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Kate Nash recommended track Dy-Na-Mi-Tee by Ms Dynamite in A Little Deeper by Ms Dynamite in Music (curated)
A Christmas to Die For
Book
Drink way too much tequila at the office Christmas party? Check. Get fired after doing something...
LGBTQ+ Science Fiction Romance Seasonal
James Bagshaw recommended track It's Raining Today by Scott Walker in Scott 3 by Scott Walker in Music (curated)
Debbiereadsbook (1856 KP) rated Steam: A Homecoming Hearts Novel #4 in Books
Apr 19, 2018
a great, one sitting read
I was gifted my copy of this book, that I write a review was not required.
This is book 4 in the series, but you do not need to have read the others for this one to make sense. They can be all read as stand alones. I have only read one and tow to date.
I LOVED books one and two, but for me, this one did not quite hit the spot that they did.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great read, and I read it in one sitting. My first instinct when starting to write this is 4 stars, and I cannot seem to budge off that! And *insert wailing* I don't know WHY!!
Trent is sent home, to get his act together after punching a photographer. Ashby ran half way across the world to find himself some space after a break up. The two immediately have a connection but Trent is straight, right??
Like I said, it's a great read, some sexy spots, some emotional spots and some cute St Bernard puppy spots. It just....ARGH!!!
I loved Trent, and what he was trying to do with his dad. He understood that Dad was maybe not in the best of places, and Trent hadn't helped that by not coming home sooner. I loved Ashby, and all his little quirks! Loved the Harry Potter response to everyone!
I HATE it when I can't figure out what doesn't work for me, you know I do, but it's really bothering me her more so that usual! I love Ms Welch's work, she writes great stories with believable characters in real life situations. Her characters are quirky and unique, she spins a good, well written, well delivered tale.
Before I go off on a tangent, I'll just say this. You should read these books. They are really excellent,just this one didn't quite hit that spot that Scorch and Spark did.
BUT!!!
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book 4 in the series, but you do not need to have read the others for this one to make sense. They can be all read as stand alones. I have only read one and tow to date.
I LOVED books one and two, but for me, this one did not quite hit the spot that they did.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great read, and I read it in one sitting. My first instinct when starting to write this is 4 stars, and I cannot seem to budge off that! And *insert wailing* I don't know WHY!!
Trent is sent home, to get his act together after punching a photographer. Ashby ran half way across the world to find himself some space after a break up. The two immediately have a connection but Trent is straight, right??
Like I said, it's a great read, some sexy spots, some emotional spots and some cute St Bernard puppy spots. It just....ARGH!!!
I loved Trent, and what he was trying to do with his dad. He understood that Dad was maybe not in the best of places, and Trent hadn't helped that by not coming home sooner. I loved Ashby, and all his little quirks! Loved the Harry Potter response to everyone!
I HATE it when I can't figure out what doesn't work for me, you know I do, but it's really bothering me her more so that usual! I love Ms Welch's work, she writes great stories with believable characters in real life situations. Her characters are quirky and unique, she spins a good, well written, well delivered tale.
Before I go off on a tangent, I'll just say this. You should read these books. They are really excellent,just this one didn't quite hit that spot that Scorch and Spark did.
BUT!!!
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
A great review website
I was recommended Smashbomb by a friend who knows I like talking about books and films. I had a book blog, but I was sick of doing endless weekly scheduled posts and wanted to be able to review what I wanted, when I wanted.
Smashbomb gives me that freedom. I love that you can review anything you want and have enjoyed posting on Smashbomb so far. I also enjoy interacting with other members through the different orbs the site has.
I also like the limit on 'likes' you can give everyday. Instead of just liking something so that people go and read your reviews, the limit makes you really consider which information is worth reading or liking.
I haven't really got to grips with the giveaways yet, but that's something I would like to participate in the future.
When I'm looking for reviews about a certain book or film, I enjoy reading the varied opinions of others.
If there are no reviews of a book I have read or film I've watched, it's also really easy to create my own page.
I really enjoy this website and I look forward to seeing how this website will grow in the future.
Smashbomb gives me that freedom. I love that you can review anything you want and have enjoyed posting on Smashbomb so far. I also enjoy interacting with other members through the different orbs the site has.
