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Port in a Storm (Sinners #8)
Port in a Storm (Sinners #8)
Rhys Ford | 2024 | Contemporary, Crime, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Connor wanted to give Forest the family he never had.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 8 in the Sinners Gin series. I would STRONGLY recommend you at least read Tequila Mockingbird (book 3 in the series) before this one. That book is how Connor and Forest came to be. The whole darn series is amazing, though, and staring at the beginning wouldn't be a bad thing :-)

Connor is a SWAT team leader and comes across Tate in a raid. The kid has had a hard life, and the name on his birth certificate is gonna cause problems. But Tate needs a home, and Connor and Forest want to give him that. Connor wants to give Forest the family he never had. They just gotta battle the courts first.

I didn't see this book coming at me in the way it did, but it absolutely came at the way it should have, you know? Nothing will ever be easy for Forest and Connor, and adding Tate to their family was no exception. But they have a huge support system in Connor's family and Forest's ever growing band family, even if some of Miki's advice is a little sketchy!

It's deeply emotional, with the feeling raging through both Connor and Forest about what to do, will they be enough, will they be allowed to bring this little boy into their family. Made me cry a time or two. I loved it.

I loved that everyone pops up, or is mentioned. It was great to catch up with the Morgan clan and all their add-ins. Especially as I thought that book 7 was going to be the last one! Are there more planned, I don't know, nor do I care, but I will read them as and when they appear.

It's been a long while since I read a Rhys Ford book, and by golly I missed her work. It took me a hot minute to get into her way with words and then I lost myself in the madness that is the Morgan clan and the Crossroads Gin guys.
 
OH! And the epilogue! Any chance of a cheeky short about Dude and Gaige?? That'll be fun!

But I'm left with a question that played on my mind the whole way through. As I was READING this, I heard Tristan James in my ear. The voices weren't quite right, but James' reading voice was there. Will he be narrating it, at some point?? I need him to!

So, thank you, Ms Ford, for bringing us back to these wonderful people one more time. I really do appreciate the time it took!

5 stunningly beautifully written stars

*same worded review will appear elsehwere
  
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Merissa (14046 KP) rated Dragon Mist in Books

Jan 2, 2020  
Dragon Mist
Dragon Mist
David Burnett | 2019 | Paranormal, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dragon Mist is a tale set in the time of the Summer of Love in San Francisco. It doesn't stay there though, as the Lady Dragon goes back home.

This is a very different take on dragons, or drache, as they are known in here. There is a big group of characters, both main and supporting, who help the story to move along. Some of the characters you will like, some you won't. The characters stay the same throughout, so no worries about a friend becoming an enemy. The closest you get is someone who she was friendly with.

The story is mainly comprised of Chrissie's 'courting' of James as a potential mate, but you also get her recent past catching up with her, rejected suitors, possible blackmail, and the like.

Although this is described as a paranormal romance, I found the romance to be slightly lacking. There was no connection between Chrissie and James to be seen, just what we are told.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read set in a different time.

* 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!
  
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Kara Skinner (332 KP) Jan 2, 2020

Sounds like an interesting book. I've been getting into stories involving dragons lately and this sounds like a good one.

The Wolverine (2013)
The Wolverine (2013)
2013 | Action
An ok film that could have been so much more.
Here we have the 6th entry into the X-Men franchise, and the second solo outing for Wolverine.

I, like many comic fans, was thrilled when it was announced that this film would be diving into Logan's time in Japan. It's arguably one of the strongest solo Wolverine storylines from the comic!
The finished film however misses the mark. Not completely - remnants of the comic are left intact, buts it's clear that the studio meddled once again. When The Wolverine is concentrating on the dialogue heavy scenes, it's good. When it throws Logan against ninjas, it's (mostly) good.

However, FOX obviously didn't have enough faith in this as a whole, and opted to push James Mangold in the direction of dodgy CGI orgies.
The climatic battle against a massive CGI robot ninja (referred to as Silver Samurai - the bloody cheek), is so out of place, that it nearly ruins the whole film.

I feel that James Mangold is not to blame. He clearly has respect for the source material, and isn't about big CGI blowouts - he would go on to direct the stellar Logan a few years later.

A wasted opportunity then, and a storyline I really hope Marvel Studios revisits again in the future
  
The Winter Killer (DI James Walker #3)
The Winter Killer (DI James Walker #3)
Alex Pine | 2022 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the third book in the DI James Walker series and the second I have read but do not worry, it can be read as a standalone very easily.

