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Dice Forge
Dice Forge
2017 | Ancient, Dice Game, Fantasy
Dice are customizable. (3 more)
Components are nice.
Game has short play time.
Everyone rolls on everyone's turn. Results in little to no downtime.
Dice sides are hard to get off if the game is new. (1 more)
Almost no distinct difference between which die is for sun and which is for moon. Very hard to tell the color difference.
Most Interesting Dice Game I've Played
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+
Time: 45 minutes

Dice: Guys they are customizable!!! Each side of the dice comes off! You can change them. It's so cool. As you play you have to strategize which die to put your new sides on. Which sides to buy with your gold, and think about what your chances are for rolling that side a lot to benefit you the most. I mean they are basically lego dice. It's amazing.
Componemts: The dice are solid but roll a little different than normal dice. You really have to give them a good roll. If you just lasily through them, sometimes they just end up on the same side it was already on because they are larger and heavier than normal smaller dice.
Play Time: 45 minutes is what it says on the box. If you are just playing the game, acurrate. But if you have to teach the game too. It takes longer. The longest part of teaching the game i found is the cards. The gameplay has a simple flow but the cards are all just symbols and I found I needed the reference guide in the rulebook closeby almost every time I play. The symbols just don't explain enough for each card.
Downtime between turns: There is little to none. On your turn, everyone rolls and then the active player may buy new dice sides or buy a card. The only waiting is for the active player to strategize in what they want to buy. But you can be thinking of that on their turns as well.
  
Cobra Kai - Season One
Cobra Kai - Season One
2018 | Action, Drama
loved seeing the same actors playing classic characters (0 more)
Was a bit predictable at times (0 more)
Cobra Kai Never Dies!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I left watching this series until i was closer to the third series release date and i watched this over two nights and loved it. It was great to see Ralph Macchio and William Zabka back playing the iconic characters we all either loved and hated. I found myself immediately feeling sorry for Johnny and found Daniel a bit full of himself in the first episode but as the series progressed you could tell Daniel needed to find his way back to Mr Miyagi's teachings. But the back story of Johnny Lawrence was heart breaking at times and made me feel compassion for his character and like a character that was the villian over thirty years ago. I found the end scene between Robbie and Miguel a bit predictable but it made sense as it introduced the characters and the history of the show to people who had maybe never seen the original movies. Plus the tribute episode to Pat Morita who played Mr Miyagi was beautiful but was cleverly tied into the story arc of Daniel trying to find his way back to the right path. Overall this was a great first season which set up season two perfectly.
  
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Merissa (11953 KP) rated Little Tree in Books

Dec 8, 2018  
Little Tree
Little Tree
Rafe Jadison | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Little Tree by Rafe Jadison
Little Tree is a beauty of a book. Seasonal in that it takes place just before Christmas, this book is primarily a second-chance romance. Jared was a fool, and has paid the price. David was hurt, but carried on with his life. These two have baggage to contend with, and Jared can only hope that a past hurt won't take over the promise of a future.

I found this book to be 'sweeter' than the others by this author I have read. It was less eroticism, and more sensual. It was a delight to read, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. I loved both main characters, although I did want to whomp Jared around the head when we found out about his past! You could see it as lost opportunities, but I prefer to think the experiences will just have made these two fit together even better.

The characters are well-defined, and the situation the same. There are no doubts about this book, apart from whether they will end up together again or not. I'll leave that to you to find out! All I can say, is this is a great addition to Rafe Jadison's repertoire, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word. Absolutely recommended by me.

* 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!
  
PA
Performance Anomalies
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well after reading Performance Anomalies I'd have to say that Victor Robert Lee has created an interesting new male lead in the spy genre with his Cono character. Cono is gifted with lighting fast processing skills & reflexes which he uses to help out various international interests. You can't help but feel for Cono & his drifting life style. But I also found myself disliking him too...he seems to flit through life without laws. He is an interesting blend of personalities. I look forward to seeing how Lee decides to expand the character & the series.
  
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)
C.S. Lewis | 1952 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
8.3 (23 Ratings)
Book Rating
Depending on which version of reading order you go by, this is either the 3rd book in the Narnian chronicles (publication order), or the 5th (by setting) and, personally, I found not to be as engaging as the previous 4 I'd read (going by setting).

I think this is also the last time any of the Pevensie children ever travel to Narnia, with the whole plot - concerning, as the title says, the Voyage of Prince (now King) Caspian's ship - owing more than a faint nod to Homer's Odyssey!
  
