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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Anne Boleyn: A Kings Obsession (Six Tudor Queens #2) in Books
Oct 10, 2021
165 of 250
Book
Anne Boleyn:A Kings Obsession (Six Tudor Queens book 2)
By Alison Weir
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by bestselling historian Alison Weir, author of Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen, is the second captivating novel in the Six Tudor Queens series. An unforgettable portrait of the ambitious woman whose fate we know all too well, but whose true motivations may surprise you. Essential reading for fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick.
'Offers a spellbinding solution to the mystery of Anne's true nature . . . Enthralling' Sarah Gristwood
The young woman who changed the course of history.
Fresh from the palaces of Burgundy and France, Anne draws attention at the English court, embracing the play of courtly love.
But when the King commands, nothing is ever a game.
Anne has a spirit worthy of a crown - and the crown is what she seeks. At any price.
ANNE BOLEYN. The second of Henry's Queens. Her story.
History tells us why she died. This powerful novel shows her as she lived.
I absolutely love how this author writes! I was hooked from the start with this book. Anne Boleyn is one of those women who started with such good intentions but then became all dark and twisted! I have zero sympathy for how her life played out but found her story totally captivating. This is definitely a series worth reading!
Book
Anne Boleyn:A Kings Obsession (Six Tudor Queens book 2)
By Alison Weir
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by bestselling historian Alison Weir, author of Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen, is the second captivating novel in the Six Tudor Queens series. An unforgettable portrait of the ambitious woman whose fate we know all too well, but whose true motivations may surprise you. Essential reading for fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick.
'Offers a spellbinding solution to the mystery of Anne's true nature . . . Enthralling' Sarah Gristwood
The young woman who changed the course of history.
Fresh from the palaces of Burgundy and France, Anne draws attention at the English court, embracing the play of courtly love.
But when the King commands, nothing is ever a game.
Anne has a spirit worthy of a crown - and the crown is what she seeks. At any price.
ANNE BOLEYN. The second of Henry's Queens. Her story.
History tells us why she died. This powerful novel shows her as she lived.
I absolutely love how this author writes! I was hooked from the start with this book. Anne Boleyn is one of those women who started with such good intentions but then became all dark and twisted! I have zero sympathy for how her life played out but found her story totally captivating. This is definitely a series worth reading!
Lindsay (1717 KP) rated Ava and Aaron's Easter Story in Rhyme (Mariana Books Rhyming #9) in Books
May 9, 2022
Another sweet Easter story I found. This one is about Ava and Aaron Easter. The Easter story is something I haven't seen in a children's book yet. Children will learn some teachable moments and learn about teamwork. There is rhyming throughout the book, and this is book nine in the series. Suppose you remember Ava and Aaron's, Christmas Story. Well, this is the third book about them. Only this one is about their Easter.
Will Ava and Aaron learn to take turns and help find each other out to find all five Easter eggs for their team? Children will love reading and learning to read as well. Throughout the book, there is strong teamwork, with Aaron and Ava working to solve the clues.
There may be some fun and enjoyable idea for parents to come up with for the Easter hunt or another way to celebrate Easter with the children and learn about teamwork. What Easter ideas or fun things can your child or children come up to do with others and learn about teamwork?
Children can learn to read with this rhyming story. What adventure did Ava and Aaron go on? Will they win their contest? I hope they enjoy and see that having fun is better than winning. This book does focus on teamwork and solving the clues. Can your child or children solve the clue to find the hidden easter eggs?
Will Ava and Aaron learn to take turns and help find each other out to find all five Easter eggs for their team? Children will love reading and learning to read as well. Throughout the book, there is strong teamwork, with Aaron and Ava working to solve the clues.
There may be some fun and enjoyable idea for parents to come up with for the Easter hunt or another way to celebrate Easter with the children and learn about teamwork. What Easter ideas or fun things can your child or children come up to do with others and learn about teamwork?
