Passport to Spy
10.0
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After losing her job as an investigative reporter for The Phoenix Gazette, Kat Lawson has a new gig....
ClareR (6054 KP) rated Sun Damage in Books
Jul 4, 2023
Ali and Sean are confidence tricksters: they get people to trust them, and then extract large amounts of money from them. Except something goes wrong when they try to con Lulu, and Ali goes on the run - with a large sum of money from Sean’s safe. Ali thinks she has found the perfect hiding place in a gîte in the South of France, but it seems inevitable that her past will catch up with her.
This is all set in the summer, when the heat is as oppressive as Ali’s paranoia. The whole novel feels claustrophobic - will Ali be found out? Will Sean find her? What will her employers do?
We see Ali’s past and childhood in some detail, and I found myself forgiving her for her terrible behaviour - although I doubt I would have been so forgiving if I was the one being swindled!
This is probably the ideal summer holiday read - great for by the pool, somewhere hot. Although you’ll be a lot more suspicious of anyone you don’t know trying to strike up a conversation!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for another great serialisation.
Dearly Deleted
10.0
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For the first time since moving to Copper Bay, Massachusetts, book blogger Winnie Lark is planning...
ClareR (6054 KP) rated This Is Why We Lied in Books
Sep 24, 2025
This is like the outdoor version of a closed room mystery - all of the suspects are on site. Yet still I was left completely flummoxed. The backstory of some of the characters adds to the confusion and explains a lot!
TIWWL is pretty gruesome, and covers subjects of sexual assault of far too many of the main characters, drug addiction and domestic violence. Karin Slaughter never shies away from these topics. This isn’t for the faint-hearted.
Nevertheless, I loved it. But when will Will and Sarah manage to have a stress free honeymoon?! 🤷🏼♀️
Ziggy's Gift (Liverpool Boys #5)
10.0
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Ziggy My life is complete. I have a loving husband, a loyal and faithful dog, and a circle of...
Murder Italian Style
8.0
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Cozy with a chance of meatballs... When style expert Samantha Kidd plans a holiday in Italy, she...
Merissa (13600 KP) rated Bear Creek Thanksgiving (Holiday Mates #3) in Books
Feb 7, 2025
In this book, we meet Gruff and Dustin. Gruff is the shifter and owner of an orchard that he is expanding to include a shop plus other additions. Dustin is a young man who can cook but also knows how to manage, well, pretty much anything.
This is a slow-burn story with no unnecessary angst or miscommunication. Gruff and Dustin have their reasons for what they do, and both of them support each other. Not only that, but Dustin (the mere human) will also defend Gruff and his choices to his last breath.
I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the series and found it well-paced throughout. A great story that I definitely recommend.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 3, 2025
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated Welcome Home (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Aaron Paul and Emily Ratajkowski are great in the lead roles. They feel like your everyday, plausible couple who are simply trying to repair their relationship. I found myself rooting for them and hoping they could reconnect throughout. Despite the slow pacing in places, I did genuinely care about them as characters. Without the strength of their acting, I think this film might have struggled in places as some of it seemed to drag or could’ve easily been cut out. Welcome Home does have similarities to the 2008 film The Strangers, in which see a strained relationship set within a secluded summer home, with the couple being terrorised by masked murderers.
This film’s antagonist, Frederico, is less ambiguous than that, and instead spends time with the couple and tries to befriend them in order to gain their trust. Cassie is a lot more receptive to this than Bryan, who is distrustful of Frederico after he brought Cassie back to the house when she sprained her ankle whilst running. He believes something else is going on, based on the one night stand. At first they believe he’s a neighbour, so nothing really seems out of the ordinary. Then, it starts to get weird. He says some strange things and starts showing up uninvited, even running into them on the street and deciding to turn up to the house to cook dinner.
Every second that Frederico’s on the screen is an uncomfortable one, and you know he’s not the innocent person he’s pretending to be. It’s only a matter of time before his true intentions are revealed to the couple, putting them both in danger. Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio really blew me away in this film and I’m excited to see more from him.
Although it takes a while to get going, the second and third act of Welcome Home is a tense and unnerving experience. Frederico goes from friendly, helpful neighbour to a creepy psychopath very quickly, and it turns out he has very dark intentions for the couple. He spends the film manipulating them and turning them against each other. I won’t spoil it for you, but it turns this couple’s holiday into a complete nightmare. I did quite like the big reveal at the end, though it seems a little far-fetched it’s not beyond the realms of possibility given the digital age that we live in. This fact is emphasised by the voyeuristic nature of the camera, how we’re always peeking around doors or watching things we shouldn’t be.
I have seen stronger thrillers with better pacing, but Welcome Home is certainly an entertaining watch if you’re looking for a new, exciting story with a strong cast list. It puts a fun twist on your classic home invasion horror, with a charming, magnetic antagonist to really lure you in. I’d recommend giving it a go if you get the opportunity, as it’s worth it for the characters and the ending.
https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2018/11/13/the-holiday-from-hell-a-review-of-welcome-home/
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Lifestyle and Shopping
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