talk to the animals, she even calls herself Dr DoLittle. Unfortunately, before she was old enough to fully understand or use her ability, she was attacked by a pitbull. This left scars, both seen and unseen, that she is determined to work past. Nik has been the 'son gone bad' for too long in the town. The son of a man accused (but cleared) of murder, his reputation has always hung over him like a shroud. He thinks Inara is too good for him. She thinks he is put off by her scars.

Aww, come on, people. You know these two will end up together but it's not a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. With fears on both sides, a small-town mindset working against them, oh, and plus a murder to solve whilst staying alive, these two have their work cut out for them.

There are a whole host of supporting characters that I loved and, fair warning Ms Burnz and Ms Nuest, I'll be wanting stories for all of them! 😉

The world-building is excellent with just the right attention to detail that I needed. The pacing is smooth and the steamy scenes are hot! Nik is pure alpha but Inara is no pushover.

All in all, this was a brilliant read and a fantastic opening to a new series that I will be following closely and reading ALL of them! Highly recommended by me.

* 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!

Kudos

Kelly Knows (95 KP) rated The House of Doors in Books

Jun 28, 2019

The House of Doors

Brian Lumley | 1990 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy

9.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

The sheer originality is refreshing. (0 more)

The government sub plot is kinda lame. (0 more)

Worlds of Horror

Wow, what a fantastic book. I am still surprised this story has not been optioned for a movie adaptation. House of Doors is a unique tale with a simple concept, the age old question of man meets aliens and how that first contact would go down. What if we were tested? Brutally? Would we measure up? This book answers those questions and more in terrifying fashion. Brian Lumley spins a rich tale of daring and adventure, with a new even more terrifying world behind each door the characters open. The illustrative text will illuminate wondrous monsters in your mind and fill your head to the brim with images of strange worlds twisted by alien machinery, born of the desires and fears within us all. The alien species in this story is unlike anything you've seen before. The characters are witty and engaging. Even the ones you hate are written so well you can't help but question your instinct to despise them. My personal favorite aspects of this book are the world designs. No spoilers, you'll just have to find out what I mean, but it is seriously awesome. Also bringing a lot to this fast paced thrill ride is the main character, Spencer Gill. A wry, clever man with more to him than meets the eye, Spencer Gill reminds me of the Indiana Jones/Jack Ryan, kind of heroes I grew up admiring. All of the characters involved have their moments to shine, whether it be a bright light or a darker moment. Even the sinister alien Thone get a role in the narrative in an unlikely writing style that pays off the investment, with interest. This is the kind of book that gets you into reading books, and if you like it, there is a pretty good sequel as well. Sci-fi and horror clash spectacularly as humanity finds out if they measure up, and the terrible consequences that will occur if they don't.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated It Comes At Night (2017) in Movies

Jul 11, 2019

There are some things that are truly frightening. For some, it could be ghosts while others fear zombies. There are many things that concern us and even keep us awake at night. With It Comes At Night, audiences are faced with one of the greatest fears that man has: the unknown.

The film features Paul (Joel Edgerton) a father and husband who is seeking to keep his family safe in the wilderness from unknown threats. He and his family are uncertain of what has taken place. They are not sure if the population has become victims to terrorism, disease, or some sort of supernatural occurrence. Paranoia builds as a stranger arrives on their land. What are his intentions? Can they trust each other long enough to survive? Will they outlast whatever has consumed countless others?

The film is haunting and will have its audience trying to guess and discover what exactly is taking place. The film is reminiscent of The Village, The Happening, and other movies that rely on ambiguity. For some films, the mystery may be the downfall as it leads nowhere. With It Comes At Night, the filmmakers allow for reality to seep into the lives that viewers are witnessing on the screen. For this film, the ambiguity allows for the audience to question how they would behave or adapt in a seemingly post-apocalyptic environment. We like to think that we know, but we can never be sure. This comes through with the actions of each of the characters. They are alone and afraid.

The film is deep in its approach to what the world would look like should calamity approach. People would become distrustful, fight, turn on each other, kill without thinking, and eventually sink into the realization that they don’t know what to do. It Comes at Night allows for the reality of horror to be exposed. It is not knowing how to face a certain danger, it is about having to come to terms with the unknown.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2570 KP) rated Murder in Chinatown in Books

Aug 18, 2019

Missing Girl Leads to Murder

After a recent close call, midwife Sarah Brandt has vowed to stay away from solving crimes and getting involved in anything dangerous. However, she is in Chinatown with the Lee family since Cora Lee is about to give birth and gets a front row to the family drama unfolding. Cora’s niece, Angel, is upset that her father has arranged a marriage for her to an older man and runs away. The family is frantic to find her because the city is no place for a fifteen-year-old to be alone. While the family does find her, she turns up dead a few days later. Sarah manages to get NYPD Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy involved in the case because she fears other police won’t care to fully investigate given who the victim was. But can Malloy figure it out? Will Sarah get involved despite her promise to stay away from murder?

Once again, we are expertly transported back to 1890’s New York City. Along with our normal glimpses of life during the time period, we get to see a bit of how the Chinese were treated during the time; unfortunately, it isn’t pretty. However, the book never stops to preach at us, instead working this in during the mystery. The case itself is strong with plenty of twists to keep us entertained until the end. I thought I had a few things figured out, but I discovered I was wrong when I reached the logical ending. Sarah, in her efforts to stay out of the case, isn’t quite as involved as Frank, but she still has plenty to contribute. Both are great lead characters, and I enjoyed spending time with the regular supporting players as well as meeting the new characters introduced here. We get some advancement on a couple of on-going storylines, and it looks like one of them will be the main focus of the next in the series. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where that leads.