Children can learn to read with this rhyming story. What adventure did Ava and Aaron go on? Will they win their contest? I hope they enjoy and see that having fun is better than winning. This book does focus on teamwork and solving the clues. Can your child or children solve the clue to find the hidden easter eggs?
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Vendarla in Tabletop Games
Oct 6, 2020
The kobolds and dragons have taken over the mountain that once belonged to the noble dwarves in this land. The Queen has decided it’s time to take it back. She needs as many fine-crafted armory items as possible using the materials found in the mountain, but she will be pleased with the first craftsperson to finish three of them for her army. Are you prepared to brave the mountain’s dangers in order to secure the materials needed to craft her required items, or will the dragons and kobolds prove too difficult for you to overcome? This is Vendarla.
Vendarla is a press-your-luck, hand management, set collection card game where players are working against one another to collect the proper materials to craft three Queen’s Armory items while avoiding kobold warriors and thieves, as well as several dragons guarding the mountain.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components may be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to back the game through the upcoming Kickstarter campaign, order from your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, follow the rulebook advice for your number of players, but generally Vendarla will be setup on the table in different areas: the Market, the Mountain, the Queen’s Armory, and the gold stash. Each player will receive five gold, and their choice of either two or three (depending on play count) Queen’s Armory items to begin working on during the game. Determine first player by giving the dragon token, shown below, to the player who most recently watched a dragon movie and the game is ready to begin!
On their turn a player will choose whether to visit the Market or the Mountain. When a player visits the Market, they may choose to purchase any previously sold materials, sell their own materials, purchase items for use in mountain runs, or exchange Queen’s Armory item cards.
Should the player instead wish to visit the Mountain, they will flip over a mountain card from the giant stack of mountain cards and decide how to continue. If a material card was flipped, the player may choose to take that card or continue flipping cards. This action can be replicated until up to 10 cards have been flipped. The active player will then need to choose a card (or two if they have a Backpack equipped) to place face-up in their play area. Each other player at the table, in player order, will then be allowed to take a material or gold card from the flipped offering by paying the active player one gold.
Should the active player flip over a second kobold warrior for the turn, they must stop flipping unless they had previously purchased from the market a kobold repellent or Ironsides (dwarven warrior) to combat it. If the kobold warrior, or the kobold thief for that matter, is overcome by ANY player then the active player may continue flipping cards from the mountain. Should the player flip a dragon card over, they may use a previously purchased Dragon Charm to charm the dragon back to sleep or taking the dragon card into their play area and suffering a negative 10 points at game end.
Play continues in this fashion of active player visiting the Market to take actions for themselves only, or visiting the Mountain to excavate materials to be used to craft their Queen’s Armory items and opponents also being able to follow the action using their flipped materials. Once a player has the proper materials to craft their Queen’s Armory items on their turn, they may, and the player who crafts their third item will trigger the end of the game. Players will finish the turn, count up their points and a winner will be declared!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so what we were provided may or may not be the same as the final version of the game. That said, this game is a ton of cards, and some gold coins. The card are fine quality, but I would probably want to sleeve them, as they are handled a bit and are a little thin. The gold coins are thick cardboard and look great. Speaking of looking great, the art in Vendarla is really really good. I love the art style used and the colors are vibrant and lovely. Though I had no problems with the iconography, my wife did a few times. Luckily, handy reference cards are included and that solved any questions we had with iconography. All in all the components are good, and the game looks great.
The “flip cards until you have to stop, choose to stop, or flip over something bad” is a mechanic that is used in many games, and in Vendarla I truly enjoy it because for every “bad” card another card may be able to neutralize it. And the best part about that is the neutralizing card can come from ANY player. Why would someone want to lull the dragon back to sleep on someone else’s turn? Well perhaps a material was flipped that they need to complete an item craft and they want to make sure they have a chance to get it for one measly coin. I love that. I also love games that include ways for other players to be involved in each turn taken. This isn’t a “multiplayer solitaire” game. Yeah you could go to the restroom during other players’ turns, but you may miss out on that elusive gem you need for your items.
