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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Jul 12, 2022
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Secrets, Lies & Sacrifice (Book 2) in Books
Jul 26, 2023
96 of 235
Book
Secrets, Lies & Sacrifice ( Book 2)
By Ben Andrews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It's been six months since the shooting at Beechwood Close and the death of Rose's husband, George. While life seems to be returning to normal, the arrival of an old resident unleashes a chain of events that threatens to destroy the community. She’s determined to get her old home back, but at what cost?
Emily is double-crossed by someone she trusts—desperate to save her reputation and her career, Emily must play dirty to get her life back on track.
Violet tests Rose's loyalty to the cult, The Order, when confronting her with a plan to take down the establishment from within. Will Rose risk everything to join Violet’s dangerous cause and return her life to normal?
Ava’s dream of becoming her own boss comes true when she starts a new business. But as she gets to know her customer, a web of secrets are uncovered that threatens to destroy everything she’s worked for.
Florence’s hunt for her husband’s killer comes to an end when someone close to her shows their true colours. As she uncovers more lies, Florence must decide how far she’s willing to go to uncover the truth.
In “Secrets, Lies and Sacrifice,” the lives of these women intersect in unexpected ways as they confront their deepest fears and desires. Who will come out on top and who will pay the ultimate sacrifice?
This was an ARC given to me by the author. I enjoyed book one but this was just that little bit extra. We pick up 6 months after the drama and secrets of book 1 and automatically hit the ground running. These women’s lives sure clash in one way or another. The last half of the book it hard to put down! Can’t wait for the next book! Highly recommend.
Book
Secrets, Lies & Sacrifice ( Book 2)
By Ben Andrews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It's been six months since the shooting at Beechwood Close and the death of Rose's husband, George. While life seems to be returning to normal, the arrival of an old resident unleashes a chain of events that threatens to destroy the community. She’s determined to get her old home back, but at what cost?
Emily is double-crossed by someone she trusts—desperate to save her reputation and her career, Emily must play dirty to get her life back on track.
Violet tests Rose's loyalty to the cult, The Order, when confronting her with a plan to take down the establishment from within. Will Rose risk everything to join Violet’s dangerous cause and return her life to normal?
Ava’s dream of becoming her own boss comes true when she starts a new business. But as she gets to know her customer, a web of secrets are uncovered that threatens to destroy everything she’s worked for.
Florence’s hunt for her husband’s killer comes to an end when someone close to her shows their true colours. As she uncovers more lies, Florence must decide how far she’s willing to go to uncover the truth.
In “Secrets, Lies and Sacrifice,” the lives of these women intersect in unexpected ways as they confront their deepest fears and desires. Who will come out on top and who will pay the ultimate sacrifice?
This was an ARC given to me by the author. I enjoyed book one but this was just that little bit extra. We pick up 6 months after the drama and secrets of book 1 and automatically hit the ground running. These women’s lives sure clash in one way or another. The last half of the book it hard to put down! Can’t wait for the next book! Highly recommend.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Fragments of the Lost in Books
Jan 10, 2018
Different but enjoyable novel
When Jessa Whitworth's high school ex-boyfriend dies suddenly, it's as if the world stops. One moment Caleb is at her track meet, taking the butterfly necklace she handed to him, and the next, he's gone, his car washed over a flooded bridge on a stormy day. Caleb's mom eventually asks Jessa to pack up his room--she blames Jessa for the accident, since Caleb had gone to see her that day, and Jessa feels she cannot say no. She's left to clean out his room and winds up piecing together bits of Caleb's life as she does. Each photograph, article of clothing, and notebook reminds her of parts of her life with Caleb. Even worse, she realizes there is so much she didn't know about him. With that realization, Jessa wonders, what really happened the day Caleb went over the bridge?
This novel isn't really what I expected at all, though I should have realized that it would be less teen angst and more teen angst and psychological mystery combined, as the two Megan Miranda novels I have read, The Perfect Stranger: A Novel and All the Missing Girls, are more in the suspense/thriller category.
The biggest issue for me was that this one starts off really slow. It's hard to get into any kind of momentum as every forward plot movement is broken by Jessa finding something and immediately remembering back into her past with Caleb. I was a little frustrated in the beginning, wanting more to happen.