I also like the limit on 'likes' you can give everyday. Instead of just liking something so that people go and read your reviews, the limit makes you really consider which information is worth reading or liking.
I haven't really got to grips with the giveaways yet, but that's something I would like to participate in the future.
When I'm looking for reviews about a certain book or film, I enjoy reading the varied opinions of others.
If there are no reviews of a book I have read or film I've watched, it's also really easy to create my own page.
I really enjoy this website and I look forward to seeing how this website will grow in the future.
Wake of Vultures
Book
'I don't care what else you've seen in the bookstore today. Read this one' - Kevin Hearne 'I enjoyed...
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated Splash (1984) in Movies
Aug 27, 2019
It's sweet (2 more)
Family friendly
Has some funny moments
Good for a hopeless romantic like me
So I've wanted to see this for ages as it's Tom Hanks and I think he's a fantastic actor. It's sweet, makes you smile, some points even laugh. It's not something I think I'd actually crave to watch, if it's on TV I'd watch it kind of thing. I have an issue with the beginning. The first meeting with the two main characters, doesn't seem to be as important. She remembers and he doesn't (or doesn't believe it) but the meeting is so brief, why is it so significant to her? She cries when he leaves, she spent like 7 seconds with the boy. The ending isn't ideal either, he just swims alongside a mermaid for the rest of his life? I get when he's with her he's safe but how is he supposed to eat and sleep? Plus the dynamic of their relationship is quite physical, when they are both humans (lets not quibble about that) it's possible. I assume that id they were both merpeople it would also be possible but as mermaid and man they don't really have that anymore. Can't have kids either like he wanted. Probably reading too much into it but still, these things made it's overall rating less for me.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Professional (The Game Maker, #1) in Books
Sep 5, 2019
3.5 stars.
*I received this copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
As a huge fan of Kresley Cole and her Immortals After Dark series, I was interested to see what this new book would be about since it was a contemporary romance.
From the first chapter I was fascinated by Natalie and her “manalyzer”, managing to figure out every guy in the bar just by watching them for a few seconds. That is, apart from Sevastyan who she can’t read and instantly catches her attention. Things quickly move along after this and she get’s spirited away to Russia to meet her family, but not without a few hot–and I do mean HOT–scenes between her and Sevastyan.
One thing I did like about the book was that the author didn’t do the typical Mafiya man as Natalie’s dad. In fact, I quite liked the man that was described; he seemed like a nice guy who had a love of clocks and family.
For the first half of the book it was kind of serene, everything was going well. Okay, that’s not quite true. There’s a sexual tension between Natalie and Sevastyan that despite the distance they’ve put between them is only growing and I have to tell you I couldn’t wait for it to blow.
I feel about now that I should mention that I’m not the hugest fan of erotica; I tend to get bored of the continuous sex. Depending on what’s going on and how much I like the characters is how I judge the scenes between them. I happened to like both Sevastyan and Natalie and the sex between them but the dirty talk while in bed always had my eyes rolling. That, I’m not a fan of.
After the half way point it seemed to concentrate more on the sex and the BDSM lifestyle, which I found a little boring after a while. BDSM is not one of my favourite things to read about and in small doses I don’t mind but it took up a fair bit of the book.
With about 15% to go, I got a little excited as some information came out that had me wondering what Natalie would do with it. Relationship difficulties coming to a head I wanted to know how it would all play out. And after another round of sex, we found out some things about Sevastyan’s past.
I’m glad I read this, simply because Kresley Cole is a great author and I was interested in reading something of hers that wasn’t paranormal. I read books for the romance and like to see it happening on paper/screen. The first half was great, it just wasn’t quite for me with all the sex and BDSM themes running through. If you’re a fan of it, then I’d check this out.
*I received this copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
As a huge fan of Kresley Cole and her Immortals After Dark series, I was interested to see what this new book would be about since it was a contemporary romance.
From the first chapter I was fascinated by Natalie and her “manalyzer”, managing to figure out every guy in the bar just by watching them for a few seconds. That is, apart from Sevastyan who she can’t read and instantly catches her attention. Things quickly move along after this and she get’s spirited away to Russia to meet her family, but not without a few hot–and I do mean HOT–scenes between her and Sevastyan.