I found that playing this I had to find a good balance between keeping my Market items stocked and going to the Mountain to grab materials. There may be several turns in a row, especially in the beginning of the game, where your turns are just flipping over a kobold warrior for which you are unprepared to handle and forfeiting your turn, but as the game progresses you will be hopefully be outfitting yourself appropriately.
While this game seems very involved and you may think there are many tiny rules when reading the rulebook, it plays really quickly. In my two-player games with my wife the games were 30 minutes or less, INCLUDING the teach the first time.
So even though I have a prototype copy of the game, I will certainly be holding onto this one and pulling it out quite a bit. When you can get a great play experience out of 30 minutes and feel like you did something interesting, I feel that’s a sign of a great game. If you are looking for a game that fills a hole in your collection (or even want to replace Port Royal, as I did), please check out the Kickstarter campaign for Vendarla launching October 27, 2020. If you like fantasy themed card games with press your luck and set collection, this one is for you!
Vendarla is a press-your-luck, hand management, set collection card game where players are working against one another to collect the proper materials to craft three Queen’s Armory items while avoiding kobold warriors and thieves, as well as several dragons guarding the mountain.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components may be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to back the game through the upcoming Kickstarter campaign, order from your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, follow the rulebook advice for your number of players, but generally Vendarla will be setup on the table in different areas: the Market, the Mountain, the Queen’s Armory, and the gold stash. Each player will receive five gold, and their choice of either two or three (depending on play count) Queen’s Armory items to begin working on during the game. Determine first player by giving the dragon token, shown below, to the player who most recently watched a dragon movie and the game is ready to begin!
On their turn a player will choose whether to visit the Market or the Mountain. When a player visits the Market, they may choose to purchase any previously sold materials, sell their own materials, purchase items for use in mountain runs, or exchange Queen’s Armory item cards.
Should the player instead wish to visit the Mountain, they will flip over a mountain card from the giant stack of mountain cards and decide how to continue. If a material card was flipped, the player may choose to take that card or continue flipping cards. This action can be replicated until up to 10 cards have been flipped. The active player will then need to choose a card (or two if they have a Backpack equipped) to place face-up in their play area. Each other player at the table, in player order, will then be allowed to take a material or gold card from the flipped offering by paying the active player one gold.
Should the active player flip over a second kobold warrior for the turn, they must stop flipping unless they had previously purchased from the market a kobold repellent or Ironsides (dwarven warrior) to combat it. If the kobold warrior, or the kobold thief for that matter, is overcome by ANY player then the active player may continue flipping cards from the mountain. Should the player flip a dragon card over, they may use a previously purchased Dragon Charm to charm the dragon back to sleep or taking the dragon card into their play area and suffering a negative 10 points at game end.
Play continues in this fashion of active player visiting the Market to take actions for themselves only, or visiting the Mountain to excavate materials to be used to craft their Queen’s Armory items and opponents also being able to follow the action using their flipped materials. Once a player has the proper materials to craft their Queen’s Armory items on their turn, they may, and the player who crafts their third item will trigger the end of the game. Players will finish the turn, count up their points and a winner will be declared!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, so what we were provided may or may not be the same as the final version of the game. That said, this game is a ton of cards, and some gold coins. The card are fine quality, but I would probably want to sleeve them, as they are handled a bit and are a little thin. The gold coins are thick cardboard and look great. Speaking of looking great, the art in Vendarla is really really good. I love the art style used and the colors are vibrant and lovely. Though I had no problems with the iconography, my wife did a few times. Luckily, handy reference cards are included and that solved any questions we had with iconography. All in all the components are good, and the game looks great.
