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Merissa (12363 KP) rated Love, Isidor in Books

Sep 15, 2023  
Love, Isidor
Love, Isidor
Nell Iris | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
LOVE, ISIDOR is a short standalone that details a second-chance romance. We join Henri after he and Isidor have been separated for a decade. He receives a letter from his old flame out of the blue and he has a decision to make.

For all this is a short story, it has everything you could ask for. Told from Henri's perspective, you still manage to hear Isidor's words in the letters he wrote. And, my word, they are so heartfelt. You find out the reason they split, and what they've been up to since, as well as catching up with them now.

This was a great story that was full of emotion and I loved every word. Absolutely recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 15, 2023
  
The Seventh Victim
The Seventh Victim
Michael Wood | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really love Michael Wood's DCI Matilda Darke series but this is a standalone thriller from him which is equally as good and no-less riveting but please be warned, it does deal with child murder and abuse so if this is a trigger, I would suggest you look elsewhere.

Mr Wood treats us to a cast of excellent characters that leap out of the page and grab hold of you from the beginning to the very end and whilst not all of them are particularly 'nice', they are all well developed and all have their place in the story and what a story it is.

Dark, disturbing, powerful, emotional, riveting and full of tension with a twist I didn't see coming, this is a must read for all thriller fans and my thanks go to One More Chapter, HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Seventh Victim.
  
A Pornographic Affair (Une Liaison Pornographique) (1999)
A Pornographic Affair (Une Liaison Pornographique) (1999)
1999 | Drama, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Rounding out my list would be a love story, and it’s a French film called An Affair of Love. That has always gotten me. It’s funny, I only know it on VHS; I got it years ago on VHS. I don’t remember if it was to study, you know, as a sprouting actor, and learning my craft, or if I just grabbed it. I had a friend at the time who was a struggling actor — you know, I don’t think God’s call for him was acting — but he worked at Blockbuster while we were all trying to make ends meet. I think he was doing inventory, if I’m not wrong. It was before Blockbuster was going to close, and I think I grabbed it one night, late at Blockbuster, trying to help him do inventory. But it’s An Affair of Love and it’s just incredible. Two lovers who basically, in France, to and from their respective jobs, on the train, to a room, but we never really see them in the room where they’re going, to have this affair. They start to fall for each other, then the cameras come in the room. Otherwise, we just see their physical persons walking down the hall, and then exiting, and then, sort of with their own friends or co-workers, trying to figure out what this is that’s happening to them. You finally get what they feel, by the cameras coming into the room, once they start to fall, and of course, when they fall in love, then the affair’s over. They can’t take it. It’s just brilliant. It’s called An Affair of Love. It’s a great film."

Source
  
The Glasshouse (Lavender Shores #6)
The Glasshouse (Lavender Shores #6)
Rosalind Abel | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
love love LOVE this series!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 6 in the series, but you don't need to have read there other books to follow this one. They can all be read as stand alones. But they are all 4 and 5 star reviews, from me!

I keep flipping from 4 to 5 stars and back to four again, and I have no idea why I keep crossing the numbers out at the top of the page, so gonna split the difference and call it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for the blog!

A little bit more of an emotional read, this one. I felt for Harrison, I really did. I cried for him when he runs, first from Will then from Adrian. And cheered for him when he finds himself, after being someone else for everyone for so very long.

But equally, Adrian wrecks your heart too! While he fights for what he feels for Harrison in the beginning, then letting it all out and going all in, and when he was waiting for Harrison to come back to him. Oh Lord, the waiting was painful!

Harrison's brother Jasper plays a huge part here, and I think he should get a story too. Adrian's brother too, but to a lesser degree. He needs a happy ever after though, after such loss. OH!! Did I see that one being laid out?? Maybe not, we'll see!

But my overwhelming feeling (and ya'll know I'm all about sharing the feelings!) is that I want, no, I NEED the story of Adrian's uncles, Alex and Alan. Alex' diary was found in one of the couples (I forget which) house when they are remodeling. Adrian references Alex' diary here, and I so desperately want to hear their story. Although members of the Founding Families, they didn't have it as easy as the guys in Lavender Shores do now. I think THEIR story would be a welcome addition to this series.

As I read each one of these books, I find once I start, I cannot stop and I have read most of them in one sitting. They aren't short books, some 300 pages but everything just grinds to a halt when I start. So, please, keep them coming!

Ah stuff it!

5 full and shiny stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhe
  
AH
A Hope Undaunted (Winds of Change, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
*This review is from my blog and originally published in 2010*

Okay. Let me start this review with SHAME ON ME! Why? Because, sweet saints, I haven’t ever read a Julie Lessman novel until this one and I most definitely should have been reading her books already! She is absolutely FANTABULOUS! The power that Julie has over her readers when they open the first page is mind-blowingly INCREDIBLE!

