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ArecRain (8 KP) rated The Master and the Muses in Books
Jan 18, 2018
After first reading <i> Tortured</i>, I was then taken in by <i>The Master and the Muse</i>. I was immediately interested in <i>The Master and the Muse</i> because it was a historical novel about an artist back when painting was still profitable career (for some). It goes through three different women he uses for models and his relationship with them. While <i> Tortured</i> was more about the plot line than the erotica, there was no want for erotic scenes in this book. McIntyre threw me for a loop with how detailed they were, too. Here, I wasn't expecting any heat and instead, I received full on fire.
Once more, I found myself ensnared by McIntyre's expert story telling. The world and characters she created were so vivid and realistic that I found myself falling in love with the novel. With each new muse, I found myself caught up in their stories, their lives, and their emotions. I felt my heart breaking with theirs and smiling with each success. My heart was always with Grace, who I felt for the most. I would have felt more sympathetic for Helen if she wasn't so pathetic, and I couldn't even begin to like Sara who just a brat. I would feel sorry for Edward, but he was so in love with Sara, he couldn't see what a snot she was.
But Grace. How could Thomas see how perfect she was? I literally wanted to punch him for being such a chauvinistic snob that he was. In all honestly, he didnt deserve her love for how he abandoned her the way he did. And yet, I wanted them to succeed so much that I felt his love for her was apology enough. This novel brought out the romantic in me despite how dark and depressing it really was. Every happily ever after was worth the suffering of getting there.
Definitely a must read in my opinion.
Once more, I found myself ensnared by McIntyre's expert story telling. The world and characters she created were so vivid and realistic that I found myself falling in love with the novel. With each new muse, I found myself caught up in their stories, their lives, and their emotions. I felt my heart breaking with theirs and smiling with each success. My heart was always with Grace, who I felt for the most. I would have felt more sympathetic for Helen if she wasn't so pathetic, and I couldn't even begin to like Sara who just a brat. I would feel sorry for Edward, but he was so in love with Sara, he couldn't see what a snot she was.
But Grace. How could Thomas see how perfect she was? I literally wanted to punch him for being such a chauvinistic snob that he was. In all honestly, he didnt deserve her love for how he abandoned her the way he did. And yet, I wanted them to succeed so much that I felt his love for her was apology enough. This novel brought out the romantic in me despite how dark and depressing it really was. Every happily ever after was worth the suffering of getting there.
Definitely a must read in my opinion.
Kate Nash recommended track Dy-Na-Mi-Tee by Ms Dynamite in A Little Deeper by Ms Dynamite in Music (curated)
4.7
Album
Favorite
Merissa (12854 KP) rated Protector (Kensley Panthers #5) in Books
Dec 10, 2023
PROTECTOR is the final book in the Kensley Panthers series and it is the FIRST that I have read! Although I would like to read the others in this series, I can't say as I felt I missed too much when reading this story.
Adam and Zach are best friends, coming to the end of their school lives, and wondering what the future will hold. Adam wants to stay and work on the farm. It's all he's ever wanted to do and has a love of the land. Zach isn't sure what to do. He has a bad home life but doesn't think about leaving because of his two younger sisters.
I loved how natural these two were, how they wanted to help the other, and would be there no matter what. Their relationship was so smooth, once you got over the initial stumbling step when neither knew what to do. I loved Adam's finding of himself, and Zach's acceptance.
The pacing was smooth, and the world-building was enough-even in the last book of the series-that I felt as though I knew the town and the characters that live there. If there were any errors, I didn't see them as I was too engrossed in the story.
A sweet and spicy tale that I read in one sitting, and have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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!
Dec 9, 2023
Adam and Zach are best friends, coming to the end of their school lives, and wondering what the future will hold. Adam wants to stay and work on the farm. It's all he's ever wanted to do and has a love of the land. Zach isn't sure what to do. He has a bad home life but doesn't think about leaving because of his two younger sisters.
I loved how natural these two were, how they wanted to help the other, and would be there no matter what. Their relationship was so smooth, once you got over the initial stumbling step when neither knew what to do. I loved Adam's finding of himself, and Zach's acceptance.