The “flip cards until you have to stop, choose to stop, or flip over something bad” is a mechanic that is used in many games, and in Vendarla I truly enjoy it because for every “bad” card another card may be able to neutralize it. And the best part about that is the neutralizing card can come from ANY player. Why would someone want to lull the dragon back to sleep on someone else’s turn? Well perhaps a material was flipped that they need to complete an item craft and they want to make sure they have a chance to get it for one measly coin. I love that. I also love games that include ways for other players to be involved in each turn taken. This isn’t a “multiplayer solitaire” game. Yeah you could go to the restroom during other players’ turns, but you may miss out on that elusive gem you need for your items.
I found that playing this I had to find a good balance between keeping my Market items stocked and going to the Mountain to grab materials. There may be several turns in a row, especially in the beginning of the game, where your turns are just flipping over a kobold warrior for which you are unprepared to handle and forfeiting your turn, but as the game progresses you will be hopefully be outfitting yourself appropriately.
While this game seems very involved and you may think there are many tiny rules when reading the rulebook, it plays really quickly. In my two-player games with my wife the games were 30 minutes or less, INCLUDING the teach the first time.
So even though I have a prototype copy of the game, I will certainly be holding onto this one and pulling it out quite a bit. When you can get a great play experience out of 30 minutes and feel like you did something interesting, I feel that’s a sign of a great game. If you are looking for a game that fills a hole in your collection (or even want to replace Port Royal, as I did), please check out the Kickstarter campaign for Vendarla launching October 27, 2020. If you like fantasy themed card games with press your luck and set collection, this one is for you!
Merissa (11958 KP) rated Secrets In Shadows (Shadow Creek #1) in Books
Aug 11, 2017
Secrets In Shadows (Shadow Creek #1) by Leah Blake
Secrets in Shadows is the first book in the Shadow Creek series, and it starts with a bang! Rex is held within what could be a vicious circle - his father didn't want to be a wolf, so concentrated on fitting in with the human world and passed no information onto his family. Unfortunately, that meant that Rex and his brother grew up knowing very little about what it means, and how to survive. When they are attacked, they head for the only sanctuary they know. It is here that Rex learns just how bratty he has been, and figures out what he must do to change. I'm glad he figured it out, because he was a pain to begin with! Devon is the strong, silent type, and doesn't want a mate, let alone someone like Rex. However, that doesn't stop him from helping Rex when some hyenas get out of hand.
Being the first book, there is a lot to take in as you figure out a new world, new rules, new wars. It never feels like an info-dump though, and is spread out throughout the book. With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, I was engrossed with the story and found the pacing to be just right for me. I have no hesitation in recommending this book for all fans of #M_M #PNR.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Being the first book, there is a lot to take in as you figure out a new world, new rules, new wars. It never feels like an info-dump though, and is spread out throughout the book. With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, I was engrossed with the story and found the pacing to be just right for me. I have no hesitation in recommending this book for all fans of #M_M #PNR.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated Too Close: A new kind of thriller that will leave you breathless in Books
May 7, 2019
I love thrillers. I chose this one because I thought it would start out all light-hearted, heart-warming and fluffy. And it was a tale that included friendship, but the friendship the book is really about is not the one you’d expect.
After the prologue, Connie wakes up in a mental illness institution, and her dissociative amnesia means she has no idea why she has such deep cuts in her wrists, or why she has clumps of hair missing from her head. She is visited by only one family member and the reader is left wondering why.
As the book progresses, you learn about Connie’s friend Vanessa, and how she gently edged her way in to the life of Connie and her family. A friendship and closeness that led to Connie’s ruin.
Throughout the book, Connie is completely disinhibited. Connie’s therapist is Dr Emma Robinson, and Connie meets her with wise-cracking wit and banter. The press is against Connie, but Dr Robinson is quite taken with her, seeing her strength and her despair. A friendship forms.
There is an unexpected twist in the tale about the halfway mark, and another twist at about the three-quarter (no spoilers!)
