Search
Search results
Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated Vivian's List (The List, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
*I received this books as an ARC in an exchange for an honest review*
I was completely taken aback by this book in the best way possible! I didn't really know what to expect; but I knew that if it was anything like the cover of this book I was going to be in for a treat. We are first introduced to Vivian who is a very beautiful girl, but she's very emotionally shut off. Her parents died when her and her brother were teens and as a result she hasn't had much love in her life since. Viv's brother Julian is an active member of the military and is not actually in this book expect for in mention (would love to get to know him better in a future installment... hint hint nudge nudge). Viv seems to have attracted a complete loser Brody! He doesn't physically abuse Viv, but he's broken her spirit in almost any way imaginable. Enter Liam. Liam rides in like a knight in shining armor to save Vivian his best friend's little sister. SWOON! Liam is staying with Vivian while is he is on shore leave and that's where things get really interesting.
<blockquote><b>"Now I found myself wishing I could carry her away from the real wolf - the wolf disguised as her boyfriend."</blockquote></b>
Brody always hates the way Vivian dresses, he says it makes her look like a slut, and he's always accusing her of sleeping with Liam even when she isn't. Inevitably he gets pissed and he drops Vivian at home after one of their mega fights which he's called Vivian "boring old vanilla" which leaves Vivian on a mission.
Liam plays an important role in showing Vivian that the way she is being treated is not okay. Liam's mother was treated poorly by his father and thus his experience. The scene between Viv and Liam where he is just pouring his heart out and explaining his mom's story is written so beautifully and so poignantly, that I almost felt like it was me coming to my senses.
<blockquote><b>"Not knowing you're abused is bad. But refusing to know it? Refusing to recognize it? That's far worse."
"Respect exists only on the basis of freedom, for love is the child of freedom, never that of domination." </blockquote></b>
Vivian grows to be a strong character and I love her journey of sexual discovery along the way She embarks on an adventure with Liam that I am completely swept up in. I loved their encounters, their approach to the whole deal, and I love the ending result. This book had me reading fervently wanting to know what was going to happen next. I laughed at parts of the book, and I cried at others. This book just resonated with me in such a way that I just can't describe.
<blockquote><b>"You don't have to be Mr. Right, I just need you to be Mr. Right Now." </blockquote></b>
The sex scenes were hot and steamy, and weren't written in the cheesy way that some sex scenes are written. The author doesn't describe things in a corny way and she uses real terms and real words to describe what is taking place. None of that fluffy, flowery, frilly sex talk. And of course there is the unexpressed love growing between characters. Its an amazing book!
<blockquote><b>"I kissed him back, matching him move for move, laying my wounded soul bare for him to see, to taste, to touch" </blockquote></b>
Haleigh Lovell has definitely found a fan in me. I can't wait until 2014 when the sequel "Liam's List" is released! I can't wait to hear more of their stories, and I can't wait to maybe meet Julian (again hint hint nudge nudge). This book gets 5 stars from me and is probably one of my best reads of 2013.
I was completely taken aback by this book in the best way possible! I didn't really know what to expect; but I knew that if it was anything like the cover of this book I was going to be in for a treat. We are first introduced to Vivian who is a very beautiful girl, but she's very emotionally shut off. Her parents died when her and her brother were teens and as a result she hasn't had much love in her life since. Viv's brother Julian is an active member of the military and is not actually in this book expect for in mention (would love to get to know him better in a future installment... hint hint nudge nudge). Viv seems to have attracted a complete loser Brody! He doesn't physically abuse Viv, but he's broken her spirit in almost any way imaginable. Enter Liam. Liam rides in like a knight in shining armor to save Vivian his best friend's little sister. SWOON! Liam is staying with Vivian while is he is on shore leave and that's where things get really interesting.