MO
Midwife on Call: Tales of Tiny Miracles
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the memoir of Agnes Light, a woman with a very strong passion for her working life. It's a story of her journey through life as a community midwife. This isn't the usual sort of book that I would pick up as I've never really thought about childbirth or the jobs of doctors and midwives. Since I am expecting my first baby I thought I would try and get some information, I've been trying self help books but have found them a bit too clinical and impersonal so I thought I would give this memoir a go. I was pleasantly surprised when I finished this...I really enjoyed it. I found the attitudes towards patients and staff within the NHS in the 60s to be fascinating compared to what it is like now. I knew it was different but just not how different. Agnes' journey was a brilliant read as it was like being in the room with these women as they gave birth, I felt really involved, emotionally and mentally. Some of her stories were heartwarming and filled with joy yet others were devastating and full of heartbreak. The reader is taken to both sides of the spectrum of midwifery, no stone left unturned. I like Agnes' attitude and outspokenness, she wasn't afraid to speak up for the rights of her patients. The only thing that grated on me a little bit was that she kept mentioning how open minded she is, how supportive and non-judgemental she is yet at one point she spoke about a certain scenario and explained how she wouldn't do it that way and she didn't understand why these women did the opposite to her...I wouldn't say that's very open minded as she wasn't aware of all the facts. I believe if she knew fully the circumstances of some of these women then she would of understood their reasoning for doing what they did. This is why I chose to give the book 4 stars instead of 5...I had a bit of a grumble. Overall, the book is fascinating and very descriptive, it doesn't sugarcoat things and it doesn't spoon feed you excess amounts of medical jargon so a pretty easy read. I found it very emotional in some places due to the trauma some of these women had to go through, it was always fully expressed and explained in great detail and so I wouldn't recommend this book to really sensitive readers, it could be quite overbearing at times, however, I found this was necessary in order to get the reader emotionally involved. I borrowed this from the library and am very glad that I did, I will be looking for other similar stories to read.
  
Playing hurt is basically a marriage manual for men. But it's not a book on how to "win" the game of marriage against your wife: it's how to win with your wife. It's not how to change your wife so you can be happier: It's on how to change yourself so you can better glorify God through beautifying your wife.

I am, obviously, not a man. So you may be thinking "Haley, why are you reading a men's marriage book?"

well I've got a few answers:

1. I'm a writer, and I like reading things from a man's perspective so I can better write from their perspectives.

2. I'm hoping to get married one day, and it would be nice to understand how my husband thinks.

3. If I understand the ways women usually hurt men and understand men's weaknesses, I can avoid hurting my husband and support him in his weaknesses.

So those are the reasons I personally read this book. I found a lot of good information, and I got to see the other side of the relationship.

Recommendation: I definitely recommend Playing Hurt to men, but their wives can get something out of it as well. Sometimes as women we don't understand that we've hurt our man. But our words cut deeper than we know. It reminds me a lot of For Men Only and For Women Only (very good books by the way!).
  
The Secret Admirer (Detective Natalie Ward Book 6)
The Secret Admirer (Detective Natalie Ward Book 6)
Carol Wyer | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
6th book in the series. Read the other 1st. Worth it.
‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

The Secret Admirer is the 6th book in Carol Wyer's Detective Natalie Ward series. I enjoyed books 1 - 4 and was surprised to learn I had missed the 5th, The Blossom Twins. I read it before beginning this and I am so glad I did.

Detective Natalie Ward is immediately thrust into a case after she returns to work. A student is found dead from an acid attack. As Ward has learned, everyone has secrets. Now, she has to uncover the secrets surrounding Gemma and her murder.

All of the books in the series focus on a crime and the police team's interactions with each other and with their home life. This book continues the storyline well. Ward's family, the team and their families continue to be a large presence in the story.

Often, I will say you could start the series with the current book but you would not understand the characters as well. This is true here but Wyer brings the characters to life in such a way it feels she is writing about real people. I strongly encourage you to read the whole series and start at the beginning. You will be in for a great read.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 4/2/2020.
  
CB
Chasing Brooklyn
8
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Brooklyn's boyfriend Lucca died, and then her friend, Gabe, went off the edge because of it and died soon after. And now Gabe is scaring her in her dreams. Nico is being haunted by his brother Lucca, who is constantly telling him to help Brooklyn. But Brooklyn won't talk. Brooklyn is empty, and broken, and terrified. Nico has no choice but to chase after her if he wants to rescue her and let Lucca rest in peace. Then Nico begins to see why Lucca fell in love with her in the first place.

I liked Chasing Brooklyn more than I liked I Heart You, You Haunt Me. I think it was because there was another character involved that I liked. Nico was a great character. I still thought the ghosts interacting with the humans was a little over the top, but it wasn't as bad as IHYYHM. There was one aspect that could have been more developed, but for the sake of spoilers I won't explain in detail. Basically I wanted a little more direction out of her haunted dreams. But all in all, I tore through this book very fast, I enjoyed it, and I found myself re-reading sections. It had a good plot, great characters, and a wonderful ending.
  
A Bride in the Bargain
A Bride in the Bargain
10
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I couldn’t’ help but fall in love with this one. With Gist, it’s hit or miss with me, and this one definitely hit. I love nothing than a good historical romance, and this is definitely a favorite.

I first fell in love with the characters. Determined and hardworking, Joe and Anna both have their own plans and try to use each other to accomplish them. However, Anna’s plans contradict Joe’s and they are thrown into quite.

I then fell in love with the world Gist conveyed through her talented writing. She has a way of taking you back into that time and making you part of that world.

Normally, I would find the plot interesting all, but Gist had me interested. I think it was because I was so caught up in Joe, Anna, and their problems that I forgot to be bored with a plot that normally wouldn’t do anything for me. Instead, I found myself rooting for Anna and Joe not only as a couple but as people.

Gist always has to through a wrench into things to make them interesting. I could have kicked her for it this novel, but the fact that she gave me an ending I was happy with made it for it. Maybe.