The pacing was smooth, and the world-building was enough-even in the last book of the series-that I felt as though I knew the town and the characters that live there. If there were any errors, I didn't see them as I was too engrossed in the story.
A sweet and spicy tale that I read in one sitting, and have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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!
Dec 9, 2023
Leah Lopez (7 KP) rated Strictly Ola: Ola Jordan in Books
Nov 6, 2019
*****Some SPOILERS*****
I have been a SCD fan from the very first show. There have been some amazing professional dancers who have come and gone but there are some dancers you love from the beginning and continue to love despite their exit. Ola and James Jordan are a firm favourite of mine and when I spotted Ola's book in my local library I was like a child in a chocolate factory-I just had to have it. Learning about Ola's childhood and how poor her family and country were was really sad but Ola never let it interfere in her passion for dance. I too wanted to be a professional dancer but due to ill-health this has never really been an option. I was deeply shocked to learn of SCD team behind the curtain and how O+J Jordan were treated. I was appalled how Craig RH was after a few drinks and the way he talked about the celebrities and professional dancers. This book was a real eye-opener.
SCD is back on our screens with a new head-judge. I certainly miss O+J Jordan...
I have been a SCD fan from the very first show. There have been some amazing professional dancers who have come and gone but there are some dancers you love from the beginning and continue to love despite their exit. Ola and James Jordan are a firm favourite of mine and when I spotted Ola's book in my local library I was like a child in a chocolate factory-I just had to have it. Learning about Ola's childhood and how poor her family and country were was really sad but Ola never let it interfere in her passion for dance. I too wanted to be a professional dancer but due to ill-health this has never really been an option. I was deeply shocked to learn of SCD team behind the curtain and how O+J Jordan were treated. I was appalled how Craig RH was after a few drinks and the way he talked about the celebrities and professional dancers. This book was a real eye-opener.
SCD is back on our screens with a new head-judge. I certainly miss O+J Jordan...
Holly Johnson recommended HQ by Roy Harper in Music (curated)
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Bone Key (Supernatural, #3) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
While I like the idea behind this, it just didn't come together very well. Part of the problem may have been that there were too many viewpoints from characters that usually had no other purpose than to die. A few of these would have been fine, but there was more than enough. The characterizations of Sam and Dean were on maybe half the time -- maybe -- though I'd venture closer to forty percent. Bobby fared better after a somewhat strange beginning. Some of the dialogue was so badly worded I couldn't imagine either of them saying what they did, or using such poor grammar in one sentence, even Dean. Now we get to the word 'gonna.' Would it kill anyone -- <i>anyone!</i> -- to say 'going to' every once in a while? Or is there some kind of curse that will give them continuous diarrhea for a year if they do? That really started setting my teeth on edge after a while. There was one passage from Dean that was particularly painful and I wish I had kept the page number so I could have typed the passage out for posterity. I can't say the book was horrible, but it wasn't good either and it's definitely the worst out of the first three <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/42135-supernatural">Supernatural</a>; books.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated The Signature of All Things in Books
May 29, 2018
First of all.. this book is loooooooooonnnnng. I feel like I may have read 3 books in 1 binding.
I expected it to be similar to Eat, Pray, Love in style, but boy was I incorrect! Don't get me wrong, the writing is beautiful, the characters are extremely interesting and I loved the first half ... I couldn't get enough of this riveting story, rich historical references and so much beauty in the descriptions of nature and plants and their surroundings. I felt like I was learning so much, as well as being treated to a beautiful story. I was hooked in, and fast....
But then.... I got stuck. Like REALLY stuck. I felt like it just turned into a different writer all together? I couldn't focus, the tone changed, the story faltered as quickly as the characters lives did. It was hard for me to finish this one. I loved the first half of the book. I wish she had stopped it there ... it just went on too long, and I was so sad that it did.
