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Merissa (14222 KP) rated Return of the Runaway Bride in Books

Jul 21, 2021 (Updated Jul 17, 2023)  
Return of the Runaway Bride
Return of the Runaway Bride
Nancy Fraser | 2021 | Contemporary, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
RETURN OF THE RUNAWAY BRIDE is part of the Last Chance Beach Romance series but can also be read as a standalone. In this one, Emily left Chase at the altar five years ago but has now returned to try and mend bridges. Not only is it time, but she also needs to let her friends and family know what she's been up to as her novel is being made into a movie, and no one knows.

This is a well-paced novel that not only gives the reader what is going on now, but also allows them to catch up on what happened five years ago, and why. There is a good group of characters, both main and supporting, that help to move the storyline along.

The only problem I found was that sometimes the time would jump from one sentence to another. I found this to be slightly jolting but became accustomed to it as the author's writing style.

A great summer story about second-chance romance and recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* 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!
Jul 21, 2021
  
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill
C.S. Robertson | 2022 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Grace McGill is a professional death cleaner. She is the person that the authorities call to clean up after a dead body has been found. Usually a dead body that has lain there for months before being discovered. It’s a grim job, but Grace does it with respect and fastidiousness.

Grace is something of a loner. She only seems to have passing contact with those she works with, and her abusive father. In fact, she seems to build more of a relationship with the dead people she cleans up after. Which is how she notices that several of the bodies have something in common. A daisy is near the spot where each of the corpses was found.

One particular person, Thomas Agnew, really affects her. He has lain undiscovered for 5 months, seemingly missed by no one. She collects some photos from his room, hoping to give them to a family member at the funeral, and then notices the piles of newspapers. They are all dated the same day over a period of many years. Something happened on that day, and Grace wants to know what it is.

This book was so well written - unputdownable. It threw a huge curveball as well and the twist, when it came, was totally unexpected. It was macabre, quirky and so different from anything else I’ve read recently. It really is well worth a read!
  
The Housemaid [Audiobook]
The Housemaid [Audiobook]
Freida McFadden | 2022 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well, that was definitely a ride on the crazy train!

Millie is not in a good place when she applies for the position as a housekeeper/maid at the beautiful home of the affluent Andrew and Nina Winchester and their daughter Cecilia. Against the odds, she gets the position and, as is usually the case, things are too good to be true and all is not what it seems.

I can't really say much without giving the game away but I will say that I found it riveting and intriguing and I didn't really know who or what to believe or how everything was going to play out. It was great and exceeded my expectations and whilst I found it a little unbelievable, it was extremely entertaining and I was hooked nevertheless.

I listened to the audiobook and although I think it would have worked better with 2 distinct voices for Millie and Nina, I think the narrator did a fantastic job.

I haven't read or listened to any of Freida's books before but this definitely won't be my last and she will be an author I will look out for in the future and I must thank Bookouture and NetGalley for introducing me to her books, for allowing me to listen to this one and share my thoughts.
  
Tough Luxe
Tough Luxe
Diane Vallere | 2021 | Mystery
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Twists of the Pretzel, but a Bit Empty Overall
Samantha Kidd has landed a new gig as a fashion columnist for the local paper. But she doesn’t expect that to lead to an invitation to visit someone in prison. Pretzel heiress Suzy Kintz was a high school acquaintance of Samantha’s, but a few years after they graduated, Suzy was convicted of killing her husband, and has been in jail ever since. Now, there is new evidence that might exonerate Suzy. Can Samantha figure out what really happened all those years ago?

I was immediately intrigued by the premise, and I enjoyed watching Samantha try to piece things together. However, when we hit the end, I was found I was left with too many questions – one I’d had since the beginning and a couple more than came up from the climax. I also found a sub-plot involving Samantha and her husband to be cringe inducing. At least that sub-plot led to some great character growth in Samantha. On the plus side, it is always great to hang out with these characters, and I loved the humor of the book. If you are already a fan, you’ll want to see what Samantha gets up to here. If you are new to the series, you should pick up an earlier book first before you see what happens here.
  
Star Trek - Nemesis (2002)
Star Trek - Nemesis (2002)
2002 | Action, Sci-Fi
The climactic battle is fun in a dumb action kind of way (1 more)
One of Jerry Goldsmith's final scores
The characters are lifeless (5 more)
The villain's plan is laughably stupid
The tone is dour and depressing, feels nothing like TNG
Constant continuity errors with the show
A piss poor send off for the TNG crew. They deserved much better than this.
Wastes the Romulans in their first major role in a movie
Just awful
The worst TNG movie by leaps and bounds. Nemesis is just awful to watch. It's dour and depressing for no reason and the plot is consistently stupid. It's just unpleasant, no joy to be found at all.
  
It Comes At Night (2017)
It Comes At Night (2017)
2017 | Horror
Great Build up but eventually falls flat.
It comes at night was one of those movies I heard about but really had no clue what it was actually about even when I started watching it.
The whole movie has a very tense and almost claustrophobic feel to it as well, I love movies especially horror/suspense movies where you have no idea who you can and can't trust and It comes at night really just takes that vibe and runs with it.

Sadly though the uneasiness and suspense never really paid off for me because the ending I found personally fell really flat and almost anticlimactic.