One thing I did like about the book was that the author didn’t do the typical Mafiya man as Natalie’s dad. In fact, I quite liked the man that was described; he seemed like a nice guy who had a love of clocks and family.
For the first half of the book it was kind of serene, everything was going well. Okay, that’s not quite true. There’s a sexual tension between Natalie and Sevastyan that despite the distance they’ve put between them is only growing and I have to tell you I couldn’t wait for it to blow.
I feel about now that I should mention that I’m not the hugest fan of erotica; I tend to get bored of the continuous sex. Depending on what’s going on and how much I like the characters is how I judge the scenes between them. I happened to like both Sevastyan and Natalie and the sex between them but the dirty talk while in bed always had my eyes rolling. That, I’m not a fan of.
After the half way point it seemed to concentrate more on the sex and the BDSM lifestyle, which I found a little boring after a while. BDSM is not one of my favourite things to read about and in small doses I don’t mind but it took up a fair bit of the book.
With about 15% to go, I got a little excited as some information came out that had me wondering what Natalie would do with it. Relationship difficulties coming to a head I wanted to know how it would all play out. And after another round of sex, we found out some things about Sevastyan’s past.
I’m glad I read this, simply because Kresley Cole is a great author and I was interested in reading something of hers that wasn’t paranormal. I read books for the romance and like to see it happening on paper/screen. The first half was great, it just wasn’t quite for me with all the sex and BDSM themes running through. If you’re a fan of it, then I’d check this out.
Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated Sarah in Books
Feb 7, 2018
Surprisingly Creepy YA Horror
Teri Polen's Sarah is a pleasingly creepy young adult horror. Fans of Supernatural will be delighted with this book. If you've ever watched any of those typical high-school rom-coms/dramas where guys make a bet to trick a girl, and boo'd at the screen, you'll enjoy Sarah. It's a twisted take on a classic plot that will make horror fans cheer. This is the version they were waiting on.
Cain and his best friend Finn are good kids that both have their heads screwed on straight. Cain took on a lot of responsibility after his dad's death, and that definitely made him grow up a bit. Finn, too, has had his share of problems. They could be the male version of Mary-Sues if Polen hadn't written in some believable flaws. But they're not perfect, and that makes all the difference. Quick tempers, wicked tongues, and Finn's desire to needle every one around him means that at any given time, someone's probably thinking about punching him. Or Cain. Or both. The rest of the characters are appropriately likable or detestable. Except for Lindsay. She's a bit of a non-entity.
I liked that the author made a few salient points in Sarah about the mindset towards sexual assault. There was more than one conversation or interaction when I just sat back in my chair and sighed after reading it. It was utterly realistic. Teenagers are, as a rule of thumb, very selfish individuals, and it seems like jocks in particular excel in this. They think they can get away with anything, and/or that the world revolves around them. It's behavior that's either never corrected, or not corrected until it's too late.
Hasn't recent events proven that if a boy can score several touchdowns per game, who cares how many girls he assaults, right? We all know they were asking for it anyways. Or if adult males make enough money, they can do anything they want to girls, because they believe they are more important than the girls are. And these types of beliefs are constantly getting reinforced in today's society.
It's disturbing and disgusting and Teri Polen shows the reader a path to douche-hood that hundreds of young men start down every day.
I did, however, have one huge problem with Sarah. Sarah, herself. Well, her dialogue to be specific. For the most part, I liked her. I liked seeing the change. I puzzled over what, exactly, was going on with her. Yes, I thought she was vengeance-crazed ghost thing, but she was a fun vengeance-crazed ghost thing. Until she opened her mouth. Pretty much every time she started talking, it was like someone just hit the 'off' button on my interest in the story.
I understand that her background means that we could expect a certain amount of dialogue that seemed unusual for her age range. I was fully willing to accept that. But Sarah presented with lines that went between disturbingly formal and super-villain monolog. Luckily, her talkative scenes appear in bursts, so for most of the story it's really not an issue.
Sarah is a book that takes a bit to get going, but overall it's an easy, enjoyable creepy read. I was definitely hooked fairly early on, and read the book in two bursts over two days. It comes in at just under 200 pages, so it's not something that demands a lot of your time. If you like horror, but don't like it too gory or scary, this will probably be a great choice. Teri Polen did a pretty solid job.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author for review consideration.