<blockquote><b>"Now I found myself wishing I could carry her away from the real wolf - the wolf disguised as her boyfriend."</blockquote></b>
Brody always hates the way Vivian dresses, he says it makes her look like a slut, and he's always accusing her of sleeping with Liam even when she isn't. Inevitably he gets pissed and he drops Vivian at home after one of their mega fights which he's called Vivian "boring old vanilla" which leaves Vivian on a mission.
Liam plays an important role in showing Vivian that the way she is being treated is not okay. Liam's mother was treated poorly by his father and thus his experience. The scene between Viv and Liam where he is just pouring his heart out and explaining his mom's story is written so beautifully and so poignantly, that I almost felt like it was me coming to my senses.
<blockquote><b>"Not knowing you're abused is bad. But refusing to know it? Refusing to recognize it? That's far worse."
"Respect exists only on the basis of freedom, for love is the child of freedom, never that of domination." </blockquote></b>
Vivian grows to be a strong character and I love her journey of sexual discovery along the way She embarks on an adventure with Liam that I am completely swept up in. I loved their encounters, their approach to the whole deal, and I love the ending result. This book had me reading fervently wanting to know what was going to happen next. I laughed at parts of the book, and I cried at others. This book just resonated with me in such a way that I just can't describe.
<blockquote><b>"You don't have to be Mr. Right, I just need you to be Mr. Right Now." </blockquote></b>
The sex scenes were hot and steamy, and weren't written in the cheesy way that some sex scenes are written. The author doesn't describe things in a corny way and she uses real terms and real words to describe what is taking place. None of that fluffy, flowery, frilly sex talk. And of course there is the unexpressed love growing between characters. Its an amazing book!
<blockquote><b>"I kissed him back, matching him move for move, laying my wounded soul bare for him to see, to taste, to touch" </blockquote></b>
Haleigh Lovell has definitely found a fan in me. I can't wait until 2014 when the sequel "Liam's List" is released! I can't wait to hear more of their stories, and I can't wait to maybe meet Julian (again hint hint nudge nudge). This book gets 5 stars from me and is probably one of my best reads of 2013.
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated Trading Places (1983) in Movies
Nov 4, 2019
The casting was done perfectly. (2 more)
The story follows the struggles that were present in the 1980s.
It's so funny, got a bit of classic humour and dark humour that fit in nicely.
Absolute classic
This definitely shows the classic struggle of different races and classes in america in the 1980s. It shows it in such a way that it's almost humourous that it was ACTUALLY like that back then. Eddy Murphy plays Valentine excellently, you really see the deep upset of the racist and prejudices he has always suffered but yet on the outside Valentine takes it in his stride. Winthorpe played by the legendary Dan Aykroyd has the same depths. Deep down you can see he is so intelligent and hard working but on the outside he's so spoilt and feels so entitled. Jamie Lee Curtis another fantastic actress plays Ophelia in such layers, a more complex clever fierce but vulnerable woman inside that you see glimpses of but outside she is rock hard and nothing touches her.
The writing is so well done it flows naturally, it doesn't feel forced at any point. The onscreen chemistry is on point, I feel the relationships between the cast mirrored the characters relationships. Apparently the cast weren't familiar with each others work so the relationships are built both on and off screen successfully.
The shots of the cities they are in were a wonderful way to transition from scene to scene giving the audience glimpses into the world they are about to dive into.
The story stands out to me, theres no way I could confuse this movie with anything else which is what I like to see in every movie I see.
Thoroughly recommend everyone have a watch of this, Eddy Murphy, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis were completely unknown to me when I first saw it and I have grown to love pretty much everything they are in.
The writing is so well done it flows naturally, it doesn't feel forced at any point. The onscreen chemistry is on point, I feel the relationships between the cast mirrored the characters relationships. Apparently the cast weren't familiar with each others work so the relationships are built both on and off screen successfully.
The shots of the cities they are in were a wonderful way to transition from scene to scene giving the audience glimpses into the world they are about to dive into.
The story stands out to me, theres no way I could confuse this movie with anything else which is what I like to see in every movie I see.
