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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Cinderella in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Definitely different
Contains spoilers, click to show
This book is based on a Cinderella story in an alternative universe that's mixed past with today's world!
Ella who has bee stripped of her titles has been invited by the new king Dane (Daniel) to a month long festival. By the end he is to choose a bride.
Dane and Ella have met before as children they were childhood sweethearts until he went to war and came back to news she was dead!
So as the story is well known they come together and we have a happy ending! This story is no different in that but May Sage has put a very adult spin on to it. Is it well written? In my opinion NO! I found it very patchy and rushed! The sex scenes were rushed and a little vulgar which is a shame as I was recommended this by a friend and really wanted to enjoy it!
Although I felt disappointed at the end of the book I will be reading the next one as I'm hoping they can improve!
⭐⭐
Ella who has bee stripped of her titles has been invited by the new king Dane (Daniel) to a month long festival. By the end he is to choose a bride.
Dane and Ella have met before as children they were childhood sweethearts until he went to war and came back to news she was dead!
So as the story is well known they come together and we have a happy ending! This story is no different in that but May Sage has put a very adult spin on to it. Is it well written? In my opinion NO! I found it very patchy and rushed! The sex scenes were rushed and a little vulgar which is a shame as I was recommended this by a friend and really wanted to enjoy it!
Although I felt disappointed at the end of the book I will be reading the next one as I'm hoping they can improve!
⭐⭐
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Bear a Wee Grudge in Books
Dec 1, 2021 (Updated Dec 1, 2021)
Murder Presents a Wee Problem
Silver Hollow, Michigan, is hosting a Highland Fling weekend, and the Silver Bear Shop is getting in the spirit with teddy bears wearing kilts that Sasha Silverman and the rest of her family plan to sell at the event. Unfortunately, before the event kicks off, their rival, Teddy Hartman, is found dead near the festival’s grounds, and Sasha’s dad is the prime suspect. Can Sasha clear his name and still be ready for the festival?
As a fan of the series, I’m surprised that Teddy lasted as long as he did, he’s been that obnoxious in earlier books. It was nice to see this series thread come to the forefront. While the plot starts well, it does stall a bit in the second half before coming to a logical climax. I still have a hard time keeping all the supporting players and their relationships straight, but they are supporting players. Sasha and her immediate family and friends are strong, and the suspects keep us guessing. This mix of Scottish and teddy Bears is one that fans will enjoy.
As a fan of the series, I’m surprised that Teddy lasted as long as he did, he’s been that obnoxious in earlier books. It was nice to see this series thread come to the forefront. While the plot starts well, it does stall a bit in the second half before coming to a logical climax. I still have a hard time keeping all the supporting players and their relationships straight, but they are supporting players. Sasha and her immediate family and friends are strong, and the suspects keep us guessing. This mix of Scottish and teddy Bears is one that fans will enjoy.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Yankee Doodle Dead in Books
Feb 17, 2024
Retired General Shot on the 4th
Annie Darling is getting ready for the festival that Broward’s Rock is hosting for the fourth of July. Not only is her bookstore selling at a booth, but she’s on the library board, which is putting everything on, and is the benefit of the proceeds. Unfortunately, a newcomer to the island is also on the board, and making waves there and all over the island. So when someone shoots him during the fireworks, the only real question is who didn’t have a motive. Can Annie and her husband, Max, figure out what happened?
I struggled a bit with the first half of the book. It was obvious early on who the victim would be. While we were setting up suspects and motives, his antics were such an over the top cliché, it wasn’t always fun. Fortunately, things get better once Annie and Max start investigating. We get a somber yet logical climax, but we still have fun with all the series regulars along the way. I hope the victims get a little less predictable in future books, but series fans will still enjoy this one.
I struggled a bit with the first half of the book. It was obvious early on who the victim would be. While we were setting up suspects and motives, his antics were such an over the top cliché, it wasn’t always fun. Fortunately, things get better once Annie and Max start investigating. We get a somber yet logical climax, but we still have fun with all the series regulars along the way. I hope the victims get a little less predictable in future books, but series fans will still enjoy this one.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Midsommar (2019) in Movies
Jul 4, 2019
Director: Ari Aster
Writer: Ari Aster (Screenplay)
Starring: Florence Pugh, Will Poulter, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Liv Mjones, Anna Astrom, Julia Ragnarsson
Plot: A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
Runtime: 2 Hours 20 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: The Wicker Man on Acid
Story: Midsommar starts when young lady Dani (Pugh) has her family die suddenly, turning to the only person left in her life, her boyfriend Christian (Reynor) who has started to move away from their relationship. Christian and his friends Josh (Harper), Mark (Poulter) and Pelle (Blomgren) are planning a trip to Pelle’s home in Sweden for a special mid-summer festival.
