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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Summer Girls in Books
Aug 20, 2020
I had intended to read this book on a Florida beach vacation, which was canceled due to the pandemic. It made me miss the beach, with its lush descriptions of the South Carolina Low Country. Harper finds solace in the beach and a dolphin friend (yes, you read that right). The book is silly and cheesy, and exactly what I would have wanted to read while on my trip. I especially liked Carson and will eventually pick up the next in the series (each book is told from the perspective of a different sister). 3+ stars.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2067 KP) rated Mama Rides Shotgun (A Mace Bauer Mystery, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Mace and Mama are taking a trip on the historic Florida Cracker Trail, living (almost) as the cowboys did centuries ago. But when one of Mama's high school boyfriends is murdered when the group stops at his ranch, danger seems to be stalking Mace and her family.
I enjoyed this light mystery and am wondering why I didn't get back to this series sooner. The characters are charming and Mace shows some real growth here. The plot could have been a bit better developed, but the book was always entertaining.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/09/book-review-mama-rides-shotgun-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I enjoyed this light mystery and am wondering why I didn't get back to this series sooner. The characters are charming and Mace shows some real growth here. The plot could have been a bit better developed, but the book was always entertaining.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/09/book-review-mama-rides-shotgun-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2067 KP) rated Well Read, Then Dead (A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Sassy and Bridgy have settle into their new life running a café/bookstore in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. But when one of their loyal customers is murdered, they are surprised. Delia was a nice, quiet woman. Who would want to kill her?
The characters and the setting in this book are wonderfully vivid, and I enjoyed spending time with them. Unfortunately, the pacing was off and at times I got frustrated waiting to get back to the mystery. However, it did all come together for a logical ending.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/09/book-review-well-read-then-dead-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The characters and the setting in this book are wonderfully vivid, and I enjoyed spending time with them. Unfortunately, the pacing was off and at times I got frustrated waiting to get back to the mystery. However, it did all come together for a logical ending.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/09/book-review-well-read-then-dead-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
ClareR (5561 KP) rated The Ice House in Books
Mar 7, 2019 (Updated Mar 7, 2019)
A story of forgiveness and redemption.
A thoroughly enjoyable, gentle story, of a couple who own an ice factory in Florida. Johnny MacKinnon emigrated to the US years ago, found a job in an ice factory, where he met the owners daughter, fell in love and married her. Years later Johnny and Pauline are running the factory. Johnny had left his son and ex-wife in Glasgow, and he and his son have become estranged. Corran, Johnny's son, has a heroin addition. He has been clean for a while at the time of the story.
After Johnny collapses at the factory and receives bad news from the doctor, he decides to return to Scotland and visit his son and his new granddaughter.
This is such a lovely story. The characters are so well written and such likeable people. You can see that Johnny is really trying to deal (or ignore!) his medical condition and to mend fences with his son. Whilst Pauline his wife, left behind in Florida to deal with a huge problem at the factory alone, is struggling with the decisions she made as a younger woman - and who can blame her for making them? Corran is trying so hard to be a good father and clearly struggling.
This is such an emotional book that made me both laugh and cry. It's well worth reading.
Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.
After Johnny collapses at the factory and receives bad news from the doctor, he decides to return to Scotland and visit his son and his new granddaughter.
This is such a lovely story. The characters are so well written and such likeable people. You can see that Johnny is really trying to deal (or ignore!) his medical condition and to mend fences with his son. Whilst Pauline his wife, left behind in Florida to deal with a huge problem at the factory alone, is struggling with the decisions she made as a younger woman - and who can blame her for making them? Corran is trying so hard to be a good father and clearly struggling.
This is such an emotional book that made me both laugh and cry. It's well worth reading.
Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2067 KP) rated Marked Masters in Books
Jul 3, 2018
More Intrigue in the Art World
This book opens with Laurel Beacham in Florida with Jack Hawkes. Despite what they have just gone through in the first book in this series, Laurel still doesn’t trust Jack and is only reluctantly working with him. He is keeping too many secrets from her while demanding she share everything she know. They are continuing to work together, however, in order to stop a major art heist, and Florida is their most promising lead. A kidnapping and a dead body prove that they are on the right track. Will they learn more about the plans in order to stop the heist? Or will they be stopped permanently?
There is a strong on-going story line in this series involving an upcoming art heist, so I definitely recommend you read these books in order. In fact, I wish I had read this one closer to the first. The author does do a good job of filling in the blanks on what has happened before, which helped me remember the events of the first book. The story starts strong and keeps going from twist to turn as the pages fly by, resolving enough to make this book feel like it has resolved while still leaving plenty for Laurel and Jack to face in the next book. The duo make for intriguing leads, and the characters we meet along the way hold our interest as well.