Thoroughly recommend everyone have a watch of this, Eddy Murphy, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis were completely unknown to me when I first saw it and I have grown to love pretty much everything they are in.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Villagers in Tabletop Games
Jan 16, 2020
The saying is, “It takes a village…” but that village didn’t just magically appear overnight. Creating a prosperous and thriving community takes not only time, but hard work, ingenuity, and a little bit of luck! Villagers is a game that takes you through that process, as you strive to create a village of renown.
Disclaimer: I do not intent to rehash the entire rulebook in this review, but rather provide an overview of the gameplay, and how it differs between multiplayer and solo play. -L
Villagers is a game of card drafting and tableau building in which players are competing to build the most prosperous village in the land. The game is played over a series of rounds, each broken up into the Draft Phase and the Build Phase. During the Draft Phase, players take turns drafting villagers from the available card stacks into their hands. During the Build Phase, players can add villagers from their hand to their tableau. Certain cards can be chained together, and provide more powers and/or end-game points – but they must be added to the village in chain order. At two points throughout the game, the First and Second Market Phases, all players will collect money depending on which cards they have in their villages. The game ends immediately after the Second Market Phase is completed, and the player with the most money is the winner!
As a solo game, Villagers plays very similarly to group play, with only a couple of differences. First, the solo player is battling against The Countess, an AI character, to create the best village. The Countess is incorporated into the game in a unique way. During the Draft Phase, whenever you draft a villager to your hand, you also select an available villager to go straight into the village of the Countess. The Build Phase is carried out as normal. At the end of every round, you blindly draw a face-down card from the Reserve (draw deck), and it automatically goes into the Countess’ village as well. The other twist to a solo game of Villagers is that there are Event cards in play each round. Events are resolved after the Build Phase, before beginning the next round, and are often detrimental to the player – like making you pay extra gold to unlock padlocks, for example. The First and Second Market Phases work the same as they do in a multiplayer game, and the game ends immediately after the Second Market Phase. If you have managed to accrue more money than the Countess, then you have won!
I want to start off by saying that I love Villagers. Card drafting and set collection are my JAM, and this is a game that highlights those really well without making it too complicated. Even when playing solo, those mechanics still feel balanced, and that makes the overall game enjoyable. From my previous Solo Chronicles, I have stated how much I dislike “Beat your own high score” solo modes, so I was extremely happy when I saw that Villagers pitted the solo player against an AI character – the Countess. For the most part, I think that the Countess works really well in this game. When you draft a card, the Countess gets a card as well. But the best part about that is that you get to choose which card goes to the Countess. That means that you are able to keep some semblance of strategy in your game, because you have the power to decide what cards go where, for the most part.
The other neat thing about solo play is the inclusion of Event cards in the game – which are not present in group play. The Events add an extra element that you have to take into account for the given round. Depending on the Event, it could compromise your strategy quite a bit, but that’s what keeps it interesting. You can’t just get into a groove and grind through the rounds, drafting everything you want, when you want. You have to adapt your strategy based upon the Event(s) in play, and the Countess’ village.
The only downside for me is that at the end of every round, the Countess gets the top face-down card from the Reserve, and depending on what card that is, it could throw a wrench into the strategy you’ve been working hard to set up. I guess that mimics a multiplayer game in a sense, though, because you can’t always control what your opponents will do. The biggest downside about solo play for me has nothing to do with actual gameplay, but rather table space. Every card that goes into the Countess’ village is a stand-alone, meaning that they do not chain together like cards in your village will. So depending on how long the game goes, the Countess’ village will get to be pretty large, and hog lots of the table. I think that just means I need a bigger table though…
All that being said – is Villagers a good game for solo play? I would say mostly yes. Strategy is still required for success, but adaptability of that strategy is what keeps the game engaging and entertaining. Nothing can quite replace the multiplayer experience, but playing against the AI character keeps the competitiveness alive in the game. As someone who does a lot of solo playing these days, I am glad that I have added Villagers to my collection. If you haven’t gotten a chance to play Villagers yet, I would highly recommend checking it out. Solo or multiplayer, it’s a great time!