By the end of the book, Dr Robinson uses hypnotherapy and Connie has a break-through. Dr Robinson succeeds in her work, and the events of that fateful night are unabashedly told.
Connie does not recover though, and in her letters to Dr Robinson, Connie reveals that the crux of the matter was never friendship after all, but something else entirely (no spoilers!)
I was very entertained by this book and found the ending thought provoking.
After the prologue, Connie wakes up in a mental illness institution, and her dissociative amnesia means she has no idea why she has such deep cuts in her wrists, or why she has clumps of hair missing from her head. She is visited by only one family member and the reader is left wondering why.
As the book progresses, you learn about Connie’s friend Vanessa, and how she gently edged her way in to the life of Connie and her family. A friendship and closeness that led to Connie’s ruin.
Throughout the book, Connie is completely disinhibited. Connie’s therapist is Dr Emma Robinson, and Connie meets her with wise-cracking wit and banter. The press is against Connie, but Dr Robinson is quite taken with her, seeing her strength and her despair. A friendship forms.
There is an unexpected twist in the tale about the halfway mark, and another twist at about the three-quarter (no spoilers!)
By the end of the book, Dr Robinson uses hypnotherapy and Connie has a break-through. Dr Robinson succeeds in her work, and the events of that fateful night are unabashedly told.
Connie does not recover though, and in her letters to Dr Robinson, Connie reveals that the crux of the matter was never friendship after all, but something else entirely (no spoilers!)
I was very entertained by this book and found the ending thought provoking.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken (2017) in Movies
Mar 23, 2020
Interesting but possibly contradictory
I loved the first Super Size Me, it may not have put me off McDonald's for life but it really made me think and really highlighted a point with how bad fast food is for you. I was intrigued to see what Morgan Spurlock had come with up next, but I found it a little lacking.
The concept behind this documentary is Morgan opening his own fast food chicken restaurant, and shows him from the beginnings of owning his own chicken farm to the restaurants grand opening. It really opene my eyes to what does into chicken farming and production (at least in the US) and it really is a disturbing watch at times. Some of the things that chicken companies are allowed to do and label food is crazy and the way they treat their chicken farmer is awful. Spurlock doesn’t shy away from showing all of these bad bits and because of this it’s an intriguing and interesting watch, even if it’s a little difficult to stomach. My problem is that by the end, whilst I can understand why Spurlock wanted to open his own chicken restaurant to highlight the major issues with this type of food and production, it seemed a little bit lacking in direction and rather pointless - regardless of his message, it almost seemed to me like he was contributing to the problem and encouraging people to eat this chicken, even if he was showing them the truth behind it at the same time. Maybe I’m just being a biased and stuck up vegetarian, but it seemed a little contradictory to me.
The concept behind this documentary is Morgan opening his own fast food chicken restaurant, and shows him from the beginnings of owning his own chicken farm to the restaurants grand opening. It really opene my eyes to what does into chicken farming and production (at least in the US) and it really is a disturbing watch at times. Some of the things that chicken companies are allowed to do and label food is crazy and the way they treat their chicken farmer is awful. Spurlock doesn’t shy away from showing all of these bad bits and because of this it’s an intriguing and interesting watch, even if it’s a little difficult to stomach. My problem is that by the end, whilst I can understand why Spurlock wanted to open his own chicken restaurant to highlight the major issues with this type of food and production, it seemed a little bit lacking in direction and rather pointless - regardless of his message, it almost seemed to me like he was contributing to the problem and encouraging people to eat this chicken, even if he was showing them the truth behind it at the same time. Maybe I’m just being a biased and stuck up vegetarian, but it seemed a little contradictory to me.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Nails (2017) in Movies
May 12, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
If you’re looking for a film packed with clichés and continuity issues, I recommend Nails – an Irish film currently available on Netflix. I ended up watching it yesterday with my sister-in-law and while it isn’t absolutely awful, it was definitely something I won’t be watching again.
