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Debbiereadsbook (1197 KP) rated Before You Break (Secrets #1) in Books
Apr 24, 2019
awesome narration of an awesome book!
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted the AUDIO file of this book.
Six years ago, Ellis joined the Specialist Firearms Unit. Wayne was his partner, but Wayne wanted more, much more. Ellis is straight though. When Ellis begins a spiral downwards, and Wayne can no longer keep covering for him, he knows what he needs to do. Question is, will Ellis let Wayne help the way he wants to, the way Ellis NEEDS him to?
Book one of the Secrets series, which is a spin off from the Collars and Cuffs series. I’ve no read ANY of those, so this is brand new to me.
I really REALLY loved this one!
Ellis is, by his own admission, struggling to come to terms with his responsibilities forced on him at an early age, an age when he should have been learning how to be a boy, not a man. Wayne keeps covering for his silly mistakes but it’s getting more and more difficult. After a particularly difficult op, Wayne decides enough is enough and knows what Ellis needs. But Ellis has always portrayed himself as straight, and vanilla and Wayne is neither. Wayne knows Ellis needs to be “taken in hand” to get to the bottom of what’s bothering him, and Wayne is just the man to do it: the ONLY man to do it.
Not all of Ellis’ problems are immediately clear, and it takes time for the full picture to develop and I loved that. You don’t get a massive info dump. Ellis is. . . .difficult . . .when Wayne introduces him to the lifestyle and it is, in some places, rather amusing the conversations Ellis has with himself about what Wayne is doing, WHY he is doing it.
Wayne has loved Ellis since first meeting him 6 years ago, and to have carried that flame for so long was hard on him, but finally getting his hands (quite literally!) on Ellis is a balm to his soul. Ellis is his other half and he needs Ellis to see that.
The story unfolds at a steady pace, with Wayne kinda plodding along with Ellis till ELLIS decides he wants more, and I really did like that. Sometimes, things need to speed along but not so much here and it made for a great listen.
Joel Leslie narrates.
Leslie is, in my humble opinion, a MASTER at accents. These two guys are Londoners, and the accents were spot on. Jarod and Eli pop up, they are the new owners of Secrets and their accents are very different but again, spot on. Leslie does get all the emotions that both Ellis and Wayne are going through, and I cried in some places. I ooohhh-ed and aaahhh-ed and YAY-ed and NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-ed in places, out loud. I don’t do that when I’m reading but when I’m listening I seem to be more vocal with my reactions and I can only assume that’s the skill of the narrator coming across.
I had to giggle a bit though. Mr Leslie is, I think, American, and the man CANNOT say leisurely like we do in the UK. Every other word was spot on, but that one? Nope, not right. But I won’t hold it against him, cos I LOVED this narration!
I already have book 2 lined up, and I hope that Wayne, Ellis, Eli and Jarod pop up along the way. Be great to catch up with them.
5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
5 stars overall
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Six years ago, Ellis joined the Specialist Firearms Unit. Wayne was his partner, but Wayne wanted more, much more. Ellis is straight though. When Ellis begins a spiral downwards, and Wayne can no longer keep covering for him, he knows what he needs to do. Question is, will Ellis let Wayne help the way he wants to, the way Ellis NEEDS him to?
Book one of the Secrets series, which is a spin off from the Collars and Cuffs series. I’ve no read ANY of those, so this is brand new to me.
I really REALLY loved this one!
Ellis is, by his own admission, struggling to come to terms with his responsibilities forced on him at an early age, an age when he should have been learning how to be a boy, not a man. Wayne keeps covering for his silly mistakes but it’s getting more and more difficult. After a particularly difficult op, Wayne decides enough is enough and knows what Ellis needs. But Ellis has always portrayed himself as straight, and vanilla and Wayne is neither. Wayne knows Ellis needs to be “taken in hand” to get to the bottom of what’s bothering him, and Wayne is just the man to do it: the ONLY man to do it.
Not all of Ellis’ problems are immediately clear, and it takes time for the full picture to develop and I loved that. You don’t get a massive info dump. Ellis is. . . .difficult . . .when Wayne introduces him to the lifestyle and it is, in some places, rather amusing the conversations Ellis has with himself about what Wayne is doing, WHY he is doing it.
Wayne has loved Ellis since first meeting him 6 years ago, and to have carried that flame for so long was hard on him, but finally getting his hands (quite literally!) on Ellis is a balm to his soul. Ellis is his other half and he needs Ellis to see that.
The story unfolds at a steady pace, with Wayne kinda plodding along with Ellis till ELLIS decides he wants more, and I really did like that. Sometimes, things need to speed along but not so much here and it made for a great listen.