Christian trying to do the right thing for Dani, invites her along, but it isn’t long before the festival turns into a cultural nightmare for the outsiders who have never seen the customs before.
Thoughts on Midsommar
Characters – Dani is a young lady that has suffered a heart-breaking tragedy in her life, leaving her along in the world, struggle to get over the loss of her family, she is unsure about her relationship with her boyfriend and agrees to go with him on the trip to Sweden. Dani is trying her best to get on with her life, which is seeing her have the good and bad days, while on the commune she starts to relax more in life. Christian is the student boyfriend of Dani, he is starting to question the relationship about to end it before the tragedy strikes, he invites her believing she won’t go, while also hoping to find out whether they should stay together. Josh is a student friend of Christian, who has been working on his paper on different cultures, he sees this event a major part of his studies, only he doesn’t seem to respect enough cultures. Mark is the comic relief, he wants to go to Sweden to meet women, he is quick to turn to drink or drugs, while always putting his foot in it.
Performances – Florence Pugh is the star of the show, she does show the grief required in her role, which shows us how hard to is finding life. Jack Reynor has finished turning his career around after Transformers, with one that must make people take him seriously now. Will Poulter will make you laugh with nearly everything he says, while William Jackson Harper will make you dislike his characters arrogance quickly.
Story – The story here follows a young woman dealing with grief of losing her family, trying to get away from her past by getting away from the world with the festival which soon sees her trapped with her friends with a cult that has strict rules. Much like Hereditary, we are tackling grief on a personal level, unlike Hereditary we find ourselves not seeing a timeline to make us understand the recover process that Dani is trying to go through. The story does have a huge problem for me though, is that this is a story which the people should just walk or run away after seeing the first major incident, not just calmly say ‘sure this is a different culture we should see what happens next’ this is easily one of the biggest let down in any horror. We also do spend way too much time just turning to drugs as an excuse rather than trying to solve the real problems and the students just being arrogant not seemingly wanting to do anything with their lives.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in this film comes from graphic imaginary that we see from the injuries, we do have tension growing and the make up team should be praised for just how real everything looks. The mystery comes from just what is happening with this cult and what they will do next.
Settings – The film is set in the Swedish countryside away from the world, the only type of place a cult could operate in around the modern day. The sets are the best thing about this film because they are crafted which such love and you can’t help but think everything you see is a clue to what is happening.
Special Effects – The effects in the film do bring us the graphic images of the injuries that people are going through. The make up team work wonders on this film.
Scene of the Movie – Dancing.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Just using drugs to explain why these people are friends.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror that is set and created wonderfully on the outside, only to fall short on the story which only drags along without reaching any levels of scares.
Overall: Not reaching the potential.
Rating
Writer: Ari Aster (Screenplay)
Starring: Florence Pugh, Will Poulter, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Liv Mjones, Anna Astrom, Julia Ragnarsson
Plot: A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
Runtime: 2 Hours 20 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: The Wicker Man on Acid
Story: Midsommar starts when young lady Dani (Pugh) has her family die suddenly, turning to the only person left in her life, her boyfriend Christian (Reynor) who has started to move away from their relationship. Christian and his friends Josh (Harper), Mark (Poulter) and Pelle (Blomgren) are planning a trip to Pelle’s home in Sweden for a special mid-summer festival.
Christian trying to do the right thing for Dani, invites her along, but it isn’t long before the festival turns into a cultural nightmare for the outsiders who have never seen the customs before.
Thoughts on Midsommar
Characters – Dani is a young lady that has suffered a heart-breaking tragedy in her life, leaving her along in the world, struggle to get over the loss of her family, she is unsure about her relationship with her boyfriend and agrees to go with him on the trip to Sweden. Dani is trying her best to get on with her life, which is seeing her have the good and bad days, while on the commune she starts to relax more in life. Christian is the student boyfriend of Dani, he is starting to question the relationship about to end it before the tragedy strikes, he invites her believing she won’t go, while also hoping to find out whether they should stay together. Josh is a student friend of Christian, who has been working on his paper on different cultures, he sees this event a major part of his studies, only he doesn’t seem to respect enough cultures. Mark is the comic relief, he wants to go to Sweden to meet women, he is quick to turn to drink or drugs, while always putting his foot in it.
