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Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The One That Got Away in Books
Jun 5, 2019
The One That Got Away by Annabel Kantaria takes a terrifying peek into how you should always be cautious about meeting ex-partners at school reunions, especially that ‘one that got away’ (after a bad breakup) should you be wanting to rekindle that old flame. haha!
I’d say it is also a cautionary tale and that should make anyone considering even contemplating adultery to think twice about the consequences of playing with fire! Take George for example, who gets his fingers truly burnt when he goes after Stella despite being a married man. I loved it how he was just too conceited to see what was happening right under his very nose! But who is manipulating who? George has his own agenda.
Childhood sweethearts Stella and George have a history and they’re about to continue where it left off.
This cleverly written dark and twisted story that is probably one of the first books I have read in which I didn’t like either of the main characters, (and I think that is the point) yet I still found the story thrilling! Who to emphasise with? It’s a light read with short chapters which helped increase the speed I read this.
I’d say it is also a cautionary tale and that should make anyone considering even contemplating adultery to think twice about the consequences of playing with fire! Take George for example, who gets his fingers truly burnt when he goes after Stella despite being a married man. I loved it how he was just too conceited to see what was happening right under his very nose! But who is manipulating who? George has his own agenda.
Childhood sweethearts Stella and George have a history and they’re about to continue where it left off.
This cleverly written dark and twisted story that is probably one of the first books I have read in which I didn’t like either of the main characters, (and I think that is the point) yet I still found the story thrilling! Who to emphasise with? It’s a light read with short chapters which helped increase the speed I read this.
Graham Lewis recommended Shooting At The Moon by Kevin Ayers in Music (curated)
Jerry Cantrell recommended Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin in Music (curated)
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Magic Study (Study, #2) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I greatly enjoyed this book and seeing all these hateful, negative reviews honestly puts a bad taste in my mouth. I can understand if its not someones cup of tea but some of the things people are complaining about are just nonsensical. I feel that they have never been in the situations these characters have and therefore judge them in ways that are ignorant and unfair.
I didnt feel like Yelena was a Mary-sue. In fact, she had her butt handed to her on more than one occasion. Most of the skills that Yelana has, she developed herself through hard work and practice. I also feel people misinterpreted her relationship with her brother and her brothers behavior. It clearly states why she was upset with him, and I agree with her. I also understand why her brother acts the way he does and it is not unrealistic considering the circumstances.
And heaven forbid people have faults. Any time a character has a negative trait or does something wrong, etc. people down them for it. I feel it made the characters more human and realistic. People have faults and mess up sometimes. Thats life!
I would also like to point out that this series is about Yelena. Not Yelena and Valek. It is not about them or their romance. Therefore, it didnt bother me that Valek was only present for the last fourth of the book. If you go into this book hoping for more than that, then yes you are going to be disappointed. But you should have expected it from the way Poison Study ended and the synopsis.
I will agree, however, that there are a lot of similarities between Magic Study and Poison Study in terms of villains and their actions, but I dont think the author was lazy about it. It didnt detract from enjoying Magic Study whatsoever.
I understand there are a lot of bad reviews for the book, but I honestly think that this is one book you need to ignore the reviews and just read for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
I didnt feel like Yelena was a Mary-sue. In fact, she had her butt handed to her on more than one occasion. Most of the skills that Yelana has, she developed herself through hard work and practice. I also feel people misinterpreted her relationship with her brother and her brothers behavior. It clearly states why she was upset with him, and I agree with her. I also understand why her brother acts the way he does and it is not unrealistic considering the circumstances.
And heaven forbid people have faults. Any time a character has a negative trait or does something wrong, etc. people down them for it. I feel it made the characters more human and realistic. People have faults and mess up sometimes. Thats life!
I would also like to point out that this series is about Yelena. Not Yelena and Valek. It is not about them or their romance. Therefore, it didnt bother me that Valek was only present for the last fourth of the book. If you go into this book hoping for more than that, then yes you are going to be disappointed. But you should have expected it from the way Poison Study ended and the synopsis.