It's New Year's Eve and a body is found on a jetty at the prestigious The Fells Hotel on the shores of Lake Windermere where a wedding is taking place but was it an accident or murder? DI James Walker and his team are tasked with finding out and it soon becomes clear that the death is very much suspicious.

This is a proper who-dunnit with plenty of potential suspects and is anything but simple and straightforward particularly when all manner of revelations come to light including members of the victims family and close acquaintances.

With great characters, an intriguing plot and written at a great pace, this is an engaging read. The setting is perfect - well I would say that as it's my neck of the woods - and Mr Pine captures the weather, scenery and location completely.

Overall, a great read and I look forward to the next in the series and my thanks go to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Winter Killer.
  
Wonderful book. I was unsure about picking it up at first but fell in love with it within the first few pages. It ties other famous authors and locations from both history and well known fantasy worlds into a story all its own. At first I did not notice some of the references made in the beginning of the story but once I started paying attention, it was amazing just how much James A. Owen researched to provide readers with an amazing, one of a kind experience. The author writes so wonderfully that readers feel as if they were actually in the Archipelago of Dreams, a place that I am sure most anyone who loves myth and fantasy would like to visit at least once in their lives.
I am a part of a book club at my local library, and plan on recommending this book to my fellow members, most of who are teachers and would appreciate not only the literary references but the historical ones as well found in this book. I also plan on reading the rest of the series.
<b>This is a highly recommended book in my opinion.</b>
  
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Joel Schumacher recommended Blade Runner (1982) in Movies (curated)

 
Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner (1982)
1982 | Sci-Fi
8.5 (75 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Speaking of that, we must go to Blade Runner — true visual genius, and also in a class never matched. I saw it the first show, the first day, with a bunch of my friends. I can remember that because it was at the Cinerama dome in Hollywood, and it was on that huge screen with that incredible sound system. I still remember that great Vangelis music. But that opening — it’s embedded in my mind, that opening, with that scape of the city and its almost Mayan-like temple formation and those fires out of nowhere shooting up. Plus, Sean Young — that interview [with Harrison Ford’s Deckard] is unbelievable. I got a lovely letter from her last year. I worked with her on Cousins. Amazingly, amazingly beautiful. And of course it has the great Harrison Ford, and Edward James Olmos, and we could just go on and on with that movie. Daryl Hannah is great in it. And the doll guy, William Sanderson, who I got to work with on The Client — he played one of Tommy Lee Jones’ posse. One of the great things about my job is that I’ve been able to cast, sometimes, my favorite people."

Source
  
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Pete Wareham recommended Argos Farfish by Sharhabeel Ahmed in Music (curated)

 
Argos Farfish by Sharhabeel Ahmed
Argos Farfish by Sharhabeel Ahmed
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The other thing I should mention is that I had these two books called the Rough Guide to World Music, which are two giant volumes. I was obsessed with those for a long time. At the time, you had to go and buy a load of CDs, you couldn't just go on Spotify and check it out. It was a bit of an investment. A lot of those countries have got these dudes who, in the 50s, suddenly heard James Brown, or something, and went: shit, what we're doing sounds really old fashioned. We need horns, and Hammond organs, and guitars. It happened all over Africa. There's not an awful lot to say about this song apart from that it really blends a lot of worlds for me. It blends the guitar, with the world music thing, and with the saxophone as well and that's why I think I love that song so much. It's only that one song, I can't find anything else by that guy. Whenever you play that track it's always going to pick everyone up. It's got such an incredible energy."

Source
  
Yesterday (2019)
Yesterday (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Fantasy, Music
Enjoyable to a point
I love Danny Boyle, he's one of my favourite directors (and he's a local lad) although I have to admit this is probably one of my least favourite films of his so far.

Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle working on the same film should be a match made in heaven. However the result is this enjoyable but sadly rather predictable romcom. Himesh Patel is a likeable lead, but I found the romance aspect with him and Lily James entirely corny and completely predictable, even for Richard Curtis. The music is good, it would be seen as it's the Beatles, however I did find it odd that in the story Himesh finds out about a number of bands and things that no longer exist (some are quite funny), yet only decides to choose the songs from the Beatles. Could they not get the rights for anything else?

There's a few laughs in this although not as many as I'd expected, and I loved the nod to Love Actually. Overall the film is enjoyable and your typical feel good Brit flick, however I don't think it's particularly memorable or exceptional.