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Sir Avery's Wish (Club Sensation #3)
Sir Avery's Wish (Club Sensation #3)
Morticia Knight | 2025 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
SIR AVERY'S WISH is the third book in the Club Sensation series, and tells us the story of Eli and Avery. Eli is originally from LA, but escapes to Boston after witnessing a murder. Avery is the owner of a hotel/conference centre and is friends with Zane. He has been on hiatus from playing at the club for a while, but doesn't fully understand why until Zane lays it out for him. Avery meets Eli when it comes to his attention that a boy is sleeping in the laundry room, but Eli takes off before Avery can help. Through a series of events, Eli ends up staying with Zane, Ty, and Ryan. Through them, he gets a job and sees Avery again for the first time since running away, and this time, Avery intends to do all he can to help him stay.

This was a sweet story with a solid connection between Avery and Eli, once they actually get into the same physical space. Through Avery's care and praise, Eli blossoms in so many ways, not only in trusting Avery and telling him about his past. It is definitely a two-way street in this relationship, as Avery benefits too.

I found the pacing to be smooth up until the end, and then it seemed a little rushed to me. Saying that, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters, and look forward to seeing more of those in Club Sensation, especially Gabe, who had a little crush on Avery. Definitely recommended by me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Aug 22, 2025
  
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Havoc
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Havoc
Shooter
The first of four planned DLC packs for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has finally arrived on PC after

being delayed a week so the developers could work out some last minute issues.

Despite the wait and the first week issues with finding games online, the new collection has been one of the most enjoyable and creative collection of maps in recent years and has added to what is an already solid online experience.

The four new maps are as follows.

 

Core

Set in the Gobi Desert in an abandoned nuclear fusion plant, this map is ideal for the leaping abilities of the game as there are structures which can only be reached via your advanced jumping abilities. Worker robots enhance the setting and the uneven terrain makes for some great hiding spots to launch your attacks.

This is one that you will see plenty of snipers setting up in so run and gun players like myself may have some initial frustrations but the décor more than makes up for any early challenges and frustrations.

Urban

Set in a futuristic ward of Dallas, this multi-level square map has a large open area in the middle where ranged shooters will have plenty of opportunity to pick off those in No Man’s Land. It also offers plenty of ledges, windows, stairs, and areas for differing styles of play so gamers can find the best method for their style of play.

 

Sideshow

Set in a rundown hotel and rest stop that has been given a creepy circus theme you get everything from semi-trucks, creepy hotel rooms, rest rooms, and irrigation ponds in which to plan your attack,. There are plenty of places to hide and also plenty of places for Snipers to pick you off from afar.

Making use of the exterior parts of the map are keys to success and making sure that you get the drop on your enemies is key as there are numerous places to be ambushed in this one and the maniacal clown noises set a creepy tone as well.

Drift

My favorite of the maps is a highly-detailed ski resort set in the Rocky Mountains. Everything from holiday lights and a carousel to a train station, shops, and hotel make this a very detailed map.

The snow drifts allow plenty of cover and the numerous windows and ledges allow amble space for players to get the drop on their enemies.

I loved the avalanche that came in unexpectedly in one game as it really changed up the direction of the battle.

Players will also have access to the AE4 Widowmaker. A direct energy weapon that fires bursts of energy which work well but does not have a large capacity before needing to recharge so make your shots count. I actually earned this while playing Advanced Warfare pre-DLC so for me the inclusion was not that big of a deal as it has been an option for me to use for a while.

The maps are available in both Team Death Match and Mosh Pit but as I mentioned earlier, it has been tough finding games on PC during the first few days of release before the evening hours. I was able to find a few game options early in the morning on a Saturday so it was likely a case of people who purchased it waiting until the weekend to load up and play.

Perhaps the biggest draw for the game is the new Exo-Zombies mode which takes the past mode of Zombie games that Treyarch developed and gives it a new twist by allowing the Undead to move and leap faster with the aid of Exo Suits.

Playing as one of four characters portrayed by John Malkovich, Bill Paxton Rose McGowan and The Walking Dead’s John Bernthal, players must survive waves of enhanced Zombies and take refuge in a large Atlas base. Like past versions, kills result in money which is used to purchase more weapons and ammunition around the base and in a new twist, players can become infected and need to locate and use a station to cure the infection.