I will agree, however, that there are a lot of similarities between Magic Study and Poison Study in terms of villains and their actions, but I dont think the author was lazy about it. It didnt detract from enjoying Magic Study whatsoever.
I understand there are a lot of bad reviews for the book, but I honestly think that this is one book you need to ignore the reviews and just read for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
Debbiereadsbook (1724 KP) rated Thief In The Light (Bed, Breakfast and Beyond #1) in Books
Apr 18, 2020
a thoroughly delightful read!
Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I've left with a deep feeling of delightful!
I mean, it comes with a story line that is a bit darker in places, when Lucky is telling what happened to him and the others but it's not delivered in any GREAT detail. You are just given enough for you to add things up, at first, to make a picture. More comes, in more detail, but still not great detail, you know? You don't have to live through everything Lucky and the kids went though.
It is *almost* clean. I expected it to come out totally clean, to be honest, but still I really enjoyed that fact. This is not about the sex between Lucky and Kreed, it's about the LOVE, or rather, about learning to love, to trust and to just be, you know?
I LOVED Mildred, the house! Loved the little noises she makes to express her opinion and thoughts on a matter or person. Loved that she saw the main trouble-causer in this book way before we did. Mildred did make me laugh, with her little noises, she really did.
I loved Lucky, and what he was running from, but more importantly, what he ran TO. He knew Kreed needed him, very quickly and just as quickly, Lucky was staying, even though people thought he had done a runner. I loved Kreed, too. He knew that Mildred wanted Lucky and he knew that HE wanted Lucky, it was just a matter of whether Lucky wanted Kredd enough to stay.
Like i said, a bit darker in places, but it really is the most delightful read I've read in a very long time! From what I can see, I've only read one other by Samms, and that was a long while ago. THIS book is billed as book 1 in the Bed, Breakfast and Beyond series, and I really hope I get to read the future books and that Kreed and Lucky pop up too.
Thank you, Ms Samms, for an enjoyable, delightful read!
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
I've left with a deep feeling of delightful!
I mean, it comes with a story line that is a bit darker in places, when Lucky is telling what happened to him and the others but it's not delivered in any GREAT detail. You are just given enough for you to add things up, at first, to make a picture. More comes, in more detail, but still not great detail, you know? You don't have to live through everything Lucky and the kids went though.
It is *almost* clean. I expected it to come out totally clean, to be honest, but still I really enjoyed that fact. This is not about the sex between Lucky and Kreed, it's about the LOVE, or rather, about learning to love, to trust and to just be, you know?
I LOVED Mildred, the house! Loved the little noises she makes to express her opinion and thoughts on a matter or person. Loved that she saw the main trouble-causer in this book way before we did. Mildred did make me laugh, with her little noises, she really did.
I loved Lucky, and what he was running from, but more importantly, what he ran TO. He knew Kreed needed him, very quickly and just as quickly, Lucky was staying, even though people thought he had done a runner. I loved Kreed, too. He knew that Mildred wanted Lucky and he knew that HE wanted Lucky, it was just a matter of whether Lucky wanted Kredd enough to stay.
Like i said, a bit darker in places, but it really is the most delightful read I've read in a very long time! From what I can see, I've only read one other by Samms, and that was a long while ago. THIS book is billed as book 1 in the Bed, Breakfast and Beyond series, and I really hope I get to read the future books and that Kreed and Lucky pop up too.
Thank you, Ms Samms, for an enjoyable, delightful read!
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Mekkin B. (122 KP) rated High-Rise (2016) in Movies
Sep 15, 2017
This movie wants to be a dystopian drama, but fails to really add any dystopia. It wants to be a satire, but it is largely unclear what it is satirizing, other than a generic "all people are really just animals" theme and some under-explored "the rich live at the top and the poor at the bottom" stuff that doesn't really seem to pan out. It has very little in the way of narrative structure, what the characters are doing and why is never explained. I had a difficult time getting behind the idea of this "state of the art" high rise being some gleaming and beautiful example when it was such a ugly, Brutalist concrete mess to begin with. I'm sure there's some sort of "but the High-Rise looks like a prison because it metaphorically is one!" explanation, but it's just not a good one.