Joel Leslie narrates.
Leslie is, in my humble opinion, a MASTER at accents. These two guys are Londoners, and the accents were spot on. Jarod and Eli pop up, they are the new owners of Secrets and their accents are very different but again, spot on. Leslie does get all the emotions that both Ellis and Wayne are going through, and I cried in some places. I ooohhh-ed and aaahhh-ed and YAY-ed and NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-ed in places, out loud. I don’t do that when I’m reading but when I’m listening I seem to be more vocal with my reactions and I can only assume that’s the skill of the narrator coming across.
I had to giggle a bit though. Mr Leslie is, I think, American, and the man CANNOT say leisurely like we do in the UK. Every other word was spot on, but that one? Nope, not right. But I won’t hold it against him, cos I LOVED this narration!
I already have book 2 lined up, and I hope that Wayne, Ellis, Eli and Jarod pop up along the way. Be great to catch up with them.
5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
5 stars overall
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Pink Carnation, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
In the ways of mystery, intrigue, and espionage in both the past and present narrative, I thought that [b:The Intelligencer|1098168|The Intelligencer|Leslie Silbert|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180962888s/1098168.jpg|1135397] was better (only brought up because I read it recently). I am a bit disappointed that there wasn't more of those in it and less romance, but not much. While predictible and not always original, it still has a charm of its own and, at times, was impossible to put down. The characters were great and I enjoyed Amy's spirited ways and the banter between her and Richard. All the secondary characters, epecially Jane and Richard's family and friends, were interesting and added to the story. I really liked Eloise, and even though she's not in it much, I really got a sense of knowing her and I can't wait to find out what happens with her next. That intrigues me as much as finding out what happens next with the Pink Carnation!
I haven't come across many books with the past/present espionage storyline and would be interested in reading more, so I'm glad that the author has decided to write more of these novels. I hope the sequels are equally as engaging and fun! And some more mystery might be nice too.
Mini-kinda-spoiler: <spoiler>
The one thing that kind of bothered me was that the title implies it is about the Pink Carnation when there really isn't much about ol' Pinkie. And the one major mission isn't really described at all! Probably because it didn't really involve the central characters or story, I imagine.</spoiler>
I haven't come across many books with the past/present espionage storyline and would be interested in reading more, so I'm glad that the author has decided to write more of these novels. I hope the sequels are equally as engaging and fun! And some more mystery might be nice too.
Mini-kinda-spoiler: <spoiler>
The one thing that kind of bothered me was that the title implies it is about the Pink Carnation when there really isn't much about ol' Pinkie. And the one major mission isn't really described at all! Probably because it didn't really involve the central characters or story, I imagine.</spoiler>
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Rivers of London: Body Work in Books
Feb 14, 2018
Great book for urban fantasy lovers
I enjoyed reading this one as it featured a main character who wasn’t your typical anti-hero - which we seem to have a lot lately. I’m glad to see Peter was just your average good guy who’s doing his best to be a policeman until he comes across supernatural things in which his whole life changes.
Peter’s relationship with Nightingale is pretty much a mentor/student one. Nightingale has his own secrets though and a few are revealed but there’s more to him that you think - I hope there’s more information about him in the later books to come. There are other supporting characters; I do like Leslie because she’s got the wit (possible love interest, maybe) and she’s a perfect sidekick to Peter. Molly is another interesting character that I would love to know more about. Again this is the first book in the series so I’m hoping more character development will eventually come forth in later books.
The world building is pretty good and Peter does a good job also explaining how things are in London (I admit I had to google a couple of things as I didn’t know who or what Punch and Judy were) but it gives you information on the city and events that are common there to actually make you feel as if you are following Peter around as he tries to solve the case and becomes an apprentice.
The plot was well done and I liked how the different story arcs come together in the end into one large circle. It may seem confusing at first but once you have everything laid out and you know who is who everything comes to a close and it’s a great closing. It obviously leaves room for more books coming so one can look forward to what is next for Peter.
(The Riot scene though? Holyyyyy sheeeeeee what the……)
It’s a good read, those who are into urban fantasy mysteries will likely like this type of book. Looking forward to book two!
Peter’s relationship with Nightingale is pretty much a mentor/student one. Nightingale has his own secrets though and a few are revealed but there’s more to him that you think - I hope there’s more information about him in the later books to come. There are other supporting characters; I do like Leslie because she’s got the wit (possible love interest, maybe) and she’s a perfect sidekick to Peter. Molly is another interesting character that I would love to know more about. Again this is the first book in the series so I’m hoping more character development will eventually come forth in later books.