The movie begins with a bam, jumping immediately into what can be read in the above synopsis. There’s not much of a build up and the characters are awfully flat. In fact, we don’t really get much of a chance to learn anything about them other than that Dana Milgrom, the main character, is helpless and dismissed by her healthcare professionals, and Steve Milgrom is a cheating asshole (because hey, what movie does that not happen in?). There’s also a daughter, and while she plays a major role toward the end of the film, she’s fairly minor otherwise.
What bothers me most about Nails isn’t its dry characters, though. The film is riddled with continuity errors. For instance, Dana is struck by a car and hits the pavement, but her face appears to have been severely burnt after the fact. Also Dana’s broken arm somehow heals faster than her face. Similarly, her stitches don’t lighten up or begin to heal. Later, there’s a scene where she’s tossed haphazardly over a wheelchair, then magically has repositioned herself.
As for clichés, here’s a list of them:
-Creepy scenes accompanied with ear shattering music
-Borderline creeper psychiatrist
-Eric Nilsson is an “angel of mercy” that killed five children then, surprise, killed himself in the same room Dana just happens to be stuck in.
-Hospital has a prior nefarious history and record of poor choices
Steve’s affair
-The dismissal of Dana’s concerns as being a mental issue (though this does have some importance when you consider the current mental health battles, it is hugely overplayed in horror movies without actually addressing the issue itself)
This is just a short compilation of issues I found with the movie. It’s one saving grace really is the type of monster being radically different from what you usually see. I felt Nails, the entity itself, was unique enough to save this movie from a one skull rating. Nonetheless, it could have been a lot better.
The movie begins with a bam, jumping immediately into what can be read in the above synopsis. There’s not much of a build up and the characters are awfully flat. In fact, we don’t really get much of a chance to learn anything about them other than that Dana Milgrom, the main character, is helpless and dismissed by her healthcare professionals, and Steve Milgrom is a cheating asshole (because hey, what movie does that not happen in?). There’s also a daughter, and while she plays a major role toward the end of the film, she’s fairly minor otherwise.
What bothers me most about Nails isn’t its dry characters, though. The film is riddled with continuity errors. For instance, Dana is struck by a car and hits the pavement, but her face appears to have been severely burnt after the fact. Also Dana’s broken arm somehow heals faster than her face. Similarly, her stitches don’t lighten up or begin to heal. Later, there’s a scene where she’s tossed haphazardly over a wheelchair, then magically has repositioned herself.
As for clichés, here’s a list of them:
-Creepy scenes accompanied with ear shattering music
-Borderline creeper psychiatrist
-Eric Nilsson is an “angel of mercy” that killed five children then, surprise, killed himself in the same room Dana just happens to be stuck in.
-Hospital has a prior nefarious history and record of poor choices
Steve’s affair
-The dismissal of Dana’s concerns as being a mental issue (though this does have some importance when you consider the current mental health battles, it is hugely overplayed in horror movies without actually addressing the issue itself)
This is just a short compilation of issues I found with the movie. It’s one saving grace really is the type of monster being radically different from what you usually see. I felt Nails, the entity itself, was unique enough to save this movie from a one skull rating. Nonetheless, it could have been a lot better.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Transformist of the Heart and Soul in Books
Jan 6, 2021
Wonderful Self-help poetry journa
Transformist of the Heart and Soul by Melinda George is a self help journal mixed with a poetry book.
Follow one woman, possibly yourself through a discovery of self-love. Find acceptance and move on from damaging relationships with the aid of twelve heartfelt poems from someone who appears to have felt the same pain.
Once you feel ready the journal side of the book asks readers to write their thoughts in the form of poetry and to create daily mantras. For those wanting more you can create a 24 day gratitude list and write love letters to yourself. For the final aspect of the journal readers (or should I say writers) can glue or tape in images or since the squares are black use a white colored pencil to draw in ideas.