I really enjoyed the character of Jessa, though. She was a little hard on herself in relation to Caleb's death, but she was also a teen dealing with both the death of a loved one and a recent breakup (their split occurring not too long before his death). She came across as pretty realistic. The supporting cast was a little more nebulous for me--Caleb's mom was pretty harsh, and we didn't see too much of Jessa's family, though I liked her older brother, Julian. Caleb's best friend and neighbor, Max, was probably the other character that was easiest to get to know and he was rather well fleshed out. Caleb himself--whom we learn about through Jessa's point of view and flashbacks--is a hard one to figure out, but that only adds to the mystique of how he ended up at the bridge that day.
Overall, if you can bring a little patience, this book is one to enjoy. It eventually picks up and while the storyline is somewhat different (this whole novel is rather hard to describe), I really did enjoy it. I felt satisfied with the ending--it was worth reading. I enjoyed Miranda's two adult mysteries and while this is the first of her YA novels that I've read, I will definitely investigate others. 3.5 stars.
This novel isn't really what I expected at all, though I should have realized that it would be less teen angst and more teen angst and psychological mystery combined, as the two Megan Miranda novels I have read, The Perfect Stranger: A Novel and All the Missing Girls, are more in the suspense/thriller category.
The biggest issue for me was that this one starts off really slow. It's hard to get into any kind of momentum as every forward plot movement is broken by Jessa finding something and immediately remembering back into her past with Caleb. I was a little frustrated in the beginning, wanting more to happen.
I really enjoyed the character of Jessa, though. She was a little hard on herself in relation to Caleb's death, but she was also a teen dealing with both the death of a loved one and a recent breakup (their split occurring not too long before his death). She came across as pretty realistic. The supporting cast was a little more nebulous for me--Caleb's mom was pretty harsh, and we didn't see too much of Jessa's family, though I liked her older brother, Julian. Caleb's best friend and neighbor, Max, was probably the other character that was easiest to get to know and he was rather well fleshed out. Caleb himself--whom we learn about through Jessa's point of view and flashbacks--is a hard one to figure out, but that only adds to the mystique of how he ended up at the bridge that day.
Overall, if you can bring a little patience, this book is one to enjoy. It eventually picks up and while the storyline is somewhat different (this whole novel is rather hard to describe), I really did enjoy it. I felt satisfied with the ending--it was worth reading. I enjoyed Miranda's two adult mysteries and while this is the first of her YA novels that I've read, I will definitely investigate others. 3.5 stars.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Final Destination 5 (2011) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019 (Updated Jun 11, 2019)
Did we really need another Final Destination film? After the last, merely average movie, the answer on everyone’s lips was a firm and resounding no. However, a surprising return to form for the franchise has ensured that even this old goat has life in it yet.
Gone are the cheap, cheesy shocks that littered Final Destination 3 and 4. In their place are the genuine thrills and spills from the first two films. The movie returns the guessing game element to its audience and for that I am thoroughly grateful.
Newcomer Steven Quale helms this instalment which combines excellent 3D with fantastic special effects and a dazzling set of opening credits which showcase the deaths from the films that preceded it. I wasn’t expecting much from this film, I have to admit, but the credits really are a highlight as you try and remember which film each death is from.
As with any film in the Final Destination franchise, an epic opening disaster is the norm. Whilst the motorway pileup from Final Destination 2 has been the best up until now, the bridge collapse in this film is utterly mesmerising and edge of your seat thrilling. From the flawless special effects to the scale of the production, it surpasses anything seen before in the series.
The deaths have also returned to form too. Instead of out and out cheese, they’re shocking to the point of jaw-dropping. It’ll have you checking every loose nut and bolt from now on and probably have you resisting that fashionable laser eye surgery too. Thankfully though, away from the deaths, it errs on the side of humorous without delving into slapstick.
Nicholas D’Agosto leads a small cast as they try and find a way to cheat death after surviving that epic bridge disaster. An interesting storyline this time around has the cast told that they are able to cheat death by killing someone else, therefore having their life swapped with yours. The acting from all corners leaves a lot to be desired and the dialogue and performances are unashamedly wooden but this is a small point in a film that really does shock and surprise.