The world building is pretty good and Peter does a good job also explaining how things are in London (I admit I had to google a couple of things as I didn’t know who or what Punch and Judy were) but it gives you information on the city and events that are common there to actually make you feel as if you are following Peter around as he tries to solve the case and becomes an apprentice.
The plot was well done and I liked how the different story arcs come together in the end into one large circle. It may seem confusing at first but once you have everything laid out and you know who is who everything comes to a close and it’s a great closing. It obviously leaves room for more books coming so one can look forward to what is next for Peter.
(The Riot scene though? Holyyyyy sheeeeeee what the……)
It’s a good read, those who are into urban fantasy mysteries will likely like this type of book. Looking forward to book two!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Last Witch Hunter (2015) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Over 800 years ago, a group of warriors and Clergy set off on a journey to destroy a witch and her minions in her lair. The witch had unleashed a plague upon the human race and she was determined to wipe them from the face of the planet.
During the battle, the witch is defeated but with her dying breath, she curses the one who vanquished her to a life of eternity, destined to be alone and never know peace.
Flash forward to modern day New York, and we find that man is now an elite Witch Hunter named Kaulder (Vin Diesel), who toils his trade working for a group who along with Witches maintain the peace. The Witches promise not to practice their craft against humans and in turn they are left alone. But when one does not follow the rules or is a threat to humanity, Kaulder and his ability to heal from injury via his immortality is dispatched to dispense justice.
When his Dolan (Michael Caine) is found dead the day after he retires, Koulder and his new Dolan (Elijah Wood), set out to find the Witch who is responsible which in turn leads to a discovery that his former Dolan is not dead but deeply cursed. In a race against time, Koulder must find the Witch who issues the curse and make an uneasy alliance with a witch named Chloe (Rose Leslie) to get to the bottom of a mystery darker and more deadly than they could have ever imagined.
One would think with the presence of Diesel and the interesting premise of the film, “The Last Witch Hunter”, would be more than it is. The film sadly plods along and has no real tension or surprises and at times, plays out more like a direct to DVD release or something one would find on cable late at night. I think the presence of Diesel is what got the film a theatrical release but one would hope with such a fine supporting cast it would have been better.
That is not to say the film is bad, as it was better than I thought it would be, but sadly as it went along, it simply failed to deliver on the potential of the premise.
In many ways I see this like “Hansel and Gretel” in that it will likely play better to the foreign market but after the total box office, DVD, and Pay Per View are factored in, do not be shocked if a second outing for the characters arrives someday as Diesel has shown a fondness for franchise characters.
For now the film is a decent distraction and offers entertainment as long as you set your expectations accordingly.
http://sknr.net/2015/10/23/the-last-witch-hunter/
During the battle, the witch is defeated but with her dying breath, she curses the one who vanquished her to a life of eternity, destined to be alone and never know peace.
Flash forward to modern day New York, and we find that man is now an elite Witch Hunter named Kaulder (Vin Diesel), who toils his trade working for a group who along with Witches maintain the peace. The Witches promise not to practice their craft against humans and in turn they are left alone. But when one does not follow the rules or is a threat to humanity, Kaulder and his ability to heal from injury via his immortality is dispatched to dispense justice.
When his Dolan (Michael Caine) is found dead the day after he retires, Koulder and his new Dolan (Elijah Wood), set out to find the Witch who is responsible which in turn leads to a discovery that his former Dolan is not dead but deeply cursed. In a race against time, Koulder must find the Witch who issues the curse and make an uneasy alliance with a witch named Chloe (Rose Leslie) to get to the bottom of a mystery darker and more deadly than they could have ever imagined.
One would think with the presence of Diesel and the interesting premise of the film, “The Last Witch Hunter”, would be more than it is. The film sadly plods along and has no real tension or surprises and at times, plays out more like a direct to DVD release or something one would find on cable late at night. I think the presence of Diesel is what got the film a theatrical release but one would hope with such a fine supporting cast it would have been better.
That is not to say the film is bad, as it was better than I thought it would be, but sadly as it went along, it simply failed to deliver on the potential of the premise.
In many ways I see this like “Hansel and Gretel” in that it will likely play better to the foreign market but after the total box office, DVD, and Pay Per View are factored in, do not be shocked if a second outing for the characters arrives someday as Diesel has shown a fondness for franchise characters.
For now the film is a decent distraction and offers entertainment as long as you set your expectations accordingly.
http://sknr.net/2015/10/23/the-last-witch-hunter/