The poems are touching and probably relatable for a large number of people, as sad as that is. I also enjoyed how compact the book is, it is small enough to fin in a purse, backpack, or suitcase without taking up too much room. This book is more of a journal than an actual book. Only twelve poems are found in the 79 page book. The back of the book dose say it is a self-empowerment journal inspired by poem, but I wish there were more poems in it. It also would have been nice if the journal had some more specific writing prompts in it.
This book is directed mostly towards women. Specifically it seems to focus on someone leaving or recovering from a bad relationship. Readers should be prepared to or have a need to expose their hear and soul at least to themselves, which can be a painful process. I rate this book 3 out of 4. Over all the book/journal is very nice. I just with it had more poems and better/more specific writing prompts. The size of the book is nice for people on the go so they can write whenever they feel the inspiration.
Transformist of the Heart and Soul | Book| Austin Macauley Publishers USA
Follow one woman, possibly yourself through a discovery of self-love. Find acceptance and move on from damaging relationships with the aid of twelve heartfelt poems from someone who appears to have felt the same pain.
Once you feel ready the journal side of the book asks readers to write their thoughts in the form of poetry and to create daily mantras. For those wanting more you can create a 24 day gratitude list and write love letters to yourself. For the final aspect of the journal readers (or should I say writers) can glue or tape in images or since the squares are black use a white colored pencil to draw in ideas.
The poems are touching and probably relatable for a large number of people, as sad as that is. I also enjoyed how compact the book is, it is small enough to fin in a purse, backpack, or suitcase without taking up too much room. This book is more of a journal than an actual book. Only twelve poems are found in the 79 page book. The back of the book dose say it is a self-empowerment journal inspired by poem, but I wish there were more poems in it. It also would have been nice if the journal had some more specific writing prompts in it.
This book is directed mostly towards women. Specifically it seems to focus on someone leaving or recovering from a bad relationship. Readers should be prepared to or have a need to expose their hear and soul at least to themselves, which can be a painful process. I rate this book 3 out of 4. Over all the book/journal is very nice. I just with it had more poems and better/more specific writing prompts. The size of the book is nice for people on the go so they can write whenever they feel the inspiration.
Transformist of the Heart and Soul | Book| Austin Macauley Publishers USA
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Pretty Little Wife in Books
Jan 7, 2021
Slow to start, but ultimately an intriguing and unique thriller
Lila Ridgefield's husband is missing. A beloved high school teacher, his boss, colleagues, and brother cannot believe that Aaron Payne would just disappear. He's certainly not the type to simply not show up for work one day. As for his wife, Lila is known more for her cold and quiet demeanor (and, let's be honest, her beauty). She's also pretty confused, because the last time she saw Aaron, she was rather convinced she was looking at his dead body. So where's his car she left behind--and the body? Investigator Ginny Davis is called to look into Aaron's disappearance. At first it seems unrelated to that of a missing local student. But the more Ginny digs, the more she starts to wonder. And the more Lila digs, the more she fears her husband is still alive.
"Despite all her careful planning, he was gone. She had to find Aaron before he found her."
Well, this was quite a book. The beginning was a bit slow for me--it took too long to get to the exciting part, and it was repetitive. It felt like bits and pieces were rehashed over and over. I wanted to shake Lila and tell her to get on with it!
But, once everything gets moving, this is quite an exciting thriller. The last fourth of the story especially is incredibly electrifying and, for the most part, keeps you guessing. (I had a decent idea about whodunnit, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment at all.) I loved the concept of a mystery where the woman kills her husband, yet the main story is, surprise: he disappears anyway. The dynamic between cunning Lila, whom you're never sure you can trust, and Ginny, who is a straightforward and honest investigator, is excellent. I enjoy a book with strong female protagonists and these two are excellent.
Overall, even though this dragged for a bit, it's certainly worth a read. For one thing, it's different, which is so refreshing in the thriller genre. It's also dark, intriguing, and surprising. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 here.