The base is large and more detailed than players may be used to, and when you die, you must venture back into the base to obtain a new Exo Suit. Your past weapons can be obtained by finding the spot where you died, and like before, the game ends when all four players have become incapacitated as there is nobody left to revive you.

The Zombies also have some great new abilities and detail to them that I will not reveal here and leave it as something for players to discover on their own.

Havoc is a solid first effort that was marred for me only by the lack of online games and having some issues with maps not loading properly. Aside from that which has been much better in recent days, Havoc is a very fun and enjoyable collection which does offer new enjoyment and options for fans looking for new challenges.

http://sknr.net/2015/03/08/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-havoc-dlc/
  
IC
It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken
Greg Behrendt | 2005 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
All right let me first say that I am so not a self help book kind of person. I mean at all...ever! Then the most surreal experience of my life happened. My boyfriend of almost 10 years (yup, YEARS) went on a "business trip" for a week. I texted & called to no avail. While he was gone I cried, cleaned, & cried some more. Then I thought, "Wait! You can't even call me? Well f@$% you!"
A friend saw pictures of this "business trip" that apparently involved a beach front hotel & a blonde girl who just happened to let her tongue slip down his throat. I confronted him when he finally got home & needless to say he's history. But that didn't change the fact that I was scared, sad, hurt, & confused. I was pissed but handling it pretty well considering. But I also felt the need to commiserate with someone who got it. This book did just that.
It offered me a bit of a kick in the ass when I needed it but it also gave me some good laughs too. Not to mention really forced me to wrap my head around things I had been turning a blind eye to for years. It didn't tame itself too seriously but at the same time it was not all cheerleading either. I bought it on a whim on my Nook because I felt like I needed something to hold on to that wasn't his neck! It did the trick. By all means I don't feel over it but I sure as hell have some great ideas on how to get myself on that path. That was what I was looking for at the time.
  
TL
The Language of Secrets
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Justin Fisher was just an ordinary guy—he was a manager of a hotel, married with a son, and a great future ahead of him. But he decides that he must go back to his home, because he hasn’t spoken with his family in years.

When he arrives, his parents are dead—and his gravestone is beside theirs.

Justin embarks on an amazing terrifying journey of mystery, self discovery, and secrets to try to fix his broken past—or at least figure out who he is.

The Language of Secrets was powerful, ironic, and profound. I was instantly swept away by Dixon’s prose and illustrations. My jaw literally dropped as I read the opening paragraphs, the writing was so fluid and descriptive. It was all written in third person, but switched perspectives every few chapters.

Near the middle I felt like I was in the middle of two separate stories, and I wasn’t sure how they connected, but I knew they did because they were about the same characters. Watching the story unfold in almost a mystery-novel way was incredible: it was a complex series of events woven together expertly so that you can’t even find the seams.

I loved the ending. The Language of Secrets finishes up the story, concludes it, leaves you satisfied, and then throws something at you in the very last paragraph of the very last chapter that you didn’t expect. It sent my eyebrows to the ceiling and my jaw to the floor. I think my eyeballs are still rolling around on the ground somewhere.

The Language of Secrets was amazing—it’s staying on my shelf for a definite re-read.

Content: medium language, some violence, mention of sex but no details, mention of rape but no details.

Recommendation: Ages 16+
  
40x40

Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Hunted in Books

Apr 9, 2019  
Hunted
Hunted
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Thank you to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Detective Scarlett Fry is taking a much needed vacation with her husband in Spain, but she just can't seem to escape work. When two dead bodies are discovered in the room across from hers, she has to find out what happened. But this isn't her jurisdiction, so she continues her vacation, but it's hard to get it out of her mind. Upon returning home, she gets a case of a murdered man and a missing family. Ironically her case at home and the murders in Spain are connected. Will she be able to find the killer or killers and will she be able to find the missing family?

This is the first book I have read by Dominique L. Watson, but I will definitely read more. I'm really looking forward to reading Murder for Justice, which is the first Scarlett Fry book. I devoured this book in a few days.

Detective Scarlett Fry can't seem to get a break. Even on vacation, as a homicide detective, work seem to fall at her feet. Or right across the hall from her hotel room in Spain. She could never imagine that thousands of miles away in her jurisdiction, a murder was taking place there as well. And a kidnapping. I was on the edge of my seat as Fry traveled the southwest part of the country from San Diego, California to small town Arizona hunting the killer. Twists and turns all along the way make this book very hard to put down. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a great fast paced thriller.