Disclaimer: I do not intent to rehash the entire rulebook in this review, but rather provide an overview of the gameplay, and how it differs between multiplayer and solo play. -L
Villagers is a game of card drafting and tableau building in which players are competing to build the most prosperous village in the land. The game is played over a series of rounds, each broken up into the Draft Phase and the Build Phase. During the Draft Phase, players take turns drafting villagers from the available card stacks into their hands. During the Build Phase, players can add villagers from their hand to their tableau. Certain cards can be chained together, and provide more powers and/or end-game points – but they must be added to the village in chain order. At two points throughout the game, the First and Second Market Phases, all players will collect money depending on which cards they have in their villages. The game ends immediately after the Second Market Phase is completed, and the player with the most money is the winner!
As a solo game, Villagers plays very similarly to group play, with only a couple of differences. First, the solo player is battling against The Countess, an AI character, to create the best village. The Countess is incorporated into the game in a unique way. During the Draft Phase, whenever you draft a villager to your hand, you also select an available villager to go straight into the village of the Countess. The Build Phase is carried out as normal. At the end of every round, you blindly draw a face-down card from the Reserve (draw deck), and it automatically goes into the Countess’ village as well. The other twist to a solo game of Villagers is that there are Event cards in play each round. Events are resolved after the Build Phase, before beginning the next round, and are often detrimental to the player – like making you pay extra gold to unlock padlocks, for example. The First and Second Market Phases work the same as they do in a multiplayer game, and the game ends immediately after the Second Market Phase. If you have managed to accrue more money than the Countess, then you have won!
I want to start off by saying that I love Villagers. Card drafting and set collection are my JAM, and this is a game that highlights those really well without making it too complicated. Even when playing solo, those mechanics still feel balanced, and that makes the overall game enjoyable. From my previous Solo Chronicles, I have stated how much I dislike “Beat your own high score” solo modes, so I was extremely happy when I saw that Villagers pitted the solo player against an AI character – the Countess. For the most part, I think that the Countess works really well in this game. When you draft a card, the Countess gets a card as well. But the best part about that is that you get to choose which card goes to the Countess. That means that you are able to keep some semblance of strategy in your game, because you have the power to decide what cards go where, for the most part.
The other neat thing about solo play is the inclusion of Event cards in the game – which are not present in group play. The Events add an extra element that you have to take into account for the given round. Depending on the Event, it could compromise your strategy quite a bit, but that’s what keeps it interesting. You can’t just get into a groove and grind through the rounds, drafting everything you want, when you want. You have to adapt your strategy based upon the Event(s) in play, and the Countess’ village.
The only downside for me is that at the end of every round, the Countess gets the top face-down card from the Reserve, and depending on what card that is, it could throw a wrench into the strategy you’ve been working hard to set up. I guess that mimics a multiplayer game in a sense, though, because you can’t always control what your opponents will do. The biggest downside about solo play for me has nothing to do with actual gameplay, but rather table space. Every card that goes into the Countess’ village is a stand-alone, meaning that they do not chain together like cards in your village will. So depending on how long the game goes, the Countess’ village will get to be pretty large, and hog lots of the table. I think that just means I need a bigger table though…
All that being said – is Villagers a good game for solo play? I would say mostly yes. Strategy is still required for success, but adaptability of that strategy is what keeps the game engaging and entertaining. Nothing can quite replace the multiplayer experience, but playing against the AI character keeps the competitiveness alive in the game. As someone who does a lot of solo playing these days, I am glad that I have added Villagers to my collection. If you haven’t gotten a chance to play Villagers yet, I would highly recommend checking it out. Solo or multiplayer, it’s a great time!
DIY Bitters: Reviving the Forgotten Flavor - A Guide to Making Your Own Bitters for Bartenders, Cocktail Enthusiasts, Herbalists, and More
Book
Make your own bitters at home to enhance your medicine cabinet, and your bar! Used since the Middle...