Performances – Florence Pugh is the star of the show, she does show the grief required in her role, which shows us how hard to is finding life. Jack Reynor has finished turning his career around after Transformers, with one that must make people take him seriously now. Will Poulter will make you laugh with nearly everything he says, while William Jackson Harper will make you dislike his characters arrogance quickly.
Story – The story here follows a young woman dealing with grief of losing her family, trying to get away from her past by getting away from the world with the festival which soon sees her trapped with her friends with a cult that has strict rules. Much like Hereditary, we are tackling grief on a personal level, unlike Hereditary we find ourselves not seeing a timeline to make us understand the recover process that Dani is trying to go through. The story does have a huge problem for me though, is that this is a story which the people should just walk or run away after seeing the first major incident, not just calmly say ‘sure this is a different culture we should see what happens next’ this is easily one of the biggest let down in any horror. We also do spend way too much time just turning to drugs as an excuse rather than trying to solve the real problems and the students just being arrogant not seemingly wanting to do anything with their lives.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in this film comes from graphic imaginary that we see from the injuries, we do have tension growing and the make up team should be praised for just how real everything looks. The mystery comes from just what is happening with this cult and what they will do next.
Settings – The film is set in the Swedish countryside away from the world, the only type of place a cult could operate in around the modern day. The sets are the best thing about this film because they are crafted which such love and you can’t help but think everything you see is a clue to what is happening.
Special Effects – The effects in the film do bring us the graphic images of the injuries that people are going through. The make up team work wonders on this film.
Scene of the Movie – Dancing.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Just using drugs to explain why these people are friends.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror that is set and created wonderfully on the outside, only to fall short on the story which only drags along without reaching any levels of scares.
Overall: Not reaching the potential.
Rating
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated French Fried (Ethnic Eats Mystery #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Hubbard, Ohio, is celebrating the 130th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, and Terminal on the Tracks is getting into the act by featuring French food. Laurel has worked hard on the menu with the help of Sophie’s friend Rocky. Rocky has been looking forward to the festival, but she starts to act weird when it kicks off. After missing the fireworks, Laurel goes to Rocky’s house to find Rocky dead. But why would someone want to kill her?
This book features a nice twist on things as Laurel finds herself having to figure out why someone might want to kill Rocky and then find a potential suspect that fits that motive. I enjoyed getting to see how that played out. She does come up with the correct motive and suspect for a wonderful climax. We don’t see as much of some of the supporting characters from the first book as I expected, but this allowed Laurel to really grow here. We do get to see plenty of a couple of supporting characters, and the new characters are wonderful as well.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-french-fried-by-kylie-logan.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book features a nice twist on things as Laurel finds herself having to figure out why someone might want to kill Rocky and then find a potential suspect that fits that motive. I enjoyed getting to see how that played out. She does come up with the correct motive and suspect for a wonderful climax. We don’t see as much of some of the supporting characters from the first book as I expected, but this allowed Laurel to really grow here. We do get to see plenty of a couple of supporting characters, and the new characters are wonderful as well.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-french-fried-by-kylie-logan.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Candy Corn Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #22) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
This is the 23rd Lucy Stone mystery, but it works fine as a standalone story. You don't need to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this one.
For the first 2/3 of this novel, I thought the whole mystery was the identity of the individual who was sabotaging the pumpkin festival. This didn't seem like much of a crime for a mystery novel, but the real thing comes along later in the story. Most of the action happens in the last quarter of the book, but I never felt like the story was dragging. The beginning has enough conflict and backstory to keep it moving along.
Lucy is a very down-to-earth sort of character, and she is easy to like and commiserate with. She has her hands full with her catapult-building husband, two daughters, and a grandson who is temporarily living in her home while his parents are out of the country, as well as her full time job as a reporter with the local paper. It's that job that gives her an excuse to get close to people who may have something to hide, and helps her track down a killer in the end.
***I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
For the first 2/3 of this novel, I thought the whole mystery was the identity of the individual who was sabotaging the pumpkin festival. This didn't seem like much of a crime for a mystery novel, but the real thing comes along later in the story. Most of the action happens in the last quarter of the book, but I never felt like the story was dragging. The beginning has enough conflict and backstory to keep it moving along.
Lucy is a very down-to-earth sort of character, and she is easy to like and commiserate with. She has her hands full with her catapult-building husband, two daughters, and a grandson who is temporarily living in her home while his parents are out of the country, as well as her full time job as a reporter with the local paper. It's that job that gives her an excuse to get close to people who may have something to hide, and helps her track down a killer in the end.
***I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***