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His Boy to Tease (Naughty or Nice Season Two)
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Dear Santa, I lost my Christmas spirit some years back, but in February I met a boy with angel...
Contemporary MM Romance Daddy Kink
David McK (3773 KP) rated Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) in Movies
May 15, 2022
Marvel's first horror (themed) movie?
So, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange?
He's now appeared in six MCU movies, including this one (which is only his second solo outing). In order, they are:
Doctor Strange (2016)
Thor: Ragnorak (2017)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
As well as that, he's also appeared in perhaps the best episode of Marvels animated 'What If ...' series, titled 'What if ... Doctor Strange lost his heart instead of his hands?@
The reason I mention the latter?
Because, roughly halfway through this, Dr Strange falls through the Multiverse (first shown on the big screen in No Way Home): one of which looks very much like the animation style used in said series.
The films also relies heavily on the aftermath from TVs WandaVision (although a brief reprise of that is given by Wanda herself, with Vision barely getting a mention), in that Wanda is now desperate to find her missing children and has the Darkhold in her possession.
She also goes on to show why she is one of - if not the - most powerful beings in the MCU, which is where a lot of the horror elements in this story come into play. It is a Sam Raimi film, so if you've seen The Evil Dead (or even the original Spider-man trilogy, in particular Spider-Man 2), you know the type of thing: crazy camera angles, unsettling imagery, zombies, the damned ....
Oh, and it also definitely - finally! - opens up the MCU for the inclusion of the X-Men or The Fantastic Four.
He's now appeared in six MCU movies, including this one (which is only his second solo outing). In order, they are:
Doctor Strange (2016)
Thor: Ragnorak (2017)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
As well as that, he's also appeared in perhaps the best episode of Marvels animated 'What If ...' series, titled 'What if ... Doctor Strange lost his heart instead of his hands?@
The reason I mention the latter?
Because, roughly halfway through this, Dr Strange falls through the Multiverse (first shown on the big screen in No Way Home): one of which looks very much like the animation style used in said series.
The films also relies heavily on the aftermath from TVs WandaVision (although a brief reprise of that is given by Wanda herself, with Vision barely getting a mention), in that Wanda is now desperate to find her missing children and has the Darkhold in her possession.
She also goes on to show why she is one of - if not the - most powerful beings in the MCU, which is where a lot of the horror elements in this story come into play. It is a Sam Raimi film, so if you've seen The Evil Dead (or even the original Spider-man trilogy, in particular Spider-Man 2), you know the type of thing: crazy camera angles, unsettling imagery, zombies, the damned ....
Oh, and it also definitely - finally! - opens up the MCU for the inclusion of the X-Men or The Fantastic Four.
ClareR (6134 KP) rated The Dog of the North in Books
Mar 3, 2024
I can remember reading Elizabeth Mckenzie’s The Portable Veblen when it came out, and thinking “What on earth am I reading? This is marvellous!!”. I felt exactly the same way when I read The Dog of the North.
Penny’s life is a mess - she will be the first to admit it. Her marriage is over, she has walked out on her job and her house, and now has nowhere to live. However, she finds herself rushing to her grandmother’s rescue when it looks as though Adult Protective Services are going to get involved in her life unless her house is cleaned. Along the way, she meets her grandmother’s accountant whose living conditions also leave a lot to be desired, her biological father makes an appearance, her grandfather needs her help because of his frankly awful second wife, and we get to see Penny’s sister in Australia as Penny and her grandfather make a last ditch attempt to find her mother and stepfather. They had gone missing in the outback five years before, and Penny is finding it difficult to accept that they’re really dead.
This is a really funny book, but boy is it dark. Whilst I was laughing at the predicaments that Penny found herself in, I realised that she seemed to be helping everyone else, and none of these people seemed to be helping or caring for her. She is a quiet voice amidst the shouting and misadventures of her family (her grandmother is really VERY entertaining!), and she just needs someone to take her side and give her a hug (if she’ll let them!).
It’s an uplifting story all in all, and well worth reading.