This movie was a slog to get through. It's far too long and feels even longer. Very few of the thematic elements amount to much. It's like it wants to say something about *society*, but isn't very clear on what that is.
The acting is pretty great. The visuals are gripping enough in some sections to keep you hooked and hopeful that the movie will amount to something greater than the sum of its parts, but it simply doesn't.
Also Tom Hiddleston is naked for a couple minutes.
This movie was a slog to get through. It's far too long and feels even longer. Very few of the thematic elements amount to much. It's like it wants to say something about *society*, but isn't very clear on what that is.
The acting is pretty great. The visuals are gripping enough in some sections to keep you hooked and hopeful that the movie will amount to something greater than the sum of its parts, but it simply doesn't.
Also Tom Hiddleston is naked for a couple minutes.
I know I recently did a review for another one of Andersons novel, but I was able to download this for free and it was a quick read.
I still dont know how I feel about this novel. I felt like the sex scenes in Claimed were much hotter, but Masks didnt lack heat. However, she jumped into bed with him so quickly that it was mind-boggling. I am not saying anything against anonymous sex, but it seemed out of character for her. The author spends so many pages enforcing what a mouse she was, and then she has sex with him almost immediately. Honestly, I skipped most of the beginning because it was just Zoe and Chloe interacting, and it wasnt very interesting, nor progressive to the storyline.
The synopsis make the novel out to be BDSM erotica, but the closest it comes to BDSM is he ties her to a St Andrews Cross (only to immediately untie her) and leather everywhere. I am not saying it shouldnt be classified as BDSM. Just dont expect any more than some light bondage.
Not to mention I was annoyed with Zoe. She is a horrible sister and I would furious with her.
All in all, it wasnt terrible. It came nowhere near the level that Claimed was. Like I said, it was a quick read with a realistic ending that I appreciated.
I still dont know how I feel about this novel. I felt like the sex scenes in Claimed were much hotter, but Masks didnt lack heat. However, she jumped into bed with him so quickly that it was mind-boggling. I am not saying anything against anonymous sex, but it seemed out of character for her. The author spends so many pages enforcing what a mouse she was, and then she has sex with him almost immediately. Honestly, I skipped most of the beginning because it was just Zoe and Chloe interacting, and it wasnt very interesting, nor progressive to the storyline.
The synopsis make the novel out to be BDSM erotica, but the closest it comes to BDSM is he ties her to a St Andrews Cross (only to immediately untie her) and leather everywhere. I am not saying it shouldnt be classified as BDSM. Just dont expect any more than some light bondage.
Not to mention I was annoyed with Zoe. She is a horrible sister and I would furious with her.
All in all, it wasnt terrible. It came nowhere near the level that Claimed was. Like I said, it was a quick read with a realistic ending that I appreciated.
Debbiereadsbook (1724 KP) rated Wicked Soul (Ancient Blood #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
did not like Liv!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I have *issues* with this book.
Aside from the fact its single person point of view and blah blah blah of course I wanted to hear from Warin, Olivia has to be the single most annoying main character I have ever come across and I cannot,for the life of me figure out why I kept reading!!
She whines and moans and has the mental age of a teenager, I wasn't actually sure how old she was supposed to be til she and Warin are talking about how old he is.
Clearly, the British vampire Night Lord who's name escapes me already, is playing on a much bigger playground than just Chicago. And Warin's brother, Aleric, is part of that playground judging by the epilogue, but I can't see what game he is playing.
The book is reasonably well written, with some sexy scenes and some violence, but nothing too explicit or graphic. I saw no spelling or editing errors.