There is a strong on-going story line in this series involving an upcoming art heist, so I definitely recommend you read these books in order. In fact, I wish I had read this one closer to the first. The author does do a good job of filling in the blanks on what has happened before, which helped me remember the events of the first book. The story starts strong and keeps going from twist to turn as the pages fly by, resolving enough to make this book feel like it has resolved while still leaving plenty for Laurel and Jack to face in the next book. The duo make for intriguing leads, and the characters we meet along the way hold our interest as well.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2067 KP) rated Dark Passage (Kingdom Keepers, #6) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The Kingdom Keepers are still on The Disney Dream and the passage from Florida to California. But they may have stumbled on a way to stop the Overtakers in their quest to take over the Disney theme parks.
The climax was great, but for the most part this book wasn't that different from the previous few. Very little changes or gets resolved. I'm hoping that will really change with the next in the series which is supposed to be the last. I'll definitely know that park the best since it is set at Disneyland.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/11/book-review-kingdom-keepers-vi-dark.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The climax was great, but for the most part this book wasn't that different from the previous few. Very little changes or gets resolved. I'm hoping that will really change with the next in the series which is supposed to be the last. I'll definitely know that park the best since it is set at Disneyland.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/11/book-review-kingdom-keepers-vi-dark.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
Zac Efron seems to be perfectly cast as Ted Bundy and there is an uncanny resemblance to him, he portrays the serial killer very well and keeps the unnerving feel of Bundy throughout the film.
The rest of the cast also works well in this production based on the based Elizabeth Kendall’s book “The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy“, the film also stars Kaya Scodelario (THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy) as Carole Anne Boone, Haley Joel Osment (THE SIXTH SENSE) as Liz’s Co-Worker Jerry, Angela Sarafyan (WESTWORLD) as Joanna, Jim Parsons (TV’s THE BIG BANG THEORY) as Florida Prosecutor Larry Simpson and John Malkovich (DEEPWATER HORIZON) as Judge Edward D. Cowart.
The rest of the cast also works well in this production based on the based Elizabeth Kendall’s book “The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy“, the film also stars Kaya Scodelario (THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy) as Carole Anne Boone, Haley Joel Osment (THE SIXTH SENSE) as Liz’s Co-Worker Jerry, Angela Sarafyan (WESTWORLD) as Joanna, Jim Parsons (TV’s THE BIG BANG THEORY) as Florida Prosecutor Larry Simpson and John Malkovich (DEEPWATER HORIZON) as Judge Edward D. Cowart.
David McK (3185 KP) rated Cape Storm (Weather Warden, #8) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
At the end of the previous book in the Weather Warden series (<i>Gale Froce</i>), Joanne - and, by extension, the entire organisation - had gone public with their powers over the forces of nature.
Not only that, but she had also got married to her Djinn lover David. On the minus side, however, she has also had a Demon Mark latched onto her, by her old nemesis 'Bad Bob' Beragnine (sp?).
This novel picks up from the end of that, with the warden organisation out to hunt down Bad Bob while a storm is about to lash the coast of Florida (nature doesn't like being messed with), and while Joanne must try to stop herself from going to the 'dark side'.
Not only that, but she had also got married to her Djinn lover David. On the minus side, however, she has also had a Demon Mark latched onto her, by her old nemesis 'Bad Bob' Beragnine (sp?).
This novel picks up from the end of that, with the warden organisation out to hunt down Bad Bob while a storm is about to lash the coast of Florida (nature doesn't like being messed with), and while Joanne must try to stop herself from going to the 'dark side'.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Save by Roy: Patrick Roy and the Return of the Colorado Avalanche in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I received [Save By Roy] as an advanced readers copy. I am a HUGE hockey fan and have the utmost respect for Patrick Roy(although as a New York Rangers fan I hate him with a passion.) I was really excited to read this book and I was not disappointed. It was well written and was almost like a written version of 24/7 on NHL network. It had insider points of view that regular fans don't get. The fact that Roy managed to bring this team to the playoffs after being almost last in the league the season before (only Florida was worse and they don't count) in the amazingly tough Western Conference was amazing. All hockey fans should read this book (even if Roy made you cry when you were younger).
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated One Deadly Sister (Sandy Reid Mysteries, #1) in Books
May 10, 2018
Ray Reid moved to Florida and didn't expect to have this much "fun". After meeting a few of the locals he finds himself in a twisted murder plot and he is the murderer, except he didn't do it. With the help of his sharp tongue sister from big city Philly, they get to the bottom of the mystery and find the real killer. This book was a real page turner. I kept wanting to pick up the book and find out what was going to happen next and why this guy would get himself into this kind of situation. The story is too sketchy to be convincing, so why is Ray in jail. Getting him out and getting to the bottom of things is what his sister, Sandy is going to do.