Penny’s life is a mess - she will be the first to admit it. Her marriage is over, she has walked out on her job and her house, and now has nowhere to live. However, she finds herself rushing to her grandmother’s rescue when it looks as though Adult Protective Services are going to get involved in her life unless her house is cleaned. Along the way, she meets her grandmother’s accountant whose living conditions also leave a lot to be desired, her biological father makes an appearance, her grandfather needs her help because of his frankly awful second wife, and we get to see Penny’s sister in Australia as Penny and her grandfather make a last ditch attempt to find her mother and stepfather. They had gone missing in the outback five years before, and Penny is finding it difficult to accept that they’re really dead.
This is a really funny book, but boy is it dark. Whilst I was laughing at the predicaments that Penny found herself in, I realised that she seemed to be helping everyone else, and none of these people seemed to be helping or caring for her. She is a quiet voice amidst the shouting and misadventures of her family (her grandmother is really VERY entertaining!), and she just needs someone to take her side and give her a hug (if she’ll let them!).
It’s an uplifting story all in all, and well worth reading.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2536 KP) rated Lone Wolf in Books
Mar 15, 2024 (Updated Mar 15, 2024)
A Missing Dog Leads to…an Assassin?
Evan Smoak is trying to deal with some emotional baggage when he gets a phone call asking for his help. It’s a girl looking for a lost dog. Normally, this isn’t the kind of case he would take, but because of who she is, he agrees. When he does find the dog, he also finds himself in a situation much more up his usual alley. Can he figure out how to stop what he has found?
Because of the set up for this book, it starts a little slower than normal, but then the plot gets jump started with a bang and an extended action scene, and we are off and running. The plot touches on AI and social media, and I found it interesting to think about what Evan was seeing here, especially in light of what’s been going on in the world recently. We see a lot of Joey, Evan’s protégé, and I found her annoying at times. On the other hand, I loved the growth we got for her and Evan over the course of the novel. A couple of my favorite supporting players weren’t in this one, but I did like the new characters, and there is a great subplot involving Evan’s neighbors. As expected, there is more language and violence in a thriller than the cozies I normally read, although I did find the language to be excessive, even for the genre. Overall, the writing continues to be lyrical, and I get lost in it as I read. If you are looking for a smart, fun thriller, you’ll be glad you picked up their series.
Because of the set up for this book, it starts a little slower than normal, but then the plot gets jump started with a bang and an extended action scene, and we are off and running. The plot touches on AI and social media, and I found it interesting to think about what Evan was seeing here, especially in light of what’s been going on in the world recently. We see a lot of Joey, Evan’s protégé, and I found her annoying at times. On the other hand, I loved the growth we got for her and Evan over the course of the novel. A couple of my favorite supporting players weren’t in this one, but I did like the new characters, and there is a great subplot involving Evan’s neighbors. As expected, there is more language and violence in a thriller than the cozies I normally read, although I did find the language to be excessive, even for the genre. Overall, the writing continues to be lyrical, and I get lost in it as I read. If you are looking for a smart, fun thriller, you’ll be glad you picked up their series.
D'Vaire or Nothing (D'Vaire #44)
Book
In these five previously unpublished short stories, the D’Vaires are invited to the newest dragon...
LGBTQ+ Fantasy Short Stories
For Duck’s Sake
5.0
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Donna Andrews returns with her latest charming addition to the bestselling Meg Langslow mystery...
Lindsay (1812 KP) rated Shadows of the Missing ( A Chris Matheson Mystery #5) in Books
May 5, 2026
Lauren Carr does it again. Pulling out all the stops for a hidden secret family disappearance. How the siblings react and what happened years later. This book brought tears to my eyes a few times. I love what a plot. I loved it. The plots, twists, and turns were always a surprise, keeping you guessing to the end.
We met Helen in her 5th-grade classroom as she waited for school to be out and had to go home with her mother and siblings.
We also meet Helen's best friend, Stacey. We know her mother pulled in, but did she return to take Helen and her siblings home?