Olivia (102 KP) rated Girls of Paper and Fire in Books
Aug 13, 2018 (Updated Aug 13, 2018)
I'm still trying to process all my feelings about his book, but right now I'm going to give it an 8.5
Girls of Paper and Fire is an incredibly addicting read. Within picking it up, I finished reading it in under 24 hours. Every minute that I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. It was like an impossible earworm chanting "Read me. Read me!".
Ngan's writing style and character development left me in awe at times. She somehow managed to write this imaginative tale whilst keeping it grounded, a combination that I haven't seen successfully executed very often. The romance in this book is perhaps one of my new all-time favorites. The love is believable. It wasn't a case of "Oh, I like this person a lot and so now I'm gonna make out with them for 80 pages straight and forget about everything else." there was actual chemistry between the two and it made the story all the more intense.
In the seemingly effortless way Ngan could create palpable romantic chemistry, she could also create absolute revulsion.
My problem with so many villains is that the writer will have them have done something terrible, and that's it. They don't truly explore how vile this villain is; they rely on one or two things that all of decent humanity can agree is unforgivable and let that be the reason why they're evil. Sure, anyone would be repulsed by a man who rapes and murders people; it's not like you have to convince people to hate that guy. But Ngan doesn't just throw those two things onto the character and call it a day. She made the king an absolute vile creature with words that made me physically gag, actions that made me have to put the book down and walk away.
Ngan's descriptions are extremely rich; whether that is a good or bad thing will vary from reader to reader. Personally, I found myself sometimes skimming over all the imagery; not because it wasn't good, but because I just really wanted to get back to the main plot and character interactions.
I'm not usually a huge fan of series, but this is one that I heavily look forward to continuing.
Girls of Paper and Fire is an incredibly addicting read. Within picking it up, I finished reading it in under 24 hours. Every minute that I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. It was like an impossible earworm chanting "Read me. Read me!".
Ngan's writing style and character development left me in awe at times. She somehow managed to write this imaginative tale whilst keeping it grounded, a combination that I haven't seen successfully executed very often. The romance in this book is perhaps one of my new all-time favorites. The love is believable. It wasn't a case of "Oh, I like this person a lot and so now I'm gonna make out with them for 80 pages straight and forget about everything else." there was actual chemistry between the two and it made the story all the more intense.
In the seemingly effortless way Ngan could create palpable romantic chemistry, she could also create absolute revulsion.
My problem with so many villains is that the writer will have them have done something terrible, and that's it. They don't truly explore how vile this villain is; they rely on one or two things that all of decent humanity can agree is unforgivable and let that be the reason why they're evil. Sure, anyone would be repulsed by a man who rapes and murders people; it's not like you have to convince people to hate that guy. But Ngan doesn't just throw those two things onto the character and call it a day. She made the king an absolute vile creature with words that made me physically gag, actions that made me have to put the book down and walk away.
Ngan's descriptions are extremely rich; whether that is a good or bad thing will vary from reader to reader. Personally, I found myself sometimes skimming over all the imagery; not because it wasn't good, but because I just really wanted to get back to the main plot and character interactions.
I'm not usually a huge fan of series, but this is one that I heavily look forward to continuing.
Affirmation (Speech Synthesis or Recording Voice)
Lifestyle and Music
2.0
Rate It
App
If you want to change yourself, it is more likely to manifest your dream by stating a declaration,...
HelloFresh
Food & Drink and Lifestyle
App
Every week, HelloFresh delivers a box of delicious recipes and the exact amount of fresh ingredients...
Liebe für unterwegs - Die schönsten Liebessprüche, Zitate und Liebesgedichte für meinen Schatz
Lifestyle and Book
App
★★★ The best love texts, quotes, poems and sayings for your iPhone and iPad - ★★★ ...
iSub Music Streamer
Music and Entertainment
App
iSub lets you stream your personal music collection from your home computer directly to your iPhone,...