However, perhaps the best part of the film and the reason why it’s so enjoyable is the final twist, a twist that will leave you shouting at the screen in dismay. It’s practically impossible to see it coming until the last 5 minutes and in these last minutes you realise just how clever director Steven Quale has been in creating this film.
It may not be the most original movie to ever grace the big screen and the cast aren’t going to trouble the Oscars but Final Destination 5 returns a lifeless franchise to what it once was, bloody good fun and as such it is by far, the best in the series.
So, the question now is; do we need Final Destination 6?
https://moviemetropolis.net/2011/09/21/review-final-destination-5-2011/
Gone are the cheap, cheesy shocks that littered Final Destination 3 and 4. In their place are the genuine thrills and spills from the first two films. The movie returns the guessing game element to its audience and for that I am thoroughly grateful.
Newcomer Steven Quale helms this instalment which combines excellent 3D with fantastic special effects and a dazzling set of opening credits which showcase the deaths from the films that preceded it. I wasn’t expecting much from this film, I have to admit, but the credits really are a highlight as you try and remember which film each death is from.
As with any film in the Final Destination franchise, an epic opening disaster is the norm. Whilst the motorway pileup from Final Destination 2 has been the best up until now, the bridge collapse in this film is utterly mesmerising and edge of your seat thrilling. From the flawless special effects to the scale of the production, it surpasses anything seen before in the series.
The deaths have also returned to form too. Instead of out and out cheese, they’re shocking to the point of jaw-dropping. It’ll have you checking every loose nut and bolt from now on and probably have you resisting that fashionable laser eye surgery too. Thankfully though, away from the deaths, it errs on the side of humorous without delving into slapstick.
Nicholas D’Agosto leads a small cast as they try and find a way to cheat death after surviving that epic bridge disaster. An interesting storyline this time around has the cast told that they are able to cheat death by killing someone else, therefore having their life swapped with yours. The acting from all corners leaves a lot to be desired and the dialogue and performances are unashamedly wooden but this is a small point in a film that really does shock and surprise.
However, perhaps the best part of the film and the reason why it’s so enjoyable is the final twist, a twist that will leave you shouting at the screen in dismay. It’s practically impossible to see it coming until the last 5 minutes and in these last minutes you realise just how clever director Steven Quale has been in creating this film.
It may not be the most original movie to ever grace the big screen and the cast aren’t going to trouble the Oscars but Final Destination 5 returns a lifeless franchise to what it once was, bloody good fun and as such it is by far, the best in the series.
So, the question now is; do we need Final Destination 6?
https://moviemetropolis.net/2011/09/21/review-final-destination-5-2011/
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated A Sparrow in Terezin in Books
Jan 2, 2019
I am apparently a glutton for punishment and decide to read all the books that will rip out my heart and stomp on it back to back. Story SHOULD move you though. As you read the words of the author's heart poured out on the page...If you finish unchanged...What was the point? These characters, these stories, may be fictional, but they represent many people who had to live through one of the darkest times in history. Ask yourself, what can we learn from them? What are they trying to tell us? Fiction CAN and WILL challenge you to grow, to learn, to thrive...
Multiple times I wanted to cry (and there were times tears escaped) while listening to this story. Knowing that the horrors depicted in this book were lived out in reality during WWII. Kristy Cambron...I tip my hat to you...You have found BEAUTY in the ashes of a history that is riddled with sorrow and death. You have brought redemption to life on the page. You have spoken TRUTH and LIFE and LOVE into the hearts of any who lay a hand on your books. But none more so than this one*. Thank you. A Sparrow in Terezin truly is a masterpiece.
*Revision: And The Lost Castle
I won a print copy of this book from the author. This review is based on the audio version which I borrowed from my public library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Multiple times I wanted to cry (and there were times tears escaped) while listening to this story. Knowing that the horrors depicted in this book were lived out in reality during WWII. Kristy Cambron...I tip my hat to you...You have found BEAUTY in the ashes of a history that is riddled with sorrow and death. You have brought redemption to life on the page. You have spoken TRUTH and LIFE and LOVE into the hearts of any who lay a hand on your books. But none more so than this one*. Thank you. A Sparrow in Terezin truly is a masterpiece.
*Revision: And The Lost Castle
I won a print copy of this book from the author. This review is based on the audio version which I borrowed from my public library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
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