We get a glance at Chris and a few helpers, including his daughters, by Nikki, who is helping out.
When Chris spots his wife after she pulls in, he is in the barn.
As they review the cold case Doris has received, they are looking up information. Just before dinner is ready. Somebody came up to the house, and it seems that they forgot to close the security gate.
Who could this person in the company be?
Kassie seems to drop by out of nowhere, and why? Why would she bring up her father or think she might have found him? Then bring up her mother's disappearance, and think she was abducted by someone named Pee Wee Herman?
The Geezer Squad gets more info and another cold case. Could Lady in Barrel be connected to two missing parents? Are Helen's parents another cold case unrelated to the one the Geezer Squad is working on? Or is it?
We met Helen in her 5th-grade classroom as she waited for school to be out and had to go home with her mother and siblings.
We also meet Helen's best friend, Stacey. We know her mother pulled in, but did she return to take Helen and her siblings home?
We get a glance at Chris and a few helpers, including his daughters, by Nikki, who is helping out.
When Chris spots his wife after she pulls in, he is in the barn.
As they review the cold case Doris has received, they are looking up information. Just before dinner is ready. Somebody came up to the house, and it seems that they forgot to close the security gate.
Who could this person in the company be?
Kassie seems to drop by out of nowhere, and why? Why would she bring up her father or think she might have found him? Then bring up her mother's disappearance, and think she was abducted by someone named Pee Wee Herman?
The Geezer Squad gets more info and another cold case. Could Lady in Barrel be connected to two missing parents? Are Helen's parents another cold case unrelated to the one the Geezer Squad is working on? Or is it?
ClareR (6134 KP) rated The Safekeep in Books
Jan 26, 2025
The house in The Safekeep is at the centre of this story. Isabel lives alone in the large family home in the countryside, whilst her brothers, Louis and Hendrik, live in the city. Isabel and Hendrik are invited to meet yet another of Louis’ girlfriends, and they don’t seem to take either one of them seriously. Shortly afterwards, Louis has to leave for France on business, and his girlfriend doesn’t want to stay in their city flat alone. So she asks to stay with Isabel.
Isabel lives a very rigid life. Not religious as such, but close to the Calvinist religion that their mother brought them up in. She’s paranoid about things going missing from inside the house, she constantly counts everything and tries to keep the house as her mother would have done. It becomes clear towards the end why she does this.
Isabel clearly doesn’t want Eva to stay. She wants to be alone in the house. Isabel also doesn’t want the attention of a rather over-enthusiastic male “friend”. She goes on dates with him, barely tolerating his company.
As Isabel and Eva’s relationship develops, we see another side of Isabel, and in the latter half of the book there are diary entries that explain a lot about her (I love a book with diary entries). This is a love story, but also a story about what happened to the property of returning Jews after WW2. It’s a psychological novel with a lot of secrets at its heart. It must have been a tough call for this book NOT to win the Booker in 2024.
Isabel lives a very rigid life. Not religious as such, but close to the Calvinist religion that their mother brought them up in. She’s paranoid about things going missing from inside the house, she constantly counts everything and tries to keep the house as her mother would have done. It becomes clear towards the end why she does this.
Isabel clearly doesn’t want Eva to stay. She wants to be alone in the house. Isabel also doesn’t want the attention of a rather over-enthusiastic male “friend”. She goes on dates with him, barely tolerating his company.
As Isabel and Eva’s relationship develops, we see another side of Isabel, and in the latter half of the book there are diary entries that explain a lot about her (I love a book with diary entries). This is a love story, but also a story about what happened to the property of returning Jews after WW2. It’s a psychological novel with a lot of secrets at its heart. It must have been a tough call for this book NOT to win the Booker in 2024.
Debbiereadsbook (1727 KP) rated Daddy Protector (Night Ops Daddies #1) in Books
Aug 21, 2025
cute read
Independent reviewer for GRR, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I'm not sure whether or not I liked this book, so I will try to keep my comments positive. There are a couple of negatives that DO need adressing though.