In A Hope Undaunted, Julie combines tenderness and passion with wit and God’s love, to create a romance story set in the 1920’s that will carry you away and leave you utterly breathless. Katie O’Connor was such an amazing young woman….thinking she had her life all planned out for herself. That is until she encounters a very handsome “soda jerk” by the name of Luke. Luke “Cluny” McGee, the boy she hated as a child, has been chiseled into a stunningly remarkable character. (Julie, can you send him my way, please?!) So, that leaves Katie with a choice….to follow HER hopes and choices, or God’s hopes and choices for her life. A beautifully created plot line!

For years, I’ve collected The Queen of Christian Fiction, Karen Kingsbury’s books, including true crime novels she wrote prior to her Christian work, and the ones that are under her pen name, but after reading this breathtaking, passionate story of a hope undaunted and a love that’s pure, Julie Lessman has earned a spot on my favorite authors list at the very top, pushing Karen Kingsbury down one. It takes an absolutely fantastic author to do that because I’ve held Karen Kingsbury at the top of my list for years! I’m still in awe and savoring this unforgettable story and it’s characters!

So, what you waiting for?! Don’t be a ninny like myself , who waited TOO long to read her work. GO GET A COPY OF A HOPE UNDAUNTED RIGHT NOW! You will instantly fall in love with the people in this book as they crawl in and take over your heart. Worthy of 1,005 stars, this 5 star book is a MUST read for everyone! Thank you, Julie, for creating a story full of passion, history and a breathtaking plot….it’s what I was needing and looking for! Now, I anxiously await the release of book 2, A Heart Revealed, in the Winds of Change series!
  
Z For Zachariah (2015)
Z For Zachariah (2015)
2015 | Drama, Sci-Fi
Director: Craig Zobel
Writer: Nissar Modi (Screenplay) Robert C O’Brien (Novel)
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine
 
Plot: In the wake of a disaster that wipes out most of civilization, two men and a young woman find themselves in an emotionally charged love triangle as the last known survivors.

Tagline – What remains after the world ends?..
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
 
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
 
Verdict: Starts Promising, Ends Slow
 
Story: Z for Zachariah starts as Ann (Robbie) goes about her daily routine in a disaster hit world, living on a farm with her dog, she does everything she can just to survive, until she sees a stranger wondering through the mountain range, John (Ejiofor) who was underground during the incident.
Ann and John start trying to put a life together using his knowledge of engineering to help with the work around the farm until another stranger, a miner Caleb (Pine) turns up on the land, which starts to create a new problem, a love triangle.
 
Thoughts on Z for Zachariah
 
Characters – Ann is a farm girl that has been with just her dog since the incident that has wiped out most of the population, she is keeps the land together preparing for the harsh winters which she barely made it through before, she does have the lonely feeling until she meet John and Caleb who help show her life after people. John I a scientist who was underground when the incident happened, he decides to come to the surface in search of a life up there, which sees him stumble into Ann’s land, the two might have difference of opinions when it comes to religion and science, but they do try to help make a life together, he uses his skills to help make the farm work easier. Caleb is a miner that ends up on the land, he becomes competition for John in search for attention from Ann, being much more laidback about life and where it will go next.
Performances – The performances are the highlight of this film, Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine all give us wonderful performances, showing the difficult moments they would have been through in this world, we see guilt and hope coming through strong through the performances.
Story – The story follows three people living in a world destroyed by an incident (which we never learn what it is) that has left most of the population dead, with most of land being unliveable and then we get thrown into a love triangle. The side of the story that explores the world that has been through an incident because we start to explore what could have caused it taking science version religion, as soon as we start getting to the love triangle things just get dragged down because we don’t need this, as we do have the complex side to the story already in place.
Sci-Fi – The world that we enter shows us the sci-fi side of the film by seeing just how difficult surviving would be in this world, only it would be nice to have learnt what happened to cause the incident.
Settings – The film does take us to a beautiful location which give us stunning shots, making it a lovely place to live in a world like this.

Scene of the Movie – The water system.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not learning what has happened to the world.
Final Thoughts – This is a film that starts so well, only to fall into a bland love triangle which only drags all the potential away from this story.
 
Overall: Doesn’t live up to potential.
Rating
  
Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3)
Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3)
Cardeno C | 2017 | Romance
6
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3) by Cardeno C.
Smitty's Sheriff is the third book in the Hope series, and this series is one where I never know what I'm going to get. McFarland's Farm was a 4-star, Jesse's Diner was a 5. Each story is completely individual, and that is always a good thing.

Now, first off, I need to say that this story is of the same high quality as all of Cardeno C.'s work. The pace is smooth, the characters believable, and certain scenes are steamy enough for anyone.

The reason for my 3-stars is that whilst I enjoyed their story, I couldn't actually get with the relationship between the main two characters. I found myself getting quite annoyed whenever Rich spoke to Todd like he was a child. I know there is an age difference between them, but to me, their relationship was more father/son with sexy bits, rather than boyfriends/lovers/whatever you want to call them.

NOW, that is just my opinion, and I know that some readers will devour this story and love every word. I'm just sorry that I'm not one of them, although I did enjoy it. As it is Cardeno C.'s work, I have no hesitation in recommending this book, even if I didn't like it 100%.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!