I expected it to be similar to Eat, Pray, Love in style, but boy was I incorrect! Don't get me wrong, the writing is beautiful, the characters are extremely interesting and I loved the first half ... I couldn't get enough of this riveting story, rich historical references and so much beauty in the descriptions of nature and plants and their surroundings. I felt like I was learning so much, as well as being treated to a beautiful story. I was hooked in, and fast....
But then.... I got stuck. Like REALLY stuck. I felt like it just turned into a different writer all together? I couldn't focus, the tone changed, the story faltered as quickly as the characters lives did. It was hard for me to finish this one. I loved the first half of the book. I wish she had stopped it there ... it just went on too long, and I was so sad that it did.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated The Lodge (2008) in Movies
Jul 22, 2018
Good acting (2 more)
Creepy moments
The sadistic daughter
Shooting felt amateur (3 more)
85% of it was slow and boring
No shocks or twists
Didn't feel R rated
A cliche "horror" that lacks so much
First off I just want to say you can't spoil this movie. Whatever you think is going to happen, it will happen. There are no shocks or twists to the story.
They waste no time showing how creepy the caretaker is. Because of this you hoped that it was all a misdirection but sadly not. You even hoped it would possibly go into a ghost story instead but it just turned around and went right back into predictability.
The shooting of the movie felt very amateur. Every scene was out of focus and it's sad it's something you get used to.
The first half was extremely slow with drawn out scenes and about halfway through it did start to pick up some pace but sadly this ended up dragging on too long and felt too anticlimatic. It did feel like a homage to Texas chainsaw massacre which was nice but did nothing.
It was clear that this was very low budget with only 4 members of cast so there was no place to hide with the acting and I have to say it was good. They did a decent job with what was written and the characters often showed good logic which is rare in movies. For example they had reasons for alarms clocks going off randomly in the night, weird noises etc they were likable too which is a big thing for me.
The sadistic daughter was a great addition. She felt sinister but it is never explained why she is so dirty or why she is the way she is.
Sadly there is nothing new here. It felts like plenty of other movies you have already seen. For a R rated movie, it felt very tame. Like every movie they get caught but nothing terrible happens to them. You expect more violence or gore but this barely had anything and I found myself bored and excited for it to end.
I did go into this expected the worst movie ever so I was surprised that there were parts I liked but ultimately I wasn't impressed. It could have been so much more but lack too many things.
They waste no time showing how creepy the caretaker is. Because of this you hoped that it was all a misdirection but sadly not. You even hoped it would possibly go into a ghost story instead but it just turned around and went right back into predictability.
The shooting of the movie felt very amateur. Every scene was out of focus and it's sad it's something you get used to.
The first half was extremely slow with drawn out scenes and about halfway through it did start to pick up some pace but sadly this ended up dragging on too long and felt too anticlimatic. It did feel like a homage to Texas chainsaw massacre which was nice but did nothing.
It was clear that this was very low budget with only 4 members of cast so there was no place to hide with the acting and I have to say it was good. They did a decent job with what was written and the characters often showed good logic which is rare in movies. For example they had reasons for alarms clocks going off randomly in the night, weird noises etc they were likable too which is a big thing for me.
The sadistic daughter was a great addition. She felt sinister but it is never explained why she is so dirty or why she is the way she is.
Sadly there is nothing new here. It felts like plenty of other movies you have already seen. For a R rated movie, it felt very tame. Like every movie they get caught but nothing terrible happens to them. You expect more violence or gore but this barely had anything and I found myself bored and excited for it to end.
I did go into this expected the worst movie ever so I was surprised that there were parts I liked but ultimately I wasn't impressed. It could have been so much more but lack too many things.
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated The Anomaly in Books
Sep 23, 2018
Not what I thought, but it was ok
What was enjoyable about this book was it could be a movie. Imagery in the book was pictured clearly and the plot was good enough to make you think ‘This should be a movie’
The plot was all right. It’s enjoyable and makes for quick reading. It’s not overly complicated and the action scenes provide a good thrill here and there. It flowed and kept things interesting, however around the midway mark of the book things slow down and not much happens. Things do pick up quickly in the latter half. I didn’t expect the outcome to turn out as it is. I was looking forward to more of a plot like the movie “The Descent” with more thrills and horror. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
The characters on the other hand, don’t have much to them. They’re pretty much flat and are just there to keep the story going. Although I admit I rather liked Ken throughout the book. He was brash and hotheaded. Everything was either a complaint or an insult which made him stand out from the others. Although Nolan was the ‘leader’ in this group there really wasn’t much to him. There was a small background story to Nolan to give him more substance but it really isn’t much.