Cain and his best friend Finn are good kids that both have their heads screwed on straight. Cain took on a lot of responsibility after his dad's death, and that definitely made him grow up a bit. Finn, too, has had his share of problems. They could be the male version of Mary-Sues if Polen hadn't written in some believable flaws. But they're not perfect, and that makes all the difference. Quick tempers, wicked tongues, and Finn's desire to needle every one around him means that at any given time, someone's probably thinking about punching him. Or Cain. Or both. The rest of the characters are appropriately likable or detestable. Except for Lindsay. She's a bit of a non-entity.
I liked that the author made a few salient points in Sarah about the mindset towards sexual assault. There was more than one conversation or interaction when I just sat back in my chair and sighed after reading it. It was utterly realistic. Teenagers are, as a rule of thumb, very selfish individuals, and it seems like jocks in particular excel in this. They think they can get away with anything, and/or that the world revolves around them. It's behavior that's either never corrected, or not corrected until it's too late.
Hasn't recent events proven that if a boy can score several touchdowns per game, who cares how many girls he assaults, right? We all know they were asking for it anyways. Or if adult males make enough money, they can do anything they want to girls, because they believe they are more important than the girls are. And these types of beliefs are constantly getting reinforced in today's society.
It's disturbing and disgusting and Teri Polen shows the reader a path to douche-hood that hundreds of young men start down every day.
I did, however, have one huge problem with Sarah. Sarah, herself. Well, her dialogue to be specific. For the most part, I liked her. I liked seeing the change. I puzzled over what, exactly, was going on with her. Yes, I thought she was vengeance-crazed ghost thing, but she was a fun vengeance-crazed ghost thing. Until she opened her mouth. Pretty much every time she started talking, it was like someone just hit the 'off' button on my interest in the story.
I understand that her background means that we could expect a certain amount of dialogue that seemed unusual for her age range. I was fully willing to accept that. But Sarah presented with lines that went between disturbingly formal and super-villain monolog. Luckily, her talkative scenes appear in bursts, so for most of the story it's really not an issue.
Sarah is a book that takes a bit to get going, but overall it's an easy, enjoyable creepy read. I was definitely hooked fairly early on, and read the book in two bursts over two days. It comes in at just under 200 pages, so it's not something that demands a lot of your time. If you like horror, but don't like it too gory or scary, this will probably be a great choice. Teri Polen did a pretty solid job.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author for review consideration.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Glow in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This is just going to be a quick review of the book I finished last week, Glow. I found it and borrowed it from my local library on a whim because it looked interesting, but I was sort of disappointed. Although I love the scientific references throughout the book I just found it a bit boring, honestly. It was meant to be thrilling and gripping... I just didn't feel that way.
Raf manages to get caught up in some major business involving a new drug, Glow, and a massive corporation called Lacebark. Somehow the mysterious girl he met at a party is also tied up in it, as is the friend of Raf's who recently went missing.
Somehow Raf also meets all the right people along the way, and gets accepted into helping them with their cause. I found this rather unplausable but that's just me, I suppose. My main problem was having no investment in Raf as a character, and not feeling any of his relationships with any other characters to any degree whatsoever. He just didn't feel real enough.
I honestly don't quite get what even happened. Why was Lacebark killing people? Why was Win working for them? I just got a bit lost in the end. It's a shame, because I really liked the amount of biological vocabulary scattered throughout - it made me feel like I'm actually learning things in my Psychology A-Level!
2 to 2.5 stars at a push.
Raf manages to get caught up in some major business involving a new drug, Glow, and a massive corporation called Lacebark. Somehow the mysterious girl he met at a party is also tied up in it, as is the friend of Raf's who recently went missing.
Somehow Raf also meets all the right people along the way, and gets accepted into helping them with their cause. I found this rather unplausable but that's just me, I suppose. My main problem was having no investment in Raf as a character, and not feeling any of his relationships with any other characters to any degree whatsoever. He just didn't feel real enough.
I honestly don't quite get what even happened. Why was Lacebark killing people? Why was Win working for them? I just got a bit lost in the end. It's a shame, because I really liked the amount of biological vocabulary scattered throughout - it made me feel like I'm actually learning things in my Psychology A-Level!
2 to 2.5 stars at a push.