I liked the story. It's an easy read, with very little brain power required. The plot is not complicated, or full of twists that you can't keep up with. It was one of those reads that you go to bed early to read a bit and the next thing, you've finished the book.
I liked that Richie and Cole both have a say. I liked that Cole took the fact that Richie was a little in his stride, and slotted himself into the Daddy role accordingly.
This is point one, though. One minute Cole is just Richie's bodyguard, the next, calling him Daddy. I know these sorts of relationshops move fast, but still, felt a little too fast for me. there was no discussion about punishments or rewards or anything. It was just straight in.
The emotional connection between Richie and Cole was missing, for ME. I stress the ME bit. Others might find it perfect but not so much for me.
And there is MUCH repetition of certain phrases. Night Ops Guard is one. Richie is the son of Hunter is another. Almost every page, there was one or the other, sometimes more than once a page. It was annoying to say the least.
A nicce book, an easy read. Maybe I'll try something else by this author, this was my first.
3 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
I'm not sure whether or not I liked this book, so I will try to keep my comments positive. There are a couple of negatives that DO need adressing though.
I liked the story. It's an easy read, with very little brain power required. The plot is not complicated, or full of twists that you can't keep up with. It was one of those reads that you go to bed early to read a bit and the next thing, you've finished the book.
I liked that Richie and Cole both have a say. I liked that Cole took the fact that Richie was a little in his stride, and slotted himself into the Daddy role accordingly.
This is point one, though. One minute Cole is just Richie's bodyguard, the next, calling him Daddy. I know these sorts of relationshops move fast, but still, felt a little too fast for me. there was no discussion about punishments or rewards or anything. It was just straight in.
The emotional connection between Richie and Cole was missing, for ME. I stress the ME bit. Others might find it perfect but not so much for me.
And there is MUCH repetition of certain phrases. Night Ops Guard is one. Richie is the son of Hunter is another. Almost every page, there was one or the other, sometimes more than once a page. It was annoying to say the least.
A nicce book, an easy read. Maybe I'll try something else by this author, this was my first.
3 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated The Snowman (2017) in Movies
Oct 19, 2017
Not enough suspense (2 more)
poor twist
Plot that just didn't fit or make sense
The Movie that Melted Away
The Snowman was not put together very well. Just like the snowmen that were built in the movie They were missing a lot. No carrot for the noise, no coal for the eyes and not enough suspense to keep me gripped to my seat. I walked in to this movie thinking this would be a thriller, with twists and turns. Right out of the box at the little boys house with the mom was so down played. They could have add a little bit more of a score to show how dramatic the situation was. This was kind of the theme the whole movie.
The acting was actually strong, but the story was not written very well, there were no twists and turns. The flipping from present to past and back was done very poorly and hard to follow sometimes. The characters were not built up to understand their whole story.
The deaths in the movie were not presented very well, I thought there was going to be more bodies stuck in snowmen, but it seemed that the snowmen were more to show that bad things are going to happen. The way the women were murder was so boring. I get what the killer was going for and his MO was very standard, but the presentation could have been so much better.
The one thing that I actually liked was the location that they shot the movie in. It looked very classic with the snow. The landscape and the way they used it in the story was very good.
I had such high hopes for this movie, but by the end of the movie my hope melted away like a snowman at the end of winter.
The acting was actually strong, but the story was not written very well, there were no twists and turns. The flipping from present to past and back was done very poorly and hard to follow sometimes. The characters were not built up to understand their whole story.
The deaths in the movie were not presented very well, I thought there was going to be more bodies stuck in snowmen, but it seemed that the snowmen were more to show that bad things are going to happen. The way the women were murder was so boring. I get what the killer was going for and his MO was very standard, but the presentation could have been so much better.
The one thing that I actually liked was the location that they shot the movie in. It looked very classic with the snow. The landscape and the way they used it in the story was very good.
I had such high hopes for this movie, but by the end of the movie my hope melted away like a snowman at the end of winter.