There’s a lot of intrigue and some bits of thrilling scenes to enjoy, some mystery in the end but overall I can’t really say it’s something I would gush about. Perhaps because I was expecting this to be more of a horror than anything else. Which is too bad, it had potential to be better but it fell short. I’d say take it or leave it. There’s no regrets reading it but don’t expect it to be gripping and exciting. It’s...meh.
The plot was all right. It’s enjoyable and makes for quick reading. It’s not overly complicated and the action scenes provide a good thrill here and there. It flowed and kept things interesting, however around the midway mark of the book things slow down and not much happens. Things do pick up quickly in the latter half. I didn’t expect the outcome to turn out as it is. I was looking forward to more of a plot like the movie “The Descent” with more thrills and horror. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
The characters on the other hand, don’t have much to them. They’re pretty much flat and are just there to keep the story going. Although I admit I rather liked Ken throughout the book. He was brash and hotheaded. Everything was either a complaint or an insult which made him stand out from the others. Although Nolan was the ‘leader’ in this group there really wasn’t much to him. There was a small background story to Nolan to give him more substance but it really isn’t much.
There’s a lot of intrigue and some bits of thrilling scenes to enjoy, some mystery in the end but overall I can’t really say it’s something I would gush about. Perhaps because I was expecting this to be more of a horror than anything else. Which is too bad, it had potential to be better but it fell short. I’d say take it or leave it. There’s no regrets reading it but don’t expect it to be gripping and exciting. It’s...meh.
Bird Box by Josh Malerman was a very interesting read and concept. It was also surprisingly fast-paced! I couldn’t put it down even though it took me days to finish. I originally rated this as a 4-star read but going back through all my notes I realized that this is actually only a 3-star read.
The switching back and forth between past and present worked yet it didn’t at the same time. I felt like it was missing something but you do grow used to the switching of past and present. I also noticed what seemed to be like a few plot holes. With that, there were parts that I absolutely loved and parts that I absolutely hated enough to fall asleep too.
One thing that didn’t happen throughout the novel was a full description of the creatures. It would have been nice to know what they fully looked like, but I guess that adds to the whole “if you look, you die” aspect. There was surprisingly quite a bit of character and background development which was really nice to see. Overall, Bird Box was a great read. But the lack of descriptiveness was a bit off-putting.
Reasons why I rated it 3 stars:
1. Everything was vaguely described and it lacked depth.
2. There were plot holes.
3. The creatures were never really fully described as anything but an entity that takes your fears and uses it against you.
4. The switching from past and present only kind of worked.
5. The story was really good.
6. It was fast-paced.
7. The ending was shit.
“Your baby is smarter than you think.”
The switching back and forth between past and present worked yet it didn’t at the same time. I felt like it was missing something but you do grow used to the switching of past and present. I also noticed what seemed to be like a few plot holes. With that, there were parts that I absolutely loved and parts that I absolutely hated enough to fall asleep too.
One thing that didn’t happen throughout the novel was a full description of the creatures. It would have been nice to know what they fully looked like, but I guess that adds to the whole “if you look, you die” aspect. There was surprisingly quite a bit of character and background development which was really nice to see. Overall, Bird Box was a great read. But the lack of descriptiveness was a bit off-putting.
Reasons why I rated it 3 stars:
1. Everything was vaguely described and it lacked depth.
2. There were plot holes.
3. The creatures were never really fully described as anything but an entity that takes your fears and uses it against you.
4. The switching from past and present only kind of worked.
5. The story was really good.
6. It was fast-paced.
7. The ending was shit.
“Your baby is smarter than you think.”