Will I read book two? Depends on who has the majority voice in that one. If it's Aleric? Possibly.
I just did not like Olivia!
But I did finish it, so for that reason...
3 stars
Sorry this is short, but I find the 3 star ones for meh books the hardest to write.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
I have *issues* with this book.
Aside from the fact its single person point of view and blah blah blah of course I wanted to hear from Warin, Olivia has to be the single most annoying main character I have ever come across and I cannot,for the life of me figure out why I kept reading!!
She whines and moans and has the mental age of a teenager, I wasn't actually sure how old she was supposed to be til she and Warin are talking about how old he is.
Clearly, the British vampire Night Lord who's name escapes me already, is playing on a much bigger playground than just Chicago. And Warin's brother, Aleric, is part of that playground judging by the epilogue, but I can't see what game he is playing.
The book is reasonably well written, with some sexy scenes and some violence, but nothing too explicit or graphic. I saw no spelling or editing errors.
Will I read book two? Depends on who has the majority voice in that one. If it's Aleric? Possibly.
I just did not like Olivia!
But I did finish it, so for that reason...
3 stars
Sorry this is short, but I find the 3 star ones for meh books the hardest to write.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Lee (2222 KP) rated The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) in Movies
Sep 16, 2018
After losing both parents in a car accident, Lewis travels to New Zebedee, Michigan to live with his uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) in his large, creepy house. Jonathan's neighbour, Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett) seems to spend most of her time there too as they are old friends. The house is full of clocks and, as you've probably guessed from the title of the movie, an even more mysterious clock lies hidden somewhere within its walls. Lewis discovers that Johnathan is a warlock, Florence is a good witch and that the house once belonged to a powerful warlock, who intended to use the clock as part of a catastrophic evil plan.
Directed by Eli Roth, the movie oozes style and creepiness. It has scares that will terrify younger children, but entertain the parents and it has a good amount of humour throughout. For me though, it felt like all style and not much substance. Despite being based on the first in a series of 12 books, with this first story being published in 1973, the movie version just feels like an amalgamation of things we've seen many times before in recent years. Harry Potter, Miss Peregrine, even the trailer made me think of the Goosebumps movie.
I'm probably being a little harsh, and the latter third of the movie did turn out to be a lot more enjoyable than the first two. I guess I was just hoping for something a bit more.
Directed by Eli Roth, the movie oozes style and creepiness. It has scares that will terrify younger children, but entertain the parents and it has a good amount of humour throughout. For me though, it felt like all style and not much substance. Despite being based on the first in a series of 12 books, with this first story being published in 1973, the movie version just feels like an amalgamation of things we've seen many times before in recent years. Harry Potter, Miss Peregrine, even the trailer made me think of the Goosebumps movie.
I'm probably being a little harsh, and the latter third of the movie did turn out to be a lot more enjoyable than the first two. I guess I was just hoping for something a bit more.
AT (1676 KP) rated A Simple Favor in Books
Jan 3, 2019 (Updated Jan 3, 2019)
I received this book from one of the Smashbomb giveaways in exchange for my review. I didn't think I'd like it very much because the movie trailer looked kind of stupid, but it was still exciting to see the package in the mail! (I haven't seen the movie yet, and don't know if I will.) I began the book not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. It read very smoothly, and had just enough tension at the beginning to keep me coming back. I enjoyed the story for quite awhile. Then the plot found its way into a weird twist. Not that I didn't expect some sort of twist. I just didn't expect the one character to be...like she was. For the rest of the novel, I wasn't sure how strange the plot was going to get. The story was tolerable for the most part and I was going to give it a higher rating, but I am not a fan of the ending. While I wasn't surprised by it, I wished that it would have ended in a different manner. Therefore, I'm a bit torn over my review. I didn't hate the story, itself, for a fictional escape, but the ending sunk the whole thing for me. I'd say that it's a decent beach read, if you're looking for something with a little suspense and mystery. I wouldn't recommend it to any deep-thinking book clubs, though.