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Lila Ridgefield's husband is missing. A beloved high school teacher, his boss, colleagues, and brother cannot believe that Aaron Payne would just disappear. He's certainly not the type to simply not show up for work one day. As for his wife, Lila is known more for her cold and quiet demeanor (and, let's be honest, her beauty). She's also pretty confused, because the last time she saw Aaron, she was rather convinced she was looking at his dead body. So where's his car she left behind--and the body? Investigator Ginny Davis is called to look into Aaron's disappearance. At first it seems unrelated to that of a missing local student. But the more Ginny digs, the more she starts to wonder. And the more Lila digs, the more she fears her husband is still alive.
"Despite all her careful planning, he was gone. She had to find Aaron before he found her."
Well, this was quite a book. The beginning was a bit slow for me--it took too long to get to the exciting part, and it was repetitive. It felt like bits and pieces were rehashed over and over. I wanted to shake Lila and tell her to get on with it!
But, once everything gets moving, this is quite an exciting thriller. The last fourth of the story especially is incredibly electrifying and, for the most part, keeps you guessing. (I had a decent idea about whodunnit, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment at all.) I loved the concept of a mystery where the woman kills her husband, yet the main story is, surprise: he disappears anyway. The dynamic between cunning Lila, whom you're never sure you can trust, and Ginny, who is a straightforward and honest investigator, is excellent. I enjoy a book with strong female protagonists and these two are excellent.
Overall, even though this dragged for a bit, it's certainly worth a read. For one thing, it's different, which is so refreshing in the thriller genre. It's also dark, intriguing, and surprising. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 here.
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated An Inconvenient Beauty in Books
Oct 2, 2017
Great likable characters, slow plot halfway through the second half of the novel
This book would have made an excellent movie that I would watch several times over. You can picture the characters clearly in your head and play out the scenes as they’re really well descripted and well written. What surprised me the most while reading the book was how funny it was. It’s not a laugh out loud comedy per se, but there were scenes and encounters where you found yourself laughing out loud. I thought it was different. Not all regency romance novels are like this (most are lighthearted romances) so seeing some good funny scenes is nice and puts a different spin on things. (The lawn bowling incident haha!)
Isabella and Griffith were perfect together. They had the perfect chemistry, their intelligence was on par with each other and Isabella was exactly what Griffith needed. He was all about routine, and finding the answers to everything and being prepared. Isabella was exactly the opposite; she made him question his methods, and got him to realize not everything has an answer and sometimes just going with the flow helps brighten up life. The best part was although their romance didn’t start off as usual (love at first sight, etc) it was a gradual bond that lasted throughout the book.
What I didn’t really like was although the characters were great, and the comedy bits made the plot light and fun, it didn’t do much regarding the speed and pace of the plot. It dragged midway in the plot and it seemed to have slowed to a crawl and the change of pace changed considerably.
Aside from the slow pacing in the second half of the book, I enjoyed the characters. They were fun and likable, and the comedy provided some good light moments. Although this is part of a series, this book can be read as a stand alone as well.
Isabella and Griffith were perfect together. They had the perfect chemistry, their intelligence was on par with each other and Isabella was exactly what Griffith needed. He was all about routine, and finding the answers to everything and being prepared. Isabella was exactly the opposite; she made him question his methods, and got him to realize not everything has an answer and sometimes just going with the flow helps brighten up life. The best part was although their romance didn’t start off as usual (love at first sight, etc) it was a gradual bond that lasted throughout the book.
What I didn’t really like was although the characters were great, and the comedy bits made the plot light and fun, it didn’t do much regarding the speed and pace of the plot. It dragged midway in the plot and it seemed to have slowed to a crawl and the change of pace changed considerably.
Aside from the slow pacing in the second half of the book, I enjoyed the characters. They were fun and likable, and the comedy provided some good light moments. Although this is part of a series, this book can be read as a stand alone as well.